Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.’ New Living Translation Then I said, ‘If they really want to have sex with old worn-out prostitutes like these, let them!’ English Standard Version “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’ Berean Standard Bible Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’ Berean Literal Bible And I said of her who was worn out in adulteries, ‘Now will they commit prostitutions with her—and she also!’ King James Bible Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? New King James Version Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’ New American Standard Bible “Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, ‘Will they now commit adultery with her when she is like this?’ NASB 1995 “Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, ‘Will they now commit adultery with her when she is thus?’ NASB 1977 “Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, ‘Will they now commit adultery with her when she is thus?’ Legacy Standard Bible “Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, ‘Will they now commit harlotry with her when she is thus?’ Amplified Bible “Then I said concerning the one (Oholah) worn out by adulteries, ‘Will they now commit adultery with her when she is like this?’ Berean Annotated Bible Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is! Christian Standard Bible Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they now have illicit sex with her, even her? Holman Christian Standard Bible Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they now have illicit sex with her, even her? American Standard Version Then said I of her that was old in adulteries, Now will they play the harlot with her, and she with them. Contemporary English Version and I noticed that the men were eager to have sex with these women, though they were exhausted from being prostitutes. English Revised Version Then said I of her that was old in adulteries, Now will they commit whoredoms with her, and she with them. GOD'S WORD® Translation Then I said, 'She is worn out from her acts of adultery.' Yet, men continued to have sex with her. Good News Translation And I said to myself that they were using as a prostitute a woman worn out by adultery. International Standard Version "After she had worn herself out by her adulterous behavior, I asked her, 'Will they continue with their sexual immorality and with their prostitution?' NET Bible Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, 'Now they will commit immoral acts with her.' New Heart English Bible Then I said of her who was old in adulteries, 'Now will they play the prostitute with her, and she with them.' Webster's Bible Translation Then said I to her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit lewd deeds with her, and she with them? Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThen I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’ World English Bible Then I said of her who was old in adulteries, ‘Now they will play the prostitute with her, and she with them.’ Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd I say of the worn-out one in adulteries, "" Now they commit her whoredoms—she also! Berean Literal Bible And I said of her who was worn out in adulteries, ‘Now will they commit prostitutions with her—and she also!’ Young's Literal Translation And I say of the worn-out one in adulteries, Now they commit her whoredoms -- she also! Smith's Literal Translation And saying to her worn out with adulteries, Will she now commit her fornications, she also? Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd I said to her that was worn out in her adulteries: Now will this woman still continue in her fornication. Catholic Public Domain Version And I said about her, as she was being worn away by her adulteries, ‘Even now, she continues in her fornication!’ New American Bible I said: “That worn-out one still has adulteries in her! Now they engage her as a prostitute and she. . .” New Revised Standard Version Then I said, Ah, she is worn out with adulteries, but they carry on their sexual acts with her. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThen I said. With these men have they played the harlot and committed the acts of harlots. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And I said: “They have committed adultery with these, and in the acts of harlots they committed fornication OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Then said I of her that was worn out by adulteries: Still they commit harlotries with her, even her. Brenton Septuagint Translation Therefore I said, Do they not commit adultery with these? and has she also gone a-whoring after the manner of a harlot? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Judgment on Both Sisters…42accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head. 43Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’ 44And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.… Cross References Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: Jeremiah 3:8-9 She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. / Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. Hosea 2:2-5 Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. / Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst. / I will have no compassion on her children, because they are the children of adultery. … Isaiah 57:3-4 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! / Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, Ezekiel 16:35-37 Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! / This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, / therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. Revelation 17:1-2 Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” Nahum 3:4-5 because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft. / “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms. for that is all she is!’ Ezekiel 16:30-31 How weak-willed is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of a shameless prostitute! / But when you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were not even like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Revelation 17:5-6 And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. / I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her. Jeremiah 2:20 “For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute. Jeremiah 3:1-3 “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD. / “Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been violated? You sat beside the highways waiting for your lovers, like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. / Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed. Hosea 2:5-7 For their mother has played the harlot and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink.’ / Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way. / She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.’ Hosea 4:12-14 My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God. / They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery. / I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin. Revelation 18:3 All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.” James 4:4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God. Jeremiah 13:27 Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields—I have seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?” 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! / Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” / But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. … Treasury of Scripture Then said I to her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit prostitutions with her, and she with them? old Ezra 9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. Psalm 106:6 We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. Jump to Previous Adulteries Adultery Commit Deeds Fornications Harlot Harlotries Harlotry Lewd Play Practice Prostitute Use Ways Whoredoms Worn Worn-OutJump to Next Adulteries Adultery Commit Deeds Fornications Harlot Harlotries Harlotry Lewd Play Practice Prostitute Use Ways Whoredoms Worn Worn-OutEzekiel 23 1. The unfaithfulness of Aholah and Aholibah23. Aholibah is to be plagued by her lovers 36. The prophet reproves the adulteries of them both 45. and shows their judgments Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: This phrase refers to the nation of Israel, personified as a woman who has persistently engaged in spiritual adultery by worshiping other gods. The imagery of adultery is frequently used in the Old Testament to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God (e.g., Hosea 1-3). The idea of "growing old" in adulteries suggests a long history of infidelity, indicating that Israel's idolatry was not a recent development but a persistent pattern. This reflects the historical context of Israel's repeated alliances with pagan nations and their gods, which led to moral and spiritual decay. ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’ Persons / Places / Events 1. EzekielA prophet of God who ministered to the exiles in Babylon. He is known for his vivid visions and symbolic actions. 2. Oholah and Oholibah Symbolic names for Samaria and Jerusalem, representing the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel, respectively. They are depicted as sisters who engage in spiritual adultery. 3. Babylonian Exile The period when the Israelites were taken captive by Babylon, serving as a backdrop for Ezekiel's prophecies. 4. Adultery Used metaphorically to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God through idolatry and alliances with pagan nations. 5. Prostitution A metaphor for Israel's spiritual infidelity and pursuit of foreign gods and alliances. Teaching Points Spiritual AdulteryJust as Israel was unfaithful to God, believers today must guard against idolatry and spiritual compromise. Consequences of Sin The passage highlights the inevitable consequences of persistent sin and rebellion against God. God's Righteous Judgment God's judgment is just and serves as a warning to turn back to Him in repentance. Call to Holiness Believers are called to live lives set apart for God, avoiding the spiritual pitfalls that led to Israel's downfall. Repentance and Restoration Despite the harsh imagery, God's desire is for His people to return to Him and be restored. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Ezekiel 23:43?2. How does Ezekiel 23:43 illustrate the consequences of spiritual unfaithfulness? 3. What lessons on repentance can we learn from Ezekiel 23:43? 4. How does Ezekiel 23:43 connect with the theme of idolatry in Exodus 20:3? 5. In what ways can we guard against the behaviors described in Ezekiel 23:43? 6. How does Ezekiel 23:43 challenge us to remain faithful in our walk with God? 7. What does Ezekiel 23:43 reveal about God's view on spiritual unfaithfulness? 8. How does Ezekiel 23:43 reflect the historical context of Israel's idolatry? 9. What is the significance of the metaphor used in Ezekiel 23:43? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 23? 11. What does spiritual adultery mean? 12. Who were Oholah and Oholibah in the Bible? 13. How can the events described in Ezekiel 23 align with scientific and historical records, given the seemingly exaggerated depictions of judgment and punishment? 14. How can the graphic sexual imagery in Ezekiel 23:3 and 20 be reconciled with the holiness and purity usually attributed to Scripture? What Does Ezekiel 23:43 Mean 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. (43) Will they now commit?--This should not be made a question, nor should the opening of Ezekiel 23:44 be made adversative. The thought is that, after all means of reclamation had failed, God gave her up to her sins. Translate, Now shall her whoredom be committed, even this. And they went in, &c.Verse 43. - The whole verse is obscure, and has been very differently rendered.(1) The Authorized Version may be paraphrased, "Then said I to her that was worn out with her whoredoms, passed her prime and enfeebled, Will they (the foreign nations) commit whoredoms (enter into alliances) with her? sc. What is there to attract now? And yet the habit is inveterate. She has grown old in her vice, and cannot cease from it." (2) The Revised Version takes it not as a question, but as a statement: Now said I of her that was old in adulteries, Now will they commit, etc. So, in the main, Keil. The text is probably corrupt, and resists conjectural emendation. In any case the general meaning is clear. The sin is of too long standing to be cured. Hebrew Then I saidוָאֹמַ֕ר (wā·’ō·mar) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 559: To utter, say of [her] [who] [had] [grown] old לַבָּלָ֖ה (lab·bā·lāh) Preposition-l, Article | Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 1087: Worn out in adulteries: נִֽאוּפִ֑ים (ni·’ū·p̄îm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5004: Adultery ‘Now עַתָּ֛ה (‘at·tāh) Adverb Strong's Hebrew let them use her as a prostitute, יִזְנ֥וּ (yiz·nū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry for that is all she is!’ וָהִֽיא׃ (wā·hî) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person feminine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are Links Ezekiel 23:43 NIVEzekiel 23:43 NLT Ezekiel 23:43 ESV Ezekiel 23:43 NASB Ezekiel 23:43 KJV Ezekiel 23:43 BibleApps.com Ezekiel 23:43 Biblia Paralela Ezekiel 23:43 Chinese Bible Ezekiel 23:43 French Bible Ezekiel 23:43 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Ezekiel 23:43 Then said I of her who was (Ezek. 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