F W 1-4. Aholah and Aholibah.
X 5-10. Aholah = Samaria [Israel].
X Aholibah = Jerusalem [Judah].
W 36-49. Aholah and Aholibah.
482 B.C.
Ezekiel 23)
1 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, there were two women (2 sisters, representing respectively Samaria and Jerusalem), the daughters of one mother:
3 And they committed idolatries in Egypt (cp. 20:7,8); they committed idolatries in their youth: there were their breasts handled (as in vv.8,21), and there they squeezed (in natural use) the teats of their virginity.
4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder (Heb. 'abalah = [she has] her own tent. So named probably because Israel set up her own worship as distinct from Yahaveh's. Elder refers not to age, but intent), and Aholibah her sister: and they were Mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. (Heb. = 'ahalibah = My ten [is] in her.)
X Y A 5-. Aholah. [Samaria.]
B -5,6. Doting on the Assyrians.
C 7. Her idolatry with them.
D 8. Her perseverance.
E 9,10. Judgment executed.
Y A 11. Aholibah. [Jerusalem.]
B 12. Doting on the Assyrians.
C 13-18. Her idolatry with them.
D 19-21. Her perseverance.
E 22-35. Judgment threatened.
5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was Mine;
and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,
6 Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
7 Thus she committed her idolatries with them, with all them that were the chose of Asshur's sons (so vv.9,12), and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
8 Neither left she her idolatries brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
10 These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became infamous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her idolatries more than her sister in her idolatries.
12 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
14 And that she increased her idolatries: for when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,
15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their idolatry, and she was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them.
18 So she discovered her idolatries, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, according as My mind was alienated from her sister.
19 Yet she multiplied her idolatries, in calling to remembrance put for the desiring of her former idolatries) the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot (put for idolatress) in the land of Egypt.
20 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, in handling your teats by the Egyptians for the paps of your youth.
E a 22-26. Enemies.
b 27. Purpose. [Negative.]
a 28-34. Enemies.
b 35. Purpose.
22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus says the Lord GOD (Adonai Yahaveh); 'Behold, I will raise up your lovers against you, from whom your mind is alienated, and I will bring them against you on every side;
23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa (these Eastern peoples are all named in the inscriptions), and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.
24 And they shall come against you with chariots, chariots, and wheels, and with a gathered host of peoples, which shall set against you buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25 And I will set My jealousy against you, and they shall deal furiously with you: they shall take away your nose and your ears; and your remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take your sons and your daughters; and your residue shall be devoured by the fire.
26 They shall also strip you out of your clothes, and take away your fair jewels.
27 Thus will I make your lewdness to cease from you, and your idolatry brought from the land of Egypt: so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.'
28 For thus says the Lord GOD; 'Behold, I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate, into the hand of them from whom your mind is alienated:
29 And they shall deal with you hatefully, and shall take away all your labor, and shall leave you naked and bare: and the nakedness of your idolatries shall be discovered, both your lewdness and your idolatry.
30 I will do these things to you, because you have gone idolizing after the nations, and because you are polluted with their manufactured gods.
31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore will I give her cup (cp. Isa. 51:17. Rev. 14:9,10) into your hand.'
32 Thus says the Lord GOD; 'You shall drink of your sister's cup deep and large: you shall be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it contains much.
33 You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You shall even drink it and suck it out, and You shall break (or, gnaw, lest a drop should be lost) the potsherds thereof, and tear out (i.e. destroy the occasions of their idolatry) your own breasts: for I have spoken it, says the Lord GOD.'
35 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; 'Because you have forgotten Me, and cast Me behind your back, therefore bear you also your lewdness and your Idolatry.' " (Put for the punishment due to the idolatry.)
W c 36,37. Judgment.
d 38-44. Incrimination.
c 45. Judgment.
d 46-49. Threatening.
36 The LORD said moreover to me; "Son of man, will you judge Aholah and Aholibah? yes, declare to them their abominations;
37 That they have committed adultery (put [like whoredom] for all idolatry, as being unfaithfulness to Yehovah), and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also set apart their sons, whom they bare to Me, to pass for them (refers to the idols, in the 1st clause) through the fire, to devour them. (see Lev. 18:21; 20:2-4)
38 Moreover this they have done to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned My sabbaths. (Cp. Lev. 19:31.)
39 For when they had slain their sons to their idols, then they came the same day into My sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of My house.
40 And furthermore, that you have sent for men to come from far, to whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom you did wash yourself (cp. Ruth 3:3), painted your eyes, and decked yourself with ornaments, (Cp. 2 Kings 9:30. Jer. 4:30)
41 And sat upon a stately bed (cp. Prov. 7:16-18. Isa. 57:8,9), and a table prepared before it, whereupon you have set My incense and My oil.
42 And a voice of a careless throng was with her (or, in her, i.e. Jerusalem): and with the men of the mass of mankind were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.
43 Then said I to her that was old in idolatries, 'Will they now commit idolatries with her, even her (but Ginsburg thinks it should read "but so it was". Cp. 16:15,19) with them?'
44 Yet they went in to her, as they go in to a woman that plays the harlot: so went they in to Aholah and to Aholibah, the lewd women.
45 And the righteous men, they shall judge them (cp. Lev. 20:10) after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46 For thus says the Lord GOD; 'I will bring up a gathered host upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.
47 And the gathered host shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
48 Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.
49 And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.' "