Ezekiel 23:40 kjv
And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments,
Ezekiel 23:40 nkjv
"Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
Ezekiel 23:40 niv
"They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewelry.
Ezekiel 23:40 esv
They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
Ezekiel 23:40 nlt
"You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them.
Ezekiel 23 40 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hos 1:2 | When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry..." | Hosea commanded to marry a harlot as a symbol of Israel's spiritual infidelity to God. |
| Hos 2:5 | For their mother has played the harlot... gone after her lovers; "I will go after my lovers..." | Israel's deliberate pursuit of "lovers" (foreign gods/nations) explicitly stated. |
| Jer 2:32 | Can a virgin forget her ornaments...? But My people have forgotten Me days without number. | Israel, like a bride, forgot God while embracing worldly adornments (false gods). |
| Jer 3:6 | Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. | Israel's widespread and overt idolatry, equating it to prostitution on sacred high places. |
| Jer 4:30 | And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? | Judah's efforts to beautify herself for unfaithful ends, similar to Eze 23:40, yet warned against its futility. |
| Isa 30:1-3 | "Woe to the rebellious children," declares the LORD, "who carry out a plan, but not Mine..." | Condemnation of relying on foreign alliances (Egypt) instead of trusting God. |
| Prov 7:10-17 | And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, with crafty intent... | Description of a literal harlot's deceptive allure and enticing preparations. |
| Eze 16:15 | "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your renown..." | Ezekiel's prior use of harlot imagery for Jerusalem, highlighting pride in beauty as a cause for sin. |
| Eze 16:26-29 | You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors... | Specific detailing of Jerusalem's alliances and spiritual harlotry with various foreign powers. |
| Eze 16:35-41 | "Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD..." | God's pronouncement of judgment on Jerusalem as a harlot for her extensive unfaithfulness. |
| Ex 34:15-16 | Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they play the harlot after their gods... | Warning against alliances leading to idolatry and spiritual harlotry with foreign peoples. |
| Lev 17:7 | So they shall no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, to whom they play the harlot. | Explicit condemnation of spiritual harlotry through worship of demons/false gods. |
| Deut 31:16 | And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers... rise up and play the harlot after the foreign gods." | Prophetic warning of Israel's future unfaithfulness and idolatry after Moses' death. |
| Judg 2:17 | Yet they did not listen to their judges, but prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down to them. | Israel's recurrent pattern of spiritual harlotry throughout its history. |
| Isa 57:3 | But come here, you sons of a sorceress, offspring of an adulterer and a harlot. | Prophetic denunciation of a people born from spiritual harlotry and sorcery. |
| Ps 106:39 | They became unclean by their works and played the harlot in their deeds. | A concise summary of Israel's sin being linked to their deeds of idolatry. |
| Jas 4:4 | You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? | New Testament concept of spiritual adultery, equating worldly compromise with enmity against God. |
| Rev 17:1-6 | ...Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated on many waters... | Symbolic portrayal of "Babylon the Harlot" in the NT, representing an ungodly religious/political system. |
| Rev 18:2-3 | "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons..." | Revelation's imagery of the downfall of the "great harlot" due to her widespread spiritual defilement. |
| Hos 3:3 | "You must not play the harlot, nor be with any man, but wait for me for many days." | God's demand for exclusive loyalty and cessation of spiritual harlotry from His people. |
| 1 Cor 10:20-21 | No, but the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God... | Warning against participating in idolatrous feasts, seen as spiritual compromise and disloyalty. |
| Eph 5:25-27 | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her... | Contrast to spiritual harlotry; Christ's pure, devoted love for His church, preparing her without spot or wrinkle. |
Ezekiel 23 verses
Ezekiel 23 40 Meaning
Ezekiel 23:40 vividly portrays Oholibah, representing Jerusalem or the kingdom of Judah, as acting like a common prostitute. The verse describes her actively sending for foreign "lovers" (pagan nations and their deities), and then meticulously preparing herself by bathing, painting her eyes, and adorning herself with jewelry. This imagery serves as a powerful metaphor for Judah's spiritual adultery: eagerly abandoning its covenant faithfulness to Yahweh by forming alliances with idolatrous nations and adopting their pagan worship practices. It underscores her deliberate and enthusiastic pursuit of ungodliness and human, worldly security, rejecting God as her rightful husband and protector.
Ezekiel 23 40 Context
Ezekiel 23:40 is found within a profound and disturbing allegory where God depicts the kingdoms of Israel and Judah as two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem). Both are described as engaging in extreme spiritual prostitution. This chapter details their unfaithfulness, progressively increasing their "harlotry" by forming political alliances with foreign powers like Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon, and by eagerly adopting their idolatrous practices. God, who was their divine husband (Eze 16:8), views these alliances and the accompanying idol worship as blatant acts of adultery and betrayal of the covenant. The graphic imagery serves to shock the exilic audience into recognizing the gravity of their ancestors' sins, which led to their current state of judgment. The verse highlights Oholibah's active and deliberate choice to solicit these foreign alliances, not as an unfortunate circumstance, but as an enthusiastic pursuit of what she considered desirable. Historically, this corresponds to Judah's repeated turning away from Yahweh to seek protection and power from pagan empires, often resulting in syncretism and idolatry in Jerusalem itself.
Ezekiel 23 40 Word analysis
"And furthermore, they sent for men to come from afar":
- And furthermore (וְעוֹד, və-ʿôḏ): "Moreover" or "yet again." This emphasizes a continuation or intensification of Oholibah's (Jerusalem's) persistent and worsening pattern of unfaithfulness described earlier in the chapter.
