Ezekiel 16:25 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 16:25 mean?

Ezekiel 16:25 describes Jerusalem as having built places of idol worship at every street corner, making herself despised and openly engaging in unfaithfulness with anyone who passed by. The verse uses strong, graphic language to show how the people have multiplied their spiritual betrayals.

In this verse, God is speaking through Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem, comparing their worship of other gods to acts of prostitution. The setting is a prophetic rebuke: Jerusalem is pictured as someone who has lost all sense of shame, displaying her unfaithfulness in public. The verse is part of a larger passage where God accuses Jerusalem of breaking faith with Him in the most public and shameless ways.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 16:25

• "Built" (בָּנָה, banah): This word emphasizes that the people actively constructed these "high places" for idol worship, showing deliberate effort.
• "High place" (מְרוֹמָה, meromah): Often a raised platform or shrine for worshiping other gods, making the betrayal very visible.
• "Beauty" (יֹפִי, yofi): The word for beauty here refers to Jerusalem’s attractiveness or honor, which is now made to be despised or "abhorred" (נָאַב, na'av) because of her actions.
• "Opened" (פָּרַשׂ, parash): This word is a graphic metaphor for sexual unfaithfulness, used here to describe spiritual unfaithfulness in a vivid way.

Why Ezekiel 16:25 matters

• This verse clears up that the problem was not just private sin but very public, repeated acts of unfaithfulness, making Jerusalem’s betrayal unmistakable to everyone.
• The strong language reveals how seriously God views idolatry, using the metaphor of prostitution to show the depth of the relationship and the pain of betrayal.
• Understanding this verse helps make sense of the whole chapter, which uses the story of a marriage gone wrong to explain why judgment is coming on Jerusalem.