Ezek. 23 The whoredoms of Aholah and Ahollbah, Ezek. 23:1–21. Aholibah shall be punished by her own lovers, Ezek. 23:22–35. Their adulteries reproved, Ezek. 23:36–44, and their judgments declared, Ezek. 23:45–49.

Two women; Judah and Israel, the two kingdoms. Daughters of one mother; sprung from Sarah; or, as some, daughters of the synagogue. They rose from one family; these two were daughters, that is parts, and the mother is the whole posterity of the twelve tribes.

They committed whoredoms in Egypt; when they came down into Egypt, and sojourned there: possibly they might commit bodily whoredoms, but spiritual whoredoms, i.e. idolatry, they did certainly commit, as appears Josh. 24:14, Ezek.

That we might know them, they are described. Aholah; which, rendered in English, is, His own tabernacle; for Israel, falling off from the house of David, also fell off from the tabernacle or temple of God, so that all the temple and worship they had amongst them was of their own making.

Aholah, the kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, played the harlot; united in confederacy in civil concerns, and in idolatry as to religious concerns, with the Assyrians. When she was mine; when under my government and protection, or in my presence, or before I had abdicated and cast her off.

Clothed with blue; richly apparelled, and, as the humour of that nation, in rich and beautiful blue, very magnificent to the eye. Captains; daring, valiant men, and fit for wars, who might defend the Jews in time of danger. Rulers; worthy of authority, and fit to govern in times of peace.

Thus, by the eye and familiar converse, she fell to idolatry. Committed her whoredoms: see Ezek. 23:3. With all them; she embraced the friendship and religion of all of them, and relied on the Assyrian’s idols for deliverance and peace. And with all, i.e.

Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt; though she took in so many gods of the Assyrians, yet she did not renounce or cast off the gods of Egypt, but kept them too. It is plain the Israelites learnt idolatry in Egypt, carried it with them out of Egypt, and retained it to the last.

Wherefore, for this boundless idolatry and lewdness I have delivered her; long ago I have delivered the ten tribes: first, Pul put them under tribute, 2 Kings 15:19–20, about two hundred years before our prophet’s time; then Tiglath-pileser, 2 Kings 15:29; and finally into Shalmaneser’s hand, who…

These used her as lewd women deserve, stripped her naked, and exposed her to shame, as Ezek. 23:26. God her Husband had clothed her, and covered her nakedness, but she lightly esteemed her God, doted on idols, and idolaters strip her.

Aholibah; Judah, yet two tribes. Saw this; both the sins and punishments of the kingdom of Israel, which should have been her admonition. She was more corrupt, ran more violently into both friendship, confederacies, and idolatries with the Assyrians, than her sister, Samaria; Jerusalem had more…

This verse is the same with Ezek. 23:6, which see; only the clothing of blue there is here clothing of beauty; i.e. most beautiful.

Then; when she took not warning, neither feared. She was defiled; her heart was already on her idols. Both Samaria and Jerusalem took one way; chose the same idols and idolatry.

Increased her whoredoms; added to the number of her idolatries. When she saw men portrayed upon the wall: wherever it was the Jews saw, there it was they doted on their persons and habits: it is probable enough they might see them in the idol temples, or in the house of the king of Judah, or of the…

With girdles upon their loins; with soldiers’ belts about their loins, which includes the rest of the garb, dress, or habit of soldiers. Exceeding in dyed attire; both rich, comely, large, and of divers colours, and those of the choicest that art or money could prepare.

Saw them; the portraits of them. She doted upon them; like an unsatiable and most impudent adulteress, she fell into most inordinate affection for their persons on sight of their pictures.

The Babylonians came: the prophet prosecuteth the allegory; the adulteress sent, and invited, and here the Chaldeans comply with it, they came, ambassadors no doubt first to make a confederacy, and then free intercourse in trade, and religion too.

So, by this unsatiableness and change of lovers, she discovered her whoredoms; made it appear to all, far and near, that she was a most notorious and infamous strumpet. Her nakedness; her weakness, and her shame.

Yet, Heb. And. Multiplied; added more and greater to her former sins of idolatry and whoredoms, and persisted in them. In calling to remembrance: this may refer either to the Jewish nation remembering their idolatries in Egypt, their alliances with and reliance upon it in days past, which she now…

Doted: see Ezek. 23:5. Upon their paramours; Egyptians, and the nations that were confederate with the Egyptians; looking on them as able to defend by their power, enrich by their trade, and make prosperous by their friendship.

Calledst to remembrance: see Ezek. 23:19. The lewdness of thy youth: Ezek. 23:3. The paps of thy youth; the beauty and loveliness of them, when God had formed them, allured the Egyptians: this may be understood both politically, of the growing state of the Jewish commonwealth, or literally, of the…

Thy lovers; thy confederates. From whom thy mind is alienated; whom thou hast first loathed and forsaken, and thereby enraged them against thee. Bring them against thee; be not only an exciter to stir them up against thee, but I will be a guide and conducter of them.

The Babylonians and Chaldeans; these are known. Pekod, & c.: some reckon these the titles of some of the great commanders in this army, which come against Jerusalem, but they are names of distinct countries or provinces under the Babylonish government; and so Pekod is the province between Tigris…

They, mentioned before, Ezek. 23:23, shall come against thee, or upon thee, surprise thee with a speedy march, for they were swift in their course. With chariots; the Hebrew is of larger sense, and more properly speaks all kind of arms for the war, a thorough furniture; so the Chaldee paraphrase,…

I will set my jealousy against thee; as a jealous provoked husband, I will be as much against thee as they are, their fury shall avenge my quarrel. They shall deal furiously with thee; their disposition naturally is to furious wrath, my jealousy shall enkindle it more.

Strip thee out of thy clothes; both as lewd, disgraced harlots and as captives are used: see Ezek. 16:39. Thy fair jewels; all thy rich, beautiful ornaments: see Ezek. 16:17. They shall be prey and plunder to the enemy.

By these destroying judgments, which shall make thee cease to be a people, I will put an end to the lewdness thou wouldst never have put end to, thou shalt never have opportunity, if thou hadst heart, to do the like.

Deliver thee, give thee up, into the hand, to the power and will, of them whom thou hatest: those shall be the masters, and domineer over thee, whom of all men thou didst most desire might not.

Deal with thee, use thee, and ever demean themselves toward thee, hatefully; in hatred; whatever drudgery hardship, base and vile employment, their spite and hatred can invent, they shall cast on thee.

This verse gives the same reason which hath been often given, why the Lord proceeds in this severity, because, as an obstinate, lewd, untractable adulteress abuseth the best husband, till none can forbear, so had the Jews dealt with God, and God will deal with them.

Thou, O Jerusalem and Judah, hast walked; hast run into the same sinful enormities. Thy sister; Samaria and the ten tribes, both great idolatresses. Her cup of judgments and sorrow, expressed frequently by a cup, Ps. 75:8, Jer.

Thou shalt drink; thou shalt not put it by, and shift it off. Deep; towards the dregs, where the bitterest poison of it lieth. And large; in great quantity; thy punishment shall be most grievous who must drink so deep of this cup of astonishment.

Thy afflictions shall be as great as thou canst hold, as a vessel filled with liquor. Thou shalt stagger with sorrows, that shall intoxicate and astonish.

Thou shalt even drink it; nothing shall divert the punishment. And suck it out; the dregs shalt thou drink, and multiply thine own sorrows. Break the sherds; either out of indignation, or to suck out what was imbibed.

Thou hast forgotten me, Ezek. 22:12, which is here explained by what follows; it was a wilful forgetting of God, and voluntary despising his law, ordinances, worship, favour, and presence; so God is cast behind a sinner’s back.

Wilt thou judge, excuse or plead for such adultresses. so Ezek. 22:2. Declare unto them plainly, fully tell them, what they have been, and what they must expect for all their abominations.

They have committed adultery: this seems to refer to corporal uncleannesses. Blood is in their hands; innocent blood of the murdered prophets and just men. Committed adultery; spiritual adultery, i.e. idolatry.

This; which is declared in the following words, it was some great injury or affront done to God. Defiled my sanctuary; my holy things, house, altar, sacrifices, and oblations; one part of the temple put for all parts of the holy things of God.

Slain their children: see Ezek. 16:20. To profane it; using my holy temple as if it were a common and unclean place. Thus have they done in the midst of my house; nay, these things have been done in my house, they have offered to their idols in the house where my name alone should be called upon.

Sent for men: see Ezek. 23:16. From far; from Chaldea. A messenger was sent; an embassy from the king of Judah, with advice of his princes, no doubt. They came: see Ezek. 23:17.

Safest; it is a table gesture, as appears, she was prepared to feast them. Upon a stately bed; a magnificent, rich bed, on which women sat to feast, when men leant on their sides, which would not have been a comely posture to a woman.

A voice of a multitude; a shout for joy, that there was a treaty of peace between the Jews and the Chaldeans, or songs of gladness for the peace made, and confirmed, not in God’s name, but in the name of the idols. Being at ease; free now from the fears of any wars to disquiet them.

Then said I; after the manner of man God seems to stand musing, or saying to himself, or it may be supposed that God speaks to the prophet, asking him. Unto her; or rather, of her, concerning her.

This resolves the doubt of the former verse. In this metaphor the prophet expresseth the confederacy of the Jews, against God’s express command, with the nations round about them.

Righteous men; men that kept the law of their God, for some such there were about Aholibah herself; or prophets, such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and some few more: or else the Babylonians, who in the present controversy between Jerusalem and its king on the one part, and Nebuchadnezzar and the…

A company; the Babylonian army. Upon them; against the Jews, the children of this Aholibah. Give them; the inhabitants of Judea, the citizens of Jerusalem, with princes and royal family. To be removed; to be carried away captive into the land of Chaldea.

The company, Heb. congregation, the Babylonian army. Stone them; the punishment of an adulteress; and this was in a manner done when the engines, which cast mighty stones into the besieged city, dashed out the brains of some, and when chimneys, or walls, or towers, beat down by those stones cast…

Cause lewdness to cease: see Ezek. 23:27. Hereafter in this land such-like abominations shall never be committed more, as indeed we do not read of any such after their return out of this captivity.

They; the Babylonians, and their confederates. Shall recompense; as God’s ministers of just vengeance, shall judge you worthy, and execute on you what you are worthy of, all that may make you desolate, a derision, and scorn.