Ezekiel 23:21 kjv
Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.
Ezekiel 23:21 nkjv
Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, When the Egyptians pressed your bosom Because of your youthful breasts.
Ezekiel 23:21 niv
So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.
Ezekiel 23:21 esv
Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts."
Ezekiel 23:21 nlt
And so, Oholibah, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed your breasts to be fondled.
Ezekiel 23 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eze 23:21 | So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, for the harlotry of Egypt... | Oholibah's lust for Egyptian practices and associations. |
| Eze 23:22 | Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will stir up your lovers... | The Lord promises judgment against Oholibah, bringing back her former lovers as enemies. |
| Eze 23:46 | And the upright judges will judge them by the standard of adulteresses, and by the standard of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. | The ultimate judgment aligns with their adulterous and bloody deeds. |
| Jer 2:36 | Why do you run about so much to change your ways? You will be ashamed, as you were put to shame by Assyria. | Jeremiah similarly condemns Israel's fickle pursuit of foreign alliances and idolatry. |
| Jer 5:8 | Each was a man stampeding after his neighbor's wife, an assembly of adulterers. | Illustrates the widespread moral corruption likened to adultery. |
| Hos 2:2-5 | Contend with your mother, contend, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; let her put away her whoredoms from her... | Hosea also uses the metaphor of marital unfaithfulness to describe Israel's apostasy. |
| Isa 1:21 | How the faithful city has become a harlot! She was full of justice; righteousness lodged in her... | Isaiah laments the fall of Jerusalem from faithfulness to unfaithfulness. |
| Nah 3:4-5 | Because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the city of renown, mistress of witchcrafts, who sells nations into harlotry and families through her witchcrafts... | Nahum's prophecy against Nineveh uses similar language of harlotry and pervasive wickedness. |
| Mic 1:7 | And all her wages she will burn, her feast things she will bring to an end, and all her wages she will turn into refuse. | Micah describes divine judgment leading to destruction and removal of all her idols and benefits. |
| Ps 106:35-36 | They mingled with the nations and learned their ways, and served their idols, which became a snare to them. | The psalmist records how Israel's interaction with pagan nations led to sin. |
| Lev 26:30 | And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols. | The consequence of forsaking God includes the destruction of idolatrous places. |
| Deut 28:49 | The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops away... | Foreshadows a distant enemy being brought to judge them. |
| 2 Kings 17:16 | And they rejected all the commandments of the LORD their God. They made for themselves molded metal images, two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. | Details Israel's sin of idolatry, mirroring the corrupting influences described. |
| 2 Chron 36:15-16 | The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his warnings, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose beyond all bounds. | Explains how persistent rejection of God's word leads to severe wrath. |
| Lam 1:8 | Jerusalem has grievously sinned; therefore she has become a mere wanderer. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; yes, she groans and turns herself away. | Lamentations depicts Jerusalem's disgrace due to sin. |
| Matt 5:27-28 | You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. | Jesus expands the concept of adultery to include inner thoughts, highlighting the spiritual dimension. |
| Rev 17:4-5 | The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, holding in her hand a cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.” | Symbolic language similar to Ezekiel's portrayal of corrupt cities, linking spiritual fornication with destructive powers. |
| 1 Cor 6:18 | Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. | Paul warns against sexual sin, equating it to sinning against one's own body, a theme echoed in Ezekiel's condemnation of Israel. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. | Lists behaviors that stem from fleshly desires, which are parallel to the actions described for Oholibah. |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 21 Meaning
This verse describes the consequence of Israel's (represented by Oholibah) adultery against God, equating it to the harsh judgment that would come upon the Egyptian forces, which were once their allies and object of affection. The "sword of the Chaldeans" signifies divine retribution through Babylonian conquest.
Ezekiel 23 21 Context
Chapter 23 of Ezekiel details the unfaithfulness of two sister nations, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), through the allegory of spiritual adultery. Both engaged in illicit alliances and idolatrous practices with foreign powers, particularly Egypt and Assyria/Babylon. Verse 21 specifically focuses on Oholibah's enduring desire for the sensual and sinful allurements of Egypt, stemming from her youth. This persistent attraction to Egypt's idolatrous and pagan ways, despite repeated warnings and judgment, is a key factor leading to the severe pronouncements in this chapter. The historical backdrop involves the turbulent political landscape of the ancient Near East, where Israel frequently sought alliances with these dominant empires, compromising their covenant relationship with God.
Ezekiel 23 21 Word Analysis
- "So": Indicates a consequence or result of the preceding actions and feelings.
- "you": Refers to Oholibah, representing Jerusalem.
- "longed for": Implies a persistent, deep-seated desire or craving, not just a fleeting thought. The Hebrew word often suggests strong desire, even lust.
- "the lewdness": Denotes extreme depravity, unbridled immorality, and sexual perversion. It captures the essence of wanton behavior.
- "of your youth": Points to the origin of these desires and practices, suggesting they were present even from early stages of Israel's nationhood, though now exacerbated. This "youth" refers to the early period of the kingdom of Judah.
- "for": Introduces the specific object of this longing.
- "the harlotry": Means sexual immorality, promiscuity, and spiritual prostitution through idolatry and unfaithfulness to God. It highlights the nature of her transgressions as akin to a prostitute's behavior.
- "of Egypt": Specifies the source or focus of this unfaithfulness—the seductive practices and sinful ways associated with Egypt. Egypt's perceived sensuality and pagan religious rites are implicated.
Ezekiel 23 21 Bonus Section
The description of "harlotry" and "lewdness" carries both literal sexual and profound spiritual implications. In the Old Testament, unfaithfulness to God was often depicted using the metaphor of adultery and prostitution. The "youth" of Israel could also reference the Exodus period where, although God had graciously delivered them, they were still prone to idolatry even then (e.g., the Golden Calf incident). Egypt, known for its rich fertility cults and opulent but spiritually degenerate culture, represented a potent temptation. The Chaldeans (Babylonians) are presented as the instrument of God's wrath for Oholibah's deep-seated corruption and unrepentant nature, a direct consequence of her persistent embrace of these ungodly affections.
Ezekiel 23 21 Commentary
This verse serves as a powerful indictment of Judah's persistent spiritual infidelity. Oholibah's deep-seated attraction to Egypt's corrupting influences signifies a failure to learn from past transgressions and a recurrent turning away from God's covenant. This "longing for the lewdness of your youth" underscores a habitual inclination toward sin that had become deeply ingrained, rather than an isolated incident. The reference to Egypt highlights a pattern of seeking refuge and mirroring the practices of foreign nations instead of relying on and being distinctively God's people. The "lewdness" and "harlotry" emphasize the sexual and spiritual impurity that characterized her relationship with foreign powers and deities, ultimately drawing God's judgment.