Ezekiel 23:13I saw that she was defiled; they both took one way.
The setting
Babylon, ~593 BC. Ezekiel sits among Jewish exiles by the Kebar River in modern-day Iraq, delivering God's shocking allegory about Jerusalem and Samaria as unfaithful sisters.
The emotion here: heartbroken prophet forced to speak God's painful truth
The original word
tāmē' (טָמֵא) — ceremonially defiled, made unclean through forbidden contact
Why it matters
Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem — both cities that made political alliances through intermarriage and idol worship
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ezekiel 23:13
The 'one way' means both sister-cities copied each other's spiritual adultery
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about sexual sin, but it's primarily about spiritual unfaithfulness — choosing other gods and foreign alliances over trusting God alone.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ezekiel 23:13
Bible Genome reading
Ezekiel 23:13 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ezekiel 23:13 comes from the book of Ezekiel, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Ezekiel. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include defilement, shared sin, moral corruption. Notable phrases: she was defiled; both took one way. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Ezekiel 23:13 mean to you, today?
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