Discovery BoxEzekiel 16:1-63
Context16:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 16:2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem 1 with her abominable practices 16:3 and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 16:4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water; 2 you were certainly not rubbed down with salt, nor wrapped with blankets. 3 16:5 No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you; 4 you were thrown out into the open field 5 because you were detested on the day you were born.
16:6 “‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” 6 16:7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.
16:8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing 7 that you had reached the age for love. 8 I spread my cloak 9 over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
16:9 “‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. 16:10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 16:11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 16:12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 16:13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty. 16:14 Your fame 10 spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord. 11
16:15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty 12 became his. 16:16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his. 13 16:17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution 14 with them. 16:18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them. 16:19 As for my food that I gave you – the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed you – you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what happened, declares the sovereign Lord.
16:20 “‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them 15 as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution not enough, 16:21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. 16 16:22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your blood.
16:23 “‘After all of your evil – “Woe! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign Lord – 16:24 you built yourself a chamber 17 and put up a pavilion 18 in every public square. 16:25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced 19 your beauty when you spread 20 your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity. 16:26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your sexually aroused neighbors, 21 multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger. 16:27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed by your obscene conduct. 16:28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your sexual desires were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied. 16:29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, 22 but you were not satisfied there either.
16:30 “‘How sick is your heart, declares the sovereign Lord, when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute. 16:31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment. 23
16:32 “‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband! 16:33 All prostitutes receive payment, 24 but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors! 16:34 You were different from other prostitutes 25 because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!
16:35 “‘Therefore O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: 16:36 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Because your lust 26 was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have given to them, 16:37 therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed, both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness. 27 16:38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. 28 I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage. 29 16:39 I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare. 16:40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords. 16:41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give gifts to your clients. 30 16:42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.
16:43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, 31 declares the sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?
16:44 “‘Observe – everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 16:45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north 32 of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south 33 of you, was Sodom 34 with her daughters. 16:47 Have you not copied their behavior 35 and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time 36 you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 16:48 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.
16:49 “‘See here – this was the iniquity 37 of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help 38 the poor and needy. 16:50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them. 16:51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. 39 You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done. 16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. 40 Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.
16:53 “‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters (along with your fortunes among them), 16:54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in consoling them. 16:55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and you and your daughters will be restored to your former status. 16:56 In your days of majesty, 41 was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth, 16:57 before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the daughters of Aram 42 and all those around her and to the daughters of the Philistines – those all around you who despise you. 16:58 You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable practices, declares the Lord.
16:59 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant. 16:60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting 43 covenant with you. 16:61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 16:63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent 44 when I make atonement for all you have done, 45 declares the sovereign Lord.’”
Ezekiel 20:1-49
Context20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, 46 some of the elders 47 of Israel came to seek 48 the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. 20:2 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me, 49 declares the sovereign Lord.’ 20:4 “Are you willing to pronounce judgment? 50 Are you willing to pronounce judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers, 20:5 and say to them:
“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore 51 to the descendants 52 of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore 53 to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 20:6 On that day I swore 54 to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out 55 for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, 56 the most beautiful of all lands. 20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, 57 and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, 58 nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out 59 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, 60 so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, 61 before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 62
20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes 63 and revealed my regulations to them. The one 64 who carries 65 them out will live by them! 66 20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths 67 as a reminder of our relationship, 68 so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. 69 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out 70 my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. 71 20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore 72 to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this 73 because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. 74 20:17 Yet I had pity on 75 them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
20:18 “‘But I said to their children 76 in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, 77 nor defile yourselves with their idols. 20:19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy 78 and they will be a reminder of our relationship, 79 and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 20:21 “‘But the children 80 rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys 81 them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out 82 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 20:22 But I refrained from doing so, 83 and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:23 I also swore 84 to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. 85 20:24 I did this 86 because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on 87 their fathers’ idols. 20:25 I also gave 88 them decrees 89 which were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices 90 – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire 91 – so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.’ 92
20:27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore 93 to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. 20:29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’” (So it is called “High Place” 94 to this day.)
