And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
In the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut. Israel's helplessness in her first struggling into national existence, under the image of an infant cast forth without receiving the commonest acts of parental regard (Hosea 2:3). Its very life was a miracle, the Israelite males having been exposed to the murderous design of the King of Egypt (Exodus 1:15-22).
Navel ... not cut. Without proper attention to the navel-string the infant just born is liable to die.
Neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee - i:e., to make the skin soft. Maurer translates х lªmish`iy (H4935)], 'for purification;' from an Arabic root. Gesenius translates, as margin, 'that thou mightest be presented to thy parents to be looked upon' х shaa`aah (H8159) to look], as is customary on the birth of a child. The literal translation is, 'to my sight,' or absolutely 'to the sight' (Buxtorf), which may mean either as Gesenius renders above, or else, 'in order that thou mightest be sightly (i:e., comely) for me to look on.' I prefer this.
Thou wast not salted. Anciently they rubbed infants with salt, to make the skin dense and firm.