Ezekiel’s Old Testament prophecies have captivated and even baffled Bible readers for centuries. Ezekiel, whose name means strengthened by God, prophesied about Israel as a divided nation. In chapter twenty-three, we read an allegory whose main characters are two women, Oholah and Oholibah.
God’s glory is the preeminent theme throughout Ezekiel. The book can be divided into five sections:
1. Chapters 1-24 – Ezekiel prophesies the coming ruin of Jerusalem.
2. Chapters 25-32 – God’s vengeance is foretold against the nearby nations who abuse the Lord’s people and land.
3. Chapter 28:25-26 gives a degree of hope regarding Israel’s restoration by God.
4. Chapter 33 is an interval wherein God calls Israel to repentance.
5. Chapters 34-48 outline God’s promises for a coming restoration.
Which Bible Verse Mentions Oholah and Oholibah?
Ezekiel 23 gives us the complete allegory involving Oholah and Oholibah. Their names are mentioned directly in 23:4-5, 11, 22, 36, and 44. Oholah and Oholibah are sisters. Oholah was the elder’s name, and Oholibah was her younger sister’s name.
What Do the Names Oholah and Oholibah Mean?
The International Standard Bible Dictionary describes Oholah as such:
“The exact meaning is a matter of dispute. As written, it seems to mean a tent-woman, or the woman living in a tent. With a mappik in the last consonant it could mean ‘her tent.’ The term is used symbolically by Ezekiel to designate Samaria or the kingdom of Israel (Ezekiel 23:4,5,36,44).”
According to the Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, a mappik is a piece of Hebrew grammar that literally means “bringing out.”
The same source defines Oholibah as “tent in her” or “my tent is in her.”
What Do Oholah and Oholibah Symbolize?
Oholibah is a contemptuous, symbolic name the Lord God had Ezekiel give Jerusalem. It represents Judah because of her deceptive and sinful partnerships with Egypt, Babylonia, and Assyria. Similarly, God tells Ezekiel to use the name Oholah for Samaria (the Northern kingdom) because of her unfaithful involvement with Assyria and Egypt.
The Hebrew text displays an untranslatable play on the words corresponding to the women being the daughters of one mother and the wives of Yahweh. Both Jerusalem and Samaria’s sinful actions against their faithful, covenant God are likened to marital unfaithfulness or adultery.
Scripture is clear about God’s holy jealousy. Penny Noyes tells us, “God’s description of Himself as jealous is only given in the context of idolatry.” (See also Deuteronomy 5:9)
In shocking language, Ezekiel 23:2-5 states Oholah whored while belonging to God and lusted after other nations (e.g., Assyria) as “lovers.” God told Ezekiel to “declare to them their abominations” (Ezekiel 23:36). Oholah and Oholibah acted as lewd women—prostitutes (Ezekiel 23:44). Oholibah (Jerusalem) saw what Oholah (Samaria) did and “became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and whoring” (Ezekiel 23:11). Ezekiel then pronounced God’s coming judgment on the sisters; He would stir the nations against them with whom they formed an unholy union (Ezekiel 23:22).
God has made it as easy as possible for us to relate to Him. In a familial sense, we all know what it means physically and emotionally to have a father, a brother, a husband, a wife, and a friend. God is our heavenly Father (Matthew 6:26). We belong to Him, and He is a great protector of His people. His position as our Father supersedes all earthly family, and we are to be faithful and obedient to Him.
Throughout the Bible, God presents Himself as relatable yet other (holy). To those who have surrendered to and love Jesus as Lord and Savior, God/our Lord Jesus Christ is considered:
- Our Creator (Genesis 1:1, 27).
- Our Sovereign LORD (Acts 4:24). He is our supreme authority over all aspects of our lives.
- Our Father (throughout the Bible). What God did for us when He created Adam and Eve was give us a family relationship that allowed us to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). Only God can create man from the dust and a woman from the man’s rib (Genesis 1:27; 2:21-25. God created Adam and instituted marriage between a man and a woman, yet He is and remains forever our Father in heaven.
- Our Husband (Isaiah 54:5-8). And as those who belong to Christ, we are His bride (Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17).
- Our Friend. In John 15:14, Jesus calls us His friends, but with the condition stated if we do what He commands us.
- Our Brother (Hebrews 2:11; Romans 8:29). Jesus Christ is called our Brother.
- Our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
- Our Host (Psalm 23:5)
He is both our Shepherd and our Host making He uses His rod to protect us from external threats and His staff for internal protection lest we swerve off course.
The above list is simply a small representation of who He is to us.
When God addressed His people after calling them out of Egypt, He gave Moses His covenant name, Yahweh. As His people, Israel was to love, submit to, obey, and bring glory to Him. Instead, they strayed and went after foreign gods. God used His prophets to liken their unfaithfulness to adultery, for accepting and desiring pagan nations’ sinful actions is akin to adultery.
Why Does the Bible Use Sexual Imagery to Talk about Idolatry?
As we read above, in the beginning, on the sixth day, God created man and woman (Genesis 1:26-27). He blessed them and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). God instituted the union of a man and his wife, which is sacred in His sight.
God’s people are pictured as His chosen and treasured possession (Deuteronomy 7:6). He calls Himself Israel’s husband in Jeremiah 31:32, Isaiah 54:5, and Hosea 2. The covenant between God and Israel was instituted in Exodus 19:2, and when the people responded to Moses as he spoke God’s words to them, they affirmed, “all that the Lord has spoken we will do.” That affirmation acted as a seal of the covenant. Israel would do her part as God’s own, as a wife obeys and honors her husband. The Precept Austin website adds, “Note that the solemn, binding nature of their entrance into this covenant was ratified by the blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:3-8).
God provides many object lessons about the sin and judgment of idolatry throughout His Word. He chose the union of a husband and his wife to show how the relationship between Himself and His covenant people should look. Anything outside the confines of a husband and his wife’s marriage bed is adultery, not just the physical act but the lustful desires.
Because of the binding union of Jerusalem and Samaria’s (God’s people’s) hearts to His, coveting (lusting after) other nations and making alliances with them was akin to sexual sin. Scripture says God’s covenant people whored after Assyria, Egypt, and Babylonia, and their beliefs and practices became idols to Oholah and Oholibah.
Before they entered the promised land, God told His people not to intermarry with the nations they would dispossess. He knows our hearts are wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). He knows we can easily leave our first love and go after the world. Earlier in Deuteronomy, Moses said, “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways” (Deuteronomy 28:9). Instead, the Jewish men had sexual unions with foreign women and were led away from obedience and loyalty to the Lord God and into idolatry with pagan nations (Deuteronomy 31:16).
We also have conditions based on what our holy, covenant-keeping God requires. These conditions are often expressed in “if… then” clauses. A look through the Bible for the short phrase, “If you..” will yield 2,295 matches. God is clear in His commandments and calls for our obedience. Thank God He is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13).
He holds everyone’s future in His hands. Are we not safe in His Almighty hands? Do we not owe Him our very lives? Eternity with Him is worth every sacrifice, every “no” to the wiles of the world, the flesh, and the devil (Ephesians 2:2-3a). Ezekiel, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, spoke the prophecy concerning Jerusalem and Samaria, and it serves as a reminder and a lesson to we who call ourselves Christ-followers.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/ruivalesousa
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