The word of the LORD came to Ezekiel, commanding him to prophesy against Mount Seir. God declared His opposition to Seir, vowing to make it utterly desolate due to its perpetual hatred and shedding of Israelite blood during their time of calamity. Furthermore, Seir's desire to possess Israel's land and its blasphemies against God would result in its complete and perpetual ruin, so that they might know the LORD.
And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.
Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Study Notes for Ezekiel 35
Verse 2
Mount Seir is the mountainous territory of Edom (descendants of Esau), located southeast of the Dead Sea. This oracle against Edom is a common feature in prophetic literature (e.g., Obadiah), symbolizing the ultimate removal of forces hostile to God’s people.
Verse 5
The core charge against Edom is 'perpetual hatred' (Hebrew: *'eybat 'olam*). This refers to their consistent hostility toward Israel, culminating when Jerusalem fell in 586 BC, the 'time of their calamity.' The phrase 'when their iniquity had an end' refers to the completion of Israel’s punishment by God.
Verse 6
This verse invokes the principle of *lex talionis* (retribution). Because Edom actively sought bloodshed against God's people, God promises that violence will be their inevitable and perpetual fate. 'Sith' means 'since' or 'seeing that.'
Verse 9
The promise of 'perpetual desolations' contrasts sharply with the future restoration promised to Israel in the subsequent chapters (Ezekiel 36-37). Edom’s judgment is final and irrevocable.
Verse 10
The 'two nations and these two countries' are Judah and Israel. Edom saw Israel’s exile as an opportunity to seize the Promised Land, completely disregarding the divine covenant. The phrase 'whereas the LORD was there' is critical, emphasizing that the land belongs to Yahweh, not to Israel or Edom.
Verse 11
God’s judgment against Edom is an act of self-revelation. By judging Edom’s hatred and envy, God makes himself known to Israel and the surrounding nations as the sovereign Lord of history.
Verse 12
Edom’s words against the 'mountains of Israel' (the land) are interpreted as blasphemy against the Lord himself. Their arrogance was not merely political but theological, challenging God’s control over his own inheritance.
Verse 15
'Idumea' is the Greek/later name for the territory of Edom. This verse confirms the scope of the judgment: the entire region will suffer the same fate they wished upon Israel, emphasizing divine justice.
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