Ezekiel 16:41, commentary and pictures

The verse portrays public judgment upon Jerusalem for unfaithfulness, with her houses burned with fire and judgments executed upon her in the sight of many until she ceases harlotry and gives no hire any more. The Lord is the husband and Jerusalem the wife, and her punishment for breaking the marriage covenant by departing from Him to delight in others is withdrawal, contempt and desolation, yet to be followed by restoration under an everlasting covenant. A lewd woman is the symbol of a corrupt, fallen, apostate church, and Jerusalem's harlotry is apostasy, backsliding, idolatry and conformity to the world by joining surrounding nations and worshiping their gods. The Jewish church once espoused to the Lord became a harlot by unlawful connection with the kings of the earth through seeking the friendship of the world, in the same manner as Babylon, and stands as the prototype of an apostate church that turns from God to the world. Any church espoused to God alone that joins itself to the world commits spiritual fornication and adultery against Christ, and its condemnation is illustrated here, where moral fall by rejection from God precedes final destruction by fire after a considerable interval. This use of a woman for a church shows that the harlot Babylon of Revelation 17 is a corrupt professedly religious body, distinct from though unlawfully united with the kings of the earth, and not the civil power itself.

Jerusalem's Punishment Portrayed

The verse portrays judgment upon Jerusalem for unfaithfulness, in which her houses are burned with fire and judgments are executed upon her openly in the sight of many. This public burning and judging is punishment for spiritual unfaithfulness. Its effect is to bring her harlotry to an end, so that she ceases from unfaithful conduct and gives and receives hire no more.

The Lord stands as husband, while Jerusalem or the land stands as wife and the people as children. The burning of houses and the executing of judgments punish wanton violation of the holy ties of wedlock and conjugal infidelity. That violation is met with withdrawal of gifts, contempt and the wretchedness of the outcast, and final desolation.

The city pictured as a lewd woman represents God's professed people. Her harlotry represents their apostasy, backsliding, idolatry and conformity to the world. This included joining the surrounding nations and worshiping their gods. To mix heaven with earth and righteousness with sin is spiritual adultery against God as husband.

The chapter is a strong parable rebuking the apostasy of Judah and Israel. In it the Lord makes a covenant with His people and claims them as His own. They break that covenant by departing from the Lord, turning to another, and delighting in others. He earnestly pleads with them to turn back to Him. The marriage covenant represents the union of God's people with their Lord, but these Old Testament marriage passages do not describe the marriage of the Lamb at the end.

The punishment is to be followed by marriage under an everlasting covenant that restores Jerusalem the wife to the Lord. That restoration denotes receiving that Jerusalem which is to be His throne when the kingdom is the Lord's. It takes place in connection with the restoration of her sisters Samaria and Sodom.

Harlot Church Symbolism

A lewd and licentious woman, a harlot, is the symbol of a corrupt, fallen, apostate church. Ezekiel 16 identifies harlotry in this way, portraying such a woman to set forth a corrupt church. That symbolism helps explain the woman representing Babylon in Revelation 17.

The Jewish church was once espoused to the Lord and became a harlot through apostasy. She became such in the same manner as Babylon, by unlawful connection with the kings of the earth through seeking the friendship of the world. Unlawful friendship with the world made the espoused church an apostate harlot.

Any church espoused to God alone that joins itself to the world is counted unfaithful and counted as a harlot. Such union of God's church with the world is fornication and adultery. It is abandoning God's precepts and unfaithfulness to Christ, to whom Christians are joined by covenant, because she turned from God to the world and followed Babylon. The burning of houses with fire and the executing of judgments in the sight of many, causing her to cease harlotry and to give no hire any more, illustrates the condemnation of that union.

Israel presented as an adulterous wife because she turned from God to the world and followed Babylon serves as a prototype for an apostate church. The account of Israel's unfaithfulness and judgment foreshadows a church that rejects God's message and seeks the support of earthly powers instead of the Lord. Turning from God to the world and abandoning His precepts is the same adulterous course.

The fall of the Jewish church as harlot illustrates the fall of Babylon. Her fall was her rejection by God, not her destruction. Her destruction by fire was deferred for a considerable period, showing that a moral fall precedes final destruction.

Scripture's use of a woman as a symbol of a church supports identifying the woman in Revelation 17 as an ecclesiastical body. That use helps explain Babylon. The harlot Babylon is therefore a corrupt professedly religious body, distinct from though unlawfully united with the kings of the earth, not the civil power itself.