Ezekiel 23:5

Ezekiel 23:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
• New International Version (NIV)“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine; And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,

Context of Ezekiel 23:5

3They were prostitutes in Egypt, from the time that they were both young women. Men touched their breasts and made love to them. 4The 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. Oholah 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. 7Oholah gave herself to them as a prostitute. She had sex with all the important young men of Assyria. She did these disgusting things with anyone that she wanted. She worshipped their idols and she made herself unclean.

Ezekiel 23:5 word by word

וַתִּ֥זֶן אָהֳלָ֖ה תַּחְתָּ֑י וַתַּעְגַּב֙ עַֽל־מְאַהֲבֶ֔יהָ אֶל־אַשּׁ֖וּר קְרוֹבִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Aholahאׇהֳלָה'ohŏlâh 'ohŏlâhh · OholahH170
• played the harlotזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
• when she was mineתַּחַתtachath · underneath: underH8478
• and she dotedעָגַב‛âgab · to lustH5689
• on her loversאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• on the Assyriansאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804
• neighboursקָרֹבqârôb qârôb · nearH7138

Cross-references for Ezekiel 23:5

• 1 Kings 14:9But you have done more evil things than any of the kings who lived before you. You have made me very angry. You have used metal to make images of other gods that you could worship. You have turned away from me.
• 1 Kings 15:26He did things that the Lord said were evil. He did the same bad things that his father had done. He also caused the Israelites to do bad things.
• 1 Kings 16:31He did the same bad things that Nebat's son Jeroboam had done. He even did something that was even worse. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Ahab served Baal as his god and he worshipped him.
• 1 Kings 21:26Ahab was so wicked that he worshipped useless idols, as the Amorites did. The Lord had chased those people out of the land so that the Israelites could live there.
• 2 Kings 17:7All this happened because the Israelites did bad things against the Lord, their God. The Lord had brought them safely out of Egypt. He had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But now they worshipped other gods.
• Ezekiel 23:7Oholah gave herself to them as a prostitute. She had sex with all the important young men of Assyria. She did these disgusting things with anyone that she wanted. She worshipped their idols and she made herself unclean.
• Ezekiel 16:37So listen to me! I will bring all those men that you had sex with. You liked some of them and you hated others. I will bring all of them to stand around you. Then I will remove all your clothes and they will all see your completely bare body.
• Jeremiah 50:38There will be no rain on the land so that the rivers and streams become dry. I will send all this trouble because their whole land is full of idols. The people become crazy because they are afraid of their idols.
• Ezekiel 16:28You has sex with the Assyrians, too. You wanted more and more sex! You sold yourself to them, but you still wanted more
• 2 Kings 15:19Then Pul, the king of Assyria, attacked the land of Israel. Menahem paid him 34 tons of silver to help him to rule Israel with greater power.
• 2 Kings 16:7King Ahaz sent a message to Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria. He said, ‘I am your servant and I need your help. The king of Syria and the king of Israel have brought their armies to attack me in Jerusalem. Please come here to rescue me.’
• 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, came to attack Hoshea in Samaria. Hoshea agreed to accept Shalmaneser's authority. Israel had to pay a lot of money as taxes to Shalmaneser each year.
• Hosea 5:13Ephraim's people knew that they were not well. Judah's people knew that they had wounds. Ephraim's leaders expected Assyria to help them. They asked Assyria's great king for help. But he is not able to make you well. He cannot make your wounds better.
• Hosea 8:9Israel's rulers have gone to Assyria for help. They are like a wild donkey that goes here and there. Ephraim's people have paid money to get help from other nations. as if they are paying for lovers.
• Hosea 10:6Assyria's army will carry the idol away. It will be a gift to give honour to Assyria's great king. Ephraim's people will feel ashamed. They will be sorry that they trusted in their wooden idol.
• Hosea 12:1Ephraim's people chase after useless things all the time. They think that they can catch the wind that comes from the east! But the result is more violence and lies. They make an agreement with Assyria to get their help. They also send their olive oil to Egypt to ask for their help.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 23:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5And Aholah played the harlot - Without entering into detail here, or following the figures, they both became idolatrous, and received the impure rites of the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans, of which connection the prophet speaks here as he did in chap. 16, which see. In this chapter there are many of what we would call indelicate expressions, because a parallel is run between idolatry and prostitution, and the circumstances of the latter illustrate…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-8Oholah: The northern kingdom did not embrace God's covenant of grace. Instead, it was drawn to Assyria's power and prestige. Israel formed alliances with Assyria as part of its political strategy starting in the 800s BC. However, these alliances did not protect Israel in the end.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. when ... mine--literally, "under Me," that is, subject to Me as her lawful husband. neighbours--On the northeast the kingdom of Israel bordered on that of Assyria; for the latter had occupied much of Syria. Their neighborhood in locality was emblematical of their being near in corruption of morals and worship. The alliances of Israel with Assyria, which are the chief subject of reprobation here, tended to this (2Ki 15:19; 16:7, 9; 17:3; Ho 8:9).Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 23:5

• Aholah
• Aholibah
• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Adulterer
• Desirable
• Dispatch
• Dote
• Hatefully
• Lewd
• Crime; Crimes
• Ezekiel
• Grace
• Oholah

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