Ezekiel 23:7
in Ezekiel 23She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she bestowed her whoredoms upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and on whomsoever she doted, with all their idols she defiled herself.
KJV
Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
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This verse in Ezekiel 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThus she committed her whoredoms with them,.... Entered into alliance with them, and joined them in their idolatrous worship: with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria; before described by their habit, office, and age: and with all on whom she doted; had an insatiable desire and lust after: with all their idols she defiled herself; worshipped all the idols the Assyrians did; and which were defiling, as they must needs be, since, as the word used signifies, they were dunghill gods.
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
all the elite of Assyria
The treaty with Assyria brought the idols of Assyria with it. Gill read the prostitution as alliance and idol worship joined together with the elite of the empire. Samaria defiled herself with both.
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
), and on all their idols with which she defiled herself. Note, Whatever creature we dote upon, pay homage to, and put a confidence in, we make an idol of that creature; and whatever we make an idol of we defile ourselves with. And now again the conviction looks back as far as the original of their nation: Neither left she her whoredoms which she brought from Egypt,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּתֵּ֤ן | vatiten | and she gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| תַּזְנוּתֶ֙יהָ֙ | taznuteiha | prostitution<s> her | H8457 → | 20 times |
| עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מִבְחַ֥ר | mivchar | [were] [the] choicest of | H4005 → | 12 times |
| בְּנֵֽי־ | benei- | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אַשּׁ֖וּר | ʾashur | Assyria | H804 → | 151 times |
| כֻּלָּ֑ם | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| וּבְכֹ֧ל | uvekhol | and by all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | [those] whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָֽגְבָ֛ה | ʾagevah | she lusted after | H5689 → | 7 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | by all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| גִּלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם | giluleihem | idols their | H1544 → | 48 times |
| נִטְמָֽאָה׃ | nitmaah | she made herself unclean | H2930 → | 162 times |
וַתִּתֵּ֤ןand she gave
vatitenH5414 →2011 times
תַּזְנוּתֶ֙יהָ֙prostitution<s> her
taznuteihaH8457 →20 times
עֲלֵיהֶ֔םto them
ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times
מִבְחַ֥ר[were] [the] choicest of
mivcharH4005 →12 times
בְּנֵֽי־[the] sons of
benei-H1121 →4930 times
אַשּׁ֖וּרAssyria
ʾashurH804 →151 times
כֻּלָּ֑םall of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
וּבְכֹ֧לand by all
uvekholH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר־[those] whom
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
עָֽגְבָ֛הshe lusted after
ʾagevahH5689 →7 times
בְּכָל־by all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
גִּלּוּלֵיהֶ֖םidols their
giluleihemH1544 →48 times
נִטְמָֽאָה׃she made herself unclean
nitmaahH2930 →162 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
Ezekiel 20:7And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
it leads to
- Leviticus 18:3
You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you.…
- Ezekiel 20:8
But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out…
- Leviticus 11:44
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
- Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?
- Leviticus 18:3
Through
Psalms 106:39They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 20:18
In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
- Leviticus 17:7
They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’
- Ezekiel 20:18
Through
Hosea 6:10In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.
it leads to
- Hosea 5:3
I know all about Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me. For now, O Ephraim, you have turned to prostitution; Israel is defiled.
- Hosea 5:3
Through
Hosea 5:3I know all about Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me. For now, O Ephraim, you have turned to prostitution; Israel is defiled.
it leads to
- Amos 3:2
“Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
- Amos 3:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.