Ezekiel 16 34

Ezekiel 16:34 kjv

And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

Ezekiel 16:34 nkjv

You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite."

Ezekiel 16:34 niv

So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

Ezekiel 16:34 esv

So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.

Ezekiel 16:34 nlt

So you are the opposite of other prostitutes. You pay your lovers instead of their paying you!

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 34 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:34 profoundly illustrates the unparalleled depth of Jerusalem's spiritual unfaithfulness, personified as an unchaste wife. The verse declares that her harlotry was exceptionally perverse and inverted: unlike a common prostitute who receives payment for her services, Jerusalem eagerly sought out "lovers" (idols and foreign alliances) and offered gifts and tribute to them, rather than receiving any. This reversal of the expected order highlights the extreme, zealous, and self-sacrificial nature of her idolatry, distinguishing her as uniquely depraved even among those nations practicing similar evils. Her sin was not motivated by necessity or gain, but by an insatiable, self-driven lust for unholy relationships.

Ezekiel 16 34 Context

Ezekiel Chapter 16 is an extended allegorical indictment against Jerusalem, depicted as a discarded infant miraculously saved, nourished, and brought to glorious maturity by God, who then took her as His bride through a solemn covenant (vv. 1-14). After receiving immense blessings, wealth, and beauty from God, Jerusalem shamelessly turned to spiritual harlotry, prostituting herself to every passing nation and indulging in extreme idolatry, even sacrificing her own children to pagan gods (vv. 15-22). God highlights her sin as being worse than Samaria or Sodom (vv. 44-59). Verse 34 serves as a climax in describing the depths of Jerusalem's unique depravity in this spiritual infidelity. It distinguishes her "harlotry" not just as common spiritual prostitution, but as a zealous, inverted form where she eagerly gave her resources to her "lovers" (idols and foreign alliances), rather than benefiting from them. This was an unbidden, costly, and passionate pursuit of what was forbidden, illustrating a deliberate and unprecedented betrayal of the divine covenant. The historical context is pre-exilic and exilic Judah, when the nation frequently turned from Yahweh to worship foreign deities and sought political alliances that compromised their spiritual devotion.

Ezekiel 16 34 Word analysis

• "You were different":
  • Hebrew: וַתְּהִי (vattehi) - "and you became/were". The nuance is "you uniquely became" or "you set yourself apart." This immediately marks Jerusalem's conduct as singular.
• "from other women":
  • Hebrew: מִנֵּאֲשִׁים (minne'ashim) - "from the women/people." This implies not just any women, but even among those engaged in promiscuous or idolatrous acts. Jerusalem stood out as uniquely perverse, not merely following the common way.
• "in your promiscuity":
  • Hebrew: בְּזוֹנוֹתַיִךְ (b'zonotayikh) - "in your harlotries/acts of whoredom." Zonah (זוֹנָה) refers to a prostitute. Here, the plural form emphasizes repeated acts of spiritual unfaithfulness and idolatry, a series of transgressions.
• "no one solicited you to be a prostitute":
  • Hebrew: לֹא נִתַּן אַחֲרַיִךְ לִזְנוּת (lo nittan 'aḥarayikh liznut) - lit. "there was not given after you for harlotry." This is crucial. It means no gifts or hire (מִנְחָה minḥah or אֶתְנַן etnan) were presented to her to entice her or as payment, as was customary for literal harlots. Her "harlotry" was not induced or paid for by others; it was self-initiated and driven.
• "but you gave gifts":
  • Hebrew: וְאַתְּ נְתַתְּ אֶתְנָן (v'at netat etnan) - "but you gave hire/gifts." This is the core inversion. Instead of receiving gifts, Jerusalem gave them. Etnan often refers to the wages of a prostitute, here ironically, Jerusalem gives the wages to her "lovers." This highlights her extreme devotion to her idols.
• "and no gifts were given to you":
  • Hebrew: וְאֶת־אַתְּ לֹא נִתַּן לָךְ (v'et-'at lo nittan lakh) - lit. "and to you was not given." This reiterates and emphatically seals the inverted nature of her harlotry. It was without recompense or profit, motivated purely by perverse desire.
• "So you were different":
  • Hebrew: וַתְּהִי לְהֵפֶךְ (vattehi l'hefekh) - lit. "and you were/became for the reverse/contrary." This concluding phrase succinctly summarizes Jerusalem's unique deviation. She acted in precisely the opposite manner of a typical harlot, showcasing an extraordinary level of spiritual corruption and perversion.

Words-group analysis:

• "You were different from other women in your promiscuity": This phrase sets Jerusalem apart as uniquely sinful. It's not just that she committed harlotry, but that her type of harlotry surpassed the normal patterns, making her an anomaly of depravity. This directly attacks the nation's self-perception of superiority.
• "no one solicited you to be a prostitute, but you gave gifts, and no gifts were given to you": This central chiasmus (A-B-B'-A' pattern, roughly) emphatically underscores the reversal. Normal harlotry involves receiving gifts (payment/solicitation); Jerusalem's "harlotry" involved giving gifts, indicating an eagerness and passion that far exceeded mere transaction. Her actions were driven by an insatiable, self-financed lust for false gods and alliances. It emphasizes that her spiritual adultery was uncoerced, highly intentional, and costly to herself, proving her extreme devotion to these false attachments.

Ezekiel 16 34 Bonus section

This description in Ezekiel 16:34 challenges the common understanding of "harlotry" (spiritual or physical). In the Ancient Near East, a prostitute typically offered services for economic gain, or cultic prostitution might involve symbolic offerings, but receiving gifts (e.g., from a client or shrine-goer) was standard. Jerusalem, however, gives gifts (tribute, sacrifices, resources) to her "lovers" (idols, foreign powers). This detail underlines the fervent and costly nature of her pursuit of apostasy. It's not a transactional act, but an act of extreme devotion to the very things that God condemned, costing her everything, while yielding nothing of true value in return. It also demonstrates an ultimate insult to the true Giver of all good things, Yahweh, as she freely gives to worthless objects what should have been His. The phrase "you were different" is a stinging rebuke, turning what might be seen as uniqueness into ultimate condemnation for a special, perverted form of rebellion.

Ezekiel 16 34 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:34 serves as the climactic denunciation of Jerusalem's unique spiritual depravity. It exposes the shocking inversion of typical harlotry in her idolatry: she, the one prostituting herself, actually paid others to receive her devotion, rather than being paid. This highlights the extraordinary, zealous, and self-sacrificial nature of her sin. Her unfaithfulness was not motivated by necessity, exploitation, or material gain, but by an intense, perverse, self-initiated craving for spiritual infidelity. Jerusalem outdid every other nation in her blatant, unbidden devotion to false gods and alliances, demonstrating an unparalleled rejection of her covenant God.