THEOSISJerome of Stridon
The Lord's word came to me, stating: Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, who engaged in immorality in Egypt during their youth. There, their bodies became disfigured, and their virginity was compromised. Their names were Oolla, the elder, and her sister Oolibah. I possessed them, and they gave birth to sons and daughters, known as Oolleh representing Samaria, and Oolibah representing Jerusalem. Oolleh practiced infidelity against Me, turning eagerly toward her lovers, specifically the Assyrians, who were closely positioned, dressed in fine attire—princes, leaders, and appealing young men dressed for riding. She became involved with all the distinguished sons of Assyria and corrupted herself with their abominable practices.
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Furthermore, she did not abandon the immoral acts she had committed in Egypt, where they also violated her youth, seizing her virginity and squandering their lust upon her. Consequently, I surrendered her to the desires of her lovers, to the sons of Asshur, for whom she had longed. They exposed her disgrace, took her children, and killed her by the sword. She became the subject of gossip among women, and they executed justice upon her.
The twelve tribes of Israel, initially united in Egypt, later split into two factions: Judah and Israel, as detailed in the histories of the Kings and the Chronicles. Rehoboam, son of Solomon from the tribe of David, ruled over Judah in Jerusalem, the location of the temple, the priests, and most of the tribe of Levi. Jeroboam, son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim and Joseph, governed the ten tribes from Samaria. The name Samaria now corresponds to Oolloah, which translates to "tabernacle," while Jerusalem is referred to as Oolibah, meaning "My tabernacle therein," although the ten tribes maintained a tabernacle that was not dedicated to God but to idols. To divert the people from divine service, Jeroboam erected golden calves at Bethel and Dan. We will thus examine them individually. These two women, Samaria and Jerusalem, were daughters of one mother from the tribe of Israel, having engaged in immoral acts in their youth in Egypt. They could not have received the law at Mount Sinai after their exodus from Egypt, which prohibited idol worship, had they not first honored the Egyptian idols. The mother of both these women might be identified as a Hittite, as previously mentioned in Ezekiel 16:6: "your father is an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite."