Ezekiel 23:6
in Ezekiel 23clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
who were clothed with blue, governors and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
KJV
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
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This verse in Ezekiel 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseClothed with blue - The purple dye was highly valued among the ancients, and at first was only used by kings, at last it was used among the military, particularly by officers of high rank in the country.
This site's exposition
Aholah played the harlot when she was mine
on Ezekiel 23:5-8
Samaria's course is told first, doting on the Assyrians. Clarke reads the historical record behind the figure, the treaties Menahem and Hoshea made with Assyria, national policy pictured as a woman's infatuation. JFB notes the figure never drops the earlier history, the whoredoms from Egypt she brought with her.
This site's exposition
clothed in blue
Blue was a costly dye, and Clarke noted it was worn first by kings and later by high officers. The Assyrian governors, commanders and horsemen drew Samaria by their splendor. Her lust began with the eye.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 23, verses 1 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. And they played the harlot in Egypt, in their youth they played the harlot. There their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms were broken (or, as it is in the Septuagint, There their breasts fell and there they were deflowered). Their names were Oholah the elder (or, the elder sister), and Oholibah her sister. And I took them (whether they were given to me) and they bore sons and daughters.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Which were clothed with blue,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
blue--rather, "purple" [FAIRBAIRN]. As a lustful woman's passions are fired by showy dress and youthful appearance in men, so Israel was seduced by the pomp and power of Assyria (compare Isa 10:8). horsemen--cavaliers.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The army of the Assyrians is described. War-horses formed an important part in the armies of Assyria and Egypt; Israel was deficient in this respect Isa 36:8.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְבֻשֵׁ֤י | levushei | clothed of | H3847 → | 110 times |
| תְכֵ֙לֶת֙ | tekhelet | blue | H8504 → | 49 times |
| פַּח֣וֹת | pachot | governors | H6346 → | 28 times |
| וּסְגָנִ֔ים | useganim | and officials | H5461 → | 17 times |
| בַּח֥וּרֵי | bachurei | young men of | H970 → | 44 times |
| חֶ֖מֶד | chemed | desire | H2531 → | 6 times |
| כֻּלָּ֑ם | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| פָּרָשִׁ֕ים | parashim | horsemen | H6571 → | 57 times |
| רֹכְבֵ֖י | rokhevei | riders of | H7392 → | 78 times |
| סוּסִֽים׃ | susim | horses | H5483 → | 140 times |
לְבֻשֵׁ֤יclothed of
levusheiH3847 →110 times
תְכֵ֙לֶת֙blue
tekheletH8504 →49 times
פַּח֣וֹתgovernors
pachotH6346 →28 times
וּסְגָנִ֔יםand officials
useganimH5461 →17 times
בַּח֥וּרֵיyoung men of
bachureiH970 →44 times
חֶ֖מֶדdesire
chemedH2531 →6 times
כֻּלָּ֑םall of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
פָּרָשִׁ֕יםhorsemen
parashimH6571 →57 times
רֹכְבֵ֖יriders of
rokheveiH7392 →78 times
סוּסִֽים׃horses
susimH5483 →140 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Ezekiel 23:23the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 50:21
Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.
- 2 Kings 20:14–17
Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” “They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”
- 2 Kings 24:2
And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.
- Job 1:17
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped…
- Isaiah 23:13
Look at the land of the Chaldeans—a people now of no account. The Assyrians destined it for the desert creatures; they set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They brought it to…
- Jeremiah 50:21
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); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).