Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.
בֶּן־אָדָ֑ם שְׁתַּ֣יִם נָשִׁ֔ים בְּנ֥וֹת אֵם־אַחַ֖ת הָיֽוּ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Two wives are the offspring of the same mother. This portrayal of two wives and daughters of one mother symbolizes Samaria and Jerusalem, who together engaged in unfaithfulness, adorning themselves with the worship of golden calves.
The Lord spoke to me, saying, "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, who engaged in sexual immorality in Egypt. In their youth, they acted promiscuously, and there their breasts were rendered sagging and their virginity compromised. Their names were Oolla, the elder, and her sister Oolibah. I had ownership over them, and they bore sons and daughters. Oolleh represents Samaria, while Oolibah signifies Jerusalem. Oolleh was unfaithful to Me, turning away to pursue her lovers, the Assyrians, who were in close proximity, dressed in fine garments, being princes and noblemen, and attracted to every desirable young man, those who rode on horseback. She became involved with all the elite sons of the Assyrians and defiled herself with their detestable practices.
She did not abandon her immoral acts from her days in Egypt, where they also took advantage of her youth, seizing her virginity, and wasted their passions upon her. Therefore, I surrendered her to the hands of her lovers, the sons of Asshur, to whom she was drawn with desire. They exposed her shame, took her sons and daughters, and put her to death by the sword. She became infamous among women, and retribution was laid upon her.
The twelve tribes of Israel, united in Egypt, later separated into two groups known as Judah and Israel, as the accounts in Kings and Chronicles indicate. Over Judah reigned Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, from the tribe of David, in Jerusalem, where the temple and the majority of the Levites were. Conversely, Jeroboam, son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim and Joseph, ruled over the ten tribes from Samaria. Samaria is referred to as Oolloah, meaning "tabernacle" in our language, while Jerusalem is called Oolibah, which signifies "My tabernacle therein," as the ten tribes also established a tabernacle, though one not dedicated to God but to idols. To divert the people from true worship, Jeroboam erected golden calves at Bethel and Dan. We will examine each in turn. These two women, Samaria and Jerusalem, were daughters of a single mother, born from the tribe of Israel, and both engaged in sexual immorality in their youth in Egypt. They would not have received the law forbidding idol worship at Mount Sinai after departing Egypt had they not previously honored the abominations of Egypt. Their mother may be a Hittite woman, as stated, 'Your father is an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite.'"
In the preceding interpretation, the Lord referred to the people collectively as one unfaithful woman, for they were initially recognized as a single nation. However, during the reign of Rehoboam, a division occurred, with some being identified as Ephraim and Israel, while others took on the name of Judah. In this context, He appropriately employs symbolic language and assigns them names derived from significant cities—the ten tribes from Samaria, along with Judah and Benjamin associated with Jerusalem—indicating they shared not only a common ancestry but also a common source of wrongdoing found in Egypt. He metaphorically identifies their mother as a Hittite and their father as an Amorite. Thus, they were gathered in Egypt. Furthermore, He specifies the period in which they strayed.
In their youth, they indulged in spiritual infidelity; it was there that their innocence was compromised, and they corrupted their purity. Their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—exhibited righteousness, while Jacob’s offspring initially stood apart from idol worship. Nevertheless, those who came after them, due to their time spent in Egypt, were led astray into immoral practices. The initial flourishing of their numbers is described as their youth, whereas the exposure to corrupt teachings represents their loss of purity and innocence. Just as the loss of virginity results in a decline in the vitality of the breasts, so too does the departure from God bring about a deterioration of His sovereignty within us, as the breasts symbolize protection and nurturing. As God refers to them as wives, He also assigns them names reminiscent of certain Egyptian wives notorious for their impurities.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS