Ezekiel 16:41 kjv
And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
Ezekiel 16:41 nkjv
They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.
Ezekiel 16:41 niv
They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.
Ezekiel 16:41 esv
And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more.
Ezekiel 16:41 nlt
They will burn your homes and punish you in front of many women. I will stop your prostitution and end your payments to your many lovers.
Ezekiel 16 41 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lam 2:4-5 | ...He has burned up Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes all around. He has broken down... Jerusalem’s fortresses... | God's burning destruction of Jerusalem. |
| Jer 52:13 | And he burned the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem... | Babylonian burning of Jerusalem (historical fulfillment). |
| 2 Chr 36:19 | And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire... | Destruction by fire of Jerusalem by Babylon. |
| Eze 23:25 | I will set my jealousy against you, and they shall deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall take your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be burned up with fire. | Judgment by former lovers, including fire. |
| Hos 4:10-14 | They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the harlot, but not multiply... for they play the harlot, forsaking the LORD. | Consequences of spiritual harlotry. |
| Rev 17:16 | And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast—these will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked... and burn her up with fire. | Future judgment on a spiritual harlot (Babylon). |
| Deut 28:56-57 | The most tender and delicate woman among you... will begrudge to her husband the wife of her bosom, and to her son and to her daughter... | Foreshadowing the severity of judgment for disobedience. |
| Lev 26:31-33 | I will make your cities a waste... And I will scatter you among the nations... | Scattering as a result of disobedience. |
| Isa 1:21 | How the faithful city has become a harlot... Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. | Jerusalem as a harlot before judgment. |
| Isa 1:25-26 | I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. And I will restore your judges as at the first... | Judgment for purification. |
| Jer 2:23-25 | 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... | Israel's denial of harlotry/idolatry. |
| Eze 5:10 | Therefore fathers among you shall eat their sons, and sons shall eat their fathers... I will execute judgments on you... | Severe judgments due to intense sin. |
| Eze 22:15 | I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries... and I will purge away your uncleanness from you. | Scattering and purification. |
| Zep 3:8-9 | For then I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD... | Judgment leading to purification and true worship. |
| Mal 3:2-3 | He is like a refiner’s fire... He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi... | God's refining judgment for cleansing. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry... | Listing idolatry as a severe sin. |
| 1 Cor 6:9-10 | Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived... nor idolaters... nor sexual immorality... | Warnings against those who practice such sins. |
| Col 3:5 | Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. | Idolatry linked to covetousness and immorality. |
| Ps 78:58-60 | For they provoked him to anger with their high places... God heard, and was wrathful, and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling... | God's rejection due to idolatry. |
| Rev 19:2 | For his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality... | Divine judgment on great spiritual harlotry. |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 41 Meaning
Ezekiel 16:41 speaks of divine judgment against Jerusalem, metaphorically depicted as an unfaithful wife or harlot, for her extensive idolatry. It foretells that the very nations she sought out for illicit alliances and spiritual impurity (her "lovers") would become instruments of God's wrath, destroying her homes and executing public justice upon her. The ultimate purpose of this severe punishment, however, is redemptive: to end her spiritual harlotry and prevent her from engaging in such illicit worship and alliances again, thus purifying her.
Ezekiel 16 41 Context
Ezekiel chapter 16 is a poignant and vivid allegory describing Jerusalem's spiritual history. God narrates Jerusalem's humble beginnings as an abandoned, undesirable infant, whom He graciously found, cleaned, clothed, adorned, and married. She grew into a magnificent queen under His care. However, in her beauty and prosperity, she forgot her origins and giver, instead prostituting herself to surrounding nations and their gods. This spiritual adultery involved sacrificing her own children and building prominent "high places" for illicit worship. The entire chapter emphasizes the depth of Jerusalem's depravity, exceeding even Samaria and Sodom. Verse 41 directly follows descriptions of these horrific acts, prophesying that the nations Jerusalem relied on and engaged in idolatry with would become the very instruments of God's righteous wrath. The historical context is the approaching or ongoing Babylonian exile, where God used the Babylonian empire as His rod of discipline to punish Judah's persistent unfaithfulness and idolatry, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple.
Ezekiel 16 41 Word analysis
- They shall burn: (וְשָׂרְפ֛וּ - wĕśārp̄û) Derived from the Hebrew root śāraph, meaning "to burn completely, to consume with fire." This denotes absolute destruction, not just damage. In ancient warfare and religious contexts, burning signified a definitive act of judgment, purification, or total annihilation of an enemy. It aligns with covenant curses in the Torah.
