Ezekiel Chapter 23
Ezekiel 23
Oholah and Oholibah
Ezekiel 23 returns to the picture of Israel and Judah as unfaithful women, but this chapter is even more severe and graphic than Ezekiel 16. The two sisters represent Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of the northern and southern kingdoms. Oholah represents Samaria, who rejected the true place of worship and went after Assyria. Oholibah represents Jerusalem, where the LORD’s temple stood, yet she still followed the same path and became even more corrupt. The chapter shows that both kingdoms were guilty of spiritual adultery through idolatry, political dependence on pagan powers, and moral corruption. The nations they lusted after became the nations that judged them. The uploaded notes emphasize that Oholah means “her own tent,” pointing to Samaria’s false worship, while Oholibah means “my tent is in her,” pointing to Jerusalem’s greater privilege and therefore greater accountability.
A. The sins and judgment of Oholah, Samaria and the kingdom of Israel.
1. Ezekiel 23:1-4, Two symbolic sisters, Oholah and Oholibah.
Ezekiel 23:1, The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 23:2, Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
Ezekiel 23:3, And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
Ezekiel 23:4, And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
The word of the LORD came again unto me shows that this graphic message is not Ezekiel’s imagination or personal bitterness. The LORD Himself gives the prophet this indictment. The language is shocking because the sin was shocking.
There were two women, the daughters of one mother introduces the symbolic sisters. They represent the divided kingdoms that came from one covenant people. Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah.
They committed whoredoms in Egypt repeats the truth already emphasized in Ezekiel 20. Israel’s idolatry did not begin late in the land. Even in Egypt, Israel was defiled by the idols of Egypt. From the beginning, the nation was tempted to spiritual adultery.
Ezekiel 20:5, And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted-up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land-of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;
Ezekiel 20:6, In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land-of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory-of all lands:
Ezekiel 20:7, Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile-not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Ezekiel 20:8, But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast-away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will-pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
The golden calf at Sinai shows how quickly Egyptian-style idolatry appeared after the Exodus.
Exodus 32:1, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people-gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us;-for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot-not what is become of him.
Exodus 32:2, And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your-wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
Exodus 32:3, And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto-Aaron.
Exodus 32:4, And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had-made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out-of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 32:5, And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said,-To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
Exodus 32:6, And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and-the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Joshua also later called Israel to abandon the gods served in Egypt.
Joshua 24:14, Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the-gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister are symbolic names. Aholah, or Oholah, means “her own tent,” suggesting Samaria’s self-made worship apart from the temple God appointed. Aholibah, or Oholibah, means “my tent is in her,” pointing to Jerusalem, where the temple of the LORD stood. Jerusalem had greater privilege because God’s sanctuary was there, and therefore her sin was even more aggravated.
They were mine means both kingdoms belonged to the LORD by election, redemption, and covenant. Their unfaithfulness was not the sin of strangers. It was the adultery of those who belonged to God.
They bare sons and daughters shows that the sisters represent covenant communities with generations of people under them.
Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah removes all doubt. God identifies the symbols plainly. This chapter is about the sin and judgment of the northern and southern kingdoms.
2. Ezekiel 23:5-8, The story of Oholah, the elder sister.
Ezekiel 23:5, And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the-Assyrians her neighbours,
Ezekiel 23:6, Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon-horses.
Ezekiel 23:7, Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria,-and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
Ezekiel 23:8, Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and-they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
Aholah played the harlot when she was mine describes the northern kingdom’s idolatry as spiritual adultery. Israel belonged to the LORD, yet she pursued other gods and foreign powers. Her sin was covenant betrayal.
The northern kingdom began in idolatry under Jeroboam, who established golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
1 Kings 12:26, And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
1 Kings 12:27, If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall-the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall-kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
1 Kings 12:28, Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is-too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out-of the land of Egypt.
1 Kings 12:29, And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
1 Kings 12:30, And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
1 Kings 12:31, And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people,-which were not of the sons of Levi.
1 Kings 12:32, And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like-unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing-unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which-he had made.
1 Kings 12:33, So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth-month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children-of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
She doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours shows that Samaria admired and pursued Assyria. The northern kingdom wanted Assyria’s power, protection, military strength, wealth, and influence. But political dependence and spiritual idolatry were bound together. Israel looked to Assyria instead of trusting the LORD.
Clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses describes the Assyrians as impressive and attractive in worldly terms. Their military display, uniforms, cavalry, and imperial power dazzled Israel. The attraction was fleshly and political, not spiritual or holy.
