Ezekiel 23:1

1 The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 23:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ver. 1. The word of the Lord came unto me
The word of prophecy,Ezekiel 23:2

Son of man, there were two women
Or two nations and kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel or the ten tribes, and the kingdom of Judah or the two tribes. So the Targum,

``son of man, prophesy concerning two provinces, which are as two women:''
the daughters of one mother;
either Sarah the wife of Abraham, from whom they sprung; or because they were originally one kingdom and nation; so they were when they came out of Egypt, and during the times of the judges, and in the reigns of David and Solomon; but became two in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, from whom ten tribes revolted, and set up a separate kingdom, with Jeroboam at the head of it.

Ezekiel 23:1 In-Context

1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;
3 they played the harlot in Egypt; they played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled.
4 Oho'lah was the name of the elder and Ohol'ibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oho'lah is Sama'ria, and Ohol'ibah is Jerusalem
5 "Oho'lah played the harlot while she was mine; and she doted on her lovers the Assyrians,
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.