Ezekiel 23:43

Eze 23:43 Then said I unto [her that was] old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she [with them]?

Ver. 43. To her that was old in adulteries.] Inveteratae et detritae, withered and overworn.

And she with them?] Is she - as Helen was παλαι γυνη - the same still, no changeling yet?

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.

Eze 23:43-44. Then I said unto her that was grown old in adulteries — Aholibah, who had been long idolatrous. The words import that experience might, before this time, have sufficiently convinced her of the folly of her ways. Will they now commit whoredoms with her? — God is here represented as waiting to see whether that mutability, which is natural to the human race, would not occasion a difference between the Jewish people and their idolatrous allies, and make them grow weary of one another. Yet they went in unto her, &c. — Both Samaria and Jerusalem continued to defile themselves with the idolatries of all the heathen round about them: compare Eze 23:7; Eze 23:17.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Will they, &c.--Is it possible that paramours will desire any longer to commit whoredoms with so worn-out an old adulteress?

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

(43) Will they now commit?—This should not be made a question, nor should the opening of Eze_23:44 be made adversative. The thought is that, after all means of reclamation had failed, God gave her up to her sins. Translate, Now shall her whoredom be committed, even this. And they went in, &c.

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

43. unto her … old in adulteries] Old is worn out, e.g. of clothes, Jos_9:4-5, and the verb of the body, in the decay of nature (Gen_18:12, of Sarah). The construction of A.V. is unusual; the words might be read as an exclamation: She that is aged committeth adulteries! or, With her that is aged shall they commit adulteries! Ew., reading “aged” as a noun, To perdition with adulteries! None of these senses is very natural. LXX., as in some other places, appears to assume a contraction, which it expands, Do they not commit adultery with these?

The meaning put by A.V., R.V. upon the rest of the verse can hardly be drawn from the words, which are extremely obscure. The natural sense is: “now shall her whoredom commit whoredom even itself” (Hitz.); but the idea that what the faded harlot can no more do herself her vicious propensity continues to do, though true in itself, is scarcely to be expected here. LXX., which had nearly our present text before it, disposes the letters differently: And she too has gone a whoring after the manner (with the doings) of a harlot. So Syr., And according to the doings of harlots have they committed whoredom.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries,.... That had been an old adulterer or idolater; meaning either Aholah the ten tribes, who from Jeroboam's time had been guilty of idolatry; or Aholibah the two tribes, who had remained longer in their own country, and had been long given to idolatry; or both of them, as some think, the whole body of the people of Israel, who had been addicted to idolatry ever since they came out of Egypt, and so was like an old harlot indeed: now the Lord said "unto her", or "concerning her" (l); in his own mind, after the manner of men. So the Targum,

"I said concerning the congregation of Israel, whose people are old in sins:''

will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? will they commit adultery with such an old harlot? are they not weary of her? and will they not rather loath and despise her? as it is common when such prostitutes grow old; and what pleasure can she take, thus advanced in years, in such impurities? suggesting that alliances and confederacies between the Jews and the nations of the world could not be agreeable on either side, especially to the former; but so it was, and so were their idolatries likewise. The Targum is,

"now she will leave her idols, and return to thy worship; but she returned not.''

(l) "de inveterata illa", Vatablus.

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

Will they now commit ... - Rather, Now shall there be committed her whoredom, even this; i. e., when Israel and Judah had courted these alliances God said in wrath, “This sin too shall be committed, and so (not “yet) they went in;” the alliances were made according to their desires, and then followed the consequent punishment.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then said I; after the manner of man God seems to stand musing, or saying to himself, or it may be supposed that God speaks to the prophet, asking him.

Unto her; or rather, of her, concerning her.

Old in adulteries, such usually are out of request with adulterers; and now Samaria and Jerusalem had been long spiritual adulteresses, and one would think her lovers would be weary of her, if she were not weary of them.

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

43. Mosheh Ben Shesheth renders: “As I looked I thought: Can it be that a woman who is old and decrepit will commit adultery? Or is it not enough that she has grown old in whoredoms? No; therefore even these have come to commit them with her?(or, Will they not take away all her gains and herself as well?).” This shows how uncertain the Hebrew text is. The picture seems to be that of a woman worn out in sin, yet still attempting to carry on her old life. It of course refers to Jerusalem coqueting with foreign alliances and foreign idolatries.

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

The whole verse is obscure, and has been very differently rendered.

(1) The Authorized Version may be paraphrased, "Then said I to her that was worn out with her whoredoms, passed her prime and enfeebled, Will they (the foreign nations) commit whoredoms (enter into alliances) with her? sc. What is there to attract now? And yet the habit is inveterate. She has grown old in her vice, and cannot cease from it.

(2) The Revised Version takes it not as a question, but as a statement: Now said I of her that was old in adulteries, Now will they commit, etc. So, in the main, Keil. The text is probably corrupt, and resists conjectural emendation. In any ease the general meaning is clear. The sin is of too long standing to be cured.

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

General Information:

Yahweh continues to refer to the cities of Jerusalem and Samaria as if they were two prostitutes. (See: Metaphor)

her who was worn out ... with her, and she with them

This refers to one of the sisters but the situation is probably the same for both sisters. If one sister must be specified in your language, refer to Oholibah here.

They went in to her and slept with her as men go in to be with a prostitute

This compares the way men slept with her to the way men sleep with a prostitute. AT: "They slept with her in the same way that men sleep with a prostitute" (See: Euphemism)

They went in to her

"They went in to where she was" or "They went to her"

In this way they slept with Oholah and Oholibah

"This is how they slept with Oholah and Oholibah"

pass judgment

This is an idiom. AT: "condemn" (See: Idiom)

who shed blood ... blood is on their hands

This is an idiom. AT: "who murder people ... murderers" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

adultery

sexual immorality

guilt

righteous

condemn

punish

blood

hand

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 I said of the one who had aged [in] adulteries, “Now her harlotries will end,” etc. I said to Myself about this one who had become worn out and aged in her adulteries, “From now on, since she has aged, her harlotries will leave her, and the desires for her harlotry will leave her heart, and she will repent,” but she is still in her harlotries as in the beginning.

will end [Heb. יִזְנוּ] will leave. Every “harlot” (זוֹנָה) is translated into Aramaic as נֳפְקֲת בְּרָא, one who goes out. So did I hear, and so did Jonathan render.

of the one who had aged [in] adulteries like: [lit. to the one who had aged adulteries,] the one who had aged in adulteries, as you say (Gen. 38:11): “and she remained her father’s house,” is like “in her father’s house”; (Exod. 30:20), “they shall wash water,” is like “they shall wash with water.” [Likewise,] (ibid.): “And he shall go out freedom;” [and] (Num. 30:11): “But if she made a vow [in] her father’s house.” So did Dunash (p. 17) explain [this]. However, Menachem connected it (p. 45) to (Lev 20:12): “they committed a disgraceful act (תֶּבֶל),” but his words are impossible.

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.