Ezekiel 16 · Verse 17

Ezekiel 16:17

Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Ezekiel 16:17, King James Version

Ezekiel 16:17 in other translations

BSBYou also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself.
WEBYou 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 played the prostitute with them.
ASVThou didst also take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;
YLTAnd thou dost take thy beauteous vessels Of My gold and My silver that I gave to thee, And dost make to thee images of a male, And dost go a-whoring with them,
DARBYAnd thou didst take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of males, and didst commit fornication with them.
BBEAnd you took the fair jewels, my silver and gold which I had given to you, and made for yourself male images, acting like a loose woman with them;
WebsterThou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and hast made to thyself images of men, and hast committed lewdness with them.

What does Ezekiel 16:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. my gold ... my silver--(Hag 2:8). images of men--rather, "of the phallus," the Hindu lingam, or membrum virile [Havernick], deified as the emblem of fecundity; man making his lust his god. English Version, however, is appropriate; Israel being represented as a woman playing the harlot with "male images," that is, images of male gods, as distinguished from female deities.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 And madest to thyself images of men - צלמי זכר tsalmey zachar, male images. Priapi are here meant, which were carried about in the ceremonies of Osiris, Bacchus, and Adonis; and were something like the lingam among the Hindoos. Herodotus, lib. ii, c. 48, 49, gives us an account of these male images: Πηχυαια αγαλματα νευροσπαστα, τα περιφορεουσι κατα κωμας ται γυναικες, νευον το αιδοιον, ου πολλῳ τεῳ ελασσον εον του αλλου σωματος. This was done at the worship of Bacchus in Egypt: and they who wish to see more may consult Herodotus as above. In this phallic worship the women were principally concerned.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 16:1-58

A parable showing the first low estate of the Jewish nation, its prosperity, idolatries, and punishment. Verses 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…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 16:1-58 →

Ezekiel 16:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתִּקְחִ֞יva.tik.Chiand you tookH3947
כְּלֵ֣יke.Lei[the] articles ofH3627
תִפְאַרְתֵּ֗ךְtif.'ar.Tekhbeauty yourH8597
מִזְּהָבִ֤יmi.ze.ha.Visome of gold myH2091
וּמִכַּסְפִּי֙u.mi.kas.Piand some of silver myH3701
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhichH834
נָתַ֣תִּיna.Ta.tiI had givenH5414
לָ֔ךְLakhto you
וַתַּעֲשִׂי\־va.ta.'a.si-and you madeH6213
לָ֖ךְlakhfor yourself
צַלְמֵ֣יtzal.Meiimages ofH6754
זָכָ֑רza.Khara maleH2145
וַתִּזְנִי\־va.tiz.ni-and you acted as a prostituteH2181
בָֽם\׃Vamwith them

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 16:17

  • Ezekiel 23:14-21

    And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity: And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. …

  • Hosea 10:1

    Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

  • Jeremiah 3:9

    And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

  • Exodus 32:1-4

    And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

  • Isaiah 57:7-8

    Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.

  • Ezekiel 7:19-20

    They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity. As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.

  • Isaiah 44:19-20

    And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

  • Jeremiah 2:27-28

    Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

  • Hosea 2:13

    And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.

  • Ezekiel 16:11

    I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
hast also.
7:19; 23:14-21; Ex 32:1-4; Ho 2:13; 10:1
men. Heb. a male. and didst.
Isa 44:19,20; 57:7,8; Jer 2:27,28; 3:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 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.

  • Ezekiel 16:17

    Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

  • Ezekiel 16:18

    And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

Read all of Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Tomaste asimismo los vasos de tu hermosura de mi oro y de mi plata, que yo te había dado, é hicístete imágenes de hombre, y fornicaste con ellas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et tu pris tes objets de parure, faits de mon or et de mon argent que je t’avais donnés, et tu t’en fis des images d’un mâle, et tu te prostituas avec elles;
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und du nahmst deine prächtigen Geschmeide von meinem Golde und von meinem Silber, welches ich dir gegeben hatte, und machtest dir Mannsbilder und hurtest mit ihnen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et tulisti vasa decoris tui de auro meo atque argento meo, quæ dedi tibi, et fecisti tibi imagines masculinas, et fornicata es in eis.