Ezekiel 16:33 kjv
They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
Ezekiel 16:33 nkjv
Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.
Ezekiel 16:33 niv
All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
Ezekiel 16:33 esv
Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings.
Ezekiel 16:33 nlt
Prostitutes charge for their services ? but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come and have sex with you.
Ezekiel 16 33 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eze 16:38 | "And I will judge you as adulteresses and as women who shed blood are judged, and I will bring on you the blood of fury and jealousy." | Judgment of adultery/bloodshed |
| Exo 21:28-29 | "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten..." | Penalty for death-causing goring |
| Lev 20:10 | "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." | Penalty for adultery |
| Deut 13:10 | "You shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God..." | Penalty for idolatry |
| Josh 7:25 | "And Joshua said, 'Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.' And all Israel stoned him with stones..." | Stoning for disobedience |
| Jer 13:27 | "As for you, your adulteries, your neighings, the lewdness of your whoredom, on the hills in the field, I have seen your detestable things." | Accusation of Jerusalem's sin |
| Hos 2:3 | "...lest I strip her naked and expose her on the day of her birth." | Exposure for adultery |
| John 8:7 | "And when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said to them, 'He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.'" | Condemnation of adulteress |
| Rom 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Consequence of sin |
| Rev 18:6 | "Render to her as she herself has rendered, and in the same measure again; in the cup which she mixed, mix a double portion for her." | Retributive justice |
| Prov 11:31 | "If the righteous are repaid on the earth, how much more the wicked and sinners!" | Justice on the wicked |
| Nah 3:4 | "Because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the well-favured mistress of sorceries, who sells nations by her harlotries and families by her sorceries." | Sorcery and harlotry |
| Mal 3:5 | "Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against false swearers, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless..." | Witnesses against sinners |
| Acts 7:59 | "And as they were stoning Stephen, he cried out, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" | Stoning of a righteous man |
| Isa 3:9 | "The look on their faces bears witness against them; they tell their sin plainly, like the people of Sodom, they do not hide it." | Sinfulness exposed |
| Jer 3:2 | "Look up to the bare heights and see where you have not been lain with. By the waysides you have sat for them, like an Arab in the wilderness..." | Israel's spiritual adultery |
| Lam 1:14 | "It is tied by an unseen hand; they have woven together my iniquities; they have not gone unpunished." | Consequences of iniquity |
| Rom 1:29-32 | "...full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." | Description of wicked deeds |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 33 Meaning
This verse describes a specific and severe consequence for infidelity: being stoned to death, followed by burning. This punishment was a direct retribution for the actions of betrayal and the illicit relationships the city of Jerusalem (personified as an adulterous woman) had engaged in with foreign nations and their gods. It highlights the extreme consequence of breaking the covenant with God, emphasizing a complete destruction that leaves no remnant.
Ezekiel 16 33 Context
Ezekiel 16 portrays Jerusalem as a personified adulterous woman, illustrating the nation's unfaithfulness to God, particularly through its idolatrous practices and political alliances with pagan nations. The chapter begins with a vivid depiction of Jerusalem's humble origins and God's extensive care and elevation of the city. However, it quickly shifts to detailing Jerusalem's betrayal of God by engaging in harlotry with various foreign powers and their gods. This verse, Ezekiel 16:33, appears within a section (verses 30-43) where God pronounces judgment upon Jerusalem for its profound spiritual adultery and rebellion. The judgment is described in severe terms, mirroring the penalties for the very sins committed. This specific judgment is a consequence of Jerusalem's self-indulgence in its illicit relationships, symbolizing a complete overthrow and exposure of its wickedness. The broader historical context involves the Babylonian exile, with Ezekiel prophesying to the exiled Israelites in Babylon, seeking to explain their current distress as a result of their ancestors' sins.
Ezekiel 16 33 Word Analysis
For (Hebrew: el - to, toward, in relation to) - Indicates the purpose or reason for the judgment.
harlot (Hebrew: zonah - harlot, prostitute, unchaste woman) - A term used metaphorically for spiritual unfaithfulness, referring to Jerusalem's promiscuous alliances and idolatry with other nations.
thou (Hebrew: attah - you, masculine singular) - Refers to Jerusalem.
givest (Hebrew: natan - to give) - Suggests granting favors or offering tribute, here in the context of receiving payment.
presents (Hebrew: mashal - tribute, gift, present, rulers) - Refers to gifts or payments received from lovers/allies. This word can also imply dominion or influence gained through these relationships.