Israel paid tribute to Assyria in the days of Menahem and later became entangled again under Hoshea.
2 Kings 15:19, And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents-of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
2 Kings 15:20, And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each-man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned-back, and stayed not there in the land.
2 Kings 17:3, Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
Thus she committed her whoredoms with them means Samaria gave herself to Assyria’s idols, customs, and protection. Idolatry and foreign dependence defiled her.
With all their idols she defiled herself gives the spiritual meaning. Samaria’s political compromise led to religious corruption.
Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt means the northern kingdom never truly abandoned the old idolatrous impulse. From Egypt to Assyria, the pattern continued. Israel kept returning to the old sins of her youth.
3. Ezekiel 23:9-10, Judgment upon Oholah.
Ezekiel 23:9, Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians,-upon whom she doted.
Ezekiel 23:10, These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword:-and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers shows the justice of God’s judgment. The nation Samaria lusted after became the nation that destroyed her. God often judges sin by allowing the sinner to be ruled by the thing he chose.
Into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted means Assyria was both Samaria’s attraction and her punishment. The idolized power became the conquering power.
These discovered her nakedness means the Assyrians humiliated Samaria. The symbolic language shows shame, exposure, and disgrace.
They took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword describes the Assyrian conquest and deportation of the northern kingdom in 722 B.C.
2 Kings 17:5, Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and-besieged it three years.
2 Kings 17:6, In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into-Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities-of the Medes.
2 Kings 17:7, For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which-had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt,-and had feared other gods,
2 Kings 17:8, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of-Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
2 Kings 17:9, And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God,-and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced-city.
2 Kings 17:10, And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
2 Kings 17:11, And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried-away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
2 Kings 17:12, For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
2 Kings 17:13, Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers,-saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law-which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
2 Kings 17:14, Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did-not believe in the LORD their God.
2 Kings 17:15, And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which-he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round-about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
She became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her means Samaria became a byword and warning. Her fall was known. Her judgment was public. Jerusalem should have learned from it.
B. The sins and judgment of Oholibah, Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah.
1. Ezekiel 23:11-13, Oholibah imitates the sins of Oholah.
Ezekiel 23:11, And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she,-and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.
Ezekiel 23:12, She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon-horses, all of them desirable young men.
Ezekiel 23:13, Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
When her sister Aholibah saw this means Jerusalem had the example of Samaria before her. Judah saw the northern kingdom’s idolatry and saw the Assyrian judgment that followed. This made Jerusalem’s sin worse. She sinned with warning.
She was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she means Jerusalem surpassed Samaria in corruption. Greater light brings greater accountability. Oholibah had the temple, priesthood, sacrifices, and Davidic promises, yet she followed the same corrupt path and went even further.
She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours shows that Judah also lusted after Assyrian power and protection. King Ahaz is a major example. He sought help from Assyria and copied pagan worship patterns after seeing an altar in Damascus.
2 Kings 16:7, So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and-thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of-the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
2 Kings 16:8, And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in-the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 16:10, And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar-that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and-the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
2 Kings 16:11, And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus:-so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.
Isaiah warned Ahaz during the Assyrian crisis, calling Judah to trust the LORD rather than foreign power.
Isaiah 7:3, Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy-son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;
Isaiah 7:4, And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two-tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
Isaiah 7:9, And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If-ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses repeats the worldly attraction. Jerusalem was impressed by Assyrian military power and imperial glory just as Samaria had been.
Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way means both sisters walked the same road of idolatry, political compromise, and spiritual adultery. Jerusalem had the warning of Samaria, but chose the same path.
2. Ezekiel 23:14-16, Oholibah surpasses the sins of Oholah.
Ezekiel 23:14, And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images-of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
Ezekiel 23:15, Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes-to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
Ezekiel 23:16, And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto-them into Chaldea.
She increased her whoredoms means Jerusalem did not merely copy Samaria. She went further. Her rebellion multiplied.
When she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion pictures Jerusalem being seduced by Babylonian imagery, culture, power, and appearance. The wall images represent the propaganda, art, and visible glory of empire. Her eyes fed her lust.
Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads describes the impressive appearance of Babylonian officers. Their clothing, colors, turbans, and military bearing attracted Jerusalem. The outward image of power drew her heart away from the LORD.
After the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity may recall that Abraham originally came from the region of Chaldea. God called Abraham out of that land and its idolatry, but now Abraham’s descendants were looking back toward it in lust and rebellion.
Genesis 11:31, And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and-Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the-Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
Genesis 12:1, Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,-and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
As soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them shows the danger of sinful sight. Jerusalem saw and desired. Her eyes became a doorway to idolatry.
Sent messengers unto them into Chaldea means Judah pursued Babylon. Long before Babylon conquered Judah, Judah had opened herself to Babylonian influence. What she pursued would eventually dominate her.
3. Ezekiel 23:17-21, The disgusting idolatry and immorality of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23:17, And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their-whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.
Ezekiel 23:18, So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her,-like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
Ezekiel 23:19, Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had-played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 23:20, For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue-is like the issue of horses.
Ezekiel 23:21, Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians-for the paps of thy youth.
The Babylonians came to her into the bed of love continues the graphic image of spiritual adultery. Jerusalem gave herself to Babylonian influence, power, alliances, and idols. The language is sexually explicit because the LORD is exposing idolatry as filthy covenant betrayal.
They defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them means Babylonian influence did not enrich Jerusalem spiritually. It polluted her. The world’s power and religion always defile when received in rebellion against God.
Her mind was alienated from them shows the unstable hatred that often follows sinful desire. Jerusalem pursued Babylon, but later hated what she had pursued. Sin often begins with attraction and ends with disgust, bondage, and hatred.
Then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister means the LORD withdrew from Jerusalem as He had from Samaria. A faithful Husband cannot treat adultery as nothing. God’s alienation is righteous judgment against covenant betrayal.
Yet she multiplied her whoredoms means Jerusalem responded to discipline not with repentance, but with more sin. Instead of returning to the LORD, she returned to old idolatrous patterns.
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt means Jerusalem spiritually went backward to Egypt. She remembered and revived the old corruptions of her beginning.
For she doted upon their paramours points to Egypt as an object of lust and dependence. Judah looked again to Egypt’s strength, especially military strength, as if Egypt could save her.
Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses is intentionally coarse language. Ezekiel uses shocking sexual imagery to expose the vulgarity and filth of Judah’s idolatrous desire for Egypt’s perceived power. The point is not entertainment or vulgarity for its own sake. It is prophetic disgust meant to wake up a hardened people.
Jeremiah also used animal imagery for lustful rebellion.
Jeremiah 2:24, A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion-who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find-her.
Jeremiah 5:8, They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
Jeremiah 13:27, I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine-abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean?-when shall it once be?
Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth means Jerusalem’s later idolatry was a return to Egypt’s old corruption. She forgot the LORD, but remembered Egypt.
4. Ezekiel 23:22-27, Judgment on Oholibah.
Ezekiel 23:22, Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers-against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;
Ezekiel 23:23, The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians-with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding-upon horses.
Ezekiel 23:24, And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people,-which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them,-and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.
Ezekiel 23:25, And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take-away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and-thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.
Ezekiel 23:26, They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.
Ezekiel 23:27, Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land-of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.
I will raise up thy lovers against thee shows the principle of fitting judgment. The nations Jerusalem pursued would become the nations that attacked her. The lovers would become enemies. What she desired would become her punishment.
From whom thy mind is alienated means Jerusalem no longer loved Babylon, but her earlier lust and dependence had already trapped her. Sin does not release a person simply because the attraction fades.
The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them describes the imperial coalition that would come against Jerusalem. These names represent peoples and groups under or associated with Babylonian power.
All of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses repeats the earlier description of attraction, but now the same impressive force comes for war, not romance.
They shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people describes military invasion. Jerusalem’s lovers arrive with siege force.
Buckler and shield and helmet round about shows full military equipment and surrounding pressure. Jerusalem would be encircled and attacked.
I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments means God delegates judgment to the invading nations. Babylon’s standards of war would be harsh, but God would use them as instruments.
I will set my jealousy against thee reveals the divine motive. This is the holy jealousy of the covenant God whose people have committed spiritual adultery.
They shall deal furiously with thee means the invaders will not be gentle. The nations Jerusalem pursued will treat her cruelly.
They shall take away thy nose and thine ears describes mutilation and humiliation. In the ancient world, such punishment marked shame and disfigurement.
Thy remnant shall fall by the sword means those left after earlier judgments would still face death.
They shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire points to captivity and destruction. Jerusalem’s children would be carried away, and what remained would be burned.
They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels means Jerusalem would be stripped of beauty, wealth, and dignity. The adornments she used in idolatry would be taken.
Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee shows that judgment had a purging purpose. The exile would cure Judah of the same outward pagan idolatry that had characterized her before the exile.
