Ezekiel 16:18-19 - Exposition

Mine oil and mine incense . This, as afterwards in Ezekiel 23:41 , was the crowning aggravation of the guilt. The very gifts of God, designed for his worship, were prostituted to that of his rivals. The "oil" is that of Exodus 30:23-25 , perfumed and set apart for sacred uses. The act of covering the idol was, as in Exodus 30:8 , the symbol of the marriage union. In the sweet savour we have the familiar phrase of Ezekiel 6:13 . The scene brought before us is that of a sacrificial feast, in which cakes of flour, honey, and oil were eaten whilst incense was offered. So we have the "adored liba" of Virgil, ' AE neid,' 7.109, or more fully in Tibullus, 'Eleg.,' 1.7, 53, 54, the "thuria honores," the "liba … dulcia melle." Thus it was, etc. As in verse 16, the description seems to rouse an instinctive abhorrence in the prophet's mind, which finds utterance in this form: "Yes, it was even so." The words are, however, taken by the LXX ; Vulgate, and Luther as opening the following verse: "And it came to pass that."