Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While the names Aholah and Aholibah literally mean "her tent" and "my tent is in her" respectively, the profound insight here is that these symbolic names aren't just about separate places of worship. They reveal God's perspective: He considered both kingdoms "His," yet one chose its own way ("her tent") while the other, though flawed, still housed His presence ("my tent").
Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is about to deliver a message using an extended metaphor that compares the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah to prostitution. The passage introduces two sisters, "Oholah" (representing the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital Samaria) and "Oholibah" (representing the southern kingdom of Judah, with its capital Jerusalem), who were originally claimed by God as His own and bore children to Him. The names themselves hint at the core issue: "Oholah" suggests "her own tent" or worship, while "Oholibah" means "my tent is in her," signifying the true presence of God in Jerusalem's Temple.
Why would God give two distinct names to these two sisters, Samaria and Jerusalem? These aren't just labels; they're loaded with meaning about their relationship with God.
The names "Oholah" (Samaria) and "Oholibah" (Jerusalem) are incredibly significant.
Oholah: "Her Own Tent"
Oholah, representing Samaria and the northern kingdom of Israel, means "her own tent." This name points to their decision to create their own places of worship, like the calf shrines at Dan and Bethel, separate from God's appointed sanctuary. They devised their own religious system.
Oholibah: "My Tent Is In Her"
Oholibah, representing Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah, means "my tent is in her." This name highlights that God's dwelling place—the Temple—was still central to Jerusalem. They still had access to the true worship God ordained.
Even though both started with a covenant relationship with God, their paths diverged based on where they chose to seek Him.
God says of these sisters, "they became mine, and they bore sons and daughters." How does this initial shared intimacy contrast with their later actions?
The verse begins by stating that both Oholah and Oholibah "became mine." This powerful phrase signifies that both the northern kingdom (Samaria) and the southern kingdom (Judah) were initially chosen and covenanted with God.
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A Shared Beginning
They were originally espoused to God, reflecting a time when they were His people, worshipping Him and bearing children as a sign of His blessing and their faithfulness. This "marriage covenant" was the foundation of their relationship with Him.
Divergent Paths
However, the subsequent narrative in Ezekiel 23 will reveal how these "sisters" tragically strayed. Oholah (Samaria) leads the way in apostasy, and Oholibah (Jerusalem), while retaining the true sanctuary, also succumbs to spiritual adultery. Their initial shared status as "mine" makes their later unfaithfulness even more grievous.
Understand the original words
Oholah · Hebrew Proper Noun
A symbolic name meaning 'her tent'; it represents the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), emphasizing its unauthorized cultic practices independent of the temple in Jerusalem.
Oholibah · Hebrew Proper Noun
A symbolic name meaning 'my tent is in her'; it represents the Southern Kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem), where God’s presence/temple actually resided, making her infidelity even more egregious.
li · Hebrew Preposition with suffix
The Hebrew term for covenantal intimacy or belonging; it signifies that Israel was claimed by God as His own possession, making their subsequent idolatry an act of spiritual adultery.
The names 'Oholah' (her tent) for Samaria and 'Oholibah' (my tent is in her) for Jerusalem highlight a crucial theological distinction: Samaria's self-made worship centers versus Jerusalem's possession of God's divinely appointed Temple.
c. 931 BC
Division of the United Monarchy
Following King Solomon's death, the united kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern Kingdom of Israel (with its capital eventually Samaria) and the southern Kingdom of Judah (with its capital Jerusalem). This division set the stage for differing religious practices.
c. 931 BC— this verse
Establishment of Separate Worship Centers
Jeroboam, king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan as alternative worship sites to Jerusalem, effectively creating 'her own tent' of worship distinct from God's appointed sanctuary.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Captivity
The capital city of Samaria fell to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of the northern Kingdom of Israel. This marked the end of 'Oholah' as a distinct political and religious entity.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Captivity
The southern Kingdom of Judah, represented by Jerusalem, was conquered by the Babylonian Empire. The Temple, God's chosen sanctuary, was destroyed, leading to the exile of Judah.
Hosea directly addresses the calf of Samaria, a symbol of 'her own tent' (Aholah), highlighting the self-made worship that separated Israel from God's true dwelling place.
Jeremiah 3:6-11This passage parallels Ezekiel's allegory by accusing 'faithless Israel' (Samaria) of seeking other lovers, while 'treacherous Judah' (Jerusalem) also played the harlot, showing the pervasive unfaithfulness of both.
1 Kings 12:28-30This passage describes Jeroboam's establishment of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, the very act that created Samaria's 'own tent' (Aholah) and marked the beginning of its separate, false worship.
Ezekiel 16:44-46Ezekiel explicitly compares Samaria and Jerusalem as sisters, labeling Samaria as the 'elder' and Jerusalem as the 'younger,' mirroring the description in chapter 23 and setting the stage for their shared, yet distinct, failures.
barnesEzekiel 23:4: "And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah."
Aholah ... and Aholibah - More correctly "Oholah" ("her own tent or tabernacle") and "Oholibah" ("My tent or tabernacle is in her"): names chosen to express that after the division Israel set up her own tabernacle in the place of the temple in which God dwelt 1 Kings 12:32 , while with Judah…
gillEzekiel 23:4: "And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah."
And the names of them were Aholah the elder,.... Or, "the greater" (m) meaning the ten tribes of Israel, which were more in number than Judah, and greater in power and riches; their name, Aholah, signifies "her tent or tabernacle", which was entirely their own, and not the Lord's: their worsh…
While the names Aholah and Aholibah literally mean "her tent" and "my tent is in her" respectively, the profound insight here is that these symbolic names aren't just about separate places of worship. They reveal God's perspective: He considered both kingdoms "His," yet one chose its own way ("her tent") while the other, though flawed, still housed His presence ("my tent").
Ezekiel is about to deliver a message using an extended metaphor that compares the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah to prostitution. The passage introduces two sisters, "Oholah" (representing the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital Samaria) and "Oholibah" (representing the southern kingdom of Judah, with its capital Jerusalem), who were originally claimed by God as His own and bore children to Him. The names themselves hint at the core issue: "Oholah" suggests "her own tent" or worship, while "Oholibah" means "my tent is in her," signifying the true presence of God in Jerusalem's Temple.
Ezekiel is about to deliver a message using an extended metaphor that compares the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah to prostitution. The passage introduces two sisters, "Oholah" (representing the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital Samaria) and "Oholibah" (representing the southern kingdom of Judah, with its capital Jerusalem), who were originally claimed by God as His own and bore children to Him. The names themselves hint at the core issue: "Oholah" suggests "her own tent" or worship, while "Oholibah" means "my tent is in her," signifying the true presence of God in Jerusalem's Temple.
"Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem." — While the names Aholah and Aholibah literally mean "her tent" and "my tent is in her" respectively, the profound insight here is that these symbolic names aren't just about separate places of worship…
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Last reviewed October 2026