Ezekiel 23:17

Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ezekiel delivers a prophetic oracle to the exiled community, recounting God’s judgment on the allegorical figure Oholibah. The moment occurs immediately after Oholibah summons Babylonian envoys to Jerusalem to consummate a political alliance.

The words — בְּנֵי־בָבֶל (benei-Bavel) literally means "sons of Babylon," identifying the invading political and military agents. וַיְטַמְּאוּ (va-yetam'u) denotes ritual and moral defilement, describing the consummation of the illicit relationship.

The thread — The pattern of divine rejection following idolatrous alliances continues in Ezekiel 23:22-28, where God declares He will incite these same lovers against her and deliver her to those she hates. The geopolitical origin of the threat is grounded in Genesis 10:10.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that seeking security through hostile political compromise constitutes spiritual adultery. It requires the reader to confront the inevitable consequence of abandoning covenant reliance for worldly alliances.

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

וַיָּבֹ֨אוּva/i.ya.Vo.'uand/ they came אֵלֶ֤יהָ'e.Lei./hato/ her בְנֵֽי־ve.nei-[the] sons of בָבֶל֙va.VelBabylon לְמִשְׁכַּ֣בle./mish.Kavto/ a bed of דֹּדִ֔יםdo.Dimlove<s>וַיְטַמְּא֥וּva/y.ta.me.'Uand/ they defiled אוֹתָ֖הּ'o.Ta/h<obj.>/ her בְּתַזְנוּתָ֑םbe./taz.nu.Ta/mby/ prostitution/ their וַתִּ֨טְמָא־va./Tit.ma'-and/ she became uncleanבָ֔םVa/mby/ themוַתֵּ֥קַעva./Te.ka'and/ it was alienated נַפְשָׁ֖הּnaf.Sha/hself/ herמֵהֶֽם׃me./Hemfrom/ them

King James Version

And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

Cross-references

Ezekiel 23:22 Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side—
Ezekiel 23:28 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust.
Genesis 10:10 His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Genesis 11:9 That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
2 Samuel 13:15 Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”
Ezekiel 16:37 therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked.