Ezekiel 16:47-48
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The verse highlights a disturbing truth: wickedness isn't static, and simply following bad examples isn't the worst offense. Jerusalem didn't just imitate Sodom and Samaria's sins; it surpassed them, becoming "more corrupt than they in all your ways," indicating a deeper, more pervasive depravity even after witnessing the consequences for others.
Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Ezekiel, in this chapter, uses a vivid and often disturbing allegory to expose Jerusalem's spiritual adultery. After recounting God's immense love and provision for his chosen city, he now directly confronts her for following the wicked practices of her neighbors, particularly Sodom and Samaria. This verse highlights that Jerusalem didn't just imitate their sins but surpassed them in corruption, proving to be an even worse offender.
Have you ever thought that simply avoiding the worst sins isn't enough? This verse reveals a dangerous trap: not just sinning like others, but outdoing them.
Jerusalem, symbolized as an unfaithful wife, is accused not just of following the wicked ways of surrounding nations like Sodom and Samaria, but of surpassing them. The prophets often highlighted this unique failure. It wasn't enough for Israel to simply avoid the obvious 'abominations' of their neighbors; their covenant relationship with God demanded a higher standard. When they failed, their sin was seen as even more egregious because of the light and privilege they had received.
This isn't about competing in sin, but about the profound responsibility that comes with knowing God. The greater the revelation and opportunity, the greater the accountability when we fall short.
What makes one sin 'worse' than another? This verse points to a chilling reality: our own history and relationship with God can make our sin uniquely offensive.
The prophet Ezekiel emphasizes that Jerusalem's sin wasn't just an equal comparison to Sodom or Samaria; it was an aggravation of their sin. Having received God's guidance, promises, and covenant, their straying was a profound betrayal. Imagine a child who knows better than to steal, caught stealing the same toy their friend took. The child who knows the rules is seen as more culpable.
This highlights the concept of 'hardening of the heart.' Over time, resistance to God's Spirit can lead to a deeper corruption, where even the most wicked acts of others seem like 'a little thing' compared to one's own rebellion. This spiritual decay makes one more resistant to repentance and further removed from God's grace.
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Understand the original words
to'ebah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to detestable practices, particularly those involving idolatry or moral impurity, that are morally repugnant to God and violate His holiness.
shachath · Hebrew Verb/Adjective (as used in phrase)
A state of moral decay or spiritual depravity; it signifies the perversion of one's nature or actions away from God's righteous standards.
Chay Ani · Hebrew Phrase
A solemn divine oath asserting the truthfulness and eternal existence of God as the living witness to His own declaration.
The verse highlights that Jerusalem's sinfulness, even after witnessing the judgment on Samaria and experiencing the initial deportations to Babylon, had reached a level surpassing even the notorious wickedness of Sodom. This perspective is deeply rooted in the historical context of escalating national judgment and exile.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, and its people are exiled. This marks a significant loss of national identity and religious practice for many Israelites.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under King Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian Empire begins its conquest of Judah. The first wave of exiles, including members of the royal family and educated elite, are taken to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another large group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel himself, are exiled to Babylon following a rebellion against Babylonian rule.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians lay waste to Jerusalem, destroy Solomon's Temple, and deport the majority of the remaining population. This is a catastrophic event for the Jewish people, leaving them without a homeland or central place of worship.
c. 571 BC
Ezekiel's Ministry Concludes
The Book of Ezekiel ends with prophecies dated around this time, indicating the prophet's ongoing ministry during the Babylonian exile, offering messages of judgment and future restoration.
This passage directly parallels the charge against Jerusalem, highlighting King Manasseh's extreme wickedness, showing that Jerusalem's corruption was not unprecedented but a historical pattern of exceeding even notorious sinners.
Matthew 11:23-24Jesus uses the example of Sodom, a city famously wicked, to pronounce judgment on cities that rejected Him, emphasizing that greater spiritual privilege leads to greater accountability, just as Jerusalem's greater corruption brought greater condemnation.
Jeremiah 5:6-7This passage describes the moral corruption of Judah, likening them to lions and wolves because they preyed on the weak, echoing Ezekiel's theme of a nation that, despite its heritage, surpassed even foreign oppressors in its wickedness.
Romans 1:24-32This New Testament passage describes humanity's descent into deeper corruption when they turn away from God, a concept that resonates with Ezekiel's depiction of Jerusalem becoming more abominable than the very nations they were commanded to separate from.
pulpitEzekiel 16:47: "Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways."
Verse 47. - The words in italics indicate, as usual, a difficulty. A better construction gives, Thou hast not... done after a small measure only. So the Vulgate, Neque secundum scelera earum fecisti pauxillum minus. The LXX. connects the words with the clause that follows: "Thou wast all but (παρὰ μικρὸν) co…
ellicottEzekiel 16:47: "Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways."
(47) As if that were a very little thing. —Better, thou hast not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations a little only, but hast done more corruptly than they, &c. This excess of wickedness is constantly charged upon the Jews (see Ezekiel 5:6-7 ). Sodom had indeed sinned grievously in its d…
The verse highlights a disturbing truth: wickedness isn't static, and simply following bad examples isn't the worst offense. Jerusalem didn't just imitate Sodom and Samaria's sins; it surpassed them, becoming "more corrupt than they in all your ways," indicating a deeper, more pervasive depravity even after witnessing the consequences for others.
The prophet Ezekiel, in this chapter, uses a vivid and often disturbing allegory to expose Jerusalem's spiritual adultery. After recounting God's immense love and provision for his chosen city, he now directly confronts her for following the wicked practices of her neighbors, particularly Sodom and Samaria. This verse highlights that Jerusalem didn't just imitate their sins but surpassed them in corruption, proving to be an even worse offender.
The prophet Ezekiel, in this chapter, uses a vivid and often disturbing allegory to expose Jerusalem's spiritual adultery. After recounting God's immense love and provision for his chosen city, he now directly confronts her for following the wicked practices of her neighbors, particularly Sodom and Samaria. This verse highlights that Jerusalem didn't just imitate their sins but surpassed them in corruption, proving to be an even worse offender.
"Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as…" — The verse highlights a disturbing truth: wickedness isn't static, and simply following bad examples isn't the worst offense. Jerusalem didn't just imitate Sodom and Samaria's sins; it surpassed t…
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Last reviewed October 2026
