Ezekiel 16:43

43 for thou haddest not mind on the days of thy young waxing age, and thou stirredest me to ire in all these things. Wherefore and I gave thy ways in thine head, saith the Lord God, and I did not after thy great trespasses, in all these thine abominations. (for thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, and thou stirredest me to anger in all these things. And so I gave thy ways back upon thy own head, saith the Lord God, for thou should not do after thy great trespasses, and all these thy abominations.)

Ezekiel 16:43 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:43

Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth
The low estate they were once in, and the great favours bestowed upon them, which laid them under great obligation to serve the Lord, and him only; but these they forgot, which highly provoked him, and caused him to do the things he did; see ( Ezekiel 16:22 ) : and hast fretted me in all these [things];
irritated, provoked him, moved him to wrath and anger, stirred up in his breast a tumult, speaking after the manner of men; this they did by their ingratitude, idolatry, and other sins: behold, therefore, I also will recompense thy way upon [thine] head,
saith the Lord God;
retaliate their evils, punish them according as their sins deserved, and in a way which they led unto: and thou shall not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations;
or add to all thine abominable idolatries this shocking piece of wickedness, the sacrificing of their children to their idols: or rather the words may be rendered, "for thou hast not taken this thought" (or counsel) "upon" or "concerning all thine abominations" ^F21; to repent of them and turn from them So the Targum,

``and thou hast not taken counsel to thyself, to turn from all thine abominations.''

Or, as Jarchi,

``thou hast hot taken counsel to put the, heart upon thine abominations to turn from them;''

and he observes, that the word here used always signifies counsels either good or evil. There is a double reading of this clause; we follow the "Keri", or marginal reading; but the "Cetib", or textual writing or reading, is, "and I have not done according to this lewdness above all thine abominations"; and so expresses the mercy and long suffering of God ^F23.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F21 (Kytbewt lk le hmz ta tyve alw) "et non fecisti cogitationem super omnibus abominationibus tuis", Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin; "nec tamen fecisti" Vatablus, Grotius.
F23 This is followed by the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Luther, Starckius, and others.

Ezekiel 16:43 In-Context

41 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and they shall make dooms in thee, before the eyes of full many women; and thou shalt cease to do fornication, and thou shalt no more give hires. (And they shall burn down thy houses, and they shall bring in judgements upon thee, before the eyes of a great many women; and thou shalt cease to do fornication, that is, idolatry, and thou shalt no more give gifts, or money.)

42 And mine indignation shall rest in thee, and my fervent love shall be taken away from thee; and I shall rest, and I shall no more be wroth, (And then my indignation toward thee shall rest, and my jealousy shall be turned away from thee; and I shall rest, and I shall no more be angry,)

43 for thou haddest not mind on the days of thy young waxing age, and thou stirredest me to ire in all these things. Wherefore and I gave thy ways in thine head, saith the Lord God, and I did not after thy great trespasses, in all these thine abominations. (for thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, and thou stirredest me to anger in all these things. And so I gave thy ways back upon thy own head, saith the Lord God, for thou should not do after thy great trespasses, and all these thy abominations.)

44 Lo! each man that saith a proverb commonly, shall take it in thee, and shall say, As the mother, so and the daughter of her. (Lo! each person who commonly saith a proverb, shall take it against thee, and shall say, As the mother, and so her daughter.)

45 Thou art the daughter of thy mother, that casted away her husband and her sons; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, that casted away their husbands and their sons. Thy mother is (an) Hittite, and thy father is (an) Amorite;