Ezekiel 23:30

Translation
King James Version
I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.
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KJV (with Strong's)
I will do H6213 these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring H2181 after H310 the heathen H1471, and because thou art polluted H2930 with their idols H1544.
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Complete Jewish Bible
These things will be done to you because you have gone fornicating with the Goyim, and because you are defiled with their idols.
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Berean Standard Bible
have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
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American Standard Version
These things shall be done unto thee, for that thou hast played the harlot after the nations, and because thou art polluted with their idols.
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World English Bible Messianic
These things shall be done to you, because you have played the prostitute after the nations, and because you are polluted with their idols.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
I wil doe these things vnto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idoles.
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Young's Literal Translation
To do these things to thee, In thy going a-whoring after nations, Because thou hast been defiled with their idols,
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See also
Ezekiel 6:9Jeremiah 22:8Jeremiah 22:9Psalms 106:35Psalms 106:38Jeremiah 16:11Jeremiah 16:12
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Oholah and Oholibah
Oholah and Oholibah View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 21,038 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 23:30 pronounces God's unwavering judgment upon Jerusalem (Oholibah) for her profound spiritual apostasy and egregious covenant infidelity. The verse succinctly declares that the impending divine retribution is a direct and just consequence of Judah's persistent "whoring" after foreign nations and their detestable idols, leading to deep spiritual defilement. It serves as a climactic summation of the chapter's indictment, powerfully linking the nation's betrayal of its exclusive relationship with Yahweh to the inevitable and severe divine punishment.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Ezekiel 23 is a vivid and deeply graphic allegorical prophecy, extending the prophet's sustained indictment of Israel's unfaithfulness to Yahweh. It masterfully employs the metaphor of two sisters, Oholah (representing Samaria, the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Oholibah (representing Jerusalem, the Southern Kingdom of Judah), portraying them as prostitutes who have repeatedly violated their sacred covenant with God. The chapter meticulously details their escalating spiritual harlotry through illicit political alliances with powerful pagan empires like Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon, and their eager adoption of foreign idolatrous practices. Verse 30 functions as a climactic summary statement, following a comprehensive account of Oholibah's egregious sins and the detailed pronouncement of her impending judgment, which includes invasion, plunder, destruction, and public humiliation at the hands of her former "lovers." It explicitly connects "these things" – the severe and comprehensive punishments described in preceding verses, such as the devastation outlined in Ezekiel 23:25-29 – directly to the specific acts of spiritual adultery and idolatry committed by Judah.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: During Ezekiel's prophetic ministry, Judah found itself precariously positioned between the formidable geopolitical ambitions of dominant regional powers, notably Egypt and the rising Neo-Babylonian Empire. Despite repeated warnings from God through His prophets, Judah consistently chose to seek security, prosperity, and political stability through strategic alliances with these pagan nations, rather than placing their trust solely in Yahweh. This pursuit of foreign alliances often necessitated, or at least facilitated, the adoption of the religious practices, deities, and cultural norms of their powerful allies, thereby blurring the lines of their exclusive covenant with the God of Israel. The potent metaphor of "whoring" was particularly impactful and understood in ancient Near Eastern cultures, where political treaties were frequently solemnized with religious oaths and a nation's loyalty to its patron deity was paramount. Israel's unique covenant relationship with Yahweh was consistently depicted as a marriage (e.g., in Jeremiah 3:1-5), making their pursuit of other gods and foreign alliances a profound, scandalous act of spiritual adultery and betrayal against their divine husband.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully underscores several major theological and narrative themes prevalent throughout the book of Ezekiel and the broader prophetic corpus. Firstly, it highlights Divine Judgment for Unfaithfulness, demonstrating God's righteous wrath and unwavering justice against covenant infidelity and idolatry. The "these things" refer to the severe, humiliating, and divinely orchestrated punishments that God, as the wronged husband, will inflict upon His unfaithful "wife." Secondly, the theme of Spiritual Adultery and Idolatry is central, with the graphic and deeply offensive metaphor of "whoring" vividly portraying Israel's betrayal of their exclusive devotion to Yahweh by pursuing foreign gods and illicit political alliances. This is a recurring motif throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing God's absolute demand for exclusive worship, as foundational to the first commandment (e.g., Exodus 20:3-5). Thirdly, the verse emphasizes the Inescapable Consequences of Sin, illustrating the direct, inevitable, and divinely ordained link between Israel's actions of defilement through idolatry and the resulting divine wrath and destruction. Their "pollution with their idols" (as graphically detailed, for instance, in Ezekiel 23:7) rendered them ceremonially, morally, and spiritually unclean, making them unfit for God's holy presence and justly deserving of His judgment.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • whoring (Hebrew, zânâh', H2181): A primitive root meaning "to commit adultery" or "fornication," typically referring to the actions of a female. Figuratively, and most significantly in prophetic literature, it means "to commit idolatry." This term powerfully conveys the breaking of a sacred covenant, likening Israel's unfaithfulness to Yahweh (their divine husband) to the betrayal of a marriage vow through illicit sexual relations. It emphasizes the deep personal offense, profound betrayal, and spiritual prostitution against God's exclusive claim on His people.
  • heathen (Hebrew, gôwy', H1471): Referring to a "foreign nation" or "Gentile." In this context, it signifies the pagan nations with their false gods, corrupt practices, and idolatrous systems, with whom Israel formed illicit alliances and eagerly adopted their idolatry. The term highlights the external source of the defilement, emphasizing Israel's deliberate choice to turn away from Yahweh and embrace the ways, gods, and values of the surrounding world.
  • idols (Hebrew, gillûwl', H1544): Properly meaning "a log (as round)," but by implication, "an idol." This Hebrew term is often used with profound contempt in prophetic literature, suggesting something worthless, dung-like, or utterly detestable. It underscores the utter futility, abhorrence, and spiritual emptiness of the objects of Israel's worship, contrasting sharply with the living, holy, and sovereign God. The use of this term emphasizes the profound spiritual degradation, moral decay, and intellectual blindness that resulted from their idolatrous practices.

Verse Breakdown

  • "I will do these [things] unto thee,": This clause unequivocally declares God's active, sovereign role as the executor of judgment. The "these things" refer to the comprehensive, devastating, and humiliating punishments detailed throughout Ezekiel 23, including invasion, plunder, shame, and destruction. All these consequences are divinely orchestrated as a direct, just, and inescapable response to Judah's actions. It highlights God's absolute sovereignty, His commitment to covenant justice, and the certainty of His righteous retribution.
  • "because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen,": This is the primary and most grievous accusation, identifying Judah's spiritual adultery as the fundamental root cause of God's righteous wrath. "Going a whoring" signifies their deliberate, persistent, and wanton pursuit of illicit political alliances with pagan nations and, by direct extension, their eager adoption of the religious practices, deities, and cultural values associated with those nations. It underscores a profound, willful, and repeated betrayal of their exclusive covenant relationship with Yahweh, who demanded and deserved their undivided devotion.
  • "[and] because thou art polluted with their idols.": This second clause specifies the nature and consequence of the "whoring" – it involved deep spiritual and moral defilement through idolatry. "Polluted" (Hebrew ṭâmêʼ) implies a state of ritual, moral, and spiritual uncleanness, rendering Judah utterly unfit for God's holy presence and communion. The "idols" are the detestable, lifeless objects of pagan worship, which brought spiritual contamination and moral corruption to the nation, further justifying the severity of the divine judgment. This pollution was not merely external but deeply ingrained, affecting the very heart of the nation.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 23:30, like the entire chapter, is exceptionally rich in literary devices that amplify its message of judgment and underscore the gravity of Israel's sin. The most prominent and pervasive device is Allegory, where the extended narrative of the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, serves as a comprehensive symbolic representation of the spiritual history and unfaithfulness of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, respectively. This allows for a vivid, emotionally charged, and deeply impactful portrayal of their covenant betrayal. Central to this allegory is the powerful and graphic Metaphor of "whoring" or "harlotry," which consistently depicts Israel's breaking of the covenant with Yahweh as a profound betrayal of a sacred marital vow. This metaphor is intentionally offensive and shocking, designed to convey the extreme gravity of their spiritual infidelity and the deep personal affront to God. Furthermore, Personification is evident in the portrayal of Samaria and Jerusalem as two human sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, who engage in human actions of lust, betrayal, and defilement. This personification makes the abstract concept of national sin tangible and relatable, emphasizing the active, culpable choices made by the people and their leaders that led to their catastrophic downfall. The stark imagery, direct accusations, and explicit pronouncements of judgment also contribute to a powerful sense of Divine Retribution, making it unequivocally clear that the severe consequences are a direct, just, and inevitable response from a holy and righteous God.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 23:30 powerfully articulates the foundational biblical principle that covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry inevitably lead to severe divine judgment. It underscores God's absolute demand for exclusive devotion from His people, a theme deeply rooted in the Mosaic covenant and consistently reiterated throughout the prophetic literature. The spiritual harlotry described here is not merely a moral failing but a profound theological offense, a betrayal of the unique, intimate, and exclusive relationship between Yahweh and Israel. This judgment serves as a stark reminder of God's unblemished holiness and His unwavering commitment to justice, demonstrating that He will not tolerate the defilement of His covenant people by pagan practices or divided loyalties. The severity of the pronounced punishment reflects the immense gravity of the sin, emphasizing that turning away from the one true God to worship created things or to seek security and identity in worldly alliances is an act of ultimate rebellion and spiritual treason.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 23:30 serves as a timeless, sobering, and profoundly relevant warning for all who claim to follow God, whether as individuals or as a collective body of believers. While ancient Israel's sin involved literal idols and political alliances, the underlying principle of spiritual compromise and divided allegiance remains profoundly relevant today. In our contemporary context, "going a whoring after the heathen" can manifest in myriad subtle yet insidious ways: prioritizing material wealth, worldly success, social approval, fleeting pleasures, or even self-worship above our exclusive devotion to Christ. Anything that occupies the place of ultimate authority, affection, and trust in our hearts, thereby displacing God, effectively becomes an idol. This verse calls us to a radical and honest self-examination: What are we allowing to subtly pollute our spiritual lives? Are we seeking security, identity, and fulfillment in worldly systems, philosophies, or cultural trends rather than in God's sovereign provision, unchanging truth, and redemptive power? The consequence of such spiritual infidelity is not merely a loss of blessing but a profound defilement that hinders our intimate relationship with a holy God and inevitably invites His righteous discipline. Therefore, we are called to cultivate unwavering faithfulness, purity of heart, and an exclusive, undivided devotion to the Lord, recognizing that true life, lasting joy, and abundant blessing are found only in Him.

Questions for Reflection

  • What "heathen" influences or "idols" in my life or culture might be subtly drawing my devotion away from God?
  • How might I be inadvertently polluting my spiritual life by compromising with worldly values, secular philosophies, or self-centered pursuits?
  • In what specific areas of my life am I tempted to seek security, identity, or fulfillment outside of my intimate relationship with God?
  • What practical, concrete steps can I take today to cultivate a more exclusive, undivided, and passionate devotion to Christ?

FAQ

What does "gone a whoring after the heathen" mean in a spiritual sense?

Answer: In a spiritual sense, "gone a whoring after the heathen" (from the Hebrew zânâh H2181) is a powerful and frequently used metaphor throughout the Old Testament to describe Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to Yahweh. God had entered into a unique and sacred covenant relationship with Israel, often depicted as a marriage between a faithful husband and his chosen bride (e.g., Hosea 2:19-20). When Israel pursued alliances with pagan nations and, more significantly, adopted their idolatrous worship practices, it was seen as an act of spiritual adultery, a profound betrayal of their exclusive devotion to the one true God. The "heathen" (Hebrew gôwy H1471) refers to these foreign, non-covenant nations and their false, lifeless gods, whose worship was an abomination to Yahweh.

How does "polluted with their idols" relate to the concept of defilement in the Old Testament?

Answer: "Polluted with their idols" (from the Hebrew ṭâmêʼ H2930) directly relates to the comprehensive concept of ritual, moral, and spiritual defilement in the Old Testament. According to the Mosaic Law, contact with certain things (like dead bodies or specific diseases) made a person ceremonially unclean, requiring specific purification rituals to restore their access to the community and worship. However, idolatry was considered the ultimate source of defilement, as it involved turning away from the holy and living God to worship detestable, inanimate objects (Hebrew gillûwl H1544), often associated with immoral practices. This spiritual pollution was far more serious than mere ceremonial uncleanness, as it indicated a deep moral corruption, a desecration of the covenant relationship, and a profound offense against God's holiness. It rendered the people unfit for God's presence and inevitably brought divine judgment, as clearly articulated in passages like Leviticus 18:24-28).

