23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;)
23 " 'Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness,
23 "And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord GOD),
23 "'And then to top off all your evil acts, you built your bold brothels in every town square. Doom! Doom to you, says God, the Master!
23 "Then it was so, after all your wickedness--'Woe, woe to you!' says the Lord God--
23 "What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign Lord . In addition to all your other wickedness,
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:23
Commentary on Ezekiel 16:1-58
(Read Ezekiel 16:1-58)
In this chapter God's dealings with the Jewish nation, and their conduct towards him, are described, and their punishment through the surrounding nations, even those they most trusted in. This is done under the parable of an exposed infant rescued from death, educated, espoused, and richly provided for, but afterwards guilty of the most abandoned conduct, and punished for it; yet at last received into favour, and ashamed of her base conduct. We are not to judge of these expressions by modern ideas, but by those of the times and places in which they were used, where many of them would not sound as they do to us. The design was to raise hatred to idolatry, and such a parable was well suited for that purpose.