Deep Dive

Ezekiel 23:18

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When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 18

This long chapter (as before ch. 16 and 20) is a history of the apostasies of God's people from him and the aggravations of those apostasies under the similitude of corporal whoredom and adultery. Here the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the ten tribes and the two, with their capital cities, Samaria and Jerusalem, are considered distinctly. Here is, I. The apostasy of Israel and Samaria from God (Eze 23:1-8) and their ruin for it (Eze 23:9, Eze 23:10). II. The apostasy of Judah and Jerusalem from God (Eze 23:11-21) and sentence passed upon them, that they shall in like manner be destroyed for it (Eze 23:22-35). III. The joint wickedness of them both together (Eze 23:36-44) and the joint ruin of them both (Eze 23:45-49). And all that is written for warning against the sins of idolatry, and confidence in an arm of flesh, and sinful leagues and confederacies with wicked people (which are the sins here meant by committing whoredom), is that others may hear and fear, and not sin after the similitude of the transgressions of Israel and Judah.

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 18

גָּלָה (gâlâh, H1540) — to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication, to exile (captives being… תַּזְנוּת (taznûwth, H8457) — harlotry, i.e. (figuratively) idolatry עֶרְוָה (ʻervâh, H6172) — nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish) נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh, H5315) — properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in… יָקַע (yâqaʻ, H3363) — properly, to sever oneself, i.e. (by implication) to be dislocated; figuratively, to… נָקַע (nâqaʻ, H5361) — to feel aversion אָחוֹת (ʼâchôwth, H269) — a sister (used very widely (like brother), literally and figuratively)

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Cross-references

Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.

Psalms 106:40rank 4

So the anger of the LORD burned against His people, and He abhorred His own inheritance.

Jeremiah 12:8rank 4

My inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against Me; therefore I hate her.

Psalms 78:59rank 4

On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.

Jeremiah 6:8rank 3

Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”

Jeremiah 8:12rank 3

Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.

Ezekiel 21:24rank 3

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds—because you have come to remembrance—you shall be taken in hand.

Lamentations 2:7rank 2

The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.

Zechariah 11:8rank 2

And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.

Hosea 7:1rank 2

When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the streets.

Deuteronomy 32:19rank 2

When the LORD saw this, He rejected them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.

Commentaries

Original language

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