Ezekiel 16:15

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

But you trusted in your beauty and acted like a prostitute because of your fame. You lavished your acts of prostitution on every passerby, willing to be his.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַתִּבְטְחִ֣י בְיָפְיֵ֔ךְ וַתִּזְנִ֖י עַל־שְׁמֵ֑ךְ וַתִּשְׁפְּכִ֧י אֶת־תַּזְנוּתַ֛יִךְ עַל־כָּל־עוֹבֵ֖ר לוֹ־יֶֽהִי׃

Transliteration

wa-tiḇṭəḥî ḇə-yāpyēḵ wa-tiznî ʿal-šəmēḵ wa-tiššəpəḵî ʾet-taznûtayiḵ ʿal-kāl-ʿôḇēr lô-yehî

Grammar Details

• *wa-tiḇṭəḥî*: conjunction + qal imperfect, 2nd feminine singular - and you trusted
• *ḇə-yāpyēḵ*: preposition + masculine singular noun + 2nd feminine singular suffix - in your beauty
• *wa-tiznî*: conjunction + qal imperfect, 2nd feminine singular - and you played the harlot
• *ʿal*: preposition - upon
• *šəmēḵ*: masculine singular noun + 2nd feminine singular suffix - your name/fame
• *wa-tiššəpəḵî*: conjunction + qal imperfect, 2nd feminine singular - and you poured out
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *taznûtayiḵ*: feminine plural noun + 2nd feminine singular suffix - your harlotries
• *kāl*: masculine singular construct - every
• *ʿôḇēr*: qal participle, masculine singular - passer-by
• *lô*: preposition + 3rd masculine singular suffix - to him
• *yehî*: qal imperfect jussive, 3rd masculine singular - may it be/let it be

Word Meanings

• *tiḇṭəḥî*: you trusted/relied upon/were confident in
• *tiznî*: you played the harlot/were unfaithful/prostituted yourself
• *tiššəpəḵî*: you poured out/lavished/bestowed
• *taznûtayiḵ*: your harlotries/prostitutions/infidelities
• *ʿôḇēr*: passer-by/one who passes
• *lô*-*yehî*: to him it might be/his for the taking (unclear idiomatic expression)

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  But you trusted in your own beauty, and played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your fornications on everyone that passed by; it was his.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  But thou didst trust{H982} in thy beauty,{H3308} and playedst the harlot{H2181} because of thy renown,{H8034} and pouredst out{H8210} thy whoredoms{H8457} on every one that passed by;{H5674} his it was.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  But thou didst trust{H982}{(H8799)} in thine own beauty{H3308}, and playedst the harlot{H2181}{(H8799)} because of thy renown{H8034}, and pouredst out{H8210}{(H8799)} thy fornications{H8457} on every one that passed by{H5674}{(H8802)}; his it was.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  But thou hast put confidece in thine owne beuty, & played the harlot, when thou haddest gotten the a name. Thou hast committed whordome, with all that wente by the, & hast fulfilled their desyres:

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Nowe thou didest trust in thine owne beautie, and playedst the harlot, because of thy renowme, and hast powred out thy fornications on euery one that passed by, thy desire was to him.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  But thou hast put thy confidence in thyne owne beautie, and played the harlot because of thy renowne, and hast powred out thy fornications with euery one that went by, thou wast his.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  But you did trust in your beauty, and played the prostitute because of your renown, and poured out your prostitution on everyone who passed by; his it was.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And thou dost trust in thy beauty, And goest a-whoring because of thy renown, And dost pour out thy whoredoms On every passer by -- to him it is.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  But thou didst trust in thy beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy whoredoms on every one that passed by; his it was.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  But thou didst trust in thy beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy whoredoms on every one that passed by; his it was.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  But you put your faith in the fact that you were beautiful, acting like a loose woman because you were widely talked of, and offering your cheap love to everyone who went by, whoever it might be.

• World English Bible (2000)

  But you trusted in your beauty, and played the prostitute because of your renown, and poured out your prostitution on everyone who passed by; his it was.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty became his.