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 23:30, with its stark portrayal of Israel's spiritual harlotry and the ensuing divine judgment, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment and profound resolution in the New Covenant. The Old Testament's recurring theme of Israel's unfaithfulness, symbolized by "whoring after the heathen," highlights humanity's pervasive tendency to turn from the true God to idols of our own making, whether literal or metaphorical. This deep-seated spiritual adultery underscores the profound need for a radical transformation and a perfect righteousness that the Law, in its weakness due to human sin, could not provide (Romans 8:3). Jesus Christ, as the faithful Israelite, the perfect Son, and the ultimate Bridegroom, perfectly fulfills the covenant that Israel continually broke. He embodies the exclusive devotion to God that humanity failed to maintain. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ takes upon Himself the full weight of judgment for humanity's "whoring" and "pollution," offering a cleansing and reconciliation that mere rituals, laws, or human effort could never achieve (Hebrews 9:14). In Him, believers are made clean, washed, and presented as a "pure virgin to Christ," ready for eternal union with their divine Bridegroom (2 Corinthians 11:2). This new covenant, inaugurated by Christ's blood, is characterized by the Spirit writing God's law on the hearts of His people, enabling true and lasting faithfulness, thereby overcoming the very spiritual harlotry condemned in Ezekiel (Jeremiah 31:33). Thus, the judgment pronounced in Ezekiel 23:30 foreshadows the ultimate judgment against all sin, which was fully borne by Christ, allowing His people to be freed from spiritual defilement and to live in faithful, intimate communion with God.

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Commentary on Ezekiel 23 verses 22–49

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

Jerusalem stands indicted by the name of Aholibah, for that she, as a false traitor to her sovereign Lord the God of heaven, not having his fear before her eyes, but moved by the instigation of the devil, had revolted from her allegiance to him, had compassed and imagined to shake off his government, had kept up a correspondence had joined in confederacy with his enemies, and the pretenders to a deity, in contempt of his crown and dignity. To this indictment she has pleaded, Not guilty: I am not polluted; I have not gone after Baalim. But it is found against her by the notorious evidence of the fact, and she stands convicted of it, nor has any thing material to offer why judgment should not be given and execution awarded according to law. In these verses, therefore, we have the sentence.

I. Her old confederates must be her executioners; and those whom she had courted to be her leaders in sin are now to be employed as instruments of her punishment (Eze 23:22): "I will raise up thy lovers against thee, the Chaldeans, whom formerly thou didst so much admire and covet an acquaintance with, but from whom thy mind is since alienated and with whom thou hast perfidiously broken covenant." They are called thy lovers (Eze 23:22) and yet (Eze 23:28) those whom thou hatest. Note, It is common for sinful love soon to turn into hatred; as Amnon's to Tamar. Those of headstrong and unreasonable passions are often very hot against those persons and things that a little before they were as hot for. Fools run into extremes; nay, and wise men may see cause to change their sentiments. And therefore, as we should rejoice and weep as if we rejoiced not and wept not, so we should love and hate as if we loved not and hated not. Ita ama tanquam osurus - Love as one who may have cause to feel aversion.

II. The execution to be done upon her is very terrible.

1.Her enemies shall come against her on every side (Eze 23:22), those of the several nations that constituted the Chaldean army (Eze 23:23), all of them great lords and renowned, whose pomp, and grandeur, and splendid appearance made them look the more amiable when they came as friends to protect and patronise Jerusalem, but the more formidable when they came to chastise its treachery and aimed at no less than its ruin. (1.) They shall come with a great deal of military force (Eze 23:24), with chariots and wagons furnished with all necessary provisions for a camp, with arms and ammunition, bag and baggage, with a vast army, and well armed. (2.) They shall have justice on their side: "I will set judgment before them" (they shall have right with them as well as might; for the king of Babylon had just cause to make war upon the king of Judah, because he had broken his league with him), "and therefore they shall judge thee, not only according to God's judgments, as the instruments of his justice, to punish thee for the indignities done to him, but according to their judgments, according to the law of nations, to punish thee for thy perfidious dealings with them." (3.) They shall prosecute the war with a great deal of fury and resentment. It being a war of revenge, they shall deal with thee hatefully, Eze 23:29. This will make the execution the more severe that their swords will be dipped in poison. Thou hatest them, and they shall deal hatefully with thee; those that hate will be hated and will be hatefully dealt with. (4.) God himself will lead them on, and his anger shall be mingled with theirs (Eze 23:25): I will set my jealousy against thee; that shall kindle this fire, and then they shall deal furiously with thee. If men deal ever so hatefully, ever so furiously, with us, yet, if we have God on our side, we need not fear them; they can do us no real hurt. But if men deal furiously with us, and God set his jealousy against us too, what will become of us?

2.The particulars of the sentence here passed upon this notorious adulteress are, (1.) That all she has shall be seized on. The clothes and the fair jewels, with which she had endeavoured to recommend herself to her lovers, these she shall be stripped of, Eze 23:26. All those things that were the ornaments of their state shall be taken away: "They shall take away all thy labour, all that thou hast gotten by thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare," Eze 23:29. Both city and country shall be impoverished and all the wealth of both swept away. (2.) That her children shall go into captivity. "They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and make slaves of them (Eze 23:25); for they are children of whoredoms, unworthy the dignities and privileges of Israelites," Hos 2:4. (3.) That she shall be stigmatized and deformed: "They shall take away thy nose and thy ears, shall mark thee for a harlot, and render thee for ever odious," Eze 23:25. This intimates the many cruelties of the Chaldean soldiers towards the Jews that fell into their hands, whom, it is probable, they used barbarously. Some will have this to be understood figuratively; and by the nose they think is meant the kingly dignity, and by the ears that of the priesthood. (4.) That she shall be exposed to shame: Thy lewdness and thy whoredoms shall be discovered (Eze 23:29), as, when a malefactor is punished, all his crimes are ripped up, and repeated to his disgrace; what was secret then comes to light, and what was done long since is then called to mind. (5.) That she shall be quite cut off and ruined: "The remnant of thy people that have escaped the famine and pestilence shall fall by the sword; and the residue of thy houses that have not been battered down about thy ears shall be devoured by the fire," Eze 23:25. And this shall be the end of Jerusalem.

III. Because she has trod in the steps of Samaria's sins, she must expect no other than Samaria's fate. It is common, in giving judgment, to have an eye to precedents; so has God in passing this sentence on Jerusalem (Eze 23:31, etc.): "Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, notwithstanding the warning thou hast had given thee, by the fatal consequences of her wickedness; and therefore I will give her cup, her portion of miseries, into thy hand, the cup of the Lord's fury, which will be to thee a cup of trembling." Now, 1. This cup is said to be deep and large, and to contain much (Eze 23:32), abundance of God's wrath and abundance of miseries, the fruits of that wrath. It is such a cup as that which we read of, Jer 25:15, Jer 25:16. The cup of divine vengeance holds a great deal, and so those will find into whose hand it shall be put. 2. They shall be made to drink the very dregs of this cup, as the wicked are said to do (Psa 75:8): "Thou shalt drink it and suck it out, not because it is pleasant, but because it is forced upon thee (Eze 23:34); thou shalt break the shreds thereof, and pluck off thy own breasts, for indignation at the extreme bitterness of this cup, being full of the fury of the Lord (Isa 51:20), as men in great anguish tear their hair, and throw every thing from them. Finding there is no remedy, but it must be drank (for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God), thou shalt have no manner of patience in the drinking of it." 3. They shall be intoxicated by it, made sick, and be at their wits' end, as men in drink are, staggering, and stumbling, and ready to fall (Eze 23:33): Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. Note, Drunkenness has sorrow attending it, to such a degree that the utmost confusion and astonishment are here represented by it. Who would think that that which is such a force upon nature, such a scandal to it, which deprives men of their reason, disorders them to the last degree, and is therefore expressive of the greatest misery, should yet be with many a beloved sin, that they should damn their own souls to distemper their own bodies? Who has woe and sorrow like them? Pro 23:29. 4. Being so intoxicated, they shall become, as drunkards deserve to be, a laughing-stock to all about them (Eze 23:32): Thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision, as acting ridiculously in every thing thou goest about. When God is about to ruin a people he makes their judges fools and pours contempt on their princes, Job 12:17, Job 12:21.

