And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse powerfully reveals God's judgment as a mirroring of sins: just as women who committed adultery and murder faced capital punishment, so too will Jerusalem, for its spiritual adultery (idolatry) and the literal "shedding of blood" (child sacrifice or violence), receive a bloody death. The phrase "I will give you blood" is not just about receiving punishment, but about experiencing a death that perfectly reflects the bloodiness of their crimes.
And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel has been painting a vivid picture of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife, detailing her spiritual adultery through idolatry and her literal crimes, including child sacrifice. God declares He will judge her just as a woman who commits adultery and murder would be judged, bringing upon her the brutal consequences of His righteous fury and jealousy. This judgment will be executed through the invading armies who will strip her, shed her blood, and ultimately destroy her, mirroring the severe penalties prescribed by the Law for such offenses.
Why does God link adultery and shedding blood in His judgment of Jerusalem?
In Ezekiel's time, Jerusalem was guilty of two grave sins that merited the harshest penalties under the Law:
Spiritual Adultery (Idolatry)
This was a betrayal of God, who was depicted as Jerusalem's husband. The city had turned away from worshipping the one true God to embrace foreign gods and their practices, breaking the covenant relationship like an unfaithful wife.
Shedding Innocent Blood
This wasn't just physical violence; it included the horrific practice of sacrificing children to idols, like Molech. It also encompassed other acts of violence and injustice within the city. This sin cried out for vengeance.
God's judgment mirrors these specific transgressions, showing that His justice is precise and proportional.
What does it mean that God will 'give thee blood in fury and jealousy'?
This powerful phrase describes the intensity and nature of God's judgment.
The Husband's Fury
God is pictured as a husband deeply wronged by His wife's unfaithfulness. The 'fury' speaks to His righteous anger against the betrayal and the violence committed. It's not a petty rage, but a holy indignation against sin.
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The Jealous Husband's Vengeance
The 'jealousy' here isn't insecurity, but a fierce protectiveness of the covenant relationship. Just as a human husband would seek vengeance on an adulterer, God's jealousy demands retribution for Jerusalem's treachery. The 'blood' signifies the ultimate consequence – a bloody death, a violent end that mirrors the bloodshed they inflicted.
God's judgment is a response to the severity of their sins, a mirroring of the destruction they caused.
Understand the original words
na'aph · Hebrew Verb
A serious moral and religious failure; the act of violating a covenant, specifically the marriage covenant, which symbolizes the unfaithfulness of Israel toward God.
qin'ah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the protective intensity of God's love for His people, which demands exclusive devotion and reacts with righteous indignation against any betrayal or idolatry.
shaphat · Hebrew Verb
A formal legal process by God, the ultimate Judge, who executes justice according to His holy law; it involves both the assessment of guilt and the imposition of righteous retribution.
dam shaphak · Hebrew Phrase
The act of taking a human life, condemned by God as a severe violation of the sanctity of life given by the Creator.
Ezekiel's vivid imagery of judgment for adultery and bloodshed draws directly from the Mosaic Law, but applies it with brutal force to Jerusalem's destruction. The historical context of the Babylonian exile and the city's ruin makes God's fury and jealousy terrifyingly real.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens. This event serves as a stark warning of God's judgment on unfaithfulness.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting its elite, including young men like Daniel. This marks the start of the Babylonian exile.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles is taken to Babylon, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin. This period intensifies Ezekiel's prophetic ministry among the exiles.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, bringing the Southern Kingdom of Judah to an end. This catastrophic event is the direct historical backdrop for Ezekiel's strong pronouncements.
c. 580 BC
Ezekiel's Vision of the Temple
Later in his exile, Ezekiel receives a vision of a new Temple, offering a message of future hope and restoration after the devastation.
This passage prescribes the death penalty for both adultery and child sacrifice, directly paralleling the 'breaking wedlock' and 'shedding blood' mentioned in Ezekiel's judgment.
Deuteronomy 13:10This passage commands the stoning of anyone who entices others to idolatry, connecting the idea of collective judgment and punishment for spiritual unfaithfulness to a brutal, public death.
Jeremiah 2:34This verse speaks to the prophet's accusation that Israel is guilty of shedding innocent blood, aligning with Ezekiel's condemnation of Jerusalem's bloodguilt alongside its spiritual adultery.
Revelation 16:6This passage describes God pouring out wrath and judgment in the form of blood, echoing Ezekiel's imagery of God giving the unfaithful city 'blood in fury and jealousy' as a consequence of its sins.
barnesEzekiel 16:38: "And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy."
I will give thee blood in fury - Rather, "I will make thee a bloody sacrifice to fury and jealousy." By the Law of Moses, death was the penalty for murder Exodus 21:12 , and for adultery ( Leviticus 20:10 ; e. g., by stoning, Ezekiel 16:40 ). The circumstances of the siege of Jerusalem corresponded with the punishment of the adulteress; the company gath…
cambridgeEzekiel 16:38: "And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy."
38 . shed blood ] Reference to child murder, Ezekiel 16:20; Ezekiel 16:36 . Cf. ch. Ezekiel 23:45 ; Leviticus 20:10 ; Deuteronomy 22:22 . give thee blood in fury ] Lit. make thee the blood of fury, i.e. bring on thee the bloody death which fury and jealousy executes. On cons. cf. ch. Ezekiel 26:21 , Ezekiel 35:6 .
The verse powerfully reveals God's judgment as a mirroring of sins: just as women who committed adultery and murder faced capital punishment, so too will Jerusalem, for its spiritual adultery (idolatry) and the literal "shedding of blood" (child sacrifice or violence), receive a bloody death. The phrase "I will give you blood" is not just about receiving punishment, but about experiencing a death that perfectly reflects the bloodiness of their crimes.
Ezekiel has been painting a vivid picture of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife, detailing her spiritual adultery through idolatry and her literal crimes, including child sacrifice. God declares He will judge her just as a woman who commits adultery and murder would be judged, bringing upon her the brutal consequences of His righteous fury and jealousy. This judgment will be executed through the invading armies who will strip her, shed her blood, and ultimately destroy her, mirroring the severe penalties prescribed by the Law for such offenses.
Ezekiel has been painting a vivid picture of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife, detailing her spiritual adultery through idolatry and her literal crimes, including child sacrifice. God declares He will judge her just as a woman who commits adultery and murder would be judged, bringing upon her the brutal consequences of His righteous fury and jealousy. This judgment will be executed through the invading armies who will strip her, shed her blood, and ultimately destroy her, mirroring the severe penalties prescribed by the Law for such offenses.
"And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy." — The verse powerfully reveals God's judgment as a mirroring of sins: just as women who committed adultery and murder faced capital punishment, so too will Jerusalem, for its spiritual adultery (idolat…
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Last reviewed October 2026