Ezekiel 23:28 · Bible study
Ezekiel 23:28 Commentary: Delivered into the Hand of Those You Hate
Hebrew · 4 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study page on Ezekiel 23:28: divine judgment, reversal of alliances, and God using enemies to punish covenant unfaithfulness.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God declares He will hand Jerusalem over to the Babylonians, the very allies she now despises, as judgment for covenant unfaithfulness.
- Key words: “Deliver” (sovereign act of God), “hate” (emotional reversal from former love), “alienated” (estranged after pursuit).
- Main debate: Whether God’s use of a hostile nation as His instrument implies moral responsibility for their actions, most commentators distinguish between divine sovereignty and human culpability (Jer. 21:7).
- Theological theme: Divine justice operates through historical reversals; what people cling to becomes their downfall.
- Best use: A warning against misplaced trust and a call to examine where our security really lies.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“For the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate, into the hand of them from whom your soul is alienated.
KJV King James Version 1769
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy soul is alienated;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am giving thee into a hand that thou hast hated, Into a hand from which thou wast alienated.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will give thee over into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy soul is alienated.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest, into their hands with whom thy soul hath been glutted.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: He aquí, yo te entrego en mano de aquellos que tú aborreciste, en mano de aquellos de los cuales se hartó tu deseo:
Porque assim diz o Senhor DEUS: Eis que eu te entregarei nas mãos daqueles a quem tu odeias, nas mãos daqueles dos quais tua alma se desgostou;
Car ainsi parle le Seigneur, l’ Éternel:
Denn so spricht der Herr HERR: Siehe, ich will dich überantworten, denen du feind geworden und deren du müde bist.
Want alzo zegt de Heere HEERE: Zie, Ik zal u overgeven in de hand dergenen, die gij haat, in de hand dergenen, van dewelken uw ziel is afgetrokken.
Poiché così parla il Signore, l’Eterno: Ecco, io ti do in mano di quelli che tu hai in odio, in mano di quelli, dai quali l’anima tua s’è alienata.
Bo tak mówi panujący Pan: Oto cię Ja podaję w ręce tych, których masz w nienawiści, w ręce tych, od których odstąpiła dusza twoja;
Ибо так говорит Господь Бог: вот, Я предаю тебя в руки тех, которых ты возненавидела, в руки тех, от которых отвратилась душа твоя.
主 耶和華 如此 說：我 必將你交在 你所 恨惡的 人手中，就是 你心 與他 生疏 的人手中。
For this is what the Lord has said: See, I will give you up into the hands of those who are hated by you, into the hands of those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust:
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Ezekiel 23:28 announces divine judgment on Jerusalem (Oholibah) for her spiritual adultery. Gill notes that the delivery into the hands of “them whom thou hatest” refers specifically to the Chaldeans and Babylonians, former allies now despised, and that falling into such hands is “a sore judgment.” Matthew Henry frames the verse within God’s response to Jerusalem’s whoredom: the same lovers she pursued will become her punishers. Lange’s Commentary connects the verse to the wider allegory of Oholah and Oholibah, showing that the estrangement described in v. 17 now becomes the vehicle of punishment. The Geneva Bible glosses “from whom thine heart is departed” as a description of the broken covenant. All point to the same core: God sovereignly orchestrates the reversal of human alliances to execute justice on His unfaithful people. The verse does not excuse the cruelty of Babylon but presents it as the appointed instrument of judgment.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse plainly states that God will deliver Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonians, whom she now hates, as judgment for her spiritual unfaithfulness.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's role in using Babylon as judgment | All traditions affirm that God sovereignly delivered Jerusalem into Babylon's hand as punishment for covenant unfaithfulness. | Some emphasize that God actively ‘raises up’ the enemy (v. 22); others stress that He simply allows the natural consequences of political folly to unfold. |
| The nature of Jerusalem's hatred | The hatred mentioned in v. 28 results from the breakdown of an earlier alliance (v. 17). | Catholic and Protestant exegetes often see this hatred as a sign of Jerusalem's fickleness; some Reformed interpreters view it as a judgment hardening the heart. |
| The severity of the judgment | All agree that the judgment described (vv. 24, 26, 29) is historically severe and meant to shock readers into repentance. | Interpreters differ on whether the mutilation language (v. 25) is literal or symbolic of total ruin, most modern scholars take it as literal description of Babylonian war practices. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel 23 is an extended allegory of two sisters: Oholah (Samaria, the northern kingdom) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, the southern kingdom). The chapter traces their history of chasing political and religious alliances with foreign powers, first Assyria, then Babylon, as a metaphor for covenant unfaithfulness. In vv. 14, 17, Oholibah sees images of Babylonian soldiers, sends envoys to them, and becomes defiled by them; then her “soul is alienated” from them (v. 17). Now in v. 28, God declares He will deliver her into the hands of those same Babylonians, whom she now hates.
The historical backdrop: Samaria fell to Assyria in 722 BC; Jerusalem was besieged by Babylon in 597 BC and destroyed in 586 BC. Ezekiel, writing among the first wave of exiles (597 BC), uses the allegory to explain why Jerusalem’s fate is coming. The reversal is stunning: the nations Israel once trusted become the very agents of her ruin. Verse 28 describes the logical end of a policy that placed hope in military alliances rather than in Yahweh. The phrase “from whom your soul is alienated” echoes v. 17, stressing that the relationship has soured. God does not create the hatred; He uses the estrangement His people have already sown.
