Ezekiel 23:4

Ezekiel 23:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
• New International Version (NIV)The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

Context of Ezekiel 23:4

2‘Son of man, there were two sisters who had the same mother. 3They were prostitutes in Egypt, from the time that they were both young women. Men touched their breasts and made love to them. The older sister was called Oholah. The younger one was called Oholibah. In this story, Oholah is Samaria. Oholibah is Jerusalem. They became my wives, and later they gave birth to sons and daughters for me. 5Oholah was my wife but she continued to live as a prostitute. She wanted men from Assyria to be her lovers. 6Her lovers were soldiers who wore blue clothes. Some of them were army officers and leaders. They were all strong young men. Some of them rode on horses.

Ezekiel 23:4 word by word

וּשְׁמוֹתָ֗ן אָהֳלָ֤ה הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ וְאָהֳלִיבָ֣ה אֲחוֹתָ֔הּ וַתִּֽהְיֶ֣ינָה לִ֔י וַתֵּלַ֖דְנָה בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנ֑וֹת וּשְׁמוֹתָ֕ן שֹׁמְר֣וֹן אָהֳלָ֔ה וִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם אָהֳלִיבָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the namesשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• Aholahאׇהֳלָה'ohŏlâh 'ohŏlâhh · OholahH170
• the elderגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: oldH1419
• and Aholibahאׇהֳלִיבָה'ohŏlîybâh 'ohŏlîybâhh · OholibahH172
• her sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
• and they were mine, and they bareיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• and daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
• and Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389

Cross-references for Ezekiel 23:4

• Ezekiel 16:40They will bring a crowd of people to attack you. They will throw stones at you. They will cut you in pieces with their swords.
• 1 Kings 12:20All the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt. So they asked him to come to a meeting of the people. They decided to make him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah still served David's descendant as their king.
• Ezekiel 16:8Later, I saw you again as I went that way. I saw that you had become a woman who was old enough to marry. So I covered your bare body with my coat. I promised to marry you. I made a covenant with you so that you became my wife. That is what the Almighty Lord says.
• Exodus 19:5Now you must be careful to obey me and my covenant with you. Then you will belong to me as my special people. The whole earth belongs to me, and I have chosen you from among all the nations.
• Psalms 45:11You are very beautiful and the king will want to be with you. He is your master, so respect him.
• Jeremiah 2:2He said, ‘Go and tell this to the people in Jerusalem: “This is what the Lord says: I remember how you used to love me when you were young. You loved me as a young wife loves her husband. You followed me through the wilderness, where no crops were growing.
• Romans 7:4My friends, it is like that for you too. When Christ's body died on the cross, it is as if you also died with him. Because of that, you are no longer under the authority the law. Now you are free to belong to someone else. You belong to Christ, whom God raised up after his death. As a result, we can live in a good way that will please God.
• 1 Kings 12:26Jeroboam thought, ‘I do not want the people of my kingdom to accept David's descendants as king again.
• John 4:22You people from Samaria do not know the one that you worship. But we Jews do know him, because God's salvation comes from among the Jewish people.
• 1 Kings 8:29Watch over this temple and take care of it day and night. This is the place about which you said, “People will give honour to my name there.” Please answer my prayers when I turn towards this place to pray to you.
• Psalms 76:2His home is in Salem. Yes, he lives in Zion.
• Psalms 132:13The Lord has chosen Zion to be his home.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 23:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Aholah … and Aholibah - More correctly “Oholah” (“her own tent or tabernacle”) and “Oholibah” (“My tent or tabernacle is in her”): names chosen to express that after the division Israel set up her own tabernacle in the place of the temple in which God dwelt 1 Kings 12:32, while with Judah the Temple of God still remained. The presence of God aggravated Judah‘s sins. In the times of the captivity it was customary among the Jews to give their children names…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Marriage is commonly used in the Bible as a symbol for the covenant relationship between God and his people (for example, Isaiah 54:1–8; Ephesians 5:22–33). Adultery symbolizes Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness (for example, Hosea 1–3). God makes his covenants even though his people are sinful. He does not choose them because of their good character (Romans 5:6–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Aholah--that is, "Her tent" (put for worship, as the first worship of God in Israel was in a tent or tabernacle), as contrasted with Aholibah, that is, "My tent in her." The Beth-el worship of Samaria was of her own devising, not of God's appointment; the temple-worship of Jerusalem was expressly appointed by Jehovah, who "dwelt" there, "setting up His tabernacle among the people as His" (Ex 25:8; Le 26:11, 12; Jos 22:19; Psa 76:2). the elder--Samaria…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 23:4

• Aholah
• Aholibah
• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Samaria
• Samaria, Samaritan
• Adulterer
• Adultery
• Aholibah
• Desirable
• Dispatch
• Dote
• Hatefully

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