Ezekiel 23:35
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "cast me behind your back" paints a vivid picture of willful neglect; it’s not just forgetting God, but actively pushing Him out of sight, treating Him as irrelevant. This deliberate act is the direct cause for enduring the severe consequences of their actions.
This verse arrives amidst a lengthy, unflinching parable where God, through Ezekiel, exposes the deep betrayal of His people, symbolized by two sisters, Aholah (Samaria) and Aholibah (Jerusalem). Having repeatedly abandoned their covenant with God for foreign gods and alliances, they have engaged in spiritual adultery and literal idolatry. Now, God declares that their self-inflicted ruin—the consequences of their waywardness—will be their own inescapable burden.
Have you ever thought of forgetting God as an active choice? Ezekiel paints a stark picture of what that looks like.
The verse begins with a powerful accusation: "Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back." This isn't about a slip of the memory. It's a deliberate turning away.
Forgetting Worship
This forgetting means neglecting God's worship, His Word, and His ways. It's choosing to ignore His presence and His commands.
Casting God Aside
"Cast me behind your back" is a vivid image. It’s like turning your back on something you no longer value, something you want to ignore and put out of sight. It signifies a willful disregard for God's authority and presence in your life.
This intentional act of forgetting and disregarding God is the root of the rebellion described in the chapter.
Ezekiel's message isn't just about accusation; it's about the undeniable outcome of choosing sin.
The Lord God declares, "...you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring."
Bearing the Guilt
This phrase "bear the consequences" carries a heavy weight. It means to endure the penalty, the punishment, and the shame that comes from sin. God is stating that their actions have inherent results that cannot be avoided.
The Penalty of Rebellion
When we deliberately forget God and turn away from Him, we are essentially embracing sin. The "lewdness and whoring" mentioned here are metaphors for Israel's spiritual adultery – their idolatry and unfaithfulness to God. The consequence is not arbitrary; it's the natural outcome of rejecting the source of all goodness and life.
God is not abandoning His justice. He is asserting that there are real repercussions for turning away from Him.
Understand the original words
šākaḥ · Hebrew Verb
A deliberate and sinful abandonment of the knowledge and memory of God, leading to spiritual apostasy and moral decay.
šālaḵ ʾaḥărê gēw · Hebrew Verb
To treat God with contempt, effectively rejecting His authority, presence, and word by turning one's back on His covenant commands.
zimmâ · Hebrew Noun
Moral depravity, shamelessness, and wickedness, often used in the prophets to describe idolatry and spiritual infidelity toward God.
taznût · Hebrew Noun
In the prophetic tradition, this is a metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness, idolatry, and the pursuit of false gods instead of the one true God.
Ezekiel delivers this stern message against Judah (Aholibah) during the Babylonian exile, after the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. The prophecy serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that follow when God's people turn away from Him, forgetting His covenant and chasing after idols, just as their northern neighbors (Aholah) had before them.
c. 931 BC
Division of the United Monarchy
Following the death of King Solomon, the united Kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern Kingdom of Israel (often called Samaria or Aholah in Ezekiel's prophecy) and the southern Kingdom of Judah (called Aholibah). This division marked a new era of political and religious divergence.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Deportation
The northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Its people were largely deported, and their land was resettled by foreigners, leading to the loss of the northern tribes' distinct identity.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation of Judah
King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and deported a significant portion of its elite, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel. This marked the beginning of Judah's decline and exile.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
This passage echoes Ezekiel's theme by highlighting how forgetting God, symbolized by a bride forgetting her wedding jewels, leads to consequences, directly linking forgetting God with His people's downfall.
Nehemiah 9:26This verse powerfully illustrates the concept of casting God behind their back, describing how Israel rebelled and turned their backs on God's law, setting a clear precedent for Ezekiel's condemnation.
Proverbs 1:31This proverb offers a direct parallel to bearing the consequences of sin, stating that people will 'eat the fruit of their way' and be 'filled with the gain of their own dealing,' which is exactly what Ezekiel is pronouncing.
Romans 2:5Paul speaks about a hardened heart treasuring up wrath by resisting God's kindness, patience, and forbearance, mirroring Ezekiel's message that persistent sin and forgetting God inevitably lead to facing divine judgment.
gillEzekiel 23:35: "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms."
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, because thou hast forgotten me,.... His word, worship, and ordinances, and did not attend unto them, but worshipped strange gods: so the Targum, "because thou hast left my worship:'' and cast me behind thy back; or, as the same paraphrase, "hast cast the fear of me from before thine eyes;'' or…
pooleEzekiel 23:35: "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms."
Thou hast forgotten me, Ezekiel 22:12 , which is here explained by what follows; it was a wilful forgetting of God, and voluntary despising his law, ordinances, worship, favour, and presence; so God is cast behind a sinner’s back. Bear thou the guilt, I will impute it; the punishment, I will not pardon it; and the shame, for I…
The phrase "cast me behind your back" paints a vivid picture of willful neglect; it’s not just forgetting God, but actively pushing Him out of sight, treating Him as irrelevant. This deliberate act is the direct cause for enduring the severe consequences of their actions.
This verse arrives amidst a lengthy, unflinching parable where God, through Ezekiel, exposes the deep betrayal of His people, symbolized by two sisters, Aholah (Samaria) and Aholibah (Jerusalem). Having repeatedly abandoned their covenant with God for foreign gods and alliances, they have engaged in spiritual adultery and literal idolatry. Now, God declares that their self-inflicted ruin—the consequences of their waywardness—will be their own inescapable burden.
This verse arrives amidst a lengthy, unflinching parable where God, through Ezekiel, exposes the deep betrayal of His people, symbolized by two sisters, Aholah (Samaria) and Aholibah (Jerusalem). Having repeatedly abandoned their covenant with God for foreign gods and alliances, they have engaged in spiritual adultery and literal idolatry. Now, God declares that their self-inflicted ruin—the consequences of their waywardness—will be their own inescapable burden.
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Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroyed Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, ending the Kingdom of Judah. A final wave of exiles was sent to Babylon.
c. 571 BC
Ezekiel's Prophecy Concludes
Ezekiel delivered his final recorded prophecy, bringing the book to a close. The prophecies reflect the devastating consequences of Judah's spiritual unfaithfulness during and after the Babylonian conquest.
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”" — The phrase "cast me behind your back" paints a vivid picture of willful neglect; it’s not just forgetting God, but actively pushing Him out of sight, treating Him as irrelevant. This deliberate act i…
