John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 16:17

"Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;" — Ezekiel 16:17 (ASV)

The Prophet rebukes them because they used silver and gold in making idols for themselves. He not only condemns idolatry but also ingratitude, as they turned the gifts God had given them to His dishonor. First, the desecration of His gifts was shameful; furthermore, they had rashly and purposely abused His generosity to His dishonor, and this was intolerable.

He also rebukes their blind excess, as they willingly indulged in licentiousness and immersed themselves in their superstitions. But he does not say that they simply took gold and silver, but vessels of elegance or beauty of gold and silver. From this it is clear that they were blinded by furious lusts, as we have already seen. He continues the simile of fornication when he calls these manufactured deities images of males; and this seems to indirectly indicate the excess of lust in dealing with shadows. By this, he means that they were carried away by their unbridled appetites for what was essentially nothing, just as a woman might fuel her passion with a mere picture of her lover.