{
  "id": "dict_000131",
  "term": "Aholibah",
  "slug": "aholibah",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "biblical_proper_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "The symbolic name for Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23, where Aholibah represents Judah’s covenant unfaithfulness and coming judgment.",
  "simple_one_line": "Aholibah is Ezekiel’s symbolic name for Jerusalem.",
  "tooltip_text": "Symbolic name for Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23, contrasted with Oholah (Samaria).",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Oholah",
    "Ezekiel",
    "Ezekiel 23",
    "Jerusalem",
    "Judah",
    "Samaria"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "adultery",
    "idolatry",
    "covenant",
    "prophetic symbolism"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Aholibah is the symbolic name Ezekiel uses for Jerusalem in the allegory of two sisters in Ezekiel 23. She represents Judah and its capital city as unfaithful to the Lord through idolatry and political alliances.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Symbolic name for Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23.\nRepresents the southern kingdom of Judah.\nUsed in a prophetic allegory of covenant unfaithfulness.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in Ezekiel 23 alongside Oholah.",
    "Aholibah stands for Jerusalem/Judah.",
    "The image condemns spiritual adultery, especially idolatry and trusting pagan powers.",
    "The passage emphasizes God’s covenant claim and righteous judgment."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Aholibah is the symbolic name used in Ezekiel 23 for Jerusalem, paired with Oholah, who represents Samaria. In the prophet’s allegory, Aholibah stands for Judah and Jerusalem in covenant unfaithfulness, especially through idolatry and foreign alliances.",
  "description_academic_full": "Aholibah is a figurative proper name used by the prophet Ezekiel in chapter 23 for Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. In the allegory of two sisters, Oholah represents Samaria and Aholibah represents Jerusalem. The image portrays both kingdoms as unfaithful to the Lord, but Aholibah is especially singled out for Judah’s persistent idolatry and reliance on ungodly political relationships. Ezekiel’s language is intentionally severe, using the imagery of marital unfaithfulness to expose covenant breach and to announce divine judgment. Aholibah is therefore not a general theological concept but a symbolic biblical name tied to a particular prophetic message.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Ezekiel 23 presents a sustained allegory in which two sisters symbolize the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. Aholibah is Jerusalem, the city associated with Judah, and her sin is set against the Lord’s prior covenant care. The chapter uses this symbol to show that Judah’s privilege did not lessen its accountability.",
  "background_historical_context": "The imagery reflects the divided monarchy and the political-religious pressures that shaped Israel and Judah before the exile. Ezekiel speaks to a people who had experienced covenant judgment and loss, interpreting that history as the result of persistent rebellion rather than mere military misfortune.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Near Eastern prophets commonly used marriage and adultery imagery to describe covenant loyalty and infidelity. Ezekiel’s readers would have understood the force of such language as an indictment of idolatry and covenant breaking, not as a literal accusation of sexual behavior in the nation’s history.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Ezekiel 23:4",
    "Ezekiel 23:11",
    "Ezekiel 23:22–35"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Ezekiel 16",
    "Hosea 1–3",
    "Jeremiah 3"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The name reflects a Hebrew wordplay tied to Ezekiel’s sister imagery. Its precise sense is commonly explained as something like “my tent is in her,” though the focus in the passage is symbolic rather than etymological.",
  "theological_significance": "Aholibah illustrates the covenant holiness of God and the seriousness of idolatry. The symbol shows that God’s people are accountable for unfaithfulness even when they possess covenant privileges. It also reinforces the prophetic theme that judgment is not arbitrary but responsive to persistent rebellion.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The term functions as an allegorical proper name rather than as a metaphysical or doctrinal category. Its meaning is carried by the literary context: a prophetic symbol can communicate moral and covenant truth without requiring a separate abstract definition.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Ezekiel 23 uses graphic prophetic imagery that should be read as covenant indictment, not as license for speculation or sensationalism. The chapter is symbolic and rhetorical; readers should avoid flattening the metaphor into literal biography or overextending the allegory beyond the text.",
  "major_views_note": "Interpretation is straightforward in mainstream evangelical reading: Aholibah represents Jerusalem/Judah in Ezekiel’s allegory. Debate usually concerns details of the imagery, not the basic identification of the symbol.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Aholibah is a biblical symbol, not a separate person, deity, or doctrinal doctrine. The entry should be read within Ezekiel’s prophetic context and not used to build theology apart from the passage’s clear message about covenant faithfulness, sin, and judgment.",
  "practical_significance": "The entry reminds readers that spiritual privilege does not excuse disobedience. It also warns against mixing covenant loyalty to the Lord with idols, compromised alliances, or divided allegiance.",
  "meta_description": "Aholibah is Ezekiel’s symbolic name for Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23, representing Judah’s covenant unfaithfulness.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/aholibah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/aholibah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}