God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 23:37
37They have committed adultery. Their hands are covered with blood. They commit adultery with their idols. They have sacrificed the children they gave birth to for me as burnt offerings to idols.
Ezekiel 23:37 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.
- New International Version (NIV)for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.
Context of Ezekiel 23:37
35“This is what the Almighty Lord says: You have forgotten me and turned your back on me. So you will be punished for your sinning and prostitution.” 36The Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah and tell them about their disgusting practices? They have committed adultery. Their hands are covered with blood. They commit adultery with their idols. They have sacrificed the children they gave birth to for me as burnt offerings to idols. 38They have also done this to me: They have polluted my holy places when they do these things and dishonored the days to worship me. 39When they sacrificed their children to their idols, they came into my holy place and dishonored it. That is what they’ve done in my temple.
Read all of Ezekiel 23Ezekiel 23:37 word by word
כִּ֣י נִאֵ֗פוּ וְדָם֙ בִּֽידֵיהֶ֔ן וְאֶת־גִּלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֖ן נִאֵ֑פוּ וְגַ֤ם אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָֽלְדוּ־לִ֔י הֶעֱבִ֥ירוּ לָהֶ֖ם לְאָכְלָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- That they have committed adulteryנָאַףnâ'aph · to commit adulteryH5003
- and bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
- in their handsיָדyâd · handH3027
- and with their idolsגִּלּוּלgillûl gillûl · idolH1544
- and have also caused their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- whom they bareיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
- unto me, to pass for them throughעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- to devourאׇכְלָה'ôklâh · foodH402
Cross-references for Ezekiel 23:37
- Ezekiel 23:5Oholah acted like a prostitute, although she was my wife. She lusted after her Assyrian lovers who lived nearby.
- Ezekiel 16:32You are an adulterous wife who prefers strangers to her husband.
- Hosea 1:2When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, the Lord told him, “Marry a prostitute and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned the Lord.”
- Hosea 3:1Then the Lord told me, “Love your wife again, even though she is loved by others and has committed adultery. Love her as I, the Lord, love the Israelites, even though they have turned to other gods and love to eat raisin cakes.”
- Ezekiel 23:39When they sacrificed their children to their idols, they came into my holy place and dishonored it. That is what they’ve done in my temple.
- Ezekiel 16:36This is what the Almighty Lord says: You exposed yourself and uncovered your naked body when you gave yourself to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols. You also killed your children and sacrificed their blood to these idols.
- Ezekiel 22:2“Will you judge, son of man? Will you judge the city of murderers? Then tell it about all the disgusting things that it has done.
- Ezekiel 24:6“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: How horrible it will be for that city of murderers, for that tarnished pot. Its tarnish will not come off. Empty the meat out of it piece by piece without choosing any particular piece.
- 2 Kings 24:4including the innocent blood he had shed. He had a lot of innocent people in Jerusalem killed, and the Lord refused to forgive him.
- Psalms 106:37They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
- Isaiah 1:15So when you stretch out your hands ⌞in prayer⌟, I will turn my eyes away from you. Even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen because your hands are covered with blood.
- Jeremiah 7:6Suppose you do not oppress foreigners, orphans, and widows, or kill anyone in this place. And suppose you do not follow other gods that lead you to your own destruction.
- Hosea 4:2There is cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery. People break ⌞my laws⌟, and there is one murder after another.
- Micah 3:10You build Zion on bloodshed and Jerusalem on wickedness.
- Luke 13:34“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing!
- Ezekiel 23:4“The older girl was named Oholah, and the younger girl was named Oholibah. I married them, and they gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah represents Samaria, and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 23:37
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37Blood - One of the chief sins of Manasseh was that he shed innocent blood 2 Kings 21:16; 2 Kings 24:4.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-43The prophet again took the role of a prosecuting attorney. A prosecuting attorney is a person who brings charges against someone in court. His task was to confront Jerusalem with her sins (detailed in Ezekiel 22). Jerusalem and Samaria were supposed to be holy cities, set apart for God. Instead, they had become like worn-out prostitutes. This picture shows that they had been unfaithful to God. Their only attraction was their availability, meaning they…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 36-4436-44. A summing up of the sins of the two sisters, especially those of Judah. wilt thou judge--Wilt thou (not) judge (see on Eze 20:4)?Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 23:37
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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