Ezekiel Chapter 16 · Verse 19
My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
Original Language Analysis
וְלַחְמִי֩
My meat
H3899
וְלַחְמִי֩
My meat
Strong's:
H3899
Word #:
1 of 16
food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)
אֲשֶׁר
H834
אֲשֶׁר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
2 of 16
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
וּנְתַתִּ֧יהוּ
also which I gave
H5414
וּנְתַתִּ֧יהוּ
also which I gave
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
3 of 16
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
וָשֶׁ֤מֶן
and oil
H8081
וָשֶׁ֤מֶן
and oil
Strong's:
H8081
Word #:
6 of 16
grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness
וּנְתַתִּ֧יהוּ
also which I gave
H5414
וּנְתַתִּ֧יהוּ
also which I gave
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
9 of 16
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
לִפְנֵיהֶ֛ם
it before
H6440
לִפְנֵיהֶ֛ם
it before
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
10 of 16
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
נִיחֹ֖חַ
them for a sweet
H5207
נִיחֹ֖חַ
them for a sweet
Strong's:
H5207
Word #:
12 of 16
properly, restful, i.e., pleasant; abstractly, delight
וַיֶּ֑הִי
H1961
וַיֶּ֑הִי
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
13 of 16
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
Historical Context
The grain, oil, and honey offerings to Baal and fertility goddesses were documented in Hosea 2:8 and condemned throughout the prophets. Excavations at Canaanite high places reveal burnt offering remains of agricultural products mixed with incense, confirming these syncretistic practices permeated Judean worship.
Questions for Reflection
- In what ways might modern believers use God's material blessings to serve idols (consumerism, status, pleasure)?
- How does Paul's teaching on food offered to idols apply to using God's gifts in morally compromised situations?
Analysis & Commentary
My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey—The threefold provision (solet סֹלֶת, finest flour; shemen שֶׁמֶן, oil; debash דְּבַשׁ, honey) recalls the Promised Land's abundance (Deuteronomy 32:13-14). God supplied covenant blessings, yet thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour (רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, reach nichoach)—the technical term for sacrifices pleasing to YHWH (Leviticus 1:9).
The horror: Israel offered God's provision to Baal and Asherah as reach nichoach, deliberately using covenant language for idolatrous worship. This parallels the Corinthian error of eating idol-meat (1 Corinthians 10:18-21)—you cannot drink the Lord's cup and demons' cup. Thus it was, saith the Lord GOD—divine testimony confirms Jerusalem's judicial guilt.