John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 16:9

"Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil." — Ezekiel 16:9 (ASV)

Here God more clearly explains what had been previously touched upon: He then married the people, as a young man marries his bride. But He here states that He endowed her.

For they would not have been sufficiently adopted by God unless they had been adorned with superior gifts. If they had been left in the miserable slavery in which they were oppressed, God’s favor would have been very obscure.

Therefore, God means that by His law He had entered into a new covenant with His people, so that He did not leave them naked and bare, but clothed them with remarkable gifts. First of all, He says, I washed you with water.

Although He had just said that the people were like a beautiful young woman and had praised their beauty, the filth of which the prophet had spoken still remained. It therefore needed to be cleansed from those stains. I have cleansed you with water, He says, and washed off your bloods—namely, the corrupt blood that the young woman whom Ezekiel mentions had retained from her birth.

Lastly, Ezekiel says that God performed those duties that a nurse performs for a child. Afterwards He adds—