By: General James Green
It is said that Jerusalem was a foundling child of mixed percentage. She was discovered by Yahweh and later taken by Him in marriage. But over time she proved faithless, apostatizing at pagan shrines she built and making the Assyrians and Chaldeans her lovers. This article is about her WHOREDOMS and God’s judgment upon her – God will turn her lovers against her.
The Unfaithful Wife!
Ezekiel 16:1-63
While some may delight in the Bible’s imagery, others will find this chapter offensive – pornographic – nevertheless there is much here to provoke reflection: there are 2 allegories: the abandoned child (v.1-43) and that of the sisters (v.44-63): Jerusalem is given an older and younger sister, Samaria and Sodom; Jerusalem according to God, is more GUILTY than either (v.44-52).
In God’s judgments we find mercy: He will make an everlasting covenant with “J,” and her sins will be forgiven (v.53-63). [Note: the thought, symbolism, and diction are paralleled in the late prose addition in Jeremiah 3:6-18, where Judah and Israel are sisters and wives of Yahweh, and Judah is the more guilty.
Take Note:
Take note of words like abominations (v.2), harlot/fornication (v.15), harlot in (v.16), images of men, commiting whoredom with them (v.17).
Some believe these images were phallic symbols, i.e. penises. In past articles I wrote about this: androgynous deities – the dual sex of the deity, the sacredness of the phallus, the sex worship, sacred prostitution etc.
The “phallic” idea is found in both the Holy Scriptures and pagan writings. Androgynous nature ascribed to the “deity” by different nations must be sought out. It is said by the ancients that the worship of sex organs began sex cults. The creative organs were brought forth by devotional thoughts; they figured the living spirit in the objects of wood or stone was worthy of praise and worship. Romans chapter 1 gives us a peek into the ancient world of sex idolatry and God’s wrath because of it: “… and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man…” (v.23). Some believe the phallic was worshiped. Whatever is meant, “God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves” (v.34); “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature”(v.26); “Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lusts for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (v.27).
There is no question that Paul is referring to male/female homosexuality (I did articles on “Against Nature” in my “Gay Way” series).
Ezekiel 16 Continued:
Verse 16 we find the word harlot;
v.17, images of men (penis);
v.20, whoredoms;
v.22, abominations and whoredoms;
v.25, whoredoms;
v.26, fornication/whoredoms;
v.27, lewd;
v.28, whore/harlot;
v.29, fornication;
v.30, whorish;
v.31, harlot;
v.32, adultry;
v.33, whores/whoredom;
v.34, whoredoms (twice);
v.35, harlot;
v.36, filthiness, nakedness, whoredoms, abominations;
v.37, nakedness (twice);
v.39, naked;
v.41, harlot;
v.43, lewdness, abominations;
v.47, abominations, corrupted;
v.50, abomination;
v.51, abominations (twice);
v.52, abominable;
v.57, wickedness;
v.58, lewdness, abominations;
All these speak of both natural (lit.) and spiritual (fig.) sins.
Harlotries
Harlotries in Ezekiel 16, as in Hosea and often elsewhere, carries the connotation of association with sexual rites of the Cannanitish cults. (A good book on this subject is H.G. May’s, “The Fertility Cult in Hosea”).
From what the Scriptures tell us, Jerusalem (“J”) became as it were a “sacred prostitute” (ref: Genesis 38; Jeremiah 2:23-25; 3:1-5; Hosea 4:13,14; 9:1 et al speaks of sacred marriages/ritual practices).
If one wants to know what apostasy means, just read Ezekiel 16. the mode of describing it from the true worship of God to worship of idols under the emblem of adultery/fornication (also seen in Chapter 23).
According to Scripture, the state of the Jews, before the Babylonian captivity was the most profligate and corrupt of all the nations. Chapter 16 contains God’s “manifesto” against them, the Israelites. Metaphor and non-metaphors, e.g. adulteries, fornication, prostitution, lewdness et al are sufficiently clear – sexual crimes!