20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers 95 and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 20:31 When you present your sacrifices 96 – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, 97 O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! 98
20:32 “‘What you plan 99 will never happen. You say, “We will be 100 like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” 101 20:33 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, 102 and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. 20:34 I will bring you out from the nations, and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! 20:35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 20:36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the sovereign Lord. 20:37 I will make you pass under 103 the shepherd’s staff, 104 and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 20:38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt 105 against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, 106 if you will not listen to me. 107 But my holy name will not be profaned 108 again by your sacrifices 109 and your idols. 20:40 For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them 110 in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things. 20:41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 20:42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore 111 to give to your fathers. 20:43 And there you will remember your conduct 112 and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves 113 because of all the evil deeds you have done. 20:44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
20:45 (21:1) 114 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:46 “Son of man, turn toward 115 the south, 116 and speak out against the south. 117 Prophesy against the open scrub 118 land of the Negev, 20:47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 119 I am about to start a fire in you, 120 and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it. 20:48 And everyone 121 will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’”
20:49 Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
Ezekiel 23:1-49
Context23:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 23:2 “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. 23:3 They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers 122 fondled their virgin nipples there. 23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah 123 the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. 124 Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
23:5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. 125 She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians 126 – warriors 127 23:6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 23:7 She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired 128 – with all their idols. 23:8 She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her. 129 23:9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians 130 for whom she lusted. 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious 131 among women, and they executed judgments against her.
23:11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this, 132 but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. 23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 23:13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 23:14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, 133 23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians 134 whose native land is Chaldea. 23:16 When she saw them, 135 she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 136 23:17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. 137 They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she 138 became disgusted with them. 23:18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, 139 I 140 was disgusted with her, just as I 141 had been disgusted with her sister. 23:19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. 23:20 She lusted after their genitals – as large as those of donkeys, 142 and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions. 23:21 This is how you assessed 143 the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled 144 your nipples and squeezed 145 your young breasts.
23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 146 I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, 147 Shoa, 148 and Koa, 149 and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 23:24 They will attack 150 you with weapons, 151 chariots, wagons, and with a huge army; 152 they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment; 153 they will punish you according to their laws. 23:25 I will direct 154 my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears, 155 and your survivors will die 156 by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 23:26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 23:27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you have practiced in the land of Egypt. 157 You will not seek their help 158 or remember Egypt anymore.
23:28 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 159 I am about to deliver you over to 160 those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted. 23:29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for, 161 and leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct. 162 23:30 I will do these things to you 163 because you engaged in prostitution with the nations, polluting yourself with their idols. 23:31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment 164 in your hand. 23:32 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: “You will drink your sister’s deep and wide cup; 165 you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal. 23:33 You will be overcome by 166 drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation. 23:34 You will drain it dry, 167 gnaw its pieces, 168 and tear out your breasts, 169 for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.
23:35 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, 170 you must bear now the punishment 171 for your obscene conduct and prostitution.”
23:36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment 172 on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds! 23:37 For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me, 173 they have passed through the fire as food to their idols. 174 23:38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day 175 they desecrated my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 23:39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.
23:40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out. 176 For them you bathed, 177 painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry. 23:41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where you placed my incense and my olive oil. 23:42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her, 178 including all kinds of men; 179 even Sabeans 180 were brought from the desert. The sisters 181 put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 23:43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will commit immoral acts with her.’ 23:44 They had sex with her 182 as one does with a prostitute. In this way they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women. 23:45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed, 183 because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
23:46 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army 184 against them and subject them 185 to terror and plunder. 23:47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. 186 23:48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct. 23:49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for idol worship. 187 Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.”
[16:2] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:4] 2 tn Heb “in water you were not washed for cleansing” or “with water you were not washed smooth” (see D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:473, n. 57, for a discussion of possible meanings of this hapax legomenon).
[16:4] 3 sn Arab midwives still cut the umbilical cords of infants and then proceed to apply salt and oil to their bodies.
[16:5] 4 sn These verbs, “pity” and “spare,” echo the judgment oracles in 5:11; 7:4, 9; 8:18; 9:5, 10.
[16:5] 5 sn A similar concept is found in Deut 32:10.
[16:6] 6 tc The translation reflects the Hebrew text, which repeats the statement, perhaps for emphasis. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Old Greek, and the Syriac do not include the repetition. The statement could have been accidentally repeated or the second occurrence could have been accidentally omitted. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to know which is more likely.
[16:8] 7 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a participle.
[16:8] 8 tn See similar use of this term in Ezek 23:17; Prov 7:16; Song of Songs 4:10; 7:13.
[16:8] 9 tn Heb “wing” or “skirt.” The gesture symbolized acquiring a woman in early Arabia (similarly, see Deut 22:30; Ruth 3:9).
[16:14] 11 sn The description of the nation Israel in vv. 10-14 recalls the splendor of the nation’s golden age under King Solomon.
[16:15] 12 tn Heb “it” (so KJV, ASV); the referent (the beauty in which the prostitute trusted, see the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:16] 13 tc The text as written in the MT is incomprehensible (“not coming [plural] and he will not”). Driver has suggested a copying error of similar-sounding words, specifically לֹא (lo’) for לוֹ (lo). The feminine participle בָאוֹת (va’ot) has also been read as the feminine perfect בָאת (va’t). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:228, n. 15.b, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:486, n. 137.
