Ezekiel 23:1

Oholah and Oholibah as Symbols of God’s Corrupt People

1 And the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

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 And the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

2 "Son of man, there were two women, [the] daughters of one mother,

3 and they prostituted [themselves] in Egypt in their childhood; they were prostituting [themselves] there, [and] their breasts were fondled, and there they caressed the bosoms of their virginity.

4 Now [as for] their names, the older [was] Oholah, and Oholibah [was] her sister. And {they became mine}, and they bore sons and daughters, and their names [are] Samaria [for] Oholah, and Jerusalem [for] Oholibah

5 And Oholah prostituted [herself] {while she was still mine}, and she lusted for her lovers, for Assyria [who was] nearby,

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "was"
• [b] Literally "to say"