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Ezekiel 16:3

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 16:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.
Ezekiel 16:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 16

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Again the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations;
3and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.
4And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to cleanse thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
5No eye pitied thee, to do any of these things unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, for that thy person was abhorred, in the day that thou wast born.
6And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said unto thee, [Though thou art] in thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee, [Though thou art] in thy blood, live.
← Ezekiel 16:2Ezekiel 16:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And say, thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, &c.] To the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as the Targum: thy birth and thy nativity [is] of the land of Canaan; here the Jewish ancestors for a time dwelt and sojourned, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and so the Targum, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret the first word, “thy habitation” or “sojourning”f196: but whereas it follows, “and thy nativity”, this does not solve the difficulty; which may be said to be of the land of Canaan, because their ancestors were born here; for though Abraham was a Chaldean he was called out of Chaldea into the land of Canaan, where Isaac was born; and so was Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes; besides, the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“birth . . . nativity--thy origin and birth; literally, "thy diggings" (compare Isa 51:1) "and thy bringings forth." of . . . Canaan--in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sojourned before going to Egypt, and from which thou didst derive far more of thy innate characteristics than from the virtues of those thy progenitors (Eze 21:30). an Amorite . . . an Hittite--These, being the most powerful tribes, stand for the whole of the Canaanite nations (compare Jos 1:4; Amo 2:9), which were so abominably corrupt as to have been doomed to utter extermination by God (Lev 18:24-25, Lev 18:28; Deu 18:12). Translate rather, "the Amorite . . . the Canaanite," that is, these two tribes personified; their…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Birth - See the margin; the word represents “origin” under the figure of “cutting out stone from a quarry” (compareIsaiah 51:1; Isaiah 51:1). An Amorite - the Amorite, a term denoting the whole people. The Amorites, being a principal branch of the Canaanites, are often taken to represent the whole stock Genesis 15:16; 2 Kings 21:11. An Hittite - Compare Genesis 26:34. The main idea is that the Israelites by their doings proved themselves to be the very children of the idolatrous nations who once occupied the land of Canaan. Compare Deuteronomy 20:17. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Jerusalem - The whole race of the Jews. Thy birth - Thy root whence thou didst spring. Thy father - Abraham, before God called him, (as his father and kindred) worshipped strange gods beyond the river, Jos 24:14. An Amorite - This comprehended all the rest of the cursed nations. Ezekiel 16:4”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Thy birth: Heb. Thy cutting out, or habitation, Eze 16:45, Eze 21:30; Gen 11:25, Gen 11:29; Jos 24:14; Neh 9:7; Isa 1:10, Isa 51:1, Isa 51:2; Mat 3:7, Mat 11:24; Luk 3:7; Joh 8:44; Eph 2:3; Jo1 3:10 Amorite: Gen 15:16; Deu 20:17; Kg1 21:26; Kg2 21:11 Hittite: Ezr 9:1 Ezekiel 16:4”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 16 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification