One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What’s striking here is the casualness with which the prophet lists these deeply violating acts. It's not presented as a dramatic exposé, but as a chilling, almost mundane, list of "what's happening" in the city, highlighting how normalized and widespread these horrific sins have become. The text reveals a society so far gone that the most forbidden relationships are being casually broken.
One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is launching into a powerful indictment of Jerusalem, exposing the pervasive sin that has corrupted the city from its leaders down. He lists a series of horrifying violations of God's law, including adultery, incest, and sexual immorality, demonstrating how deeply the people have strayed from righteous living. This specific verse functions as a stark example within a broader list of the city's spiritual and moral decay, setting the stage for God's judgment.
Ezekiel doesn't just list sins; he calls them 'abominations.' What makes these acts so profoundly offensive to God?
The prophet Ezekiel is painting a stark picture of Jerusalem's moral decay. He uses the strong term 'abomination' to describe sins like adultery, incest, and sexual perversion. This isn't just about breaking rules; it signifies acts that are fundamentally repulsive and detestable in God's sight.
A Corrupt Society
These weren't isolated incidents but widespread practices, indicating a society that had lost its moral compass. The repetition of different, severe sexual sins—adultery with a neighbor's wife, incest with a daughter-in-law, and even with one's own sister—highlights the depth of the corruption. It shows a complete disregard for the sanctity of family, relationships, and God's laws.
The verse explicitly mentions incestuous relationships. Why were these particularly heinous in God's eyes and what does it reveal about Jerusalem?
Ezekiel confronts Jerusalem with sins that strike at the very heart of family and community. The specific mention of defiling a daughter-in-law and violating one's own father's daughter (sister) points to incest. These acts are a profound betrayal of trust and violate the God-ordained boundaries designed to protect the vulnerable and maintain social order.
A Sign of Deep Decay
Such severe violations within family structures are not just personal failings but societal collapse. They suggest a complete breakdown of respect for relationships, sexual purity, and the divine order. For a nation like Israel, with specific laws outlining prohibited sexual relations (as seen in Leviticus 18), these actions represented a deliberate turning away from God's covenant and wisdom.
Ask a follow-up
These shocking sins aren't just random acts of rebellion. What underlying spiritual condition fueled this widespread depravity?
While Ezekiel meticulously lists the outward sins—adultery, incest, lewdness—the underlying cause is a profound spiritual sickness: forgetting God. The commentators rightly point out that these acts stem from a deeper problem.
The Ultimate Offense
When people forget God, they forget His laws, His character, and His presence. This amnesia leads to a disregard for His commands and a descent into self-serving desires. The sexual sins described are symptoms of a deeper rebellion, where the people have turned away from the divine source of order, love, and holiness. They've abandoned the one who could have guided them, and in doing so, have fallen into profound moral and spiritual corruption.
Understand the original words
tōʿēbāh · Hebrew Noun
A term used in Scripture to describe acts, practices, or rituals that are morally detestable, repugnant, or idolatrous to God. It often refers to grave violations of God's covenant law, particularly concerning sexual immorality and idolatry.
zimmāh · Hebrew Noun
Refers to shameful, depraved, or wanton conduct. In a biblical context, it denotes a brazen disregard for moral boundaries, often associated with sexual sin or moral corruption.
ṭāmēʾ · Hebrew Verb
To make ritually or morally impure. It signifies the corruption of something consecrated to God or the violation of sacred moral standards, rendering the person or object unfit for God's presence.
ʿānāh · Hebrew Verb
To act violently, force, or treat with abuse. It signifies the violation of a person's body or boundaries, particularly in a sexual context, demonstrating a complete lack of reverence for the divine image in others.
Ezekiel's shocking list of the most grievous sexual sins, including adultery, incest, and exploitation, highlights the deep moral decay within Jerusalem that directly led to its destruction and the exile of its people.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites. This event served as a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah.
626 BC
Prophetic Ministry of Jeremiah Begins
Jeremiah begins his ministry in Judah, warning of impending judgment due to the people's sins, including rampant idolatry and social injustice.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a group of elite citizens, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's Babylonian captivity.
c. 593 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry Begins in Babylon
Ezekiel, already in exile, receives his prophetic call and begins delivering messages of judgment and future restoration to the exiles.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the catastrophe Ezekiel prophesied against.
This passage in Leviticus directly lists many of the incestuous and adulterous acts condemned in Ezekiel 22:11, highlighting the long-standing prohibition of these behaviors in God's law.
Romans 1:26-27Paul echoes Ezekiel's condemnation of sexual perversion, describing how people who suppress the truth are given over to 'dishonorable passions,' including same-sex relations and unnatural lusts, which is a spiritual parallel to the moral decay described.
Jeremiah 5:8Similar to Ezekiel's description of widespread immorality, Jeremiah also depicts Judah as a nation filled with adulterers and those engaging in wicked practices, showing this corruption was a recurring theme in Israel's history.
Matthew 5:27-28Jesus elevates the standard by teaching that even lustful thoughts are sinful, implying that the outward acts of adultery and incest described in Ezekiel stem from a deeply corrupted inner state, which God sees.
gillEzekiel 22:11: "And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter."
And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife,.... The sin of adultery, which is an abominable sin; it is so to God, and it should be so to man: or, "a man hath committed" (c); some man of note, a great man; for this sin prevailed among the princes and nobles: or "everyone"; it being…
pulpitEzekiel 22:11: "And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter."
Verses 11 ,12. - The list of sins follows on the lines of Leviticus 18:9, 15. (For those in Ver. 12, see notes on Ezekiel 18:12.) It is to be remarked, however, that the prophet does not confine himself to the mere enumeration of specific sins. These are traced to their source in that "forgetting G…
What’s striking here is the casualness with which the prophet lists these deeply violating acts. It's not presented as a dramatic exposé, but as a chilling, almost mundane, list of "what's happening" in the city, highlighting how normalized and widespread these horrific sins have become. The text reveals a society so far gone that the most forbidden relationships are being casually broken.
Ezekiel is launching into a powerful indictment of Jerusalem, exposing the pervasive sin that has corrupted the city from its leaders down. He lists a series of horrifying violations of God's law, including adultery, incest, and sexual immorality, demonstrating how deeply the people have strayed from righteous living. This specific verse functions as a stark example within a broader list of the city's spiritual and moral decay, setting the stage for God's judgment.
Ezekiel is launching into a powerful indictment of Jerusalem, exposing the pervasive sin that has corrupted the city from its leaders down. He lists a series of horrifying violations of God's law, including adultery, incest, and sexual immorality, demonstrating how deeply the people have strayed from righteous living. This specific verse functions as a stark example within a broader list of the city's spiritual and moral decay, setting the stage for God's judgment.
"One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter." — What’s striking here is the casualness with which the prophet lists these deeply violating acts. It's not presented as a dramatic exposé, but as a chilling, almost mundane, list of "what's happening"…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026