Ezekiel 23:16 kjv
And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:16 nkjv
As soon as her eyes saw them, She lusted for them And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:16 niv
As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:16 esv
When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:16 nlt
When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.
Ezekiel 23 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 34:15-16 | lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they play the harlot... and one of them takes your sons... and make your sons play the harlot with their gods. | Forbids spiritual harlotry through foreign alliances and idolatry. |
| Lev 17:7 | So they shall no longer offer their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they play the harlot. | Denounces idolatrous worship as playing the harlot. |
| Deut 31:16 | and rise up from among you and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land. | Prophecies Israel's future apostasy and harlotry with foreign gods. |
| Ps 73:27 | For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You destroy all who play the harlot away from You. | Spiritual harlotry is defined as drawing away from God. |
| Isa 30:1-3 | "Woe to the rebellious children," declares the LORD... who proceed to go down to Egypt and have not asked at My mouth. | Warning against seeking foreign alliances (Egypt) instead of God's counsel. |
| Jer 2:20 | "For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your bonds; And you said, 'I will not serve! For on every high hill and under every green tree you have bowed down, playing the harlot.'" | Judah's historical pattern of spiritual harlotry with idols. |
| Jer 3:1-2 | "If a husband divorces his wife... will that land not be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers..." | Judah's multiple acts of spiritual adultery and faithlessness. |
| Jer 13:27 | "I have seen your adulteries, your passionate neighings, The lewdness of your harlotry..." | Graphic depiction of Judah's spiritual idolatry. |
| Hos 1:2 | "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, abandoning the LORD." | Hosea's marriage illustrates Israel's harlotry against God. |
| Hos 4:12 | My people consult their wooden idols... for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray. | Idolatry stemming from an inherent "spirit of harlotry." |
| Hos 5:3 | I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot. | God's clear perception of Israel's spiritual infidelity. |
| Hos 9:1 | Do not rejoice, O Israel... for you have played the harlot, abandoning your God. | Links joy to obedience and sorrow to spiritual harlotry. |
| Ezek 6:9 | "and how I was grieved by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which lusted after their idols." | Links adulterous hearts and lusting eyes to idolatry, similar to Ezek 23:16. |
| Ezek 16:15-19 | "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame... with your beautiful jewelry from My gold and silver..." | Jerusalem's abuse of God's blessings for idolatrous purposes. |
| Ezek 16:26-29 | "You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors... You also played the harlot with the Assyrians..." | Jerusalem's alliances and spiritual harlotry with multiple nations. |
| Ezek 20:30-32 | "Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers... for you pollute yourselves with all your idols..." | Rebuke for continuing the ancestral pattern of idolatry and defilement. |
| 2 Kgs 16:7-8 | So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria... and Ahaz took the silver and gold... and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. | King Ahaz seeking an alliance with Assyria against God's will. |
| 2 Chron 28:19-21 | For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the LORD. | The consequences of King Ahaz's foreign alliances and unfaithfulness. |
| Matt 6:24 | No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other... You cannot serve God and mammon. | Illustrates the impossibility of divided loyalty, echoing spiritual harlotry. |
| Jas 4:4 | You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. | Defines friendship with the world as spiritual adultery against God. |
| Rev 17:1-2 | "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot... with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication." | Symbolism of Babylon the Great Harlot, representing spiritual corruption and illicit alliances. |
| Rev 18:3 | "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her..." | Further depicts the pervasive nature of spiritual immorality with "Babylon." |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 16 Meaning
Ezekiel 23:16 vividly portrays Oholibah (representing Jerusalem and Judah) being instantly captivated by the Chaldeans (Babylonians) upon seeing them, developing an intense infatuation. This infatuation immediately propelled her to actively pursue an alliance, dispatching messengers to Babylon to initiate relations. Metaphorically, this describes Judah's spiritual adultery and abandonment of their covenant with God by seeking political and religious partnerships with idolatrous foreign nations, instead of trusting in the Lord alone.
Ezekiel 23 16 Context
Ezekiel chapter 23 is a deeply allegorical and graphic indictment against the spiritual infidelity of the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria), personified as Oholah, and the southern kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem), personified as Oholibah. The entire chapter uses the imagery of two sisters engaging in harlotry, which represents their turning away from God through idolatry and forming illicit political alliances with foreign, idolatrous nations. Oholah's harlotry led to Samaria's destruction by Assyria. The verse 16 falls within the extended condemnation of Oholibah (Judah), specifically detailing her renewed and intensified spiritual adultery. Historically, Judah had a history of alternating between periods of fidelity to God and periods of engaging in idolatrous practices and seeking alliances with powerful empires like Egypt, Assyria, and eventually Babylon (Chaldea), rather than relying on the Lord for protection and guidance. This particular verse describes Judah's eager pursuit of an alliance with the rising Babylonian empire.
Ezekiel 23 16 Word analysis
- As soon as she saw them with her eyes:
- "saw" (רָאַתָה, ra'atah): From the root ra'ah (רָאָה), meaning to see, perceive, understand. Here, it emphasizes a visual apprehension that immediately sparks desire. It highlights the sensual and immediate nature of Oholibah's attraction to the Chaldeans' perceived power and allure.
- "with her eyes": Though redundant in English, the Hebrew reinforces the direct visual impact. It emphasizes the enticement being immediate and based on what was seen, without rational reflection or seeking God's counsel. It mirrors how one is tempted by outward appearance.
- she doted on them:
- "doted" (וַתַּעְגְּבֵי, vatta'agevei): From the verb 'agav (עָגַב), meaning to lust, dote on, crave intensely, be passionately fond of. This verb consistently carries a strong sexual connotation in Hebrew Scriptures, used exclusively to describe illicit, lustful, or adulterous desire. Its usage here graphically portrays Judah's spiritual unfaithfulness as a deep, passionate, and forbidden longing for something other than God. It signifies an ardent, unholy affection that entirely disregards covenant vows.
- and sent messengers to them in Chaldea:
- "sent messengers": This denotes an active, deliberate pursuit. It's not passive temptation but an aggressive initiation of contact and a formal request for an alliance. This shows Judah's agency and determination in its unfaithfulness. Historically, this refers to diplomatic overtures to Babylon, a clear rejection of God's sovereignty.
- "Chaldea": A region in southern Mesopotamia, the heartland of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Sending messengers "to them in Chaldea" signifies going directly to the source of the forbidden allure, indicating a full commitment to the illicit partnership. This was perceived as a political strategy but was condemned as spiritual betrayal by God.
Ezekiel 23 16 Bonus section
The strong allegorical language in Ezekiel 23, including this verse, was highly provocative to the original audience. The explicit sexual imagery used for Oholah and Oholibah would have shocked and shamed the people, vividly conveying the magnitude and offensiveness of their spiritual adultery in God's eyes. This prophetic literary device aims not merely to inform but to invoke a visceral reaction, pressing the gravity of Judah's unfaithfulness. The narrative also contains an element of polemic against contemporary pagan practices, where worship often involved cultic prostitution, by casting Judah's "worship" of foreign powers in the same defiling light. Furthermore, the progression from seeing to doting to acting (sending messengers) provides a spiritual cautionary tale on the progression of sin: from initial attraction, to cultivating lust, and finally to active participation in transgression.
Ezekiel 23 16 Commentary
Ezekiel 23:16 serves as a potent illustration of Israel/Judah's profound spiritual idolatry, framed as the harlotry of Oholibah. The immediacy of her attraction – "as soon as she saw" – highlights the allure of worldly power and false gods, indicating a lack of discernment and an eager embrace of what contradicted her covenant with God. The term "doted" is deliberately sensual, likening spiritual disloyalty to passionate, illicit sexual desire, emphasizing the depth of their infatuation and betrayal. Her subsequent action of "sent messengers" proves this was not a fleeting thought but a conscious and deliberate decision to engage in prohibited alliances, symbolically seeking spiritual and political fulfillment from the Chaldeans rather than God. This passage underscores that idolatry is a betrayal of covenant love, pursued actively and often passionately, with severe spiritual and historical consequences. It is a stark warning against pursuing worldly enticements over faithful reliance on the Almighty.