Ezekiel 16:47
Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
Original Language Analysis
וְלֹ֤א
H3808
וְלֹ֤א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
1 of 11
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
דְּרָכָֽיִךְ׃
after their ways
H1870
דְּרָכָֽיִךְ׃
after their ways
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
2 of 11
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
הָלַ֔כְתְּ
Yet hast thou not walked
H1980
הָלַ֔כְתְּ
Yet hast thou not walked
Strong's:
H1980
Word #:
3 of 11
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
וּבְתוֹעֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֖ן
after their abominations
H8441
וּבְתוֹעֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֖ן
after their abominations
Strong's:
H8441
Word #:
4 of 11
properly, something disgusting (morally), i.e., (as noun) an abhorrence; especially idolatry or (concretely) an idol
עָשִׂ֑יתי
nor done
H6213
עָשִׂ֑יתי
nor done
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
5 of 11
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
קָ֔ט
but as if that were a very
H6985
קָ֔ט
but as if that were a very
Strong's:
H6985
Word #:
7 of 11
a little, i.e., (adverbially) merely
וַתַּשְׁחִ֥תִי
thing thou wast corrupted
H7843
וַתַּשְׁחִ֥תִי
thing thou wast corrupted
Strong's:
H7843
Word #:
8 of 11
to decay, i.e., (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)
Cross References
2 Kings 21:9But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.Ezekiel 16:48As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.Ezekiel 16:51Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.1 Kings 16:31And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
Historical Context
By Ezekiel's time (590s BC), Jerusalem had witnessed Samaria's destruction (722 BC) yet persisted in identical sins: syncretistic worship, alliances with pagan nations, social injustice, and false prophecy. Despite possessing the Davidic dynasty, Solomonic temple, prophetic tradition, and Mosaic law—advantages Samaria and Sodom lacked—Jerusalem's behavior was comparatively worse given her privileges.
Questions for Reflection
- How does spiritual privilege without obedience increase rather than decrease our guilt?
- In what areas might we be 'corrupted more' than those with less biblical knowledge?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations—the initial negative creates expectation of commendation, which the verse immediately subverts: but, as if that were a very little thing (כִּמְעַט קָט, kim'at qat—'as a trifling thing'). This rhetorical structure emphasizes Jerusalem's comparative wickedness.
Thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways—the Hebrew shachat (שָׁחַת, corrupted) means ruined, destroyed, morally perverted. Jerusalem didn't merely imitate Sodom and Samaria; she surpassed them. This hyperbolic comparison functions to shock Jerusalem out of self-righteous complacency. The city that possessed God's temple, law, prophets, and covenant exceeded in wickedness cities with none of these advantages. Greater light brings greater responsibility and, when rejected, greater condemnation (Luke 12:48).