Ezekiel 16 describes an allegorical scenario similar to one referenced in Hosea 2 (a passage I have already addressed [1]) where an adulterous wife, representing idolatrous Israel, is stripped naked before being executed for her offense. This treatment of adulterous wives is a recorded historical practice in other ancient societies, which might lead some to wonder if Ezekiel 16 condones or prescribes forced nudity as punishment for certain sexual offenses. There is one case where involuntary nudity is part of a punishment authorized and prescribed by the Bible, but it is a very specific situation that does not apply in the context of the Biblical punishment for adultery.
By Biblical standards, it is unjust to degrade someone by exposing their full body against their will as a punishment for a crime. The penalty for adultery is mere execution for both parties (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22); neither the offending man nor the offending woman are to be psychologically tortured by having their nude bodies displayed against their wills. The punishment is death alone, not any kind of humiliation or pre-execution torture of any kind. Now, the reason is not because seeing nudity is morally erroneous on the part of anyone witnessing the execution, but because it is unjust to degrade criminals (Deuteronomy 25:3), especially in the name of justice.
Nudity itself is not the issue with this manner of punishment, of course. The naked body is utterly nonsinful on its own [2]! Even if nudity itself was sinful, a person would not be sinning by having their nude body exposed against their will, as they would not have consented to removing their clothing (compare how an engaged person is not treated as an adulterer or adulteress if he/she is raped in Deuteronomy 22:25-27). The only context where involuntarily stripping someone partially or wholly naked is part of a Biblically sound criminal punishment is one where an application of Lex Talionis involves genital mutilation.
In the case of an assault that results in a genital mutilation of the victim, the offender would need to have his or her lower clothing removed in order for the same permanent injury to be inflicted on them, a punishment reserved only for assault with permanent injury (Exodus 21:22-24, Leviticus 24:17-22). This is because permanent injury is prescribed a mirror permanent injury, not because forced nudity is prescribed forced nudity. Involuntarily stripping someone naked in other punitive contexts is an act of assault that may or may not be sexual in nature, and thus it would likely deserve either a number of lashes, which can be assigned to miscellaneous crimes not given specific Biblical penalties, or financial damages, which are prescribed for general assault that does not inflict permanent mutilations on the victim (Exodus 21:18-19).
Ezekiel 16's adulterous wife is nothing but an allegorical figure used to metaphorically predict what would befall Israel as God withheld protection due to idolatry. The exact punishment given to her in the allegory is not meant to clarify or supercede anything about Deuteronomy 22:22. It remains the case that the only time when uncovering someone's body against their will for the sake of Biblical justice is the aforementioned scenario of assault which leads to permanent genital injury. Even here, making someone expose part or all of their body or stripping uncooperative offenders for the application of Lex Talionis is incidental. Forced nudity (whether partial or full) is not part of the punishment; it is something that allows for the punishment to be precisely carried out.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/03/cerseis-punishment-and-hosea-23.html
[2]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-naturalness-of-nudity.html
Naturism/Nudism & Human Nudity were likely more common & de rigueur or of little importance in ancient times, even in “the holy lands,” than modern folk — inundated by hollywood conditioning on behalf of the clothing industries which largely funds/fuels hollywood as an advertising vehicle ( aside from big tobacco & big ethanol et al ) — might ever imagine. Clothes are expensive; in ancient times, getting them dirtier more often ( without paved roads, with dirt-mortar build homes often without floor tiles, & sans daily public works crews or common domestic plumbing ) would require constant cleaning ( without convenient laundromats or in-home washers&dryers ) which just isn’t practical rationally. Being stripped of one’s vanities — or ill gotten gain — seems like a more logical reason to strip a criminal of their clothing, much like today’s jailers remove & hold an Arrested’s contraband or precious belongings, not because being seen Nude or seen Naked was such a big deal for either gender.
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