Ezekiel 23:14
New International Version
“But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red,

New Living Translation
“Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall—pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.

English Standard Version
But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

Berean Standard Bible
But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,

King James Bible
And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,

New King James Version
But she increased her harlotry; She looked at men portrayed on the wall, Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

New American Standard Bible
So she increased her obscene practices. And she saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans drawn in bright red,

NASB 1995
“So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

NASB 1977
“So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

Legacy Standard Bible
So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

Amplified Bible
But Oholibah carried her depravity further, for she saw men pictured on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) sketched and portrayed in vermilion (bright red pigment),

Christian Standard Bible
But she increased her promiscuity when she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in bright red,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But she increased her promiscuity when she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,

American Standard Version
And she increased her whoredoms; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

Contemporary English Version
But Oholibah behaved worse than her sister. Oholibah saw images of Babylonian men carved into walls and painted red.

English Revised Version
And she increased her whoredoms; for she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Yet, she carried her prostitution even further. She saw pictures of men carved on walls. They were figures of Babylonian men, painted in bright red.

International Standard Version
"She became even more sexually immoral when she saw the images of the Chaldean men who had been carved in red on their walls.

Majority Standard Bible
But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,

NET Bible
But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red,

New Heart English Bible
She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

Webster's Bible Translation
And that she increased her prostitutions: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion.

World English Bible
“She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with red,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And she adds to her whoredoms, "" And she sees men carved on the wall, "" Pictures of Chaldeans, carved with vermillion,

Young's Literal Translation
And she doth add unto her whoredoms, And she seeth graved men on the wall, Pictures of Chaldeans, graved with red lead,

Smith's Literal Translation
And she will add to her fornications: and she will see men delineated upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans being delineated with red color.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And she increased her fornications: and when she had seen men painted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans set forth in colours,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And she increased her fornications. And when she had seen men depicted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans, expressed in colors,

New American Bible
She went further in her prostitution: She saw male figures drawn on the wall, images of Chaldeans drawn with vermilion,

New Revised Standard Version
But she carried her whorings further; she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they added to their whoredoms; for when they saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they added to their fornications and they saw men who were painted on the wall, images of the Chaldeans who were painted in pigments
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And she increased her harlotries; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And she increased her fornication, and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Adultery of Oholah and Oholibah
13And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path. 14But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion, 15wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 22:14
who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.

Isaiah 44:13
The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.

2 Kings 9:30
Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from a window.

Isaiah 57:8
Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed; you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their nakedness.

Jeremiah 4:30
And you, O devastated one, what will you do, though you dress yourself in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, though you enlarge your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers despise you; they want to take your life.

Revelation 17:4
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

Revelation 18:16
saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Proverbs 6:25
Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

2 Peter 2:14
Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.

Isaiah 3:16
The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—

Isaiah 3:18-23
In that day the Lord will take away their finery: their anklets and headbands and crescents; / their pendants, bracelets, and veils; / their headdresses, ankle chains, and sashes; their perfume bottles and charms; ...

Hosea 2:13
I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she adorned herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she forgot,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 13:27
Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields—I have seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?”


Treasury of Scripture

And that she increased her prostitutions: for when she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

pourtrayed

Ezekiel 8:10
So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.

Isaiah 46:1
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.

Jeremiah 50:2
Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

vermilion

Jeremiah 22:14
That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

Jump to Previous
Add Behaviour Bright Carried Chaldaeans Chaldeans Chalde'ans Figures Further Graved Harlotries Harlotry Images Increased Loose Painted Pictured Pictures Portrayed Pourtrayed Prostitution Prostitutions Red Vermilion Wall Whoredoms Worse
Jump to Next
Add Behaviour Bright Carried Chaldaeans Chaldeans Chalde'ans Figures Further Graved Harlotries Harlotry Images Increased Loose Painted Pictured Pictures Portrayed Pourtrayed Prostitution Prostitutions Red Vermilion Wall Whoredoms Worse
Ezekiel 23
1. The unfaithfulness of Aholah and Aholibah
23. Aholibah is to be plagued by her lovers
36. The prophet reproves the adulteries of them both
45. and shows their judgments














But she increased her prostitution
This phrase highlights the escalating unfaithfulness of the nation, symbolized by the allegorical figure of a woman. The Hebrew root for "prostitution" is "זָנָה" (zanah), which often denotes not only physical adultery but also spiritual infidelity, particularly idolatry. In the context of Ezekiel, this represents Israel's increasing engagement with pagan practices and alliances, contrary to their covenant with God. Historically, this reflects the period when Israel and Judah sought political alliances with surrounding nations, compromising their distinct identity as God's chosen people.

