Ezekiel 23:20
For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
Original Language Analysis
וַֽתַּעְגְּבָ֔ה
For she doted
H5689
וַֽתַּעְגְּבָ֔ה
For she doted
Strong's:
H5689
Word #:
1 of 10
to breathe after, i.e., to love (sensually)
עַ֖ל
H5921
עַ֖ל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
2 of 10
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
פִּֽלַגְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם
upon their paramours
H6370
פִּֽלַגְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם
upon their paramours
Strong's:
H6370
Word #:
3 of 10
a concubine; also (masculine) a paramour
אֲשֶׁ֤ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֤ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
4 of 10
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
בְּשָׂרָ֔ם
is as the flesh
H1320
בְּשָׂרָ֔ם
is as the flesh
Strong's:
H1320
Word #:
5 of 10
flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man
בְּשָׂרָ֔ם
is as the flesh
H1320
בְּשָׂרָ֔ם
is as the flesh
Strong's:
H1320
Word #:
7 of 10
flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man
Cross References
Ezekiel 17:15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?Ezekiel 16:26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
Historical Context
Egypt's reputation for sexual immorality and religious-sexual cult practices was proverbial in the ancient Near East. Egyptian religion intertwined sexuality and fertility rites in ways abhorrent to Yahweh worship. Judah's alliance with Egypt meant exposure to and adoption of these practices, thoroughly corrupting covenant purity.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does God use shocking language to describe sin we've minimized?
- How have we become desensitized to behaviors God finds revolting?
- What does our comfort or discomfort with this imagery reveal about our spiritual state?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
For she doted upon their paramours intensifies imagery—'paramours' suggests casual, multiple sexual partners. Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses employs Scripture's most offensive sexual language—comparing Egyptian lovers to animals in lustful virility. This deliberately disgusting imagery forces readers to feel God's revulsion at idolatry. If we're offended by this language, we glimpse how offensive spiritual adultery is to God. He uses extreme language because we've become desensitized to sin's severity. When polite language fails to provoke repentance, God uses shocking crudeness to penetrate hardened consciences. The point: idolatry is bestial, debasing, utterly corrupt.