The Meaning of Ezekiel 16:8 Explained

Ezekiel 16:8

KJV: Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

YLT: And I pass over by thee, and I see thee, And lo, thy time is a time of loves, And I spread My skirt over thee, And I cover thy nakedness, And I swear to thee, and come in to a covenant with thee, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And thou dost become Mine.

Darby: And I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, and behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness; and I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord Jehovah, and thou becamest mine.

ASV: Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord Jehovah, and thou becamest mine.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now when I passed  by thee, and looked  upon thee, behold, thy time  [was] the time  of love;  and I spread  my skirt  over thee, and covered  thy nakedness:  yea, I sware  unto thee, and entered  into a covenant  with thee, saith  the Lord  GOD,  and thou becamest mine. 

What does Ezekiel 16:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When she was mature enough, the Lord made a commitment to take care of her forever (cf. Psalm 132:13-17). Spreading a skirt over someone was a customary way of committing to marry and to provide for someone in that culture ( Ruth 3:9). [1]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 16

1  Under the parable of a wretched infant is shown the natural state of Jerusalem
6  God's extraordinary love toward her,
15  Her grievous judgment
35  Her sin, equal to her mother,
46  and exceeding her sisters, Sodom and Samaria,
59  calls for judgments
60  Mercy is promised her in the end

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 16:8 mean?

And when again I passed by you and looked upon you and indeed your time [was] the time of love so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness And Yes I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you says the Lord GOD and you became Mine
וָאֶעֱבֹ֨ר עָלַ֜יִךְ וָאֶרְאֵ֗ךְ וְהִנֵּ֤ה עִתֵּךְ֙ עֵ֣ת דֹּדִ֔ים וָאֶפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפִי֙ עָלַ֔יִךְ וָאֲכַסֶּ֖ה עֶרְוָתֵ֑ךְ וָאֶשָּׁ֣בַֽע לָ֠ךְ וָאָב֨וֹא בִבְרִ֜ית אֹתָ֗ךְ נְאֻ֛ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִ֖ה וַתִּ֥הְיִי לִֽי

וָאֶעֱבֹ֨ר  And  when  again  I  passed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
עָלַ֜יִךְ  by  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וָאֶרְאֵ֗ךְ  and  looked  upon  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, second person feminine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְהִנֵּ֤ה  and  indeed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
עִתֵּךְ֙  your  time  [was] 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
עֵ֣ת  the  time 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
דֹּדִ֔ים  of  love 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: דֹּוד  
Sense: beloved, love, uncle.
וָאֶפְרֹ֤שׂ  so  I  spread 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּרַשׂ  
Sense: to spread, spread out, stretch, break in pieces.
כְּנָפִי֙  My  wing 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
עָלַ֔יִךְ  over  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וָאֲכַסֶּ֖ה  and  covered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
עֶרְוָתֵ֑ךְ  your  nakedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֶרְוָה  
Sense: nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda.
וָאֶשָּׁ֣בַֽע  And  Yes  I  swore  an  oath 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
לָ֠ךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
וָאָב֨וֹא  and  entered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בִבְרִ֜ית  into  a  covenant 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
אֹתָ֗ךְ  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
נְאֻ֛ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֥י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֖ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וַתִּ֥הְיִי  and  you  became 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לִֽי  Mine 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular