Bible Strands
Ezekiel 23:36
Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Ezekiel directly as "Son of man" and commands him to pass judgment on Oholah and Oholibah and declare their abominations. This directive occurs within a broader oracle detailing the consequences of Israel's covenant betrayal.
The words — The text centers on הֲ/תִשְׁפּ֥וֹט (ha./tish.Pot) meaning "will you judge" and אָהֳלָ֖ה ('o.ho.Lah) meaning "Oholah." These terms structure the divine command to formally assess and publicly name the allegorical figures representing Samaria and Jerusalem.
The thread — This judicial instruction mirrors Ezekiel 22:2, where Yahweh orders Ezekiel to judge the city of bloodshed, and Ezekiel 16:2, where God commands the prophet to confront Jerusalem with her abominations. It also corresponds to Isaiah 58:1, which directs the prophet to declare transgression without restraint.
Why it lands — The passage requires unflinching confrontation with spiritual rebellion, establishing that covenant rejection demands formal divine assessment. It forces the reader to recognize that hidden idolatry and moral corruption must be explicitly named before judgment proceeds.
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
The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 22:2 “As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations
- Isaiah 58:1 “Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.
- Ezekiel 16:2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations
- Ezekiel 20:4 Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their fathers
- Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”
- Jeremiah 11:14 As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me in their time of disaster.
- Jeremiah 14:11 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.
- Hosea 2:2 Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
- Micah 3:8 As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
- Matthew 23:13 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.