You played the harlot also with the Assyrians: See verse 26 on the use of prostitution as an image for Judah’s political alliances. The Assyrians were the nation that defeated the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. and took the ten northern tribes into exile.

Because you were insatiable means the people of Judah could not be satisfied, they were always looking for more sex. They made so many treaties with their neighbors that God compares them with a promiscuous woman who is always wanting more sex. Contemporary English Version says “You couldn’t get enough sex.” Good News Translation places this clause before the previous one, saying “Because you were not satisfied by the others, you went running after the Assyrians.” Another model that does this is “You could not be satisfied by the others, so you acted like a prostitute with the Assyrians.”

Yea, you played the harlot with them, and still you were not satisfied: In this second half of the verse God repeats the claim that the people of Judah acted as a prostitute with the Assyrians, but adds that they still … were not satisfied, that is, they still wanted to have more sex. This sentence may be rendered “That’s right, you acted like a prostitute with them and still you wanted to do it more.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .