Ezekiel 16:16-17
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What's easily missed is how deeply personal this imagery is: Jerusalem isn't just using any fabric, but her own beautiful, colorful garments, the very adornments God gave her, to create shrines for idols. This highlights a profound perversion – taking God's gifts meant for relationship with Him and using them to pursue other lovers, showing an unparalleled level of unfaithfulness.
You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this chapter, God continues His extended metaphor of Israel as an unfaithful wife, painting a vivid picture of her deep-seated corruption. Ezekiel has just described Jerusalem's birth and God's nurturing care, highlighting the divine gifts she received. Now, the narrative shifts to show how she perverted these very blessings into instruments of idolatry and sexual sin, building elaborate shrines and engaging in pagan rituals.
God gives us beautiful gifts – our talents, our resources, even our very clothing. But what happens when we take these sacred gifts and use them to serve something other than Him?
In this verse, God points out how Jerusalem has perverted His generous gifts. "You took some of your garments... and made for yourself colorful shrines." These weren't just any clothes; they were likely the fine linens, the rich fabrics, the symbols of her royal status that God Himself had provided.
The Perversion of Provision
Think of it like this: God gave you the finest materials to weave a beautiful garment that reflected His glory. Instead, you cut it up and used it to build a gaudy, temporary booth for idol worship. The very things meant to adorn and cover you, to signify your identity and status, are now used to lure others into sin.
This is a powerful image of misplaced devotion. The "colorful shrines" speak to the allure and seeming attractiveness of idolatry, but the foundation is a theft and perversion of God's provision.
Ever heard something described as "unprecedented"? Ezekiel uses that word to describe Jerusalem's actions, not just in their uniqueness, but in their profound, shocking sin.
The final phrase of the verse, "The like has never been, nor ever shall be," is incredibly strong. It's not just a statement of fact; it's an exclamation of disgust and a prophetic declaration.
The Height of Apostasy
Ask a follow-up
Commentators agree this points to the extreme nature of Jerusalem's spiritual adultery. They had taken the ultimate gift – their covenant relationship with God – and prostituted it with foreign gods and idols. This wasn't a minor slip-up; it was a complete betrayal that reached a level of depravity never before seen among God's people.
But it's also a declaration of finality. God is saying, 'This level of faithlessness will not happen again in this way.' This points to the severity of the coming judgment, but also to a future restoration where such profound betrayal is unthinkable for His redeemed people.
Understand the original words
zanah · Hebrew Verb
In a spiritual sense, this refers to unfaithfulness to God, typically involving idolatry or alliances with foreign powers, symbolizing a breach of the covenant relationship with Yahweh.
bamah · Hebrew Noun
Objects or places of worship dedicated to idols or false gods, often associated with Canaanite fertility cults and illicit religious practices.
Ezekiel delivers this prophecy during the Babylonian exile, vividly condemning Jerusalem's past idolatry by comparing the city's spiritual adultery to a harlot using her finest garments to adorn illicit shrines.
c. 10th-9th century BC
Rise of High Place Worship
Following Solomon's reign, the northern kingdom of Israel and later the southern kingdom of Judah saw the widespread establishment of 'high places' – open-air sanctuaries often used for idolatrous worship and pagan practices.
c. 8th century BC
Assyrian Empire's Dominance
The powerful Assyrian Empire exerted significant influence and control over the region, leading to a climate of political instability and a temptation for Israel to adopt foreign religious practices.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and deported many of its inhabitants, a devastating event that served as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of unfaithfulness.
c. 622 BC
Josiah's Religious Reforms
King Josiah of Judah initiated a major religious reformation, purging the land of idolatrous high places and centralizing worship in Jerusalem, but these reforms were not fully embraced by all.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon captured Jerusalem and deported King Jehoiachin and many skilled individuals, including the prophet Ezekiel, marking the beginning of Judah's exile.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces destroyed Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, bringing the kingdom of Judah to an end and intensifying the exile for those taken captive.
This passage highlights that the 'gifts' Israel received, like the fine garments in Ezekiel, were actually from God, showing the profound betrayal when they were used for idolatry.
2 Kings 23:7This verse connects directly to Ezekiel's imagery, describing women weaving 'tents' or hangings for an idol, illustrating the tangible way religious devotion was perverted.
Proverbs 7:16The description of the adulterous woman decorating her bed with fine linens and perfumes parallels Ezekiel's image of decorated shrines, showing a consistent theme of seduction tied to worldly adornment used for sin.
Jeremiah 3:1-3This passage also uses the metaphor of a promiscuous woman to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God, reinforcing the gravity of their spiritual adultery depicted in Ezekiel 16.
cambridgeEzekiel 16:16: "And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so."
16 . She took of her “garments,” the flax and the wool which Jehovah had given her to cover herself withal ( Hosea 2:9 ), and made tents upon the high places for the idols which she there worshipped. For “high places” cf. ch. Ezekiel 6:3 . The “high places decked with divers colours” (R. V.) might be te…
barnesEzekiel 16:16: "And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so."
Compare 2 Kings 23:7 . Such decoration of idol-temples in the holy land showed how the ungrateful people were devoting the wealth and energies which Yahweh had given them to the service of those false gods, in whose worship He was especially dishonored. The like things shall not come ... - The abominati…
What's easily missed is how deeply personal this imagery is: Jerusalem isn't just using any fabric, but her own beautiful, colorful garments, the very adornments God gave her, to create shrines for idols. This highlights a profound perversion – taking God's gifts meant for relationship with Him and using them to pursue other lovers, showing an unparalleled level of unfaithfulness.
In this chapter, God continues His extended metaphor of Israel as an unfaithful wife, painting a vivid picture of her deep-seated corruption. Ezekiel has just described Jerusalem's birth and God's nurturing care, highlighting the divine gifts she received. Now, the narrative shifts to show how she perverted these very blessings into instruments of idolatry and sexual sin, building elaborate shrines and engaging in pagan rituals.
In this chapter, God continues His extended metaphor of Israel as an unfaithful wife, painting a vivid picture of her deep-seated corruption. Ezekiel has just described Jerusalem's birth and God's nurturing care, highlighting the divine gifts she received. Now, the narrative shifts to show how she perverted these very blessings into instruments of idolatry and sexual sin, building elaborate shrines and engaging in pagan rituals.
"You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and ma…" — What's easily missed is how deeply personal this imagery is: Jerusalem isn't just using any fabric, but her own beautiful, colorful garments, the very adornments God gave her, to create shrines for…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
