What is the meaning of Ezekiel 23:43? Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries • “I” is the LORD, speaking of Oholibah—Jerusalem (Ezekiel 23:4). • “Grown old” signals decades of continual, unrepentant spiritual adultery, not a youthful lapse (Ezekiel 16:15-30; Hosea 4:17; Jeremiah 3:6-10). • God sees covenant unfaithfulness as marital infidelity; the longevity of it intensifies guilt (Exodus 34:15-16; James 4:4). • Persistent sin hardens the heart; time does not lessen accountability (Hebrews 3:13; Romans 2:4-5). Now let them use her as a prostitute • The LORD removes His protective hand and delivers Jerusalem to the very nations she courted—Assyria first, then Babylon (Ezekiel 23:22-24; 2 Kings 24:11-14). • Judgment fits the crime: she sought ungodly alliances; now those allies ravage her (Proverbs 5:22-23; Isaiah 47:3). • God’s action is judicial, not spiteful; He upholds holiness and keeps covenant terms (Leviticus 26:14-17; Deuteronomy 28:47-52). • Sin’s promised “pleasures” end in exploitation and shame (Galatians 6:7-8; Romans 6:21). for that is all she is! • Repetitive rebellion redefines character; she has become what she practiced (Hosea 2:5; Revelation 18:2-3). • God’s verdict is final: identity now equates to conduct (Matthew 7:16-20; 2 Peter 2:19). • The statement underscores the seriousness of idolatry: it is not merely wrong behavior but a wholesale betrayal of relationship with God (Jeremiah 2:20-25; Isaiah 1:21). • Warning: unchecked sin erodes distinction between God’s people and the world (1 John 2:15-17). summary Ezekiel 23:43 portrays the LORD’s solemn verdict on Jerusalem’s long-standing, unrepentant idolatry. Having “grown old in adulteries,” the city is handed over to the nations she once courted, experiencing the degrading fate of a prostitute. The passage teaches that persistent covenant infidelity hardens identity, invites divine judgment, and ends in shame, confirming that God’s assessments are righteous and His word unfailingly true. |
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