Bible Strands
Ezekiel 16:34
So your prostitution is the opposite of that of other women: No one solicited your favors, and you paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the very opposite!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Ezekiel addresses Jerusalem, personified as a wife, during a prophetic denunciation of her idolatry and political alliances.
The words — The Hebrew הֵפֶךְ (hefekh) translates literally to "contrariness" or "opposite," while the verb זוּנָה (zunah) means "to be approached for prostitution."
The thread — This pattern of inverted status appears in Deuteronomy 28:48, where covenant curses strip the people of their expected social and economic standing.
Why it lands — The text states that Jerusalem paid lovers to come to her, reversing the normal economic dynamic of prostitution. This factual inversion demands recognition of her complete breach of covenant loyalty.
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
And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.