Matthew Poole and continuators on Ezekiel 16:8

8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entred into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

See ver. 6. of the phrase. This second passing by may well be understood of Gods visiting them and calling them out of Aegypt.

See the phrase verse 6.

The time of thy misery was the time of love and pity in me towards thee, and the time of thy grown beautified state was the time of my love of delight, when I rejoiced in thee, and espoused thee to be my Wife. Thy time i. e. The season fittest for the discovery of my purposes towards thee was the time of love, which is exprest in what follows in the verse,

i. e. betr[illegible: 1 letter]thed thee as Ruth 3.5. and Deut. 22.30. engaged by marriage to love, cherish, protect, and safeguard.

What was, and would be thy reproach, my love and bounty covered, I clothed thee with spoiles of Egypt, and gave thee Flocks, with the wool whereof thou mightest clothe thy self. If you take it figuratively, I covered all thy filthiness and washt it away.

Gave thee the greatest, most inviolable, and solemnest assurance of my conjugal love, care, and faithfulness.

This was done at Mount Sinai, Exod. 19.5.

The Truth of all which the Lord doth avow in this form of asseveration.

By the obligations of my kindness thou couldst be no less, by thy own voluntary act, and consent, by promise and profession, Exod. 19.7, 8.