Ezekiel 23:20

20 And she was wild in lechery on the lying-by of them, whose fleshes be as the fleshes of asses, and as the members of horses be the members of them. (And she was mad with lechery in their lyings-by, whose flesh be like donkeys? flesh, and their members be like horses? members.)

Ezekiel 23:20 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 23:20

For she doted upon their paramours
Or "concubines" F26; the neighbouring nations and allies of the Egyptians, whose friendship the Jews courted, and whose idols they served: the Septuagint and Arabic versions wrongly read the Chaldeans: whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue
of horses;
by "flesh" is meant the "membrum virile", which in asses is very large, and therefore dedicated to Priapus by the Heathens; and vast is the profusion of seed in coitus by horses, to which the flesh and issue of the Egyptian paramours are compared; who were very libidinous, and therefore desirable to insatiable women; all which serves to express the eagerness of the people of the Jews after idolatry.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 (Mhyvglp) "equecubinas eorum", Vatablus, so Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "concubitores", Munster, Tigurine version; "cinaedos", Castalio; and, as Ben Melech observes, these were men, and not women.

Ezekiel 23:20 In-Context

18 Also she made naked her fornications, and discovered her shame; and my soul went away from her, as my soul had gone away from her sister. (And she made known her fornications, and uncovered her shame, or her nakedness; and my soul went away from her, like my soul had gone away from her sister.)
19 For she multiplied her fornications, and had mind on the days of her youth (and remembered the days of her youth), in which she did fornication in the land of Egypt
20 And she was wild in lechery on the lying-by of them, whose fleshes be as the fleshes of asses, and as the members of horses be the members of them. (And she was mad with lechery in their lyings-by, whose flesh be like donkeys? flesh, and their members be like horses? members.)
21 And thou (re)visitedest the great trespass of thy youth, when thy breasts were made low in Egypt, and the teats of the time of thy marriage were broken
22 Therefore, thou Oholibah, the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall raise (up) all thy lovers against thee, of which thy soul was filled (with revulsion), and I shall gather them against thee in compass (and I shall gather them against thee all around thee, or on every side);
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.