Ezekiel 23 20

Ezekiel 23:20 kjv

For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

Ezekiel 23:20 nkjv

For she lusted for her paramours, Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, And whose issue is like the issue of horses.

Ezekiel 23:20 niv

There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

Ezekiel 23:20 esv

and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses.

Ezekiel 23:20 nlt

She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey's and emissions like those of a horse.

Ezekiel 23 verses

Ezekiel 23 20 Meaning

Ezekiel 23:20 is a stark and graphic condemnation of Jerusalem (personified as Oholibah) for her intense, depraved spiritual and political infidelity. The verse describes her illicit cravings and fervent desire for foreign allies, comparing her lustful adoration of these nations to an unnatural, debased sexual obsession. This vivid animalistic imagery underscores the utter depths of her moral corruption, highlighting the shame and perversion inherent in turning away from God to worship foreign powers and trust in their strength.

Ezekiel 23 20 Context

Ezekiel chapter 23 vividly portrays God's relationship with His people through an elaborate and shocking allegory of two sisters, Oholah (representing Samaria, the northern kingdom of Israel) and Oholibah (representing Jerusalem, the southern kingdom of Judah). Both sisters were God's chosen, but they engaged in rampant spiritual prostitution—entering into idolatrous worship and illicit political alliances with surrounding pagan nations like Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt, instead of faithfully adhering to their covenant with Yahweh. This chapter graphically details their escalating depravity. Verse 20 focuses specifically on Oholibah (Judah), highlighting her particularly egregious and grotesque lust for foreign partners, specifically the Babylonians. The historical context is the Babylonian exile in the early 6th century BCE, where Ezekiel ministered, explaining to the exiles why Jerusalem's downfall and the temple's destruction were just consequences of Judah's unfaithfulness and idolatry, which mimicked, and even exceeded, the sins of her elder sister, Israel. The prophet uses offensive language to shock his audience into understanding the depth of their national and spiritual betrayal.

Ezekiel 23 20 Word analysis

• For (כִּי kî): A conjunction often meaning "because," "for," or "indeed." Here, it introduces the reason or explanation for the strong judgment and condemnation already being laid out against Oholibah in previous verses.
• she doted (דָדָה ḏāḏāh): From the root dadah, meaning to fondle, caress, or show intense affection. In this context, it takes on a highly negative, almost grotesque connotation of an insatiable, debased, and obsessive lust, indicating extreme infatuation. It conveys a deep, shameful desire.
• on their paramours (עַל־פִּלַּגְשֵׁיהֶם ‘al-pil·laḡ·šê·hem):
  • paramours (פִּלַּגְשֵׁיהֶם pillegesh plural, with suffix for "their"): This refers to concubines, mistresses, or illicit lovers. It vividly highlights the illicit, non-covenantal, and shameful nature of Oholibah's (Judah's) relationships with foreign nations, depicting them as a form of spiritual prostitution, contrary to her covenant loyalty to God.
• whose flesh (אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׂר ’ăšer bə·śar): "Whose" refers back to the paramours/lovers. "Flesh" (basar) generally refers to the physical body, but here it metaphorically represents their virility, physicality, and attractiveness to Oholibah's depraved desires.
• is as the flesh of asses (חֲמוֹרִים בְּשָׂרָם ḥămôrîm bə·śā·rām):
  • asses (חֲמוֹרִים ḥămôrîm): Plural for "donkeys." In ancient Near Eastern culture, male donkeys were proverbial for their large sexual organs and strong sexual appetites, hence the graphic, crude comparison. This highlights the perceived, exaggerated virility and potent, albeit coarse, "attractiveness" of the foreign powers in Oholibah's eyes.
• and whose issue (וְזִרְמַת wə·zir·maṯ):
  • issue (זִרְמַת zirmâ): Refers to a discharge or flow, specifically semen. This is an explicit and shocking reference, pushing the imagery to its most vulgar level to emphasize the abject and perverted nature of Oholibah's obsession.
• is like the issue of horses (סוּסִים זִרְמָתָם sûsîm zirmā·ṯām):
  • horses (סוּסִים sûsîm): Plural for "horses." Specifically, male horses (stallions) were also recognized for their strength, passion, and sexual prowess. The comparison to the "issue" of horses reinforces the crude, potent, and overwhelming (in Oholibah's deluded view) sexual allure of these foreign entities, portraying an intense, uncontrollable lust.

Words-group analysis:

• "For she doted on their paramours": This phrase establishes Judah's (Oholibah's) intense and illicit obsession. The "doting" speaks to an emotional, deeply ingrained, and almost addictive longing, not merely a passing interest. "Paramours" unequivocally identifies these objects of desire as forbidden and covenant-breaking partners, specifically pagan nations like the Babylonians or Assyrians.
• "whose flesh is as the flesh of asses": This grotesque comparison magnifies the perceived raw, crude, and animalistic virility of the foreign entities in Oholibah's imagination. It's an intentional hyperbolic insult to characterize the object of her lust, implying an attraction to coarse power and crude physicality over spiritual fidelity, effectively debasing her own desires to an animalistic level.
• "and whose issue is like the issue of horses": This completes the shocking and offensive imagery, reinforcing the notion of an unbridled, potent, and purely physical attraction. By comparing their "issue" to that of stallions, Ezekiel underlines the perceived, overwhelming sexual potency of these foreign powers in Oholibah's corrupt mind, illustrating her spiritual depravity through the most base and unseemly analogies available. The language is meant to be deeply unsettling, portraying her actions as repugnant and utterly abominable in God's sight.

Ezekiel 23 20 Bonus section

The intense and graphic sexual imagery in Ezekiel 23, particularly verse 20, served multiple purposes for Ezekiel's original audience in Babylonian exile. Firstly, it would have been profoundly shocking, forcing the exiles to confront the extreme severity of Judah's spiritual adultery in a way abstract theological language could not. In ancient Near Eastern contexts, public shame and explicit descriptions of sexual perversion were powerful tools of condemnation. Secondly, by using common, well-understood analogies from animal virility, Ezekiel emphasized the raw, unthinking, and animalistic nature of Judah's lust for power and pagan cults, presenting it as devoid of divine wisdom or covenant loyalty. It was a potent polemic against the perceived glamour or strength of foreign powers (Babylon, Egypt, Assyria) which many Israelites might still have admired, by degrading their symbolic representation through the metaphor of gross, debased lust. This verse showcases the lengths God's prophets would go to graphically communicate the magnitude of His people's betrayal and the inevitability of His just judgment.

Ezekiel 23 20 Commentary

Ezekiel 23:20 presents one of the most vivid and disturbing images in the prophetic literature to convey Judah's extreme spiritual idolatry and unfaithfulness. The prophet employs shocking animalistic and sexual metaphors not for titillation, but as a deliberate prophetic device to expose the abject depravity of Judah's heart in forsaking Yahweh. "Doting" indicates an intense, almost frantic infatuation. "Paramours" refer to the pagan nations and their idolatrous practices that Judah chased. The comparisons to the "flesh of asses" and "issue of horses" are intensely crude, highlighting the perception of exaggerated potency and crude allure in these foreign alliances and idols. This graphic language strips away any illusion of spiritual respectability, revealing Judah's pursuit of worldly power and pagan gods as a vile, unnatural, and insatiable lust, utterly defiling her sacred covenant with God. The purpose is to demonstrate how deeply offensive and contemptible Judah's sin was in God's eyes, meriting severe divine judgment.