When she saw men portrayed on the wall
The imagery of "men portrayed on the wall" suggests the allure of foreign cultures and their practices. The Hebrew word for "portrayed" is "חָקוּק" (chaquq), meaning engraved or inscribed, indicating a deliberate and lasting impression. This can be seen as a metaphor for how deeply the Israelites were influenced by the surrounding nations. Archaeologically, wall reliefs and carvings were common in ancient Near Eastern cultures, often depicting warriors and deities, which could captivate and seduce the Israelites into idolatry.

the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion
The "images of the Chaldeans" refers to the Babylonians, known for their military prowess and cultural achievements. The Chaldeans were a dominant force in the region, and their influence was both feared and admired. "Vermilion" is a bright red pigment, derived from the Hebrew "שָׁשַׁר" (shashar), symbolizing both beauty and bloodshed. This color choice emphasizes the seductive yet dangerous nature of these foreign influences. Scripturally, this serves as a warning against the temptation to conform to worldly powers and the resulting spiritual adultery, urging believers to remain faithful to God’s covenant.

(14) Men portrayed upon the wall.--Such portraitures, with evidence that they were once executed in brilliant colours, are characteristic both of Egypt and Assyria, where stone for sculpture abounded. From the close connection in race and customs between the Assyrians and Babylonians, it cannot be doubted that the same portraitures were also common upon the more perishable brick of the latter, of whom the prophet is now speaking. The monuments fully concur in representing the warriors of Assyria and Babylonia as delighting in extreme gorgeousness of apparel, but it is difficult to render into English with accuracy each particular of their dress. The exiles, whom Ezekiel immediately addressed, were familiar with these pictures, and his way of speaking of them was important in checking any disposition to fall into idolatries by means of them.

Verse 14. - The sin of Judah went a stop further than that of Samaria. She courted the alliance of the Chaldeans. Probably the sojourn of Manasseh at Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11) led him to see in that city a possible rival to Assyria. The embassy of Merodach-Baladan to Hezekiah (Isaiah 39.) implies, on the other hand, that Babylon was looking to Judah for support against Assyria. The prophet represents this political coquetting, so to speak, as another act of whoredom. Aholibah saw the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion (probably "red ochre:" colors seem to have been used largely both in Assyrian and Babylonian sculpture as in Egyptian, and Judah seems to have copied them, Jeremiah 22:14) and fell in love with them. As the passions of a Messalina might be roused by sensuous pictures of masculine beauty, so Judah was led on by what her envoys reported of the magnificence of the palaces, the strength of the armies, of the Chaldeans. The journey of Jonah to Nineveh, and those implied in Hosea 7:11, as well as the prophecy of Nahum, all indicate a more or less intimate knowledge of the Mesopotamian monarchies. The mission of Merodach-Baladan would be naturally followed by a return embassy from Judah. A later instance under Zedekiah meets us in Jeremiah 29:3.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But [Oholibah] carried
וַתּ֖וֹסֶף (wat·tō·w·sep̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3254: To add, augment

her prostitution {even further}.
תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ (taz·nū·ṯe·hā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8457: Harlotry, idolatry

She saw
וַתֵּ֗רֶא (wat·tê·re)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

the men
אַנְשֵׁי֙ (’an·šê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

portrayed
מְחֻקֶּ֣ה (mə·ḥuq·qeh)
Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2707: To carve, to delineate, to entrench

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the wall,
הַקִּ֔יר (haq·qîr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7023: A wall

images
צַלְמֵ֣י (ṣal·mê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6754: A phantom, illusion, resemblance, a representative figure, an idol

of the Chaldeans,
כַשְׂדִּ֔ים (ḵaś·dîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 3778: Chaldeans -- a region of southern Babylon and its inhab

engraved
חֲקֻקִ֖ים (ḥă·qu·qîm)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural
Strong's 2710: To hack, engrave, to enact, prescribe

in vermilion,
בַּשָּׁשַֽׁר׃ (baš·šā·šar)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8350: Red color, vermilion


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 23:14 She increased her prostitution (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 23:13
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