44 Lo, every one using a simile, Doth use a simile concerning thee, saying: As the mother—her daughter! 45 Thy mother's daughter thou 'art', Loathing her husband and her sons, And thy sisters' sister thou 'art', Who loathed their husbands and their sons, Your mother 'is' a Hittite, and your father an Amorite. 46 And thine elder sister 'is' Samaria, she and her daughters, Who is dwelling at thy left hand, And thy younger sister, who is dwelling on thy right hand, 'is' Sodom and her daughters. 47 And—in their ways thou hast not walked, And according to their abominations done, As a little thing it hath been loathed, And thou dost more corruptly than they in all thy ways. 48 I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Sodom thy sister hath not done—she and her daughters—As thou hast done—thou and thy daughters. 49 Lo, this hath been the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, Arrogancy, fulness of bread, and quiet ease, Have been to her and to her daughters, And the hand of the afflicted and needy She hath not strengthened. 50 And they are haughty and do abomination before Me, And I turn them aside when I have seen. 51 As to Samaria, as the half of thy sins—she hath not sinned, And thou dost multiply thine abominations more than they, And dost justify thy sisters by all thy abominations that thou hast done. 52 Thou also—bear thy shame, That thou hast adjudged to thy sisters, Because of thy sins that thou hast done more abominably than they, They are more righteous than thou, And thou, also, be ashamed and bear thy shame, In thy justifying thy sisters. 53 And I have turned back 'to' their captivity, The captivity of Sodom and her daughters, And the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, And the captivity of thy captives in their midst, 54 So that thou dost bear thy shame, And hast been ashamed of all that thou hast done, In thy comforting them. 55 And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, Do turn back to their former state, And Samaria and her daughters Do turn back to their former state, And thou and thy daughters do turn back to your former state. 56 And thy sister Sodom hath not been for a report in thy mouth, In the day of thine arrogancy, 57 Before thy wickedness is revealed, As 'at' the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram, And of all her neighbours, the daughters of the Philistines, Who are despising thee round about. 58 Thy devices and thine abominations, Thou hast borne them, an affirmation of Jehovah. 59 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have dealt with thee as thou hast done, In that thou hast despised an oath—to break covenant.
60 And I—I have remembered My covenant with thee, In the days of thy youth, And I have established for thee a covenant age-during. 61 And thou hast remembered thy ways, And thou hast been ashamed, In thy receiving thy sisters—Thine elder with thy younger, And I have given them to thee for daughters, And not by thy covenant. 62 And I—I have established My covenant with thee, And thou hast known that I 'am' Jehovah. 63 So that thou dost remember, And thou hast been ashamed, And there is not to thee any more an opening of the mouth because of thy shame, In My receiving atonement for thee, For all that thou hast done, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:44-63
Commentary on Ezekiel 16:1-58
(Read Ezekiel 16:1-58)
In this chapter God's dealings with the Jewish nation, and their conduct towards him, are described, and their punishment through the surrounding nations, even those they most trusted in. This is done under the parable of an exposed infant rescued from death, educated, espoused, and richly provided for, but afterwards guilty of the most abandoned conduct, and punished for it; yet at last received into favour, and ashamed of her base conduct. We are not to judge of these expressions by modern ideas, but by those of the times and places in which they were used, where many of them would not sound as they do to us. The design was to raise hatred to idolatry, and such a parable was well suited for that purpose.
Commentary on Ezekiel 16:59-63
(Read Ezekiel 16:59-63)
After a full warning of judgments, mercy is remembered, mercy is reserved. These closing verses are a precious promise, in part fulfilled at the return of the penitent and reformed Jews out of Babylon, but to have fuller accomplishment in gospel times. The Divine mercy should be powerful to melt our hearts into godly sorrow for sin. Nor will God ever leave the sinner to perish, who is humbled for his sins, and comes to trust in His mercy and grace through Jesus Christ; but will keep him by his power, through faith unto salvation.