Ezekiel 16:28 kjv
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:28 nkjv
You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:28 niv
You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:28 esv
You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:28 nlt
You have prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still were not satisfied.
Ezekiel 16 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 16:29 | "You multiplied your prostitutions in the land of Canaan, as far as Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied." | Eze 16:29 (Parallel thought) |
| Jeremiah 3 | "You have played the whore with many lovers; yet return to me, declares the LORD." | Jer 3:1 (Spiritual adultery) |
| Hosea 2:5 | "For their mother has been put to shame; she who conceived them was disgraced. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil, and my drinks.’" | Hos 2:5 (Motivation for sin) |
| Isaiah 1:21 | "How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was once full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers." | Isa 1:21 (Contrast of past/present) |
| Revelation 17:5 | "and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF WHOREDOMS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." | Rev 17:5 (Symbol of widespread sin) |
| 2 Kings 23:7 | "And he broke down the quarters of the sodomites that were in the house of the LORD..." | 2 Kin 23:7 (Religious corruption) |
| Deuteronomy 7:1-5 | Commands to drive out Canaanites and destroy their religious practices. | Deut 7:1-5 (Warning against paganism) |
| Romans 1:25 | "because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." | Rom 1:25 (Idolatry) |
| Psalm 106:39 | "Thus they became a stain to themselves and played the whore with their own deeds." | Psa 106:39 (Sin leading to impurity) |
| Nahum 3:4 | "because of the many prostitutions of the harlot, the pleasing mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations by her prostitutions, and families by her witchcraft." | Nah 3:4 (Prostitution as a metaphor for nations) |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | Lists works of the flesh including sexual immorality. | Gal 5:19-21 (Nature of sin) |
| 1 Corinthians 6:18 | "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." | 1 Cor 6:18 (Seriousness of sexual immorality) |
| Leviticus 18:20 | "You shall not lie with your neighbor's wife and so make yourself unclean with her." | Lev 18:20 (Law against adultery) |
| James 4:4 | "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." | Jas 4:4 (Adultery as a metaphor for worldly alliance) |
| Judges 19:1-2 | Story of a Levite and his concubine leading to widespread moral decay. | Judg 19:1-2 (Moral corruption in Israel) |
| Ezekiel 16:33 | "You have given yourself to lovers with great looseness, and have not been ashamed of your doings. You have even gone in to the Chaldeans, when you were old and gray and utterly prostituted yourself." | Eze 16:33 (Extending the analogy) |
| Zechariah 7:10 | "And do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his brother." | Zech 7:10 (Oppression as sin) |
| Jeremiah 2:23 | "How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done— you swift dromedary crisscrossing her ways," | Jer 2:23 (Self-deception about sin) |
| Romans 6:16 | "Do you not know that if you surrender yourselves to anyone to obey him, you are slaves of him whom you obey, whether of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" | Rom 6:16 (Slavery to sin) |
| Song of Solomon 1:6 | "I am black, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon." | Song 1:6 (Contrast of appearance and inwardness, though different context) |
| 1 John 2:15 | "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." | 1 John 2:15 (Warning against worldly affections) |
| Amos 2:7 | "who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted..." | Amos 2:7 (Abuse of the vulnerable) |
| Luke 15:30 | "but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’" | Luke 15:30 (Prostitution as a symbol of wasteful living) |
| Proverbs 5:3-5 | "For the lips of a prostitute drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol." | Prov 5:3-5 (Danger of temptation) |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 28 Meaning
This verse describes a spiritual adulteress who has spread herself widely, engaging in illicit relationships and seeking out lovers. It emphasizes her promiscuity and her pursuit of forbidden alliances, moving from one partner to another.
Ezekiel 16 28 Context
Ezekiel chapter 16 is a rich allegorical denunciation of Jerusalem, which is personified as an unfaithful wife and a prostitute. The chapter traces Jerusalem's history from its abandonment at birth to its subsequent embellishment and spiritual adultery. This verse, chapter 16, verse 28, specifically details how Jerusalem’s whoredom escalated. It describes her seeking out alliances and practicing idolatry not only in the land of Canaan (alluding to the influence of surrounding pagan cultures) but extending even to Chaldea (Babylon), signifying her deepest and most corrupting entanglements. This was a period when the people of Israel, and particularly their leaders, engaged in syncretistic religious practices and political alliances that violated their covenant with God. The message is a severe judgment against their pervasive unfaithfulness, both religiously and politically, leading to their imminent destruction and exile.
Ezekiel 16 28 Word Analysis
- And: (Hebrew: וְ, wə) A common conjunction used to connect clauses, indicating sequence or addition.
- thou: (Hebrew: אַתְּ, ʾatt) The second person feminine singular pronoun, addressing Jerusalem directly.
- hast and multiplied: (Hebrew: הִרְבִּית, hirbit) The verb "to multiply" or "to make great." Here, it implies an increase in the number and intensity of her promiscuous acts.
- thy and whoredom: (Hebrew: זְנוּנַיִךְ, zənûnayikh) This noun refers to sexual immorality, fornication, or spiritual prostitution/idolatry. It denotes covenant-breaking through illicit relationships.
- in: (Hebrew: בְּ, bə) A preposition indicating location or manner.
- the land: (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ, ʾereṣ) Refers to the geographical territory, specifically the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.
- of Canaan: (Hebrew: כְּנַעַן, Kənaʿan) The land given to Israel, already associated with pagan practices warned against in the Torah.
- as: (Hebrew: עַד, ʿad) Can mean "up to," "until," or "as far as," indicating the extent or limit of her actions.
- far as: This phrase intensifies the extent.
- Chaldea: (Hebrew: כַּשְׂדִּים, Kaśdîm) The region of Babylonia, a significant empire known for its power and astrological/pagan practices. This implies involvement with even more potent idolatrous influences.
- and: (Hebrew: וְ, wə)
- yet: (Hebrew: גַּם, gam) Means "also" or "even," underscoring that despite reaching the extent of Chaldea, she was still not sated.
- thou and wast: (Hebrew: הָיִית, hāyit) The past tense of the verb "to be."
- not: (Hebrew: לֹא, lō) Negation.
- satisfied: (Hebrew: שָׂבְעָה, śāḇəʿā) To be full, satisfied, or glutted. The implication is a perpetual dissatisfaction with her sins.
Group of words analysis:"multiplied thy whoredom in the land of Canaan, as far as Chaldea" emphasizes the escalating nature and geographical spread of Jerusalem's spiritual and political unfaithfulness. It’s not just isolated incidents but a systematic expansion of her corrupt practices, moving from the immediate pagan neighbors (Canaanites) to the distant, powerful Babylonian empire. This movement signifies a deeper entanglement in worldliness and idolatry.
Ezekiel 16 28 Bonus Section
The analogy of spiritual adultery in Ezekiel 16 is consistent with other prophetic books. The mention of Chaldea (Babylonia) specifically recalls Israel's later Babylonian exile, which was a direct consequence of this widespread unfaithfulness depicted by Ezekiel. The insatiable nature of her whoredom suggests a spiritual hunger that can only be met by God, but which misguidedly seeks satisfaction in the temporal and the idolatrous. This imagery powerfully illustrates the devastating effects of breaking covenant loyalty.
Ezekiel 16 28 Commentary
Jerusalem, personified as a bride, has committed adultery against her covenant God. Her unfaithfulness is not confined to peripheral associations with Canaanite cults but extends to the distant and powerful land of the Chaldeans. This signifies a profound spiritual degradation and a deep embrace of pagan philosophies and practices, extending her corrupting influences. Her continued dissatisfaction points to the insatiable nature of sin and idolatry, never truly fulfilling, always leading to further corruption and emptiness, a continuous pursuit that leaves her spiritually depleted and justly condemned. This is a powerful metaphor for nations and individuals who turn away from God to seek fulfillment in worldly powers, idols, or corrupted ideologies.