Ezekiel 16:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet you have taken these garments, bestowed upon you by My grace, and created idols for yourself or elevations, which are termed bamoth in Hebrew, never before seen nor shall be, thereby transforming what was given for your beautification into an affront against your Giver. This can be understood literally concerning Jerusalem, which squandered all divine commandments, wealth, and abundance on idols, a transgression not shared by other nations. All nations that historically worshiped idols did not commit such an infraction. As for our Jerusalem, representing the world's vision, it is ravaged by heretics, who, by extracting this or that scripture from its rightful context, strive to piece together a narrative that is discordant with the truth. Thus, it was previously proclaimed, as noted in the same prophet: Woe to those who sew the heads beneath every arm's span, and to those who cover every head across generations (Ezek. 13:18). The Lord forbids such actions, stating in the Gospel: no one places a patch on an unbleached garment, for he will tear away the portion from it, resulting in a grievous loss; below, they pour new wine into old wineskins (Mt. 9:16-17). This applies to the Nazarenes, who seek to reconcile the adherence to the outdated law with the grace of the Gospel, and to all heretics attempting to stitch together testimonies that do not align. The Lord’s seamless robe, woven from above by the Holy Spirit, permits no tearing. The translation from the LXX conveys this: you shall not enter in, nor shall it be, indicating that because you have fashioned for yourself idols of corrupt doctrines that you esteem highly, and have become enamored with them, believing the fabrications of your own mind, you cannot enter into the temple of God; your idols shall neither exist nor endure eternally, as the Apostle states, an idol has no existence in the world (1 Cor. 8:4).