Ezekiel 23 46

Ezekiel 23:46 kjv

For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.

Ezekiel 23:46 nkjv

"For thus says the Lord GOD: 'Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder.

Ezekiel 23:46 niv

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder.

Ezekiel 23:46 esv

For thus says the Lord GOD: "Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder.

Ezekiel 23:46 nlt

"Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring an army against them and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered.

Ezekiel 23 verses

Ezekiel 23 46 Meaning

Ezekiel 23:46 declares the Lord GOD's impending judgment upon Oholah (Samaria/Israel) and Oholibah (Jerusalem/Judah). God announces He will raise a hostile assembly against them, handing them over to experience terror, turmoil, and severe plundering. This is a divine decree outlining the form of punishment for their spiritual harlotry, emphasizing God's direct orchestration of foreign nations to execute His righteous wrath.

Ezekiel 23 46 Context

Ezekiel chapter 23 vividly portrays God's condemnation of Samaria (Oholah) and Jerusalem (Oholibah) as two sisters engaging in escalating spiritual adultery, represented by explicit prostitution. This extensive allegory describes their initial devotion to YHWH, followed by increasingly illicit alliances with foreign powers like Assyria and Babylon. These political and military alliances were also spiritual in nature, involving the adoption of pagan idolatry and immoral practices, which constituted a direct breach of their covenant with God. The chapter details their lustful pursuit of foreign lovers and gods, which defiled their spiritual purity and betrayed YHWH.

Verse 46 marks a pivotal turning point within the narrative. Having meticulously cataloged the sins of both sisters, God transitions from describing their harlotry to announcing the specific judgment that will befall them. It reveals God's active role in bringing about this punishment, employing the very nations they lusted after as instruments of divine wrath. The immediate historical context points to the Assyrian destruction of Samaria in 722 BC and the imminent Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem (which would culminate in 586 BC, though prophesied earlier in Ezekiel's ministry). This verse, therefore, directly links the depicted moral degradation to its divinely appointed, violent consequence. The polemic is clear: Israel's trust in human power and foreign gods leads not to security, but to destruction orchestrated by the true sovereign God.

Ezekiel 23 46 Word analysis

• Thus says the Lord GOD (כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה - Koh Amar Adonai YHWH):
  • This is a standard prophetic formula asserting absolute divine authority. It signifies that the following words are not human pronouncements but the direct speech and unwavering will of the Sovereign Covenant God. Adonai (Lord) emphasizes God's mastery, while YHWH (GOD) reminds of His personal, covenantal relationship, which has now been broken. The breach of covenant triggers the just judgment of the Sovereign Lord.
• Behold (הִנֵּה - hinneh):
  • An interjection drawing immediate and urgent attention to the declaration. It signifies a significant and often imminent event or revelation, heightening the drama and certainty of the divine pronouncement.
• I will bring up (מַעֲלֶה - ma'aleh):
  • Hiphil participle of the verb alah (to go up, ascend). Here, it means "to cause to come up" or "to bring up." This highlights God's active, intentional, and sovereign involvement in orchestrating the impending judgment. He is not merely allowing it; He is initiating and directing it.
• a crowd (קָהָל - qahal):
  • While qahal often refers to a religious assembly or congregation of God's people (e.g., in Deuteronomy for Israel's assembly), in this context, it signifies a gathered hostile multitude, an army. This irony underscores God's total control, where even non-covenant nations are mustered by Him as an instrument of judgment against His own unfaithful people, mirroring how an 'assembly' might come against a prostitute.
• against them (עֲלֵיהֶם - aleihem):
  • Refers directly to the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, representing the unfaithful nations of Israel (Samaria) and Judah (Jerusalem). The judgment is specific and directed at those who have committed spiritual harlotry.
• and give them over (וּנְתַתִּים - u'netatim):
  • From nathan (to give, place, put). This term denotes God actively handing over or delivering His people into the power of their enemies. It implies relinquishment of protection and surrender to their fate, a consequence of their persistent unfaithfulness.
• to trouble (לְזַעֲוָה - leza'avah):
  • From za'avah, meaning "terror," "horror," "dread," "agitation." This describes the overwhelming emotional and psychological impact of the impending invasion. It's the feeling of utter panic and shaking when facing an unstoppable force of destruction.
• and plunder (וּלְשֶׁסָּה - u'leśisśâh):
  • From śasâ (to strip, spoil, plunder). This signifies the physical despoilment, the stripping away of possessions, and the utter material devastation that accompanies a brutal military conquest. It details the material loss that comes from the breakdown of divine protection.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will bring up a crowd...": This sequence powerfully emphasizes divine initiative and sovereignty. God is the one speaking, warning, and acting. The phrase removes any doubt about the origin or executor of the impending doom. It implies an unstoppable force gathered by God himself.
• "...against them and give them over...": This highlights the directed nature of God's judgment and His intentional abandonment of those who abandoned Him. "Them" clearly specifies Oholah and Oholibah, emphasizing that their spiritual infidelity is the direct cause of this specific divine response. God is not merely passive; He actively delivers them to their fate.
• "...to trouble and plunder.": This pair vividly describes the comprehensive nature of the coming destruction – both internal (psychological terror and social upheaval) and external (material devastation and loss). The consequence of spiritual infidelity is experienced holistically, affecting both the inner state and outward possessions of the unfaithful.

Ezekiel 23 46 Bonus section

The intensely graphic language throughout Ezekiel 23, preceding verse 46, serves to magnify the severity of the sisters' sins, making the equally severe judgment announced here utterly comprehensible. The explicit details of their spiritual prostitution with foreign nations and their gods were not just metaphoric but reflective of actual, deeply embedded idolatrous practices and political compromises. This verse marks the divine resolve to cleanse the land and its people of this spiritual defilement. The historical fulfillments, with Assyria devastating Samaria and Babylon ravaging Judah, served as a vivid object lesson that God cannot be mocked and that He always keeps His covenant – both in blessing and in consequence. This passage is a strong theological affirmation of God's justice, patience, and eventual judgment against covenant breaking and idolatry, which resonates with other prophets' warnings against spiritual apostasy.

Ezekiel 23 46 Commentary

Ezekiel 23:46 encapsulates the inexorable nature of God's judgment against unfaithful covenant people. After a detailed, almost brutal, allegorical exposition of Israel and Judah's spiritual harlotry and political idolatry, God directly asserts His plan of retribution. This verse clarifies that the coming devastation is not merely an unfortunate political outcome or random historical event, but a divinely orchestrated act of justice. God explicitly takes responsibility for "bringing up a crowd" – powerful foreign armies, whether Assyrian or Babylonian – underscoring His sovereignty over all nations, even those outside the covenant, to serve His purposes. He actively "gives them over," stripping them of His protective hand. The chosen terms "trouble" and "plunder" articulate both the psychological torment and physical despoliation that will ensue, a fitting punishment mirroring the defilement and spiritual despoilment they brought upon themselves through their illicit liaisons. This verse serves as a stark warning: turning away from God inevitably leads to His judgment, executed through the very instruments previously sought for security, resulting in fear and loss.