The Meaning of Ezekiel 23:5 Explained

Ezekiel 23:5

KJV: And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

YLT: And go a-whoring doth Aholah under Me, And she doteth on her lovers, On the neighbouring Assyrians,

Darby: And Oholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians her neighbours,

ASV: And Oholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Aholah  played the harlot  when she was mine;  and she doted  on her lovers,  on the Assyrians  [her] neighbours, 

What does Ezekiel 23:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 23

1  The unfaithfulness of Aholah and Aholibah
23  Aholibah is to be plagued by her lovers
36  The prophet reproves the adulteries of them both
45  and shows their judgments

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 23:5 mean?

And played the harlot Oholah even though she was Mine and she lusted for her lovers on Assyria neighboring
וַתִּ֥זֶן אָהֳלָ֖ה תַּחְתָּ֑י וַתַּעְגַּב֙ עַֽל־ מְאַהֲבֶ֔יהָ אֶל־ אַשּׁ֖וּר קְרוֹבִֽים

וַתִּ֥זֶן  And  played  the  harlot 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: זָנָה 
Sense: to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot.
אָהֳלָ֖ה  Oholah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אָהֳלָה  
Sense: Samaria as an adulteress with Assyria (metaph).
תַּחְתָּ֑י  even  though  she  was  Mine 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
וַתַּעְגַּב֙  and  she  lusted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: עָגַב  
Sense: (Qal) to have inordinate affection or lust.
מְאַהֲבֶ֔יהָ  her  lovers 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אָהַב  
Sense: to love.
אַשּׁ֖וּר  Assyria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשּׁוּר  
Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
קְרוֹבִֽים  neighboring 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: קָרֹוב  
Sense: near.