Verses 25-27
The Lord would express His jealousy over Jerusalem and deal with her in His wrath. Her enemies would cut off her nose and her ears. This was an ancient Near Eastern punishment for adulteresses, which was understandable since these women typically adorned themselves with nose-rings and earrings. [Note: See Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near . . ., p. 181.] This appears to have been a method of mutilating enemies and prisoners of war as well. [Note: See Cooper, p. 231.] This punishment would make Jerusalem grotesque, unappealing, and repulsive to other nations.
These enemies would also kill many Israelites, deport others (2 Kings 24:10-16; 2 Kings 25:11; Daniel 1:1), and burn still others (2 Kings 25:18-21). They would strip the nation of her clothes and jewelry, perhaps a reference to her wealth, possessions, and temple treasures (cf. 2 Kings 25:13-17; 2 Chronicles 36:18). The Lord would allow this to teach Oholibah to abhor the Egyptians as political partners.
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