Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 16:28
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
28. Infidelity with Assyria.
The historical tense “didst play” is better. Already Amo 5:26 appears to mention the names of Assyrian gods, for the passage can hardly refer to any time but his own. Jer 2:18; Jer 2:36.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Compare the marginal reference. Idolatry, spiritual adultery, invariably accompanied these unholy alliances, and brought with it disaster and ruin.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Thou hast courted their friendship and alliance, and to obtain it hast entertained their religion, manners, and impieties, been all idolatress with them, and committed adulteries with them, though they were far from thee. When thou didst wickedly with thy neighbours, it might admit some little colour of excuse, but it is inexcusable to run to remotest nations.
Because thou wast unsatiable; without satisfying thyself (and so the Hebrew may be read); but our interpreters refer it to the boundless lusts of this lewd adulteress, and not to the issue and event of her practices; and in the endless lustings of a wicked heart idolaters and adulterers do agree.
Yea, thou hast played the harlot; it is repeated to shame her, and make her blush and repent.
Couldst not be satisfied; or, wast not satisfied. Assyrian gods proved, as other idols, a snare and a lie to the Jews, 2Ki 16:9,10; Jer 2:18,36; Ho 7:11,12; 14:3.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. unsatiableNot satisfiedwith whoredoms with neighbors, thou hast gone off to the distantAssyrians, that is, hast sought a league with them, and with itadopted their idolatries.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians,…. By entering into alliances with them, and worshipping their idols; which was done in the times of Ahaz, who sent to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria for help, and to Damascus for the fashion of the altar there, and built one according to it, 2Ki 7:10;
because thou wast unsatiable; not content with the alliance and idolatries of the Egyptians:
yea, thou hast played the harlot with them; with the Assyrians:
and yet couldest not be satisfied; with their idols, and the worship of them, but sought out for new gods, and new modes of worship; like a lewd woman, who having prostituted herself to one, and to another, yet remains insatiable, and seeks out for other lovers.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
I interpret this verse also of the covenant by which the Jews had entangled themselves, when they willingly joined themselves to the Assyrians; for this was a sure sign of distrust, when they so desired foreign aid, as if they had been deprived of God’s protection. And it would be absurd to explain this verse of idolatries, since the prophets were not accustomed to speak in this way, that the people committed fornication with the Assyrians, because they imitated their superstitions and perverse worship. As, therefore, we formerly saw that the Jews had defiled themselves with idols, and prostituted themselves to impious ceremonies, forgetful of God’s law; so now the Prophet accuses them of a different kind of pollution, since they eagerly sought for aid from all quarters, as if God had not sufficient strength for their protection. For otherwise there was no religious reason for their not making peace with the Assyrians; but when they saw themselves oppressed by the kings of Israel and Syria, then they thought of sending for the Assyrians; and this was like thrusting God from his place. (2Kg 16:7.) For God was willing to defend the land with extended wings, and to cherish the Jews as a hen does her brood, as Moses says, (Deu 32:11.) Now, in thinking themselves exposed to any danger, they really throw off the help of God. It is not surprising, then, that the Prophet says, that they had polluted themselves with the Assyrians, because they were not satisfied. He pursues the simile on which we have dwelt sufficiently; for he blames the Jews for their insatiable lust, just as when a woman is not content with a single follower, and attracting a crowd obtrudes herself without modesty or delicacy, and sells herself to wickedness. Such was the licentiousness of the Jews, that they united many acts of pollution together. They had already departed from the true faith in making a treaty with the Egyptians, and they added another imagination, that it was useful to have the Assyrians in alliance with them: hence that unbridled lust which the Prophet metaphorically rebukes. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(28) With the Assyrians.The Assyrians and Egyptians were for many centuries in deadly hostility against each other, and it would seem that Israel could hardly have formed alliances with and adopted the idolatries of both. Nevertheless they had done so, and in addition to their Egyptian idolatries, had gone to the extent, in the time of Ahaz, of displacing the altar in the court of the Temple, and putting in its stead an altar of the gods of Assyria (2 Kings 16.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28, 29. Hast played hast multiplied Literally, didst play, didst multiply. Not content with having adopted the worst features of Canaanitish and Egyptian idolatry (Eze 16:20; Eze 16:26), she turns for novelties of wickedness to the Assyrians and Chaldeans. “Thou hast provoked me in all these ways, adding one sin upon another, because thy whoredoms were too few for thee.” Mosheh Ben Shesheth.
In the land of Canaan unto Chaldea Literally, unto the merchants’ land, even unto Chaldea. (Compare Eze 17:4.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“You have played the prostitute also with the Assyrians because you were insatiable, yes, you have played the prostitute with them, and yet you were not satisfied.”
The resume of their history continues. They had welcomed the Assyrians and their gods with open arms (2Ki 16:7-16; 2Ki 21:5). And this was not because of direct invasion but because they sought his help against their enemies. The result was that the Assyrians never again left them alone until they themselves were defeated by the Babylonians. Such submission to Assyria necessitated the acceptance of their gods to some extent, but they went further than that, for they actually welcomed them
‘And yet you were not satisfied.’ Their apostasy had done them no good. They found no peace of mind or heart, nor did they find constant prosperity. Yahweh was no longer with them.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 16:28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Ver. 28. Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians. ] By making sinful leagues, and gadding so much about to change thy way. Jer 2:36
And yet couldest not be satisfied.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
great of flesh = lustful. Referring to their idolatries.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eze 23:5-9, Eze 23:12-21, Jdg 10:6, 2Ki 16:7, 2Ki 16:10-18, 2Ki 21:11, 2Ch 28:23, Jer 2:18, Jer 2:36, Hos 10:6
Reciprocal: Gen 38:24 – played the harlot Jdg 19:2 – played Jer 2:20 – playing Jer 3:1 – but thou hast Hos 2:5 – their mother
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 16:28. Unsatiable means to he difficult if not impossible to he satisfied. Judah was not content with her own idols but looked elsewhere for gratification. In this inflamed desire for spiritual adultery she turned to the Assyrians.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
She committed adultery with the distant Assyrians as well, but they did not satisfy her lust (2Ki 15:19-20; 2Ki 16:7-18). Neither did adultery with the merchant Chaldeans or the Egyptians satiate her (2Ki 20:12-19; Isa 20:5-6; Isa 30:1-5; Isa 31:1).
"Jerusalem was a spiritual nymphomaniac." [Note: Dyer, "Ezekiel," p. 1257.]
Political alliances normally involved the weaker party taking the gods of the stronger ally into its religious system. This is how much idolatry entered Jerusalem.