Ezekiel 23 is one of the most graphic chapters in the prophets. It tells the story of two sisters, Samaria and Jerusalem, who are portrayed as unfaithful women, and it explains why God allowed judgment to fall on both. These questions are built for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and they walk through the chapter in three stages: what it says, what it means, and how it applies to us today.
Ezekiel 23 at a Glance
The chapter opens with an extended allegory in which the LORD describes two sisters who were unfaithful to him from their youth in Egypt. The older sister, Oholah, stands for Samaria and turns to the Assyrians, and the younger, Oholibah, stands for Jerusalem and turns to the Assyrians and then the Babylonians. In each case the lovers become the instruments of judgment.
The second half moves from allegory to plain speech. God calls Ezekiel to declare their abominations, names the sins of idolatry, child sacrifice and profaning the temple and Sabbath, and closes by announcing that the nations will carry out judgment so that the people will know that he is the Lord.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the exact words in the text, and resist the urge to explain yet. Good observation keeps the discussion anchored to what the chapter says rather than what people have heard about it.
Ezekiel 23:4
Their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.
(WEB)
This verse introduces the two sisters by name and identifies them with Samaria and Jerusalem. Reading it early helps the group keep track of the allegory and understand that real nations are in view behind the imagery.
Ezekiel 23:22-23
22 “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up your lovers against you, from whom your soul is alienated, and I will bring them against you on every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; all of them desirable young men, governors and rulers, princes and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.
(WEB)
Here God announces that he will raise up the lovers against Oholibah. Reading this aloud helps the group see the turn from her choices to God’s active response, which is central to the chapter’s argument.
Ezekiel 23:35
“Therefore thus says the Lord the LORD: ‘Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.’”
(WEB)
This verse names forgetting God as the root of the problem and links it to the consequences that follow. It is a good anchor for application questions about habits of memory and devotion.
Ezekiel 23:38-39
38 Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and behold, they have done this in the middle of my house.
(WEB)
These verses describe the defiling of the sanctuary and the profaning of the Sabbaths. Reading them aloud brings home how serious it is to mix worship of the LORD with other loyalties.
Ezekiel 23:49
They will recompense your lewdness on you, and you will bear the sins of your idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord the LORD.’”
(WEB)
The chapter closes with the reminder that judgment will lead to knowledge of God. Ending the reading here helps the group leave with the purpose of the whole passage in view, not only its severity.
Memory Verse for Ezekiel 23
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you aware that our hearts can drift toward other loyalties, just as the sisters in this chapter turned away from you. Thank you that you speak truthfully about our unfaithfulness and that you do not leave us to our own devices. Give us the grace to remember you each day, to name the idols that compete for our attention, and to return to you with honest hearts. Help us to worship you alone, to keep our lives clean before you, and to grow in knowing you more deeply. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