So that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more means the old lust for Egypt and its idols would be broken. The medicine was severe, but the disease was deadly.
5. Ezekiel 23:28-31, Jerusalem delivered over to those who hate her.
Ezekiel 23:28, For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom-thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated:
Ezekiel 23:29, And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee-naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
Ezekiel 23:30, I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and-because thou art polluted with their idols.
Ezekiel 23:31, Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.
I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest means Jerusalem would be handed over to the very nations she had once pursued and then despised. This is the misery of sin. What once looked attractive becomes hateful, yet still gains power over the sinner.
They shall deal with thee hatefully shows that the relationship was never true love. The nations used Jerusalem, and Jerusalem used the nations. Sinful alliances rooted in lust and self-interest eventually become hatred.
The same psychological pattern appears in Amnon’s sin against Tamar.
2 Samuel 13:14, Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay-with her.
2 Samuel 13:15, Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love-wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
They shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare means the wealth and security Jerusalem worked for would be stripped away. Idolatry would leave her exposed and ashamed.
The nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered means her sin would be publicly exposed. What she practiced under the illusion of power and beauty would end in disgrace.
Because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols gives the reason. Jerusalem pursued the nations and became defiled by their gods.
Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister means Jerusalem followed Samaria’s example. She should have learned from Samaria’s fall, but instead copied her path.
Therefore will I give her cup into thine hand means Jerusalem would drink the same cup of judgment that Samaria drank. Having followed the same sin, she would receive the same kind of judgment.
C. Drinking the cup of judgment, receiving the penalty of adultery.
1. Ezekiel 23:32-35, Drinking Samaria’s cup.
Ezekiel 23:32, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large: thou shalt-be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.
Ezekiel 23:33, Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the-cup of thy sister Samaria.
Ezekiel 23:34, Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck-off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 23:35, Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back,-therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large means Jerusalem will fully share Samaria’s judgment. The cup is deep and large because the judgment is severe and full.
Thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision means the nations will mock Jerusalem. Instead of receiving sympathy, she will receive contempt.
It containeth much means the cup holds abundant judgment. Jerusalem will not sip it lightly. She must drink deeply.
Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow means judgment will bring confusion, staggering, grief, and collapse. This is not literal drunkenness, but the disorienting effect of divine wrath.
With the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria means the same kind of devastation that came on Samaria will come on Jerusalem.
The cup is a repeated biblical image of judgment.
Psalm 75:8, For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it-is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked-of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
Isaiah 51:17, Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup-of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.
Jeremiah 25:15, For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at-my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out means Jerusalem will drain the cup completely. The judgment will not be partial.
Thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts pictures madness, grief, and self-destruction under judgment. The very breasts once mentioned in connection with her harlotry become the object of violent grief.
For I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD gives certainty. The judgment is not uncertain. God has spoken.
Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back gives the root sin. Jerusalem forgot the LORD and treated Him as something unwanted and out of sight. Forgetting God is not harmless neglect. It is rebellion.
Therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms means Jerusalem must bear the consequences of her idolatry. She chose spiritual adultery, and now she must bear its penalty.
2. Ezekiel 23:36-39, Some of the specific sins of Oholah and Oholibah.
Ezekiel 23:36, The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea,-declare unto them their abominations;
Ezekiel 23:37, That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed-adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire,-to devour them.
Ezekiel 23:38, Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and-have profaned my sabbaths.
Ezekiel 23:39, For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my-sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.
Wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? returns to formal accusation. God commands Ezekiel to declare their abominations. The symbolic story now becomes direct indictment.
They have committed adultery means they were guilty both spiritually and morally. Their idolatry was adultery against the LORD, and their society was also full of literal sexual sin.
Blood is in their hands means they were guilty of violence and murder. Their idolatry did not remain a private religious mistake. It led to bloodshed.
With their idols have they committed adultery identifies the chief spiritual sin. They gave worship, affection, trust, and obedience to false gods.
Have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them refers to child sacrifice. The children belonged to the LORD, but they offered them to idols. This was one of the most horrifying abominations in Israel and Judah.
Leviticus 18:21, And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou-profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
2 Kings 16:3, But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass-through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children-of Israel.
2 Kings 21:6, And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt-with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to-anger.
They have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths shows shocking hypocrisy. They practiced child sacrifice and then came into the LORD’s sanctuary the same day. They mixed the worship of the LORD with the worship of demons and idols.
When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it means they treated God as if He could be included in their religious mixture. This was not worship. It was profanation.
