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

This verse describes the ultimate desolation and judgment faced by the two unfaithful sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), representing the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel respectively. The "cup of her drunkenness" symbolizes the judgment poured out upon them due to their sin. The phrase "she shall be a desolation" signifies extreme barrenness and emptiness. "A cistern and a dungeon" highlights their future state of being emptied of life, joy, and inhabitants, trapped in ruin. "Her hire" refers to the tribute and wealth they sought from their alliances, which will now be taken by their enemies, leaving them stripped bare. "The tongue of the tongue of my people" points to the mocking and contempt they will receive from their former allies or other nations.

Ezekiel 23 33 Context

Ezekiel 23 vividly depicts the spiritual adultery and political unfaithfulness of Jerusalem (Oholibah), following the earlier denunciation of Samaria (Oholah) in the same chapter. Both cities are portrayed as prostitutes who pursued alliances and worship of foreign gods instead of loyalty to God. This verse, specifically verse 33, focuses on the impending and thorough judgment that God will inflict upon Jerusalem for its persistent idolatry and entanglements with surrounding nations. The judgment is described as the "cup of drunkenness" and the resultant desolation. This serves as a divine condemnation and a stark warning to the exiled Judeans about the complete destruction that awaited their beloved city due to their apostasy. The literary context is one of divine retribution against unfaithfulness, framed through the strong metaphor of marital infidelity.

Ezekiel 23 33 Word Analysis

• Thou (שָׁבָ֑ב) (shuvah): To drink, drink deeply. Refers to the act of consuming the judgment fully.
• Cup of her drunkenness (כּ֤וֹס חָמְרָתָהּ) (kos khamratah): A figurative representation of God's judgment, a cup filled with the intoxicating and debilitating effects of divine wrath.
• Desolation (שְׁמָמָה) (shemamah): Emptiness, barrenness, ruin, astonishment. It speaks to a state of complete destruction and abandonment.
• Cistern (בּוֹר) (bor): A pit, well, or cistern. Implies a place that has been emptied or from which water (life) has been removed, now holding only ruin.
• Dungeon (מִשְׁמֶרֶת) (mishmeret): A place of confinement, imprisonment, or watch. Suggests a state of being held captive by desolation.
• Hire (מַשְׂכֹּרֶת) (maskoret): Wages, payment, hire. This refers to the benefits Jerusalem sought from its foreign alliances, now twisted into instruments of its destruction.
• Tongue of my people (לְשׁ֥וֹן עַמִּ֖י) (leshon ami): Refers to the judgment and mockery from God's own people, or from the nations who have heard of His people's fall.

Word Groups Analysis

• "Cup of her drunkenness... cistern and a dungeon": This grouping powerfully illustrates the totality of judgment. Not only will she drink the penalty (the cup), but she will also become an empty, forsaken place of despair and ruin (cistern and dungeon).
• "Her hire... tongue of my people": This juxtaposition highlights the futility of Jerusalem's worldly pursuits. The "hire" that was meant to secure her will now be the very thing that exposes her vulnerability and becomes the subject of mockery, even from those who should have been her allies or even from her own spiritual brethren in their judgment.

Ezekiel 23 33 Bonus Section

The judgment described for Jerusalem here serves as a prototype for the judgment faced by all who forsake God and trust in worldly power or appeasement. The imagery of the cistern and dungeon emphasizes not just destruction, but a complete draining of life and purpose, a perpetual state of ruin. The concept of "hire" being used against her powerfully illustrates how the very means sought to preserve or elevate oneself can become the instruments of downfall when they are a result of covenant infidelity. The humiliation of being mocked even by one's own people highlights the societal and spiritual collapse that accompanies divine judgment. This verse underscores the theme throughout Scripture that God’s justice is thorough and complete against persistent sin and unfaithfulness.

Ezekiel 23 33 Commentary

Ezekiel 23:33 unequivocally declares the absolute desolation awaiting Jerusalem for its ingrained sin of idolatry and its pursuit of earthly alliances over divine faithfulness. The metaphor of the "cup of her drunkenness" signifies that she must fully consume the bitter draught of God's righteous wrath. She will not merely be punished, but her state will be one of utter emptiness, like a dried-up cistern, and a place of miserable confinement, like a dungeon. The judgment will strip her of everything she valued in her alliances – her "hire" – leaving her exposed and utterly ruined. Furthermore, the mockery she will face, even from "the tongue of my people," underscores the profound spiritual failure and the ensuing public disgrace. This judgment is a clear consequence of breaking the covenant with God.