Ezekiel 16:17

Bishop's Bible

The goodly iewels whiche I gaue thee of mine owne golde and siluer, hast thou taken and made thee mens images therof, and committed whordome with them.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou hast also taken thy faire iewels made of my golde and of my siluer, which I had giuen thee, and madest to thy selfe images of men, and didest commit whoredome with them,

Christian Standard Bible®
You also took your beautiful jewelry made from the gold and silver I had given you, and you made male images so that you could engage in prostitution with them.

Hebrew Names Version
You did also take your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and mad for you images of men, and did play the prostitute with them;

Darby Translation
And thou didst take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of males, and didst commit fornication with them.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then you took your beautiful jewelry that I gave you, and you used the gold and silver to make statues of men, and you had sex with them too!

Amplified Bible
"You also took your beautiful jewels and beautiful vessels made of My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men so that you could prostitute yourself with them;

American Standard Version
Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;

Berean Standard Bible
You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself.

Contemporary English Version
You made idols out of the gold and silver jewelry I gave you, then you sinned by worshiping those idols.

Complete Jewish Bible
You also took your beautiful jewels made of my gold and my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images, with which you continued to prostitute yourself.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;

King James Version (1611)
Thou hast also taken thy faire iewels of my gold and of my siluer, which I had giuen thee, and madest to thy selfe images of men, and diddest commit whoredome with them,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou tookest thy fair ornaments of my gold and of my silver, of what I gave thee, and thou madest to thyself male images, and thou didst commit whoredom with them.

English Revised Version
Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;

Lexham English Bible
And you took your beautiful jewelry made from my gold and from my silver that I had given to you, and you made for yourself male images, and you prostituted with them.

Literal Translation
And you have taken beautiful things of My gold and of My silver, which I had given to you, and you made images of males, and fornicated with them.

New Century Version
You also took your beautiful jewelry, made from my gold and silver I had given you, and you made for yourselves male idols so you could be a prostitute with them.

New English Translation
You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution with them.

New King James Version
You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them.

New Living Translation
You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me!

New Life Bible
You also took your objects of beauty made of My gold and silver, which I had given you. And you used them to make things that looked like men, that you might play with them as a woman who sells the use of her body.

New Revised Standard
You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and my silver that I had given you, and made for yourself male images, and with them played the whore;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But thou didst take thine adorning jewels Of my gold and of my silver which I had given thee, And didst make thee images of the male, - c And didst act unchastely with them;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou tookest thy beautiful vessels, of my gold, and my silver, which I gave thee, and thou madest thee images of men, and hast committed fornication with them.

George Lamsa Translation
You have also taken your costly jewels of gold and silver which I had given you, and made to yourself images of men, and committed whoredom with them;

Good News Translation
You took the silver and gold jewelry that I had given you, used it to make male images, and committed adultery with them.

New American Standard Bible
"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 so that you might commit prostitution with them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and hast made to thyself images of men, and hast committed lewdness with them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou tokist the vessels of thi fairnesse, of my gold and of my siluer, which Y yaf to thee; and thou madist to thee ymagis of men, and didist fornycacioun in tho.

Young's Literal Translation
And thou dost take thy beauteous vessels Of My gold and My silver that I gave to thee, And dost make to thee images of a male, And dost go a-whoring with them,

World English Bible
You did also take your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and mad for you images of men, and did play the prostitute with them;

Revised Standard Version
You also took your fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the harlot;

Update Bible Version
You also took your fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given to you, and made for yourself images of men, and prostituted with them;

Bible in Basic English
And you took the fair jewels, my silver and gold which I had given to you, and made for yourself male images, acting like a loose woman with them;

King James Version
Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The goodly ornametes & Iewels which I gaue the of myne owne golde and syluer, hast thou take, & made the mes ymages therof, and committed whordome withall.

THE MESSAGE
"‘And then you took all that fine jewelry I gave you, my gold and my silver, and made pornographic images of them for your brothels. You decorated your beds with fashionable silks and cottons, and perfumed them with my aromatic oils and incense. And then you set out the wonderful foods I provided—the fresh breads and fruits, with fine herbs and spices, which were my gifts to you—and you served them as delicacies in your whorehouses. That's what happened, says God , the Master.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"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.

Legacy Standard Bible
You also took your splendid jewelry 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.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ But thou hast put thy confidence in thyne owne beautie, and played the harlot because of thy renowne, and hast powred out thy fornications with euery one that went by, thou wast his. ¹⁶ Thou didst take thy garmentes, and deckt thy hye places with diuers colours, and played the harlot thervpon, they come not, and it shall not be. ¹⁷ The goodly iewels whiche I gaue thee of mine owne golde and siluer, hast thou taken and made thee mens images therof, and committed whordome with them. ¹⁸ Thy broidred garmentes hast thou taken, and deckt them therewith: myne oyle and incense hast thou set before them. ¹⁹ My meate whiche I gaue thee, as fine floure, oyle and hony to feede the withall, that hast thou set before them for a sweete sauour: and thus it was saith the Lorde God. ²⁰ Thou hast taken thyne owne sonnes and daughters whom thou hast begotten vnto me, and these hast thou offred vp vnto them to be deuoured: is this but a small whordome of thyne? ²¹ And thou hast slayne my chyldren, and deliuered them, to cause them to passe [through the fire] for them. ²² And yet in all thyne abhominations and whordomes, thou hast not remembred the dayes of thy youth, howe naked and bare thou wast at that tyme, and wast defiled in thyne owne blood. ²³ After all these thy wickednesses, (wo wo vnto thee, saith the Lorde God.) ²⁴ Thou hast buylt vnto thee an hye place, and hast made thee an hye place in euery streete.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hast also: Ezekiel 7:19, Ezekiel 23:14-21, Exodus 32:1-4, Hosea 2:13, Hosea 10:1

men: Heb. a male

and didst: Isaiah 44:19, Isaiah 44:20, Isaiah 57:7, Isaiah 57:8, Jeremiah 2:27, Jeremiah 2:28, Jeremiah 3:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:2 - General 2 Chronicles 24:7 - did they bestow Ezekiel 23:16 - and sent Revelation 13:14 - they

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold, and of my silver, which I had given thee,.... Or "thy glorious vessels of gold and silver" h; meaning either the vessels of gold and silver in the temple, as Jerom thinks, which they converted to idolatrous uses; or rather their own household vessels of gold and silver which God had given them, as the bounties of his providence, and he had still a right unto, and which they made use of to the dishonour of his name; which argued great ingratitude in them:

and madest to thyself images of men; images in the shape of men; some were in the shape of women, others in the shape of men; here only male images are mentioned, because the idolatrous Jews are represented by an adulterous woman committing adultery, with men; and these were made by themselves, of their jewels of gold and silver; or of their golden and silver vessels, which they had to eat and drink out of; these, they melted down and made idols of them in the form of men, just as the molten calf was made of the earrings of the women, Exodus 32:3; to which some refer this passage: and as it was a piece of egregious folly in themselves to part with their jewels and plate for such purposes, and of great ingratitude to God, their benefactor, so of the grossest stupidity and ignorance to worship images so made; which was equally as stupid, or more so, than if a woman should embrace the image of a man, instead of a man himself, as it follows:

and didst commit whoredom with them: the images: that is, idolatry, which is spiritual adultery.

h כלי תפארתך מזהבי ומכספי "vasa gloriae tuae de auro meo, et de argento meo", Pagninus, Montanus; "vasa tua insigniora et elegantiora, facta ex auro meo?" Vatablus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Possibly an allusion to the custom of bearing about shrines. Compare Amos 5:26; Acts 7:43.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 16:17. And madest to thyself images of men — צלמי זכר tsalmey zachar, male images. Priapi are here meant, which were carried about in the ceremonies of Osiris, Bacchus, and Adonis; and were something like the lingam among the Hindoos. Herodotus, lib. ii, c. 48, 49, gives us an account of these male images: Πηχυαια αγαλματα νευροσπαστα, τα περιφορεουσι κατα κωμας ται γυναικες, νευον το αιδοιον, ου πολλῳ τεῳ ελασσον εον του αλλου σωματος. This was done at the worship of Bacchus in Egypt: and they who wish to see more may consult Herodotus as above. In this phallic worship the women were principally concerned.