Ezekiel 23:10 kjv
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
Ezekiel 23:10 nkjv
They uncovered her nakedness, Took away her sons and daughters, And slew her with the sword; She became a byword among women, For they had executed judgment on her.
Ezekiel 23:10 niv
They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.
Ezekiel 23:10 esv
These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed on her.
Ezekiel 23:10 nlt
They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land.
Ezekiel 23 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 3:17 | The Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, and ... reveal their nakedness. | Humiliation and exposed nakedness as judgment. |
| Isa 47:3 | Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. | Babylon's future shame. |
| Jer 13:22, 26 | For the greatness of your iniquity are your skirts lifted up... I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen. | Exposure of shame due to sin. |
| Lam 1:8 | Jerusalem sinned grievously... all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness. | Jerusalem's disgrace witnessed by others. |
| Hos 2:10 | Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers... | Public exposure of unfaithfulness. |
| Nah 3:5 | I will uncover your skirts over your face, and display your nakedness to the nations. | Nineveh's humiliation for her harlotry. |
| Rev 16:15 | ...lest he walk naked and they see his shame. | Spiritual nakedness and shame in judgment. |
| 2 Ki 17:6 | In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria... | Historical account of Samaria's fall and captivity. |
| Dt 28:32 | Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people... | Loss of children as part of covenant curse. |
| Jer 15:7 | I will bereave them of children; I will destroy my people, since they do not return from their ways. | Divine judgment includes loss of offspring. |
| Jer 16:3-4 | Concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place... they shall die of deadly diseases... | God prohibits marriage due to coming judgment. |
| Hos 9:16 | Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit. ... Even if they bear children, I will put them to death. | Destruction of progeny for unfaithfulness. |
| Eze 5:12 | A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed by famine... a third part shall fall by the sword. | Judgment includes death by sword. |
| Jer 9:16 | I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known... and I will send the sword after them. | Scattered and killed by the sword. |
| Eze 6:3 | Thus says the Lord God to the mountains... I am bringing a sword upon you. | Sword as an agent of God's judgment. |
| Dt 28:37 | You shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples... | Nation becoming a notorious example. |
| 1 Ki 9:7 | then I will cut off Israel from the land... Israel will become a byword and a taunt among all peoples. | Infamy and scorn for disobedience. |
| Jer 24:9 | I will make them a horror and a misfortune to all the kingdoms of the earth... a byword, a taunt, a curse. | Shame and notorious reputation. |
| Eze 5:15 | You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations. | Jerusalem's fate as a severe warning. |
| Eze 16:38 | I will judge you as women who break wedlock... I will bring blood upon you. | Judgment against spiritual harlotry. |
| Psa 58:11 | Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.” | God's justice evident in judgment. |
| Rom 2:2 | We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. | God's righteous judgment. |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God... | Judgment begins with God's people. |
| Rev 17:16 | ...these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked... | Future judgment of the harlot. |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 10 Meaning
Ezekiel 23:10 describes the severe, humiliating, and complete judgment that fell upon Oholah, symbolizing the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), as a consequence of her spiritual harlotry and idolatry. Her "nakedness" was publicly exposed, her children were taken, and she herself was killed by the sword. Her infamous fate then became a widely known example among other nations, underscoring that these sufferings were the just execution of God's judgment against her.
Ezekiel 23 10 Context
Ezekiel chapter 23 employs the vivid and disturbing allegory of two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, to powerfully illustrate the spiritual idolatry and unfaithfulness of God's people. Oholah represents Samaria (the Northern Kingdom of Israel), and Oholibah represents Jerusalem (the Southern Kingdom of Judah). Both sisters are depicted as engaging in explicit spiritual harlotry by pursuing alliances with pagan nations and adopting their idolatrous practices, forsaking their covenant with YHWH.
Verse 10 details the immediate and gruesome consequences that befell Oholah (Samaria) as a direct result of her unfaithfulness, following a lengthy description of her immoral alliances and idolatries (vv. 5-9). Historically, this refers to the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE, where its people were exiled, its cities plundered, and its very existence shattered. This specific verse serves as a historical precedent and a stark warning to Oholibah (Jerusalem) that her similar sinful behavior would incur an equally devastating divine judgment. The imagery of public nakedness, loss of children, and violent death reflects the brutal realities of ancient Near Eastern conquest and judicial punishment for severe crimes like adultery.
