Ezekiel Chapter 23 – Commentary and Explanation

 

Ezekiel Chapter 23 – Commentary and Explanation

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Ezekiel 23 is… well, it’s intense. Raw. Gritty. A chapter you can’t just skim over casually with a cup of tea in your hand. It’s one of those chapters that grabs your attention and shakes you a little. Maybe a lot. It's like a prophetic drama—unfiltered, unedited, and emotionally charged. This is the Lord, through Ezekiel, pulling no punches as He lays out a brutal, sobering parable of two sisters—Oholah and Oholibah—symbolic representations of Samaria and Jerusalem. The metaphors are graphic. The imagery is vivid. And the message? It’s blistering.

Let’s dive into it. But brace yourself.

Verses 1–4: Two Sisters, One Origin

The chapter starts with God’s word coming to Ezekiel again. And God launches into a story of two women, daughters of the same mother. These women, Oholah and Oholibah, represent Samaria (the capital of the northern kingdom, Israel) and Jerusalem (the capital of the southern kingdom, Judah). Now, if you're wondering why these particular cities are chosen—well, they weren’t just capitals. They were symbolic of the entire spiritual climate of each kingdom.

Their names are significant. “Oholah” means “her own tent,” suggesting self-made worship or a self-created place of dwelling (read: her own religion). “Oholibah” means “my tent is in her,” pointing to God’s presence—His temple—in Jerusalem. That detail alone is powerful. The one had no divine presence but invented her worship. The other had the very temple of the Lord in her midst—and still rebelled.

Right here, we see the stage set for judgment, not just based on behavior, but based on betrayal. Because the deeper the intimacy, the deeper the wound when it’s violated.

Verses 5–10: Oholah's (Samaria’s) Infidelity

Oholah played the harlot while she was still with God. That’s what verse 5 says. She didn’t wait. She chased after her lovers—the Assyrians. Now, this isn't just about sexual sin. It's idolatry. But God uses this metaphor because it hurts in a way people can feel. He’s showing how He feels when His people abandon Him. It's not legalistic disappointment—it's personal heartbreak.

Verse 7 says she defiled herself with all the idols of her lovers. And even when the affair should have ended, verse 8 tells us she never gave up the harlotries she started back in Egypt. Her roots of unfaithfulness ran deep.

So, what happened to her? Verse 9–10 tells us. God delivered her into the hands of her lovers—the very Assyrians she lusted after. And they exposed her, stripped her, killed her. Her sons and daughters perished. She became an object of scorn.

Sin has a way of turning on you. What looks desirable at first ends up devouring you. Oholah chased the Assyrians, and they crushed her. That’s the tragic irony.

Verses 11–21: Oholibah's (Jerusalem’s) Even Worse Betrayal

Now, here comes the real shocker. You’d think after seeing her sister’s fate, Oholibah would have learned, right? But nope. Verse 11 says she was “more corrupt in her lust.” She didn’t just repeat Samaria’s sins—she doubled down.

She, too, lusted after the Assyrians. She saw their clothing, their appearance, their military might… and she was allured. She was captivated not by character, not by righteousness, but by power and beauty and show. And then she moved on to Babylon (v.14–17). Even worse, she carved images of Babylonian men on her wall and lusted for them just by seeing pictures! That's how deep her obsession ran. She imagined relationships with them before even meeting them.

And what did God say about all that? Verse 18 says, “Then I turned away in disgust from her.” That’s heavy. God, who is rich in mercy and slow to anger… turning away in disgust. But He’s not being petty—He’s heartbroken. Betrayed.

Even when the Babylonians tired of her and turned away, Jerusalem didn’t stop. She remembered her days in Egypt and desired that again (v.19). And God describes her behavior in graphic terms: “lusted after their paramours whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.” (v.20). It's crude, and it’s meant to be. It reflects the vulgarity of the spiritual adultery. No sugarcoating.

And honestly, when we read that, we should feel the offense. Not just theirs, but ours. Because this isn't just Israel's story—it’s humanity’s. It's ours.

Verses 22–35: Judgment Is Coming

The Lord declares that since Oholibah has acted this way, He’s going to summon her lovers against her. The very people she tried to please—Babylonians, Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa—they’re coming with weapons, horses, and fury. But not to woo her. To destroy her.

Here comes another twist of irony. These lovers will deal with her in hatred (v.29). They’ll strip her, rob her, and leave her naked. All the finery she used to charm them? Gone. Her gold, her jewelry, her pride—taken.

And God makes it clear why: “You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.” (v.31)

The cup. This symbolic cup appears a lot in Scripture, and here it represents judgment. A bitter, shameful drink. It’s full of horror and desolation. And Jerusalem must drink it to the dregs. Verse 34 says she will gnaw its pieces and tear her breasts.

This is graphic poetry. It’s raw. Because sin isn’t pretty. It’s not sanitized. And neither is God’s judgment when mercy is continually rejected.

Verses 36–39: Confronting the Sin

Now God tells Ezekiel to confront both sisters. Lay their sin out plainly.

Here’s the list:

• Adultery

• Bloodshed (they killed their children)

• Idolatry (they offered the children to idols)

• Hypocrisy (same day they went to God’s sanctuary as if nothing was wrong)

They killed their children and then went to God’s house. That’s next-level delusion. That’s what unchecked sin can do—it dulls the conscience to the point where worship and wickedness live side-by-side. You become blind to the contradiction. You pretend you can live one way all week and show up to church on Sunday and think God’s okay with it.

God wasn’t okay with it.

Verses 40–45: The Seduction of Nations

It gets worse. Verse 40 says the women sent for men to come from far away. They painted their eyes, dressed themselves up, prepared their beds—waiting for lovers like prostitutes waiting for a client. And when the men came, they defiled them.

God compares it to a worn-out prostitute who doesn't even get paid anymore. Just giving herself away. No honor, no dignity, no care.

And God says righteous men will judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and murderers. Because that's what they became.

Verses 46–49: Wrath Unleashed

Finally, the verdict comes. God will bring a mob against them. They will be stoned. Killed by swords. Homes burned. They will become a byword—a warning to others.

Verse 49 sums it all up: “Thus I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done.”

God’s not just punishing to punish. There’s a purpose. It’s to purge sin. To purify His people. To wake them up. To stop the cycle of idolatry.

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So... What Do We Do With This?

Reading Ezekiel 23 might make you squirm. That’s intentional. It’s not a comfy devotional. It’s a divine alarm bell.

This chapter is about more than ancient cities and prophetic metaphors. It’s about the human heart. Our tendency to wander. To pursue things that seem beautiful but are actually destructive. To think we can manage sin without consequence. To trust in human strength (like Egypt or Assyria or Babylon) instead of God.

1. Sin Starts Subtle but Ends Devastating

Both sisters didn’t fall overnight. It began with little compromises. Longings. Then imitation. Then full-blown idolatry and spiritual adultery. That’s the nature of sin—it seduces first, then enslaves, and finally, it destroys.

Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that these Old Testament stories were written for our instruction. They’re not ancient drama—they're spiritual wake-up calls.

2. God Is Not Indifferent to Betrayal

God is love. That’s true. But love also feels pain. And betrayal? It wounds love deeply. Ezekiel 23 shows a God who doesn’t just hand out rules—He enters into covenant, into relationship. And when His people abandon Him, it breaks His heart. It stirs His justice.

We can’t reduce God to a doting grandfather who winks at sin. He’s the holy Bridegroom who calls for loyalty, intimacy, and truth.

3. The World Is a False Lover

Oholah and Oholibah chased after nations thinking they’d find satisfaction, protection, pleasure. But those nations used them and threw them away.

The world does the same. It tempts us with status, wealth, image, sex, fame, applause. But it never delivers lasting joy. Instead, it exposes, robs, and leaves us broken.

Jesus called Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44). That’s what these nations represented—false promises that lead to bondage.

4. Repentance Is the Only Way Out

Though Ezekiel 23 doesn't mention restoration, the wider book of Ezekiel does. After judgment comes redemption. After discipline, hope. But only if there’s repentance.

We’ve got to examine our own lives. What idols have we invited in? What false lovers have we been entertaining?

God wants our hearts. Whole and undivided. And He’s willing to remove whatever hinders that—even if it hurts.

5. This Is a Mirror, Not Just a History Book

Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, I’ve never bowed to an idol or murdered anyone or run after a foreign king.” But Jesus raised the bar. He said if you look at someone with lust, you've committed adultery in your heart (Matt. 5:28). If you harbor hate, it's like murder (1 John 3:15).

This story isn’t just about ancient Israel. It’s about our hearts.

We live in a time of great distraction and spiritual compromise. Our “Assyrians” and “Babylonians” might look like influencers, money, careers, comfort, sexual freedom. But it’s the same story. New clothes, same soul-rot.

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Final Thoughts: God Wants Us Back

Ezekiel 23 ends on a heavy note. But that’s not where God’s story ends.

He doesn't expose sin to shame us. He does it to heal us.

Jerusalem may have played the harlot, but there’s another city—a new Jerusalem—coming. One prepared like a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). That’s the beauty of grace. God takes adulterous people and makes them pure again. He washes, restores, and renews.

But we’ve got to stop pretending we’re faithful when we’re not. We’ve got to let God confront the idols, the flirtations, the hidden sins. Not because He wants to punish us—but because He wants to restore us. Fully.

So yeah, Ezekiel 23 is jarring. But sometimes we need that.

Sometimes love shows up not with flowers—but with fire.

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Let’s live loyal. Let’s be faithful.

And let’s remember—we serve a God who loves us too much to let us stay in bed with our idols.