“Quirky Sayings”

Friday, March 09, 2018

What does Ezekiel 16:6 mean?  My grandmother always used to read this when someone was bleeding or cut themselves, and the blood wouldn't stop.

Sincerely,
Grandkid

Dear Grandkid,

That is a rather odd verse for your grandma to quote, but I guess most grandmothers have funny sayings that make us scratch our heads!  Ezek 16:6 is part of a discourse from God on how bad Jerusalem had become (Ezek 16:1-2).  God metaphorically refers to Jerusalem as if it were a baby that He had found abandoned in a field (Ezek 16:3-5).  When no one else loved them, God cleaned them (Ezek 16:9), clothed them (Ezek 16:10-11), and nourished them (Ezek 16:7).  After all God had done for the Jewish people, they had turned their back on Him (Ezek 16:15).  Ezek 16:6 is the part of the speech that personifies Jerusalem as a baby born and helplessly left in its own blood.

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