And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

EZEKIEL 16:39KJV
Know the Bible

Ezekiel 16:39 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 16:39 mean?

Ezekiel 16:39 describes God declaring that He will hand Jerusalem over to its enemies, who will destroy its places of worship, strip away its wealth and clothing, and leave the city exposed and vulnerable. The verse uses vivid imagery to show complete loss and humiliation as a consequence of unfaithfulness.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem, comparing the city to an unfaithful woman. The historical setting is the time before Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon. The “eminent place” and “high places” refer to sites of idol worship, and the stripping of clothes and jewels symbolizes the removal of honor, protection, and prosperity.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 16:39

  • "Give" (נָתַן, natan): This word means to hand over or deliver, emphasizing that Jerusalem’s fate is not random but a direct act of God allowing consequences.
  • "Eminent place" (גָּב, gav): This term often refers to a mound or raised place, here likely meaning a prominent site of idol worship, not just any building.
  • "Strip" (פָּשַׁט, pashat) and "clothes" (בֶּגֶד, beged): The language of stripping clothes is a strong image for public shame and loss of dignity, not just physical exposure.
  • "Fair" (תִּפְאֶרֶת, tif’eret) and "jewels" (כְּלִי, keli): These words highlight not only physical beauty but also the city’s former glory and treasured status, now being taken away.

Why Ezekiel 16:39 matters

  • The verse clarifies that Jerusalem’s downfall is portrayed as both a physical and moral stripping, connecting the city’s loss of protection and wealth to its spiritual unfaithfulness.
  • The destruction of “high places” shows that God’s judgment targets the root of the people’s idolatry, not just their outward prosperity.
  • This verse ties into Ezekiel’s larger message that God’s actions are purposeful and just, responding directly to the choices and behaviors of His people.

Where else these words appear

“places” Hebrew H7413 · used in 4 verses

  • Ezekiel 16:24 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
  • Ezekiel 16:25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
  • Ezekiel 16:31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

“bare” Hebrew H6181 · used in 6 verses

  • Ezekiel 16:7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
  • Ezekiel 16:22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
  • Micah 1:11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing.

“naked” Hebrew H5903 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  • Deuteronomy 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
  • Ezekiel 18:7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

“place” Hebrew H1354 · used in 11 verses

  • Leviticus 14:9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
  • Job 15:26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
  • Ezekiel 10:12 And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.