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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 23:36-49

After the ten tribes were carried into captivity, and that kingdom was made quite desolate, the remains of it by degrees incorporated with the kingdom of Judah, and gained a settlement (many of them) in Jerusalem; so that the two sisters had in effect become one again; and therefore, in these verses, the prophet takes those to task jointly who were thus conjoined: ?Wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah together? Ezek. 23:36. Wilt thou go about to frame an excuse for them? Thou seest the matter... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 23:40

And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far ,.... From Egypt, Assyria, and Chaldea, to treat with them, and enter into alliances and confederacies with them, and to join them in their idolatrous practices; these Heathen nations did not send to the Jews, but the Jews to them; they did not court their friendship and alliance, but the Jews courted theirs: unto whom a messenger was sent ; to court their favour, and solicit a confederacy, and to desire that ambassadors might... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 23:40

Thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments - This is exactly the way in which a loose female in Bengal adorns herself to receive guests. She first bathes, then rubs black paint around her eyes, and then covers her body with ornaments. - Ward's Customs. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 23:1-49

Inexcusable infidelity. What it must have cost the patriotic prophet to write this chapter passes our power to imagine. The Jew was naturally and pardonably proud of his country and of its history. No thoughtful Jew could, indeed, be insensible to imperfections and flaws in the national character, to stains upon the nation's annals. But in this passage of his prophecies the dark shading is relieved by no gleam of light. Israel is depicted as bad from the days of Egyptian bondage down to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 23:40

Ye have sent for men to come from far , etc. The words obviously refer to the embassies which had been sent from time to time by both Samaria and Jerusalem to Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. The imagery of the earlier stage of the harlot's progress is resumed, and we have a picture almost the counterpart of that in Proverbs 7:10-21 . She takes her bath, paints her eyelashes with kohol, the black pigment still used in the East, as Jezebel had done ( 2 Kings 9:30 ). She decks herself with... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ezekiel 23:40-41

The figure is that of a woman decked in all her beauty, sitting on a couch (not bed) at a banquet prepared for those whom she has invited. This further offence is not one of idolatry, but that of courting alliances with other powers which were not less readily made than broken.Ezekiel 23:40That ye have sent - Better, “they (i. e., Israel and Judah) sent.” read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ezekiel 23:40-42

Ezekiel 23:40-42. And furthermore, ye have sent for men to come from far, &c. Here the same thing which was spoken of in the former part of the chapter, is mentioned again in other words, namely, their courting the alliances of foreign nations, by complying with their idolatries: and this is set forth under the representation of the several arts which harlots used to recommend themselves to new lovers: compare Isaiah 57:7; Isaiah 57:9. For whom thou didst wash thyself A custom... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 23:36-49

Judgment on the two sisters (23:36-49)The prophet links the two kingdoms for his summary of God’s judgment on them. Both kingdoms had copied the religious practices of their treaty partners, even to the extent of offering their children as blood sacrifices to foreign gods. They deliberately broke God’s law and defiled his temple (36-39).Both kingdoms acted like prostitutes, enticing foreign nations so that they could join with them in unions that were immoral and ungodly (40-41). These foreign... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Ezekiel 23:40

men. Plural of 'mush. App-14 . wash thyself. Compare Ruth 3:3 . paintedst, he. Compare 2 Kings 9:30 . Jeremiah 4:30 . read more

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