Ezekiel 16:40-42
They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more. So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The text mentions stoning and swords, but it’s worth noticing that "thrust through" might actually imply being cut to pieces. This intensifies the violence, mirroring the brutal punishments of the time and highlighting how thoroughly Jerusalem's unfaithfulness would be judged.
This verse continues Ezekiel's powerful allegory of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife, detailing the brutal punishment she will face for her spiritual adultery with foreign nations. Following a description of her past sins and her impending judgment, this passage vividly portrays the violent invasion and destruction that will befall the city, likening it to the stoning and execution of an adulteress as prescribed in the Law. The surrounding nations, acting as God's instruments of wrath, will bring about Jerusalem's utter ruin, a consequence of her betrayal and idolatry.
This verse describes a brutal punishment. Why would God use such severe imagery to describe judgment?
Ezekiel 16 personifies Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife. The punishments described in this verse – being stoned and pierced by swords – directly echo the ancient laws for punishing adultery.
God uses this vivid metaphor to show how utterly Jerusalem's spiritual infidelity to Him is viewed as a profound betrayal, demanding a retribution that mirrors the gravity of the sin.
Who are the 'they' bringing this judgment? It's not just random violence, is it?
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While the verse speaks of an attacking 'company' or army, the broader context of Ezekiel reveals these human forces are instruments in God's hands.
This emphasizes that even the actions of hostile nations are ultimately under God's sovereign control when He executes judgment.
Understand the original words
saqal · Hebrew Verb
The execution of the death penalty by a community casting stones, traditionally the prescribed punishment for certain capital offenses in the Mosaic Law.
chemah · Hebrew Noun
The act of divine retribution against sin; it is not uncontrolled rage but a settled, holy opposition to evil that maintains God's justice and moral order.
qin'ah · Hebrew Noun
The passionate, protective devotion God has for His covenant people, characterized by an exclusive claim that brooks no rivals, particularly in the context of spiritual adultery.
This prophecy vividly portrays Jerusalem's destruction not just as a political defeat but as a judicial execution, mirroring the ancient Israelite punishment for adultery. The stoning and swords represent the brutal reality of the Babylonian conquest.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its people and repopulating the land with foreigners. This event serves as a stark warning of divine judgment for national sin and covenant unfaithfulness.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Empire defeats the Egyptians and Assyrians. As a result, the first wave of Jewish captives, including members of the royal family and educated elite, are deported to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion by King Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem again. More captives, including the prophet Ezekiel himself and many skilled workers, are taken to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonian army, under Nebuchadnezzar, finally destroys Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple after a prolonged siege. The remaining population is largely exiled to Babylon, marking the end of the southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 580 BC
Ezekiel's Prophecy Delivered
During the exile in Babylon, Ezekiel delivers his powerful prophecies, including the allegory of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife in chapter 16. He confronts the people with the reasons for their devastating judgment.
This passage details the severe punishment for adultery in ancient Israel, specifically stoning, which directly parallels the violent judgment described in Ezekiel 16:40 against the unfaithful city.
Jeremiah 33:4Jeremiah speaks of armies battering cities and preparing for war, which echoes the violent assault and destruction metaphorically depicted in Ezekiel 16:40, where the 'company' uses stones (like siege engines) and swords.
John 8:5In this New Testament account, the Pharisees test Jesus by bringing an adulterous woman, invoking the Mosaic Law's penalty of stoning, reinforcing the cultural understanding of this punishment for unfaithfulness that Ezekiel draws upon.
Ezekiel 23:47This verse, also from Ezekiel, describes the judgment against both sisters (Samaria and Jerusalem) using similar language of a mob, stoning, and being cut down by swords, highlighting a consistent theme of severe retribution for spiritual and relational infidelity.
cambridgeEzekiel 16:40: "They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords."
40 . a company against thee ] A congregation or public assembly of the people, at which the adulteress shall be tried and then executed; Leviticus 20:2 ; Deuteronomy 22:21 (cf. 1 Kings 21:9-15 ), Proverbs 5:8-14 , I was almost in all evil (danger of death) in the midst of the congregation and assembly. The death of the adulteress was by stoning; Lev…
bensonEzekiel 16:40: "They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords."
Ezekiel 16:40-43 . They shall bring a company against thee — A company shall come against thee, and beat down thy walls and houses, with stones slung out of battering-engines: see Jeremiah 33:4 . The expression alludes, as in Ezekiel 16:38 , to the punishment inflicted upon adulteresses, which was stoning. And they shall burn thy houses, &c. — The p…
The text mentions stoning and swords, but it’s worth noticing that "thrust through" might actually imply being cut to pieces. This intensifies the violence, mirroring the brutal punishments of the time and highlighting how thoroughly Jerusalem's unfaithfulness would be judged.
This verse continues Ezekiel's powerful allegory of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife, detailing the brutal punishment she will face for her spiritual adultery with foreign nations. Following a description of her past sins and her impending judgment, this passage vividly portrays the violent invasion and destruction that will befall the city, likening it to the stoning and execution of an adulteress as prescribed in the Law. The surrounding nations, acting as God's instruments of wrath, will bring about Jerusalem's utter ruin, a consequence of her betrayal and idolatry.
This verse continues Ezekiel's powerful allegory of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife, detailing the brutal punishment she will face for her spiritual adultery with foreign nations. Following a description of her past sins and her impending judgment, this passage vividly portrays the violent invasion and destruction that will befall the city, likening it to the stoning and execution of an adulteress as prescribed in the Law. The surrounding nations, acting as God's instruments of wrath, will bring about Jerusalem's utter ruin, a consequence of her betrayal and idolatry.
"They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, a…" — The text mentions stoning and swords, but it’s worth noticing that "thrust through" might actually imply being cut to pieces. This intensifies the violence, mirroring the brutal punishments of the ti…
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