- your houses: (bāt·tayik) Referring to the physical structures of Jerusalem, homes of its inhabitants, which harbored their idolatry and ungodly practices. Symbolically, it extends to the very fabric of their societal and spiritual life. The burning signifies a comprehensive dismantling of their way of life.
- with fire: (bā·'êš) Emphasizes the method of destruction, underscoring the severity and finality of the act. Fire is often associated with God's judgment and purification in the Old Testament.
- and execute judgments: (וְעָשׂ֨וּ מִשְׁפָּטִ֜ים - wĕ‘āśū mišpāṭîm) This phrase implies a deliberate, judicial act, not merely random destruction. The nations act as God's executioners, carrying out His righteous decrees. Mišpāṭîm (judgments) signifies just and deserved punishment. God uses external agents to implement His righteous justice upon His covenant people.
- on you: (bāk̄) The judgment is specifically directed at Jerusalem/Judah, the entity personified as the harlot.
- in the sight of many women: (לְעֵינֵ֣י נָשִׁ֣ים רַבּ֗וֹת - lə‘ēynēy nāšîm rabbōwṯ) This detail amplifies the shame and public humiliation. In ancient patriarchal societies, public shaming was a severe punishment, particularly for women, making the spectacle intensely degrading. These "many women" could represent other nations who had previously been involved with Jerusalem in some way, now witnessing her downfall, or even the "daughters" (smaller cities/nations) mentioned later in the chapter who would also learn from her fate.
- So I will make you cease to be a harlot: (וְהִשְׁבַּתִּ֛י זוֹנָ֖ה - wəhišbaTTî zōnâ) This reveals God's ultimate purpose in the judgment: to bring an end to Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry (idolatry). The Hebrew root šābat means "to cease, to stop." God actively intervenes to put an end to her sin. This highlights the disciplinary and redemptive aspect of the judgment. Zōnâ (harlot) signifies spiritual infidelity, breaking covenant vows with Yahweh.
- and you shall also give hire no more: (וְגַם־אֶתְנָה֙ לֹ֣א תִתְּנִֽי־ע֔וֹד - wəḡam-’eṯnâ lō’ tiTēnî ‘ôḏ) The etnâ refers to the "hire" or payment a harlot receives. In this spiritual allegory, it represents the material or political gains Jerusalem sought through her idolatrous alliances with other nations. "No more give" signifies the definitive end to her pursuing these illicit relationships and their perceived benefits, forcing her back to exclusive reliance on God.
Words-group analysis:
- "They shall burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you": This pairing explicitly details both the destructive and the judicial aspects of the punishment. It is a divine judgment manifested through violent, human instruments. The combination of burning and judicial execution emphasizes comprehensive, justified retribution.
- "in the sight of many women. So I will make you cease to be a harlot": This connects the public shame of the judgment directly to God's purifying intent. The spectacle of her disgrace is meant to permanently eradicate her inclination towards spiritual prostitution, both externally (her actions) and internally (her desire).
Ezekiel 16 41 Bonus section
The extreme imagery throughout Ezekiel 16, and specifically here in verse 41, serves a significant theological purpose. It's not just historical reportage but a dramatic, allegorical exposition designed to shock the original audience into recognizing the gravity of their spiritual adultery. By portraying Jerusalem in such stark, graphic terms—from an abandoned infant to a revered queen, then to a hardened harlot experiencing public shaming and destruction—God conveys the profound offense of idolatry, likening it to the vilest form of unfaithfulness. The judgment, while devastating, is presented as an essential, even loving, act of a faithful God seeking to redeem His wayward spouse from a destructive path and restore the exclusive relationship intended by the covenant. This disciplinary judgment prefigures later New Testament warnings against spiritual compromise and highlights the call to singular devotion to God.
Ezekiel 16 41 Commentary
Ezekiel 16:41 vividly portrays God's severe but righteous judgment against Jerusalem for her profound spiritual harlotry—her extensive and persistent idolatry. The metaphor reveals that the very nations Judah pursued for protection and illicit spiritual gain (depicted as her "lovers") would, by God's decree, turn against her, destroying her and executing God's justice. The burning of houses signifies total devastation, reflecting the depth of her corruption. The phrase "execute judgments" highlights that these actions, though carried out by foreign armies, are not random acts of war but divinely sanctioned acts of justice for her covenant infidelity. The public nature of this punishment, "in the sight of many women," intensifies the humiliation and ensures a stark lesson. Crucially, the verse unveils God's ultimate redemptive purpose: the harsh discipline is designed to end Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry and prevent her from returning to it, ensuring her eventual cleansing and exclusive devotion to Yahweh. This demonstrates that even in judgment, God's goal for His people is their purification and restoration, compelling them to forsake their spiritual prostitution and seek Him alone.