Ezekiel 23:16

Ezekiel 23:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
• New International Version (NIV)As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
• New King James Version (NKJV)As soon as her eyes saw them, She lusted for them And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

Context of Ezekiel 23:16

14But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion, 15wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust. 18When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.

Ezekiel 23:16 word by word

וַתַּעְגְּבָ֥ה עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם לְמַרְאֵ֣ה עֵינֶ֑יהָ וַתִּשְׁלַ֧ח מַלְאָכִ֛ים אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם כַּשְׂדִּֽימָה׃Read the interlinear

• At the sight of themמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
• At the sight of themעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• she lustedעָגַב‛âgab · to lustH5689
• for themעַל‛al · uponH5921
• and sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• messengersמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messengerH4397
• to themאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
• in Chaldeaכַּשְׂדִּיםkaώdîy kaώdîymâh · ChaldeaH3778

Cross-references for Ezekiel 23:16

• Ezekiel 16:29So you extended your promiscuity to Chaldea, the land of merchants—but even with this you were not satisfied!
• Genesis 3:6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
• Genesis 6:2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
• Genesis 39:7and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
• 2 Samuel 11:2One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
• 2 Kings 24:1During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
• Job 31:1“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
• Psalms 119:37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word.
• Proverbs 6:25Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
• Proverbs 23:33Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities.
• Matthew 5:28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
• Ezekiel 23:40Furthermore, you sisters sent messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.
• Ezekiel 16:17You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself.
• 2 Peter 2:14Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 23:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The sending of “messengers” refers to the act of Ahaz 2 Kings 16:7.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-18Samaria’s reputation and punishment were known to everyone in Ezekiel’s time. Her sister, Oholibah (Jerusalem), followed the same pattern of life and was even worse than her sister. The kings of Judah thought it was wise to form alliances with Babylon and Assyria. However, the prophet saw this as a pattern of ongoing spiritual unfaithfulness.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. sent messengers ... into Chaldea--(Eze 16:29). It was she that solicited the Chaldeans, not they her. Probably the occasion was when Judah sought to strengthen herself by a Chaldean alliance against a menaced attack by Egypt (compare 2Ki 23:29-35; 24:1-7). God made the object of their sinful desire the instrument of their punishment. Jehoiakim, probably by a stipulation of tribute, enlisted Nebuchadnezzar against Pharaoh, whose tributary he previously…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 23:16

• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Chaldea
• Adulterer
• Desirable
• Dispatch
• Dote
• Hatefully
• Lewd
• Attire; Dyed Attire
• Color; Colors
• Crime; Crimes

Commentaries on Ezekiel 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings