Ezekiel 23:32-34

[32] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn it containeth much. [33] Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria. [34] Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

What is the context of Ezekiel 23:32-34?

What does Ezekiel 23:32-34 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord also promised that Oholibah would indeed drink from the large cup of God"s judgment from which Oholah had drunk. Some commentators referred to this pericope as the "cup song" (cf. the "sword song" in Ezekiel 21:8-17). Drinking this cup would make her an object of scorn as well as drunk and sad. The cup would contain punishment in the form of horror and desolation, just like Samaria had experienced. Oholibah would drain the cup; she would endure all the punishment God had for her. She would even madly gnaw the fragments of the earthenware cup or shatter it to pieces. The same Hebrew verb means "to gnaw" (NASB, NRSV) and "to break" (AV, NIV, NKJV). She would also tear at her breasts, probably in remorse over how she had used them to seduce her lovers. Another interpretation understands the cup as breaking and lacerating Oholibah"s breasts. In other words, she would despise herself for her former behavior.