Ezekiel 23:43

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!)

Ezekiel 23:43 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 23:43

Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries
That had been an old adulterer or idolater; meaning either Aholah the ten tribes, who from Jeroboam's time had been guilty of idolatry; or Aholibah the two tribes, who had remained longer in their own country, and had been long given to idolatry; or both of them, as some think, the whole body of the people of Israel, who had been addicted to idolatry ever since they came out of Egypt, and so was like an old harlot indeed: now the Lord said "unto her", or "concerning her" ^F12; in his own mind, after the manner of men. So the Targum,

``I said concerning the congregation of Israel, whose people are old in sins:''

will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?
will they commit adultery with such an old harlot? are they not weary of her? and will they not rather loath and despise her? as it is common when such prostitutes grow old; and what pleasure can she take, thus advanced in years, in such impurities? suggesting that alliances and confederacies between the Jews and the nations of the world could not be agreeable on either side, especially to the former; but so it was, and so were their idolatries likewise. The Targum is,

``now she will leave her idols, and return to thy worship; but she returned not.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (hlbl) "de inveterata illa", Vatablus.

Ezekiel 23:43 In-Context

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.)