Cross-references strengthen the pattern: Jeremiah 21:7 and 21:10 both speak of God “delivering” Jerusalem into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar; Ezekiel 16:37 uses similar language of gathering former lovers as enemies. The surrounding context (vv. 24, 27, 29, 31) details the brutality of the judgment, weapons, stripping, mutilation, language that echoes ancient Near Eastern siege practices. The point is not sensationalism but to show that covenant-breaking has concrete, horrific consequences, and that God’s justice operates through the historical forces His people courted.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Ezekiel 23:28. The verse is stable across the major Hebrew manuscripts and all consulted translations (WEB, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, Darby, Douay) agree on the core wording. One minor difference: the Douay-Rheims renders “from whom thy soul hath been glutted” instead of “alienated,” drawing on a different Latin tradition, but this does not affect the meaning of judgment.
Reception History
Ezekiel 23:28 has been received across church history primarily as a warning against covenant unfaithfulness and misplaced trust. Early Christian writers such as Jerome and Theodoret read the allegory of Oholah and Oholibah as a call to spiritual fidelity, applying its lessons to the church as the bride of Christ. In the medieval period, commentators like Rashi (Jewish tradition) and Nicholas of Lyra focused on the historical fulfillment in the Babylonian conquest. The Reformers, Calvin, Luther, and the Geneva Bible, used the verse to critique reliance on political alliances and to demonstrate God’s sovereign control over nations. In modern times, the passage serves as a stark pastoral reminder that what we pursue apart from God can become the instrument of our undoing.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The irony of judgment: God delivers His people into the hands of those they once loved and now hate. The false security of alliances becomes the instrument of ruin (vv. 17, 28).
- The sovereignty of God over nations: Babylon acts as God’s appointed agent of judgment. The hatred of the enemy does not escape divine control, God “delivers” them into that hand (Jer. 21:7,10).
- The consequence of spiritual adultery: Jerusalem’s pursuit of foreign gods and political lovers leads to alienation (vv. 30, 35). Judgment is not arbitrary; it is the harvest of unfaithfulness.
Five-point outline
- God raises up the lovers we trusted (v. 22).
- Those lovers become the agents of judgment (v. 24).
- The judgment is brutal and public (vv. 25, 26).
- Yet the goal is purifying: to make lewdness cease (v. 27).
- The hatred of the people is turned against them by a sovereign God (v. 28).
Illustration hooks
- A business partner you once relied on now sues you for every asset. The relationship soured because of broken trust, now they hold power over you.
- An addiction you once pursued for pleasure becomes the master that destroys your health, relationships, and freedom. What you loved turns to what you hate.
- A nation that armed and funded a militant group later finds those same weapons turned against its own cities. The ally becomes the enemy.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is God responsible for evil when He uses evil nations to judge His people?
- If judgment here is so harsh, how does that fit with God’s mercy in the New Covenant?
- What does it look like for us today to “trust” in worldly systems instead of God, and what might be the consequences?
Leading a Discussion
Ezekiel 23:28 sits inside a shocking allegory of covenant unfaithfulness. Jerusalem had chased political lovers, Assyria, Babylon, and now God says He will deliver her into the hands of the very ones she hates. This passage invites us to examine how we trust in human alliances rather than in God, and what happens when those alliances fail.
Discussion questions
- Read Ezekiel 23:1, 4 and identify the allegory. Who are Oholah and Oholibah, and what is their “prostitution”?
- How does v. 28 describe the reversal of Jerusalem’s alliances? Why does the text emphasize that she now hates the Babylonians (see v. 17)?
- What does it mean that God “delivers” His people into the hand of those they hate? Is God the direct cause of this suffering, or does He permit consequences to take their course?
- How do cross-references like Jeremiah 21:7 and Ezekiel 16:37 reinforce the pattern of God using former allies as instruments of judgment?
- In what ways do Christians today look to political power, financial security, or social approval as “alliances” instead of trusting God? Are these always wrong, or is the problem misplaced reliance?
- Verse 27 says God will make lewdness cease. How does judgment serve a purifying purpose even when it is painful?
- If you see a pattern of estrangement in your own life, a relationship turned sour because of sin, how can Ezekiel 23:28 speak both warning and hope?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Jeremiah 21:7 | Afterward,” says Yahweh, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. He will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, have pity, or have mercy.”’ |
| Jeremiah 21:10 | For I have set my face on this city for evil, and not for good,” says Yahweh. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.”’ |
| Jeremiah 24:8 | “‘As the bad figs, which can’t be eaten, they are so bad,’ surely Yahweh says, ‘So I will give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. |
| Jeremiah 34:20 | I will even give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth. |
| Ezekiel 16:37 | therefore see, I will gather all your lovers, with whom you have taken pleasure, and all those whom you have loved, with all those whom you have hated. I will even gather them against you on every side, and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. |
| Ezekiel 23:17 | The Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their prostitution. She was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them. |
| Ezekiel 23:22 | “Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says: ‘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: |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
4 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note highlights the precise irony of this judgment: the people the sufferer actively hates and has already emotionally abandoned are the very ones God will use to bring him down. Their estrangement becomes the instrument of his ruin.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses the bitter irony in God's judgment: the people once loved the Babylonians and pursued them, but now they hate them and will be handed over to those very enemies. The repeated promise highlights the certainty of the punishment because the Lord himself has declared it.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that Ezekiel 23 shifts focus from the faithful husband's love in chapter 16 to the seductive power of the foreign lovers Israel pursued. The chapter dwells on the allure of worldly alliances and splendor, not the broken marriage covenant itself, and offers no prospect of pardon—only judgment.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes a grim poetic justice: the very nations Israel lusted after become her brutal judges and executioners. God's jealousy ensures that the lovers she chased will strip and mutilate her, ending her infatuation with them forever.