Ezekiel 23:4 kjv
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
Ezekiel 23:4 nkjv
Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
Ezekiel 23:4 niv
The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23:4 esv
Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23:4 nlt
The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 23:2 | "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother;" | Comparison setup |
| Jeremiah 3:7-10 | "though you prostitute yourself with many lovers; yet return to Me," | Idolatry and unfaithfulness |
| Hosea 2:2-5 | "accuse your mother, for she has played the harlot..." | Israel's harlotry |
| Isaiah 23:15-16 | "O Tyre, you are forgotten! For seventy years, the days of a king, ... will you return to hire yourself out to the kingdoms of the world." | Spiritual adultery |
| Nahum 3:4 | "Because of the many prostitutions of the harlot..." | Judgment on Nineveh |
| Romans 7:2-3 | "the married woman is bound by law to her husband... so also, my brothers, you died to the law through the body of Christ..." | Marriage as a metaphor |
| 1 Corinthians 6:18 | "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." | Spiritual impurity |
| Revelation 17:1-6 | "One of the seven angels... 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute...'" | Allegory of Babylon |
| Psalm 106:39-40 | "They became defiled with their deeds... Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against his people..." | Consequences of sin |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | "Now the works of the flesh are evident: ... idolatry, enmity, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these..." | Nature of defilement |
| Proverbs 11:22 | "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without self-control." | Loss of dignity |
| Deuteronomy 31:20 | "For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are full and grow fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them..." | Succumbing to temptation |
| Jeremiah 2:23 | "How can you say, 'I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals'?" | Denial of sin |
| Judges 2:17 | "Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them." | Recurring pattern of sin |
| Romans 1:24-25 | "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity... because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie..." | Consequences of idolatry |
| 2 Corinthians 11:2 | "For I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ." | Church as bride |
| Ephesians 5:27 | "...that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." | Holiness of the church |
| Jude 1:4 | "For certain people have crept in unnoticed... who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." | Perversion of grace |
| Ezekiel 16:26 | "You also committed lewdness with the Egyptians... and you multiplied your harlotry..." | Repetition of sin |
| Isaiah 47:2-3 | "Take millstones and grind grain; make your veil, remove your robes, bare your legs, uncover your ankles, pass through the rivers... Your nakedness shall be uncovered; your shame shall be seen." | Humiliation for sin |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 4 Meaning
This verse states that Jerusalem is compared to a woman who had lovers and committed adultery with the Assyrians, whom she bore children to, thus defiling herself.
Ezekiel 23 4 Context
Ezekiel chapter 23 is an allegorical prophecy addressed to the prophet Ezekiel by God, concerning the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The chapter personifies them as two sisters, Oholah (Samaria, representing the northern kingdom) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, representing the southern kingdom). Both sisters, despite being given divine knowledge and covenant, fall into idolatry and spiritual adultery, prostituting themselves with foreign nations and their gods. Verse 4 specifically introduces Oholibah (Jerusalem) and her first act of spiritual whoredom with the Assyrians. This chapter serves as a stark illustration of God's judgment against His people for their persistent unfaithfulness and idolatry, drawing heavily on the covenant relationship as a marital bond that has been broken. Historically, these nations were indeed influenced and often subjugated by empires like Assyria and Babylon, engaging in alliances and syncretic religious practices.
Ezekiel 23 4 Word Analysis
- וְאַחְתָּהּ (ve'achothah)
- וְ (ve): And. Connects the preceding statement to this one, showing a parallel or subsequent action.
- אַחְתָּהּ (achothah): Her sister. Refers back to "the other," which in the context of the chapter's opening comparison, means "her sister," indicating the second woman.
- שְׁמָהּ (shemah)
- שֵׁם (shem): Name.
- ־ָהּ (-ah): Her. Possessive suffix. "Her name."
- בְּהוֹלִיבָה (Beholibah)
- בְּ (Be): In. Prefixed preposition.
- הוֹלִיבָה (holibah): A feminine name derived from a root meaning to inhabit or dwell (HALAL). Here, it is presented as the specific name of the second sister, representing Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The name itself might connote dwelling in "her tent" or dwelling "in her" (i.e., within herself).
- וְשֵׁמָהּ (veshemah)
- וְ (ve): And.
- שֵׁמָה (shemah): Her name. This phrase explicitly names the second sister.
- יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם (Yerushalaim)
- יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם (Yerushalaim): Jerusalem. This is the capital city of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the actual entity being represented by Oholibah. The name Jerusalem is traditionally understood as meaning "foundation of peace" or "vision of peace."
Words-group analysis:
- "And her sister, her name [was] Oholibah." This introduces the second sister, establishing her identity. The parallelism with the first sister (Oholah) emphasizes that both originate from the same "mother" (i.e., the covenant people of God) and share a similar fate due to their actions.
- "And [the name of] her sister [was] Jerusalem." This clarifies that "Oholibah" is the symbolic name for the actual city and kingdom of Jerusalem. The use of both symbolic and literal names highlights the direct relevance to Judah's history and destiny. The comparison is not merely to two abstract individuals but to the core of God's chosen people.
Ezekiel 23 4 Bonus Section
The allegorical structure of Ezekiel 23, using the metaphor of two sisters and their adulterous relationships, is a profound literary device designed to convey the depth of Israel and Judah's betrayal of God. The prophet employs vivid and often harsh imagery to ensure the people understand the gravity of their spiritual infidelity. The consistent use of marital unfaithfulness as a representation of idolatry is a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament, originating in the Sinaitic covenant. The detailed catalog of sins and the resulting consequences underscore the absolute faithfulness required of God's people, who are called to be a holy nation set apart for Him. The two sisters' contrasting yet parallel paths, with Oholah falling earlier and more drastically, and Oholibah's subsequent and equally devastating descent, represent the broader history of the divided monarchy and the eventual judgment upon both.
Ezekiel 23 4 Commentary
Ezekiel 23:4 names the second symbolic sister, "Oholibah," and explicitly identifies her as Jerusalem. This establishes that the subsequent description of adultery and defilement refers directly to the unfaithfulness of the Kingdom of Judah. Oholibah's name, suggesting "my tent is in her" or "she inhabits in me," reflects the presence of God's tabernacle and temple in Jerusalem. However, this intimate relationship was corrupted. Her subsequent adultery with the Assyrians marks the beginning of her spiritual decline. This allegorical language vividly portrays how the chosen people, despite their special relationship with God, turned to pagan alliances and idolatrous practices, mirroring a physical betrayal. The choice of the Assyrians as her first lover highlights the historical context of alliances formed during periods of vulnerability. The chapter’s relentless portrayal of Oholibah's escalating sins, mirrored by her sister Oholah's similarly destructive path, serves as a powerful indictment and foreshadowing of divine judgment for covenant unfaithfulness.