Ezekiel 23:45 · Bible study
Ezekiel 23:45 Commentary: Who Are the Righteous Judges?
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Ezekiel 23:45: who the 'righteous men' are in God's judgment on idolatrous Israel and Judah, and what this means for justice today.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God uses human agents, here the Babylonians, to execute just punishment on Israel and Judah for their covenant unfaithfulness and violence.
- Key words: ‘Righteous men’, the instruments of God’s judgment, not morally perfect but acting as agents of justice.
- Main debate: Whether the ‘righteous men’ are the Babylonians, prophets, or righteous individuals; the majority see the Babylonians as the instruments.
- Theological theme: Divine justice is carried out through human history; God’s judgment aims to end evil and restore covenant order.
- Best use: Understanding the seriousness of idolatry and the certainty of divine justice, while pointing to the hope of restoration.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Righteous men will judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
KJV King James Version 1769
And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And righteous men, they shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
As to righteous men, they judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, And the judgment of women shedding blood, For they are adulteresses, And blood is in their hands.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And righteous men, they shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of women that shed blood; for they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
They therefore are just men: these shall judge them as adulteresses are judged, and as shedders of blood are judged: because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Por tanto, hombres justos las juzgarán por la ley de las adúlteras, y por la ley de las que derraman sangre: porque son adúlteras, y sangre hay en sus manos.
Por isso homens justos as julgarão pela lei que pune as adúlteras, e pela lei que pune as que derramam sangue; pois são adúlteras, e há sangue há nas mãos delas.
Mais des hommes justes les jugeront,
Darum werden sie die Männer strafen, die das Recht vollbringen, wie man die Ehebrecherinnen und Blutvergießerinnen strafen soll. Denn sie sind Ehebrecherinnen, und ihre Hände sind voll Blut.
Rechtvaardige mannen dan, die zullen haar richten naar het recht der overspeelsters, en naar het recht der bloedvergietsters; want zij zijn overspeelsters, en bloed is in haar handen.
Ma degli uomini giusti le giudicheranno, come si giudican le adultere, come si giudican le donne che spandono il sangue; perché sono adultere, e hanno del sangue sulle mani.
Przetoż sprawiedliwi mężowie, ci je osądzą sądem cudzołożnic, i sądem wylewających krew, przeto, że cudzołożyły, a krew jest na rękach ich.
Но мужи праведные будут судить их; они будут судить их судом прелюбодейц и судом проливающих кровь, потому что они прелюбодейки, и у них кровь на руках.
必有義 人， 照審判淫婦 和流 人血 的婦人之例，審判 她們；因為 她們 是淫婦，手 中有殺人的血。」
And upright men will be her judges, judging her as false wives and women who take lives are judged; because she has been untrue to me and blood is on her hands.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the 'righteous men' (Hebrew anashim tsaddikim) are the Babylonians or Chaldeans, appointed by God to execute judgment on Oholah and Oholibah. Adam Clarke calls them 'the Chaldeans, thus called because they are appointed by God to execute judgment on these criminals.' Barnes notes they are 'the instruments of God's righteous judgments.' Jamieson-Fausset-Brown adds that they are 'the executioners of God's righteous vengeance,' though not righteous in themselves. Gill presents multiple views, prophets, righteous men in general, or the Babylonians, but leans toward the Babylonians 'who, though not righteous in themselves, or truly so, yet were so in comparison of the wicked Jews.' The majority sees the Babylonians as the agents. Their judgment follows the Mosaic penalty for adultery (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:21, 24) and bloodshed. The point is not the moral quality of the judges, but that God uses human instruments to bring about His just sentence.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- The Babylonians as instruments of justice: Most commentators (Clarke, Barnes, JFB, Gill) identify the righteous men as the Chaldeans/Babylonians, citing God’s use of them to execute sentence (v. 46–47).
- Righteous men in general or prophets: Gill notes that some understand this of prophets who foretold the judgment; others of righteous men universally who would agree the punishment fits the crime.
- Chaldeans as ‘righteous in comparison’: Gill and JFB highlight that the Babylonians are called righteous not absolutely, but in comparison to the wickedness of Israel and Judah, and because they serve as instruments of God’s righteous judgment.
