Ezekiel 23:19 kjv
Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 23:19 nkjv
"Yet she multiplied her harlotry In calling to remembrance the days of her youth, When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 23:19 niv
Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt.
Ezekiel 23:19 esv
Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt
Ezekiel 23:19 nlt
Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.
Ezekiel 23 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 23:19 | But she multiplied her whoredoms... | Oholibah's spiritual adultery |
| Leviticus 18:21 | You shall not give any of your offspring to offer to Molech | Prohibition against Molech worship |
| 2 Kings 23:10 | Josiah defiled the high places and tore down the altars | King Josiah's reform against idolatry |
| Jeremiah 19:13 | They defiled this house… by the high places where they burned incense to all the host of heaven | Worship of the host of heaven in Jerusalem |
| Isaiah 47:13 | Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save you! | Judgment against reliance on astrology |
| Deuteronomy 18:10 | There shall not be found among you anyone… who practices divination, or is a soothsayer… | Prohibition of idolatrous practices |
| Psalm 106:37 | They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons | Idolatrous sacrifices of children |
| Romans 1:25 | They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator | Idolatry as a form of rebellion |
| 1 Corinthians 10:20 | What pagans sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God | Association of pagan sacrifices with demons |
| Acts 7:43 | You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan… | Stephen's sermon referring to star worship |
| Jeremiah 32:35 | They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom… to pass their sons and daughters through the fire to Molech | Practices of Molech worship |
| Ezekiel 8:16 | And behold, he was holding a sickle in his hand, and he was cutting down the cedar with incense. And he led me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the vestibule and the altar, were about twenty men… their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. | Worship of the sun |
| Jeremiah 44:17-19 | But we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded out of our mouths… making cakes for the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her… | Worship of the queen of heaven |
| Nahum 3:4 | Because of the many whoredoms of the prostitute… the mother of harlots, the mistress of the great city | Ninivah as a spiritual harlot |
| Hosea 2:2 | Contend against your mother, contend… she is not my wife, and I am not her husband | God's judgment on unfaithful Israel |
| Revelation 17:1-5 | Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute… with whom the kings of the earth have committed immorality… | Symbolic representation of idolatry |
| Ezekiel 16:35-36 | How you have… given yourself to lovers… so now they will lie with you and see your nakedness. You have committed abominations. | Jerusalem as an adulterous wife |
| Jeremiah 7:30-31 | For the abominations of Judah have they committed… in my house, which is called by my name. They have built the high places of Topheth… to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire—which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. | Worship in the Lord's house |
| Amos 5:26 | You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves | Sikkuth and Kiyyun as star gods |
| Leviticus 26:1 | You shall not make for yourselves idols nor raise up carved image or pillars, nor shall you set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it | Prohibition of idolatrous objects |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 19 Meaning
This verse describes the Babylonian idol called "Milcom" or "Molech," identifying it with the constellations that the Samaritans, through their idolatry, associated with their kings. It signifies the Israelites' descent into depravity and their adoption of foreign religious practices, symbolized by worshipping stars or astral bodies that represented their human rulers in an idolatrous manner.
Ezekiel 23 19 Context
Chapter 23 of Ezekiel details the spiritual adultery and idolatry of the two kingdoms of Israel: Samaria (Oholah) and Judah (Oholibah). They are likened to two sisters who engaged in even worse forms of prostitution than their mother, Egypt. This specific verse continues the depiction of Oholibah (representing Judah), who outdid her sister in her whoredom. The focus shifts to Judah's deeper entanglement with Babylonian idolatry, particularly the worship associated with their kings and celestial bodies. The prophecy is given during the Babylonian exile, a period when God is rebuking His people for their persistent unfaithfulness and its devastating consequences.
Ezekiel 23 19 Word Analysis
wâˈṯišrə·ḏō·ṯā (וְ֝שָׂרְד֗וּ): "multiplied her whoredoms." This word carries the meaning of being numerous, abundant. It highlights the increasing and unrestrained nature of Oholibah's (Judah's) spiritual unfaithfulness. It emphasizes a progression and escalation of sin, moving beyond her previous transgressions.
wə·‘aṯ·’ō·ḇō·ṯê·hê (וְעַתֹּתֶ֑יהָ): "and her idols" or "her obscenities." This refers to the abominable objects and practices associated with her idolatry. It underscores the detestable nature of the foreign worship that she embraced.
šə·mîm (שְּׁמַ֖יִם): "heaven" or "skies." This word points to the celestial realm. In this context, it directly relates to the Samaritan's (Oholah's) worship that was linked to the stars and constellations.
lə·ḵə·mō·ḇ·rō·w (לְכֹמְרֹ֑ו): "in her likeness" or "to her splendor." This implies imitation or conformity. The Samaritans adopted practices and idols that reflected their kings, making them objects of worship as well, mirroring heavenly bodies. This phrase connects their human rulers to the cosmic entities they worshipped.
lî·qər·bə·ḵū (לִקְרֹבְכ֛וּ): "that you might approach" or "to be near." This expresses the desire to draw close to these divine or kingly figures. The idolatry served as a means to attain favor or proximity to the objects of their worship.
Samaritans and Kings: The Samaritan kingdom (the northern kingdom of Israel) is here accused of multiplying their idolatries to the point of linking their kings with heavenly bodies. This suggests a syncretistic form of worship where earthly rulers were deified or their images were associated with astrological deities.
"To her likeness": This phrase implies that the very forms and figures of worship adopted by the Samaritans were designed to mirror their kings. It speaks of an assimilation of human authority into divine worship, a profound betrayal of monotheistic worship.
Worship of Heavenly Host: The mention of "heaven" connects this sin to the broader phenomenon of astronomical or astral worship, prevalent in the ancient Near East, and explicitly condemned in the Old Testament (e.g., Deut 4:19, Amos 5:26). It signifies a turning away from the Creator to the created.
Ezekiel 23 19 Bonus Section
The Babylonian Talmud (Yoma 46b) and other rabbinic literature discuss "Kiyyun" and "Sikkuth," identifying them with Saturn, the visible representation of their king, possibly Nabonidus. This association with astronomical bodies as deities or representations of deities was common in Mesopotamian religion. Ezekiel's prophecy is addressing the deep-seated syncretism that infiltrated Israel's worship, a pervasive problem throughout the history of the divided kingdom. This particular sin points to the blending of political and religious authority in an unholy union, a theme relevant to discussions of theonomy and the separation of church and state in later theological contexts. The danger lies in elevating human institutions or leaders to a place that rightfully belongs to God alone.
Ezekiel 23 19 Commentary
This verse reveals the depth of the spiritual defilement that had gripped the people of Israel, particularly the northern kingdom (Samaria, referred to as Oholah in Ezekiel). They did not merely adopt foreign gods; they interwoven their worship with the veneration of their own kings and the celestial bodies. This syncretism involved associating their human rulers, perhaps even deifying them, with the stars and constellations. It was an attempt to find divine favor or power through a warped and idolatrous system, a clear perversion of true worship. This reflects a society that had lost its moral and spiritual compass, prioritizing the superficial splendor of earthly power over the eternal truth of God. Their acts were not isolated incidents but a multiplication and compounding of sin, an "abomination" in God's sight.