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 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 34:14 | "...for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." | God's inherent zeal against idolatry. |
| Dt 4:24 | "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." | God's fiery, jealous nature. |
| Jos 24:19 | "...He is a holy God; He is a jealous God..." | Holiness intertwined with God's jealousy. |
| Na 1:2 | "The LORD is a jealous and avenging God..." | God's righteous vengeance for disloyalty. |
| Lev 20:5 | "...then I will set My face against that man and against his family... and cut him off..." | God's severe judgment, cutting off. |
| Dt 28:49-50 | "The LORD will bring a nation... from afar, from the end of the earth... show no regard..." | Foreign invaders as divine judgment. |
| 2 Kgs 17:18 | "Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His presence..." | God's wrath and removal due to unfaithfulness. |
| Isa 1:28 | "...those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed." | Consumption of those who abandon God. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north... I will bring them against this land..." | Babylon used as an instrument of judgment. |
| Lam 2:20 | "Look, O LORD, and consider! With whom have You dealt this way? Should women eat their offspring...?" | Tragic loss of children in judgment. |
| Hos 4:12-14 | "...My people inquire of a piece of wood... commit harlotry... your daughters when they play the harlot..." | Spiritual harlotry and its consequences. |
| Hos 13:16 | "Samaria shall bear her guilt... their infants dashed in pieces, their pregnant women ripped open." | Extreme violent judgment and child harm. |
| Ez 9:6 | "...utterly destroy old and young, maidens, little children, and women..." | Indiscriminate destruction by the sword. |
| Dt 32:22 | "For a fire is kindled by My anger, and shall burn to the lowest Hell..." | Fire symbolizing intense divine wrath. |
| Jer 21:10 | "For I have set My face against this city for disaster and not for good... it shall be given..." | God's fixed judgment, leading to destruction. |
| Zeph 1:18 | "...and all the land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy..." | The fire of God's jealousy consuming. |
| Mal 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven... and consume them..." | Consuming fire for the wicked on judgment day. |
| Isa 51:17 | "Arouse yourself, arouse yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk... the cup of His fury..." | Jerusalem's experience of God's wrath ("cup"). |
| Jer 25:15 | "Take this cup of the wine of My fury from My hand..." | Prophetic image of divine wrath as a "cup." |
| Rev 14:10 | "...shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God... tormented with fire and brimstone..." | Eschatological divine wrath, ultimate judgment. |
| Ps 79:3 | "...Their blood they have poured out like water... and there was no one to bury them." | Depicts mass slaughter and desecration. |
| Mic 3:12 | "Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem a heap of ruins..." | Total desolation of Jerusalem. |
| Nah 3:5-6 | "Behold, I am against you... will expose your nakedness... and make you a spectacle." | Public shame and disgrace as punishment. |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 25 Meaning
Ezekiel 23:25 describes the severe divine judgment meted out to Oholibah, representing Judah and Jerusalem, due to her spiritual unfaithfulness and idolatry. The verse declares that God's intense jealousy will instigate invading nations to inflict a brutal and comprehensive punishment. This judgment includes public mutilation (cutting off the nose and ears) as an act of profound humiliation and lasting shame, the violent death of survivors by the sword, the seizing of children into captivity, and the final fiery consumption of any remaining inhabitants, signifying total devastation and the obliteration of Judah's identity and future.
Ezekiel 23 25 Context
Ezekiel chapter 23, the "Parable of the Two Sisters," describes the spiritual harlotry of Oholah (Samaria, representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, representing the Southern Kingdom of Judah). Through a vivid allegory, God details their historical pattern of idolatry, illicit alliances with pagan nations (Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians), and utter disloyalty to the covenant. Having witnessed Oholah's downfall due to her unfaithfulness (verses 1-10), Oholibah, instead of learning, became even more depraved (verses 11-21). Verse 25 is a declaration of the intense judgment awaiting Oholibah at the hands of her former lovers, the Babylonians, who are stirred by God's jealous anger to enact a devastating, culturally-specific punishment. Historically, this foreshadows the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, resulting in the Babylonian exile.
Ezekiel 23 25 Word analysis
- I will set (nātattî (נָתַתִּ֤י), from nātan, "to give," "to place"): This Hiphil perfect verb signifies a strong, deliberate, and active intention on God's part. It's not passive, but a determined act.
- my jealousy (qina'ti (קִנְאָתִ֣י)): This Hebrew term implies a fierce, intense, burning passion for exclusive possession or devotion. In God's context, it refers to His holy zeal and indignation against unfaithfulness and idolatry, demanding covenant loyalty. It is distinct from human envy.
