Ezekiel 16:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He clothed you in fine garments. Here, he speaks broadly about the attire, detailing various elements, including wristbands and chains, earrings and crowns, along with other adornments bestowed upon Jerusalem. Isaiah notes that all of these were lost due to her own transgressions. As it is written, "For since the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes" (Isaiah 3:16, 17), their adornments will be replaced with bondage instead of sashes, and instead of luxurious hairstyles they will be disfigured, wearing baldness, and in place of elegant garments, they will don tattered clothes. He provided wristbands for your hands. The Septuagint states, "And he put armillas on your hands." Through good works, God adorns our hands.

This should be interpreted in a metaphorical manner: the wrists resting upon the hands represent active virtue; the necklace around the neck symbolizes the yoke of the law; the diligence placed in the nostrils signifies the rejection of vice through the commandments, which act as guiding restraints. This imagery is drawn from the practice with oxen, where an iron ring is inserted into their nostrils to direct their path. The Lord compares their stubbornness to that of oxen, as evidenced by the Prophet Hosea, who conveys God’s words: ‘Ephraim is like a young girl and Ephraim is fierce with an arrow’ (Hosea 4:16).