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 women who were daughters of the same mother. 3They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there. Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians – warriors 6clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding 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 summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords.
• 1 Kings 12:20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty.
• Ezekiel 16:8“‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
• Exodus 19:5And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,
• Psalms 45:11Then the king will be attracted by your beauty. After all, he is your master! Submit to him!
• Jeremiah 2:2“Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, how devoted you were to me in your early years. I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted.
• Romans 7:4So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God.
• 1 Kings 12:26Jeroboam then thought to himself: “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom.
• John 4:22You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.
• 1 Kings 8:29Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place.
• Psalms 76:2He lives in Salem; he dwells in Zion.
• Psalms 132:13Certainly the Lord has chosen Zion; he decided to make it 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