What is clear: The verse depicts God’s judgment on Oholah and Oholibah being carried out by human agents who act as judges, and the sentence conforms to the Mosaic penalty for adultery and murder.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the ‘righteous men’ | These are human agents who carry out God’s judgment on Israel and Judah. | Most interpreters (Clarke, Barnes, JFB) identify them as the Babylonians/Chaldeans. Others (some cited by Gill) see them as prophets or righteous men in general who pronounce or execute the sentence. |
| Nature of the judgment | The judgment involves death by stoning and sword, matching Mosaic law for adultery and murder (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:21). | Some read the judgment as exclusively historical (the Babylonian exile), while others see it as a pattern for God’s ongoing discipline of unfaithful communities, including the church. |
| Metaphor of adultery | The adultery represents covenant unfaithfulness, idolatry and political alliances with foreign nations. | Some interpreters emphasize literal sexual sins mixed with idolatry (Gill mentions ‘corporeal uncleanness’). Others maintain the entire passage is allegorical for spiritual infidelity. |
| Purpose of the punishment | The judgment is designed to stop lewdness and teach other nations not to imitate Israel’s sin (v. 48). | There is broad agreement that God’s judgment has a corrective and deterrent purpose, but some traditions stress the retributive aspect more heavily than the restorative. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel 23 is a detailed allegory of two sisters, Oholah (Samaria, the northern kingdom) and Oholibah (Jerusalem, the southern kingdom). Their story uses the language of adultery and prostitution to describe covenant unfaithfulness, idolatry and political alliances with foreign nations. In the ancient Near East, adultery was a capital offense under Israelite law. Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:21, 24 prescribe death by stoning. The phrase 'women who shed blood' refers to the violence of Israel and Judah: they sacrificed their own children to idols (Ezekiel 23:37, 39) and shed innocent blood, including that of prophets.
The 'righteous men' are not the people of Israel but the Chaldean army, which God raised up to execute judgment. The context (Ezekiel 23:46, 47) describes a mob of allies who will stone and kill them. This matches the historical reality: Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. The allegory makes clear that the judgment is both a physical invasion and a divine sentence for covenant breaking. The surrounding verses (vv. 40, 44) show the women actively pursuing lovers, seeking alliances with Egypt and Assyria, which led to their downfall. The use of 'righteous' for the Babylonians is ironic: they are the instrument of justice, not because they are morally upright, but because they carry out God's righteous decree.
This passage builds on Ezekiel 16, which uses similar imagery of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife. The legal framework of the covenant lawsuit is present: God, the wronged husband, brings charges and executes sentence through a third party. The result, as v. 48 says, is that lewdness would cease from the land.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Ezekiel 23:45. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges observes that surrounding passages (v. 36, 44) present textual difficulties, but for v. 45 itself the manuscript tradition is stable. All major English translations render the verse similarly, with ‘righteous men’ as the consistent reading.
Reception History
Ezekiel 23:45 has been read across Jewish and Christian traditions primarily as an allegory of covenant unfaithfulness. Jewish commentators interpreted Oholah and Oholibah as Samaria and Jerusalem, and the ‘righteous men’ as the Assyrian and Babylonian empires that executed God’s judgment. In Christian tradition, early church fathers like Jerome saw the passage as a warning against spiritual adultery, the church’s unfaithfulness to Christ. The Geneva Bible (1599) and Matthew Henry (1710) emphasize the justness of God’s sentence, while John Gill (1748) explores the identity of the judges, noting that the Babylonians are called righteous in comparison to Israel. The verse is not frequently cited in liturgy, but it appears in Reformed and Wesleyan commentary traditions as a sobering example of God’s justice against persistent sin. Modern readers often struggle with the severity, but the passage reminds believers that God’s judgment is always righteous and purposeful.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God sees all: The sins of Oholah and Oholibah, idolatry and violence, are fully exposed. They have blood on their hands from child sacrifice and persecution of the faithful. Nothing is hidden from the Lord.
- God uses unexpected instruments: The ‘righteous men’ are the Babylonians, a pagan nation. God can employ anyone, even those who do not worship Him, to accomplish His purposes of justice.
- Judgment has a purpose: The goal of punishment is not destruction for its own sake, but to end evil (v. 48: ‘that all women may be taught not to be lewd like you’). God’s discipline aims at restoration and cleansing.
Five-point outline
- The crime: Covenant unfaithfulness (adultery) and violence (bloodshed).
- The court: God as the wronged husband brings the case.
- The enforcers: ‘Righteous men’, the Babylonians as instruments of divine justice.