IV. In all this God will be justified, and by all this they will be reformed; and so the issue even of this will be God's glory and their good. 1. They have been bad, very bad, and that justifies God in all that is brought upon them (Eze 23:30): I will do these things unto thee because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and (Eze 23:35) because thou hast forgotten me and cast me behind thy back. Note, Forgetfulness of God, and a contempt of him, of his eye upon us and authority over us, are at the bottom of all our treacherous adulterous departures from him. Therefore men wander after idols, because they forget God, and their obligations to him; nor could they look with so much desire and delight upon the baits of sin if they did not first cast God behind their back, as not worthy to be regarded. And those who put such an affront upon God, how can they think but that it should turn upon themselves at last? Therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms; that is, thou shalt suffer the punishment of them, and thou alone must bear the blame. Men need no more to sink them than the weight of their own sins; and those who will not part with their lewdness and their whoredoms must bear them. 2. They shall be better, much better, and this fire, though consuming to many, shall be refining to a remnant (Eze 23:27): Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee. The judgments which were brought upon them by their sins parted between them and their sins, and taught them at length to say, What have we to do any more with idols? Observe, (1.) How inveterate the disease was: Thy whoredoms were brought from the land of Egypt. Their disposition to idolatry was early and innate, their practice of it was ancient, and had gained a sort of prescription by long usage. (2.) How complete the cure was notwithstanding: "Though it has taken root, yet it shall be made to cease, so that thou shalt not so much as lift up thy eyes to the idols again, nor remember Egypt with pleasure any more." They shall avoid the occasions of this sin, for they shall not so much as look upon an idol, lest their hearts should unawares walk after their eyes. And they shall abandon all inclinations to it: "They shall not remember Egypt; they shall not retain any of that affection for idols which they had from the very infancy of their nation." They got it, through the corruption of nature, in their bondage in Egypt, and lost it, through the grace of God, in their captivity in Babylon, which this was the blessed fruit of, even the taking away of sin, of that sin; so that whereas, before the captivity, no nation (all things considered) was more impetuously bent upon idols and idolatry than they were, after that captivity no nation was more vehemently set against idols and idolatry than they were, insomuch that at this day the image-worship which is practised in the church of Rome confirms the Jews as much as any thing in their prejudices against the Christian religion.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 22–49. 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
(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.'
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 28 and following) For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom your soul is sated. And they will deal with you in hatred, and they will take away all your labors, and they will leave you naked and full of shame, and the shame of your fornications will be revealed. Your wickedness and your fornications have done this to you, because you have prostituted yourself to the nations, among whom you have defiled yourself with their idols. You have walked in the way of your sister, and I will give her cup into your hand. Thus says the Lord God: You shall drink the deep and wide cup of your sister. You shall be a laughingstock and a mockery, a very large mock. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of mourning and sadness, the cup of your sister Samaria. And you will drink it and gulp it down to the dregs, and you will devour its fragments, and you will tear your breasts (or as the Septuagint translated: I will take away her feasts and new moons); for I have spoken, says the Lord God (Vulgate adds God). Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself also bear your wickedness and your adulteries. It is profitable for Jerusalem to have enmity against the Assyrians and the Chaldeans, and to not remember Egypt; but rather, to be delivered into their hands for punishment, those who hated her: to whom it is not given before, unless their souls are satisfied with them, so that after repenting of their old sins, then they may be cleansed with punishments, and may destroy all the works which she acquired by her harlotry: and may see her nakedness and shame; and may know that the Lord did not do all these things for her, but rather her adulteries, by which she committed adultery among the nations whom she enumerated above, so that she would worship their idols. In the streets, she says, you have walked with your sister Samaria: therefore you must drink the cup of her sins, which you have followed. However, there are many examples of the cup, which is often received for punishments and torments, among which is this: The cup in the hand of the Lord is full of mixed wine, and He poured from this into that: but its dregs were not emptied, all the sinners of the earth will drink from it (Psalm 75:8, 9). And in Isaiah it is called the cup of ruin and the goblet of fury (Isaiah 51:17). And God spoke to Jeremiah, saying: Take the cup of wine from my hand, and you shall drink to all the nations, to whom I will send you. And they shall drink, and vomit, and become mad (Jerem. XXV, 15). Just as certain purgatives are given, so that the harmful humor that is in the body may be expelled: so the Lord also gives the most bitter cup of torments, so that he may take away from sinners whatever is of gall and bitterness, and restore them to their former health. And the cup itself will be deep and wide. Deep, in the magnitude of punishment; wide, in the length of captivity. But when, he says, you have become drunk and been seized by pain, and you drink the cup even to the dregs, and you have drunk so much that you devour even the fragments of the cup itself: then you will be disgusted by your former fornication, and you will tear the breasts that were broken in Egypt, and those that were subdued and bruised by your lovers: whether I take away all your feasts and new moons, so that instead of celebration and joy, you will have eternal lamentation and sorrow. Since you have done these things, and have forgotten about me, and have cast me behind your body, or backwards, because of the sins of the body, or behind the genitals, which indicate the filthiness of shame: Therefore, you are the gate of your own wickedness and impiety, namely the punishments that you have deserved because of your impiety and wickedness. This can be understood significantly in regard to Jerusalem, which drinks the cup of her sister Samaria to the last drop, and has drunk the dregs of her torments to the very bottom.
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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