◄ Ezekiel 16:38 ►
And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.
Study Bible
And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery

In ancient Israel, adultery was a grave sin, punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22). This phrase indicates that Jerusalem, personified as an unfaithful wife, is being judged for spiritual adultery—idolatry and unfaithfulness to God. The imagery of adultery is used throughout the Old Testament to describe Israel's unfaithfulness (Jeremiah 3:8-9, Hosea 2:2-5). The punishment reflects the seriousness of breaking the covenant with God, akin to breaking a marriage vow.

Ezk 23:45 But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment…
Lev 20:10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife…
Deu 22:22 If a man is found lying with another man’s wife,…

and those who shed blood;

The shedding of blood refers to acts of violence and murder, which were rampant in Jerusalem at the time. This phrase highlights the city's moral corruption and injustice (Ezekiel 7:23, 22:2-4). The shedding of innocent blood is condemned throughout Scripture (Genesis 9:6, Proverbs 6:16-17), and it underscores the severity of Jerusalem's sins, warranting divine judgment.

Gen 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood…
2Ki 24:4 and also for the innocent blood he had shed.…
Num 35:33 Do not pollute the land where you live, …

so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

The wrath mentioned here is God's righteous anger against sin. Bloodshed and jealousy are linked to the idolatrous practices and alliances that Israel pursued, betraying their exclusive relationship with God (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 32:16). The consequences of these actions are divine retribution, as God is a jealous God who demands faithfulness (Exodus 34:14). This wrath is not only punitive but also purifying, aiming to restore the covenant relationship (Ezekiel 36:25-27). The prophetic nature of this judgment foreshadows the ultimate redemption and purification through Jesus Christ, who bears the punishment for sin and restores believers to God (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24).

Ezk 36:18 So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood…
Deu 29:20 The LORD will never be willing to forgive him.…
Nam 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet of God who ministered to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. He is known for his vivid visions and symbolic actions.

2. Jerusalem
The city symbolically represented as an unfaithful wife in this chapter, accused of spiritual adultery and idolatry.

3. God's Wrath and Jealousy
Attributes of God that are highlighted in this verse, emphasizing His response to Israel's unfaithfulness.

4. Adultery and Bloodshed
Metaphors for Israel's idolatry and moral corruption, which are the reasons for God's judgment.

5. Babylonian Exile
The historical context in which Ezekiel prophesied, a period of punishment and reflection for the Israelites.
Teaching Points
Understanding God's Jealousy
God's jealousy is not like human jealousy; it is a righteous desire for His people's faithfulness. Reflect on how this attribute of God calls us to exclusive devotion to Him.

The Seriousness of Spiritual Adultery
Just as physical adultery breaks the marriage covenant, spiritual adultery breaks our covenant with God. Consider how idolatry can manifest in modern life and strive to remain faithful.

Consequences of Sin
This passage reminds us that sin has serious consequences. Reflect on the importance of repentance and turning back to God to avoid His righteous judgment.

God's Justice and Mercy
While this verse focuses on judgment, it is part of a larger account where God also promises restoration. Contemplate the balance of justice and mercy in God's character.

Reflecting on Personal Faithfulness
Use this passage as a mirror to examine your own life for areas of unfaithfulness to God. Seek His guidance to strengthen your relationship with Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the metaphor of adultery in Ezekiel 16:38 help us understand the nature of Israel's sin against God?

2. In what ways can modern believers fall into spiritual adultery, and how can we guard against it?

3. How does understanding God's jealousy and wrath deepen our appreciation for His holiness and righteousness?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we remain faithful to God in our daily lives?

5. How does the theme of judgment and restoration in Ezekiel 16 relate to the broader account of redemption found in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 20:10
This verse outlines the punishment for adultery, which is death, connecting to the severity of the judgment in Ezekiel 16:38.

Jeremiah 3:8
Jeremiah also uses the metaphor of adultery to describe Israel's unfaithfulness, reinforcing the theme of spiritual infidelity.

Hosea 2:2-13
Hosea's prophecy similarly uses the imagery of an unfaithful wife to depict Israel's idolatry and the resulting divine judgment.