Ezekiel describes the LOW ESTATE of the Jewish nation. Can we not say the same of the USA today? Full of every vile and sexual/idolatry sin? Can we not say that She has turned from what is right and honorable, turning to what is wrong and dishonorable? America has turned from known “thou shalt not” to “just do it!” No shame whatsoever. Not only sex-sins but political/social ect., sins… sinful alliances with ungodly religions/ideologies… incorporation of their sins/crimes into the church itself.
Tell me, what happened to “J?” She was stripped naked (lit./fig.) and carried off into CAPTIVITY!
Metaphors, figures, facts, language, we can’t help but understand. Ezekiel uses words to that are unexceptionable, rude, crude, and nude… but true to the fact-of-the-matter.
Verse 17 speaks of “images of men,” “tsalmey zachar.” Some Bible scholars claim Priapi are here meant, which were carried about in ceremonies of Osiris, Bacchus, and Adonis.
Priapic worship (phallic) was the worship of the penis for it virility or masculinity. Priapism, priapishmas or priapizein means to be lewd. It can mean a pathological condition characterized by persistent erection of the male organ, especially without sexual excitement; a lascivious attitude as well.
Priapus (Greek, Priapos) was a god, son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, personifying the male procreative power, aka phallus/penis. The phallic idea is alluded to again and again in Scripture.
Early Jewish writings, their tribes, like all other early races, bowed before Ashar and Ashera, as others has long before that period worshiped Belus and Uranus, Orus and Isis, Mahadeva, Siva, Sakti, and Parvati, Jupiter and Yuno, or Juno, or rather the very first idea of these, must have arisen in days long subsequent to this. Their first symbolization seems to have been the simple line, pillar, or a stroke, as their male god; for the female, a cup or circle, hence, the dual/sexual/mystic 10: the vertical line = erection of the penis; the circle = the female part for receiving the male.
This according to their belief gave the first androgynous god – both male/female.
In theological dogma, this is found in Genesis 1:26 = “Our image”; “male and female” in 1:27.
It is said by some, no religion is founded upon intentional depravity. Searching back for the origin of life, men stopped at the earliest point to which they could trace it, and exalted the reproductive organs: “… Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28); “Now Adam knew (had sex with) Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain…” (Genesis 4:1).
I’ve read many “creation” stories besides the Bible one. It appears certain that the names of the Hebrew Deity, El, the root of Elhoim, the name under which God was known to the Israelites prior to their entry into pagan land – Canaan – signifying the masculine sex only: Genesis 1:1 uses “elohiym” (Hebrew), as the Supreme God/Mighty God, i.e. the Deity.
Back to Ezekiel 16:17:
Herodotus, lib. Ii, c.48,49, gives us an account of these male images. This was done at the worship of Bachus in Egypt: and they who wish to see more may consult Aerodotus (above). In this “phallic worship” the women were principally concerned.
Ezekiel 23:20 is very graphic: “For she lust for her paramours (i.e. illicit lovers), whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.” (“Issue” = Hebrew “zirmah” a gushing of fluid (semen)). I dare not say more, you get the picture!
The Hebrew word for paramours is pillagsheyhem/pilegesh (female concubine/male paramour). Anciently harlot meant in our language either the male or female prostitute. Chapter 16, v.26 says that Israel committed fornication with the Egyptians, great of flesh i.e. the most extensive idolaters.
Israel “built an eminent place, and hast made thee a high place in every street” (Ezekiel 16:24), meaning brothels (see the vulgate/septuag; “a bordel house” in some old mss). Coverdale’s Bible (1535) reads: “Thou hast builded thy stews and bordel in every place.” Bordel is an Italian word. Our English word is brothel.
Male images can be both an object of drawing/painting. There are indelicate expressions, because a parallel is run between idolatry and prostitution, between porn and the act. Ezekiel et al uses his own language to what he saw and heard. He knew of the most abominable vices of his day, as I do in my day. No need in explaining imagery, it explains itself. There are shades of meaning illustrated by anatomy. Both chapter 16 and 23 gets graphic, showing us just how far DOWN God’s people had sunk. Chapter 23, verse 14 says, “that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, girdled with girdles upon their loins… as she saw them with her eyes, she doted (lusted) upon them… and the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredoms, and she was polluted with them…” (Ezekiel 23:14-17).
