יחזקאל, פרק כ״ג, פסוק א׳

A sharp and powerful parable captures the complex relationship between God and the Israelites. This message, marking the tenth prophecy in the sequence and spanning seven sections, portrays the nation as a married woman whose husband is God [אברבנאל]. Originally, the Israelites were a single, united people bound by shared teachings and laws. However, following the historic split of the kingdom during the days of Rehoboam, the nation divided into two distinct sisters born of the same mother.

The larger kingdom, representing Ephraim, is named Oholah. Her name indicates that she had no share in the tent of God, choosing instead to worship in a tent of her own making. Her sister, representing the kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, is named Oholibah, a name reflecting that the tent of God and the Temple dwelled within her borders. The prophecy traces a shared history of sin for both sisters, beginning with their early idol worship in Egypt and culminating in a severe betrayal of God.

This betrayal is depicted as prostitution, taking the form of political alliances with foreign empires and the adoption of their pagan practices. Oholah sinned with Egypt and Assyria, and as a direct result, she was punished and destroyed by the Assyrians themselves.

Even though Oholibah witnessed the harsh punishment of her older sister, she ignored the warning and followed the exact same path, forming dangerous ties with Assyria and Babylon. Consequently, divine judgment dictates that Oholibah will fall to the king of Babylon, an empire she initially trusted before eventually rebelling against it. God uses these foreign nations as instruments to deliver His judgment upon Judah with great anger. She is held accountable for grave offenses, including forbidden relations, bloodshed, idol worship, and the desecration of both the Temple and the Sabbath. Her ultimate penalty will mirror her sister's fate, ending in fiery destruction, exile, and the drinking of a bitter cup of suffering.