11 "I adorned you with ornaments , put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck . 12 "I also put a ring in your nostril , earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head . 13 "Thus you were adorned with gold and silver , and your dress was of fine linen , silk and embroidered cloth . You ate fine flour , honey and oil ; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty . 14 "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty , for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD .
15 "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame , and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing. 16 "You took some of your clothes , made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, which should never come about nor happen . 17 "You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver , which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them. 18 "Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them. 19 "Also My bread which I gave you, fine flour , oil and honey with which I fed you, you would offer before them for a soothing aroma ; so it happened ," declares the Lord GOD . 20 "Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured . Were your harlotries so small a matter? 21 "You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:11-21
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.