[16:17] 14 tn Or perhaps “and worshiped them,” if the word “prostitution” is understood in a figurative rather than a literal sense (cf. CEV, NLT).
[16:20] 15 sn The sacrifice of children was prohibited in Lev 18:21; 20:2; Deut 12:31; 18:10.
[16:21] 16 tn Heb “and you gave them, by passing them through to them.” Some believe this alludes to the pagan practice of making children pass through the fire.
[16:24] 17 tn The Hebrew גֶּב (gev) may represent more than one word, each rare in the Old Testament. It may refer to a “mound” or to “rafters.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate interpret this as a brothel.
[16:24] 18 tn Or “lofty place” (NRSV). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:229, and B. Lang, Frau Weisheit, 137.
[16:25] 19 tn Heb “treated as if abominable,” i.e., repudiated.
[16:25] 20 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew root is found in Prov 13:3 in reference to the talkative person who habitually “opens wide” his lips.
[16:26] 21 tn Heb “your neighbors, large of flesh.” The word “flesh” is used here of the genitals. It may simply refer to the size of their genitals in general, or, as the translation suggests, depicts them as sexually aroused.
[16:29] 22 tn Heb “Chaldea.” The name of the tribal group ruling Babylon (“Chaldeans”) and the territory from which they originated (“Chaldea”) is used as metonymy for the whole empire of Babylon.
[16:31] 23 tn The Hebrew term, which also occurs in vv. 34 and 41 of this chapter, always refers to the payment of a prostitute (Deut 23:19; Isa 23:17; Hos 9:1; Mic 1:7).
[16:33] 24 tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
[16:34] 25 tn Heb “With you it was opposite of women in your prostitution.”
[16:36] 26 tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
[16:37] 27 sn Harlots suffered degradation when their nakedness was exposed (Jer 13:22, 26; Hos 2:12; Nah 3:5).
[16:38] 28 tn Heb “and I will judge you (with) the judgments of adulteresses and of those who shed blood.”
[16:38] 29 tn Heb “and I will give you the blood of rage and zeal.”
[16:41] 30 tn The words “to your clients” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.
[16:43] 31 tn Heb “your way on (your) head I have placed.”
[16:46] 34 sn Sodom was the epitome of evil (Deut 29:23; 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24; Jude 7).
[16:47] 35 tn Heb “walked in their ways.”
[16:47] 36 tn The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7.
[16:49] 38 tn Heb “strengthen the hand of.”
[16:51] 39 tn Or “you have multiplied your abominable deeds beyond them.”
[16:52] 40 tn Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”
[16:57] 42 tc So MT, LXX, and Vulgate; many Hebrew
[16:63] 44 tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”
[16:63] 45 tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”
[20:1] 46 sn The date would be August 14th, 591
[20:1] 47 tn Heb “men from the elders.”
[20:1] 48 tn See the note at 14:3.
[20:3] 49 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
[20:4] 50 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment.
[20:5] 51 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:5] 53 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:6] 54 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand to them.”
[20:6] 55 tn Or “searched out.” The Hebrew word is used to describe the activity of the spies in “spying out” the land of Canaan (Num 13-14); cf. KJV “I had espied for them.”
[20:6] 56 sn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a figure of speech describing the land’s abundant fertility, occurs in v. 15 as well as Exod 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev 20:24; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3; 11:9; 26:9; 27:3; Josh 5:6; Jer 11:5; 32:23 (see also Deut 1:25; 8:7-9).
[20:7] 57 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.
[20:8] 58 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”
[20:8] 59 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:9] 60 tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”
[20:9] 61 tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”
[20:9] 62 tn Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.
[20:11] 63 sn The laws were given at Mount Sinai.
[20:11] 66 tn The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19.
[20:12] 67 sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).
[20:12] 68 tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”
[20:12] 69 tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.
[20:13] 70 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:13] 71 tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”
[20:15] 72 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:16] 73 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
[20:16] 74 tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.
[20:17] 75 tn Heb “my eye pitied.”
[20:18] 76 tn Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
[20:18] 77 tn Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.
[20:20] 78 tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”
[20:20] 79 tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”
[20:21] 81 tn Or “carries them out.”
[20:21] 82 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:22] 83 tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.
[20:23] 84 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:23] 85 sn Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26-27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Canaan.
[20:24] 86 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23-24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
[20:24] 87 tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).
[20:25] 89 tn The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת (khuqot; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally feminine. Here Ezekiel changes the form to masculine: חֻקִּים (khuqim). Further, they are not called “my decrees” as vv. 11 and 13 refer to “my statutes.” The change is a signal that Ezekiel is not talking about the same statutes in vv. 11 and 13, which lead to life.
[20:26] 91 sn This act is prohibited in Deut 12:29-31 and Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35. See also 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:10. This custom indicates that the laws the Israelites were following were the disastrous laws of pagan nations (see Ezek 16:20-21).
