Ezekiel 23:17

And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

And the Babylonians {H1121}{H894} came {H935} to her into the bed {H4904} of love {H1730}, and they defiled {H2930} her with their whoredom {H8457}, and she was polluted {H2930} with them, and her mind {H5315} was alienated {H3363} from them.

and the men of Bavel climbed into her "love bed" and defiled her with their lust. She was defiled by them, and then filled with revulsion at them.

Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them.

Context

Ezekiel chapter 23 employs a vivid and unsettling allegory to depict the spiritual unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah. The prophet Ezekiel uses two sisters, Oholah (representing Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) and Aholibah (representing Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah), to illustrate their history of idolatry and political alliances with foreign powers. This verse, Ezekiel 23:17, specifically focuses on Aholibah (Judah/Jerusalem) and her illicit "affair" with the Babylonians. This metaphorical relationship represents Judah's pursuit of political alliances with Babylon, adopting their pagan practices and trusting in their power instead of relying on the Lord, which ultimately led to their spiritual corruption and eventual downfall.

Key Themes

  • Spiritual Adultery and Idolatry: The core theme is Judah's infidelity to God, portrayed as "whoredom." This isn't literal prostitution but a powerful metaphor for abandoning the covenant relationship with Yahweh for foreign gods and alliances.
  • Consequences of Unfaithfulness: The verse highlights the inevitable outcome of such spiritual defilement: pollution and eventual alienation. Judah's actions led to moral decay and a broken relationship with God.
  • Divine Judgment: While not explicitly stated in this verse, the entire chapter points towards God's judgment against Judah for their persistent unfaithfulness. The "alienation" hints at the turning of these allies against them, a form of divine retribution.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV uses strong imagery. The phrase "bed of love" (מִשְׁכַּב דֹּדִים, mishkav dodim) emphasizes the willing and passionate nature of Judah's pursuit of these alliances, initially seen as desirable. The word "defiled" (וַיְטַמְּאוּ, vaytam'u) and "polluted" (וַתִּטְמָא, vattitma) both come from the root tama', meaning to be unclean or impure, particularly in a ritual or moral sense. This underscores the profound spiritual corruption. Most significantly, "her mind was alienated from them" (וַתֵּקַע נַפְשָׁהּ מֵהֶם, vatteqa' nafshah mehem) suggests a turning away, a disgust or estrangement. It speaks to the disillusionment that followed the initial attraction, yet the damage was already done, leading to irreversible spiritual and national consequences.

Related Scriptures

  • For the broader theme of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness depicted as harlotry, see Jeremiah 3:6-9 or Hosea 1:2.
  • The concept of God's people being "polluted" by idolatry is also found in Leviticus 18:24-25, which warns of the land vomiting out its inhabitants due to defilement.
  • The ultimate consequence of this unfaithfulness, leading to God's judgment and the destruction of Jerusalem, is detailed in Ezekiel 24:21.

Practical Application

While written to ancient Judah, the message of Ezekiel 23:17 remains profoundly relevant today. It serves as a powerful warning against spiritual compromise. For believers, "whoredom" can represent anything that takes the place of God in our hearts or compromises our commitment to Him: materialism, worldly ambitions, ungodly alliances, or seeking security apart from Him. We are called to be faithful to God alone, to avoid spiritual defilement from the world's values, and to recognize that true peace and security come only from a steadfast relationship with Him, not from temporary or unholy "beds of love." Our minds should be steadfastly fixed on God, not alienated from Him by worldly pursuits, as warned in James 4:4.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Ezekiel 23:22

    ¶ Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;

  • Ezekiel 23:28

    For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand [of them] whom thou hatest, into the hand [of them] from whom thy mind is alienated:

  • 2 Samuel 13:15

    Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her [was] greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.

  • Ezekiel 16:37

    Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all [them] that thou hast loved, with all [them] that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

  • Genesis 10:10

    And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

  • Genesis 11:9

    Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

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