- The sentence: Death by stoning and sword, following the law for adulteresses and murderers.
- The outcome: Evil is purged from the land, and God’s name is vindicated.
Illustration hooks
- A courtroom where the judge appoints a flawed but authorized officer to carry out a death sentence. The officer is not called righteous because of his personal character, but because he acts on behalf of the court’s justice.
- A surgeon who performs a painful amputation to stop a spreading infection. The act is severe, but the goal is healing. The patient does not love the surgeon in that moment, but the result saves the body.
- A landlord who uses a bailiff, someone the tenant dislikes, to evict a destructive renter. The bailiff is not the owner’s friend, but he executes the rightful eviction.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why would God use a wicked nation like Babylon to punish His own people?
- Does this mean God’s punishment is always carried out by human agents?
- How do we understand the severity of this judgment in light of God’s mercy?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with God’s judgment on covenant unfaithfulness. Israel and Judah’s sin is not just private; it has public consequences. The ‘righteous men’ who judge them forces us to ask: Who does God use to bring justice, and what does that say about His character?
Discussion questions
- Read Ezekiel 23:36, 49. What specific sins are Oholah and Oholibah charged with? How does the metaphor of adultery help you understand the seriousness of idolatry?
- Who are the ‘righteous men’ in v. 45? Why do you think the text calls them ‘righteous’ even though they are pagan Babylonians? What does this teach about God’s ability to work through any instrument?
- The judgment follows the legal penalty for adultery and murder (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:21, 24). Why is it important that the punishment aligns with the law? How does this reflect God’s consistency?
- In what ways do Christians today commit ‘adultery’ against God, either through idolatry (putting other things first) or ‘bloodshed’ (unjust words, violence, or harm to others)?
- Verse 48 says God will cause lewdness to cease. What does this tell us about the ultimate purpose of judgment? How does discipline in our own lives aim at restoration, not just punishment?
- The Babylonians were not morally righteous, yet they served God’s purpose. How does this challenge our assumptions about who God can use? Are there people or situations you would not expect God to use for good?
- How does the gospel of Christ provide an answer to the judgment described in Ezekiel 23? Where do we see mercy alongside justice?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 20:10 | “‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. |
| Leviticus 21:9 | “‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire. |
| Deuteronomy 22:21 | then they shall bring out the young lady to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done folly in Israel, to play the prostitute in her father’s house. So you shall remove the evil from among you. |
| Deuteronomy 22:24 | then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn’t cry, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor’s wife. So you shall remove the evil from among you. |
| Jeremiah 5:14 | Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies says, “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it will devour them. |
| Ezekiel 16:38 | I will judge you as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy. |
| Ezekiel 16:43 | “‘“Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have raged against me in all these things; therefore, behold, I also will bring your way on your head,” says the Lord Yahweh: “and you shall not commit this lewdness with all your abominations. |
| Ezekiel 23:36 | Yahweh said moreover to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains that the phrase "righteous men" in this passage refers to the Chaldeans, who are called righteous not because of their own moral character but because God appointed them to carry out judgment on the guilty.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that the "righteous men" are the allies God uses to carry out His judgment, called righteous only because they serve as instruments of His justice, not because they are morally good. He also clarifies that "all women" refers to all countries, as the judgment warns every nation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator identifies this section as an independent, parallel account rather than a direct continuation of the earlier allegory. It is structured around four charges: idolatrous adultery and bloodshed, profaning the temple and Sabbaths, alliances with pagan nations, and the resulting punishment. The text itself is noted as extremely difficult in places.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And ye righteous men they shall iudge them, after the maner of harlots, and after the maner of murtherers: for they are harlots, and blood is in their hands.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the "righteous men" judging these women are the Babylonians, not because they are truly righteous, but in comparison to the idolatrous Jews who knew God's will. They are God's instruments of justice, executing punishment for spiritual adultery and murder, including child sacrifice.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that "the righteous men" here refers to the Chaldeans, who act as God's executioners of righteous vengeance. He is careful to note, however, that this title does not imply they are morally righteous in themselves, since other passages in Habakkuk reveal their inherent wickedness.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Ezekiel 23 differs from chapter 16 by shifting focus from God's love for the faithless bride to the seductive splendor of the foreign lovers she pursued. Here the sin is trusting political alliances with heathen nations rather than religious idolatry, and the prospect of pardon recedes behind the certainty of judgment.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Righteous men - Men that keep the law of their God.