Ezekiel 16 · Verse 2

Ezekiel 16:2

Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
Ezekiel 16:2, King James Version

Ezekiel 16:2 in other translations

BSB“Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations
WEB“Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations;
ASVSon of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations;
YLT‘Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and thou hast said:
DARBYSon of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
BBESon of man, make clear to Jerusalem her disgusting ways,
WebsterSon of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

What does Ezekiel 16:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Eze 16:1-63. Detailed Application of the Parabolical Delineation of the Fifteenth Chapter to Jerusalem Personified as a Daughter.

(1) Taken up by God's gratuitous favor from infancy (Eze 16:1-7); (2) and, when grown up, joined to Him in spiritual marriage (Eze 16:8-14); (3) her unfaithfulness, her sin (Eze 16:15-34); (4) the judgment (Eze 16:35-52); (5) her unlooked-for restoration (Eze 16:53 to the close). 2. cause Jerusalem to know--Men often are so blind as not to perceive their guilt which is patent to all. "Jerusalem" represents the whole kingdom of Judah.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations - And such a revelation of impurity never was seen before or since. Surely the state of the Jews, before the Babylonish captivity, was the most profligate and corrupt of all the nations of the earth. This chapter contains God's manifesto against this most abominable people; and although there are many metaphors here, yet all is not metaphorical. Where there was so much idolatry, there must have been adulteries, fornications, prostitutions, and lewdness of every description. The description of the prophet is sufficiently clear, except where there is a reference to ancient and obsolete customs. What a description of crimes! The sixth satire of Juvenal is its counterpart. General remarks are all that a commentator is justified in bestowing on this very long, very circumstantial, and caustic invective. For its key, see on Eze 16:13 (note) and Eze 16:63 (note).

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 16:2 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.

בֶּן\־ben-O son ofH1121
אָדָ֕ם'a.DamhumankindH120
הוֹדַ֥עho.Da'make known toH3045
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖םye.ru.sha.LimJerusalemH3389
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
תּוֹעֲבֹתֶֽיהָ\׃to.'a.vo.Tei.haabominations itsH8441

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

Cross references for Ezekiel 16:2

  • Ezekiel 22:2

    Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.

  • Ezekiel 20:4

    Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

  • Isaiah 58:1

    Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

  • Hosea 8:1

    Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

  • Ezekiel 33:7-9

    So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

  • Ezekiel 8:9-17

    And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth. …

  • Ezekiel 23:36

    The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
cause.
20:4; 22:2; 23:36; 33:7-9; Isa 58:1; Ho 8:1
abominations.
8:9-17

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

Context

  • Ezekiel 16:1

    Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

  • Ezekiel 16:2

    Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

  • Ezekiel 16:3

    And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

Read all of Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Hijo del hombre, notifica á Jerusalem sus abominaciones,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Fils d’homme, fais connaître à Jérusalem ses abominations,
German
Elberfelder 1871
Menschensohn, tue Jerusalem seine Greuel kund
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Fili hominis, notas fac Jerusalem abominationes suas,