Ezekiel 23:5-6

23:5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. 1  She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians 2  – warriors 3  23:6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

Ezekiel 23:12-16

23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 23:13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 23:14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, 4  23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians 5  whose native land is Chaldea. 23:16 When she saw them, 6  she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 7 

1 tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29.

sn Played the harlot refers to alliances with pagan nations in this context. In Ezek 16 harlotry described the sin of idolatry.

2 tn Heb “Assyria.”

3 tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.

4 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.

5 tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”

6 tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”

7 sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).