_There were two women, daughters of one mother_ Judah and Israel, two kingdoms. “Countries are commonly represented as mothers of their people, and the inhabitants as their children: so _the daughters of Syria_ signify the inhabitants of that country, Ezekiel 16:57. Thus Samaria and Jerusalem are de... [ Continue Reading ]
_The names of them were Aholah and Aholibah_ “The word _Aholah_ signifies, _Her tent_, or _tabernacle: Aholibah_ denotes, _My tent_, or _tabernacle, is in her._ These two different appellations imply that Samaria had indeed a tabernacle, or place for public worship, but of her own devising; namely,... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine_ When she was under my government and protection. “After she had lived in covenant with me, and attended upon my service and worship all the time of the judges, and of David and Solomon, she fell off from my service, and was the first that established... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus she committed whoredoms with them She defiled herself with idols_, as the sense is more plainly expressed at the end of the verse. _Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt_ She added new idolatries to those she had formerly committed: see Ezekiel 23:3. _Wherefore I delivered her into... [ Continue Reading ]
_When her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt _ Jerusalem was so far from taking warning by the judgments inflicted on Samaria, that she advanced to greater degrees of idolatry. _She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours_ Ahaz, king of Judah, entered into a confederacy with the king of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then_ When she neither took warning nor feared; _I saw that she was defiled_ That her heart was already set on her idols; _that they both_ Samaria and Jerusalem; _took one way_ That Judah fell into the same idolatrous practices as Israel. _And that she increased her whoredoms_ Added to the number o... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Babylonians came to her_, &c. The metaphor of representing idolatry by the inordinate lust of adultery is still carried on. _And her mind was alienated from them_ She quickly grew weary of these also, as lewd women are of their former gallants, and look out for new ones. She broke her leagu... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will raise up thy lovers against thee_, &c. I will execute my judgments upon thee, by those very Babylonians whose alliance and idolatries thou hast been so fond of, but since hast broken the league thou madest with them, contracting a new one with Egypt, and thereby hast provoked them to revenge... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will set my jealousy against thee_, &c. I will be against thee, as a jealous man is against his wife; _and they shall deal furiously_ And they, as the executioners of my wrath, shall act toward thee as persons provoked to great fury. _And they shall take away thy nose_, &c. A punishment of adulte... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, I will deliver thee_, &c. I will give thee up into the power of the Chaldeans, whom thou wast formerly fond of, Ezekiel 23:22; but since thou hast broken thy league and friendship with them, thy love is turned into hatred: see Ezekiel 23:17. _They shall deal with thee hatefully_, &c. As tho... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore will I give her cup_, &c. I will make thee drink the same bitter draught, or experience the same calamity that has fallen upon her. God's judgments are often compared to a cup of intoxicating liquors, because they astonish men, and bereave them of common judgment and discretion, and likew... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah_ That is, Samaria and Jerusalem? The meaning is, _Wilt thou not judge_, or, _Wilt thou not condemn them? That they have committed adultery, and blood is_, &c. That they have been guilty of the heinous sins of murder and adultery; _and have also caused their sons_... [ Continue Reading ]
_And furthermore, ye have sent for men to come from far,_ &c. Here the same thing which was spoken of in the former part of the chapter, is mentioned again in other words, namely, their courting the alliances of foreign nations, by complying with their idolatries: and this is set forth under the rep... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then I said unto her that was_ grown _old in adulteries_ Aholibah, who had been long idolatrous. The words import that experience might, before this time, have sufficiently convinced her of the folly of her ways. _Will they now commit whoredoms with her?_ God is here represented as waiting to see w... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the righteous men, they shall judge them_ All just judges, yea, all men that have any sense of common honesty, will condemn their conduct, and pronounce them deserving of the punishment of adulteresses and murderers. Or, as others interpret the words, “As upright magistrates used to condemn and... [ Continue Reading ]