Ezekiel 23 10 Word analysis
- "These": Hebrew: va-hem (וְהֵם). Refers to Oholah's former "lovers" – the Assyrians whom she originally courted, but who eventually became the instruments of God's judgment against her, turning her flirtation into brutal punishment.
- "uncovered her nakedness": Hebrew: gilu `erwatah (גִּלּוּ עֶרְוָתָהּ). `Erwah signifies nakedness, disgrace, or sexual impurity. "Uncovered" implies a deliberate act of public shaming, humiliation, and violation, often associated with rape or exposure as a punishment for adultery in ancient Near Eastern legal and wartime practices (e.g., Jer 13:22; Nah 3:5). Spiritually, it symbolizes the full revelation of Samaria's moral and spiritual depravity before the nations, leaving her with no hiding place for her shame.
- "they took her sons and her daughters": Hebrew: laqchu vaneha u-banoteha (לָקְחוּ בָנֶיהָ וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ). This refers to the loss of her progeny through captivity, exile, and death, a devastating blow to an ancient society where continuation of lineage was paramount. It symbolizes the obliteration of the future generation and heritage of the Northern Kingdom, a profound judgment for breaking the covenant.
- "and her they slew with the sword": Hebrew: v'ota hargu ba-cherev (וְאוֹתָהּ הָרְגוּ בַּחֶרֶב). "Slew" implies a violent, military-executed death. This is the ultimate destruction, indicating that Oholah (Samaria) faced literal conquest and the decimation of her people, not just captivity. It underscores the severity of God's judgment executed through the Assyrian army.
- "and so she became famous among women": Hebrew: vat'hiy l'shem banashim (וַתְּהִי לְשֵׁם בַּנָּשִׁים). Literally "and she became a name among women." "Famous" here carries a deeply negative connotation, meaning notorious, infamous, or a byword. Her calamitous fate served as a widely known and memorable warning to other "women" (nations or specifically Oholibah/Jerusalem) about the consequences of similar spiritual infidelity.
- "for they had executed judgment upon her": Hebrew: ki sh'fatim asu bah (כִּי שְׁפָטִים עָשׂוּ בָּהּ). This clause emphatically states that the sufferings inflicted were not random acts of war but a righteous and deliberate execution of divine judgment. The plural sh'fatim ("judgments") suggests a full and thorough judicial process and verdict, affirming the justice and sovereignty of God in orchestrating these events.
Ezekiel 23 10 Bonus section
The allegorical narrative structure used in Ezekiel 23 is characteristic of Ezekiel's prophetic style, employing vivid, often shocking, imagery to penetrate the complacency and self-deception of his audience. The use of sexual harlotry as a metaphor for idolatry is profound; it likens Israel's covenant with God to a marriage, emphasizing the intimacy, exclusivity, and faithfulness demanded within that relationship. Her "lovers" (Assyria, then later Babylon for Judah) were the very foreign nations whose gods and practices she pursued, turning into instruments of God's wrath. This serves not only as a historical recounting but as a prophetic warning: Oholah's downfall was meant to awaken Oholibah (Judah) to the inevitable judgment awaiting her if she persisted in similar apostasy. The "judgment" carried out underscores that God's justice is always righteous, even when the means of execution are human and violent.
Ezekiel 23 10 Commentary
Ezekiel 23:10 delivers a powerful and graphic summary of God's severe judgment upon Samaria (Oholah) for her deep-seated idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. The imagery is brutal, encompassing public shaming through the uncovering of nakedness, the heartbreaking loss of children through war and captivity, and ultimately, violent death by the sword. These were the real-world consequences of her spiritual harlotry. The verse stresses that her tragic end became a "famous" or notorious example among other "women" (nations or particularly Judah), not as a matter of pride but as a grim warning. The explicit declaration that "they had executed judgment upon her" firmly places these calamitous events under God's sovereign hand as just retribution, not mere historical chance. It reveals the seriousness with which God views spiritual adultery and serves as a stark precedent for Jerusalem.