Ezekiel 22:19

Translation
King James Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
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KJV (with Strong's)
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.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'Because you have all become dross, I will collect all of you inside Yerushalayim.
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Berean Standard Bible
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem.
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American Standard Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye are all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
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World English Bible Messianic
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Therefore, thus sayth the Lord God, Because ye are all as drosse, beholde, therefore I will gather you in the middes of Ierusalem.
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Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of your all becoming dross, Therefore, lo, I am gathering you unto the midst of Jerusalem,
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See also
Ezekiel 24:3Ezekiel 24:6Matthew 13:30Matthew 13:40Matthew 13:42Micah 4:12Ezekiel 11:7
In the KJVVerse 20,996 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 22:19 delivers a potent divine declaration of judgment against Jerusalem, portraying its inhabitants as utterly debased "dross" due to their pervasive sin and rebellion against God. The Lord GOD, through His prophet Ezekiel, announces His sovereign intent to gather this corrupt populace into the very heart of Jerusalem, not for protection, but for a severe, refining process of divine judgment, foreshadowing the impending Babylonian siege and subsequent exile. This verse powerfully underscores God's unwavering righteousness, His indignation against impurity, and His active role in purging His covenant people.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Ezekiel 22 stands as a searing prophetic indictment, often termed a "bloody city" oracle, meticulously detailing Jerusalem's profound moral and spiritual corruption. Prior to this verse, the chapter catalogues a litany of the city's manifold sins: bloodshed, idolatry, disrespect for parents, oppression of the vulnerable, sexual immorality, bribery, and violence, implicating all strata of society—from princes and priests to the common people (e.g., Ezekiel 22:1-12). God's righteous response to this deep-seated depravity is one of indignation and a declaration of judgment, culminating in the pronouncement that He will "smite" His hand and stamp His foot in righteous anger (e.g., Ezekiel 22:13-14). Verse Ezekiel 22:19 introduces the powerful metaphor of smelting, which is then extensively elaborated in Ezekiel 22:20-22, explicitly portraying Jerusalem as a furnace for purification, thereby setting the stage for the coming siege and ultimate destruction.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The prophet Ezekiel ministered during the tumultuous period of the Babylonian exile, commencing around 597 BCE. His prophecies were directed primarily to the exiled community in Babylon, yet also carried a message of warning and judgment to the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem. The historical backdrop is one of impending doom for Jerusalem, which would eventually fall to Babylon in 586 BCE. Despite being the spiritual and political heart of Judah, the city had become deeply defiled by syncretistic worship, pervasive injustice, and widespread moral decay, heedless of numerous prophetic warnings. The imagery of smelting metals was a familiar and well-understood process in the ancient Near East. Refiners would heat raw ore to extreme temperatures to separate valuable metals from worthless impurities, or "dross." This industrial process provided a powerful and visceral metaphor for divine judgment, where God assumes the role of the divine refiner, utilizing the crucible of Jerusalem's siege and destruction as a means to purge the impurities from His covenant people.
  • Key Themes: This verse significantly contributes to several overarching theological and narrative themes found within the book of Ezekiel and the broader prophetic corpus. It powerfully highlights the theme of Divine Judgment and Sovereignty, emphasizing that God is not a passive observer but an active participant in punishing sin and executing His righteous decrees, a truth underscored by the authoritative declaration, "thus saith the Lord GOD." The concept of Israel's Corruption and Apostasy is central, with the vivid metaphor of "dross" illustrating the nation's profound spiritual degradation, moral impurity, and loss of covenant faithfulness—a recurring lament throughout the prophets (e.g., Isaiah 1:21-23). Furthermore, the theme of Jerusalem as a Crucible of Judgment is powerfully introduced; the city, once consecrated as holy, becomes the very locus where God's intense purification will occur, transforming it from a sanctuary into a furnace of divine discipline. This imagery, though severe, ultimately points towards God's ultimate purpose of Purification and Restoration, even if achieved through painful means, as seen in other prophetic passages that speak of a refined remnant (e.g., Malachi 3:2-3).

