Ezekiel 23 · Verse 4

Ezekiel 23:4

And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
Ezekiel 23:4, King James Version

Ezekiel 23:4 in other translations

BSBThe older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
WEBTheir names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.
ASVAnd the names of them were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister: and they became mine, and they bare sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.
YLTAnd their names are Aholah the elder, And Aholibah her sister, And they are Mine, and bear sons and daughters. As to their names--Samaria is Aholah, And Jerusalem is Aholibah.
DARBYAnd their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.
BBETheir names were Oholah, the older, and Oholibah, her sister: and they became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem, Oholibah.
WebsterAnd the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

What does Ezekiel 23:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. Aholah--that is, "Her tent" (put for worship, as the first worship of God in Israel was in a tent or tabernacle), as contrasted with Aholibah, that is, "My tent in her." The Beth-el worship of Samaria was of her own devising, not of God's appointment; the temple-worship of Jerusalem was expressly appointed by Jehovah, who "dwelt" there, "setting up His tabernacle among the people as His" (Ex 25:8; Le 26:11, 12; Jos 22:19; Psa 76:2). the elder--Samaria is called "the elder" because she preceded Judah in her apostasy and its punishment. they were mine--Previous to apostasy under Jeroboam, Samaria (Israel, or the ten tribes), equally with Judah, worshipped the true God. God therefore never renounced the right over Israel, but sent prophets, as Elijah and Elisha, to declare His will to them.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Ezekiel 23:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּשְׁמוֹתָ֗ןu.she.mo.Tanand names theirH8034
אָהֳלָ֤ה'o.ho.Lah[was] OholahH170
הַגְּדוֹלָה֙ha.ge.do.Lahthe old [one]H1419
וְאָהֳלִיבָ֣הve.'o.ho.li.Vahand [was] OholibahH172
אֲחוֹתָ֔הּ'a.cho.Tahsister herH269
וַתִּֽהְיֶ֣ינָהva.tih.Yei.nahand they belongedH1961
לִ֔יLito me
וַתֵּלַ֖דְנָהva.te.Lad.nahand they boreH3205
בָּנִ֣יםba.NimsonsH1121
וּבָנ֑וֹתu.va.Notand daughtersH1323
וּשְׁמוֹתָ֕ןu.she.mo.Tanand names theirH8034
שֹׁמְר֣וֹןsho.me.Ron[was] SamariaH8111
אָהֳלָ֔ה'o.ho.LahOholahH170
וִירוּשָׁלִַ֖םvi.ru.sha.Limand [was] JerusalemH3389
אָהֳלִיבָֽה\׃'o.ho.li.VahOholibahH172

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 23:4

  • Ezekiel 16:8

    Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.

  • Jeremiah 2:2-3

    Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.

  • 1 Kings 12:20

    And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

  • Ezekiel 16:20

    Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,

  • Psalms 76:2

    In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.

  • Romans 7:4

    Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

  • 1 Kings 12:26-33

    And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Beth–el, and the other put he in Dan. …

  • Psalms 45:11-16

    So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. …

  • Psalms 132:13-14

    For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

  • John 4:22

    Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

  • Ezekiel 16:40

    They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

  • Exodus 19:5-6

    Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the names.The kingdom of Israel, of which Samaria was the capital, containing ten tribes, and occupying a larger extent of country than that of Judah, is therefore called "her elder sister;" and Aholah, the name given to her, implies that the whole religious establishment in Israel was a human invention, a temple and service of their own, and not of God's appointment. Aholibah, the name given to Judah, implies that the worship established there was from God, and that His temple was truly at Jerusalem.
the elder.
16:40; 1Ki 12:20
they were.
16:8,20; Ex 19:5,6; Ps 45:11-16; Jer 2:2,3; Ro 7:4
Aholah. that is, His tent, or tabernacle.
1Ki 12:26-33; Joh 4:22
Aholibah. that is, My tabernacle in her.
1Ki 8:29; Ps 76:2; 132:13,14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 23:3

    And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.

  • Ezekiel 23:4

    And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

  • Ezekiel 23:5

    And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

Read all of Ezekiel 23

Ezekiel 23:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y llamábanse, la mayor, Aholah, y su hermana, Aholibah; las cuales fueron mías, y parieron hijos é hijas. Y llamáronse, Samaria, Aholah; y Jerusalem, Aholibah.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et leurs noms étaient: Ohola, l’aînée, et Oholiba, sa sœur; et elles étaient à moi, et elles enfantèrent des fils et des filles. Et leurs noms: Samarie est Ohola, et Jérusalem, Oholiba.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ihre Namen sind Ohola die größere, und Oholiba ihre Schwester. Und sie wurden mein und gebaren Söhne und Töchter; und was ihre Namen betrifft: Samaria ist Ohola, und Jerusalem ist Oholiba.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Nomina autem earum, Oolla major, et Ooliba soror ejus minor: et habui eas, et pepererunt filios et filias. Porro earum nomina, Samaria Oolla, et Jerusalem Ooliba.