In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights not just one, but two layers of impurity. It speaks of defiling a father's wife, a direct violation of incest laws, and then shockingly adds sexual sin against women considered ritually unclean due to menstruation, a boundary God Himself had set for purity. These aren't casual transgressions; they're deliberate assaults on the very foundations of family and divine order, showing how deeply Jerusalem had fallen.
In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is denouncing Jerusalem for its pervasive sinfulness, listing a series of shocking moral failures that have defiled the city. This verse specifically highlights acts of incest, such as defiling a father's wife or concubine, and forcing sexual relations with women during their menstrual impurity, both of which were strictly forbidden by God's law. These are presented as evidence of the city's deep corruption and its alienation from God's ways, setting the stage for the judgment that is to come.
This verse doesn't just mention sexual sin; it points to a specific, horrifying violation that tears at the very fabric of family and society. What makes 'discovering a father's nakedness' so egregious?
The phrase "discovered their fathers' nakedness" is a direct reference to incest, specifically lying with a father's wife (like a stepmother) or another woman intimately connected to the father. This was considered one of the most vile sins in the Old Testament, a violation of both family honor and divine law. It wasn't just about breaking a rule; it was about desecrating the foundational unit of society – the family – and bringing shame upon the lineage. The commentaries highlight this as a sin so terrible it was "not so much as named among men" in other contexts, showing the extreme moral decay present in Jerusalem.
Beyond incest, the verse points to another disturbing sexual sin. What does it mean to violate a woman "unclean in her menstrual impurity," and why was this particularly foul?
The second part of the verse, "in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity," describes sexual violence against women during a time when they were considered ritually unclean according to the Law. While sexual relations during this time were prohibited by God's law (Leviticus 18:19), Ezekiel points to the act of violating such women. This implies not only a disregard for God's command but also a brutal exploitation and disrespect for women, forcing them against their will or societal norms at a time of vulnerability. It speaks to a complete breakdown of sexual ethics and basic human decency.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
ervah · Hebrew Noun
A Hebrew idiom referring to sexual relations, typically used in prohibitions against incest and forbidden sexual unions.
niddah · Hebrew Noun
Ceremonial or ritual impurity, specifically related to bodily discharges; it does not necessarily imply moral sin in every context, but requires purification to approach the holy.
Ezekiel's prophecy comes during the Babylonian exile, a direct consequence of Judah's persistent sin. The shocking violations he describes – incest and impurity – are not new sins but the deep-rooted corruption that led to God's judgment.
c. 1440 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God gives the Israelites the Law, including specific prohibitions against incest and sexual relations during menstruation, which are detailed in Leviticus.
c. 975 BC
Reign of Solomon
Solomon's reign marked a period of peace and prosperity but also introduced foreign wives and idolatry, setting a precedent for later moral decline.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrians, leading to exile and a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of sin.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and many Judean nobles and craftsmen to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon.
c. 570 BC
Ezekiel's Ministry in Exile
Ezekiel, living among the exiles in Babylon, pronounces God's judgment on Jerusalem for its deep-seated corruption and disobedience.
This passage directly prohibits uncovering the nakedness of one's father or mother, highlighting the severe incestuous sin mentioned in Ezekiel.
Leviticus 18:19This verse warns against approaching a woman during her monthly uncleanness, directly paralleling the second offense described in Ezekiel 22:10.
2 Samuel 16:22This passage describes Absalom's incestuous act with his father David's concubines, illustrating the historical reality and gravity of the 'father's nakedness' sin.
1 Corinthians 5:1Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for tolerating incest, specifically mentioning a case worse than that among pagans, underscoring the abhorrence of such sins across different communities.
gillEzekiel 22:10: "In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution."
In thee have they discovered their father's nakedness,.... Or, "he discovered" (b), or "uncovered", it being in the singular number; though the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read in the plural; this, though committed, was done but by a few; it being a sin not so much as named among men, as for a man to lie with his father's w…
cambridgeEzekiel 22:10: "In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution."
10 . Leviticus 18:7 ; Leviticus 20:11 ,—defiled their father’s wife, i.e. their stepmother, or some of their father’s concubines; cf. 2 Samuel 16:22 . set apart for pollution ] unclean from her impurity , ch. Ezekiel 18:6 ; Leviticus 18:19 ; Leviticus 20:18 .
This verse highlights not just one, but two layers of impurity. It speaks of defiling a father's wife, a direct violation of incest laws, and then shockingly adds sexual sin against women considered ritually unclean due to menstruation, a boundary God Himself had set for purity. These aren't casual transgressions; they're deliberate assaults on the very foundations of family and divine order, showing how deeply Jerusalem had fallen.
Ezekiel is denouncing Jerusalem for its pervasive sinfulness, listing a series of shocking moral failures that have defiled the city. This verse specifically highlights acts of incest, such as defiling a father's wife or concubine, and forcing sexual relations with women during their menstrual impurity, both of which were strictly forbidden by God's law. These are presented as evidence of the city's deep corruption and its alienation from God's ways, setting the stage for the judgment that is to come.
Ezekiel is denouncing Jerusalem for its pervasive sinfulness, listing a series of shocking moral failures that have defiled the city. This verse specifically highlights acts of incest, such as defiling a father's wife or concubine, and forcing sexual relations with women during their menstrual impurity, both of which were strictly forbidden by God's law. These are presented as evidence of the city's deep corruption and its alienation from God's ways, setting the stage for the judgment that is to come.
"In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity." — This verse highlights not just one, but two layers of impurity. It speaks of defiling a father's wife, a direct violation of incest laws, and then shockingly adds sexual sin against women considered…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026