- they sent (שָׁלְחוּ, shālḥû): Third person plural, reflecting that the "sending" was initiated by Judah/Jerusalem, acting corporately as a harlot. This is an active verb, meaning to dispatch, send forth, or commission. It stresses Oholibah's proactive and intentional outreach, rather than being passively seduced.
- for men (לַאֲנָשִׁים, laʾănāšîm): To or for male individuals. Here, it personifies the foreign nations or their emissaries as specific "lovers" being sought out by the harlot-city.
- to come (לָבוֹא, lāḇôʾ): An infinitive meaning "to come, to enter." The purpose of sending the messengers was specifically to bring these men.
- from afar (מֵרָחֹוק, mērāḥōq): From a distant place. This highlights the foreignness of these chosen alliances/gods and the effort Jerusalem undertook to make contact beyond its immediate borders. It shows an ambitious reach for worldly connections.
"to whom a messenger was sent, and behold, they came.":
- to whom (אֲשֶׁר, ʾăšer): "Whom" or "to whom." Connects the "men from afar" to the messenger.
- a messenger was sent (נִשְׁלַח, nišlaḥ): Passive voice ("was sent"). This could imply an official envoy being dispatched from Jerusalem to these distant nations to arrange alliances, acting as a madam arranging for clients or a prostitute advertising herself. It underscores the deliberate, even formal, nature of this spiritual harlotry. The Hebrew term mal’ach (often "angel" or "messenger") would typically be used for such an envoy, underscoring its authoritative nature.
- and behold, they came (וְהִנֵּה בָּאוּ, wəhinnēh bāʾû): The Hebrew hinneh ("behold" or "lo") emphasizes the immediate and successful result of her efforts. The foreign "lovers" readily responded to her invitation, further indicting Jerusalem for its seductive prowess.
"For them you bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.":
- For them (לָהֶם, lāhem): "For their benefit," indicating the entire preparation was directed toward attracting these foreign "men."
- you bathed (רָחַצְתְּ, rāḥaṣt): Second person singular feminine, directly addressing Oholibah/Jerusalem. "You washed" or "bathed." This action of ritual or personal cleansing is here re-contextualized for seductive purposes, contrasting with spiritual purity. It's an external preparation for illicit rendezvous.
- painted your eyes (כָּחַלְתְּ עֵינַיִךְ, kāḥaḷt ʿênáyik): You put kohl on your eyes. Kohl, an ancient cosmetic (typically a dark powder), was applied to the eyelids and lashes to enhance their appearance, making the eyes appear larger and more alluring. This practice was commonly associated with beauty and seduction, including that of harlots, in the ancient Near East. It highlights the artificial allure being presented.
- and adorned yourself (וְעָדִית, wəʿādît): "And you bedecked yourself" or "you arrayed yourself." This verb implies active self-decoration, an intentional act of making oneself attractive.
- with ornaments (עֲדִיךְ, ʿăḏîk): Referring to articles of personal adornment, such as jewelry (necklaces, earrings, bracelets). These would be valuable and displayed to impress and attract.
Words-group Analysis:
- "they sent for men... a messenger was sent... and behold, they came": This sequence emphasizes Jerusalem's intense, deliberate, and successful pursuit of foreign alliances. It was a self-initiated enterprise, highlighting the depth of her spiritual rebellion.
- "you bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments": This trifecta describes the meticulous, sensual preparations of a harlot. It powerfully conveys the deliberate and lavish efforts Oholibah undertook to make herself attractive to pagan powers. It is not a casual or unintentional sin but a calculated, alluring performance, completely dedicated to pleasing her "lovers" (idolatrous nations) instead of her God. These external beautifications are in stark contrast to the spiritual ugliness of her unfaithfulness.
Ezekiel 23 40 Bonus section
The graphic imagery of prostitution, while shocking to modern sensibilities, was a powerful and readily understood metaphor in the ancient Near East for covenant unfaithfulness. The prophet Ezekiel consistently uses such intense language throughout his book to underscore the gravity of Israel's spiritual crimes and to justify God's severe judgments. The actions described are common for seductive women in the ancient world, reinforcing the picture of Judah's moral degradation. Furthermore, this verse highlights the seductive nature of sin itself – often presenting itself as desirable and beneficial, despite its inherent betrayal of God. The self-initiated action (sending for men) and the meticulous preparation point to a hardened heart and a complete departure from loyalty, rather than mere weakness or ignorance.
Ezekiel 23 40 Commentary
Ezekiel 23:40 powerfully encapsulates Judah's deliberate and eager pursuit of idolatrous foreign alliances. This isn't merely a lapse in judgment; it's a meticulously planned act of spiritual adultery, mirroring the actions of a harlot who actively solicits customers. The detailed preparations—bathing, painting eyes with kohl, and adorning herself with jewelry—underline the conscious and lavish efforts Judah expended to make itself attractive to these pagan nations and their deities. These acts, outwardly appealing yet inwardly corrupt, vividly expose Jerusalem's profound unfaithfulness to God, preferring human might and false worship over divine covenant. The passage serves as a severe indictment, revealing that Judah's downfall stemmed from her own active, enthusiastic rejection of Yahweh.Practical examples include believers or churches seeking validation, power, or success through worldly methods or philosophies rather than through dependence on God's truth and Spirit. This "adorning" can represent compromising biblical principles, adopting secular values, or seeking political influence at the expense of spiritual integrity.