Chapter XXXV
fully. 20. fat . . . lean—the rich oppressors . . . the humble poor. 21. scattered them abroad—down to the time of the carrying away to Babylon. [Grotius.] 32. After the restoration from Babylon the Jews were delivered in some degree from tlie oppression, not only of foreigners, but also of tlieir own great people (Nehemlah 5. 1-19). The
Ver. 1-15. Judgment on Edom. Another feature of Israel's prosperity ; tliose who exulted over Israel's humiliation, shall tliemselves be a "prey." Already stated in ch. 25. 12-14; properly repeated here In full detail, as a commentary on v. 28 of last chapter. The Israelites " shall be no more a prey;" but Edom, the type of their most bitter foes, shall be destroyed irrecoverably. 2. Mount Selr — i. c, Idumea (Genesis 36. 9). Singled out as badly preeminent in its bitterness against God's people, to represent all their enemies everywhere and in all ages. So in Isaiah 34. 5, and 63. 1-4, Edom, the region of the greatest enmity towards God's people, is the ideal .scene of the final judgments of all God's foes. "Selr" means shaggy, alluding to its rugged hills and forests. 3. most desolate —lit., desolation and dcsolateness (Jeremiah 49. 17, &c.). It is only in their national character of foes to God's people, that the Edomites are to be utterly destroyed. A remnaTit of Edom, as of the other heathen, is to be "called by the name of God" (Amos 9. 12). 5. perpetual hatred—(Psalm
full and final fulfilment of this prophecy is future. 23. set up i. e., raise vp by Divine appointment; alluding to the declaration of God to David, "I will set up thy seed after thee" (2 fS:imuel 7. 12); and, "Yet have I set my king on my holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2. 6; cf. Acts 2. 30; 13. 23). one Shepherd— a Shepherd, one : singularly and preeminently one.- the only one of His kind, to whom none
is comparal)le (Song of Solomon 5. 10). The Lord Jesus refers to this propliecy (John 10. 14), " I am the Good Shepherd." Also "one" as uniting in one the heretofore divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and also "gathering tocether in one all things in Christ, both which are in neaven and on earth" (Epheslans 1.10); thus healing worse breaches than that between Israel and .Tudah (Colossiaus 1.20). "God by Him reconciling all things unto Himself, whetlier things In earth or In heaven." David—tlie antitypical David, Messiah, of the seed of David, which no other king after the captivity was : who was fitHy, y/hiit David was only In a degree, "the man after God's own lieart." Also, David means beloved: Messiah was truly God's beloved Son (Isaiah 42. 1; Matthew 3.
137. 7; Amos 1. 11; Obadiah 10-16.) Edom perpetuated the hereditary hatred derived from Esau against Jacob, shed
the blood of, &c.—The lit. translation Is better, " Tliou hast poured out the children of Israel;" viz., like water. So Psalm 22. 14; 63. 10, Margin; Jeremiah 18. 21. Cf. 2 Samuel
14. 14. by the force of the sword lit., " by" or " upo7i the hands of the sword ;" the sword being personified us a devourer whose "liands" were the Instruments of destruc-
tion, in the time that tlieir iniquity had an end—{. e., had Its consummation (ch.21. 25, 29). Edom consummated his guilt when he exulted over Jerusalem's downl'all, and helped the foe to destroy it (Psalm 137. 7; Obadiah 11). 8. X will prepare thee unto blood—I will expose thee to slaughter, sitli—old English for"seeing that" or "since." thou hast not hated bloo<l—The Hebretv order Is, " thou hast hated not—blood ;" i. e., thou couldst not bear to live wtlnout bioodshed. [GKOTirs.] There Is a play on similar
17). Sheplierd means King, rather than religious instructor; in this pre-eminently He was the true David, who was the Shepherd ICing {ljuke 1. 32, S3). Messiah la called " David" in Isaiah 55. 3, 4; Jeremiah 30. 9; Hosea 3. 5. 24. my sei-vant—implying fitness for ruling In the name of God, not pursuing a self-chosen course, as other kings, but acting as the faithful administrator of the will of God ; Messiah realized fully this character (Psalm 40. 7, 8
Isaiah 42. 1 ; 49. 3, 0; 53. II ; Phlhpplans 2. 7). wnlcn David 608
37ie Land of Israel is Comforted. EZEKIEL XXXVI. Israel is Rejected for her Sim.
iounds In the Hebrew; Edam resembling dam, the Hebrew
spite of the promise of God, and has become "ours" (cC Deuteronomy 32. 13; 33. 15). 3. Lil., Because, even because. swallowed you up til., panted after you, as a beast afteP its prey; implying the greedy cupidity of Edom as to Israel's inheritance (Psalm 50. 1, 2). lips of talkers- "lips of the tongue," i.e., of the slanderer, the man of tongue. Edom slandered Isiuel because of the coiinection of the latter with Jehovah, as though He were unable to save them. Deuteronomy 28. 37; Jeremiah 24. 9, liud foretold Israel's reproach among the heathen (Daniel 9. 10).
for '' blood;" as Edom means rerf, the transition to blood
is easy. Edoiii, akin to blood in name, so also in nature and acts; " ijlood therefore shall pursue thee." The measure which E<lom meted to others should be meted
to himself iPsalm 109.17; Matthew 7.2; 20.52). cut off
. . . hliii tUat passetli-^t. e., every passer to and fro; " the highways shall be unoccupied" (ch. 29. 11 ; Judges 5. 6). 9. hall not return—to their former state (ch. l(i. 5o) ; shall not be restored. The Hebrew text (Chetib) reads, "shall not be inhabited" (cf. ch. 26. 20; Malachi 1. 3, 4). 10. So far from being allowed to enter on Israel's vacated Inherit-
4r. Inanimate creatures are addressed, to imply that tlia creature also, as it were, groans for deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8. 19-21). [Polanus.] The completeness of the renewed blessedness of all parts of the land is Implied, derision—(Psalm 79. 4.) 5. to cast it out for a prey i. e., to take the land for a prey, its inhabitants being cast out. Or the land is compared to u prey cast forth to wild beasts. Fairbaikn needlessly alters the Hebrew pointing, and translates, "that they may plunder its pasturage." 6. tlie sliamc of tlio heathen viz., the shame with which the heathen cover you (Psalm 123. 3, 4). 7. lifted . . . mine hand—in token of an oath (ch. 20. 5; Genesis 14. 22). they shall bear tlieir shame—a perpetual shame; whereas the "shame'" which Israel bore from these heathen was only for a time. 8. they are at hand to come—t. e., the Israelites are soon about to return to their land. This proves that the primary reference of the prophecy is to the return from Babylon, which was "at hand," or comparatively near. But this only in part fulfilled the prediction, the full and final blessing in future, and the restoration from Babylon was an earnest of it. 10. wastes . . . bulldcd—Isai.ah 5s.
ance, as Edom hoped (ch. 36. 5; Psalm 83. i, 12; Obadlah
13), It shall be that he shall be deprived of his own; and whereas Israel's humiliation was temporary, Edom's shall be perpetual. Lord was there—(Ch. -18. 35; Psalm
48. 1,3; 132. 13, 14.) Jehovah claimed Judea as His own, even when the Chaldeans had overthrown the state
they could not remove Him, as they did. the idols of heathen lands. The broken sentences express the excited feelings of the prophet at Edom's wicked presumption. The transition from the " two nations and two countries" to "it" marks that the two are regarded as one whole. The last clause, "and Jehovah was there," bursts in, like a flash of lightning, reproving the wicked presumption of Edom's tiiought. 11. according to tlilne anger (James 2. 13.) As thou in auger and envy hast injured them, so I will injure thee. I wiU make myself known among tliem viz., the Israelites. I will manifest my favour to tlu.ui, after that I have punished thee. 12, 13. blaspUemlcs . . . against , . . Israel . . . against me God regards what is done against His people as done against Himself (Matthew 25. 45; Acts 9. 2, 4, 5). Edom implied, if he did not express it, in his taunts against Israel, that God had not sufficient power to protect His people. A type of the spirit of all the foes of God and His people (1 Samuel 2. 3 ; Revelation 13. 6). 14. (Isaiah
12; 01. 4; Amos 9. 11, 12, 14, where, as here (ch. 31. Z\ 24), the names of David, Messiah's type, and Edom, Israel's foe, are introduced in connection with the coming restoi atiou, 11. do better . . . than at your beginnings—as in I he case of Job (Job 42. 12). Whereas the heathen nations lall irrevocably, Israel shall be more than restored; its last estate shall exceed even its first. 13. to walk upon you —O mountains of Israel (d. 8)! thee . . . thou-«change from plural to singular: O hill of Zion, singled out from the other mountains of Israel (ch. 34. 26); or land, thou Shalt no more . . . bereave them of men—thou Shalt no more provoke God to bereave them of children (so the ellipsis ought to be supplied, as Ezekiel probably alludesto Jeremiah 15. 7, "I will bereave them of children"). 13. Tliou land devourest up men—alluding to the words ol. the spies (Numbers 13. 32). The land personified is represented as doing that which was done in it. Like an unnatural mother it devoured, i. e., it was the grave of its people ; of the Canaanites, its former possessors, through mutual wars, and finally by the sword of Israel; andnow, of the Jews, through internal and external ills; e.gt, wars, famine (to which v. 30, "reproach of famine among the heathen," implies the allusion here is). 141. bereave —so the Kerl or Hebrew Margin reads, to correspond to "bereave" in v. 13; but "cause to fall" or "stumble," iu the Hebrew text or Chetib, being the more difficult reading. Is the one least likely to come from a corrector; also,
65. 13, 14.) "The whole earth" refers to Judea and the na-
tioris [hat submit themselves to Judea's God; when these rejoice the foes of God and His people, represented by Edom us a nation, shall be desolate. Things shall be completely reversed ; Israel, that now for a time mourns, shall then rejoice and for ever. Edom, that now rejoices over fallen Israel, shall then, when elsewhere all is joy, mourn, and for e/er (Isaiah 65.17-19; Matthew 5. 4; Luke 6.25). Havermck loses this striking antithesis by translating, "According to the Joy of the whole land (of Edom), so I will make thee desolate;" which would make the next verse a mere repetition of this. 15. (Obadlah 12, 15.)