- against you: Refers directly to Oholibah, or Judah/Jerusalem, the recipient of God's judgment due to her betrayal.
- and they shall deal with you in fury: wᵉhicpaltī (וְהִתְפַּלְתִּ֣י) meaning to inflict, carry out, or throw violently, paired with ḥēmâ (חֵמָה), meaning "burning anger," "wrath," or "rage." The pagan nations, as God's instruments, will act with destructive, unbridled rage.
- They shall cut off (hissîrû (וְהִסִּ֥ירוּ), from sûr, "to remove," "to cut off"): This signifies a deliberate act of mutilation.
- your nose ('ap (אַף)): In ancient Near Eastern cultures, mutilating the nose was a form of extreme public degradation and a common punishment for adulteresses or prisoners of war, disfiguring the victim's most prominent facial feature.
- and your ears ('āznayik (אָזְנָ֑יִךְ)): Cutting off ears also signified profound dishonor, shame, and was a common marker of slavery or criminal status, making one permanently identifiable as a disgraced individual.
- and your survivors (ša’arêk (שְׁאָרֵ֥ךְ), from šĕ’ār, "remnant"): Those few who manage to escape initial calamity.
- shall fall by the sword: A common phrase for violent death in warfare, indicating massacre and bloody execution.
- They shall seize (yiqeḥû (יִקְח֤וּ), from lāqaḥ, "to take," "to capture"): Implies forceful removal and enslavement.
- your sons and your daughters: Represents the destruction of future generations and the loss of inheritance, lineage, and national continuity.
- and your survivors (ša’arêk (שְׁאָרֵ֣ךְ), "remnant"): Reiteration of those left, showing the totality of destruction.
- shall be consumed by fire: Represents utter annihilation, often associated with divine judgment and the complete destruction of a city or people, leaving nothing behind.
Words-Group Analysis
- "I will set my jealousy against you, and they shall deal with you in fury": This phrase highlights God's sovereignty and His role in instigating the judgment, where His intense, righteous jealousy empowers the pagan nations to act as agents of His furious wrath against His unfaithful covenant people.
- "They shall cut off your nose and your ears": This specific and graphic punishment details the profound public shame and permanent disfigurement inflicted upon Judah, metaphorically representing her identity as a spiritual harlot. This form of mutilation, common for adulteresses or criminals in the ancient world, serves to visibly mark her dishonor and reduce her to a despised outcast.
- "and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be consumed by fire": This series of judgments underscores the complete and multi-faceted destruction awaiting Judah. It encompasses death in battle for any who resist, the abduction and enslavement of the next generation, and the ultimate, fiery annihilation of any lingering remnants. The phrase emphasizes a total societal collapse and obliteration, with no hope of recovery.
Ezekiel 23 25 Bonus section
The severity of "cutting off the nose and ears" specifically for a nation described as a harlot resonates deeply with certain ancient Near Eastern legal codes (e.g., Middle Assyrian Laws), where physical mutilation was prescribed for transgressions like adultery or public defiance. This practice aimed to disfigure the individual, making their disgrace physically unmistakable and permanent, especially fitting for someone who had traded on their appearance or identity in their "harlotry." This chosen punishment underscores a symbolic "fittingness," where the very allure and pride (beauty, identity) of Oholibah, used in her spiritual promiscuity, are targeted and desecrated, turning her into an object of repulsion rather than desire. It also implies a complete stripping of dignity and sensory faculties (symbolically "seeing" truth or "hearing" God's warnings), marking a profound and lasting loss of perception and honor.
Ezekiel 23 25 Commentary
Ezekiel 23:25 paints a stark, vivid picture of the relentless nature of God's justice against covenant infidelity. The divine "jealousy" is not human pettiness, but a holy indignation against the betrayal of His exclusive covenant love. This passionate zeal drives the Babylonian invasion, transforming the historical military conflict into an instrument of God's own wrath. The mutilation—the cutting off of nose and ears—is profoundly significant. It is an act designed for ultimate public humiliation, stripping Oholibah of any lingering beauty or dignity, making her an enduring spectacle of shame, reminiscent of ancient punishments for adulteresses. This particular detail emphasizes that her "harlotry" will be publicly acknowledged and physically marked, visible for all to see. Beyond disfigurement, the verse details widespread massacre ("fall by the sword"), the horrific loss of children through capture, and finally, total destruction by fire. Together, these judgments represent the systematic dismantling of a nation's life, lineage, and legacy, revealing the catastrophic cost of forsaking God for idolatry and worldly alliances.