Ezekiel 23:31 kjv
Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.
Ezekiel 23:31 nkjv
You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.'
Ezekiel 23:31 niv
You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.
Ezekiel 23:31 esv
You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.
Ezekiel 23:31 nlt
Because you have followed in your sister's footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank.
Ezekiel 23 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 23:32 | "You will drink the cup of your sister Samaria; you will drink its depths and its fragments, and you will eat its shards." | Judgment mirrored between sisters |
| Jeremiah 25:15 | "For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it." | God's cup of judgment |
| Isaiah 51:17 | "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath; you have drunk to the dregs the bowl of staggering." | Jerusalem's cup of wrath |
| Psalm 75:8 | "For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with thick wine, mixed with all the wines of the earth. And he pours from this; all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs." | God's judgment cup |
| Revelation 14:10 | "he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." | Eternal judgment |
| Revelation 17:5 | "and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”" | Spiritual prostitution |
| Hosea 2:2 | "Plead with your mother, plead, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; let her put away her whoredoms from her face and her adulteries from between her breasts." | Judah's spiritual adultery |
| Jeremiah 51:7 | "Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making the whole earth drunk; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad." | Babylon's intoxicating influence |
| Amos 3:2 | "“Only you have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”" | Special punishment for knowing |
| Romans 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Consequence of sin |
| Proverbs 5:14 | "I have come to the midst of utter ruin and the darkness of the deep." | Utter ruin |
| Zechariah 11:3 | "Howl, O shepherds, and cry! For the leaders of the flock are destroyed! For the Lord has come upon his fat pastures." | Destruction of leaders |
| Nahum 3:5 | "“I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will lift your skirts over your face and show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame." | Public shame |
| Ezekiel 16:37 | "I will... gather all your lovers, with whom you took pleasure... and I will bare your nakedness to them, so that they may see all your nakedness." | Exposure of shame |
| Leviticus 18:30 | "You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules and not practice any of these abominations… lest the land itself vomit you out when you defile it." | Land's repulsion of sin |
| Lamentations 4:16 | "The anger of the Lord has scattered them; he will not kindly look upon them; they have not respected the persons of the priests, they have not shown favor to the elders." | Rejection of leaders |
| 2 Peter 2:14 | "They have eyes full of adultery, and they never cease from sin… They have followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." | Sinful desires |
| Hosea 10:6 | "It will be carried to Assyria as a present to a great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame; Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel." | Shame of counsel |
| Revelation 18:7 | "As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, ‘I sit on a throne, I am no widow, I shall never see mourning.’" | Pride leading to ruin |
| Isaiah 47:1-3 | "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. ... your nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, your shame shall be seen." | Babylonian shame |
| Joel 3:3 | "They have cast lots for my people, and have exchanged a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, and drunk it." | Trading people as goods |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 31 Meaning
This verse describes a declaration of divine judgment upon Samaria (referred to as Oholibah's sister, signifying a close relationship in their sinfulness). God will inflict a "desolation" and "ruin" upon the city and its people. The cause is their impurity and the "shame" of their actions, which are likened to prostitution. This judgment will be a stark contrast to their former pride and dominance.
Ezekiel 23 31 Context
This verse is part of Ezekiel's prophecy against Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. The prophet uses two allegories, first Samaria (Oholah) and then Jerusalem (Oholibah), representing the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. Both fell into spiritual adultery by seeking alliances and imitating the idolatrous practices of surrounding nations, rather than relying on God. Chapter 23 details the sins of Oholibah (Jerusalem), portraying her extreme whoredom, her enticing of others into her sin, and her subsequent rejection by those she sought. This specific verse (23:31) declares the judgment that God will bring upon Jerusalem as a consequence of these egregious actions. The context is the imminent Babylonian exile.
Ezekiel 23 31 Word Analysis
- "And I will bring..." (Hebrew: וְהֵבֵאתִי, vehevetei) - The future tense emphasizes God as the active agent of judgment, not merely an observer. It's a divine decree.
- "...upon you..." (Hebrew: עָלַיִךְ, alayikh) - Direct address to Jerusalem (Oholibah), personalizing the judgment.
