A variation of the following was published in Global perspectives on the Old Testament (2014), edited by Mark Roncace.
Calling
someone a prostitute is generally considered a great insult. In
Ezekiel 16 and 23, however, Jerusalem is called more than a whore:
she is considered to be worse than a prostitute as she scorns
payments and bribes her lovers to come to her. Furthermore, the
descriptions of her prostituting would make many readers blush. The
prostitution of Jerusalem is clearly shown in the text to be a
metaphor for Jerusalem’s chasing after other gods, but that hardly
abates the prostitution motif. The question asked here is whether a
fuller understanding of prostitution as a social phenomenon affects
how the reader understands these texts.
When
I moved to the Red Light District in Amsterdam a number of years ago,
I was immediately confronted with women behind the windows who were
selling sex. Wanting to know and understand these new neighbors of
mine, I read studies on prostitution, read prostitutes’ own
stories, and even had short conversations with the women as I helped
bring coffee with the Salvation Army. I also tried to see
my neighbors: from the skinny young blond model type to the Eastern
European with limited Dutch knowledge to the grandmotherly types who
seemed like they’d be more at home entertaining in the kitchen. It
soon became clear to me that prostitution is complicated, just like
the text of Ezekiel.
Based
on its use in Ezekiel 16 and 23 it would appear that to act as a
prostitute is unambiguously wrong and deserving of punishment, even
death (cf. also Deuteronomy 22:21). However, the stories of
prostitutes named in the Bible paint a different picture: Tamar was
declared righteous (Genesis 38), Rahab was the only one rescued from
Jericho (Joshua 6), and Gomer was bought back as Hosea’s wife
(Hosea 2:5). Prostitution in the Bible, then, like the phenomenon of
prostitution in society, is not simply seen as all bad.
Those
working behind the windows in Amsterdam perceive their prostituting
themselves in various ways: a necessary evil, an interesting and even
enjoyable job, or one’s worst nightmare come true. For some,
prostitution is seen as the only option (whether by force or general
circumstances) and for others, prostitution is hardly their only
option but the one they still choose because of the opportunities it
presents. The description of Jerusalem and Samaria in Ezekiel 16 and
23 falls into this latter category, what is sometimes referred to as
the “happy hooker.” In such an understanding of prostitution, the
person is so infatuated with sex that prostitution would be
considered the “ideal” and he/she could not imagine doing or
wanting anything else. Jerusalem fits this category through her
longing after foreign men, bribing them to come to her. Yet,
describing Jerusalem as happy in her prostitution is going too far:
she is constantly thirsting for more and despises the men after she
has been defiled by them. The judgment depicted in the text—that of
being stripped bare and stoned—further clarifies that, irrelevant
of any claims made about Jerusalem’s willful intention in
prostituting herself, she experiences too many “bad tricks” for
her to be described as a happy hooker.
The
other extreme is to see the prostitute as being inherently a
victim—no one could willingly choose to have one’s body used by
so many different men. Human trafficking, pimps, and loverboys
have most likely forced and sometimes brainwashed the women into
selling their bodies. Abuse, lack of self-worth, political unrest,
addictions, and/or a love of money push women into prostitution. Seen
in this way, Jerusalem and Samaria would be understood as having been
brainwashed by these other gods: these are loverboys
who had promised her their love, but ultimately just abused her and
pushed her into turning to even more gods. This understanding clearly
shows Jerusalem’s need to be rescued by God; yet, it seems
difficult not to hold Jerusalem responsible, since her blatant guilt
is one of the main points of these chapters.
Very
few prostitutes fall into either extreme: For many, prostitution is
seen as a means to an end. While few of them would consider
prostitution an ideal job, they have made some choice in either
becoming or staying prostitutes, even if leaving is exceptionally
difficult. Few would argue that prostitution is healthy or good for
them; it is harmful for their body, it messes with one’s emotions,
and it is often demeaning. Yet, few are rushing to leave the life:
the money is too good, the other options are lousy, and this is the
life they know. It is in this context—the complicated reality of
prostitution—that one can better understand Ezekiel 16 and 23. As
despicable as the description of her actions is, Jerusalem cannot be
simply despised and dismissed as a deviant woman. Rather, she is a
complex character in a messy and complicated world, much like each of
us and much like the women in the Red Light District. To some degree,
Jerusalem was lured into prostituting herself by the other gods,
unaware of the dire consequences, and she became a victim of her own
bad choices. The text depicting her story is intended to shock the
reader; the shock is even greater when we realize that we are being
asked to identify ourselves as the prostitute in the story, as people
who also whore after other gods. This identification allows us to
turn away from condemnation and toward hope for restoration for both
Jerusalem and ourselves. Jerusalem and Samaria have been promised
that their fortunes will be restored in order that they, and those
who identify with them, might remember and be ashamed.
In
the years that I have lived in the Red Light District, one specific
topic of conversation stands out. Visiting the women with a cup of
coffee often leads to simple conversations about the weather,
business being bad, children, and house pets—fascinating
conversations, but it is not always easy to sense that the regular
visits serve any kind of pastoral function. Yet, when a person
decides to leave the work, then no matter how short or mundane the
conversations previously were, there is no holding back in sharing
this good news. There is a great joy in finally leaving—not only
having survived the physical and emotional dangers of the work, but
also anticipating the start of a new and different life. It is that
joy and wonder that is missing from these chapters in Ezekiel; that
part of the restoration comes only later in the biblical narrative.