Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (1) Taken up by God's gratuitous favour from infancy (Ezekiel 16:1); (2) and, when grown up, joined to Him in spiritual marriage (Ezekiel 16:8); (3) Her unfaithfulness and her sin (Ezekiel 16:15); (4) The judgment (); (5) Her unlooked-for resto... [ Continue Reading ]
Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, CAUSE JERUSALEM TO KNOW HER ABOMINATIONS. Men often are so blind as not to perceive their guilt, which is patent to all. "Jerusalem" represents the whole kingdom of Judah.... [ Continue Reading ]
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. THY BIRTH AND THY NATIVITY - thy origin and birth; literally, thy diggings (cf. ) and thy bringings forth. IS OF THE LAND OF CANAAN - in w... [ Continue Reading ]
And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. IN THE DAY THOU WAST BORN THY NAVEL WAS NOT CUT. Israel's helplessness in her first struggling into national existence, un... [ Continue Reading ]
None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. BUT THOU WAST CAST OUT IN THE OPEN FIELD. The exposure of infants was common in ancient times. TO THE LOATHI... [ Continue Reading ]
And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. WHEN I PASSED BY THEE - as if a traveler. AND SAW THEE POLLUTED IN THINE OWN BLOOD - but, Piscator, 'ready to be tro... [ Continue Reading ]
I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. I HAVE CAUSED THEE TO MULTIPLY - literally, I ... made thee a myriad. A... [ Continue Reading ]
Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. THY TIME WAS THE TIME OF LOVE - literally,... [ Continue Reading ]
Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. THEN WASHED I THEE - as brides used to pass through a preparatory purification (). So Israel, before the giving of the law at Sinai (, "Moses sanctified the people, and they washed thei... [ Continue Reading ]
I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I CLOTHED THEE ALSO WITH BROIDERED WORK. Psalms 45:13, similarly describes the Church (Israel, the appointed mother of Christendom) adorned as a bride... [ Continue Reading ]
I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. I PUT BRACELETS UPON THY HANDS - the marriage gifts to Rebekah (; ). AND A CHAIN ON THY NECK - (, "The instruction of thy father ... shall be chains about thy neck").... [ Continue Reading ]
And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. I PUT A JEWEL ON THY FOREHEAD - rather, 'a ring in thy nose' (). A CROWN - at once the badge of a bride, and of her being made a queen, as being consort of the king: the very name Israel meani... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. THOU DIDST EAT FINE FLOUR, AND HONEY, AND OIL. These three mixed f... [ Continue Reading ]
And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. THY RENOWN WENT FORTH AMONG THE HEATHEN. The theocracy reached its highest point under Solomon, when distant potentates heard of his "fame" (, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. BUT THOU DIDST TRUST IN THINE OWN BEAUTY. Instead of attributing the glory of her privileges and gifts to God, Israel prided herself... [ Continue Reading ]
And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. DECKEDST THY HIGH PLACES WITH DIVERS COLOURS - or, 'didst make thy high places of divers colours' (Fairbairn); the met... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, THOU HAST ALSO TAKEN THY FAIR JEWELS OF MY GOLD AND OF MY SILVER - (, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of h... [ Continue Reading ]
And tookest thy broidered garments and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. TOOKEST THY BROIDERED GARMENTS, AND COVEREDST THEM - i:e., the idols, as if an adult... [ Continue Reading ]
My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD. MY MEAT ... WHICH I GAVE THEE - (Hosea 2:8). THOU HAST EVEN SET IT BEFORE THEM - as a minchaah (H4503) or "meat offer... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, THY SONS AND THY DAUGHTERS, WHOM THOU HAST BORN UNTO ME. Though thy "children," yet they belong "unto me" rather th... [ Continue Reading ]
And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. THOU HAST NOT REMEMBERED THE DAYS OF THY YOUTH. Forgetfulness of God's love is the source of all sins. Israel forgot her deliverance by G... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) (Woe, woe unto thee! ... ) This parenthetical exclamation has an awful effect, coming like a lightning-flash of judgment amidst the black clouds of Israel's guilt.... [ Continue Reading ]
That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. THOU HAST ALSO BUILT UNTO THEE AN EMINENT PLACE - rather, 'a fornication-chamber,' often connected with the impure rites of idolatry; spiritual fornication, on 'an eminent place," correspondin... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. THOU HAST BUILT THY HIGH PLACE AT EVERY HEAD OF THE WAY - in the most frequented places, like a harlot (). HAST MAD... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. THOU HAST ALSO COMMITTED FORNICATION WITH THE EGYPTIANS - alliances with Egypt, cemented by sharing their idolatries. GREAT OF FLESH - of powerful v... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. BEHOLD, THEREFORE I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HAND OVER THEE. The consequen... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. THOU HAST PLAYED THE WHORE ALSO WITH THE ASSYRIANS BECAUSE THOU WAST UNSATIABLE - not satisfied with whoredoms with neighhours, thou ha... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. THOU HAST MOREOVER MULTIPLIED THY FORNICATION IN ... CANAAN UNTO CHALDEA - thou hast multiplied thy idolatries "in Canaan" by sending "unto Chaldea" to borrow from thence t... [ Continue Reading ]
How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; HOW WEAK IS THINE HEART! Sin weakens the intellect ("heart"), as, on the contrary, "the way of the Lord is strength to the upright" ().... [ Continue Reading ]
In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; IN THAT THOU BUILDEST THINE EMINENT PLACE IN THE HEAD OF EVERY WAY ... IN EVERY STREET. Repetition of . AND HAST NOT BEEN... [ Continue Reading ]
But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! WHICH TAKETH STRANGERS INSTEAD OF HER HUSBAND - referring to Numbers 5:19-4; Numbers 5:29. Fairbairn translates [ tachat (H8478) 'iyshah (H376)], 'while under her husband.'... [ Continue Reading ]
They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. THE CONTRARY IS IN THEE FROM OTHER WOMEN IN THY WHOREDOMS, WHEREAS NONE FOLLOWETH THEE ... AND IN THAT THOU GIVEST A REWARD. Israel hired her... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: WHEREFORE, O HARLOT. Here begins the threat of wrath to be poured out on her.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; BECAUSE THY FILTHINESS WAS POURED OUT - "filthiness,... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. BEHOLD, THE... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. I WILL JUDGE THEE, AS WOMEN THAT BREAK WEDLOCK - (; cf. ). In the case of individual adulteresses, stoning was the penalty (John 8:4). In the case of communities, the sword... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. The result of the awful judgment shall be when divine vengeance has run its course it shall ce... [ Continue Reading ]
So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. SO WILL I MAKE MY FURY TOWARD THEE TO REST - when my justice has exacted the full penalty commensurate with thy awful guilt (note, ). It is not a mitigation of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations. BECAUSE THOU HAST NOT REMEMBERED THE DAYS O... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. AS IS THE MOTHER SO IS HER DAUGHTER Is and so is are not in the original; the ellipsis gives the proverb AS IS THE MOTHER, SO IS HER DAUGHTER. Is, and so is, are not in the or... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. THOU ART THY MOTHER'S DAUGHTER, THAT LOATHE HER HUSBAND - i:e., as thy mother... [ Continue Reading ]
And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. THINE ELDER SISTER IS SAMARIA - older than Sodom, to whom Judah was less nearly related by kindred than she was to Samaria. S... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. YET HAST THOU NOT ... NOR DONE AFTER THEIR ABOMINATIONS - Milcom and Chemosh, the "abominations of Ammon and Moab" (; ). A... [ Continue Reading ]
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. SODOM THY SISTER HATH NOT DONE - (). Judah's guilt was not positively, but relatively, greater than Sodom's; because it was in the midst of such higher privileges and... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. BEHOLD, THIS WAS THE INIQUITY OF THY SISTER SODOM, PRIDE, FULLNESS OF BREAD - inherited by Moab, her o... [ Continue Reading ]
And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. THEY WERE HAUGHTY - puffed up with prosperity. AND COMMITTED, ABOMINATION BEFORE ME. Compare the phrase "sinners before the Lord exceedingly" (); said of those whose sin is so heinous as to cr... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done. NEITHER HATH SAMARIA COMMITTED HALF OF THY SINS. Samaria, the kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel, was less... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters. THOU ALSO, WHICH HAST JUDGED THY SISTERS, B... [ Continue Reading ]
When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: WHEN I SHALL BRING AGAIN THEIR CAPTIVITY. Here follows a promise of restoration. Even th... [ Continue Reading ]
That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. THAT THOU MAYEST BEAR THINE OWN SHAME - by being put on a level with those whom thou hast so much despised. IN THAT THOU ART A COMFORT UNTO THEM - since they see th... [ Continue Reading ]
When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. WHEN THY SISTERS ... SHALL RETURN TO THEIR FORMER ESTATE, THEN THOU AND THY DAUGHTERS... [ Continue Reading ]
For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, FOR THY SISTER SODOM WAS NOT MENTIONED - literally, was not for a report. Thou didst not deign to mention her name, as if her case could possibly apply as a warning to thee; but it did apply ().... [ Continue Reading ]
Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about. BEFORE THY WICKEDNESS WAS DISCOVERED - manifested to all, namely, by the punishment inflicted on the... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD. THOU HAST BORNE THY LEWDNESS - i:e., the punishment of it (). I do not treat thee with excessive rigour. Thy sin and punishment are exactly commensurate.... [ Continue Reading ]
For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. I WILL EVEN DEAL WITH THEE AS THOU HAST DONE, WHICH HAST DESPISED THE OATH - the "covenant" between God and Israel (; ). As thou hast despised it, so will I despise t... [ Continue Reading ]
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. NEVERTHELESS I WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT. The promise here bursts forth unexpectedly, like the sun from the dark clouds. With all her forgetfulness of God, God stil... [ Continue Reading ]
Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. THEN THOU SHALT REMEMBER. It is God who first remembers her before she remembers Him, and her own ways befor... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH THEE - (Hosea 2:19, "I will betroth thee unto me forever"). THOU SHALT KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD - not as elsewhere, by the judgments falling on thee, but by my so marvelously re... [ Continue Reading ]
That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD. THAT THOU MAYEST ... NEVER OPEN THY MOUTH - in vindication, or even palliation, of thyself, or expostulation with God... [ Continue Reading ]