Chapter XXV
\'er. 1-17., Appropriately in the intervai, of SilEVCE AS TO the .JEW.S IN THE EIGHT CHAPTERS, 2-5.-32, EzEKiEi, Denounces Judgments on the Heathen World-Kingdoms. If Israel was not spared, much less the lieathen utterly corrupt, and having no mixture of truth, such as Israel In its worst state possessed (1 Peter
district in South Syria, and the scene in consequence of many a contest among the Bedouins. Hence it is called here a glorious land (lit., a glory, or ornament of a land). [Fairbairn.] Rather, "the glory of the country" is in apposition with " cities" which immediately precede, and the names of which presently follow. Beth-jeshlmoth— meaning "the city of desolations;" perhaps so named from some siege it sustained ; it was towards the west. Baal-meon—called also Beth-meon (Jeremiah 48. 23), and Beth-baal-meon (Joshua 1.3. 17, called so from the worship
1. 17, IS). Their ruin was to be utter: Israel's but temporary (Jeremiah 46. 28). The nations denounced are seven, the perfect number; implying that God's judgments wcRild visit, not merely these, but the whole round of the heathen foes of God. Babylon is excepted, because she is now for the present viewed as the rod of God's retributive
of Baal), and Bajith, simply (Isaiah 1.5. 2). Klrlathaim—
justice, a view too much then lost sight of by those who
the double city. The strength of these cities engendered "the pride" of Moab (Isaiah 16.6). 10. witK the Ammonitos—Fairbairn explains and translates, "upon the children of Amnion" (elliptically for "I will open Moab
fretted against h&r universal supremacy. 3. (Jeremiah
49. 1). wiien . . . profaned . . . when . . . desolate . . . when . . . captivity—rather, for . . .for . . .for: the coiise
of the insolent exultation of Ammon over Jerusalem. They triumphed especially over the fall of the "sanc-
to the men of the East, who, having overrun the children
of Ammon, shall then fall on Moab"). Maurer, as Eng-
lish Version, "with the Ammonites," i. e., Moab, "together
tuary," as the triumph of heathenism over the rival claims of Jehovah. In Jehoshaphat's time, when Psalm
with the land of Ammon," is to be thrown "open to the men of the East," to enter and take po.ssession (Jeremiah
S3, was written (Psalm 83. 4, 7, 8, 12, "Ammon . . . holpen
49). 13. taking vengeance—ii*., revenging u-ith revenge-
the childien of Lot," who were, therefore, the leaders of the
ment, i.e., the most unrelenting vengeance. It was not simple hatred, but deep-brooding, implacable revenge. The grudge of Edora or Esau was originally for Jacob's robbing him of Isaac's blessing (Genesis 25.23; 27.27-41). This purpose of revenge yielded to the extraordinary kindness of Jacob, through the blessing of Him with whom Jaeob wrestled in prayer; but it was revived asan
unhol.v conspiracy, " Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in pos.session"), we see the same prolane spirit. Now
at, last their wicked wish seems accomplished in the fall
of Jerusalem. Ammon, descended from Lot, held the region east of Jordan, separ.^ted from the Amorites on the north by the river Jabbok, and from Moab on the south by the Arnon. They were auxiliaries to Babylon in the
&08
TIte Jtulc/mail of Tyre. EZERIEL XXVI. Tlie Power of Nebwhadneizor.
liereditary grudge in the posterity of Esan, when they
one of particular note, viz., the ^ftmrth month, also the fifth, on which it was actually destroyed (Jeremiah 52. 6, 12, 13), Rabhi-David reasonably supposes that Tyre uttered her taunt at the close of the fourth month, as her nearness to Jerusalem enabled her to hear of its fall very soon, and that Ezekiel met it with his threat against herself on "the first day" of the fifth month, ti. Tyre—(Joshua
fca,\\- llio younger branch rising to the pre-eminence which
tliey thouglit of riglit heloasjed to tliemselves. More re-
cvnlly, for David's subjugation of Edoni to Israel (2 Sam-
uel 8. U). They therefore gave vent to their spite by joinlug the Chaldeans in destroying Jerusalem (Psalm 137.7; Lamentations i. 22; Obadiali H>-1-1), and then intercepting and killing the fugitive Jews (Amos 1. 11), and occupying part of the Jewish land as far as to Hebron. 13. Teinnn
19. 29; 2 Samuel 24. 7), lit., meaning "the rock-city,"
JSor ; a name applying to the island Tyre, called New Tyro, rather than Old Tyre on the mainland. They were half a mile apart. New Tyre, a century and a half before the fall of Jerusalem, had successfully resisted Shalmaneser of Assyria, for live years besieging it (MeNANDKK, from the Tyrian archives, quoted by Josbphus,
. . . tlw-y of D^lKiii—rather, "I will make it desolate from Tenian (in the south) even to Dedau" (in the north-west)
[Grotiu.s], (Jeremiah 49. 8), t. e., the whole country from north to south, stret<:hing from the south of the Deiul Sea
to the Elanitic gulf of the Ucd Sea. 14. by . . . i«>' people Jm-ael—va., by Ju<las Maccabeus. The Idumcans were linally, by compulsory circumcision, incorporated with the Jewish state by Jolm fiyrcanus (see Isaiah 31. 5;
