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But I will restore Sodom and her daughters from captivity, as well as Samaria and her daughters. And I will restore you along with them.
Ezekiel 16:53 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB “‘“I will turn again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of your captives among them;
  • KJV When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
  • NKJV “When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,
  • NASB “Nevertheless, I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and along with them your own fortunes,
  • NLT “But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God promises to restore the fortunes not only of Jerusalem but even of Sodom and Samaria, her 'sisters' in sin. Grace can reach the most notorious offenders.

Overview

Closing the extended allegory of unfaithful Jerusalem, God pledges to reverse the captivity of Sodom, Samaria, and Judah together. By pairing Jerusalem with the proverbially wicked, the Lord exposes her self-righteousness while holding out hope of restoration grounded in His mercy, not her merit. This anticipates the gospel reach of grace to the worst of sinners.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 17

  • Isa 19:24–25In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon the earth.
  • Jer 12:16And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.
  • Ezek 29:14I will restore Egypt from captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.
  • Ezek 39:25Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.
  • Job 42:10After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions.
  • Ezek 16:60–61But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
  • Rom 11:23–31And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
  • Joel 3:1“Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,
  • Jer 31:23This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore them from captivity, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities: ‘May the LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling place, O holy mountain.’
  • Jer 48:47Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
  • Jer 20:16May that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without compassion. May he hear an outcry in the morning and a battle cry at noon,
  • Jer 49:6Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites from captivity,” declares the LORD.
  • Isa 1:9Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.
  • Ps 126:1A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.
  • Ps 85:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. You showed favor to Your land, O LORD; You restored Jacob from captivity.
  • Ps 14:7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
  • Jer 49:39“Yet in the last days, I will restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 16:53YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.

How Ezekiel 16:53 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.