Ezekiel 23:44
New International Version
And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah.

New Living Translation
And that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes.

English Standard Version
For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women!

Berean Standard Bible
And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.

King James Bible
Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.

New King James Version
Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.

New American Standard Bible
But they went in to her as they would go in to a prostitute. This is how they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

NASB 1995
“But they went in to her as they would go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

NASB 1977
“But they went in to her as they would go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

Legacy Standard Bible
But they went in to her as they would go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

Amplified Bible
But they committed adultery with her as they would with a prostitute. So they went in to Oholah (Israel) and to Oholibah (Judah), the lewd women.

Christian Standard Bible
Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those depraved women.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those obscene women.

American Standard Version
And they went in unto her, as they go in unto a harlot: so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholibah, the lewd women.

Contemporary English Version
In fact, the men had sex over and over with Oholah and Oholibah, the two sinful sisters.

English Revised Version
And they went in unto her, as they go in unto an harlot: so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholibah, the lewd women.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Men slept with her. They slept with those sinful women, Oholah and Oholibah just as they slept with a prostitute.

Good News Translation
They went back to these prostitutes again and again. They went back to Oholah and Oholibah, those immoral women.

International Standard Version
They've gone to her, like men do, to have sex with a prostitute. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those licentious women.

Majority Standard Bible
And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.

NET Bible
They had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. In this way they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women.

New Heart English Bible
They went in to her, as they go in to a prostitute: so went they in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

Webster's Bible Translation
Yet they went in to her, as they go in to a woman that playeth the harlot: so they went in to Aholah and to Aholibah, the lewd women.

World English Bible
They went in to her, as they go in to a prostitute. So they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they come in to her, "" As the coming in to a whorish woman, "" So they have come in to Aholah, "" And to Aholibah—the wicked women.

Young's Literal Translation
And they come in unto her, As the coming in unto a whorish woman, So they have come in unto Aholah, And unto Aholibah -- the wicked women.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will go in to her as going in to a woman an harlot; thus they went in to Aholah and to Aholibah, the women of wickedness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they went in to her, as to a harlot: so went they in unto Oolla, and Ooliba, wicked women.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they entered to her, as if to a kept woman. So did they enter to Oholah and Oholibah, nefarious women.

New American Bible
And indeed they did come in to her as men come in to a prostitute. Thus they came to Oholah and Oholibah, the depraved women.

New Revised Standard Version
For they have gone in to her, as one goes in to a whore. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, wanton women.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they went in to them as to a woman who plays the harlot; so went they in to Ahlah and to Ahlibah, the harlots.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they have been going into them as those go into a woman who is a whore; thus they were going into Ahlah and into Ahlibah, female whores
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For every one went in unto her, as men go in unto a harlot; so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholibah, the lewd women.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they went in to her, as men go in to a harlot; so they went in to Oola and to Ooliba to work iniquity.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Judgment on Both Sisters
43Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’ 44And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women. 45But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 3:6-9
Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there. / I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. / She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. ...

Hosea 2:2-5
Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. / Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst. / I will have no compassion on her children, because they are the children of adultery. ...

Revelation 17:1-5
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” / And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. ...

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?”

Hosea 4:12-14
My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God. / They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery. / I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.

Revelation 18:3
All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”

Isaiah 57:3-8
“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! / Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, / who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? ...

Jeremiah 2:20-25
“For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute. / I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine? / Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD. ...

1 Corinthians 6:15-18
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! / Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” / But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. ...

Hosea 9:1
Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.

Revelation 2:20-22
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. / Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. / Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

Jeremiah 5:7-8
“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes. / They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

James 4:4
You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

Isaiah 1:21
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!

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.


Treasury of Scripture

Yet they went in to her, as they go in to a woman that plays the harlot: so went they in to Aholah and to Aholibah, the lewd women.

so went

Ezekiel 23:3,9-13
And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity…

Jump to Previous
Aholah Aholibah Commit Harlot Lewd Oholah Oho'lah Oholibah Ohol'ibah Playeth Prostitute Sleep Slept Whorish Wicked Women
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Aholah Aholibah Commit Harlot Lewd Oholah Oho'lah Oholibah Ohol'ibah Playeth Prostitute Sleep Slept Whorish Wicked Women
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














And they had relations with her
This phrase indicates a physical and intimate interaction, often used metaphorically in the Bible to describe idolatry and unfaithfulness to God. The Hebrew root word here is "בּוֹא" (bo), which means "to come" or "to enter." In the context of Ezekiel, it symbolizes the spiritual infidelity of Israel and Judah, represented by Oholah and Oholibah. Historically, this reflects the nations' alliances and idol worship, which were seen as acts of betrayal against God.

as one does with a prostitute
The comparison to a prostitute underscores the transactional and impersonal nature of the relationships. The Hebrew word for prostitute is "זוֹנָה" (zonah), which conveys not only sexual immorality but also spiritual unfaithfulness. In ancient Israel, prostitution was often linked to pagan worship practices, highlighting the depth of Israel and Judah's apostasy. This metaphor serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's covenant.

So they had relations with Oholah and Oholibah
Oholah and Oholibah are symbolic names for Samaria (Israel) and Jerusalem (Judah), respectively. The names themselves are significant: Oholah means "her tent," suggesting a place of worship or dwelling, while Oholibah means "my tent is in her," indicating God's presence in Jerusalem. The repeated phrase emphasizes the persistent unfaithfulness of both kingdoms, despite their unique relationships with God. Historically, this reflects the political and religious alliances that led them away from their covenant with God.

the lewd women
The term "lewd" is translated from the Hebrew word "זִמָּה" (zimmah), which implies wickedness or depravity. This characterization of Oholah and Oholibah as "lewd women" highlights their moral and spiritual corruption. In the biblical context, lewdness is often associated with idolatry and the abandonment of God's laws. This serves as a powerful indictment of the spiritual state of Israel and Judah, calling them to recognize their sin and return to God.

(44) Unto Aholah and unto Aholibah.--From Ezekiel 23:11-35 the discourse has been altogether of Aholibah, as the one now immediately concerned; but from Ezekiel 23:36-44, in the enumeration of their sins, both are included, though in the greater part of these verses the singular number is used, because Aholibah was most prominent in the prophet's thoughts. In the denunciation of judgment, with which the prophecy closes (Ezekiel 23:45-49), both are again spoken of in the plural, because, although Aholah had long since suffered, it was important to show that common sin involved both in common punishment.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And they slept
וַיָּב֣וֹא (way·yā·ḇō·w)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

with her
אֵלֶ֔יהָ (’ê·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

as with
כֵּ֣ן (kên)
Adverb
Strong's 3651: So -- thus

a prostitute;
אִשָּׁ֣ה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

they slept with
כְּב֖וֹא (kə·ḇō·w)
Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

Oholah
אָֽהֳלָה֙ (’ā·ho·lāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 170: Oholah -- 'she who has a tent', a symbolic name for Samaria

and Oholibah,
אָ֣הֳלִיבָ֔ה (’ā·ho·lî·ḇāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 172: Oholibah -- 'tent in her', a symbolic name for Jerusalem

those lewd
הַזִּמָּֽה׃ (haz·zim·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2154: A plan, device, wickedness

women.
אִשֹּׁ֖ת (’iš·šōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 23:44 They went in to her as they (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 23:43
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