- "...the punishment..." (Hebrew: אֶת־פְּקֻדַּת, et-pĕquddath) - This word often signifies visitation or review, but in this context, it means divine reckoning or punishment for disobedience. It implies a detailed and thorough assessment leading to retribution.
- "...of your former whoredom..." (Hebrew: זְנוּנַיִךְ, zĕnūnayikh) - Refers back to all her past acts of spiritual unfaithfulness, particularly the entanglements with foreign powers and their idolatries. It's not just one instance but a habitual lifestyle.
- "...in the land of Egypt..." (Hebrew: בְּאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם, bĕ’ereṣ-miṣrayim) - This is significant as Egypt was the site of Israel's original liberation from slavery, but also a place of idolatry and subjugation. The "whoredom" here likely refers to the flirtations with Egypt for political alliances and the compromises made during their journey and early history. Some interpretations connect this specifically to Hosea's accusations against Judah's reliance on Egypt (Hos 7:11).
- "...and you shall drink..." (Hebrew: וְשָׁתִית, wĕshātīt) - A metaphor for enduring the full measure of divine judgment.
- "...the cup..." (Hebrew: אֶת־הַכּוֹס, ‘eth-hakkōs) - Represents the penalty or retribution appointed by God.
- "...of your neighbor..." (Hebrew: אֵיתוֹר, ’ēitōr) - Literally "of your sister." Refers to Samaria (Oholah), emphasizing a shared culpability and a shared experience of judgment. Samaria, the northern kingdom, had already been destroyed by Assyria.
- "...of their pots." (Hebrew: וְכַסְלְדָּמוֹת, wĕkhasĕldāmōth) - This phrase is complex. Some translations render it as "their foul cisterns" or "their impurities." It suggests drinking the dregs, the foulest part of the cup, implying complete and bitter humiliation and the full consequence of their associated sins. It might also refer to the instruments or places of their idolatrous practices which are now to be consumed. Another understanding points to drinking from the dregs and fragments of what their neighbors had to drink in judgment.
Word Group Analysis
- "the punishment of your former whoredom": This signifies not just a penalty, but a reckoning that matches the severity and continuous nature of the sins committed, specifically against God as her husband.
- "drink the cup of your neighbor": This powerful metaphor indicates that Jerusalem will suffer a similar fate to Samaria, who had previously drunk the "cup of wrath" for her own sins. It’s a communal judgment, showing the interconnectedness of Israel's fate due to their shared sin.
- "of their pots": This element adds a layer of intense disgrace, implying she will ingest the impurities and residue of her neighbors' judgments, meaning the shame and devastation will be complete and abhorrent.
Ezekiel 23 31 Bonus Section
The imagery of "drinking the cup" is prevalent throughout Scripture, signifying God’s judgment or suffering. While often associated with the Messiah's suffering (e.g., Mark 10:38), here it starkly portrays the consequence of persistent sin. The reference to "Egypt" harks back to Israel's earliest struggles and their temptation to rely on worldly power rather than God, a theme revisited throughout their history. The judgment upon Jerusalem is portrayed as a direct, proportionate consequence of her repeated apostasies, making the suffering of Samaria a prophetic preview of what was to come for Jerusalem. The emphasis is on divine justice and the absolute certainty of accountability for covenant breaking.
Ezekiel 23 31 Commentary
The Lord declares that He will bring upon Jerusalem (Oholibah) the penalty for her habitual sins of spiritual harlotry. This judgment will mirror the destruction that fell upon her sister, Samaria. Jerusalem had committed acts of idolatry and sought political alliances, particularly with Egypt, which was seen as spiritual infidelity. God promises a thorough reckoning. She will "drink the cup," symbolizing the full outpouring of His wrath and judgment. This cup will be like the one her sister Samaria had to drink – a bitter and devastating experience. The phrase "of their pots" implies that she will suffer complete ruin and shame, consuming the very dregs and impurities associated with the sins of her neighbors, and perhaps even suffering the indignity of the instruments and remnants of her idolatrous practices being part of her ruin. This emphasizes the comprehensive and humiliating nature of the divine judgment that would culminate in the Babylonian conquest and exile.