Ezekiel 16:37
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
Original Language Analysis
לָ֠כֵן
H3651
לָ֠כֵן
Strong's:
H3651
Word #:
1 of 28
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner
וְקִבַּצְתִּי֩
Behold therefore I will gather
H6908
וְקִבַּצְתִּי֩
Behold therefore I will gather
Strong's:
H6908
Word #:
3 of 28
to grasp, i.e., collect
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
4 of 28
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
5 of 28
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
אָהַ֔בְתְּ
all thy lovers
H157
אָהַ֔בְתְּ
all thy lovers
Strong's:
H157
Word #:
6 of 28
to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
7 of 28
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם
H5921
עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
9 of 28
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
וְאֵת֙
H853
וְאֵת֙
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
10 of 28
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
11 of 28
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
12 of 28
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
אָהַ֔בְתְּ
all thy lovers
H157
אָהַ֔בְתְּ
all thy lovers
Strong's:
H157
Word #:
13 of 28
to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)
עַ֖ל
H5921
עַ֖ל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
14 of 28
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
15 of 28
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
16 of 28
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
וְקִבַּצְתִּי֩
Behold therefore I will gather
H6908
וְקִבַּצְתִּי֩
Behold therefore I will gather
Strong's:
H6908
Word #:
18 of 28
to grasp, i.e., collect
אֹתָ֨ם
H853
אֹתָ֨ם
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
19 of 28
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
עָלַ֜יִךְ
H5921
עָלַ֜יִךְ
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
20 of 28
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
מִסָּבִ֗יב
them round about
H5439
מִסָּבִ֗יב
them round about
Strong's:
H5439
Word #:
21 of 28
(as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around
וְגִלֵּיתִ֤י
against thee and will discover
H1540
וְגִלֵּיתִ֤י
against thee and will discover
Strong's:
H1540
Word #:
22 of 28
to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication, to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively, to reveal
עֶרְוָתֵֽךְ׃
all thy nakedness
H6172
עֶרְוָתֵֽךְ׃
all thy nakedness
Strong's:
H6172
Word #:
23 of 28
nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish)
וְרָא֖וּ
unto them that they may see
H7200
וְרָא֖וּ
unto them that they may see
Strong's:
H7200
Word #:
25 of 28
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
26 of 28
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
Cross References
Jeremiah 13:22And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.Hosea 2:10And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.Hosea 2:3Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.Revelation 17:16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.Jeremiah 13:26Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.Hosea 8:10Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.Lamentations 1:8Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
Historical Context
This prophecy was fulfilled in 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar's coalition besieged Jerusalem. Edomites, Ammonites, and others joined Babylon in plundering the city (Psalm 137:7, Lamentations 4:21-22, Obadiah 10-14). These were nations Judah had variously allied with and opposed throughout her history.
The siege lasted 18 months, resulting in catastrophic famine, cannibalism (Lamentations 2:20, 4:10), temple destruction, and mass deportation. The public humiliation of King Zedekiah—forced to watch his sons' execution before being blinded and led in chains to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7)—symbolized national shame. Jerusalem's nakedness was literally exposed as walls were broken down, treasuries looted, and survivors paraded as captives. The political alliances she relied upon proved worthless; Egypt's attempted relief failed (Jeremiah 37:5-10).
Questions for Reflection
- What relationships or resources do you trust for security instead of God, and how might they become instruments of His discipline?
- How does the principle of poetic justice (sin's consequences using sin's instruments) reveal God's wisdom in judgment?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. The divine verdict employs poetic justice: Jerusalem's lovers become her executioners. "I will gather" (qabats, קָבַץ) indicates God's sovereign action orchestrating judgment through historical forces—Babylon, Edom, Ammon, and other nations Jerusalem courted.
"All them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated" encompasses every foreign alliance, whether friendly or hostile. Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon—nations Jerusalem alternately allied with and opposed—would unite against her. The phrase "discover thy nakedness unto them" reverses the marriage metaphor: instead of intimate union, Jerusalem experiences public shaming. What she willingly exposed in prostitution would be forcibly exposed in conquest.
This principle of poetic justice appears throughout Scripture: Pharaoh drowned in the sea he used to kill Hebrew infants (Exodus 14:28), Haman hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai (Esther 7:10), and Babylon was conquered by nations she oppressed (Jeremiah 50-51). God often uses the instruments of our sin to execute judgment. The nations Jerusalem trusted for security would become agents of her destruction, demonstrating the bankruptcy of trusting creatures over Creator (Jeremiah 17:5-8).