Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
EZEKIEL XVI.
Her Sin Callelh /or Punishmcni
JaitMilevi's Grievous Judgment.
what is scandalous (viz., encouraging thee in thy sin by letting it pass with impunity) upon all tliiiie abominations ;" referring to Leviticus 19. 29, the conduct of a father who encouraged his daughter in harlotry. EnglishVersion nay, thou hast offered hire thyself to thy lovers (v. 33. 34). But these ver.ses show English Veision to Ije preferable, for they state that Israel prostituted herself, not merely for any smalt reward wilhout demanding more, but for " no reward." 3a. instead of lier Imsbaind—referring to Numbers 5. 19, 20, £). Faikbairn translates, "whilst under her husband." 33, 34:. Israel hired her paramours, instead of being, like other harlots, hired by them; she also followed them without their lollowing her. 35. Here begins the threat of wrath to be poured out on her. 36. ftlthiaeea—Ut., brass; metaphor for the lowest part of the person. [Cai,vin.] English Version Is better; thy filthy lewdness is much better. 44. As . . . motlier . . . lier daiigliter
Is, and so is, are not in the original ; the ellipsis gives the proverb (but two words in the Hebrew) epigrammatic brevity. Jerusalem proved herself a true daughter of the Hittite mother in sin (i>. 3). 45. mother's . . . that loath. eth her husband—i. e., God (" liaters of God," Romans 1.
30); therefore the knowledge of the true God had originally been in Canaan, handed down from Noah (hence we find Melchizedek, king of Salem, in Canaan, " priest of the most high God," Genesis 14. 18), but Canaan apostatized from it* this was what constituted tiie blackness of the Canaau-
Is poured out witliout restraint (cf. Jeremiah 13. 27). As silver is an emblem of purity, brass typifies "filthiness," because it easily contracts rust. Henderson explains It, " Because thy money was lavished on thy lovers" (u. 31, ites' guilt. loal Uctlv . . . cliildren — whom she put to death in honour of Saturn ; a practice common among the Phoenicians, sister of tl»y sisters—thou art akin in guilt to Samaria and Sodom, to wliicli thou art akin by birth. Moab and Amnion, the incestuous clti Ulren of Lot, nephew of Abraham, Israel's progenitor, had tlieir origin from Sodom ; .so Sodoin miglit be called Judah's sister. Samaria, answering to tlie ten tribes of Israel, is, of course, sister
33, 34). blood of thy cUlldren— (v. 20; Jeremiah 2. 34.) 37. tl»y lovers—the Clialdeans and the Assyrians. The law of retribution is the more signally exemplified by God employing, as His instruments of judgment on Israel, those very nations whose alliance and idols Israel had so eagerly sought, besides giving her up to those who had been always her enemies. "God will make him, who leaves God for the world, disgraced even in the eyes of the world, and indt-ed the more so the nearer he formerly stood to Himself." [Hengstenberg.] (Isaiah 47. 3 ; Jeremiah 13. 20; Hosea 2. 12; Nahum 3. 5.) all . . . thou hast hated—the Edoniites and Philistines ; also Moab and Amnion especially (Deuteronomy 23. 3). I . . . will discover thy nakedness-punishment in kind, as she had "discovered her nakedness through whoredoms" {v. 36); the Bin and its penalty corresponded. I will expose thee to public infamy. 38-40. judge thee, as tvomen that brc.ik wedlock—(Leviticus 20. 10; cf. v. 2.) In the case of individual adulleresses-, stoning was the penalty (John 8.
to Judah. 46. elder sister . . . Samaria . . . older than Sodom, to wliom Judah was less nearly related by kindred than she was to Samaria. Sodom is therefore called her younger sister; Sam.aria, her "elder sister." [GrotiuS.] Samaria is called tlie "elder," because in a moral respect more nearly related to Judah. [Fairbairn.] Samaria had made the calves at Dan and Bethel in imitation of the cherubim, her daugliters—tlie inferior towns subject to Samaria (cf. Numbers 21. 25, Margin), left — The Orientals faced the east in marking the directions of tlie sky; thus the north was "left," the south "riglit." Sodom. . . daughters—Amnion and Moab, offshoots from Sodom; also the towns subject to it. 47. their abominations Milooni and Chemosh, the "abominations of Amnion and Moab " (I Kings 11. 5, 7). corrupte*! more than tliey —so it is expressly recorded of Manasseli (2 Kings 21. 9). 48. Sodom-^Matthew 11. 24.) Judah's guilt was not positively, but relatively, greater than Sodom's; because it was in tlie midst of such higher privileges and such solemn warnings ; a fortiori, the guilt of unbelievers in the midst of the highest of all lights, viz., the gospel, is the greatest. 49. pride—inherited by Moab, her offspring (Isaiah 16. 6; Jeremiah 48. 26), and by Animon (Jeremiah
4, n). In tlie case oi communities, the sword. Also apostasy (Deuteronomy 13. 10) and sacrificing children to Molech (Leviticus 20. l-o) incurred stoning. Thus the penalty was doubly due to Israel ; so the other which was decreed against an apostate city (Deuteronomy 13. 15, 16) Is added, " they shall stone thee with stones and thi'ust thee through with . . . swords." The Chaldeans hurled sto/ies on Jex'uBalenr at tlie sioge, and slew with the sword on its capture, shed blood . . . jii<lged—(Genesis 9. 6.) jealousy—image taken from the lury of a husband in jealousy shedding the blood of an unfaitliful wife, such as Israel had been towards God, her liusband spiritually. Lit., "I will make thee (to become) Olood of fury and jealousy." 39. thine eminent place — lit., "fornication-chamber" (Note, v. 24), the temple which Israel had converted into a place of spiritual fornication with idols, to please the Chaldeans
49. 4). God, the heart-searcher, liei-e specifies as Sodom's sin, not merely her notorious lusts, but the secret spring of them, "pride" flowing from " fulness of bread," caused by the fertility of the soil (Genesis 13. 10), and producing "idleness." abundance of idleness lit., the secure care-
(ch. Zi. 11-17). strip tliee of. . . clothes—(Ch. 2:3. 26; Hosea lessness of ease or idleness, neltlier did she strengthen . .
tlie poor—Pride is always cruel ; it arrogates to itself all
2. iJ.j They sliall dismantle thy city of its walls, fair jewels— /ii., vessels of thy fairness or beauty ; the vessels of the temple. [Gkotil's.] All the gifts wherewith God hath adorned thee. [Calvin.] 40. (Ch. 23. iO, 47.) Cf. as to the destruction under Titus. Luke 19. 43, 44. 41. The result of the awful judgment sliall be, when Divine vengeance has run its course it sliall cease, burn—(Deuteronomy 13. 16; 2 Kings ii. 9.) women—the surrounding Gentile nations to whom tliou slialt be an object of mocljing (Psalm 137.
tilings, and despises bretliren, for whose needs it therefore has no feeling ; as Moab had not for the outcast Jews (Isaiah 16. 3, 4 ; Jeremiah 48. 27 ; Luke 16. 19-21 ; James 5.
I-5j. 50. haughty—puffed up with prosperity, abomination before mc—"sinners before the Lord" (Genesis 13.
13); said of those whose sin is so heinous as to cry out to God for immediate judgments; presumptuous sins, daring God to the face (Genesis 18. 20 ; 19. 5). I took them away— (Genesis 19. 24). as I saw good—rather, "according to what I saw;" referring to Genesis, 18. 21, where God says, "I will go down, and see whether they have done altogether according to tlie cry of it whicli is come unto me." 51. Samaria—the kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel less guilty than Judah ; for Judah betrayed greater ingratitude, having greater privileges, viz., thetemple, the priesthood, and the regular order of kings, justified tl»y sisters —made them appear almost innocent by comparison with
7). I will cause thee to cease . . . harlot—(Cll. 23. 27.) Thou Shalt no longer be able to play the harlot through my judyment-i. tliou . . . slialtgive . , . no hire . . . more —thou Shalt have none to give. 43. my fury . . . rest when my justice has exacted the full penalty commensurate with thy awful guilt (JVole, ch. 5. 13). It is not a mitigation of the penalty that is here foretold, but sucli an utter destruction of all llie guilty that there shall be no need of further punishment. [Calvin.] 43. (Ver. 22; Psalm 78. 42.) In gratitude for God's favours to her In her early history. frctte<l me—(Isaiah 6.3. 10; Ephesians 4. 30.) thou stialt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations—f. e., this the wickedness (cf. Zechariah 5. 8), thy guilt (Jeremiah 3. 11; Matthew 12.41,42). 53. Tlioa. . . wliich hast judged . . . bear thine own—(Matthew
7. 1, 2; Romans 2. 1, 17-23.) Judah had judged Sodom (representing the heathen nations) and Samaria (Israel), saying they were justly punished, as ifslie herself was innocent (Luke 13. 2). thy sliame—ignominious punishment. 53. Here follows a promise of restoration. Even the sore chastisements coming on Judah would fall to reform Its peculiarly hateful to God, viz., spiritual unch.astity or Idolatry, over and "above" (t. e., besides) all thine other abominations. I will put it outof thy power to commit it by cutting thee off. Faikbaikn translates, " I will not do