Referenced Verses

• Isa 57:8 : 8 Behind your doors and doorposts you have set up your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, climbing into it and opening it wide; you made a pact with them, you loved their beds and gazed on their manhood.
• Jer 2:20 : 20 For long ago I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds, but you said, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.
• Ezek 16:25 : 25 At the head of every street, you built your high places. You degraded your beauty by spreading your legs to every passerby and multiplied your acts of prostitution.
• Jer 7:4 : 4 Do not trust deceitful words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’
• Ezek 23:3 : 3 They committed adultery in Egypt; in their youth, they acted unfaithfully. There, their breasts were fondled, and their virginity was violated.
• Ezek 23:8 : 8 She did not abandon the adulteries she began in Egypt, where men slept with her in her youth, fondling her virgin breasts and pouring out their lust upon her.
• Isa 1:21 : 21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was full of justice; righteousness once dwelt in her, but now murderers.
• Hos 1:2 : 2 When the LORD first began speaking through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of promiscuity and children of promiscuity, for the land is utterly unfaithful to the LORD."
• Hos 4:10 : 10 They will eat but not be satisfied; they will commit fornication but not multiply, because they have abandoned the LORD to pursue their own ways.
• Mic 3:11 : 11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, 'Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us.'
• Zeph 3:11 : 11 On that day, you will not be ashamed of all your deeds by which you rebelled against me. For then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty on my holy mountain.
• Matt 3:9 : 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.
• Rev 17:5 : 5 On her forehead was written a name: 'Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.'
• Ezek 16:36-37 : 36 This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and because of all your detestable idols and the blood of your children you gave to them, 37 therefore I am going to gather all your lovers with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side, and I will expose your nakedness to them, so they may see all your shame.
• Ezek 20:8 : 8 But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; none of them got rid of the detestable things their eyes were set on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and unleash my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
• Isa 48:1 : 1 Hear this, house of Jacob, those who are called by the name of Israel and who have come out of Judah's lineage, who swear by the name of the LORD and invoke the God of Israel, but not in truth or righteousness.
• Jer 3:1 : 1 If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, should he take her back again? Wouldn't such a land become completely defiled? You have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—yet you want to return to me? declares the LORD.
• Ezek 23:11-21 : 11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was even more corrupt in her lust, and her adulteries exceeded those of her sister. 12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and officials nearby—elegantly clothed, skilled horsemen, and all young and desirable men. 13 I saw that she too was defiled; both had followed the same corrupt path. 14 But she went even further with her adulteries. She saw men carved on the walls, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion. 15 They were girded with belts at their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads. All of them looked like officers, resembling the men of Babylon, born in Chaldea. 16 As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 Then the Babylonians came to her, to her bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. After she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. 18 When she openly displayed her prostitution and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. 19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she prostituted herself in the land of Egypt. 20 She lusted after her lovers there, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you revisited the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts and caressed your young bosom.
• Ezek 27:3 : 3 and say to Tyre, situated at the gateways of the sea, a merchant of peoples to many coastlands: 'Thus says the Lord God: Tyre, you have declared, "I am perfect in beauty."'
• Ezek 33:13 : 13 If I say to the righteous person, 'You will surely live,' but they trust in their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous acts will be remembered. They will die because of the iniquity they have committed.
• Exod 32:6-9 : 6 The next day the people rose early, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings. They sat down to eat and drink and got up to engage in revelry. 7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves." 8 They have turned aside quickly from the way I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.' 9 The LORD also said to Moses, "I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people." 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." 11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God and said, "LORD, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?" 12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent concerning this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore by yourself: 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and they shall inherit it forever.' 14 So the LORD relented concerning the disaster He had said He would bring on His people. 15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands—tablets that were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There is the sound of war in the camp." 18 But Moses replied, "It is not the sound of victory, nor is it the sound of defeat; I hear the sound of singing." 19 As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. 21 Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you that you led them into such a great sin?" 22 Aaron replied, "Do not let my lord's anger burn hot. You know these people yourself, that they are bent on evil. 23 They said to me, 'Make gods for us who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.' 24 So I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" 25 Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control, to the mockery of their enemies. 26 So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man put his sword on his side. Go back and forth through the camp, from gate to gate, and kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.'" 28 The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, "Today you have been set apart for the LORD, for each of you has gone against your own son and brother, so that He might bestow a blessing on you this day." 30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." 31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, this people have committed a great sin; they have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if You will forgive their sin, please do so. But if not, then blot me out of the book You have written." 33 The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke to you about. My angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin." 35 Then the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they had done with the calf Aaron had made.
• Num 25:1-2 : 1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the women of Moab. 2 The women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
• Deut 32:15 : 15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, thick, and bloated. Then he forsook the God who made him and treated with contempt the Rock of his salvation.
• Judg 2:12 : 12 They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, the gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger.
• Judg 3:6 : 6 They took the daughters of these peoples as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to the sons of these peoples, and worshiped their gods.
• Judg 10:6 : 6 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and did not serve Him.
• 1 Kgs 11:5 : 5 Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
• 1 Kgs 12:28 : 28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.
• 2 Kgs 17:7 : 7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods.
• 2 Kgs 21:3 : 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, set up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the host of heaven and served them.
• Ps 106:35 : 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their ways.