Ezekiel 23:43-44
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This verse isn't a question from God asking if people are still interested in a "worn-out" nation, but rather God's sorrowful declaration: "Now her whoredom will be committed, even this!" It reveals God's grief that despite a people's prolonged spiritual decay, they continue in their destructive ways, and He watches it happen.
“Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’ For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women!
English Standard Version (ESV)
After detailing the deep spiritual adultery of both Samaria (Aholah) and Jerusalem (Aholibah) with surrounding nations and their gods, God declares that their prolonged sin has left them utterly ruined. He rhetorically questions if their former lovers would still desire them, implying their utter degradation and the inevitable consequences of their choices.
Ezekiel's prophecy paints a stark picture of a people lost in sin. But how does God perceive this persistent rebellion?
The verse describes Aholibah (representing Judah) as "old in adulteries." This isn't just about a long history of sin, but a deeply ingrained habit, like an old harlot who is past her prime but still seeks illicit encounters. The commentary suggests God observes this with a mixture of sorrow and judgment, almost questioning the absurdity of such persistent, worn-out sin. God sees the depth and entrenchment of sin in our lives. It's not just a mistake, but a pattern that has become the very identity of a person or a people.
When sin becomes deeply ingrained, is there a point where God's response shifts from pleading to judgment?
The phrase 'Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!' can be understood not as a question, but a declaration. After persistent rebellion and repeated warnings, God gives people over to the consequences of their sin. The 'lovers' (foreign nations and their idolatry) will continue to defile her, and she will continue to seek them out. This is often referred to as God 'giving someone up' to their sinful desires. It's a terrifying prospect, signifying a judicial hardening where the natural consequence of sin becomes its own punishment.
Understand the original words
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ni'uphim · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, adultery represents not only the violation of the marriage covenant between a husband and wife but, more profoundly, the spiritual infidelity of God's people through idolatry and turning away from the Creator.
zimmah · Hebrew Noun
A term denoting immoral conduct, specifically in a spiritual sense. It refers to brazen, shameless violation of moral and divine law, often linked with religious unfaithfulness.
Ezekiel uses the metaphor of 'old harlots' worn out by their unfaithfulness to describe both the northern kingdom of Israel (Aholah) and the southern kingdom of Judah (Aholibah). This verse reflects the utter despair and finality of judgment following Judah's repeated betrayals of God through idolatry and foreign alliances, even after experiencing devastating consequences like exile and the destruction of their capital.
c. 931 BC
Israel Divides into Two Kingdoms
Following the death of King Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel splits into the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the southern kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem). This division marks the beginning of their separate, often competing, spiritual paths.
8th Century BC
Assyrian Captivity of Northern Kingdom
The powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire begins to exert pressure on the northern kingdom of Israel, leading to increased idolatry and political instability as they seek foreign alliances.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers and deports the inhabitants of the northern kingdom of Israel, effectively ending its existence as a distinct entity. This serves as a stark warning to the southern kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
The Neo-Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, defeats the Egyptian and Assyrian forces and begins deporting Judean elites to Babylon. This marks the start of Judah's Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II deports more Judeans to Babylon, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel himself. The southern kingdom of Judah continues its spiritual unfaithfulness.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem, destroy the city and its magnificent Temple, and deport the majority of the remaining population. This event is the peak of God's judgment on Judah's persistent idolatry and unfaithfulness.
This passage echoes the theme of spiritual adultery and the persistent unfaithfulness of God's people, even when they should have learned their lesson.
Hosea 2:5Hosea's prophetic marriage illustrates the concept of 'spiritual adultery,' where Israel's pursuit of other gods is depicted as chasing after lovers who ultimately offer no true sustenance.
Romans 1:28Paul describes a similar 'giving over' by God to a depraved mind for those who reject Him, mirroring the idea that continued sin leads to further corruption.
2 Peter 2:14This verse speaks of those 'with eyes full of adultery,' highlighting the pervasive and persistent nature of sin that blinds individuals to its destructive consequences.
gillEzekiel 23:43: "Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?"
Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries,.... That had been an old adulterer or idolater; meaning either Aholah the ten tribes, who from Jeroboam's time had been guilty of idolatry; or Aholibah the two tribes, who had remained longer in their own country, and had been long given to idolatry; or both of them, as some think, the whole body of the people of Israel, w…
pooleEzekiel 23:43: "Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?"
Then said I; after the manner of man God seems to stand musing, or saying to himself, or it may be supposed that God speaks to the prophet, asking him. Unto her; or rather, of her, concerning her. Old in adulteries, such usually are out of request with adulterers; and now Samaria and Jerusalem had been long spiritual adulteresses, and one would think her lovers would be…
This verse isn't a question from God asking if people are still interested in a "worn-out" nation, but rather God's sorrowful declaration: "Now her whoredom will be committed, even this!" It reveals God's grief that despite a people's prolonged spiritual decay, they continue in their destructive ways, and He watches it happen.
After detailing the deep spiritual adultery of both Samaria (Aholah) and Jerusalem (Aholibah) with surrounding nations and their gods, God declares that their prolonged sin has left them utterly ruined. He rhetorically questions if their former lovers would still desire them, implying their utter degradation and the inevitable consequences of their choices.
After detailing the deep spiritual adultery of both Samaria (Aholah) and Jerusalem (Aholibah) with surrounding nations and their gods, God declares that their prolonged sin has left them utterly ruined. He rhetorically questions if their former lovers would still desire them, implying their utter degradation and the inevitable consequences of their choices.
"“Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’ For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women!" — This verse isn't a question from God asking if people are still interested in a "worn-out" nation, but rather God's sorrowful declaration: "Now her whoredom will be committed, even this!" It reveals…
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Last reviewed October 2026
