For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss is how the verse links spiritual and physical "adultery" by showing that their idolatry wasn't just a detached sin, but a monstrous corruption that led to the ultimate betrayal: sacrificing their own children. This act, described as "passing them through the fire to devour them," is presented as the horrifying culmination of their spiritual adultery.
For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of a powerful, almost horrifying, parable where God, through Ezekiel, exposes the deep betrayal of His people, symbolized by two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem). Oholibah, representing Judah, has proven even more corrupt than her sister, engaging in both literal adultery and spiritual adultery through idolatry. The preceding verses describe her lustful pursuit of foreign alliances and the gruesome practices she has adopted, culminating in the horrifying sacrifice of her own children to her idols.
Ezekiel doesn't hold back. This verse speaks of 'adultery' and 'blood' in ways that shock us today. But what's the deep meaning behind these harsh words?
The prophet uses two powerful images to describe Israel's sin:
Spiritual Adultery (Idolatry)
This isn't just about cheating on a spouse; in the Old Testament, idolatry is consistently called 'spiritual adultery.' It's a betrayal of the covenant relationship Israel had with God. They turned away from their faithful husband, God, to chase after false gods (their idols).
Physical Adultery and Bloodshed
The verse also points to literal acts. 'Adultery' here can mean sexual immorality, a sign of their moral decay. 'Blood on their hands' refers to the innocent blood they shed – likely the prophets God sent or even their own children offered in sacrifice. These weren't separate issues; their spiritual unfaithfulness fueled their moral corruption.
The verse climaxes with a horrific act: offering their children to idols. This wasn't a minor offense; it was the depth of their depravity.
The most shocking part of this verse is the sacrifice of children.
A Desperate Act
'Caused their sons... to pass through the fire' refers to a brutal ritual where children were sacrificed to pagan gods, likely to appease them or seek favor. This was done to gods like Molech.
Ask a follow-up
God's Children, Not Their Own
The phrase 'whom they bare unto me' is crucial. These children were considered God's by covenant. They were born into a nation dedicated to Him. Sacrificing them was an ultimate act of rebellion – destroying God's own people and property in service to demons.
Understand the original words
na'aph · Hebrew Verb
In a covenantal context, this denotes spiritual infidelity or unfaithfulness to God, typically through the worship of idols or reliance on foreign powers.
dam · Hebrew Noun
A term often used in the prophets to describe the guilt of shedding innocent blood, symbolizing violence, murder, and the violation of the sanctity of life.
gillulim · Hebrew Noun
Objects of worship that represent false gods, which compete with the singular devotion owed to the true God of Israel.
Ezekiel's prophecy vividly condemns the spiritual adultery and horrific child sacrifice practiced by Judah, portraying these sins as the ultimate betrayal that sealed Jerusalem's doom, echoing the destruction of the northern kingdom centuries earlier.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leading to the exile of its people and the effective end of the northern "tabernacle" or house of Israel.
c. 622 BC
Josiah's Religious Reforms
King Josiah discovers the Book of the Law and initiates sweeping reforms to centralize worship in Jerusalem, purging idolatry and syncretic practices. This reflects a period of attempted national repentance.
c. 609 BC
Death of Josiah
King Josiah is killed in battle against the Egyptians at Megiddo, a devastating blow to Judah's morale and a turning point signaling the decline of the kingdom.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and carries away into exile members of the royal family and skilled laborers, including the prophet Daniel. This marks the beginning of the end for Jerusalem.
c. 597 BC— this verse
Second Babylonian Deportation
Babylon deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This event directly precedes Ezekiel's ministry in the exile community.
c. 587/586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the population to Babylon. This event represents the catastrophic fulfillment of God's judgment on Judah.
This passage directly parallels the horrific act of sacrificing children, calling it 'offering them to idols' and directly linking it to the spiritual adultery of idolatry.
Jeremiah 7:31This verse condemns the exact same practices, the sin of the people of Judah who 'built the high places of Topheth... to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire,' highlighting the widespread nature of this sin.
2 Kings 21:16This historical account of King Manasseh's wickedness directly mentions his sin of shedding innocent blood, which is explicitly linked in Ezekiel 23:37 to the sacrifice of children to idols.
Romans 1:29-32While not mentioning child sacrifice directly, this New Testament passage describes the 'depraved mind' that leads to various sins, including 'cruelty' and 'disregard for family,' reflecting the profound moral breakdown described in Ezekiel.
gillEzekiel 23:37: "That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them."
That they have committed adultery,.... Either literally, adultery with their neighbours' wives, which was a prevailing sin with this people; or figuratively, spiritual adultery, that is, idolatry: and blood is in their hands; the Targum is, "they have shed th…
barnesEzekiel 23:37: "That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them."
Blood - One of the chief sins of Manasseh was that he shed innocent blood 2 Kings 21:16 ; 2 Kings 24:4 .
What's easy to miss is how the verse links spiritual and physical "adultery" by showing that their idolatry wasn't just a detached sin, but a monstrous corruption that led to the ultimate betrayal: sacrificing their own children. This act, described as "passing them through the fire to devour them," is presented as the horrifying culmination of their spiritual adultery.
This verse is part of a powerful, almost horrifying, parable where God, through Ezekiel, exposes the deep betrayal of His people, symbolized by two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem). Oholibah, representing Judah, has proven even more corrupt than her sister, engaging in both literal adultery and spiritual adultery through idolatry. The preceding verses describe her lustful pursuit of foreign alliances and the gruesome practices she has adopted, culminating in the horrifying sacrifice of her own children to her idols.
This verse is part of a powerful, almost horrifying, parable where God, through Ezekiel, exposes the deep betrayal of His people, symbolized by two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem). Oholibah, representing Judah, has proven even more corrupt than her sister, engaging in both literal adultery and spiritual adultery through idolatry. The preceding verses describe her lustful pursuit of foreign alliances and the gruesome practices she has adopted, culminating in the horrifying sacrifice of her own children to her idols.
"For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me." — What's easy to miss is how the verse links spiritual and physical "adultery" by showing that their idolatry wasn't just a detached sin, but a monstrous corruption that led to the ultimate betrayal: s…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026