Ezekiel 16:6
in Ezekiel 16Then I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live.
KJV
And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
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This verse in Ezekiel 16
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
"Live in thy blood," that is, Live, but live a life exposed to many deaths, as was the case in the beginnings of Israel's national existence, in order to magnify the grace of God [CALVIN]. The former view is preferable. Spiritually, till the sinner is made sensible of his abject helplessness, he will not appreciate the provisions of God's grace.
This site's exposition
Then I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood
on Ezekiel 16:6-7
The Lord's word to the dying infant is a single command spoken twice, Live, and the girl grows under that word alone. Clarke reads the doubled command as covenant language. The growth marks Israel's development from Egypt to the kingdom, still owing everything to the word first spoken over her.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
But see the mercy of God, see his extraordinary goodness. Even though Jerusalem was thrown into the open field, he does not look down on it as thrown out forever, he does not leave it in a state of perversion as entirely forgotten, as not in the end to lift up the fallen. You were thrown out, but I still return to you; my visit is not lacking after your ruin."
And when she was prepared for marriage, and had the beauty of the body, she did not have the coverings of clothing, nor was she protected by the help of God. If anyone does not have the clothing of Christ, they are naked. If anyone is not clothed with the bowels of mercy, goodness, humility, modesty, meekness, patience, they lie face down on the ground: and their beauty is marred by shame and nakedness.
(Verse 6, 7.) But passing by you, I saw you trampled in your own blood. And I said to you when you were in your own blood, live: I said to you, indeed, in your own blood, live. I made you multiply like the growth of the field, and you entered and came to womanhood. Your breasts swelled, and your hair grew: and you were naked and full of confusion. LXX: And I passed by you, and saw you mixed in your own blood, and I said to you, multiply your life from your blood, as I gave you growth like the plants of the field, and you multiplied, and you were magnified, and you entered into cities of cities. Your breasts were erect, and your hair was grown; but you were naked and full of shame. After you were cast down on the face of the field, or on the face of the earth, because of the wickedness of your soul, I no longer deserved to help you. Nevertheless, passing by, I saw you trampled upon, or mixed in your own blood, that is, guilty of mortal crimes. And I provoked you, granting you repentance, and said to you: Though you are in blood, nevertheless live in conversion; and there was such an abundance of all things in you, that you had the likeness of the most fertile land, and the blessing of Jacob, with which his father blessed him, saying: Behold the smell of my son is like the smell of a full field, which the Lord has blessed (Gen. XXVII, 27); and you would enter the inner chambers of the Lord, and say with the bride: The king brought me into his chamber (Cant. I, 3); and you would go to the world of women, for which the Seventy translated: and you entered into the cities of cities; so that just as the Song of Songs is called the world of worlds; so let cities be called the cities of cities. […]
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
When I passed by - God here speaks after the manner of men. Live - This is such a command as sends forth a power to effect what is commanded; he gave that life: he spake, and it was done.
And when I passed by thee,....
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
By converting grace, he says to the soul, Live. He looked upon them with kindness and a tender affection, not only pitied them, but set his love upon them, which was unaccountable, for there was nothing lovely in them; but I looked upon thee, and, behold, thy time was the time of love,
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Doubtless the Lord here describes the Jewish people when they began to multiply in the land of Egypt and were grievously oppressed by Pharaoh. Pharaoh had commanded them to cast out the male children that they might perish. Hence, the figure of an infant deserted, cast out into the open field to perish by wild beasts, by starvation, or exposure, was a very apt portrait of the youthful state of Israel, when God looked upon her in love, and brought her out of Egypt to set her in a goodly land.
Doubtless the Lord here describes the Jewish people when they began to multiply in the land of Egypt and were grievously oppressed by Pharaoh. Pharaoh had commanded them to cast out the male children that they might perish. Hence, the figure of an infant deserted, cast out into the open field to perish by wild beasts, by starvation, or exposure, was a very apt portrait of the youthful state of Israel, when God looked upon her in love, and brought her out of Egypt to set her in a goodly land. But all the best Divines and expositors concur in the belief that we have here also a most extraordinarily apt and significant description of the human race by nature, and of the way in which God in Divine mercy passes by the sinner when utterly lost and helpless and by the power of the Spirit, bids him "Live." At any rate, we intend to consider it so this morning. Without any preface, for we need none, we shall, first of all, bid you look at the misery of man's estate as set before us in the present verses. Then, next, we shall search for motives which could urge the Lord to have pity upon this miserable one. And then, thirdly, we shall pause a little while to listen to the Divine mandate by which this unhappy being is delivered from his lost estate. "I said unto you, Live; yes, I said unto you, Live." I. At the outset, I shall direct your contemplations to a survey of THE MISERY OF MAN'S ESTATE. The verse presents to us an infant exposed to die. All the common offices that were necessary for its life and health have been forgotten. Its heartless parents have laid it out in the open field, having no regard whatever for it. There it lies before our eyes, covered with blood, exposed to wild beasts, famishing, ready to perish. Among many heathen nations there existed the barbarous custom of leaving deformed children to perish in the woods or fields.
I said - Live - I received the exposed child from the death that awaited it, while in such a state as rendered it at once an object of horror, and also of compassion. - Modo primos Edere vagitus, et adhuc a matre rubentem.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Or, Then I passed by thee ... and I said. Polluted - wallowing, “treading upon oneself.” In thy blood - may be connected either with “I said” or with “Live.” In the latter case, the state of blood and defilement is made the very cause of life, because it called forth the pity of Him who gave life. Since in the Mosaic Law “blood” was especially defiling, so was it also the special instrument of purification.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאֶעֱבֹ֤ר | vaeevor | and I passed by | H5674 → | 556 times |
| עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ | ʾalayikh | at you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וָֽאֶרְאֵ֔ךְ | vaerekh | and I saw you | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| מִתְבּוֹסֶ֖סֶת | mitboseset | kicking about | H947 → | |
| בְּדָמָ֑יִךְ | bedamayikh | in blood<s> your | H1818 → | 360 times |
| וָאֹ֤מַר | vaomar | and I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָךְ֙ | lokh | to you | ||
| בְּדָמַ֣יִךְ | bedamayikh | in blood<s> your | H1818 → | 360 times |
| חֲיִ֔י | chayi | live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| וָאֹ֥מַר | vaomar | and I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָ֖ךְ | lakh | to you | ||
| בְּדָמַ֥יִךְ | bedamayikh | in blood<s> your | H1818 → | 360 times |
| חֲיִֽי׃ | chayi | live | H2421 → | 282 times |
וָאֶעֱבֹ֤רand I passed by
vaeevorH5674 →556 times
עָלַ֙יִךְ֙at you
ʾalayikhH5921 →5755 times
וָֽאֶרְאֵ֔ךְand I saw you
vaerekhH7200 →1300 times
מִתְבּוֹסֶ֖סֶתkicking about
mitbosesetH947 →
בְּדָמָ֑יִךְin blood<s> your
bedamayikhH1818 →360 times
וָאֹ֤מַרand I said
vaomarH559 →5305 times
לָךְ֙to you
lokh
בְּדָמַ֣יִךְin blood<s> your
bedamayikhH1818 →360 times
חֲיִ֔יlive
chayiH2421 →282 times
וָאֹ֥מַרand I said
vaomarH559 →5305 times
לָ֖ךְto you
lakh
בְּדָמַ֥יִךְin blood<s> your
bedamayikhH1818 →360 times
חֲיִֽי׃live
chayiH2421 →282 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 5:25Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
it leads to
- John 5:28
Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
- Ephesians 5:14
So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
- Ephesians 2:5
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!
- John 4:23
But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.
- John 8:47
Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
- John 5:28
Through
Acts 7:34I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
it leads to
- Exodus 3:7–10
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Psalms 106:44
Nevertheless He heard their cry; He took note of their distress.
- Exodus 4:31
and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
- Exodus 3:7–10
Where this verse is studied
About Ezekiel
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 468: “Ezekiel'S Deserted Infant” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 6:7.