Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

EZEKIEL 16:45KJV
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Ezekiel 16:45 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 16:45 mean?

Ezekiel 16:45 says that Jerusalem is like her mother and sisters, who rejected their husbands and children, and that her family roots are compared to the Hittites and Amorites. The verse uses family language to show that Jerusalem has followed the same pattern of unfaithfulness as those around her.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem. The setting is a message of judgment, where God compares Jerusalem’s behavior to that of other nations and her own ancestors. The verse uses strong imagery to highlight how deeply Jerusalem has turned away from God, likening her to people known for rejecting their closest relationships and for being outsiders to Israel’s faith.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 16:45

  • The word "lotheth" (תָּעַב, taʿav) means to feel deep disgust or to detest. Here, it describes rejecting or despising a husband and children, which paints a strong picture of broken relationships and betrayal.
  • "Hittite" (חִתִּי, ḥittî) and "Amorite" (אֱמֹרִי, ʾemōrî) are names of ancient peoples. Calling Jerusalem’s mother a Hittite and her father an Amorite is a way of saying Jerusalem’s spiritual heritage is not faithful Israelite, but rather like those who did not know or follow God.

Why Ezekiel 16:45 matters

  • This verse clears up that God is not speaking about literal ancestry but is using these nations as symbols for spiritual unfaithfulness and outsider status.
  • The family language emphasizes how deeply rooted Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness is, not just a momentary lapse but a pattern inherited and shared with others.
  • Seeing this verse in context helps readers understand the strong language God uses throughout Ezekiel 16 to confront Jerusalem’s betrayal and to call attention to the seriousness of turning away from Him.

Where else these words appear

“lotheth” Hebrew H1602 · used in 9 verses

  • Leviticus 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • 2 Samuel 1:21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

“Hittite” Hebrew H2850 · used in 47 verses

  • Genesis 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
  • Numbers 13:29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
  • 2 Samuel 11:21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

“Amorite” Hebrew H567 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 10:16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
  • Deuteronomy 1:27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
  • Joshua 24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

“sister” Hebrew H269 · used in 104 verses

  • Genesis 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
  • Leviticus 18:13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest,(for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.