Ezekiel 23:36-46

36 And the Lord God said to me, and spake, Son of man, whether thou deemest Oholibah and Oholah, and tellest to them the great trespasses of them? (And the Lord God spoke to me, and said, Son of man, judgest thou Oholibah and Oholah, and tellest them their great trespasses?
37 For they did adultery, and blood was in the hands of them, and they did fornication with their idols; furthermore and they offered to those (idols) the sons which they engendered to me, for to be devoured. (For they did adultery, and blood was upon their hands, and they did fornication, or idolatry, with their idols; and furthermore they offered the children whom they begat for me, to those idols to be devoured.)
38 But also they did this to me, they defouled my saintuary in that day, and made unholy my sabbaths. (But they also did this to me, they defiled my sanctuary on that day, and made my sabbaths unholy.
39 And when they sacrificed their sons to their idols, and entered into my saintuary in that day, that they should defoul it, they did also these things in the midst of mine house. (And when they sacrificed their sons and daughters to their idols, and entered into my sanctuary on that day, so that they could defile it, they also did these things in the midst of my House.)
40 They sent to men coming from (a)far, to which they had sent messengers. Therefore lo! they came, to which thou washedest thee, and anointedest thine eyes with ointment of women, and thou were adorned with women's attire. (They sent for men coming from afar, to whom they had sent messengers. And so lo! they came, for whom thou hast washed thyself, and hast anointed thine eyes with women's ointment, and thou were adorned with women's attire.)
41 Thou satest in a full fair bed, and a board was adorned before thee; thou settedest mine incense and mine ointment on it. (And thou satest on a very beautiful bed, and a table was adorned before thee; thou hast set my incense and my ointment upon it.)
42 And a voice of multitude making full out joy was therein; and in men that were brought of the multitude of men, and came from desert, they setted bands in the hands of them, and fair crowns on the heads of them. (And the sound of a multitude making great joy was there; and with the multitude of people were the Sabeans, brought in from the wilderness, and they put bands upon their wrists, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.)
43 And I said to her, that was defouled in adulteries, Now also this shall do fornication in her fornication. (And I said to myself about her, who was defiled in her adulteries, that is, by her idolatries, Now they shall also do fornication with her, with her of all women!)
44 And (so) they entered to her; as to a woman, an whore (like to a whorewoman), so they entered to Oholah and to Oholibah, (the) cursed women.
45 Therefore these men (that) be just, these shall deem those women by the doom of adulteresses, and by the doom of them that shed out blood; for they be adulteresses, and blood is in the hands of them, and they did fornication with their idols. (And so these men who be upright, they shall judge those women by the law of adulteresses, and by the judgement of those who shed out blood; for they be adulteresses, and blood is upon their hands, and they did fornication, or idolatry, with their idols.)
46 For the Lord God saith these things, Bring thou multitudes to them, and give thou them into noise, and into raven (and give thou them unto terror, and robbery);

Ezekiel 23:36-46 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 23

In this chapter the idolatries of Israel and Judah are represented under the metaphor of two harlots, and their lewdness. These harlots are described by their descent; by the place and time in which they committed their whoredoms; by their names, and which are explained, Eze 23:1-4, the idolatries of Israel, or the ten tribes, under the name of Aholah, which they committed with the Assyrians, and which they continued from the Egyptians, of whom they had learned them, are exposed, Eze 23:5-8, and their punishment for them is declared, Eze 23:9,10 then the idolatries of Judah, or the two tribes, under the name of Aholibah, are represented as greater than those of the ten tribes, Eze 23:11, which they committed with the Assyrians, Eze 23:12, with the Chaldeans and Babylonians, Eze 23:13-18 in imitation of the Egyptians, reviving former idolatries learnt of them, Eze 23:19-21, wherefore they are threatened, that the Chaldeans, Babylonians, and Assyrians, should come against them, and spoil them, and carry them captive, Eze 23:22-35, and the prophet is bid to declare the abominable sin of them both, Eze 23:36-44, and to signify that they should be judged after the manner of adulteresses, should be stoned, and dispatched with swords, their sons and their daughters, and their houses burnt with fire; by which means their adulteries or idolatries should be made to cease, Eze 23:45-49.

as the Targum; another prophecy, one upon the same subject, as in Eze 16:1,

\\saying\\; as follows:

28967-950611-1613-Eze23.2

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.