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • dross (Hebrew, çîyg', H5509): This term, also appearing as suwg, refers specifically to the scoria, refuse, or worthless impurities that separate from precious metals during the smelting process. In this context, it serves as a stark and vivid portrayal of the spiritual and moral state of the people of Jerusalem. They have become contaminated, worthless, and devoid of the purity and integrity God intended for His covenant people. It signifies their profound degradation and unworthiness in God's holy sight, a result of their pervasive sin and rebellion.
  • gather (Hebrew, qâbats', H6908): Derived from a primitive root meaning "to grasp" or "collect," this word, while often implying a gentle assembly, here carries a forceful, purposeful, and inescapable connotation. It is not a gathering for protection, unity, or blessing, but rather a collection for the express purpose of judgment and purification. God is actively and sovereignly bringing them together into a confined space—Jerusalem—to undergo an intense, unavoidable, and refining process.
  • midst (Hebrew, tâvek', H8432): Originating from a root meaning "to sever," this word denotes the center, middle, or bisection. Placing the people "into the midst of Jerusalem" profoundly emphasizes the inescapable and centralized nature of the impending judgment. Jerusalem, their supposed sanctuary, capital, and place of security, becomes the very epicenter of their suffering and refinement, a place from which there is no escape and where the divine judgment will be most intensely felt.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;": This opening declaration serves as a powerful and authoritative pronouncement, asserting the divine origin and absolute certainty of the message that follows. It emphasizes that this is not a human opinion or a mere prophetic warning, but a direct, unalterable word from the sovereign God, signifying His righteous indignation and unwavering purpose. The combined titles "Lord GOD" (Adonai YHWH) underscore His supreme authority and covenant faithfulness, even in judgment.
  • "Because ye are all become dross,": This clause articulates the fundamental reason for God's impending judgment. The people of Jerusalem, encompassing all strata of society from leaders to common citizens, have become utterly corrupted, impure, and worthless in God's sight, likened to the base impurities separated from precious metals. This metaphor vividly highlights their profound spiritual degradation, their pervasive moral decay, and their abject failure to uphold their covenant responsibilities and reflect God's holiness.
  • "behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.": This concluding clause declares the divine action and its specific location. The interjection "behold" draws emphatic attention to the imminent and certain nature of the judgment. God Himself will actively "gather" them, not for salvation or protection, but for an inescapable confrontation with His purifying wrath. Jerusalem, the once-holy city and the supposed refuge of God's people, will paradoxically become the very crucible for this intense, fiery judgment, a place of no escape from divine discipline.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 22:19 is profoundly rich in Metaphor and Symbolism. The central and most impactful metaphor is that of smelting, where the people of Jerusalem are vividly depicted as base metal, and their pervasive sin has rendered them "dross." This imagery is powerful because it transforms the city itself into a crucible or furnace, a place of intense heat and purification, where the impurities will be burned away. The divine declaration, "I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem," symbolizes a forceful confinement for judgment, much like raw ore is confined within a furnace to undergo refinement. This also employs a striking Irony, as Jerusalem, meant to be a city of peace, safety, and God's dwelling, becomes the very locus of their intense suffering and judgment. Furthermore, the phrase "thus saith the Lord GOD" functions as a powerful Authoritative Declaration, underscoring the divine origin, absolute certainty, and inevitability of the pronouncement, leaving no room for doubt regarding its fulfillment.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 22:19 profoundly reveals God's unyielding commitment to holiness and His righteous, necessary response to pervasive sin. It underscores that divine judgment is not arbitrary or capricious, but a just and inevitable consequence of deep-seated corruption, serving as a means by which God purifies His people. The vivid imagery of dross and refining highlights God's sovereign control over even the most severe trials and periods of discipline, using them to purge impurity and restore His people to a state of spiritual integrity. This process, though often excruciatingly painful, is ultimately redemptive in its intent, aiming to produce a people fit for His holy presence and purpose.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 22:19 serves as a stark and sobering reminder that God takes sin profoundly seriously, especially among those who bear His name and are called His covenant people. The chilling metaphor of "dross" compels us to undertake a rigorous self-examination: are we, as individuals and as the church, allowing impurities—unconfessed sin, subtle idolatries, compromise with worldly values, or spiritual apathy—to accumulate and diminish our value and effectiveness in God's eyes? This verse challenges us to recognize that God's refining process, though often uncomfortable, painful, and seemingly harsh, is in fact a necessary and loving act of a Father who desires His children's purity and conformity to His character. It teaches us that difficult circumstances, personal trials, or periods of divine discipline may be God's sovereign way of "gathering" us into a crucible, not with the intent to destroy, but to purge the dross, sanctify our hearts, and conform us more fully to the image of Christ. We are called to embrace this refining, trusting in His ultimate purpose for our good and His glory, knowing that true purity comes through His transformative hand.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what specific areas of my life might spiritual "dross" be accumulating, hindering my intimacy with God and my Christ-like character?
  • How do I typically respond to difficult or refining circumstances in my life? Do I perceive them as God's purifying hand at work, or merely as random misfortune?
  • What does this verse teach me about the profound seriousness of sin and the unwavering holiness of God, and how should this understanding shape my daily walk?

