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Ezekiel 23:2

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 23:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
Ezekiel 23:2 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 23

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying,
2Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
3and they played the harlot in Egypt; they played the harlot in their youth; there were their breasts pressed, and there was handled the bosom of their virginity.
4And 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.
5And Oholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians [her] neighbors,
← Ezekiel 23:1Ezekiel 23:3 →
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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
“Son of man, there were two women, &c.] Or two nations and kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel or the ten tribes, and the kingdom of Judah or the two tribes. So the Targum, “son of man, prophesy concerning two provinces, which are as two women:” the daughters of one mother; either Sarah the wife of Abraham, from whom they sprung; or because they were originally one kingdom and nation; so they were when they came out of Egypt, and during the times of the judges, and in the reigns of David and Solomon; but became two in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, from whom ten tribes revolted, and set up a separate kingdom, with Jeroboam at the head of it.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Of one mother - Israel and Judah were branches of the same stock. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Two women - Judah, and Israel, two kingdoms. Ezekiel 23:3”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“23:2 sisters . . . daughters of the same mother: They were descendants of the same nation, and their lives were essentially parallel. Even their names, Oholah and Oholibah, sound similar.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“two: Eze 16:44, Eze 16:46; Jer 3:7-10 Ezekiel 23:3”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 23 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification