Oholah

May 16, 2017

The judgment of adultery (Ezek 23:43-23:45)

“Then I said.

‘Ah!

She is worn out

With adulteries.

But they carry on

Their sexual acts

With her.

They have gone into her,

As one goes

Into a whore.

Thus they went into Oholah.

They went into Oholibah.

These were wanton lewd women.

But righteous judges

Shall declare them

Guilty of adultery.

They are guilty

Of bloodshed.

Because they are adulteresses,

Blood is upon their hands.’”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, said that Jerusalem was worn out from all her adulteries. Nevertheless, she continued to carry on with her sexual activities. The adulterous men went into her just like their sexual acts with a whore. That is how they had sex with the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, these wanton lewd women. The result was that righteous judges would declare them guilty of adultery. However, they were also guilty of bloodshed. As they were adulteresses, blood was on their hands.

May 15, 2017

Ezekiel will judge the sisters (Ezek 23:36-23:36)

“Yahweh said to me.

‘Son of man!

Will you judge Oholah?

Will you judge Oholibah?

Then declare

To them

Their abominable deeds!’”

Yahweh turned to Ezekiel again. He asked him if he would judge Oholah and Oholibah, Samaria and Jerusalem. Yahweh wanted Ezekiel to declare to them their own abominable actions.

May 13, 2017

Yahweh turns from Oholibah (Ezek 23:18-23:18)

“When Oholibah carried on
Her prostitution activities
So openly,
She flaunted
Her nakedness.
I turned
In disgust
From her,
As I had turned
From her sister.”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, was clear. He did not like the fact that Oholibah, Jerusalem, was openly flaunting her naked body with all her prostitution ways. This led Yahweh to turn away from her in disgust, as he had done to her sister Oholah, Samaria.

May 13, 2017

Oholibah was worse than her sister (Ezek 23:11-23:11)

“Her sister Oholibah
Saw this.
Yet she was more corrupt
Than her sister
In her lusting,
In her prostitution activities.
She was worse
Than her sister.”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, then took on Oholibah, Jerusalem, the sister of Oholah, Samaria. Yahweh said that Oholibah was more corrupt than her northern sister in her lusting and prostitution actions. Jerusalem was even worse than her northern sister, Samaria.

May 12, 2017

The Assyrian conquerors (Ezek 23:8-23:10)

“She did not give up
Her prostitution activities.
She had practiced them
Since her days
In Egypt.
In her youth,
Men had lain
With her.
They had fondled
Her virgin bosom.
They had poured out
Their lust
Upon her.
Therefore I delivered her
Into the hands
Of her lovers,
Into the hands
Of the Assyrians.
She had lusted
After them.
These Assyrians
Uncovered her nakedness.
They seized her sons.
They seized her daughters.
They killed her
With the sword.
Judgment was executed
Upon her.
She became a byword
Among women.”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, told the story of Samaria, Oholah. She had practiced prostitution since her youth, when she had played the whore with Egypt. She slept and had sex with the Egyptians. She let them fondle her virgin breasts, so that they poured out their lust on her. Thus Yahweh decided to deliver Oholah into the hand of her Assyrian lovers, since she had lusted after them. Thus Assyria uncovered her nakedness. Then they seized her sons and daughters. Finally, they killed her with the sword, as judgment was executed upon her. She became a byword among women. This is obviously an allusion to the end of the northern kingdom of Israel at Samaria in 724, when the Assyrian King Shalmaneser V conquered and took over northern Israel. Thus the kingdom of Israel at Samaria came to an end.