Psalm 106:39

Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

Cross-references

Psalm 106:29 records the provocation and plague that preceded this defilement, linking cause and effect within the same psalm.

Ezekiel 20:43 echoes this defilement, adding that Israel will later remember and loathe themselves for their deeds.

Jeremiah 3:6-9 details Israel and Judah's adulteries with stone and wood, the same spiritual prostitution.

Jeremiah 3:2 continues the image, describing Israel waiting for lovers and defiling the land with prostitution.

Jeremiah 3:1 uses the same marriage-prostitution metaphor, accusing Israel of living as a prostitute with many lovers.

Exodus 34:16 warns that intermarriage leads to prostitution after other gods, the very sin summarized here.

Isaiah 59:3 Parallel

Isaiah 59:3 says hands are defiled with blood, directly paralleling the uncleanness from sinful deeds in Psalm 106:39.

Ezekiel 16:15-63 expands the metaphor into a full allegory of Jerusalem as a prostitute, detailing her unfaithfulness.

Ezekiel 20:31 mentions child sacrifice as defilement, strongly paralleling the bloodshed and idolatry in Psalm 106:38-39.

Ezekiel 23 expands the harlotry metaphor into a detailed allegory of Israel and Judah's unfaithfulness, showing the same defilement described here.

Hosea 9:1 Parallel

Hosea 9:1 directly accuses Israel of playing the harlot against God, using the same language of spiritual adultery.

Numbers 15:39 warns against prostituting after one's own heart and eyes, the internal source of this defilement.

Leviticus 20:6 adds that consulting mediums is also prostitution, expanding the scope of unfaithfulness.

Leviticus 20:5 describes prostituting to Molek, a specific form of the idolatry condemned here.

Leviticus 17:7 forbids sacrificing to goat idols, calling it prostitution — the same metaphor used here.

Jeremiah 2:7 echoes the same accusation: Israel defiled God's land and made his heritage an abomination, directly paralleling the harlotry here.

Ezekiel 23:7 describes Oholibah defiling herself with idols through harlotry — the same metaphor of spiritual adultery as in Psalm 106:39.

Hosea 1:2 Parallel

Hosea 1:2 uses the same 'whoredom' imagery for Israel's unfaithfulness, showing the land committed great harlotry against the Lord.

2 Chronicles 21:11 explicitly says Jehoram caused Judah to commit harlotry, directly matching the language of this verse.

Judges 8:27 Historical context

Judges 8:27 shows Israel playing the harlot with Gideon's ephod, a specific instance of idolatrous defilement.

Judges 2:17 Historical context

Judges 2:17 describes Israel playing the harlot with other gods, a direct example of the unfaithfulness summarized here.

Deuteronomy 31:16 Prophetic fulfillment

Deuteronomy 31:16 prophesies Israel's future harlotry with foreign gods, which Psalm 106:39 recounts as fulfilled.

Ezekiel 20:18 warns against defiling oneself with idols, a direct parallel to becoming unclean by idolatrous acts.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 explains that God made man upright, but they sought many schemes — the root cause of the defiling deeds in Psalm 106:39.

Ezekiel 20:30 asks if they will defile themselves like their fathers, echoing the pattern of uncleanness.

2 Kings 16:10 shows Ahaz copying a pagan altar, illustrating the kind of unfaithfulness that defiled Israel.

1 Kings 12:33 Historical context

1 Kings 12:33 records Jeroboam's idolatrous altar at Bethel, an example of the works that defiled Israel.

Revelation 17:1 Related theme

Revelation 17 applies the harlot image to Babylon, symbolizing end-time apostasy and idolatry, echoing the OT theme.