John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 23

Ver. 1. The word of the Lord came unto me The word of prophecy, Ezekiel 23:2

Son of man, there were two women 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.

Then Job answered and said .
] Without taking notice of Bildad's harsh expressions and severe censures, or his unfriendliness to him; he enters directly into the argument, grants some things, confutes others, and defends himself and his conduct.

And they committed whoredoms in Egypt
When they were but one body, one nation; and while they sojourned as strangers in that land they learned and practised the idolatries of it, (Joshua 24:14), and so the Targum, ``and they erred in Egypt, after the worship of their idols they erred, and there they corrupted their works:''

they committed whoredoms in their youth ;
as soon as they were come out of Egypt, and were formed into a political and ecclesiastical state, had the law of God given them, and promised obedience to him, and were espoused by him, which times are called the days of their youth and espousal, (Jeremiah 2:2) (Hosea 2:15), and then were they guilty of whoredom, or spiritual adultery, which idolatry, in making and worshipping the golden calf, after the manner of Egypt; and in joining themselves to Baalpeor, the god of the Moabites, (Exodus 32:1–4) (Numbers 25:2Numbers 25:3);

there were their breasts pressed, there they bruised the teats of their
virginity ;
that is, the Egyptians, who drew them into idolatry, and with whom they committed it; which is expressed by the actions of adulterous persons, suggesting that, before this, they were as chaste and pure virgins to God, adhered to his worship, and served him only, and were not defiled with the superstition and idolatry of the Heathens: or, "they made ^F12 the teats or paps of their virginity"; that is, made them swell and increase, being impregnated by them, and their idolatry completed; or to move and heave being pressed.

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: (ydd wve) "fecerant mammas", Starckius; "fecerent ut earam mammae agrerent", Gussetius; "sese commovendo scilicet, in contentione libidinis aestuantes, et pectoris anheli reciprocationem sequentes", ib. p. 652. "ibi subagitarunt ubera virginum", Coeccius.

And the names of them were Aholah the elder
Or, "the greater" ^F13 meaning the ten tribes of Israel, which were more in number than Judah, and greater in power and riches; their name, Aholah, signifies "her tent or tabernacle", which was entirely their own, and not the Lord's: their worship, and places of worship, were of their own appointing, namely, their calves at Dan and Bethel; God had nothing to do with them, there he did not dwell; his tabernacle was not there, that was at Salem, (Psalms 76:1) :

and Aholibah her sister ;
which name signifies "my tent or tabernacle is in her": this is the name of Judah or the two tribes, in which stood the temple of the Lord, where he was worshipped, and where he dwelt: some think these were proper names of two Egyptian harlots; others think there is allusion to the wife of Esau, (Genesis 36:2) : and they were mine ;
or, "I had them ^F14 "; when they were together; they were originally espoused unto him; he avouched them to be his people, and they avouched him to be their God; he chose them for himself above all other people, and they professed themselves to be his, and promised to serve and worship him; and for a while did continue in his service and worship:

and they bare sons and daughters; to the Lord, whom they brought up in the fear of God, and taught them to serve him: the phrase is expressive of their increase, and of their happiness and prosperity, while they adhered to the pure worship of God: thus were their names ;
this is the application of them: "Samaria is Aholah"; or Aholah signifies Samaria, which was the metropolis of Ephraim, and belonged to the ten tribes, and is put for the whole, (Isaiah 7:9) : "and Jerusalem Aholibah"; or Aholibah designs Jerusalem, the head city of Judah, and stands for the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: (hlwdgh) "major", Junius and Tremellius, Polanus, Starckius.
• F14: (yl hnyyhtw) "et habui eos", V. L. Heb.; "facte sunt mihi", Piscator; "[sub] uxores", Grotius.

And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine

His married wife, and so ought to have cleaved to him alone: or, under me {o}; under his cover, power, and protection, and therefore it was their interest to serve him only: or, "instead of me" ^F16 ; or, as the Syriac version, "besides me": they worshipped other gods in the room of the true God, or other gods besides him.

The Targum is, ``and Aholah erred from my worship;'' the ten tribes fell into idolatry, when they were God's professing people:

and she doted on her lovers ; whom she loved even to madness; she was mad with love, to the idols, temples, altars, and idolatrous worship of the Heathens; particularly doted "on the Assyrians her neighbours"; who were become so by the conquest of Syria; and these they treated as their neighbours, and sought to have them to be their allies and confederates; courted their help and assistance, and gave them much money for that purpose; as Menahem gave to Pul king of Assyria a thousand talents of silver, to confirm the kingdom in his hand, (2 Kings 15:19) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F16: "Exteros excipiens loco meo", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus.