Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
JertuMciris Monstrous Wlwredom, £ZEKIEL XVI. and haG^-kvous Judgment.
nsed as a bed coverlet in the East. God explains what He nu ans, "I entered into . . . covenant with thee," i.e., oil sacred to God (Exodus 30. 22-2.5). Also that used In sacrifices (Leviticus 2. 1, 2). I'J. My meat ... 1 gnve (Hosea 2. 8.) set it before tliem—as a mi/io/ia/t or "meat ofl'ering" (Leviticus 2. 1). a sweet savour lit., "a savour of rest," i. e., whereby they migtit be propitiated, and be at peace (" rest") with you ; how ridiculous to seek to propitiate gods of wood ! thus It was—The fact cannot he denied, for 1 saw it, and say it was so, saith Jeliovali. 20, 21. cliildren . . . born unto me—Though "thy children," yet they belong " unto me," rather than to thee, for they were born under the immutable covenant with Israel, which even Israel's sin could not set aside, and have received the sign of adoption as mine, viz., circumcision. This aggravates the guilt of sacrificing them to Molech. to be devoured—not merely to pass through the at Kiiiai. So Israel became "the wife of God's covenant" (Lsaiuli 51. o: Jeremiah 3. 1-1 ; Hosea 2. 19, 20 ; Malachi 2. U). tiioti . . . iniiic—(Exodus 19.5; Jei'emiah 2. 2.) 9. washed
I tlitc—as brides used to pass through a preparatory purilication (Esther 2. 12). So Israel, before the giving of the law at Sinai (Exodus 19. 11), "Moses sanctified the people, and tliey washed their clothes." So believers (1 CorinIhiiins 6. 11). oil—emblem of the Levitical priesthood, the type of Messiah (Psalm Jo. 7). 10. Psalm 45. 13, 1-1, similarly describes the Church (Israel, the appointed mother of CUiristendom) adorned as a bride (so Isaiah 61.
10). It is Messiah who provides the wedding garment (Rei'elation 3. IS; 19. 8). badger's skin lahash; others fire, as sometimes children were made to do (Leviticus 18.
translate, seal skins. They formed the overcovering of the tabernacle, which was as it were the nuptial tent of God and Israel (Exodus 26. 14), and were the material of the shoes worn by the Hebrews on festival days, fine linen—used by the priests (Leviticus 6. 10); emblem of purity. 11. The marriage gifts to Rebekah (Genesis 24. 22,
21) without hurt, but to pass through so as to be made the food of the flame in honour of idols (Isaiali 57.5; Jeremiah 7.31; 19.5; 32. 35, Notes). Is tliis of tliy witoredoms a small matter, tliattliouliast slain my children—rather, " Were thy whoredoms a small matter (t. e., not enough, but) that tliou hast slain (i. e., must also slay)", «fcc. As if thy uncliastity was not enough, thou hast added this unnatural and sacrilegious cruelty (Micah G. 7). 22. not remembered . . . youtli—forgetfulness of Go<l's love is the source of all sins. Israel forgot her deliverance by God in the infancy of her national life. See v. 43, to which v. 6(1 forms a lovely contrast (Jeremiah 2. 2; Hosea 11. 1). 23. woe, woe iu>to tliee, &c.—This parenthetical exclamation has an awful efl'ect coming like a lightning flash ol judgment amidst the black clouds of Israel's guilt. 24. eminent place—rather, "a fornication-chamber," often connected with the impure rites of idolatry; spiritual fornication, on" an eminent place," answering to " fornication-chamber,"' is mainly meant, with an allusion also to the literal fornication associated with it (Jeremiah 2,
)7). 13. jewel on tliy forehead—rather, "a ring in thy nose" (Isaiah 3. 21). a crown—at once the badge of a urido, and of her being made a queen, as being consort of Ihe King; the very name Israel meaning "a prince of God." So they are called "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus
19. (i; of. Revelation 1. 6). Though the external blessings bestowed on Israel were great, yet not these, but the internal and spiritual, form the main reference in the kingly marriage to wliich Israel was advanced. 13. flour. . . honey . . . oil—these three mixed form the sweetest cakes; not dry bread and leeks as in Egj'pt. From raiment He p;>sses to food (Deuteronomy 32. 13, 14). exceeding he.Tutiful—Psalm 48. 2, the city; also. Psalm 29. 2, the temple, prosper into a kingdom—exercising empire over surrounding nations. 14. thy renown . . . among. . . Iieathen—The tbeocracy reached its highest point under Solomon, whei distant potentates heard of his " fame" (1 Kings 10. 1, &o.), e. the queen of Sheba, Hiram, Ac. (Lamentations 2. 15). my comeliness—it was not thine own, but imparted by me. 15. Instead of attributing the glorjof her privileges and gifts to Gotl, Israel
20; 3.2). 25. at every head of tlie way—in the most frequented places (Proverbs 9. 14). thy beattty , . . abhorred . . . opened . . . feet to every one—The wanton advances were all on Israel's part, the idolatrous nations yielded to her nothing in return. Slie had yielded so much that, like a worn-out prostitute, her tempters became weary of her. When the Church lowers her testimony for God to the carnal tastes of the world, with a view to conciliation, she lo.ses everything and gains nothing. 26. fornication witli . . . Egyptians—alliances with Egypt, cemented by sliaring their idolatries, great of pi iilerl herself on tliem as her own (Deuteronomy 32. 15; Jeremiah 7. 4; Micah 3.11), and then wantonly devoted them to her idols (Hosea 2. 8; cf. Luke 15. 12, 13). playedst. . . Itarlot because of tiiy renown—"didst play the wanton upon thy name" [Fairbaikn], viz., by allowing thy renown to lead thee into idolatry and leagues with flesli—of powerful virile parts ;yifir. for the gross and lustful religion of Egypt (e.g., Isis, &e.), which alone could satisfy the abominable lust of Israel (ch. 20. 7, 8; 19, 20, 21). to provoke me—wantonly and purposely. 27. The consequent judgments, which, however, proved of no avail in reforming tlie people (Isaiali 9. 13; Jeremiah 5. 3). livered tliee unto . . . Philistines— (2 Kings Ifi. 6; 2 Clironides 2S. 18, 19.) asliamed of tliy lewd way-The Philistines were less wanton in idolatry, in that tliey did not, like Israel, adopt the idols of every foreign country, but were content with their OM-n (i>. 57; Jeremiah 2. 11). 28. unsatiablc—not satisfied with whortuloms with neighbours, thou hast gone ovl" to the distant Assyrians, i.e., hast sought a league with them, and with it adopted their idolatries. 29. multiplied . . . fornication in . . . Canaan unto Clialdca—Thovi hast multiplied thy idolatries " in Canaan'" by sending " unto Chaldea" to borrow from thence the Chaldean rites, to add to the abominations already [iractised "in CJanaan," before the carrying away of Jehoiachin to Chaldea. The name "Canaan" is used to imply that they had made Judea as much the scene of abominations as it was in tlie days of the corrupt Cannanidol.-\l(-rs (Isaiah 1. 21; 57. 8; Jeremiah 3. 2, 6). English Version is better, "because of thy renown," i. e., relying on it; answering to " thou didst trust in tliine own beauty."
iiis it was—thy beauty was yielded up to every passer by. Israel's zest for the worship of foul idols was bi>t an anxiety to have the approbation of heaven for their carnal lusts, of which the idols were the personification ; hence, too, their tendency to wander from Jehovah, wlio was a restraint on corrupt nature. 10. deckeflst . . . with divers colours—or, " didst make ... of divers colours
" [Fairrairx]; the metaphor and the literal are here mixed. The high places whereon they sacriliced to A.starte are liere compared to tents of divers colours, which an impudent harlot would spread to show her house was open to all. [Calvin.] Cf. as to "woven hangings for Aslarte" (the riglit transhition for "grove") 2 Kings 23.7. tlie like . . . shall not come, neither sitall . , , be rather, "have not come, nor shall be." These thy <ioings lire unparalleled in the past, and shall be so in the future. 17. n>y gold . . . my silver—(Haggai 2. 8.) Images of men— rallier, "of the j>/iaHi/.v," the Hindoo linyam, or membrum virile [HAvruNiCK], deified as tlie emblem of fecundity; man making his lust his god. English Version, however, is appropriate; Israel being represented as a U'oiH'in playing the harlot with "mci; images," i. e., images of male gods, as disi inguislied from female deities. IS. tookest thy . . . garments . . . coveredst tliem ites. The land had become utterly Canaan itlsh (eh. 23. II,
&('.). 30. weak . . . heart — Sin weakens the intellect ("heart"), as, on the contrary, " the way of the Lord la strength to tlie upright" (Proverbs 10. 2i)). 31. IJepelitlcn ofv. '24. not . , , as , . . harlot . . . thou scornest hire— unlike ai ordinary harlot thou dost prostitute thy person grails, merely to satisfy tliy lust. Jkkomh tr(tn.U(itea "Thou hast not been as a harlot in scorning (i. e., who »r> illnarlly scorns) a hire offered, i. I"., I lie idols, !i.s if an adull<>ress were to cover her paraiiioius with garments which she had received from tlie liberality of ner luisband. my oil—the holy anointing
' in order to yet a Unyer out) ,*
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