Ezekiel 23 13

Ezekiel 23:13 kjv

Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,

Ezekiel 23:13 nkjv

Then I saw that she was defiled; Both took the same way.

Ezekiel 23:13 niv

I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.

Ezekiel 23:13 esv

And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way.

Ezekiel 23:13 nlt

I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.

Ezekiel 23 verses

Ezekiel 23 13 Meaning

This verse reveals God's divine observation and pronouncement that Judah (personified as Oholibah) had fundamentally corrupted herself through idolatry and alliances with foreign powers, precisely in the same manner as her sister, Israel (personified as Oholah), had done earlier. It underscores their identical spiritual apostasy and self-inflicted defilement, emphasizing shared guilt despite Jerusalem witnessing Samaria's earlier downfall.

Ezekiel 23 13 Context

Ezekiel 23 details an extended and graphic allegory of two sisters, Oholah (Samaria, representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, representing the Southern Kingdom of Judah). Both sisters were betrothed to the LORD, yet they engaged in spiritual prostitution by seeking illicit relationships with foreign nations and their idols. Chapters 16 and 20 lay the foundation for this indictment of Jerusalem and Israel's long history of rebellion.

This specific verse, Ezekiel 23:13, comes after a detailed description of Oholah's initial harlotry with Assyria and Oholibah observing it (Ezek 23:1-8). The narrative then turns to Oholah's further harlotry and subsequent judgment (Ezek 23:9-10). Following this, the focus shifts to Oholibah (Judah), describing how she, despite witnessing her sister's fate, plunged even deeper into harlotry (Ezek 23:11-12). Verse 13 then acts as a summary judgment and a definitive statement from God, directly equating Oholibah's sin with Oholah's, confirming their shared trajectory of spiritual decay and the justness of the impending judgment on Judah.

The historical backdrop is the Babylonian exile, a time when many Judeans might still have harbored a sense of superiority over the long-fallen Israel. This verse shatters such self-righteousness, proclaiming their guilt was not just similar, but fundamentally "the same way."

Ezekiel 23 13 Word analysis

• And I saw (וָאֵרֶא – wa’ere’):
  • This opening emphasizes the divine perspective; it's God's direct observation and declaration, not human interpretation.
  • It signifies revelation and a clear understanding by God of the situation. It points to God's omniscience.
• that she had defiled herself (כִּי נִטְמְאָה הִיא – ki niṭmə’â hi’):
  • "defiled herself" (נִטְמְאָה – niṭmə’â): This is from the root טָמֵא (ṭāmê), meaning to be unclean, impure, polluted. The Nifal perfect conjugation denotes a state or condition of being defiled, emphasizing that Judah (Oholibah) had become thoroughly impure, not merely committed a single act of impurity.
  • The reflexive nature "herself" highlights active participation and self-inflicted corruption. This defilement is primarily spiritual and moral, through idolatry and breach of covenant, not merely ceremonial uncleanness.
• both of them (אֶת שְׁתֵּיהֶן – ’eṯ šəttêhen):
  • This explicitly refers to Oholah (Samaria/Israel) and Oholibah (Jerusalem/Judah).
  • It forcefully draws the direct comparison between the two kingdoms, rejecting any notion of Judah's moral superiority or exception from judgment.
• had the same way (דֶּרֶךְ אֶחָד הָיָה לָהֶם – dereḵ ’eḥād hāyāh lâhem):
  • "way" (דֶּרֶךְ – dereḵ): Refers to their lifestyle, conduct, course of action, and moral path. It encompasses their spiritual, religious, and political practices.
  • "same" (אֶחָד – ’eḥād): Denotes singularity, identicalness, or unity. This word emphasizes that their fundamental pattern of apostasy, their approach to faithlessness, and their choices were indistinguishable.
  • The phrase underlines the continuity of disobedience, indicating that Judah's errors were not isolated incidents but a consistent, deep-rooted pattern mirroring Israel's.

Ezekiel 23 13 Bonus section

The allegorical narrative in Ezekiel 23, with its explicit portrayal of spiritual prostitution, highlights how covenant infidelity to God is deeply offensive and analogous to the most severe betrayal in human relationships. The "same way" speaks not only to identical sins but also to a shared, stubborn unwillingness to learn from past judgments. Both Israel and Judah failed to internalize the lessons of God's character and His covenant demands. The graphic nature of the imagery used throughout the chapter is a polemic against complacency, shocking the exilic community into understanding the depth of their national sin and God's unwavering commitment to justice for their repeated desecration of their special relationship with Him.

Ezekiel 23 13 Commentary

Ezekiel 23:13 delivers a stark divine verdict on Judah, drawing a direct and damning parallel with Israel. Despite Jerusalem's special status as the location of the Temple and God's apparent presence, God declares that Judah's spiritual defilement—her systemic idolatry and unfaithful alliances—was fundamentally the "same way" as Israel's. This statement shatters any illusion of Judah's unique righteousness or exceptionalism. God's perspective, introduced by "And I saw," reveals that the observed actions of both kingdoms represented the identical trajectory of covenant unfaithfulness and self-corruption. The prophecy condemns not just individual acts of sin, but an entire lifestyle (dereḵ) that turned away from the LORD, making their impending judgments equally deserved. This verse highlights God's justice, emphasizing that while one might fall before another, the moral character and choices leading to that fall can be identical, warranting the same consequences.