[20:26] 92 sn God sometimes punishes sin by inciting the sinner to sin even more, as the biblical examples of divine hardening and deceit make clear. See Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Divine Hardening in the Old Testament,” BSac 153 (1996): 410-34; idem, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28. For other instances where the Lord causes individuals to act unwisely or even sinfully as punishment for sin, see 1 Sam 2:25; 2 Sam 17:14; 1 Kgs 12:15; 2 Chr 25:20.
[20:28] 93 tn Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”
[20:29] 94 tn The Hebrew word (“Bamah”) means “high place.”
[20:30] 95 tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”
[20:31] 97 tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”
[20:31] 98 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
[20:32] 99 tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”
[20:32] 100 tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”
[20:32] 101 tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”
[20:33] 102 sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).
[20:37] 103 tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.
[20:37] 104 sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13; Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
[20:38] 105 tn See the note at 2:3.
[20:39] 106 sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.
[20:39] 107 tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.
[20:39] 108 sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.
[20:40] 110 tn Heb “all of it.”
[20:42] 111 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
[20:43] 113 tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”
[20:45] 114 sn Beginning with 20:45, the verse numbers through 21:32 in the English Bible differ by five from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 20:45 ET = 21:1 HT, 20:46 ET = 21:2 HT, 21:1 ET = 21:6 HT etc., through 21:32 ET = 21:37 HT. Beginning with 22:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
[20:46] 115 tn Heb “set your face toward.” This expression occurs as well in Ezek 6:2; 13:17.
[20:46] 116 tn Or “the way toward the south,” or “the way toward Teman.” Teman is in the south and may be a location or the direction.
[20:46] 117 tn Or “toward Darom.” Darom may mean the south or a region just north of southern city of Beer Sheba. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:417-18.
[20:46] 118 tn The Hebrew term can also mean “forest,” but a meaning of uncultivated wasteland fits the Negev region far better. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:418.
[20:47] 119 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[20:47] 120 tn Fire also appears as a form of judgment in Ezek 15:4-7; 19:12, 14.
[20:48] 121 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[23:3] 122 tn In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.
[23:4] 123 tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”
[23:4] 124 sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.
[23:5] 125 tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29.
[23:5] 127 tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.
[23:7] 128 tn Heb “lusted after.”
[23:8] 129 tn Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”
[23:9] 130 tn Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”
[23:11] 132 tn The word “this” is not in the original text.
[23:14] 133 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.
[23:15] 134 tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”
[23:16] 135 tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”
[23:16] 136 sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).
[23:17] 137 tn Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”
[23:17] 138 tn Heb “her soul.”
[23:18] 139 tn Heb “She exposed her harlotry and she exposed her nakedness.”
[23:20] 142 tn Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?) whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is extremely problematic here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” but this still fails to explain how the pronoun relates to the noun. It is more likely that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of their genitals.
[23:21] 143 tn Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.
[23:21] 144 tn Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
[23:21] 145 tn Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
[23:22] 146 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[23:23] 147 sn Pekod was the name of an Aramean tribe (known as Puqudu in Mesopotamian texts) that lived in the region of the Tigris River.
[23:23] 148 sn Shoa was the name of a nomadic people (the Sutu) that lived in Mesopotamia.
[23:23] 149 sn Koa was the name of another Mesopotamian people group (the Qutu).
[23:24] 150 tn Heb “come against.”
[23:24] 151 tn This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.
[23:24] 152 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[23:24] 153 tn Heb “I will place before them judgment.”
[23:25] 155 tn Heb “they will remove.”
[23:27] 157 tn Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”
[23:27] 158 tn Heb “lift your eyes to them.”
[23:28] 159 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
[23:28] 160 tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”
[23:29] 161 tn The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.
[23:29] 162 tn Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”
[23:30] 163 tn The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28: “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.
[23:31] 164 tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).
[23:32] 165 sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.
[23:33] 166 tn Heb “filled with.”
[23:34] 167 tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”
[23:34] 168 tn D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place (Num 24:8), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.
[23:34] 169 sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).
[23:35] 170 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
[23:35] 171 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
[23:36] 172 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4; 22:2.
[23:37] 173 sn The Lord speaks here in the role of the husband of the sisters.
[23:37] 174 tn Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35.
[23:38] 175 tn Heb “in that day.”
[23:40] 176 tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.
[23:40] 177 tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.
[23:42] 178 tn Heb “(was) in her.”
[23:42] 179 tn Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”
[23:42] 180 tn An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.
[23:42] 181 tn Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[23:44] 182 tn Heb “and they came to her.”
[23:45] 183 tn Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”
[23:46] 184 tn Heb “assembly.”
[23:46] 185 tn Heb “give them to.”
[23:47] 186 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
[23:49] 187 tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.
