Ezekiel 23 25

Ezekiel 23:25 kjv

And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

Ezekiel 23:25 nkjv

I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.

Ezekiel 23:25 niv

I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire.

Ezekiel 23:25 esv

And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire.

Ezekiel 23:25 nlt

I will turn my jealous anger against you, and they will deal harshly with you. They will cut off your nose and ears, and any survivors will then be slaughtered by the sword. Your children will be taken away as captives, and everything that is left will be burned.

Ezekiel 23 verses

Ezekiel 23 25 Meaning

The verse describes the extreme measures of divine judgment that will be executed upon Oholibah (representing Judah and Jerusalem) due to her idolatry and unfaithfulness to God, likening the judgment to the destruction wrought by violent men.

Ezekiel 23 25 Context

This verse is found within Ezekiel's prophecy concerning the judgment of Israel and Judah, specifically focusing on the spiritual harlotry of the two sister nations, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem). In the preceding verses (Eze 23:1-21), Ezekiel graphically details their lewdness and their sinful alliances with surrounding nations. This verse (Eze 23:25) explicitly describes the harsh punishment that God will bring upon Oholibah (Judah) because of her deep-seated idolatry and unfaithfulness. Historically, this refers to the brutal judgment of the Babylonian conquest, where Jerusalem was besieged, its people were massacred or taken captive, and the city itself was destroyed. The imagery is designed to convey the severity and completeness of God's retributive justice against His covenant people who have deliberately broken their covenant relationship with Him.

Ezekiel 23 25 Word Analysis

• וְשַׁמְתִּי (vəšamtî) - "And I will set" or "I will lay." From the root שום (šwm), meaning to put, place, or set. It signifies God initiating or instigating the judgment.

• קִנְאָתִי (qen’āṯî) - "my jealousy." From the root קנא (qenā'), meaning to be jealous, zealous. This refers to God's righteous indignation and intolerance of His people's spiritual infidelity with idols and foreign nations, which is a betrayal of their covenant relationship with Him. It's a protective and passionate attribute of God.

• בָּךְ (bāḵ) - "against you." The second person feminine singular pronoun, referring to Oholibah (Jerusalem).

• וְיַעֲשׂוּ (wəya‘ăśû) - "and they shall deal" or "and they will do." From the root עשה (‘āśâ), meaning to do, make, act. It signifies the agents of God's judgment taking action.

• בָּךְ (bāḵ) - "with you."

• בְּחֵמָה (bəḥêmâ) - "in fury" or "with fierce anger." From the root חמה (ḥêmâ), meaning heat, warmth, but in this context, it signifies intense anger or wrath. It describes the intensity and severity of the actions taken by the instruments of judgment.

• וְיַכְרִיתוּ (wəyaḵrîṯû) - "and they shall cut off." From the root כרת (kārat), meaning to cut off, cut down, destroy, abolish. This verb implies a decisive and complete removal.

• אַפְעְךָ (’ap‘əḵā) - "your nose." Hebrew: אף (’ap), nose, anger. Here it refers literally to the nose, often associated with a mark of shame or dishonor.

• וְאָזְנֶךָ (wə’oznəḵā) - "and your ears." Hebrew: אזן (’ōzen), ear. Cutting off ears was a form of mutilation signifying public disgrace and the inability to hear God's commands.

• וְשֶׂרִידֹתַיִךְ (wəśerîḏōṯayîḵ) - "and such of you as are left" or "your survivors." From the root שׂרד (śārad), meaning to be left over, survive. It refers to the remnant who might otherwise escape.

• לַחֶרֶב (laḥereḇ) - "by the sword." Hebrew: חרב (ḥereḇ), sword. A common instrument of divine judgment in warfare.

• וְנָפָלוּ (wənāp̄alû) - "shall fall." From the root נפל (nāpal), to fall. Signifies defeat and death in battle.

• וּבְנַיִךְ (ūḇənaỹîḵ) - "and your sons." Hebrew: בן (ben), son.

• וּבְנוֹתַיִךְ (ūḇənoṯayîḵ) - "and your daughters." Hebrew: בת (baṯ), daughter.

• יִקְחוּ (yiqḥû) - "they shall take." From the root לקח (lāqaḥ), to take. Implies capture and loss of family members.

• וְשָׂרִידֹתַיִךְ (wəśārîḏōṯayîḵ) - "and your survivors." Repeats the word for survivors, reinforcing the completeness of the devastation even for those initially spared.

• תֹּאכַל (ṯō’ḵal) - "shall be devoured" or "shall eat." From the root אכל (’āḵal), to eat. In the passive form, it means to be consumed.

• בָּאֵשׁ (bā’ēš) - "by fire." Hebrew: אש (’ēš), fire. Another powerful instrument of divine judgment, symbolizing complete destruction and purification through judgment.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "set my jealousy against you" - Emphasizes God's active and passionate response to Israel's infidelity. It’s not passive neglect but a deliberate and strong reaction to covenant betrayal.
  • "deal with you in fury" - Highlights the extreme intensity and harshness of the judgment. This fury is not random but a just consequence.
  • "cut off your nose and your ears" - These are specific, brutal mutilations, signifying public shame, dishonor, and the loss of ability to perceive or respond to divine truth (ears to hear, nose to perceive/smell). This imagery parallels the severe judgments seen elsewhere in the Old Testament for idolatry.
  • "survivors shall fall by the sword" - Indicates that even those who manage to survive the initial onslaught will not escape divine retribution.
  • "take your sons and your daughters" - Represents the devastating loss of future generations and the breaking up of family units as a consequence of sin.
  • "survivors shall be devoured by fire" - A final, complete destruction ensuring that nothing remains of their unfaithfulness. Fire is often symbolic of God's wrath and purification.

Ezekiel 23 25 Bonus Section

The intensity of the language used here—fury, cutting off, devouring by fire—reflects a legal and judicial framework where justice must be served. God’s jealousy is not merely an emotion but a characteristic tied to His covenantal relationship and His demand for exclusive loyalty. The specific mutilations, while gruesome, align with practices that signified profound dishonor and alienation in the ancient Near East, and in this context, signify the people's spiritual blindness and deafness to God's word. This prophetic judgment is a foreshadowing of the consequences of breaking the covenant, a theme that permeates much of the Old Testament law and prophetic writings. The severity is matched only by the depth of Israel's sin as depicted in the preceding verses.

Ezekiel 23 25 Commentary

Ezekiel 23:25 paints a vivid and terrifying picture of divine judgment. God declares His jealousy, a potent attribute that reflects His commitment to His covenant and His opposition to anything that replaces Him. This jealousy manifests as fierce anger, the driving force behind the severe actions taken by His enemies. The specific acts of mutilation – cutting off the nose and ears – symbolize extreme shame, dishonor, and the loss of faculties related to sensing God’s presence and commands. The verse makes it clear that no one will be spared: even those who might initially survive will be cut down by the sword, and any remaining survivors will be consumed by fire. This complete devastation underscores the totality of the consequences for Oholibah's (Judah's) persistent idolatry and spiritual adultery. It serves as a stark warning against covenant betrayal and the consequences of rejecting God.