Ezekiel 23:1-4

Two Sisters

23:1 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 ¹  fondled their virgin nipples there. 23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah ²  the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. ³  Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

[23:3]  ¹ tn In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.

[23:4]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.