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Ezekiel 16:32

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 16:32 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “A wife that committeth adultery! that taketh strangers instead of her husband!” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

A wife that committeth adultery! that taketh strangers instead of her husband!
Ezekiel 16:32 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 16

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy whoredom unto the land of traffic, unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
30How weak is thy heart, saith the Lord Jehovah, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an impudent harlot;
31in that thou buildest thy vaulted place at the head of every way, and makest thy lofty place in every street, and hast not been as a harlot, in that thou scornest hire.
32A wife that committeth adultery! that taketh strangers instead of her husband!
33They give gifts to all harlots; but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and bribest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredoms.
34And thou art different from [other] women in thy whoredoms, in that none followeth thee to play the harlot; and whereas thou givest hire, and no hire is given unto thee, therefore thou art different.
35Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah:
← Ezekiel 16:31Ezekiel 16:33 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“[But as] a wife that committeth adultery, &c.] Who has a husband, and is provided for with all the necessaries of life, with food and clothing; and so has no need to prostitute herself for a livelihood, as common strumpets do; but does it purely for the satiating of her lust: and such were the people of the Jews, they were married to the Lord, who took care of them, and provided everything for them, and acted the part of a husband to them; so that it was the weakness of their hearts, and the strength of their corruptions, which led them to depart from him, and commit idolatry; which in them was adultery, while the sin of the Gentiles was as simple fornication: [which] taketh strangers…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“instead of her husband--referring to Num 5:19-20, Num 5:29. FAIRBAIRN translates, "whilst under her husband."”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Eze 16:8, Eze 23:37, Eze 23:45; Jer 2:25, Jer 2:28, Jer 3:1, Jer 3:8, Jer 3:9, Jer 3:20; Hos 2:2, Hos 3:1; Co2 11:2, Co2 11:3 Ezekiel 16:33”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 16 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification