What is the meaning of Ezekiel 23:31?

Because you have followed the path of your sister

Ezekiel speaks to Oholibah—Jerusalem—reminding her that she has copied the spiritual adultery of her older sister Oholah—Samaria (Ezekiel 23:4).

• The “path” is a lifestyle of idolatry: alliances with pagan nations, imitation of their worship, and rejection of the LORD’s covenant (2 Kings 17:7-18; Jeremiah 3:8-10).

• God had warned Judah not to walk in Israel’s sins (Hosea 4:15; Ezekiel 16:47-48). They refused, proving that merely seeing another’s judgment does not soften a hard heart (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).

• The statement affirms a direct cause-and-effect: shared sin brings shared consequences (Galatians 6:7-8).

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I will put her cup into your hand

The “cup” is a vivid image of God’s wrath, poured out as judgment.

• Psalm 75:8 describes the cup “foaming with wine well mixed” that the wicked must drink. Isaiah 51:17 shows Jerusalem staggering from that very cup, and Jeremiah 25:15-18 extends it to all nations.

• By placing Samaria’s cup in Jerusalem’s hand, God announces that the same bitter experience—siege, exile, humiliation—will soon be tasted by Judah (Ezekiel 23:32-34; 2 Kings 25:1-11).

• The action underscores personal responsibility: Jerusalem cannot claim ignorance or innocence when judgment arrives (Romans 2:1-3).

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summary

Ezekiel 23:31 is a sober reminder that copying another’s rebellion guarantees copying their consequences. Jerusalem’s choice to mirror Samaria’s idolatry placed the same cup of divine wrath squarely in her hand. The passage calls every generation to learn from history, reject sin’s seduction, and cling to the LORD, knowing His judgments are certain and His warnings are mercifully plain.