Ezekiel chapter 16

After the last chapter, looks like we'll be here a while.

vs 1

A new prophecy, this one seems like it might be long.

vs 2

Is he actually going to Jerusalem this time? Or is he going to confront Jerusalem from exile?

vs 3

I assume by this that they are talking about the city itself, rather than its people. I don't think even if you go back to Abraham you'll find Amorite and Hittite blood.

vs 4

Interesting to see the things that they did when preparing a child after birth. The idea is, I think, that Jerusalem was born of bad parenting stock, and was never truly separated or cleaned from this stock, and the results now show.

vs 5

Oh, nasty. Okay, the picture I came up with above may or may not be correct, but the picture here is obvious enough - of a child despised, unwanted. Left to die.

vs 6

A novel thing here - the majority of manuscripts have the last clause repeated, but the (T)NIV removes the repetition as what I assume they think is a scribal error. Apparently repetition of a line is one of the most common scribal errors.

Anyway, so God was walking past and saw this baby dying and struggling, and called for it to live.

vs 7

Okay, it's only just a little bit disturbing when described in this way. Why would anyone describe the growth of a city like a child, especially a girl child, entering puberty? How awkward. The city is also naked (awkward!), but we'll try and see if we can work out exactly what that means.

vs 8

So God raised Jerusalem from a child, then married her. The spreading the corner of a garment over someone we can read about in Ruth too. The question has always been what comes first, the sex or the marriage. To me it seems obvious, but people will continue to argue it.

vs 9

As you would, considering she is now his wife. Er, city.

vs 10

Basically, God became an awesome sugar daddy husband - Jerusalem was nothing, but then it became David's city, then the capital, then the place where God's temple would be. Things just got better and better for Jerusalem, and everyone knows it. More prophecy tomorrow!