New Living Translation
Ezekiel 23:40
40“You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them.
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
38Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day! 39On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house. “You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them. 41You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread before you. 42From your room came the sound of many men carousing. They were lustful men and drunkards from the wilderness, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your 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 the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.
- Isaiah 57:9You have gone to Molech with olive oil and many perfumes, sending your agents far and wide, even to the world of the dead.
- 2 Kings 20:13Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
- Ruth 3:3Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking.
- Esther 2:12Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments.
- 2 Kings 9:30When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window.
- Jeremiah 4:30What are you doing, you who have been plundered? Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing and put on gold jewelry? Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara? Your primping will do you no good! The allies who were your lovers despise you and seek to kill you.
- Ezekiel 16:13And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and costly fabric and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods—choice flour, honey, and olive oil—and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were!
- Proverbs 7:10The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart.
- Isaiah 3:18On that day of judgment the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful: ornaments, headbands, crescent 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
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