Ezekiel 23:8

Eze 23:8 Neither left she her whoredoms [brought] from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.

Ver. 8. Neither left she her idols brought from Egypt.] Witness her two golden calves brought therehence by Jeroboam, in imitation of Apis, a calf dedicated by the Egyptians to Serapis, their chief idol.

“ Quis nescit, qualia demens

Aegyptus portenta colat? ” - Juvenal.

For in her youth.] See on Eze 23:3.

And poured their whoredoms upon her.] This kind of language and the like is here and elsewhere used, not to teach men to speak or do foul things, but the contrary. Of Petronius’s Satyricon it is said, Tolle obscaena, et tollis omni: and that he was impurissimus scriptor purissimae Latinitatis. Of our prophet it may as truly be said, Tolle sancta et tollis omnia. See on Eze 23:2.

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.

The holy Ghost useth these terms which seem strange to chaste ears, to cause this wicked vice of idolatry so to be abhorred, that […] any should abide to hear the name thereof.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

whoredoms brought from Egypt--the calves set up in Dan and Beth-el by Jeroboam, answering to the Egyptian bull-formed idol Apis. Her alliances with Egypt politically are also meant (Isa 30:2-3; Isa 31:1). The ten tribes probably resumed the Egyptian rites, in order to enlist the Egyptians against Judah (Ch2 12:2-4).

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

8. Samaria intrigued with Assyria and Egypt alternately, or different parties simultaneously. Hos_7:11, “Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding; they call unto Egypt, they go unto Assyria.”

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.

Neither left she her idols brought from Egypt,.... Though the Israelites took in the gods of the Assyrians into their worship, they did not relinquish the golden calves set up at Dan and Bethel, in imitation of the Egyptian deities; the idolatrous worship of which they learned in Egypt, and brought from thence:

for in her youth they lay with her; the Egyptians enticed the Israelites to idolatry when among them, as soon as they began to be a people; See Gill on Eze 23:3,

and they bruised the breasts of her virginity; who before retained the pure worship of God, and was like a chaste virgin:

and poured their whoredom upon her; expressive of the numerous acts of idolatry committed together by them.

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

Egypt. They always retained an affection for those idols, the calf, Adonis, &c.

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).

Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt; though she took in so many gods of the Assyrians, yet she did not renounce or cast off the gods of Egypt, but kept them too. It is plain the Israelites learnt idolatry in Egypt, carried it with them out of Egypt, and retained it to the last.

In her youth, & c. see Eze 23:3.

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

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)

to pour out their promiscuous behavior on her

This speaks of the men acting promiscuously towards her as if their promiscuous behavior were a large amount of water that they were pouring out on her. AT: "to act promiscuously towards her" or "to act lustfully towards her" (See: Metaphor)

I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians

The word "hand" refers to power or control. The two phrases have the same meaning and the second phrase explains that "her lovers" were "the Assyrians." AT: "I gave her over to her lovers, the Assyrians" (See: Metonymy and Parallelism)

they executed judgment on her

This is an idiom. AT: "they talked about her disgrace" or "she had a bad reputation among them" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

Egypt

hand

sword

shame

judge

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 her harlotries from Egypt she did not abandon They relied also upon the kings of Egypt, for we find (II Kings 17:4), concerning Hoshea the son of Elah, that he sent messengers to So the king of Egypt.

for they had lain with her, etc. And since then, “they poured out their harlotry upon her” - her promiscuous spirit entered her from the days of her youth.

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.