And when thou wast born, in the day of thy nativity thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed with water for thy health, nor salted with salt, nor swaddled with clouts.
וּמוֹלְדוֹתַ֗יִךְ בְּי֨וֹם הוּלֶּ֤דֶת אֹתָךְ֙ לֹֽא־כָרַּ֣ת שָׁרֵּ֔ךְ וּבְמַ֥יִם לֹֽא־רֻחַ֖צְתְּ לְמִשְׁעִ֑י וְהָמְלֵ֙חַ֙ לֹ֣א הֻמְלַ֔חַתְּ וְהָחְתֵּ֖ל לֹ֥א חֻתָּֽלְתְּ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
And she who brought you into the world on the day of your birth did not sever your umbilical cord, nor did she apply salt to you, nor wrap you in swaddling garments. Imagine if, in the wilderness, there were neither salt nor swaddling cloths, nor any means of assistance, yet even then your mother’s gaze did not turn away from you.
At the time of your birth, you were not circumcised at your navel, nor were you washed with water for purification, nor seasoned with salt, nor swaddled in cloth. Instead, you were disregarded and cast aside on the very day of your arrival, reflecting a deep scorn for your existence. When Jerusalem came into being, born of an Amorite father and a Hittite mother, it was treated without care; the navel, which nourishes the unborn, was left uncircumcised. In the Scriptures, while the male reproductive element is often referred to as the loins, the female counterpart is recognized through the term navel. This is affirmed in Job's account of the leviathan, where it states, "his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the navel of the womb" (Job 40:11).
This ancient dragon, who is referred to as the devil and Satan, possesses strength in the loins against men and in the navel against women. Regarding Jerusalem, this indicates that it did not quickly embrace the law, nor were the elements of its ignoble birth purified; thus, it initially led a life akin to the Gentiles.
As translated in the LXX, it is stated that upon your birth, your breast was not bound. The Holy Scripture often signifies the heart through the breast or sternum (referencing Lev. 10; Num. 18), indicating that the ministers, whose mouths convey the law, require the breast. The Apostle John reclined on the Lord's breast to draw forth the abundant waters of wisdom. In the Song of Songs, the two breasts of the virgin are likened to the twin kids of a gazelle grazing among the lilies, as the cool day begins and shadows depart. A loving mother, upon a daughter’s birth, binds her breasts to quell swelling and maintain her virgin grace. Yet, when she matures, it is asked, "Can a bride forget her beauty, or a maiden her attire?" (Jer. 2:32).
Next, it is said, “you have not been washed with water for salvation.” Newly born infants are typically cleansed immediately after birth; similarly, a spiritual rebirth requires a sanctifying washing. "No man can be clean from uncleanness, though he be born but of a few days" (Job 14:4). The Psalmist recalls, "In iniquity I was conceived, and in sin my mother bore me" (Psalm 50:7). The second birth abolishes the first: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Many washings are promised by pagans and heretics in their rites; they all perform washings, yet these do not provide true salvation. Hence the text states that you have not been washed with water for salvation, applicable not only to heretics but also to any members of the Church who fail to receive the sacred washing with full faith. It can be said that they received water but not the Spirit, much like Simon the magician, who sought to acquire God’s gift for money and, though baptized in water, did not possess true salvation (Acts 8).
Furthermore, it is mentioned that you were not seasoned with salt. The tender bodies of newborns, still warm from the womb, are often rubbed with salt by midwives to enhance their vitality. Conversely, Jerusalem, born of humble origins, received neither attention nor care. Yet those reborn in Christ are told, "You are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13), and the Apostle instructs, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6). Thus, the wise are commonly regarded as seasoned, while the foolish are seen as tasteless. According to the Levitical law, each offering must be seasoned with salt: "Let not the salt of the covenant of the Lord be lacking in your offerings; you must offer salt with every gift" (Lev. 2:13). He who is seasoned with this salt will no longer lament, “My wounds are foul and infected because of my foolishness” (Psalm 37:6). It is said in writings concerning the Lord Jesus that He Himself is the heavenly salt, endowing both earthly and heavenly matters with His flavor, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men" (Luke 2:14).
Next, it is stated that you were not wrapped in swaddling clothes. The Savior was wrapped in swaddling garments, for every newborn requires God's protection through the covering of swaddling. When parents fulfill their duties, the newborn’s navel is circumcised, they are washed to cleanse them of blood, salt is applied to dry their gentle bodies, and finally, they are wrapped in swaddling to protect and support their delicate forms. Unlike Jerusalem, which was denied these crucial actions due to its lack of merit, it was not circumcised, salted, or swaddled. The reason for this omission is made clear by the text itself: "Your eye hath not spared you, that I might do even one of these things out of compassion." The LXX suggests that divine compassion was lacking, indicating that there was no one willing to show mercy to you amid God’s offense, nor was anyone stirred to perform even one of the essential acts, for you did not merit such care.
In another version, it conveys, "Your eye spared you not, resulting from your sinful nature and your mother’s sin. You exhibited no pity for yourself.” Since you acted in such a way and were born in sin, having shown no compassion, what could I do for you, who deserved even less than one of these mercies? Thus, since you received none of the customary gifts given to infants—not without reason, but due to your sins and moral failings—and in light of your lack of self-reflection, you were cast away into the land on the day of your birth. Let us beseech the Lord that because of our souls' corruption, we may not be cast aside into the fields, where the road to death is broad and the cavalry of the Chaldeans runs rampant. Yet it is important to note that on the day of birth, no wrongdoing can occur except during the washing when spiritual rebirth is granted through the faith of the believer.
God declares, "You have not severed your mouth," meaning you continue to consume the sustenance of Egypt. The emergence of Jerusalem is likened to liberation from bondage in Egypt. Furthermore, medical professionals suggest that for a fetus, the navel acts as a root that provides nourishment and facilitates growth. Thus, since midwives typically sever the visible part of an infant’s navel, God metaphorically states, "You have not severed your navel," indicating that even now, you are still partaking of the corrupt nourishment from your mother’s womb, which symbolizes Egypt. And neither will water cleanse you for salvation. This metaphor also draws from the practice of cleansing infants post-birth, as they are washed and purified from their mother’s blood.
Yet, God tells Jerusalem, you have not undergone this cleansing; rather, you continue to bear the signs of your mother’s womb's impurity. You have seasoned yourself with salt and adorned yourself with swaddling clothes. You have failed to receive the salt of doctrine or the swaddling garments presented in the law, which are intended for infants to rectify and restore their members that may have become misaligned at birth.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS