1 Moreover the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me, saying, H559
2 Now, thou son H1121 of man, H120 wilt thou judge, H8199 wilt thou judge H8199 the bloody H1818 city? H5892 yea, thou shalt shew H3045 her all her abominations. H8441
3 Then say H559 thou, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD, H3069 The city H5892 sheddeth H8210 blood H1818 in the midst H8432 of it, that her time H6256 may come, H935 and maketh H6213 idols H1544 against herself to defile H2930 herself.
4 Thou art become guilty H816 in thy blood H1818 that thou hast shed; H8210 and hast defiled H2930 thyself in thine idols H1544 which thou hast made; H6213 and thou hast caused thy days H3117 to draw near, H7126 and art come H935 even unto thy years: H8141 therefore have I made H5414 thee a reproach H2781 unto the heathen, H1471 and a mocking H7048 to all countries. H776
5 Those that be near, H7138 and those that be far H7350 from thee, shall mock H7046 thee, which art infamous H2931 H8034 and much H7227 vexed. H4103
6 Behold, the princes H5387 of Israel, H3478 every one H376 were in thee to their power H2220 to shed H8210 blood. H1818
7 In thee have they set light H7043 by father H1 and mother: H517 in the midst H8432 of thee have they dealt H6213 by oppression H6233 with the stranger: H1616 in thee have they vexed H3238 the fatherless H3490 and the widow. H490
8 Thou hast despised H959 mine holy things, H6944 and hast profaned H2490 my sabbaths. H7676
9 In thee are men H582 that carry tales H7400 to shed H8210 blood: H1818 and in thee they eat H398 upon the mountains: H2022 in the midst H8432 of thee they commit H6213 lewdness. H2154
10 In thee have they discovered H1540 their fathers' H1 nakedness: H6172 in thee have they humbled H6031 her that was set apart H5079 for pollution. H2931
11 And one H376 hath committed H6213 abomination H8441 with his neighbour's H7453 wife; H802 and another H376 hath lewdly H2154 defiled H2930 his daughter in law; H3618 and another H376 in thee hath humbled H6031 his sister, H269 his father's H1 daughter. H1323
12 In thee have they taken H3947 gifts H7810 to shed H8210 blood; H1818 thou hast taken H3947 usury H5392 and increase, H8636 and thou hast greedily gained H1214 of thy neighbours H7453 by extortion, H6233 and hast forgotten H7911 me, saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
13 Behold, therefore I have smitten H5221 mine hand H3709 at thy dishonest gain H1215 which thou hast made, H6213 and at thy blood H1818 which hath been in the midst H8432 of thee.
14 Can thine heart H3820 endure, H5975 or can thine hands H3027 be strong, H2388 in the days H3117 that I shall deal H6213 with thee? I the LORD H3068 have spoken H1696 it, and will do H6213 it.
15 And I will scatter H6327 thee among the heathen, H1471 and disperse H2219 thee in the countries, H776 and will consume H8552 thy filthiness H2932 out of thee.
16 And thou shalt take thine inheritance H2490 H5157 in thyself in the sight H5869 of the heathen, H1471 and thou shalt know H3045 that I am the LORD. H3068
17 And the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me, saying, H559
18 Son H1121 of man, H120 the house H1004 of Israel H3478 is to me become dross: H5509 all they are brass, H5178 and tin, H913 and iron, H1270 and lead, H5777 in the midst H8432 of the furnace; H3564 they are even the dross H5509 of silver. H3701
19 Therefore thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Because ye are all become dross, H5509 behold, therefore I will gather H6908 you into the midst H8432 of Jerusalem. H3389
20 As they gather H6910 silver, H3701 and brass, H5178 and iron, H1270 and lead, H5777 and tin, H913 into the midst H8432 of the furnace, H3564 to blow H5301 the fire H784 upon it, to melt H5413 it; so will I gather H6908 you in mine anger H639 and in my fury, H2534 and I will leave H3240 you there, and melt H5413 you.
21 Yea, I will gather H3664 you, and blow H5301 upon you in the fire H784 of my wrath, H5678 and ye shall be melted H5413 in the midst H8432 thereof.
22 As silver H3701 is melted H2046 in the midst H8432 of the furnace, H3564 so shall ye be melted H5413 in the midst H8432 thereof; and ye shall know H3045 that I the LORD H3068 have poured out H8210 my fury H2534 upon you.
23 And the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me, saying, H559
24 Son H1121 of man, H120 say H559 unto her, Thou art the land H776 that is not cleansed, H2891 nor rained H1656 upon in the day H3117 of indignation. H2195
25 There is a conspiracy H7195 of her prophets H5030 in the midst H8432 thereof, like a roaring H7580 lion H738 ravening H2963 the prey; H2964 they have devoured H398 souls; H5315 they have taken H3947 the treasure H2633 and precious things; H3366 they have made her many H7235 widows H490 in the midst H8432 thereof.
26 Her priests H3548 have violated H2554 my law, H8451 and have profaned H2490 mine holy things: H6944 they have put no difference H914 between the holy H6944 and profane, H2455 neither have they shewed H3045 difference between the unclean H2931 and the clean, H2889 and have hid H5956 their eyes H5869 from my sabbaths, H7676 and I am profaned H2490 among H8432 them.
27 Her princes H8269 in the midst H7130 thereof are like wolves H2061 ravening H2963 the prey, H2964 to shed H8210 blood, H1818 and to destroy H6 souls, H5315 to get H1214 dishonest gain. H1215
28 And her prophets H5030 have daubed H2902 them with untempered H8602 morter, seeing H2374 vanity, H7723 and divining H7080 lies H3577 unto them, saying, H559 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD, H3069 when the LORD H3068 hath not spoken. H1696
29 The people H5971 of the land H776 have used oppression, H6231 H6233 and exercised H1497 robbery, H1498 and have vexed H3238 the poor H6041 and needy: H34 yea, they have oppressed H6231 the stranger H1616 wrongfully. H4941
30 And I sought H1245 for a man H376 among them, that should make up H1443 the hedge, H1447 and stand H5975 in the gap H6556 before H6440 me for the land, H776 that I should not destroy H7843 it: but I found H4672 none.
31 Therefore have I poured out H8210 mine indignation H2195 upon them; I have consumed H3615 them with the fire H784 of my wrath: H5678 their own way H1870 have I recompensed H5414 upon their heads, H7218 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 22
Commentary on Ezekiel 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
Eze 22:1-31. God's Judgment on the Sinfulness of Jerusalem.
Repetition of the charges in the twentieth chapter; only that there they were stated in an historical review of the past and present; here the present sins of the nation exclusively are brought forward.
2. See Eze 20:4; that is, "Wilt thou not judge?" &c. (compare Eze 23:36).
the bloody city—literally, "the city of bloods"; so called on account of murders perpetrated in her, and sacrifices of children to Molech (Eze 22:3, 4, 6, 9; 24:6, 9).
3. sheddeth blood … that her time may come—Instead of deriving advantage from her bloody sacrifices to idols, she only thereby brought on herself "the time" of her punishment.
against herself—(Pr 8:36).
4. thy days—the shorter period, namely, that of the siege.
thy years—the longer period of the captivity. The "days" and "years" express that she is ripe for punishment.
5. infamous—They mockingly call thee, "Thou polluted one in name (Margin), and full of confusion" [Fairbairn], (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 lawless. What a sad contrast to the Jerusalem once designated "the holy city!"
6. Rather, "The princes … each according to his power, were in thee, to shed blood" (as if this was the only object of their existence). "Power," literally, "arm"; they, who ought to have been patterns of justice, made their own arm of might their only law.
7. set light by—Children have made light of, disrespected, father … (De 27:16). At Eze 22:7-12 are enumerated the sins committed in violation of Moses' law.
9. men that carry tales—informers, who by misrepresentations cause innocent blood to be shed (Le 19:16). Literally, "one who goes to and fro as a merchant."
10. set apart for pollution—that is, set apart as unclean (Le 18:19).
12. forgotten me—(De 32:18; Jer 2:32; 3:21).
13. smitten mine hand—in token of the indignant vengeance which I will execute on thee (see on Eze 21:17).
14. (Eze 21:7).
15. consume thy filthiness out of thee—the object of God in scattering the Jews.
16. take thine inheritance in thyself—Formerly thou wast Mine inheritance; but now, full of guilt, thou art no longer Mine, but thine own inheritance to thyself; "in the sight of the heathen," that is, even they shall see that, now that thou hast become a captive, thou art no longer owned as Mine [Vatablus]. Fairbairn and others needlessly take the Hebrew from a different root, "thou shalt be polluted by ('in,' [Henderson]) thyself," &c.; the heathen shall regard thee as a polluted thing, who hast brought thine own reproach on thyself.
18. dross … brass—Israel has become a worthless compound of the dross of silver (implying not merely corruption, but degeneracy from good to bad, Isa 1:22, especially offensive) and of the baser metals. Hence the people must be thrown into the furnace of judgment, that the bad may be consumed, and the good separated (Jer 6:29, 30).
23. From this verse to the end he shows the general corruption of all ranks.
24. land … not cleansed—not cleared or cultivated; all a scene of desolation; a fit emblem of the moral wilderness state of the people.
nor rained upon—a mark of divine "indignation"; as the early and latter rain, on which the productiveness of the land depended, was one of the great covenant blessings. Joel (Joe 2:23) promises the return of the former and latter rain, with the restoration of God's favor.
25. conspiracy—The false prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. They are mentioned first, as their bad influence extended the widest.
prey—Their aim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" (Ho 6:9; Zep 3:3, 4; Mt 23:14).
made … many widows—by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which the husbands fell.
26. Her priests—whose "lips should have kept knowledge" (Mal 2:7).
violated—not simply transgressed; but, have done violence to the law, by wresting it to wrong ends, and putting wrong constructions on it.
put no difference between the holy and profane, &c.—made no distinction between the clean and unclean (Le 10:10), the Sabbath and other days, sanctioning violations of that holy day. "Holy" means, what is dedicated to God; "profane," what is in common use; "unclean," what is forbidden to be eaten; "clean," what is lawful to be eaten.
I am profaned among them—They abuse My name to false or unjust purposes.
27. princes—who 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 (Mic 3:2, 3, 9-11; Joh 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 (see on Eze 13:10; Eze 21:29; Jer 6:14; 23:16, 17; 27:9, 10).
29. The people—put last, after the mention of those in office. Corruption had spread downwards through the whole community.
wrongfully—that is, "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 Jehovah by kindness, instead of being alienated by oppression; especially as the Israelites were commanded to remember that they themselves had been "strangers in Egypt" (Ex 22:21; 23:9).
30. the hedge—the wall (see on Eze 13:5); image for leading the people to repentance.
the gap—the breach (Ps 106:23); image for interceding between the people and God (Ge 20:7; Ex 32:11; Nu 16:48).
I found none—(Jer 5:1)—not that literally there was not a righteous man in the city. For Jeremiah, Baruch, &c., were still there; but Jeremiah had been forbidden to pray for the people (Jer 11:14), as being doomed to wrath. 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," that is, among those just enumerated as guilty of such sins (Eze 22:25-29), was morally able for such an office.
31. their own way … recompensed upon their heads—(Eze 9:10; 11:21; 16:43; Pr 1:31; Isa 3:11; Jer 6:19).