Ezekiel 8:9,10 speaks of “wicked abominations… portrayed upon the wall round about.” These images were objects of adoration (evil things privately worshiped by the Jewish Sanhedrin or great Jewish council). So, painted/drawn “images” (man/woman/beasts/foul/creeping things were worshiped: so pain also!
America, modern reprobate Israel, has been SEDUCED, hence, has become the “Great Seducer.” Our wealth, our trade our military, our entertainments, our sexuality, our education draws millions upon millions to our shores, not for God’s sake, but for sin’s sake. The LUST/LURE/LUNACY is destroying this nation. America’s religion and politics is political correctness, wokeness, pure insanity. We’re not satisfied with PC/W within our nation, we export this trash universally… a tireless and unscrupulous export of satanic ideas/ideologies, a HUGE STINKING enterprise which is making concerts by the multiplied millions year after year. Now America has become so insane, “open border” policy luring millions from many nations – the (few) good, the bad, and the ugly, we offer not the Gospel of Christ (as once was offered), we offer a Christ-less gospel of god, the god of pleasure, greed, you name it, we offer it to the illegals. And, for the record, if one even questions those idiots in democratic power, you will be called terrorist, racist, sexist, un-American. Good ol correctives, morals, ethics, faith are viewed as damnable elements by the powers that be. False gods are ardently propagated while the One True God is on the “Hit List” to be destroyed once-and-for-all.
It is our duty, Christians, to oppose this United Snakes of America god/gods/goddesses for the sake of God. We are to STRENUOUSLY attack the idolatries, the sins, and the crimes which CORRUPT men and nations. Civil war is coming to Amerika, aka America. God’s wrath is being stirred up as I write. I have watched America go DOWNHILL for decades. The America I grew up in does not exist anymore. This nation, slowly-but-surely has gone from BAD to WORSE… WORSE is yet to come. How ungodly we’ve become. How callous! God, I feel, is sorrowful over all this, as He was with His ancient people. Behind the divine silence a divine sorrow is concealed. His apparent sorrow and slow-to-anger hides form us His yearning over our ungodly nation – over the whole human race.
Just as God’s true prophets were a fearful menace of oncoming “gloom and doom,” for us who read the handwriting on the wall and proclaim it boldly and loudly, we are a menace to our generation. We can’t ill afford the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves – we’ve got work to do.
We’ve become a nation of malice and envy, greed, pleasure, hatred, murder, sex-crazed… LOST!!! We’ve become likened to Sodom and Gomorrah, unrivaled in sexual degradation, revolting against all that is holy and pure. We’re steeped in the virulence of Marxist propaganda, Hubris pride, surfeit of food (lit./fig.), and prosperous ease and sleaze are our portion. The irony is this: we feel morally superior to all other nations. Ho hum!
Every sin that can be named is committed daily in this nation, aka abomination. The sin of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:49), e.g. pride, fullness of bread (gluttony), the abundance of idleness, pretty much describes the USA today. Sodom has become proverbial for unmentionable sex/social crime. One word describes our nation today: APPALLING!
In essence, an androgynous god is found in ancient religions. The 2-fold name of Jehovah finds a correspondence in the Arddha-Alari, or incarnation of Brahma, who is represented in idols or containing in himself the female/male organisms (we capture some of these idols in our “Operation Mobilization” video we made while in India). The ancient Greeks and Romans et al had idols/symbols devoted to various gods/goddesses – male principle being represented by the sun; the moon representing the female, which was personified by the virgins, Astarte, Diana, Ashtoreth, and others. Some religions reversed this sun/moon order. We find this kind of devotion/worship in just about every habitable part of the globe.
The sex organ (male) was held in high esteem in both Judaism and paganism. One can search out this in the writings of India, Ariana, Gedrosia, Parthia, Media, Persia, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Assyria et al. Basically many of them practice divination, and devote their genitals to their divinities because the familiarity of these planets renders them very libidinous.
Israel had the peculiar sacredness concerning the male parts: Read Deuteronomy 25:11 and 12 (reference to genitals). Sexual intercourse (moral) was held in high esteem, mutilation of the male/female parts was regarded as an offense.
Circumcision was permitted for the Isrealites. Genesis 17:10,11 tells us that “C” was the covenant between God and His people.
Castration was seen as the greatest mark of indignity, to inflict upon an enemy. It is a well known fact that right here in America, particularly the Apaches, Natives were noted for this barbarous practice on the prisoners taken in war and upon the bodies of the slain. The story of David and Michael is a disturbing one. David had to take the foreskins of 300 Philistines (the dowry price!). The Bible tells us that David killed 300 Philistines, satisfying King Saul (Michael was his daughter). This savage act was done out of “love!”
Consider the administering the most biding form of oath (then known): the putting hand upon and under the thigh (see Genesis 24:2 ad 47:29).
Scholars believe the oath binding, in each case, as one put it, what is meant is that the genital organ, the symbol of the Creator and the object of worship among all ancient nations was to be touched in the act of making the promise (Masculine cross, p.84, 1891).
Abraham’s direction to his servant (Genesis 24:1-10) was that Isaac would marry within the Israelite blood line, thus the family inheritance be carried on. Isaac must not marry one of the Canaanites (see Genesis 18:16-19). the consciousness of destiny must be carried on thru Isaac.
“Put your hand under my thigh” (24:2) is a reference to an oath by the genital organs, emblems of the life giving power of deity, though, as scholars believe, this ancient significance of the act had been forgotten by the time of Iz. (Note: for a conflation of J and E, a detailed analysis see Simpson, early Iraditions of Israel, pp.148-49. Both J and the E narratives are etiological). Needless to say v.2 and 9 have puzzled scholars/commentators. It seems a bit “queerish” to touch another genitals.
There are those who point to the Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, i.e. the Jerusalem Targum. They go into the Hebrew language/custom. They say the “rite” or “ceremony” included putting the hand on the “part” that bore the mark of circumcision, the sign of God’s covenant, which is tantamount to our kissing the book, or laying the hand upon the N.T. or covenant of Christ.
The oath was a swearing by Jehovah: His self-existence and eternity; His dominion of glory and blessedness; His providence and earthly bounty. All this meant is God is unchangeable in His nature and purposes. This touching the male part was not profane as some thinks it to be. We may revolt at such a rite today because of homosexuality, but “H” was considered an abomination, although it was not until the Jewish Holiness Code was established (see Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13).
This rite could not be used without producing sentiments of reverence and godly fear (not lust). Israel knew God was a “consuming fire,” hence, the occasion was spiritual, not sensual.
The female organs of the generative power of God. We find in ancient times they were usually represented emblematically by the shell, or concha veneris, which was therefore worn by devout persons, as it still continues in places today.
Dr. Inman says: “As a scholar, I had learned that the Greek letter Delta (Δ) is expressive of the female organ both in shape and idea.” He states that, “the triangle with its apex uppermost represents the phallic triad; with its base uppermost, the Mons Veneris (i.e. pubis of the human female), the Delta, or the door which all come into the world.” He goes on to write, “The selection of name and symbol was judicious, for the word Daleth and Delta signify the door of a house and the outlet of a river, while the Greek figure reversed (∇) represents the fringe with which the human Delta is overshadowed” (ibid, p.85).
The female principle or sacred Sacti, is also represented by a figure like that called a sistrum (a Hebrew musical instrument). Dr. Inman contends that this represents the mother who is still “virgo intacta.” The secret of this peculiar worship seems to lie in the fact that it has to do with social/religious life in the Eastern, of an intense desire for offspring.
One may read Genesis 13:16, the promise to Abram. Also one may read Genesis 30 and 1 Samuel 1:10,11 etc. Dr. Inman wrote: “If abundance of offspring was promised as a blessing it is clear to the physiologist that the pledge implies abundance of vigor in the man as well as in the woman. With a husband incompetent, no wife could be fruitful.”
One can get lost in the labyrinth of thought and writing in regards our stated subject.