Anli()ui:iies, 9. 14. 2). It was the stronger and more important of the two cities, and is the one chiefly, though not exclusively, here meant. Tj-re was originally a colony of
Zidoii. Nebucha<lnezz!ir's siege of it lasted thirteen years
63. 1, itc. ; 1 Maccabees 3. 3). So complete was the amalgamation ill Christ's time, that the Herods of Idumean ori-
(ch. 29. IS; Isaiah -li). Though no profane author mentions his having succeeded in the siege, Jeuome states he
gin, as Jews, ruled over the two races as one people. Thus the ancient prophecy was fullilled (Genesis 25. 23), "The elder shall serve the younger." 15. (I Samuel 13.,
re.ad the fact in Assyrian histories. Alia!—exultation over a fallen rival (Psalm 35. 21, 25). she . . . thatwasthe gates i. e., the si ngle gate composed of two folding doors. Hence the verb is sin<jiUar. "Gates" were the place of
14.; 2 Chronicles 2S. IS.) Tlie"old hatred" refers to their coutiiiual enmity to llie covenant people. They lay along Judea on the sea-coast at the opposite side from Amnion and iloab. They were overthrown by Uzziah (2 Chroni-
resort for traffic and public business: so here it expresses a mart of commerce frequented by merchants. Tyre regards Jerusalem not as an open enemy, for her territory being the narrosv, long strip of land north of Philistia, between Mount Lebunou and the .sea, her interest was to cultivate friendly relations with the Jews, on whom she was dependent for corn (ch. 27. 17; 1 Kings 5. 9; Acts 12. 20). But Jerusalem liad intercepted some of the inland tiafflc which .she wished to monopolize to herself; so, in her intensely selrisli worklly-mindedness, she exulted heartlessly over the fall of Jerusalem as her own gain. Hence she incurred the wrath of God as pre-eminently the world's representative in its ambition, selfishness and pride, in defiance of the will of God (Isaiah 23. 9). she is tnrned unto me— t. e., the mart of corn, wine, oil, balsam, Ac, whieli she once was, is ti'ansferred to me. The caravans from Palmyra, Petra, and the East will no longer be intercepted by the market (" the gates") of Jerusalem, but will come to me. 3, 4. nations ... as the sea . . . waves—In striking contrast to the boasting of Tyre, God threatens to bring against her Babylon's army levied from "many nations," even as the Mediterranean wave.= that dashed against her rock-founded city on all sides, scrape her dust . . . make her . . . top of . . . rock—or, "a bare rock." [Gkotius.] The soil which the Tyrlans had brought together upon the rock on which they built their city, 1 will scrape .so clean away as to leave no dust, but only the liare rock as it was. An awful contrast to her expectation of tilling herself with all the wealth of the East now that .Jerusalem has fallen. 5. in the midst of the sea—plainly referring to New Tyre (ch. 27. .'52). 6. her daughters . . . in tike Held—t. e., the surrounding villages dependent on her in the open country, shall share the late of the mother-city. 7. from the north—the original locality of the Chaldeans; also, the direction by which they entered Palestine, taking the route of Riblah and Hamatli on the Orontes, in preference to that across the desert between Babylon and Judea. king of kings—so called because of the many kings who owned allegiance to him (2 Kings IS. 2S). God had delegated to him the universal earth-empire which is His (Daniel 2. 47). The Son of God alone has the right and title inherently, and shall assume
cles 2(i. (i), and by Hezekiali (2 Kings 18. 8). Nebuchadnezzar overran the cities on the sea-coast on his way to Egypt after besieging Tyre (Jeremiah 17). God will take vengeance on those who take the avenging of themselves out of His hands into their own (liomans 12. 19-21; James 2.
13). IG. cut off tlie ClieretHilms—There is a play on sim-
ilar sounds in the Hebrew, "Hichratti Cherethim," I will slay the slajjers. The name may have been given to a section of the Philistines from their warlike disposition
(1 Samuel 30. 14; 31. 3). They e.\;celled in archery, whence David enrolled a body-guard from them (2 Samuel 8. 18;
1.5. IS; 20. 7.) They sprang from Caphtor, identified by many with Crete, which was famed for archery, and to which the ntxme jChere.lhim seems akin. Though in emigration, wliich mostly tended westwards, Crete seems more likely to be colonized from Philistia than Philistia from Crete, a section of Cretans may have settled at Cherethim in South Philistia, whilst the Philistines, as a nation, may have come originally from the East (cf. Deuteronomy 2.23; Jeremiah 47.4; Amos 9. 7; Zephaniah 2.
5). In Genesis 10. 14 the Philistines are made distinct from Vie Cap?dorim, und are said to come from the Casluhim; so that tlie Cherethim were but a part of the Philistines, which 1 Samuel 30. 14 confirms, remnant of—i. e., "on. the sea-coast" of the Mediterranean: those left remaining after the former overthrows inflicted by Samuel, David, Hezekiah, and P.sammetichus of Egypt, father of Pharaoh-necho (Jeremiah 25. 20). 17. know . . . vengeance —they shall know me, not in mercy, but by my vengeance on them (Psalm 9. 16).