Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
OotTs Judgment on Jerufsalem's Sins. EZEKIEL XXII, XXIIl. Isruers and Judahs PumshmeiU. prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. 77i(?2/ are mentioned first, as their bad inlluence extended the widest, prey—theiraim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" (Hosea 6. 9; Zeplianiah 3. 3,4; Matthew 23. 14). made . . . many widows—by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which tlie husbands fell. 20. Her priests—whose " lips should hava kept knowledge" (Malaclii 2. 7). violated—not simiily transgressed ; but, luive done violence to tlie law, by wresting ssinse It to return Into his slieath—ti>. , without first de-
Ainmoii. Certainly not (Jeremiali,47. 6, 7). Others, as Margin, less suitably read it imperatively, "Cause it to return," i. e., after it h:is done the work appointed to it. in tUe Ian<lof tlij' nnlivity—Am mon was not to be carried away captive as Jiidah, but to perish in his own land.
31. blow agnlust thee In, &c.—rather, " blow upon thee with the fire," Ac. Image from smelting metals (ch. 22.
20,21). hmttsh—ferocious. sUllfiU to destroy—2t<., artificeri 0/ (le-ilriiction ; alluding to Isaialr 54.16. 3!J. thy blood shall be i. e., shall flow, be no more remembeixcl—be consigned as a nation to oblivion. it to wrong ends, and putting wrong constructions o<> it. put no difference luetween tlie holy and profane, Ac. made no distinction between the clean and ui Kdean ( '^eviticus 10. 10), the Sabbath and other days, san(^tioning violations of that holy day. " Holy" means, what is dedicoled
CHAPTER XXII.
Ver. 1-31. God's Judgment on the Sinfulness of JeRUSALESi. Repetition of the charges In ch. 20. ; only that there they were stated in an historical review of the past and present; here the j)rf.?e/i< sins of the nation exclusively are brought forward, a. See ch. 20. 4, i.e., "Wilt thou to God; "profane," what is in common use; "unclean," what is forbidden to be eaten; "clean," what is lawful to be eaten. I am x»'ofaned among tliem—they abuse my name to false or unjust purposes. 27. princes—wlio should have employed the influence of their position for the people's welfare, made "gain" their sole aim. wolves —notorious for fierce and ravening cruelty (Micaii 3. 2, 3, not judge?" &c. (cf. ch. 2.3. .30).. the bloody city—lit., the city of bloods ; so called on account of murders iierpetrated
9-11; John 10.12). 28. Referring to the false assurances of peace with which the prophets flattered the people, that they should not submit to the king of Babylon (note, in her, and sacrifices of children to Molech (v. 3, 4, 6, 9; ch.
24. e. 9). 3. sheddeth blood . . . that her time may come—Instead of deriving advantage from her bloody ch. 13. 10; 21.29; Jeremiah C. 14; 23. 10,17; 27.9,10). 29. The people—put Inst, after tlie mention of tliose in otlice. Corruption had spreail downwards tlirough the whole community, wrongfully i. e., without cause, gratuitously, without the stranger proselyte giving any just provocation; nay, he of all others being one who ought to have been won to the worship of Jeiiovah by kindness, instead of being alienated by oppression; especially as the Israelites were commanded to remember that they themselves had been "strangers in F.gypt" (Exo<lus 22. sacrifices fo idols, she only thereby brought on herself "the time" of her punisliment. against herself—(Proverbs 8. .36.) 4. thy days—the shorter period, viz., that of t}ie siege, -thy years—the longer period of t/ie captivity. The " days" and " years" express that she is ripe for pun- 'ishme'nt. 5. Ijifamous—they mockingly call thee, "Thou polluted one in name (Margin), and full of confusion" [Faikbaihn] (referring to the tumultuous violence prevalent in it). Thus the nations "far and near" mocked her as at once sullied in character and in actual fact law-
21 ; 23. 9). 30. the hedge—the wall (nolc, ch. 13. 5). Image for leading the people to repentance, tlie gap—the bi eai h (Psalm 100. 23). Image for interceding between the people and Go(i (Genesis 20. 7; Exodus .32. U ; Numbers 16. 4S). Ifoiind none—(Jeremiah 5. 1.) Not that literally there was not a righteous man in the city. For Jeremiah, Barucli, <tc., were still there ; hut Jeremiah had been forbidden to pray for the people (Jeremiah 11. 14), as being doomed to wralh. None now, of the godly, knowing the desperate state of the people, and God's purpose as to them, was willing longer to interpose between God's wrath and them. And none "among them," i. e., among those just enumerated as guilty of such sins (v. 25-29), was morally able for such an office. 31. their own way . . . recompensed upon their heads—(Ch. 9. 10 ; 11. 21 ; 16. 43 ; Proverbs 1. 31 ; Isaiah less. What a sad contrast to the Jerusalem once designated "the holy city!" 6. Rather, "The princes . . . each according to liis power, were In thee, to shed blood" (as if this was the only object of their existence). "Power," lit., arm; they, who ought to have been patterns of justice, made their own arm of might their onlj' law. 7. set light by—children have made light of, disrespected, father, &c. (Deuleronoiiiy 27. 16). From i'.7 to v. 12 are enumerated tlie sins committed in violation of Moses' law. 9. men tliat carry talcs—jn/ormcr«, who by :nisrepresentations cause innocent blood to be shed (I,evitlcns 19. 16). Idt., "One who goes to and fro as a merchant." 10. set apart for pollution—i. e., set apart as unclean (Leviticus 18. 19). la. forgotten me—the root of all sin (Deuteronomy 32.
18; Jeremiah 2. 32; 3. 21). 13. smitten mine hand—in token cf tlie indignant vengeance which I will execute on thee (note, ch. 21. 17). 14. (Ch. 21. 7.) 15. consume thy
3. II; Jeremiah 6. 19.) ftlthiuess out of thee—the object of God in scattering the Jews. IG. take t!iine Inheritance in thyself—formerly thou wast mine iuliei itance ; Imt now, full of guilt, thou
CHAPTER XXIII.
Ver. 1-49. Israel's and Judah's Sin aud Punishment ARE PARAIiOLICALl/Y PORTRAYED UNDER THE NAMES Aholah and Aholibaii. The imagery is similar to that in ch. 16.; but here the reference is not as there so much art no longer mine, ljut thine own inheritance to thyself; " in the sight of the heathen," i.e., even they shall see that, now that thou liiust become a captive, thou art no longer owned as mine. [Vatablus.] Fairhairn, &c., needto the breach of the spiritual marriage covenant with God by the people's idolatries, as by their worldly spirit, and their trusting to alliances witli the heathen for safety, rather than to God. 2. two ... of oi«e mother—Israel and Judah, one nation by birtli from tlie same ancestress, Sarah. 3. FA-en so early in their history as their Egyptian sojourn, they committed idolatries (^'otes, ch. 20. 6-S; Joshua 24. 14). In their youth—an aggravation of their lessly take the Hebrew from a different root, " thou shalt he polluted by (' W [Mknderson]) thyself," &c.; theheathen shall regard thee as a polluted thing, wlio hast Virought thine own reproacli on tliyself. 18. dross . . . brass-
Israel has become a worthless compound of the dross of ellver (implying not merely corruption, but degeneracy from good to Ijad, Isaiah 1. 22, especially offensive) and of the baner m<!tals. Hence the people must be thrown into the furnace of judgment, that the bad may be consumed, and tlic good separated (Jeremiah 0. 29, 30). 23. From sin. It was at the very time of their receiving extraordinary favours from God (ch. 10. 6, 22). they bruised—r/z., the Egyptians. 4. Aliolahi. e., " Ifer tent" (put for worship, as the first worsliip of God in Isr.ael was in a tent or this verse to the end he shows the general corruption of tabernacle), as contrasted with Aholibah, !. e., " 3^1/ tent all ranks. /44. land . . . not cleansed—not cleared or cultivated ; all a scene of desolation ; a fit emblem of tlie moral wilderness slate of the people, nor rained upon in her." The Bethel worship of Samaria was of her own devising, not of God's appointment; the teinpie-worslilp of Jerusaletn was expressly ap}>ointed by Jehovah, who "dwelt" there, "setting up His tabernacle among the people as His" (Exodus 2o. S; Leviticus 20. 11, 12; Joshua
—II mark of Divine " indignation;" as tiie early and latter rain, on which tlie productiveness of the land depended, «as one of the great covenant blessings. Joel i2. 23) prom-
22. 19; Psalm 70. 2). the elder—Samaria is calhil "the ises the return of tlie former and latter rain, witii the restoration of God's favour. 25. conspiracy — tiie 'rvlsi* elder " because she preceded Judah in her aposu-xsy and