Revelation 19:2
This verse speaks of God's righteous judgment against the great prostitute, symbolizing the ultimate judgment against spiritual adultery.
Sermons
Inexcusable InfidelityJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 16:15-59
A Picture of Righteous Retribution Because of ApostasyW. Jones Ezekiel 16:35-43
Judicial VerdictJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 16:35-43
People
Aram, Assyrians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Ezekiel
Places
Chaldea, Jerusalem, Samaria, Sodom, Syria
Topics
Adultery, Adultresses, Anger, Bitter, Blood, Break, Bring, Commit, Feeling, Fury, Husbands, Jealous, Jealousy, Judge, Judged, Judgments, Loose, Passion, Punishment, Shed, Shedding, Thus, Untrue, Vengeance, Wedlock, Women, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 16:38

     1185   God, zeal of
     5790   anger, divine
     6188   immorality, sexual

Ezekiel 16:1-63

     7241   Jerusalem, significance

Ezekiel 16:15-42

     8705   apostasy, in OT

Ezekiel 16:35-42

     5857   fame

Library
How Saints May Help the Devil
One way in which sinners frequently excuse themselves is by endeavoring to get some apology for their own iniquities from the inconsistencies of God's people. This is the reason why there is much slander in the world. A true Christian is a rebuke to the sinner, wherever he goes he is a living protest against the evil of sin. Hence it is that the worldling makes a dead set upon a pious man. His language in his heart is, "He accuses me to my face; I cannot bear the sight of his holy character; it makes …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Vile Ingratitude!
I. First, then, let us consider our iniquities--I mean those committed since conversion, those committed yesterday, and the day before, and to-day--and let us see their sinfulness in the light of what we were when the Lord first looked upon us. In the words of the prophet Ezekiel, observe what was our "birth and our nativity." He says of us, "Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canan. Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite." Now, Canaan, as you know, was a cursed one, and the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
Rom. viii. 1.--"Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." It is difficult to determine which of these is the greatest privilege of a Christian,--that he is delivered from condemnation, or that he is made to walk according to the Spirit, and made a new creature; whether we owe more to Christ for our justification, or sanctification: for he is made both to us: but it is more necessary to conjoin them together, than to compare them with each other. The one is not more necessary--to be delivered …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Humbled and Silenced by Mercy. Ezek 0. 711111111
 …
John Newton—Olney Hymns

For whom did Christ Die?
While man is in this condition Jesus interposes for his salvation. "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"; "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," according to "his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins." The pith of my sermon will be an endeavour to declare that the reason of Christ's dying for us did not lie in our excellence; but where sin abounded grace did much more abound, for the persons for whom Jesus …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 20: 1874

The Use of Fear in Religion.
PROVERBS ix. 10.--"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Luke xii. 4, 5.--"And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." The place which the feeling of fear ought to hold in the religious experience of mankind is variously assigned. Theories of religion are continually passing …
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

Certainty of Our Justification.
"Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."--Rom. iii. 24. The foregoing illustrations shed unexpected light upon the fact that God justifies the ungodly, and not him who is actually just in himself; and upon the word of Christ: "Now are ye clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." (John xv. 3) They illustrate the significant fact that God does not determine our status according to what we are, but by the status to which He assigns us He determines …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Some Helps to Mourning
Having removed the obstructions, let me in the last place propound some helps to holy mourning. 1 Set David's prospect continually before you. My sin is ever before me' (Psalm 51:3). David, that he might be a mourner, kept his eye full upon sin. See what sin is, and then tell me if there be not enough in it to draw forth tears. I know not what name to give it bad enough. One calls it the devil's excrement. Sin is a complication of all evils. It is the spirits of mischief distilled. Sin dishonours …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

"And the Redeemer Shall Come unto Zion, and unto them that Turn,"
Isaiah lix. 20.--"And the Redeemer shall come unto Zion, and unto them that turn," &c. Doctrines, as things, have their seasons and times. Every thing is beautiful in its season. So there is no word of truth, but it hath a season and time in which it is beautiful. And indeed that is a great part of wisdom, to bring forth everything in its season, to discern when and where, and to whom it is pertinent and edifying, to speak such and such truths. But there is one doctrine that is never out of season, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Annunciation of Jesus the Messiah, and the Birth of his Forerunner.
FROM the Temple to Nazareth! It seems indeed most fitting that the Evangelic story should have taken its beginning within the Sanctuary, and at the time of sacrifice. Despite its outward veneration for them, the Temple, its services, and specially its sacrifices, were, by an inward logical necessity, fast becoming a superfluity for Rabbinism. But the new development, passing over the intruded elements, which were, after all, of rationalistic origin, connected its beginning directly with the Old Testament …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

