16  The mean beginning of the Jewish church and nation, Eze 16:1-5.
The many favours God bestowed upon them, Eze 16:6-14.
Their treacherous and ungrateful requital, Eze 16:15-34.
Terrible judgments threatened, Eze 16:35-43.
An aggravation of their sin and of their punishment, Eze 16:44-59.
A promise of mercy to a remnant, Eze 16:60-63.

16:3 Jerusalem - The whole race of the Jews. Thy birth - Thy root whence thou didst spring. Thy father - Abraham, before God called him, (as his father and kindred) worshipped strange gods beyond the river, Jos 24:14.An Amorite - This comprehended all the rest of the cursed nations.

16:4 In the day - In the day I called Abraham to leave his idolatry.Salted - Salt was used to purge, dry, and strengthen the new - born child.Nor swaddled - So forlorn was the state of the Jews in their birth, without beauty, without strength, without friend.

16:5 To the loathing - In contempt of thee as unlovely and worthless; and in abhorrence of thee as loathsome to the beholder. This seems to have reference to the exposing of the male children of the Israelites in Egypt. And it is an apt illustration of the Natural State of all the children of men. In the day that we were born, we were shapen in iniquity: our understandings darkened, our minds alienated from the life of God: all polluted with sin, which rendered us loathsome in the eyes of God.

16:6 When I passed by - God here speaks after the manner of men.Live - This is such a command as sends forth a power to effect what is commanded; he gave that life: he spake, and it was done.

16:7 Thou art come - Thou wast adorned with the choicest blessings of Divine Providence. Thy breasts - Grown up and fashioned under God's own hand in order to be solemnly affianced to God.

16:8 When I passed - This second passing by, may be understood of God's visiting and calling them out of Egypt.Thy time - The time of thy misery was the time of love in me towards thee.I spread my skirt - Espoused thee, as Rut 3:9.Entered into a covenant - This was done at mount Sinai, when the covenant between God and Israel was sealed and ratified. Those to whom God gives spiritual life, he takes into covenant with himself.By this covenant they become his, his subjects and servants; that speaks their duty: and at the same time his portion, his treasure; that speaks their privilege.

16:9 Washed - It was a very ancient custom among the eastern people, to purify virgins who were to be espoused. And I anointed - They were anointed that were to be married, as Rut 3:3.

16:10 Broidered - Rich and beautiful needle - work. Badgers skin - The eastern people had an art of curiously dressing and colouring the skins of those beasts, of which they made their neatest shoes, for the richest and greatest personages.

16:11 A chain - Of gold, in token of honour and authority.

16:14 My comeliness - "That is, thro' the beauty of their holiness, as they were a people devoted to God. This was it that put a lustre upon all their other honours, and was indeed the perfection of their beauty.Sanctified souls are truly beautiful in God's sight, and they themselves may take the comfort of it. But God must have all the glory for whatever comeliness they have, it is that which God has put upon them."

16:15 Playedst the harlot - Thou didst go a whoring after idols.Thy renown - Her renown abroad drew to her idolatrous strangers, who brought their idols with them. Pouredst out - Didst readily prostitute thyself to them; every stranger, who passed thro' thee, might find room for his idol, and idolatry. He it was - Thy person was at the command of every adulterer.

19 

19:3 The Pharisees came tempting him - Trying to make him contradict Moses. For every cause - That is, for any thing which he dislikes in her. This the scribes allowed.

19:4 He said, Have ye not read - So instead of contradicting him, our Lord confutes them by the very words of Moses. He who made them, made them male and female from the beginning - At least from the beginning of the Mosaic creation. And where do we read of any other? Does it not follow, that God's making Eve was part of his original design, and not a consequence of Adam's beginning to fall? By making them one man and one woman, he condemned polygamy: by making them one flesh, he condemned divorce.

19:5 And said - By the mouth of Adam, who uttered the words. Gen 2:24.

19:7 Why did Moses command - Christ replies, Moses permitted (not commanded) it, because of the hardness of your hearts - Because neither your fathers nor you could bear the more excellent way. Deu 24:1 Mat 5:31; Mar 10:2; Luk 16:18.

19:9 And I say to you - I revoke that indulgence from this day, so that from henceforth, Whosoever, etc

19:11 But he said to them - This is not universally true; it does not hold, with regard to all men, but with regard to those only to whom is given this excellent gift of God. Now this is given to three sorts of persons to some by natural constitution, without their choice: to others by violence, against their choice; and to others by grace with their choice: who steadily withstand their natural inclinations, that they may wait upon God without distraction.

19:12 There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake - Happy they! who have abstained from marriage (though without condemning or despising it) that they might walk more closely with God! He that is able to receive it, let him receive it - This gracious command (for such it is unquestionably, since to say, such a man may live single, is saying nothing. Who ever doubted this?) is not designed for all men: but only for those few who are able to receive it.O let these receive it joyfully!