What is the context?
The Lord tells Ezekiel to confront Jerusalem with her abominations. He does so through an extended story in which the city is pictured as a person, beginning with a newborn abandoned in an open field.
The child has received none of the care named in the story: the cord has not been cut, the blood has not been washed away, and there are no wrapping cloths. No one has shown compassion.
The Lord passes by and commands the child to live. Under His care she grows and matures, although she is still naked. Her survival begins with His action toward someone who could not rescue herself.
The references to an Amorite father and a Hittite mother challenge Jerusalem’s pride in its beginnings. The story will later return to this family language when comparing the city’s conduct with that of other cities.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Henry reads the child’s rescue as a picture of God’s dealings with Israel before its later unfaithfulness. Wesley connects the early stages with God calling Abraham and with Israel’s helpless condition in Egypt.
The Cambridge commentary on verse 3 sees several references coming together: Jerusalem’s Canaanite beginnings, Israel’s beginnings in Canaan and the conduct the prophet condemns. The emphasis is dependence on God’s compassion rather than a claim to inherent greatness.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Titus 3:3–8 describes people once enslaved to desires being saved when God’s kindness and love appear. Their rescue rests on His mercy, through new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, rather than righteous deeds they had already performed.
Titus does not explicitly interpret Ezekiel’s abandoned child. The shared theme is life received through God’s merciful initiative. Titus develops that theme through Jesus Christ and connects the gift of grace with hope and a renewed life devoted to good deeds.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.