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. 22 "Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of your youth , when you were naked and bare and squirming in your blood . 23 "Then it came about after all your wickedness ('Woe , woe to you!' declares the Lord GOD ), 24 that you built yourself a shrine and made yourself a high place in every square . 25 "You built yourself a high place at the top of every street and made your beauty abominable , and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry . 26 "You also played the harlot with the Egyptians , your lustful e neighbors , and multiplied your harlotry to make Me angry . 27 "Behold now, I have stretched out My hand against you and diminished your rations . And I delivered you up to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines , who are ashamed of your lewd conduct .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20-27
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.