Ezekiel 23 33

Ezekiel 23:33 kjv

Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

Ezekiel 23:33 nkjv

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, The cup of horror and desolation, The cup of your sister Samaria.

Ezekiel 23:33 niv

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.

Ezekiel 23:33 esv

you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria;

Ezekiel 23:33 nlt

Drunkenness and anguish will fill you,
for your cup is filled to the brim with distress and desolation,
the same cup your sister Samaria drank.

Ezekiel 23 verses

Ezekiel 23 33 Meaning

Ezekiel 23:33 describes the impending divine judgment on Jerusalem (Oholibah) as a consequence of her spiritual adultery. The verse vividly portrays a state of overwhelming suffering, likened to being "filled with drunkenness and sorrow." This is specified as consuming the "cup of horror and desolation," which is the very same cup of punishment that Samaria (Oholah), her sister nation, had already drunk. It signifies a complete and inescapable experience of God's wrath, leading to disorientation, anguish, and utter destruction, directly mirroring the fate of the Northern Kingdom due to similar sins.

Ezekiel 23 33 Context

Ezekiel chapter 23 vividly portrays the spiritual adultery of the Northern Kingdom (Israel, called Oholah/Samaria) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah, called Oholibah/Jerusalem) through the metaphor of two sisters engaging in promiscuity and prostitution. Oholah's initial lust after Assyria and Egypt led to her defilement and subsequent destruction by Assyria. Oholibah, rather than learning from her sister's fate, outdid her in depravity, lusting after Assyrians, Babylonians, and Egyptians. The prophet describes her actions as worse than Samaria's, including idol worship, sacrificing her children, and making alliances with foreign powers that demanded idolatrous practices. Ezekiel 23:33 explicitly pronounces the consequence for Jerusalem (Oholibah): she will drink the same "cup" of judgment, suffering, and ruin that had already been meted out to Samaria (Oholah). Historically, Samaria had fallen in 722 BC, and Jerusalem was already undergoing the Babylonian siege and eventual exile around the time Ezekiel prophesied. The verse highlights God's righteous judgment against blatant apostasy and unfaithfulness, showing that persistent sin, regardless of past warnings or privileges, incurs divine retribution. It underscores a central theme in prophetic literature: God's covenant with Israel demands exclusive devotion, and covenant breaking results in severe consequences.

Ezekiel 23 33 Word analysis

• You will be filled: The Hebrew verb timal'i (תִּמָּלְאִי), a Niphal form of mala (to fill), emphasizes a state of being completely overwhelmed or permeated. This is not a partial experience but an engulfing saturation.
• with drunkenness: Shikkaron (שִׁכָּרוֹן) signifies intoxication or stupor. In this context, it is not literal alcohol but a spiritual disorientation and moral paralysis, rendering Jerusalem helpless and unable to respond effectively to judgment, much like a person heavily drunk. It speaks to a loss of control and judgment.
• and sorrow: v'yagon (וְיָגוֹן) denotes grief, deep distress, or anguish. This emotion follows the stupor, indicating the painful reality of their situation when the effects of their "intoxication" (false hopes, idolatry) wear off.
• with the cup: The Hebrew word kos (כּוֹס) refers to a literal drinking cup, but consistently functions as a potent metaphor for one's lot, destiny, or share, particularly divine judgment or wrath, in biblical literature. Drinking a cup implies experiencing fully what it contains.
• of horror: Shomah (שׁוֹמָה) or shammah (שַׁמָּה) derived from a root meaning "to be appalled" or "to be desolated." It describes a terrifying, utterly shocking experience that causes one to gasp in astonishment and dread. It often signifies utter ruin that evokes horror in observers.
• and desolation: v'shammah (וְשַׁמָּה), again from the root shamem, reinforces the previous term, stressing utter destruction, waste, and abandonment. It is the end result of the horror – a state of desolate ruin.
• the cup of your sister Samaria: This phrase explicitly connects Jerusalem's fate to Samaria's. The punishment is not new or unprecedented; it is the identical measure of judgment administered to the Northern Kingdom (Samaria/Oholah) for similar sins. This underscores God's impartial justice and the severe nature of the consequence of spiritual idolatry.

• "You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow": This group of words portrays an intense and inescapable experience of suffering that overwhelms Jerusalem entirely, akin to a person completely consumed by intoxicating spirits, leading to both a loss of control and subsequent painful realization. It is a psychological and spiritual condition caused by divine judgment.
• "with the cup of horror and desolation": This further defines the nature of the "drunkenness and sorrow." The cup contains a terrifying and destructive experience. It is not just sadness but utter dread and complete ruin, highlighting the finality and severity of the judgment.
• "the cup of your sister Samaria": This direct comparison highlights the punitive parallelism. Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry mimicked Samaria's, and thus her divine judgment will be identical in its nature and severity. It acts as a somber warning that ignoring past lessons leads to replicating past tragedies.

Ezekiel 23 33 Bonus section

The repetitive use of the "cup" metaphor throughout the Old Testament serves to unify themes of divine judgment, signifying a predetermined and unavoidable portion. For Ezekiel's audience in exile, the direct comparison to Samaria's fate would have been particularly chilling, reinforcing the reality and fairness of their own suffering. It's a profound statement on communal accountability for idolatry. The prophetic language also contains elements of polemic against the notion that Jerusalem, as the city of God's temple, was immune to such a judgment, thereby shattering any false sense of security derived from external religious markers without internal faithfulness. The vivid, visceral imagery in this chapter overall, especially of prostitution and consumption, serves not only to communicate the severity of the sin but also to evoke disgust, impressing upon the audience the gravity of their spiritual adultery in God's eyes.

Ezekiel 23 33 Commentary

Ezekiel 23:33 succinctly pronounces Jerusalem's inescapable judgment, using potent metaphors of intoxication and a shared cup of suffering. Her widespread idolatry and reliance on pagan nations, paralleled her sister Samaria's prior transgressions. The "drunkenness" signifies the stupor and disorientation from the severe shock of divine judgment, leaving her helpless. The "sorrow" follows as the crushing weight of realization settles in. This punishment is contained in a "cup of horror and desolation," emphasizing an experience of extreme terror, devastation, and utter ruin. Crucially, it is explicitly the "cup of your sister Samaria," highlighting that God's justice is consistent. Jerusalem's privilege as God's chosen city did not exempt her from the consequences of grave covenant unfaithfulness; rather, her knowledge made her sin more reprehensible, thus guaranteeing a similar fate to her less privileged but equally errant sister kingdom. The verse is a stark reminder of God's holy character and His unyielding response to persistent spiritual apostasy.