Ezekiel 23:20

Eze 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.

Ver. 20. Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses.] Qui sunt bene mentulati (honos sit nutibus) et qui semine abundant. Commodus the emperor, who had never a good property in him, was for this called the Ass, as Jerome noteth.

And whose issue is as the issue of horses.] Fluxus equorum est fluxus eorum - that is, they are extremely libidinous and superstitious, so that there is no ho with them. Circumfluunt et exundant omni scelere et impietate copiosissime.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

their paramours--that is, her paramours among them (the Egyptians); she doted upon their persons as her paramours (Eze 23:5, Eze 23:12, Eze 23:16).

flesh--the membrum virile (very large in the ass). Compare Lev 15:2, Margin; Eze 16:26.

issue of horses--the seminal issue. The horse was made by the Egyptians the hieroglyphic for a lustful person.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 20. She doted upon their paramours] פלגשיהם pillagsheyhem, their harlots or concubines. Anciently harlot meant in our language either the male or female prostitute.

Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses] See on Eze 16:25.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) Their paramours.—The word is masculine, as indicating the abominable sins copied by the Israelites from the heathen, and asses and horses are introduced to show the intensity of lust. (Comp. Jer_5:8.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For she doted upon their paramours,.... Or "concubines" (z); the neighbouring nations and allies of the Egyptians, whose friendship the Jews courted, and whose idols they served: the Septuagint and Arabic versions wrongly read the Chaldeans:

whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses; by "flesh" is meant the "membrum virile", which in asses is very large, and therefore dedicated to Priapus by the Heathens; and vast is the profusion of seed in coitus by horses, to which the flesh and issue of the Egyptian paramours are compared; who were very libidinous, and therefore desirable to insatiable women; all which serves to express the eagerness of the people of the Jews after idolatry.

(z) "equecubinas eorum", Vatablus, so Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "concubitores", Munster, Tigurine version; "cinaedos", Castalio; and, as Ben Melech observes, these were men, and not women.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Asses. He means the Egyptians, (chap. xvi. 26.) in whom the kings of Juda trusted. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Doted: see Eze 23:5.

Upon their paramours; Egyptians, and the nations that were confederate with the Egyptians; looking on them as able to defend by their power, enrich by their trade, and make prosperous by their friendship.

Whose flesh, & c.: in these terms the prophet expresseth the vehement desire of the Jews to Egyptian idolatry, compared to whoredom, and may, for aught I know, tax the lustful impudence of some of the Jewish women in their corporal uncleannesses with the Egyptians, who were it seems (by report of authors) naturally disposed for that vice, and fittest for unsatiable, lustful women: see Eze 16:26.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. Compare notes Eze_16:26, and see Jer_5:8. The coarsest and most fleshly abominations just suited her taste.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

She doted on her paramours. Commonly the word is used of a concubine. (Gen_22:24; Jud_1:8:31) Here it is used in scorn of the Egyptian princes whose favor Judah courted, reminding us of Homer"s jAcaiidev oujket jAcaioi, as indicating their political weakness. All that need be said of the comparison that follows is that here also Ezekiel follows in the footsteps of Jeremiah. (Jer_5:8) What isindicated is that Judah threw herself into the idolatrous ritual of Egypt with an almost orgiastic passion. The harlot nation returned, as it were, to her first love, and renewed the whoredoms of her youth.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Paramours - The nations, that were confederate with the Egyptians.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Yahweh continues his metaphor in which he speaks of the cities of Jerusalem and Samaria as if they were two prostitutes. This metaphor continues through Ezekiel 23:34. (See: Metaphor)

whose private parts were like those of donkeys

This compares the size of the mens' private parts to those of a donkey to show how wicked Oholibah's desires were. This is an exaggeration as they could not be as large as those of a donkey. AT: "whose private parts were very long, like those of a donkey" (See: Simile and Hyperbole and Generalization)

whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses

This compares the volume of the mens' emissions to those of a horse to show how wicked Oholibah's desires were. This is an exaggeration as they could not be like those of a horse. AT: "whose reproductive emissions were huge, like those of a horse" (See: Simile and Hyperbole and Generalization)

translationWords

donkey

shame

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And she lusted for their concubinage [Heb. פִּלַּגְשֵׁיהֶם,] for their concubinage, to be a concubine to them.

those whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys [i.e.,] the phallus.

and...is the issue of horses An expression of a profusion of sexual intercourse, for they engage in sexual intercourse more than any other male animals.

זִרְמַת refers to the stream of semen, like (Habakkuk 3:10): “A stream (זֶרֶם) of water passed.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.