Bible Strands
Ezekiel 16:28
Then you prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after that, you were still not satisfied.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks through Ezekiel to a personified Jerusalem, indicting her diplomatic alliances during a prophetic warning of impending judgment. The address follows a declaration of reduced territory and delivery to hostile neighbors.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/תִּזְנִי (va./tiz.Ni) literally means "and you acted as a prostitute," while the noun שָׂבְעָתֵךְ (sa.ve.'a.Te/kh) denotes "your satiety." These terms frame the political treaty as a breach of covenant fidelity marked by insatiable ambition.
The thread — The pattern of seeking Assyrian alliance appears in 2 Kings 16:7 when Ahaz sends messengers declaring himself a servant, and in 2 Kings 16:10 when he sends architectural plans for an altar. Jeremiah 2:18 also questions the utility of pursuing such foreign dependencies.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that political maneuvering substitutes for covenant trust and repeatedly fails to deliver security. A reader must stop equating diplomatic treaties with divine provision and cease pursuing foreign powers for satisfaction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 16:7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.”
- 2 Kings 16:10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. On seeing the altar in Damascus, King Ahaz sent Uriah the priest a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction.
- Jeremiah 2:18 Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
- Jeremiah 2:36 How impulsive you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
- Hosea 10:6 Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.
- 2 Chronicles 28:23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.
- Judges 10:6 And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
- 2 Kings 21:11 “Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin,
- 2 Chronicles 28:16 At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria.
- 2 Chronicles 28:20 Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him.