FAQ

What does "dross" mean in the context of this verse?

Answer: In Ezekiel 22:19, "dross" (Hebrew: çîyg) refers to the worthless impurities, slag, or refuse that separates from precious metals like silver or gold when they are heated and refined in a furnace. It is a powerful and derogatory metaphor used to describe the moral and spiritual state of the people of Jerusalem. They had become so thoroughly corrupted by sin—including idolatry, injustice, violence, and moral decay—that they were no longer pure, valuable, or useful in God's sight, but rather like the discarded waste product of a refining process. This imagery underscores their profound degradation, their loss of covenant integrity, and their unworthiness before a holy God.

Why does God say He will "gather" them "into the midst of Jerusalem" if it's for judgment?

Answer: The act of "gathering" (Hebrew: qâbats) in this context is not for protection, assembly in a positive sense, or a return from exile. Instead, it signifies a forceful, purposeful collection for the specific aim of intense judgment and purification. Jerusalem, the very capital and supposed sanctuary of God's people, paradoxically becomes the "furnace" or "crucible" where this divine judgment will be executed. By gathering them "into the midst" of the city, God emphasizes the inescapable and centralized nature of the coming trials. It implies a confinement within the very place that will experience the full force of His wrath and refining fire, as further elaborated in Ezekiel 22:20-22. This is a profound reversal of expectation, transforming a place of supposed security and divine presence into a place of intense divine discipline and purging.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Ezekiel 22:19 speaks of a severe judgment upon an unfaithful Israel, its potent imagery of dross and divine refining finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment, not in condemnation for believers, but in the redemptive and purifying work of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Refiner, who through His perfect life, atoning sacrifice, and glorious resurrection, deals decisively with the "dross" of sin in humanity. He does not gather His people into a city for fiery judgment, but rather gathers them into Himself, the true Temple, where they are made pure and reconciled to God. The "dross" of our sin, which separates us from a holy God, was fully borne by Christ on the cross, as He "became sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (e.g., 2 Corinthians 5:21). For those united to Christ by faith, the refining fire spoken of in the New Testament is not one of condemnation, but of sanctification by the Holy Spirit (e.g., 1 Peter 1:6-7). Our trials and sufferings are not God's judgment for dross, but rather a process by which our faith is tested, purified, and proven genuine, yielding a precious spiritual outcome (e.g., Romans 5:3-5). Ultimately, Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, makes us pure and blameless before God, transforming us from spiritual dross into precious vessels for His glory (e.g., Ephesians 5:25-27).

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Commentary on Ezekiel 22 verses 17–22

The same melancholy string is still harped upon, and various turns are given it, to make it affecting, that it may be influencing. The prophet must here show, or at least it is here shown him, that the whole house of Israel has become as dross and that as dross they shall be consumed. What David has said concerning the wicked ones of the world is here said concerning the wicked ones of the church, now that it is corrupt and degenerate (Psa 119:119): Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross.

I. See here how the wretched degeneracy of the house of Israel is described. That state, in David's and Solomon's time, had been a head of gold; when the kingdoms were divided it was as the arms of silver. But now, 1. It has degenerated into baser metal, of no value in comparison with what it formerly was: They are all brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, which some make to signify divers sorts of sinners among them. Their being brass denotes the impudence of some in their wickedness; they are brazen-faced, and cannot blush; their shoes had been iron and brass (Deu 33:25), but now their brow is so, Isa 48:4. Their being tin denotes the hypocritical profession of piety with which many of them cover their iniquity; they have a specious show, but no intrinsic worth. Their being iron denotes the cruel disposition of some, and their delight in war, according to the character of the iron age. Their being lead denotes their dulness, sottishness, and stupidity: though soft and pliable to evil, yet heavy and not movable to good. How has the gold become dross! How has the most fine gold changed! So is Jerusalem's degeneracy bewailed, Lam 4:1. Yet this is not the worst; these metals, though of less value, are yet of good use. But, 2. The house of Israel has become dross to me. So she is in God's account, whatever she is in her own and her neighbours' account. They were silver, but now they are even the dross of silver; the word signifies all the dirt, and rubbish, and worthless stuff, that are separated from the silver in the washing, melting, and refining of it. Note, Sinners, and especially degenerate professors, are in God's account as dross, vile, and contemptible, and of no account, as the evil figs which could not be eaten, they were so evil. They are useless and fit for nothing; of no consistency with themselves and no service to man.

II. How the woeful destruction of this degenerate house of Israel is foretold. They are all gathered together in Jerusalem; thither people fled from all parts of the country as to a city of refuge, not only because it was a strong city, but because it was the holy city. Now God tells them that their flocking into Jerusalem, which they intended for their security, should be as the gathering of various sorts of metal into the furnace or crucible, to be melted down, and to have the dross separated from them. They are in the midst of Jerusalem, surrounded by the forces of the enemy; and, being thus enclosed, 1. The fire of God's wrath shall be kindled upon this furnace, and it shall be blown, to make it burn fiercely and strongly, Eze 22:20, Eze 22:21. God will gather them in his anger and fury. The blowing of the fire makes a great noise, so will the judgments of God upon Jerusalem. When God stirs up himself to execute judgments upon a provoking people, from the consideration of his own glory and the necessity of making some examples, then he may be said to blow the fire of his wrath against sin and sinners, to heat the furnace seven times hotter. 2. The several sorts of metal gathered in it shall be melted; by a complication of judgments, as by a raging fire, their constitution shall be dissolved, they shall lose all their former shape and strength, and shall be utterly unable to stand before the wrath of God. The various sorts of sinners shall be melted down together, and united in a common overthrow, as brass and lead in the same furnace, as trees are bound in bundles for the fire. They came together into Jerusalem as a place of defence, but God brought them together there as unto a place of execution. 3. God will leave them in the furnace (Eze 22:20): I will gather you into the furnace and will leave you there. When God brings his own people into the furnace he sits by them, as the refiner by his gold, to see that they be not continued there any longer than is fitting and needful; but he will bring these people into the furnace, as men throw dross into it, which they design shall be consumed, and therefore are in no care about it, but leave it there. Compare with this Hos 5:14, I will tear and go away. 4. Hereby the dross shall be wholly separated and the good metal purified, the impenitent shall be destroyed and the penitent reformed and fitted for deliverance. Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer, Pro 25:4. This judgment shall do that in the house of Israel for the doing of which other methods had been tried in vain, and reprobate silver shall they no more be called, Jer 6:30.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 17–22. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Ver. 23, 24 onwards) Again, I raised my hand against them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the lands, because they had not performed my judgments, and had rejected my commandments, and had violated my Sabbaths, and their eyes had been after the idols (or thoughts) of their fathers. Therefore, I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments in which they would not live, and I defiled them in their offerings (or transgressions), as they offered (or led astray) everything that opens the womb because of their sins (for which the Septuagint translated, to destroy them and what they had overlooked): and they will know that I am the Lord. Where in the Old Testament, against their children, who fell in the wilderness, the Lord lifted up His hand to scatter them among the nations, Scripture does not say; but it is to be believed that this was done in accordance with what is reported here. Or he signifies by this, that after they entered the promised land, they were given over at various times, for many sins, to different nations and kings, and at that time the commandments of the Lord, which were good according to their nature, and the judgments by which believers could live, were made not good for them, since they were in no way able to keep the precepts of the law in captivity, and to do what the divine word commanded. He did not say, 'I gave them evil commandments,' but, 'not good commandments.' For it does not immediately follow that what is not good is evil, as the Apostle teaches, it is good for a man not to touch a woman; but because of incontinence, let each possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor (I Cor. VII). And if he does not do this, it is neither good nor evil. Therefore, God gave them, dispersed among the nations, not good commandments, that is, he allowed them to follow their own thoughts and desires, to do what is not appropriate. And he defiled them in his gifts: just as a Priest separates lepers from the people, and shows that they are defiled; while they offer to idols what they should offer to God. And they pass everything that opens the womb through the fire of Baal, that is, the firstborn; so that after they have deserted God and been handed over to the worship of idols, then they may understand that He is the Lord whom they have provoked to anger by their own fault. Symmachus interpreted this passage more explicitly, treating the future as past. Therefore, I will also give them bad precepts and judgments for which they will not live, and I will defile them because of their gifts, as they consecrate and offer everything that opens the womb, so that I may destroy them, and they will know that I am the Lord. And the meaning is this: because I have seen the sons of the fathers equaling the wickedness of their ancestors and doing the same things for which they offended God, I wanted to divide them into nations and disperse them throughout the whole world, and give them bad precepts and judgments in which they would not live, so that I may defile them with their gifts, for they consecrated everything that opens the womb to idols, and I may destroy them forever, and they will know that I am the Lord. Through which he showed that he had not given them good commandments who dwelt in the wilderness, but to those whom he wanted to scatter among the nations, and to make foreigners in the whole world, he gave them a desire for things that he did not give: so that there they would do good commandments of God, not good because of their own fault, while they exhibited to idols what God had commanded to be exhibited. This can also be said, that before the offense, they received only the Ten Commandments; but after idolatry and blasphemy, they received multiple ceremonies of the law, so that they would offer victims to God rather than to demons, and by comparison with sacrilege, what was not good in itself became lighter, and by no means evil, because it was offered to God, and yet not good, because they offended the author of good.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Vers. 17 seqq.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, the house of Israel has become like dross to me. All of them, copper, tin, iron, and lead, are in the midst of the furnace; they have become silver dross. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become like dross, behold, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem as a gathering of silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead in the midst of the furnace, to kindle a fire in it for melting. Thus I will gather in my fury and in my wrath and I will rest and melt you, and I will kindle you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst, like silver melted in the midst of a furnace. So you shall be in its midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have poured out my indignation upon you. The Hebrew word Sig (), Symmachus translates as dross, Aquila's first edition as grape stone and γίγαρτον, which signifies both grape seed and grape stalk. But the second translation of it, and the Septuagint's rendering, means a blending. Furthermore, it signifies dross, filth, and the waste of metals; so that subsequently, with the nearby captivity, or rather the impending destruction of the city, fire is applied: so that during the process of blending, pure silver remains, which had been mixed with and defiled by copper, tin, iron, and lead: three of which, copper, tin, and lead, are fusible substances, and are dissolved by fire. But truly, iron between the anvil and the hammer becomes soft and thin, and takes on various forms, according to the will of the craftsman. Just as, therefore, silver, which the aforementioned metals have tarnished, is put into the furnace, so that, with the impurities and foreign materials removed, it may remain pure, thus, he says, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem, and I will surround Babylon with siege, in order to kindle in you a fire for refining. And just as there the immense heat of flames is present, here hunger and pestilence will do the same: so that after I have gathered you and set you on fire with the fire of fury, then I will rest, and with the punishment of your contempt, I will restrain the pain. And I will do all this, so that after I have poured out my indignation upon you, the end of your torment may be known to me; and you shall know that I am the Lord, the judge of all and the avenger. And as for what is said to be a refiner, we read in many places, but especially in Malachi and Isaiah, of whom one says: 'Behold, the Lord will come like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap, and he will sit refining and purifying like gold and silver, and he will refine the sons of Levi.' (Mal. III, 1, 3). Moreover, the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion and cleanse the blood from their midst, with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning (Isa. IV, 4). And I believe this to sound like what is said in the Psalms: Examine me, O Lord, and test me (Ps. XXV, 2). After which it is said: Burn my kidneys and my heart, so that all the harmful fluids of the loins may be dried up, along with their wicked deeds, and the coverings that have been placed (Ps. XXV, 2). What we understand about Jerusalem, let us understand also about the state of souls, which were created pure by God: they have received gold in sense and wisdom, and silver in speech and eloquence, so that they may express with words what they have conceived in their minds. We read of silver: The speech of the Lord is pure speech; silver tried in a furnace of earth, refined seven times.\nSimilarly, the seventy-seventh psalm mentions gold and silver, where it is written: If you sleep among the nations wilees, and the wings of a silver dove, and its back parts are in greenness, or in the color of gold.\nFor all the glory of the daughter of the king is within, which speaks in the Song of Songs: The king has brought me into his chamber. He who has slept and rested between two Testaments will immediately assume the silver wings of a dove, and with gold in the treasure of his heart, he will shine with radiant light. I believe this has the meaning that for sinners and those who have earned the offense of God, the sky is made of brass and the earth is made of iron, especially the land of Egypt, from which the Lord brought forth Israel, as if from a fiery furnace. In Zechariah, also, wickedness sits upon a talent of lead (Zech. V). And in the Song of Exodus it is said: They were submerged like lead in violent waters (Exod. XV, 10). For they were burdened with the weight of their sins, and they could say: Heavy burdens are weighing down on me (Ps. XXXVII, 6). However, just as the appearance of gold deceitfully imitates the likeness of adulterated copper, so does tin simulate the whiteness of silver, which the simple and rustic cannot easily discern. And it often happens that gold and silver, mixed with heretical wickedness, are separated by the fire of the Holy Spirit and the judgment of the Lord, and pure gold and silver remain, of which the prophet says: I gave them silver and gold, but they made Baal out of them (Hosea II, 8). To whom is it similar: 'I led them out with silver and gold, and there was no feeble one among their tribes' (Psalm 104, 37). Let the end of all punishments be to know that the Lord himself is God. We read about a tin stone, or a tin mass, in Zechariah (Zechariah 4), which we have interpreted in its proper place.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 27, 29 onwards) Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them: Thus says the Lord God: Moreover, your fathers have blasphemed against me and have treated me with contempt, even as they spurned me. And I brought them into the land that I had lifted my hand to give them ((Vulgate adds: that land)): they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and presented there the irritation of their offerings, and they placed there the fragrance of their sweetness, and they poured out their ((Vulgate is silent on this)) libations there. And I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you are going?' And its name was called the High Place until this day. Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: As for your fathers, they have provoked Me to anger by their iniquities, by the fact that they have fallen away from Me. So I brought them into the land that I had lifted My hand in an oath to give them.' They saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices. They also presented there the provocation of their gifts, and they set there their pleasing aroma, and they poured out there their drink offerings. And I said to them: What is abbana, because you enter there? And they called its name abbana until this day. I wanted, he said, to scatter them in the wilderness, and to give them not good precepts, so that they would sacrifice to idols what they should have offered to me, and consecrate all their first-fruits to them by fire, so that I might kill them and destroy them. But when he says, I wanted, he shows that he did not do what he wanted. And that which follows: 'And they shall know that I am the Lord,' is not found in the Septuagint. For it did not seem fitting to them to know after their destruction that he himself is the Lord. But you, son of man, speak again to them, that is, to the elders of the house of Israel, who have come to inquire of you: Your fathers, from whom you have descended, have also blasphemed against me and held me in contempt; after I brought them into the land which I had given them to possess, they turned against me to provoke me. For when they saw every high hill and leafy tree, they would sacrifice on the mountains and in the groves and thickets, and offer victims to the idols, and pour out libations. And when I saw this, I said to them: What is this, Bama? for it is called high: or why do you enter into such a place which you have chosen for yourselves in all the hills, so that even today these places are called Bamoth, and the ancient error retains its original name? Regarding Bama, which we translate as excelsum, there is an error in the Septuagint edition, where it is written as ἀββανὰ, which does not resonate in the Hebrew language. Bama can mean 'in which' if the two syllables are divided into two words, but in the present context, that sense does not fit. However, wherever it is written in the Books of Kings and Chronicles: 'The people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places,' Bama in the singular and Bamoth in the plural mean 'high places.'
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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