Ezekiel 23:2 - Forerunner Commentary

Ezekiel 23:2

Two Harlot Sisters

1 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, there were ^atwo women,
The daughters of one mother.

3 ^aThey committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in ^btheir youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.

4 Their names:¹ Oholah the elder and Oholibah ^aher sister;
^bThey were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria

5 “Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring ^aAssyrians,

6 Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.

7 Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.

8 She has never given up her harlotry brought ^afrom Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.

9 “Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the ^aAssyrians,
For whom she lusted.

10 They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

11 “Now ^aalthough her sister Oholibah saw this, ^bshe became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

12 “She lusted for the neighboring ^aAssyrians,
^bCaptains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.

13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.

14 But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of ^aChaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

15 Girded with belts around their waists,
Flowing turbans on their heads,
All of them looking like captains,
In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,
The land of their nativity.

16 ^aAs soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent ^bmessengers to them in Chaldea.

17 “Then the¹ Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, ^aand alienated herself from them.

18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then ^aI ^balienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

Verse Comparison: Ezekiel 23:2

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American Standard Version
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

Amplified® Bible
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, listen to this story about two sisters.

Darby English Version
Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.

Good News Bible
"Mortal man," he said, "there were once two sisters.

King James Version
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

New American Standard Bible
"Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;

New International Version
"Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.

New King James Version
" Son of man, there were two women,
The daughters of one mother.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
"Son of man, there lived two women, the daughters of one mother;

Revised Standard Version
"Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;

Young's Literal Translation
Two women were daughters of one mother,

New English Translation
“Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother.

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