יחזקאל, פרק ט״ז, פסוק מ״ה

The prophet delivers a harsh rebuke regarding the nation's moral decay by using sharp family imagery. By comparing the people to the corrupt nations that previously inhabited the land, the prophet suggests that the nation is simply carrying on its mother's dark traditions. This metaphorical mother represents the Canaanite nation whose land the Israelites inherited [רש״י], or the land of Heth [מלבי״ם]. The nation is described as rejecting its own family, an idea that signifies a deep alienation or a literal vomiting out of its inhabitants [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because these ancient nations engaged in endless terrible acts, the land ultimately expelled them, with the rejected husband and children symbolizing the king and the entire populace [מצודת דוד, רד״ק].

The family metaphor extends to the nation's sisters. The primary approach among commentators is that this sister represents the nearby city of Sodom and its surrounding towns. The people of Sodom were infamous for their violence and terrible deeds. Just like the metaphorical mother, Sodom ultimately expelled its own kings and people when the region was destroyed as a direct result of its sins.

The prophet ultimately identifies the parents directly, naming the mother as a Hittite and the father as an Amorite. Some explain this as a cultural and historical reality, noting that the people mixed with and adopted the degraded cultures of the Canaanites and Hittites [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. Conversely, other commentators view this as an ironic and tragic rebuke. Because of their terrible behavior, the people act as though their ancestors were actually Amorites and Hittites. In reality, their true ancestors were deeply righteous individuals who lived among the Hittites and Amorites but never adopted their corrupt ways. The true tragedy is that the nation completely ignored the good example of its actual ancestors. Instead, they chose to embrace the terrible practices of the land's original inhabitants, effectively making those corrupt nations their spiritual parents [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד].