Ezekiel 16:2

2 "Son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem the evil things they have done. I hate those things.

Ezekiel 16:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:2

Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations.
] That is, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as the Targum; these are mentioned instead of the whole body of the people, because that Jerusalem was the metropolis of the nation, whose sins were very many and heinous: called "abominations", because abominable to God, and rendered them so to him; particularly their idolatries are meant; which, though committed by them, and so must be known to them, yet were not owned, confessed, and repented of by them, they not being convinced of the evil of them; in order to which the prophet is bid to set them before them, and show them the evil nature of them; and which he might do by writing to them, for he himself was now in Chaldea with the captives there. The Targum is,

``son of man, reprove the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and show them their abominations.''

Ezekiel 16:2 In-Context

1 A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

2 "Son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem the evil things they have done. I hate those things.

3 "Tell them, 'The LORD and King speaks to Jerusalem. He says, "Your history in the land of Canaan goes back a long way. Your father was an Amorite. Your mother was a Hittite.

4 On the day you were born your cord was not cut. You were not washed with water to clean you up. You were not rubbed with salt. And you were not wrapped in large strips of cloth.

5 No one took pity on you. No one was concerned enough to do any of those things for you. Instead, you were thrown out into an open field. You were hated on the day you were born.