Thus have they done in the midst of mine house shows the offense was brought directly into God’s sanctuary. Their sin was not distant from the temple. They polluted the very place where God’s name dwelt.
3. Ezekiel 23:40-45, The comfortable harlotry of the lewd sisters.
Ezekiel 23:40, And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent;-and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with-ornaments,
Ezekiel 23:41, And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine-incense and mine oil.
Ezekiel 23:42, And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the-common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.
Ezekiel 23:43, Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her,-and she with them?
Ezekiel 23:44, Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot:-so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.
Ezekiel 23:45, And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of-women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
Ye have sent for men to come from far means Samaria and Jerusalem actively pursued foreign nations. They did not merely fall accidentally into compromise. They sent messengers and invited the relationship.
For whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments continues the harlot image. The sisters prepared themselves for idolatry with eagerness and care. Their rebellion was not reluctant.
Satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it pictures comfort, luxury, and deliberate preparation. Their idolatry was not only sinful, it was made attractive and socially comfortable.
Whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil shows that they used God’s gifts and sacred things in service of their idolatry. What belonged to the LORD was placed before false lovers. This is the same betrayal exposed in Ezekiel 16.
Ezekiel 16:17, Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given-thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Ezekiel 16:18, And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense-before them.
Ezekiel 16:19, My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee,-thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
A voice of a multitude being at ease was with her means their idolatry was festive, social, and carefree. They felt comfortable in rebellion. Many were gathered around the sin, making it feel accepted and normal.
With the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness suggests that every kind of outsider was welcomed into the idolatrous feast. The sisters were not selective. Their spiritual adultery had become cheap and common.
Which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads means the sisters were adorned by those who participated in their sin. Idolatry offered gifts, status, and beauty, but it all ended in shame.
Her that was old in adulteries pictures the weariness and ugliness of long-practiced sin. Jerusalem was no youthful beauty in this image. She was worn out by adulteries.
Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? expresses the disgusting persistence of sin. Even after long corruption, the harlotry continues.
Yet they went in unto her means the sin did continue. The nations still participated in the defilement of Samaria and Jerusalem.
The righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses means righteous judgment will see them for what they are. The glamorous illusion will be stripped away. They are adulteresses.
And after the manner of women that shed blood adds the charge of murder. Their idolatry included bloodshed, especially child sacrifice and oppression. Therefore, they are judged as adulteresses and murderers.
4. Ezekiel 23:46-49, The sisters are judged as adulteresses.
Ezekiel 23:46, For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give-them to be removed and spoiled.
Ezekiel 23:47, And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their-sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
Ezekiel 23:48, Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not-to do after your lewdness.
Ezekiel 23:49, And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols:-and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
I will bring up a company upon them refers to the assemblies of judgment, historically the invading armies that came against Samaria and Jerusalem. The judgment language also fits the legal penalty for adultery and bloodshed.
Will give them to be removed and spoiled means exile and plunder. The sisters would lose land, wealth, children, security, and dignity.
The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords connects the punishment of the cities with the punishment of adulterers under the law. The siege of a city also involved stones and weapons, so the legal image and military reality come together.
Leviticus 20:10, And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with-his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Deuteronomy 22:22, If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of-them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil-from Israel.
They shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire describes the devastation of conquest. Their children would suffer, and their homes would be burned. The penalty fits the long history of bloodshed and child sacrifice.
Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land shows the purging purpose of judgment. The conquest and exile would severely discipline Judah and cleanse the land from the long-standing pattern of gross idolatry.
That all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness means the judgment would become a warning. Others would learn not to follow the spiritual adultery of Samaria and Jerusalem.
They shall recompense your lewdness upon you means the punishment corresponds to the sin. The sisters would receive back the consequences of their own ways.
Ye shall bear the sins of your idols means idolatry brings a burden. The gods they chose could not save them. They could only leave them bearing guilt and judgment.
Ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD gives the final purpose. Through judgment, exposure, conquest, and exile, the LORD would reveal Himself. Samaria and Jerusalem refused to know Him through covenant faithfulness, so they would know Him through judgment.
Ezekiel 23 is severe because spiritual adultery is severe. Samaria and Jerusalem belonged to the LORD, but they lusted after Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. They pursued idols, power, alliances, wealth, and military security while forgetting God. Samaria drank the cup of judgment first, and Jerusalem saw it but became even worse. The nations they desired became the nations that humiliated and destroyed them. Yet even in this severe chapter, judgment has a purging purpose. God would cause lewdness to cease from the land and reveal that He alone is the Lord GOD.
