Ezekiel 23:46-47
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This isn't just about a military invasion; the Hebrew word for "company" here can also mean "assembly" or "council." God is presenting the coming judgment not as a random attack, but as a divinely ordained execution, a formal sentence carried out against those who have broken their covenant. It highlights that their ultimate "removal" and "spoiling" is not just physical destruction, but the consequence of a righteous judgment.
For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder. And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes at the climax of Ezekiel's vivid and disturbing parable about two unfaithful sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), representing the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. After detailing their corruptions and idolatries, God declares through Ezekiel that judgment is now inevitable; Oholibah, specifically, will face the fury of invading armies, who will carry them off as captives and plunder their land.
When God speaks, things happen. In this verse, God isn't just observing; He's actively commanding.
The phrase 'For thus says the Lord GOD' is a powerful declaration. It signifies that the judgment coming upon Aholibah (representing Judah and Jerusalem) is not a random event or the mere whim of human kings or empires.
Judgment brings consequences, and this verse clearly outlines what those consequences will be for the disobedient.
The verse states that God will 'make them an object of terror and a plunder.' This points to a dual outcome of the judgment:
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This wasn't just about military defeat; it was about a complete dismantling of their society and a stripping away of everything they held dear as a consequence of their rebellion.
Understand the original words
Adonai Yahweh · Hebrew Noun phrase
A title for God, typically combining 'Adonai' (Lord/Master) and 'Yahweh' (The LORD), emphasizing His absolute sovereignty, authority, and covenant relationship with His people.
zeva'ah · Hebrew Noun
Something or someone that evokes intense fear or awe; in a biblical context, it often refers to the manifestation of God’s judgment that leaves observers paralyzed with dread.
Ezekiel 23 vividly portrays Judah's deep spiritual adultery and its inevitable consequences. This verse is a divine decree of judgment, using the imagery of a military invasion and plunder to signify the Babylonian conquest, which the prophet Ezekiel witnessed firsthand as he was part of the second deportation.
Late 8th Century BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its citizens and scattering them across the empire. This event serves as a foreshadowing of judgment for the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army conquer Jerusalem and deport a group of its elite citizens, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's exile.
597 BC— this verse
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem, exiling King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel is among this group.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Babylonians lay final siege to Jerusalem, destroying the Temple and the city walls, and carrying the majority of the remaining population into exile in Babylon. This is the ultimate fulfillment of God's judgment against Judah's unfaithfulness.
This passage parallels Ezekiel's prophecy by describing the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and his army from the north to conquer and devastate the land, fulfilling God's judgment.
Ezekiel 16:40This verse directly links to the judgment described in Ezekiel 23, stating that foreign armies will inflict the same kind of 'removal' and 'spoiling' on Jerusalem as is threatened against Aholibah (Samaria and Judah).
Isaiah 10:5-6These verses describe God using the Assyrian army as His instrument of wrath to punish the nations, illustrating the concept of God raising up a 'company' to act as an object of terror and plunder.
Lamentations 1:14This verse speaks of the 'yoke' of Israel's sins being bound and placed upon their neck by the Lord, which directly relates to the 'removal' and 'spoiling' that comes as a consequence of their actions.
gillEzekiel 23:46: "For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled."
For thus saith the Lord God, I will bring up a company upon them,.... Or, "do thou bring up a company upon them" (m), or "against them". The Targum represents it as spoken to the prophet, thus, "prophesy that armies shall come up against them.'' Kimchi interprets it as we do, "I will bring up", &c. and so others (n). By this "company" is to be understood the Chaldean…
pooleEzekiel 23:46: "For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled."
A company; the Babylonian army. Upon them; against the Jews, the children of this Aholibah. Give them; the inhabitants of Judea, the citizens of Jerusalem, with princes and royal family. To be removed; to be carried away captive into the land of Chaldea. And spoiled, by the rapine of the soldiers in their own land, and by the cruelty of their masters to whom they shal…
This isn't just about a military invasion; the Hebrew word for "company" here can also mean "assembly" or "council." God is presenting the coming judgment not as a random attack, but as a divinely ordained execution, a formal sentence carried out against those who have broken their covenant. It highlights that their ultimate "removal" and "spoiling" is not just physical destruction, but the consequence of a righteous judgment.
This verse comes at the climax of Ezekiel's vivid and disturbing parable about two unfaithful sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), representing the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. After detailing their corruptions and idolatries, God declares through Ezekiel that judgment is now inevitable; Oholibah, specifically, will face the fury of invading armies, who will carry them off as captives and plunder their land.
This verse comes at the climax of Ezekiel's vivid and disturbing parable about two unfaithful sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), representing the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. After detailing their corruptions and idolatries, God declares through Ezekiel that judgment is now inevitable; Oholibah, specifically, will face the fury of invading armies, who will carry them off as captives and plunder their land.
"For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder. And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up…" — This isn't just about a military invasion; the Hebrew word for "company" here can also mean "assembly" or "council." God is presenting the coming judgment not as a random attack, but as a divinely or…
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Last reviewed October 2026
