God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 23:40
40“They even sent messengers to invite men to come from far away. When the men arrived, they washed themselves for the men, painted their eyes, and put on their jewels.
Ezekiel 23:40 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments,
- New International Version (NIV)“They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewelry.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
Context of Ezekiel 23:40
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. “They even sent messengers to invite men to come from far away. When the men arrived, they washed themselves for the men, painted their eyes, and put on their jewels. 41They sat on their fine couches with tables in front of them. They put my incense and my olive oil on their tables. 42“I heard the noise from a carefree crowd. A large number of people came from the desert, and they put bracelets on the women’s wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.
Read all of Ezekiel 23Ezekiel 23:40 word by word
וְאַ֗ף כִּ֤י תִשְׁלַ֙חְנָה֙ לַֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים בָּאִ֖ים מִמֶּרְחָ֑ק אֲשֶׁ֨ר מַלְאָ֜ךְ שָׁל֤וּחַ אֲלֵיהֶם֙ וְהִנֵּה־בָ֔אוּ לַאֲשֶׁ֥ר רָחַ֛צְתְּ כָּחַ֥לְתְּ עֵינַ֖יִךְ וְעָ֥דִית עֶֽדִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And furthermoreאַף'aph · alsoH637
- that ye have sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- for menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- to comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- from farמֶרְחָקmerchâq · distanceH4801
- unto whom a messengerמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messengerH4397
- for whom thou didst washרָחַץrâchats · to wash: washH7364
- thyself, paintedstכָּחַלkâchal · to paintH3583
- thy eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- and deckedstעָדָה‛âdâh · to adornH5710
- thyself with ornamentsעֲדִי‛ădîy · ornamentH5716
Cross-references for Ezekiel 23:40
- Ezekiel 23:13I saw that she was dishonoring herself. Both sisters acted the same way.
- Isaiah 57:9You’ve journeyed to the king with perfumed oils and put on plenty of perfume. You’ve sent your ambassadors far away and sent them down to Sheol.
- 2 Kings 20:13Hezekiah was so happy with them that he showed the messengers his warehouse: the silver, gold, balsam, fine olive oil, his entire armory, and everything in his treasury. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and every corner of his kingdom.
- Ruth 3:3Freshen up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go down to the threshing floor. Don’t let him know that you’re there until he’s finished eating and drinking.
- Esther 2:12Each young woman had her turn to go to King Xerxes after she had completed the required 12-month treatment for women. The time of beauty treatment was spent as follows: six months using oil of myrrh and six months using perfumes and other treatments for women.
- 2 Kings 9:30When Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She put on eye shadow, fixed her hair, and looked out of a second-story window.
- Jeremiah 4:30You are going to be destroyed! What are you going to do? Why do you dress in red and put on gold jewelry? Why do you wear eye shadow? You are making yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers reject you; they want to kill you.
- Ezekiel 16:13So you wore gold and silver jewelry. You were dressed in fine linen, silk, and embroidered clothes. Your food was flour, honey, and olive oil. You were very beautiful, and eventually you became a queen.
- Proverbs 7:10A woman with an ulterior motive meets him. She is dressed as a prostitute.
- Isaiah 3:18On that day the Lord will take away their fine things: jingling anklets, headbands, crescent-shaped necklaces,
Commentaries on Ezekiel 23:40
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40Thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments - This is exactly the way in which a loose female in Bengal adorns herself to receive guests. She first bathes, then rubs black paint around her eyes, and then covers her body with ornaments. - Ward's Customs.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 40The figure is that of a woman decked in all her beauty, sitting on a couch (not bed) at a banquet prepared for those whom she has invited. This further offence is not one of idolatry, but that of courting alliances with other powers which were not less readily made than broken. Ezekiel 23:40 That ye have sent - Better, “they (i. e., Israel and Judah) sent.”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 23:40
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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