What is the meaning of Ezekiel 23:33?

You will be filled with drunkenness and grief

“ ‘You will be filled with drunkenness and grief…’ ” (Ezekiel 23:33a)

• The cup image announces God’s judgment, not literal wine; to drink it means to experience its full effects (Psalm 75:8; Revelation 14:10).

• “Drunkenness” pictures staggering helplessness under that judgment, while “grief” highlights the heartache that follows (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-16).

• Jerusalem had pursued sin as eagerly as a drunk seeks more drink; now the city would be overwhelmed by the very excess it loved (Proverbs 23:29-32).

• The certainty of God’s word guarantees that the filling will be complete—nothing of the sentence will be diluted (Numbers 23:19).

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with a cup of devastation and desolation

“…with a cup of devastation and desolation…” (Ezekiel 23:33b)

• “Devastation” points to violent overthrow—armies, famine, exile (Ezekiel 5:12; 2 Kings 25:8-10).

• “Desolation” stresses the aftermath: empty streets, ruined homes, silent temples (Isaiah 64:10-11; Lamentations 1:4).

• God calls it “a cup,” underscoring that He measures out judgment precisely; nothing is random (Jeremiah 25:27-29).

• The pairing of words underlines total ruin—body and land, structure and spirit—echoing earlier warnings (Leviticus 26:31-33).

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the cup of your sister Samaria

“…the cup of your sister Samaria.” (Ezekiel 23:33c)

• Samaria (the Northern Kingdom) had already drunk this cup when Assyria conquered it (2 Kings 17:6).

• By copying Samaria’s idolatry and alliances, Jerusalem chose the same fate (Ezekiel 23:31-32; Hosea 8:5-8).

• The phrase “your sister” heightens accountability: privilege and heritage did not exempt Judah from consequences (Jeremiah 3:8-10).

• History became prophecy—what God did to Samaria was a visible pledge of what He would do to Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 10:11).

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summary

Ezekiel 23:33 warns that Jerusalem, like Samaria before it, would be forced to drink God’s cup of wrath. The city would be utterly overwhelmed (“drunkenness”), plunged into heart-rending sorrow (“grief”), and left in ruins (“devastation and desolation”). By following her sister’s sins, Jerusalem guaranteed she would share her sister’s judgment, proving once again that God’s word is exact, His justice certain, and His calls to repentance urgent.