Ezekiel 16:46
“Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at your left hand, she and her daughters; and your younger sister, who dwells at your right hand, is Sodom with her daughters.”
What does Ezekiel 16:46 mean?
Ezekiel is using the language of family relationships to describe the political and spiritual situation of ancient Israel. Samaria (the northern kingdom) and Sodom (a symbol of extreme wickedness) are portrayed as Israel's sisters, with Jerusalem as the middle child, to emphasize that all three cities/kingdoms share a common fate of judgment and unfaithfulness. This comparison would have stung Israel's listeners because it places their capital city between two examples of failure: Samaria had already fallen to the Assyrian empire, and Sodom was the byword for moral corruption in Scripture. The image of sisters "at your left hand" and "right hand" suggests that judgment surrounds them. Ezekiel's point is that Jerusalem is not spiritually superior to these fallen powers, despite what some citizens might have believed. The message is one of accountability: if you're heading down the same path, you'll meet the same end.