Ezekiel 23:45
in Ezekiel 23But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And righteous men, they shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
KJV
And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
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This verse in Ezekiel 23
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The judgment to be executed by the hands of their allies. Eze 23:45 The righteous men - Or, righteous men. The allies are so called as the instruments of God’s righteous judgments. Eze 23:48 To cease - Because they are stricken and consumed. Compare marginal reference. All women - i. e., all countries.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 36, 37 onwards) And the Lord said to me, saying: Son of man, do you judge Oholah and Oholibah and announce to them their crimes (or iniquities): for they are adulteresses (or have committed adultery), and there is blood on their hands, and they have committed adultery with their idols (or inventions): moreover, they have offered to devour (or have led) their sons whom they have borne to me through fire. But they have also done this to me, they have defiled my sanctuary on that day: and they have profaned my Sabbaths.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
And all that is written for warning against the sins of idolatry, and confidence in an arm of flesh, and sinful leagues and confederacies with wicked people (which are the sins here meant by committing whoredom), is that others may hear and fear, and not sin after the similitude of the transgressions of Israel and Judah.
The Assyrians that destroyed Samaria, the Chaldeans that destroyed Jerusalem, those were comparatively righteous, had a sense of justice between man and man and justly resented the treachery of the Jewish nation; however, they executed God's judgments, which, we are sure, are all righteous.
Smite the scorner and the simple will beware. The judgments of God upon some are designed to teach others, and happy are those who receive instruction from them not to tread in the steps of sinners, lest they be taken in their snares; those who would be taught this must know God is the Lord (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the righteous men,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Thus God will assert the honour of his broken law and injured government, and let the world know what a just and jealous God he is. (2.) Thus they shall be broken off from their sins: I will cause lewdness to cease out of the land,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And the righteous men - אנשים צדיקים anashim tsaddikim. The Chaldeans, thus called because they are appointed by God to execute judgment on these criminals.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַאֲנָשִׁ֣ים | vaanashim | and people | H582 → | 566 times |
| צַדִּיקִ֗ם | tzadikim | righteous | H6662 → | 206 times |
| הֵ֚מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| יִשְׁפְּט֣וּ | yishpetu | they will judge | H8199 → | 202 times |
| אֽוֹתְהֶ֔ם | ʾothem | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִשְׁפַּט֙ | mishpat | judgment of | H4941 → | 422 times |
| נֹֽאֲפ֔וֹת | noafot | adulteresses | H5003 → | 31 times |
| וּמִשְׁפַּ֖ט | umishpat | and judgment of | H4941 → | 422 times |
| שֹׁפְכ֣וֹת | shofekhot | [women who] shed | H8210 → | 114 times |
| דָּ֑ם | dam | blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נֹֽאֲפֹת֙ | noafot | [are] adulteresses | H5003 → | 31 times |
| הֵ֔נָּה | henah | they | H2007 → | 30 times |
| וְדָ֖ם | vedam | and blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| בִּֽידֵיהֶֽן׃ ס | bideihen | [is] on hands their | H3027 → | 1618 times |
וַאֲנָשִׁ֣יםand people
vaanashimH582 →566 times
צַדִּיקִ֗םrighteous
tzadikimH6662 →206 times
הֵ֚מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
יִשְׁפְּט֣וּthey will judge
yishpetuH8199 →202 times
אֽוֹתְהֶ֔ם<obj.> them
ʾothemH853 →10935 times
מִשְׁפַּט֙judgment of
mishpatH4941 →422 times
נֹֽאֲפ֔וֹתadulteresses
noafotH5003 →31 times
וּמִשְׁפַּ֖טand judgment of
umishpatH4941 →422 times
שֹׁפְכ֣וֹת[women who] shed
shofekhotH8210 →114 times
דָּ֑םblood
damH1818 →360 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
נֹֽאֲפֹת֙[are] adulteresses
noafotH5003 →31 times
הֵ֔נָּהthey
henahH2007 →30 times
וְדָ֖םand blood
vedamH1818 →360 times
בִּֽידֵיהֶֽן׃ ס[is] on hands their
bideihenH3027 →1618 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Leviticus 20:10If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.
it leads to
- John 8:4–5
and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
- Deuteronomy 22:22–24
If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
- John 8:4–5
Through
Zechariah 1:6But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? They repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts purposed to do to us according…
it leads to
- Lamentations 2:17
The LORD has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old; He has overthrown you without pity. He has let the enemy gloat over you and…
- Ezekiel 12:25–28
because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass,…
- Deuteronomy 28:15
If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
- Lamentations 2:17
Through
Hosea 6:5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 23:29
“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”
- Jeremiah 1:10
See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”
- Jeremiah 5:14
Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.
- Jeremiah 23:29
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.