Ezekiel 23:1-4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 23:1-10

God had often spoken to Ezekiel, and by him to the people, to this effect, but now his word comes again; for God speaks the same thing once, yea, twice, yea, many a time, and all little enough, and too little, for man perceives it not. Note, To convince sinners of the evil of sin, and of their misery and danger by reason of it, there is need of line upon line, so loth we are to know the worst of ourselves. The sinners that are here to be exposed are two women, two kingdoms, sister-kingdoms,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 23:1

The word of the Lord came unto me ,.... The word of prophecy, as the Targum; another prophecy, one upon the same subject, as in Ezekiel 16:1 , saying ; as follows: read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 23:2

Son of man, there were two women ,.... Or two nations and kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel or the ten tribes, and the kingdom of Judah or the two tribes. So the Targum, "son of man, prophesy concerning two provinces, which are as two women:' the daughters of one mother ; either Sarah the wife of Abraham, from whom they sprung; or because they were originally one kingdom and nation; so they were when they came out of Egypt, and during the times of the judges, and in the reigns of David... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 23:3

And they committed whoredoms in Egypt ,.... When they were but one body, one nation; and while they sojourned as strangers in that land they learned and practised the idolatries of it, Joshua 24:14 , and so the Targum, "and they erred in Egypt, after the worship of their idols they erred, and there they corrupted their works:' they committed whoredoms in their youth ; as soon as they were come out of Egypt, and were formed into a political and ecclesiastical state, had the law of God... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 23:4

And the names of them were Aholah the elder ,.... Or, "the greater" F13 הגדולה "major", Junius and Tremellius, Polanus, Starckius. meaning the ten tribes of Israel, which were more in number than Judah, and greater in power and riches; their name, Aholah, signifies "her tent or tabernacle", which was entirely their own, and not the Lord's: their worship, and places of worship, were of their own appointing, namely, their calves at Dan and Bethel; God had nothing to do with them, there... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 23:2

Son of man, there were two women - All the Hebrews were derived from one source, Abraham and Sarah; and, till the schism under Rehoboam, formed but one people: but as these ten tribes and a half separated from Judah and Benjamin, they became two distinct people under different kings; called the kingdom of Judah, and the kingdom of Israel. They are called here, because of their consanguinity, two sisters. The elder, Samaria, (for there was the seat of government for the kingdom of Israel),... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 23:1-49

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 23:4

The occurrence of proper names is almost unique in the parables of the Bible, the Lazarus of Luke 16:20 being the only other instance. Their meaning is sufficiently clear. Aholah (but both names should begin with O rather than A) means "Her tent;" Aholibah , "My tent is in her." A parallel, which may have suggested the names, is found in the Aholibamah (equivalent to "My tent is in the high place") of Genesis 36:2 , and another in the use of Ohel as a proper name in 1 Chronicles... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 23:4

Aholah and Aholibah. "Her tent" and "My tent is in her." These names stand respectively for Israel and Judah. Israel, the northern kingdom, had her own tent, i.e. she was independent after secession from Judah, like a woman who has left her mother's tent and has one of her own. Judah retained the temple, the representative of the tabernacle of the wilderness; therefore God's tent was in her. These prosaic facts were suggestive of deeper traits of national character, which the symbolical... read more

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