And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

EZEKIEL 23:4KJV
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Ezekiel 23:4 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 23:4 mean?

Ezekiel 23:4 uses the names "Aholah" and "Aholibah" as symbolic figures for Samaria and Jerusalem, describing them as sisters who belonged to God and had children. The verse sets up a comparison between these two cities, showing that both had a special relationship with God but are being singled out for what follows in the chapter.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel during their exile. The two sisters represent the two main centers of the divided kingdom: Samaria (the capital of the northern kingdom, Israel) and Jerusalem (the capital of the southern kingdom, Judah). The verse introduces these symbolic names to prepare the reader for a story about their actions and fate, which will be explained in the rest of the chapter.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 23:4

  • אהלָה (Aholah): This name is given to the elder sister and is often understood to mean "her own tent." It symbolizes Samaria and hints at the idea of separate worship or dwelling apart from God’s intended place.
  • אהלִיבָה (Aholibah): This name is given to the younger sister, meaning "my tent is in her." It represents Jerusalem and suggests that God's presence or worship was supposed to be centered there.
  • שָׁמְרוֹן (Shomron, Samaria) and יְרוּשָׁלַם (Yerushalayim, Jerusalem): The verse directly identifies which city each symbolic name stands for, making the metaphor clear for the audience.

Why Ezekiel 23:4 matters

  • Ezekiel 23:4 clarifies that the story of Aholah and Aholibah is not about literal women but is a parable about Samaria and Jerusalem, helping readers avoid a common misunderstanding.
  • The verse emphasizes that both cities had a relationship with God ("they were mine"), setting the stage for the coming critique of their unfaithfulness.
  • By giving each city a symbolic name, Ezekiel highlights the differences in their spiritual history and prepares the reader for the contrasts and comparisons that will follow in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“Aholah” Hebrew H170 · used in 4 verses

  • Ezekiel 23:5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
  • Ezekiel 23:36 The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
  • Ezekiel 23:44 Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.

“Aholibah” Hebrew H172 · used in 5 verses

  • Ezekiel 23:11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.
  • Ezekiel 23:22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;
  • Ezekiel 23:36 The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;

“Samaria” Hebrew H8111 · used in 101 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
  • 2 Kings 10:36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

“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.