hire (Hebrew: sakhar - hire, wages, reward) - Denotes payment or remuneration received for services or favor.
of (Hebrew: min - from) - Indicates the source of the hiring.
every (Hebrew: kol - all, every) - Emphasizes totality and comprehensiveness.
whore's (Hebrew: zonah - harlot) - Repeats the concept of harlotry, reinforcing the metaphorical meaning of spiritual infidelity and promiscuity.
house (Hebrew: bayit - house, household, home) - Refers to Jerusalem itself or its inhabitants.
and (Hebrew: waw - and, but, also) - Connective.
thou (Hebrew: attah - you, masculine singular) - Refers to Jerusalem.
givest (Hebrew: natan - to give) - Offering or extending.
thy (Hebrew: eleik - your, feminine singular) - Possessive pronoun referring to Jerusalem.
money (Hebrew: kesep - silver, money) - A symbol of wealth and resources used in the transactional nature of these illicit relationships.
for (Hebrew: el - to, toward, in relation to) - Purpose.
lovers (Hebrew: doday - my loves, my lovers, referring to illicit paramours) - The foreign nations with whom Jerusalem has engaged in idolatrous relationships.
and (Hebrew: waw - and, but, also) - Connective.
wherewith (Hebrew: asher - which, that, who) - Refers to the means or by which.
thou (Hebrew: attah - you, masculine singular) - Refers to Jerusalem.
deckest (Hebrew: ittar - to adorn, deck, garnish) - To make oneself attractive or appealing. This relates to adornment and beautification, typically to entice lovers.
thyself (Hebrew: naphesh - soul, self) - The reflexive pronoun referring to Jerusalem.
and (Hebrew: waw - and, but, also) - Connective.
paintest (Hebrew: naah - to be beautiful, to paint, adorn) - Further act of beautification and making oneself attractive, similar to decking.
thy (Hebrew: eleik - your, feminine singular) - Possessive.
faces (Hebrew: apanim - faces, countenances) - Can refer to literal facial adornment (makeup) or metaphorically to presenting a pleasing appearance.
with (Hebrew: beketuv - within, with) - The means of painting.
oil (Hebrew: shemen - oil, fat) - Often used in cosmetics and anointing.
Phrase "givest presents to all thine adulterers for hire": This imagery conveys Jerusalem treating its political and religious alliances as transactional relationships, where favors and security are bought with tribute or offerings. It is a metaphor for engaging in relationships with foreign powers and their gods, which are then monetized for benefit.
Phrase "and hirest them": Reinforces the idea that Jerusalem actively sought out these relationships and paid for them, either through tribute or by yielding to their pagan practices.
Phrase "and decks thyself with thine oil, and paintest thy faces with paint": These are descriptions of alluring oneself to attract lovers, which in the spiritual sense means Jerusalem adopting pagan customs and making itself attractive to idolatry. The adornment is for illicit spiritual "lovers," meaning other nations and their deities.
Ezekiel 16 33 Bonus Section
The imagery of adornment (decking with oil, painting faces) resonates with ancient Near Eastern practices, particularly those associated with religious rituals involving ecstatic states or seduction of deities through symbolic acts. The pagan fertility cults often involved sensuous rituals. Jerusalem, by adopting these practices, was essentially making itself attractive to the very spiritual forces that God commanded it to abhor. The act of "hiring" and giving "presents" underscores a perverted worship system where religious and political loyalty were commercialized, a direct defiance of the exclusive covenant relationship God desired. The thoroughness of the punishment (stoning followed by burning) signifies a complete eradication, leaving no trace of the perversion that had taken hold of the city.
Ezekiel 16 33 Commentary
Ezekiel 16:33 condemns Jerusalem for its perverted sense of affection and remuneration. Instead of returning love and loyalty to God, its true husband, Jerusalem "hires" its lovers, meaning it actively seeks and pays for relationships with foreign nations. This paying is a sign of submission and dependence. The "gifts" (presents) it gives are like payment from a prostitute to her lovers for their affection. The imagery of decking oneself and painting the face vividly portrays Jerusalem's eager efforts to make itself appealing to these pagan powers, not through righteousness, but through adopting their idolatrous practices and outward displays of attraction. This outward adornment signifies an internal corruption and abandonment of true devotion. The chapter highlights the transactional nature of Jerusalem's betrayals, contrasting sharply with the covenant relationship, which was meant to be unconditional love. The judgment of stoning and burning that follows in verse 33 is a consequence reflecting these deeply ingrained sins of illicit engagement and adornment for unholy alliances.