"But Ye are not in the Flesh, but in the Spirit, if So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now, if any Man
Rom. viii. 9.--"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Application is the very life of the word, at least it is a necessary condition for the living operation of it. The application of the word to the hearts of hearers by preaching, and the application of your hearts again to the word by meditation, these two meeting together, and striking one upon another, will yield fire. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Covenant of Grace
Q-20: DID GOD LEAVE ALL MANKIND TO PERISH 1N THE ESTATE OF SIN AND MISERY? A: No! He entered into a covenant of grace to deliver the elect out of that state, and to bring them into a state of grace by a Redeemer. 'I will make an everlasting covenant with you.' Isa 55:5. Man being by his fall plunged into a labyrinth of misery, and having no way left to recover himself, God was pleased to enter into a new covenant with him, and to restore him to life by a Redeemer. The great proposition I shall go …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

An Exhortation to Love God
1. An exhortation. Let me earnestly persuade all who bear the name of Christians to become lovers of God. "O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psalm xxxi. 23). There are but few that love God: many give Him hypocritical kisses, but few love Him. It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. Men are by nature haters of God (Rom. i. 30). The wicked would flee from God; they would neither be under His rules, nor within His reach. They fear God, …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Degrees of Sin
Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. He that delivered me unto thee, has the greater sin.' John 19: 11. The Stoic philosophers held that all sins were equal; but this Scripture clearly holds forth that there is a gradual difference in sin; some are greater than others; some are mighty sins,' and crying sins.' Amos 5: 12; Gen 18: 21. Every sin has a voice to speak, but some …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

"And He is the Propitiation,"
1 John ii. 2.--"And he is the propitiation," &c. Here is the strength of Christ's plea, and ground of his advocation, that "he is the propitiation." The advocate is the priest, and the priest is the sacrifice, and such efficacy this sacrifice hath, that the propitiatory sacrifice may be called the very propitiation and pacification for sin. Here is the marrow of the gospel, and these are the breasts of consolation which any poor sinner might draw by faith, and bring out soul refreshment. But truly, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Spiced Wine of My Pomegranate;
OR, THE COMMUNION OF COMMUNICATION. I would cause Thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate."--Song of Solomon viii. 2.And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."--John i. 16. THE SPICED WINE OF MY POMEGRANATE. THE immovable basis of communion having been laid of old in the eternal union which subsisted between Christ and His elect, it only needed a fitting occasion to manifest itself in active development. The Lord Jesus had for ever delighted Himself with the …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Annunciation to Joseph of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^A Matt. I. 18-25. ^a 18 Now the birth [The birth of Jesus is to handled with reverential awe. We are not to probe into its mysteries with presumptuous curiosity. The birth of common persons is mysterious enough (Eccl. ix. 5; Ps. cxxxix. 13-16), and we do not well, therefore, if we seek to be wise above what is written as to the birth of the Son of God] of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed [The Jews were usually betrothed ten or twelve months …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83] …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Bunyan's Last Sermon --Preached July 1688.
"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" John i. 13. The words have a dependence on what goes before, and therefore I must direct you to them for the right understanding of it. You have it thus,--"He came to his own, but his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God." In …
by John Bunyan—Miscellaneous Pieces

Effectual Calling
THE second qualification of the persons to whom this privilege in the text belongs, is, They are the called of God. All things work for good "to them who are called." Though this word called is placed in order after loving of God, yet in nature it goes before it. Love is first named, but not first wrought; we must be called of God, before we can love God. Calling is made (Rom. viii. 30) the middle link of the golden chain of salvation. It is placed between predestination and glorification; and if …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
Preached August 19TH, 1688 [ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR] This sermon, although very short, is peculiarly interesting: how it was preserved we are not told; but it bears strong marks of having been published from notes taken by one of the hearers. There is no proof that any memorandum or notes of this sermon was found in the autograph of the preacher. In the list of Bunyan's works published by Chas. Doe, at the end of the 'Heavenly Footman,' March 1690, it stands No. 44. He professes to give the title-page, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Birth of Jesus.
(at Bethlehem of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 1-7. ^c 1 Now it came to pass in those days [the days of the birth of John the Baptist], there went out a decree [a law] from Cæsar Augustus [Octavius, or Augustus, Cæsar was the nephew of and successor to Julius Cæsar. He took the name Augustus in compliment to his own greatness; and our month August is named for him; its old name being Sextilis], that all the world should be enrolled. [This enrollment or census was the first step …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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