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 16:7KJV
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Ezekiel 16:7 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 16:7 mean?

Ezekiel 16:7 uses the image of a young woman growing up and flourishing to describe how God helped Jerusalem multiply, prosper, and become beautiful, even though she started out vulnerable and exposed. The verse highlights a transformation from weakness and lack to maturity and abundance, using physical growth as a symbol for the city's development.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to Jerusalem, picturing the city as a person who has been cared for and allowed to thrive. The setting is a poetic retelling of Jerusalem's early history, showing how God caused the city to increase and become established, despite humble beginnings. The language is vivid and personal, emphasizing both growth and the special care given.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 16:7

  • "Multiply" (רָבָה, rābāh) and "increased" (רָבָה, rābāh): Both words come from the same Hebrew root, stressing the idea of great increase and flourishing, not just in numbers but also in strength and influence.
  • "Bud" (צִמָּח, tsimmaḥ): This word often refers to a fresh shoot or sprout, highlighting the idea of new, tender growth—Jerusalem was like a young plant, just beginning to thrive.
  • "Excellent ornaments" (עֶדֶי, ʿedey): This phrase can mean beautiful jewelry or adornments, suggesting that Jerusalem reached a stage of beauty and honor, not just survival.
  • "Naked" (עֵרוֹם, ʿêrôm) and "bare" (עֶרְיָה, ʿeryāh): These words underline Jerusalem’s original state of vulnerability and need, making the transformation to maturity and beauty even more striking.

Why Ezekiel 16:7 matters

  • Ezekiel 16:7 clarifies that Jerusalem’s growth and prosperity were not accidental but the result of God’s direct action and care, countering any idea that the city’s success was self-made.
  • The verse sets up a contrast for the rest of the chapter, where Jerusalem’s later unfaithfulness is made more serious by remembering how much God had done for her.
  • The vivid, personal imagery helps readers see God’s relationship with Jerusalem as deeply invested and nurturing, not distant or impersonal.

Where else these words appear

“bare” Hebrew H6181 · used in 6 verses

  • 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.
  • Ezekiel 16:39 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.
  • 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;

“bud” Hebrew H6780 · used in 12 verses

  • Genesis 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
  • Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
  • Ezekiel 17:10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

“excellent” Hebrew H5716 · used in 13 verses

  • Exodus 33:4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
  • Psalms 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
  • Jeremiah 4:30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.