Ezekiel 16:16

16 And thou tookest of my clothes, and madest to thee high things set about on each side (And thou tookest some of thy clothes, and adornest thy high places with them put about on each side); and thou didest fornication on those, as it was not done, neither shall be done.

Ezekiel 16:16 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:16

And of thy garments thou didst take
Which were made of fine linen, silk, and broidered work; which God had given them, and they were richly clad with: and deckedst thy high places with divers colours;
that is, with garments of divers colours; either they erected tents on their high places, made with these; or they covered their altars with them, which were on their high places for the ornament of them, as harlots deck their beds to allure their lovers; see ( Proverbs 7:16 Proverbs 7:17 ) ; or "thou hast made for thyself high places spotted" ^F4; so the word is rendered in ( Genesis 30:32 Genesis 30:33 Genesis 30:35 ) ; alluding to garments spotted with the flesh by adulterers. The Targum is, "thou hast made for thyself high places covered with idols": and so the Septuagint version renders it, "idols sewed together". The word, in the Talmudic language ^F5, has the signification of sewing. These idols were decked as children's babies are; and so the Syriac version, "thou hast made for thyself babies"; images like babies, richly dressed with their garments above described, such as the papists now have; and playedst the harlot thereon;
committed idolatry on the high places; or "with them" ^F6; that is, with the images and idols decked with their garments, which were set on those high places: [the like things] shall not come, neither shall it be [so];
the like idolatries shall set be committed any more; and after the Babylonish captivity worshipping of idols was not practised by the Jews; nor is it to this day: or such "things have not come yet", and there "shall not be" the like ^F7; the sense is, there never were such idolatries committed by this people before; and there hover shall be, or will be, the like afterwards. Kimchi's note is,

``the high places shall not come as these; as if it was said these shall not be in futurity; and there shall not be a man or a people that shall make like these for multitudes;''

so Ben Melech; and (twmb) , "high places", does agree with (twab) , "come". The Targum joins this with the preceding clause,

``"and playedst the harlot" with them, as is not right and fit''

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (twalj twmb Kl yvetw) "et fecisti tibi excelsa maculosa", Montanus; "excelsa conspera maculis", Calvin; "latis maculis interstincta", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus.
F5 T. Bab. Gittin. fol. 45. 2. Misn. Celim, c. 27. sect. 6.
F6 (Mhyle) "iisque", Ar. Interp.
F7 (hyhy alw twab al) "non eventurae sunt [tales scortationes], nec erit [qui sic scortetur]", Piscator.

Ezekiel 16:16 In-Context

14 and thy name went out into heathen men for thy fairness (and thy name went out to the heathen because of thy beauty); for thou were perfect in my fairness which I had set [up]on thee, saith the Lord God.

15 And thou haddest trust in thy fairness, and didest fornication in thy name; and thou settedest forth thy fornication to each that passed forth, that thou shouldest be made his (and thou hast put forth, or hast proffered, thy willingness for fornication to anyone who passed by, so that thou wouldest be made his).

16 And thou tookest of my clothes, and madest to thee high things set about on each side (And thou tookest some of thy clothes, and adornest thy high places with them put about on each side); and thou didest fornication on those, as it was not done, neither shall be done.

17 And thou tookest the vessels of thy fairness, of my gold and of my silver, which I gave to thee; and thou madest to thee images of men, and didest fornication in those. (And thou tookest my beautiful vessels of gold and of silver, which I gave to thee; and thou madest for thyself idols of men, and didest fornication, that is, idolatry, with them.)

18 And thou tookest thy clothes of many colours, and thou were clothed in those; and thou settedest mine oil and mine incense in the sight of those.