Ezekiel 23:40-49

40 "They even sent messengers to invite men to come from far away. When the men arrived, they washed themselves for the men, painted their eyes, and put on their jewels.

41 They sat on their fine couches with tables in front of them. They put my incense and my olive oil on their tables.

42 "I heard the noise from a carefree crowd. A large number of people came from the desert, and they put bracelets on the women's wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 Then I said, 'She is worn out from her acts of adultery.' Yet, men continued to have sex with her.

44 Men slept with her. They slept with those sinful women, Oholah and Oholibah just as they slept with a prostitute.

45 Righteous people will punish these women for adultery and for murder, because these women have committed adultery and their hands are covered with blood.

46 "This is what the Almighty LORD says: Bring together a mob [against the people of Samaria and Jerusalem]. Hand them over to terror and looting.

47 Then the mob will stone them and kill them with swords. The mob will kill their sons and daughters and burn their homes.

48 So I will put a stop to the sinning in the land, and all the women will be warned not to sin as they do.

49 They will be punished for their sins, and they will pay for their sin of idolatry. Then they will know that I am the Almighty LORD."

Ezekiel 23:40-49 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:

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