Oholah, Oholibah

OHOLAH, OHOLIBAH (ō-hō'la, ō-hŏl'ĭ-ba, Heb. ’ohŏlâh, ’ohŏlîvâh, tent-woman, my tent is in her). A woman is mentioned in Ezek.23.1-Ezek.23.49 who represents Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom, whose worship was self-devised (John.4.9, John.4.20-John.4.22). Her sister Oholibah is a symbol of Jerusalem (Ezek.23.4), capital of Judah, whose worship was appointed by God. These “women” had been unfaithful to the Lord, their true husband (Isa.54.5). Later, Oholah (Israel) was spiritually adulterous by her coalition with Egypt and Assyria. For these whoredoms God punished her with captivity by the very agent of her sin (Ezek.23.9-Ezek.23.10). Oholibah (Judah) yielded to Babylonian culture (Ezek.23.11-Ezek.23.22), for which God promised her a similar captivity by the very agent of her sin (Ezek.23.22-Ezek.23.49).