9 " 'I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.
9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
9 I gave you a good bath, washing off all that old blood, and anointed you with aromatic oils.
9 Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.
9 "Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:9
Commentary on Ezekiel 16:1-58
(Read Ezekiel 16:1-58)
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 for, but afterwards guilty of the most abandoned conduct, and punished for it; yet at last received into favour, and ashamed of her base conduct. We are not to judge of these expressions by modern ideas, but by those of the times and places in which they were used, where many of them would not sound as they do to us. The design was to raise hatred to idolatry, and such a parable was well suited for that purpose.