Ezekiel 23:20
and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights how Judah's spiritual adultery wasn't just about following other gods, but a passionate embrace of their "lovers'" immoral practices, illustrated by the shocking comparisons to donkeys and horses, suggesting extreme lust and impurity. It reveals a deep dive into idolatry, not as a casual flirtation, but an insatiable desire mirroring orgiastic rituals.
In this chapter, Ezekiel continues the allegorical judgment against Judah, personified as a woman named Aholibah who has engaged in spiritual adultery with powerful foreign nations. This verse describes Judah's intense lust for her "lovers," the Egyptians, depicting their supposed virility and sexual prowess in graphic terms to highlight the depth of Judah's idolatrous attraction and abandonment of God. This follows previous depictions of her sexual sins and precedes God's ultimate pronouncement of judgment and punishment upon her.
Ezekiel uses some pretty intense language here to describe Judah's "lovers." What's really going on when the Bible calls foreign nations or their gods "lovers"?
In Ezekiel 23, the prophet uses the metaphor of two unfaithful sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), to describe Israel's persistent turning away from God. These "lovers" that Oholibah (Judah) doted on were not just political allies or foreign nations. They represented the seductive allure of the pagan gods and the idolatrous practices associated with them.
This wasn't just a casual dalliance; it was a full-blown affair. The Hebrew word for "paramours" can also mean concubines, highlighting the intimate and forbidden nature of the relationship. Judah was not just seeking political or economic benefits from Egypt and other nations; she was plunging into their idolatrous worship with an almost orgiastic passion, turning away from her covenant commitment to the Lord.
Asses and horses? The imagery here is jarring and almost crude. Why would Ezekiel use such graphic comparisons to describe Judah's spiritual state?
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The graphic comparisons to the "members of donkeys" and the "issue of horses" are not meant to be titillating; they are hyperbolic descriptions designed to shock the audience and convey the extreme corruption and spiritual degradation. These animals, particularly the horse, were associated in ancient Near Eastern culture with unrestrained lust and fertility cults.
By comparing Judah's "lovers" (representing the foreign nations and their gods) to creatures known for their powerful and base sexual drives, Ezekiel emphasizes the sheer intensity of Judah's spiritual adultery. It was an insatiable craving for idolatry that mirrored the most rampant and uncontrolled lust, leading to her utter downfall.
Understand the original words
agabim · Hebrew Noun
Those to whom one turns for security, validation, or emotional satisfaction instead of turning to God. Prophetically, these often represent pagan nations or false gods that the people of Israel pursued in place of their covenant faithfulness to Yahweh.
Ezekiel's vivid imagery of lust and foreign lovers highlights Judah's political entanglements with Egypt and its abandonment of God, occurring during the backdrop of exile and impending judgment.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, known as Samaria in Ezekiel's parable (Aholah), falls to the Assyrian Empire. This marks the end of the northern kingdom and a significant loss of political and religious independence.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar conquer Judah and deport a portion of the population, including young nobles like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon. This catastrophic event is a direct consequence of Judah's persistent unfaithfulness.
c. 590 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry Begins
Ezekiel, a priest, is among those exiled to Babylon. He begins his prophetic ministry, delivering messages of judgment and future restoration to the exiles.
c. 585 BC
Ezekiel's Parable of Aholah and Aholibah
Ezekiel delivers the extended parable of the two sisters, Aholah (representing Samaria) and Aholibah (representing Jerusalem/Judah), detailing their spiritual harlotry with Egypt and Assyria.
This passage also uses the imagery of lustful, powerful animals ( stallions) to describe the unchecked sexual and spiritual desires of Judah, highlighting a recurring theme of national unfaithfulness.
Ezekiel 16:26This earlier chapter in Ezekiel uses similar language of sexual sin and foreign entanglements, comparing Jerusalem's unfaithfulness to a harlot seeking out many lovers, mirroring the theme of spiritual adultery.
Romans 1:24-27The Apostle Paul describes the consequences of turning away from God, leading to people being given over to 'dishonorable passions,' which aligns with the intense, debased lust described in Ezekiel's prophecy.
Hosea 2:5Hosea addresses Israel's spiritual prostitution, where they 'played the harlot' and pursued lovers (idols and foreign nations) instead of their God, illustrating the same pattern of betrayal.
ellicottEzekiel 23:20: "For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses."
(20) Their paramours. —The word is masculine, as indicating the abominable sins copied by the Israelites from the heathen, and asses and horses are introduced to show the intensity of lust. (Comp. Jeremiah 5:8 .)
pulpitEzekiel 23:20: "For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses."
Verse 20. - She doted on her paramours. Commonly the word is used of a concubine (Genesis 22:24; Judges 8:31). Here it is used in scorn of the Egyptian princes whose favor Judah courted, reminding us of Homer's Ἀχαιίδες οὐκετ Ἀχαίοι, as indicating their political weakness. All that need be said of the comparison that follows is that here also Ezekiel follows in…
This verse highlights how Judah's spiritual adultery wasn't just about following other gods, but a passionate embrace of their "lovers'" immoral practices, illustrated by the shocking comparisons to donkeys and horses, suggesting extreme lust and impurity. It reveals a deep dive into idolatry, not as a casual flirtation, but an insatiable desire mirroring orgiastic rituals.
In this chapter, Ezekiel continues the allegorical judgment against Judah, personified as a woman named Aholibah who has engaged in spiritual adultery with powerful foreign nations. This verse describes Judah's intense lust for her "lovers," the Egyptians, depicting their supposed virility and sexual prowess in graphic terms to highlight the depth of Judah's idolatrous attraction and abandonment of God. This follows previous depictions of her sexual sins and precedes God's ultimate pronouncement of judgment and punishment upon her.
In this chapter, Ezekiel continues the allegorical judgment against Judah, personified as a woman named Aholibah who has engaged in spiritual adultery with powerful foreign nations. This verse describes Judah's intense lust for her "lovers," the Egyptians, depicting their supposed virility and sexual prowess in graphic terms to highlight the depth of Judah's idolatrous attraction and abandonment of God. This follows previous depictions of her sexual sins and precedes God's ultimate pronouncement of judgment and punishment upon her.
"and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses." — This verse highlights how Judah's spiritual adultery wasn't just about following other gods, but a passionate embrace of their "lovers'" immoral practices, illustrated by the shocking comparisons to…
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