Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt
Parallel translations
- WEB Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth, in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt.
- KJV Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
- NKJV “Yet she multiplied her harlotry In calling to remembrance the days of her youth, When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
- NASB Yet she multiplied her obscene practices, remembering the days of her youth, when she prostituted herself in the land of Egypt.
- NLT Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.
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
Rather than repenting, Judah intensified her unfaithfulness, looking back nostalgically to her idolatry in Egypt. It shows how sin, left unchecked, deepens rather than diminishes.
Overview
Instead of being warned by Samaria's fall, Judah 'multiplied' her prostitution, romanticizing her earlier bondage in Egypt where Israel had been spiritually corrupted. The reference to 'the days of her youth' recalls the nation's origins and the idols she had absorbed there. This backward longing for slavery mirrors the wilderness generation's grumbling and exposes the heart's bent toward bondage rather than its Redeemer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ezek 23:3and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.
- Ezek 16:25At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.
- Ezek 23:21So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.
- Ezek 16:29So you extended your promiscuity to Chaldea, the land of merchants—but even with this you were not satisfied!
- Ezek 16:51Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have committed have made your sisters appear righteous.
- Ezek 20:7And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
- Ezek 23:14But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,
- Ezek 23:8She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her.
- Amos 4:4“Go to Bethel and transgress; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days.
- Ezek 16:22And in all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.
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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 23:19 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
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