Ezekiel 23:3

And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. THEY COMMITTED WHOREDOMS IN EGYPT. Even so early in their history as their Egyptian sojourn they committed idolatries (notes, Ezekiel 20:6; ). IN THEIR YOUTH - an aggravation of their sin. It was at the very time of their receiving extraordinary favours from God (; ). THEY BRUISED THE TEATS OF THEIR VIRGINITY - namely, the Egyptians, in a spiritual sense, bruised the teats of Israel's and Judah's virginity....

EXPOSITION After another pause, the prophet enters on another elaborate parallel, after the pattern of Ezekiel 16:1; but with a marked variation. There we have the history of one harlot, _s.c. _of Israel in its collective unity. There we have two sister harlots, the daughters of one mother, and they are Samaria and Jerusalem, as both belonging to Israel. For the purpose of the parable, they are represented as having had a separate existence, even during the period of the sojourn in Egypt. This was probably historically true, the line of cleavage caused by the claims of Ephraim to supremacy appearing again and again long before the revolt of the tea tribes under Jeroboam (Judges 8:1; Judges 12:1;...

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 given them, and promised obedience to him, and were espoused by him, which times are called the days of their youth and espousal, Jeremiah 2:2, and then were they guilty of whoredom, or spiritual adultery, which idolatry, in making and worshipping the golden calf, after the manner of Egypt; and in jo

In Ezekiel 23:1 Samaria and Jerusalem are called two sisters, Aholah and Aholibah, in their ungodly relation with Assyria and Chaldea. Aholah means “her tent.” Aholibah, “my tent is in her.” The latter denotes the fact that the true sanctuary was in Judah. The sins and vileness of both are portrayed throughout this long chapter, as well as the deserved punishment....

EZEKIEL 23. FATAL ALLIANCE WITH FOREIGNERS. This is the third and last of the three great indictments (Ezekiel 16, 20) which draw their material from the past rather than (as Ezekiel 22) from the present. Its underlying imagery is the same as that of ch. 16, but it differs from that chapter in dealing with the northern and southern kingdoms separately (_cf. Ezekiel 16:46_) and in emphasizing political rather than religious entanglements, though of course foreign alliances did as a matter of fact involve the recognition of foreign gods, i_.e._ idolatry (Ezekiel 22:7). Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of Israel and Judah respectively, are described as sisters married to Yahweh (_cf._ Jacob with his two sister wives). Their names, Oholah and Oholibah, are significantly connected with t

WHOREDOMS. idolatries. EGYPT. Compare Ezekiel 20:7; Ezekiel 20:8. pressed. handled, as in verses: Ezekiel 23:8; Ezekiel 23:21. BRUISED. squeezed (in natural use)....

The two kingdoms are represented ideally as already existing in Egypt. This is not so far from the truth. The great tribes of Judah and Ephraim from the first stood apart, and in their attitude there lay already the germs of the two kingdoms, as appears in the song of Deborah. On the idea of the prophet that idolatry was practised in Egypt, cf. ch. Ezekiel 20:8; Ezekiel 16:26....

II. A SAD HISTORY 23:1-49 In chapter 23 Ezekiel vividly portrays the history of the sister kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Israel is represented here by Samaria, and Judah by Jerusalem. They are allegorically compared to two wicked sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, who were unfaithful to their lawful husband. Both sisters sought liaisons with strange men. So also Israel and Judah had committed spiritual adultery against God. Samaria had already been punished for her unfaithfulness. Judah had failed to learn from the experiences of her sister kingdom, and was headed for the same fate. Such is the overall import of Ezekiel 23. A, Introduction of the Two Sisters 23:1-4 TRANSLATION (1) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of the same mother; (3) and they committed harlotry in Egypt; they committed harlotry in their youth; there

THE UNCHASTE SISTERS, OHOLAH AND OHOLIBAH The idolatries and foreign alliances of Jerusalem and Samaria are here described under the same strong figure which is used in Ezekiel 16. Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem) were two sisters, both seduced in Egypt in their youth (Ezekiel 23:3), both espoused by God (Ezekiel 23:4), and both unfaithful to Him. Samaria took as her lovers first the Assyrians (Ezekiel 23:5), and then the Egyptians (Ezekiel 23:8), and was at length slain by the former ...

EZEKIEL: ‘THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM GOD’ THE *SIN OF JUDAH AND THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD EZEKIEL CHAPTER S 1 TO 24 _IAN MACKERVOY_ CHAPTER 23 * The *Lord had made special promises to *Israel. Those promises were like the marriage promises that a man makes to his wife. When *Israel divided into two *kingdoms, both parts had that special relationship with the *Lord. But neither part stayed loyal to the *Lord. So the *Lord said that they were like *prostitutes. Their *sins had continued for a long time. And they could not avoid punishment. THE TWO *PROSTITUTES – EZEKIEL 23:1-49 (1) TWO SISTERS – EZEKIEL 23:1-4...