Ezekiel 23:3 kjv
And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
Ezekiel 23:3 nkjv
They committed harlotry in Egypt, They committed harlotry in their youth; Their breasts were there embraced, Their virgin bosom was there pressed.
Ezekiel 23:3 niv
They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.
Ezekiel 23:3 esv
They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled.
Ezekiel 23:3 nlt
They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.
Ezekiel 23 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ez 16:8 | When I passed by you again and saw you... you were at the age for love. I spread my cloak... made a covenant with you. | God's covenant with Israel at their "youth" |
| Ez 16:15 | But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your renown. | Israel's spiritual harlotry from early fame |
| Ez 16:26 | You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, increasing your harlotry to provoke me to anger. | Specific harlotry with Egyptians |
| Ez 20:7-8 | I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the detestable things... and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.’ But they rebelled. | Idolatry in Egypt before the Exodus |
| Jer 2:2 | I remember the devotion of your youth, how you loved me as a bride, following me in the wilderness. | Initial faithfulness vs. later apostasy |
| Jer 2:18 | And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? | Relying on Egypt instead of God |
| Jer 2:32 | Can a virgin forget her ornaments... Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. | Forgetting God after youthful devotion |
| Jer 3:6 | Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill... and there played the harlot. | Pervasive spiritual harlotry in Israel |
| Hos 1:2 | Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry, for the land commits great harlotry by forsaking the Lord. | Allegory of Israel as a harlot |
| Hos 2:5 | For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. | Generational harlotry |
| Hos 11:1 | When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. | God's initial call from Egypt |
| Exod 32:7-8 | Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down... for your people... have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside... made a molten calf...” | Golden Calf episode in the wilderness |
| Deut 31:16 | The Lord said to Moses, “...this people will rise and play the harlot after the foreign gods of the land...” | Prophecy of future spiritual harlotry |
| Judg 2:17 | Yet they would not listen to their judges, but prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down to them. | Cycle of idolatry in Judges |
| Ps 73:27 | For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. | Judgment on spiritual unfaithfulness |
| Isa 57:8 | Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your memorial. You have uncovered yourself to others besides me. | Idolatry likened to sexual betrayal |
| Rev 17:1 | ...Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters. | Judgment on spiritual prostitution in the New Testament |
| 2 Cor 11:2 | For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. | Believers as pure bride to Christ |
| Jas 4:4 | You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? | Friendship with the world as spiritual adultery |
| Matt 6:24 | No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other. | Divided loyalties to God and world |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 3 Meaning
Ezekiel 23:3 states that Oholah and Oholibah, allegories for Samaria (Israel) and Jerusalem (Judah), began their spiritual infidelity in Egypt during their early national formation. The verse vividly portrays this initial defilement using explicit sexual imagery, depicting their "breasts were fondled" and "virgin bosoms were handled," signifying their early, voluntary, and profound engagement in idolatry and forsaking the covenant with God. This spiritual prostitution was deeply rooted from the nation's infancy, laying a foundation for subsequent apostasy.
Ezekiel 23 3 Context
Ezekiel chapter 23, following the graphic depiction of Jerusalem's unfaithfulness in chapter 16, expands the allegory by presenting two sisters: Oholah (Samaria, representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, representing the Southern Kingdom of Judah). The chapter meticulously details their history of idolatry and political alliances with foreign powers, equating these acts to spiritual prostitution. Verse 3 specifically focuses on the very beginning of their unfaithfulness as nations, tracing it back to their time in Egypt. This historical origin sets the stage for understanding their deeply entrenched patterns of apostasy. Historically, Israel had significant interactions with Egypt, both during their enslavement and through subsequent political and military alliances that often led to syncretism and abandoning reliance on God, contradicting His explicit commands not to return to Egypt (Deut 17:16).
Ezekiel 23 3 Word analysis
- They committed adultery: The Hebrew wayyiznû (וַיִּזְנוּ) comes from zānâ, meaning "to play the harlot" or "to commit fornication." In the biblical prophetic literature, this term almost exclusively refers to spiritual unfaithfulness—idolatry and turning away from Yahweh, especially in the context of covenant violation. It implies a voluntary departure from God.
- in Egypt: The Hebrew bə·miṣ·ra·yim (בְּמִצְרַיִם) specifies the location. Egypt represents both a place of physical bondage from which God delivered Israel and, significantly here, a source of idolatry, worldly power, and temptation. Their unfaithfulness began where their national identity was forged.
- they committed adultery in their youth: Repetition of zānû emphasizes the action. Bin‘ū·rê·hen (בִנְעוּרֵיהֶן) "in their youth" points to the formative period of Israel as a nation. It highlights that their spiritual apostasy was not a late-stage development but an inherent, early, and persistent characteristic from the outset, before the giving of the Law and formal covenant.
- There their breasts were fondled: The Hebrew šām·māh dō·ḵə·ḵū šə·ḏê·hen (שָׁ֚מָּה דֹּכְכ֣וּ שְׁדֵיהֶ֔ן) uses dāḵakh, "to crush, bruise, press down." This imagery is overtly sexual and violent, denoting the aggressive handling and deflowering. In an allegorical sense, it signifies intense initiation into pagan practices and the active embrace of spiritual perversion, not merely a passive temptation.
- and there their virgin bosoms were handled: The Hebrew wə·šām·māh ḥinnə·ṭū bə·ṯū·lê·hen (וְשָׁ֚מָּה חִנְּט֖וּ בְּתֽוּלֵיהֶֽן׃). Ḥānaṭ, in this specific context, signifies handling, fondling, or treating sensually, thus removing their metaphorical 'virginity'. Bə·ṯū·lê·hen refers to "their virginity" or "virgin bosoms." This parallels the previous phrase, reinforcing the idea of a loss of spiritual innocence and purity, indicating their eager and enthusiastic engagement with the defiling acts of idolatry in Egypt.
- Words-group: They committed adultery in Egypt...in their youth. There their breasts were fondled, and there their virgin bosoms were handled. This grouping emphasizes the beginning, location, and nature of Israel's spiritual infidelity. It conveys that their apostasy was not only early and long-standing (youth, Egypt) but also profoundly intimate, voluntary, and destructive, like sexual defilement, representing a complete forsaking of their devotion to God.
Ezekiel 23 3 Bonus section
The strong parallel structure and explicit imagery in Ezekiel 23:3 were intentionally confrontational for the original audience, who were intimately familiar with the shame and consequences associated with such acts. This prophetic language aimed to shock the people into recognizing the true nature and severity of their spiritual apostasy, which they often trivialized or overlooked. The concept of "youthful" sin, initiated in Egypt, suggests a fundamental pattern set for generations, explaining the persistent challenges Israel faced in maintaining covenant fidelity throughout its history, from the wilderness wanderings to the divided kingdom and ultimately the exile. The reference to Egypt also carries polemical weight, contrasting Egypt's perceived power and pagan cults, which lured Israel, with the true deliverer, Yahweh.
Ezekiel 23 3 Commentary
Ezekiel 23:3 unveils the deep historical roots of Israel and Judah's spiritual adultery, tracing it back to their national infancy in Egypt. The graphic sexual metaphors are not for gratuitous shock but underscore the severe betrayal of God's covenant, likening their idolatry and foreign alliances to the most intimate and debased form of faithlessness. This verse asserts that Israel's propensity for unfaithfulness was not a deviation from an initially pure path but began from their very "youth," suggesting an inherent or foundational inclination toward syncretism and rebellion against God, despite His gracious deliverance from Egypt. It serves as a stark reminder of humanity's persistent struggle with divided loyalties and the profound spiritual consequences of forsaking divine faithfulness for worldly allurements.