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Translation
King James Version
So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
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KJV (with Strong's)
So it shall be a reproach H2781 and a taunt H1422, an instruction H4148 and an astonishment H4923 unto the nations H1471 that are round about H5439 thee, when I shall execute H6213 judgments H8201 in thee in anger H639 and in fury H2534 and in furious H2534 rebukes H8433. I the LORD H3068 have spoken H1696 it.
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Complete Jewish Bible
When I execute judgments and furious punishments among you in anger and fury, [Yerushalayim] will be an object of reproach, derision and horror, and a lesson to warn the nations around you. I, ADONAI, have announced it.
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Berean Standard Bible
So you will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations around you, when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging fury. I, the LORD, have spoken.
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American Standard Version
So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment, unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments on thee in anger and in wrath, and in wrathful rebukes (I, Jehovah, have spoken it);
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World English Bible Messianic
So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment, to the nations that are around you, when I shall execute judgments on you in anger and in wrath, and in wrathful rebukes; (I, the LORD, have spoken it;)
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Geneva Bible (1599)
So thou shalt bee a reproche and shame, a chastisement and an astonishment vnto the nations, that are rounde about thee, when I shall execute iudgements in thee, in anger and in wrath, and in sharpe rebukes: I the Lord haue spoken it.
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Young's Literal Translation
And it hath been a reproach and a reviling, An instruction and an astonishment, To nations that are round about thee, In My doing in thee judgments, In anger and fury, and in furious reproofs, I, Jehovah, have spoken.
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Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 5:15 powerfully declares that Jerusalem's impending and devastating judgment will serve as a public spectacle and a grim, didactic lesson for the surrounding nations. Far from being a private calamity, the city's ruin will become a source of profound humiliation and mockery, yet simultaneously a stark instruction and a cause for overwhelming astonishment, revealing the unwavering justice and fierce indignation of the Lord against persistent rebellion. This verse underscores the absolute certainty of divine judgment, emphasizing that God's spoken word will inevitably come to pass with full force.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Ezekiel 5:15 serves as a climactic pronouncement within a highly symbolic and graphic prophetic act initiated at the chapter's outset. The preceding verses Ezekiel 5:1-4 detail Ezekiel's command to shave his head and beard, dividing the hair into three portions, each representing a distinct fate for Jerusalem's inhabitants: one-third burned within the city, one-third struck with a sword around it, and one-third scattered to the wind, with only a few strands preserved as a remnant. This vivid imagery, culminating in the detailed judgments described in Ezekiel 5:12, sets the stage for verse 15. This verse then shifts focus from the internal suffering of Jerusalem to the external perception of its downfall by the surrounding Gentile nations, highlighting the international implications of God's justice. It acts as a summary declaration, solidifying the outcomes of the preceding symbolic actions and divine pronouncements, emphasizing the public nature of Jerusalem's humiliation and the didactic purpose of God's judgment.

  • Historical & Cultural Context: Jerusalem, depicted in Ezekiel 5:5 as "the center of the nations," held a unique strategic and symbolic position in the ancient Near East. It was intended to be a beacon of God's truth, righteousness, and covenant faithfulness to the Gentile world. However, instead of upholding God's covenant, the people of Judah had plunged into widespread idolatry, child sacrifice, and a profound defilement of the Temple, surpassing even the wickedness and abominations of the surrounding pagan nations Ezekiel 5:6-11. In the ancient Near Eastern worldview, the fate of a nation was often directly attributed to the power and favor of its patron deity. Thus, Jerusalem's destruction would not merely be interpreted as a military defeat by its neighbors, but as a public display of the power (or perceived weakness) of its God. God's declaration in this verse asserts that His judgment would unequivocally demonstrate His supreme power and unyielding justice, transforming Israel's humiliation into a profound object lesson for all who observed.

  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Ezekiel and the broader prophetic literature. It underscores the theme of Divine Sovereignty and Unyielding Justice, showcasing God's absolute authority over all nations and His unwavering commitment to righteousness, even when it necessitates judging His own chosen people. The concept of Shame and Public Spectacle is profoundly prominent, as Jerusalem's downfall is not a private affair but a highly visible demonstration of the dire consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, intended to elicit specific reactions from observers. Furthermore, it highlights the Didactic Purpose of Judgment, where God's severe actions serve as an "instruction" or moral lesson, not only for the remnant of Israel but also for the surrounding nations, teaching them about the holy and just nature of the Almighty. Finally, the repeated declaration of God's "anger and fury and furious rebukes" vividly emphasizes the theme of God's Righteous Indignation against persistent rebellion and idolatry, a motif found throughout the prophetic books, as seen, for example, in the powerful imagery of divine wrath in Nahum 1:6.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Reproach (Hebrew, cherpâh', H2781): This term signifies profound contumely, disgrace, or shame. In this context, it describes the public humiliation and deep dishonor that Jerusalem will experience as a direct consequence of God's judgment. It implies a devastating loss of status and respect, transforming the once-favored city into an object of scorn and derision among the nations.
  • Instruction (Hebrew, mûwçâr', H4148): This word properly means chastisement or discipline, but figuratively refers to reproof, warning, or moral instruction. Here, it conveys the profound idea that Jerusalem's catastrophic fate will serve as a stern moral lesson or a severe warning to the surrounding nations, teaching them about the dire and inescapable consequences of defying the Almighty God. It is a disciplinary act with a clear, universal educational purpose.
  • Fury (Hebrew, chêmâh', H2534): This term denotes intense heat, and figuratively, overwhelming anger, wrath, or even poison. Its powerful triple repetition in the phrase "anger and in fury and in furious rebukes" is a rhetorical device designed to underscore the overwhelming intensity, deliberateness, and righteous nature of God's indignation. This is not a fleeting emotion but a settled, consuming wrath against profound and persistent sin.

Verse Breakdown

  • "So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that [are] round about thee": This opening clause vividly describes the multifaceted reactions of the surrounding nations to Jerusalem's impending judgment. The city will become a "reproach" (an object of deep shame and disgrace) and a "taunt" (a byword, an object of ridicule), signifying its utter humiliation. Simultaneously, its downfall will serve as a profound "instruction" (a moral lesson or stern warning) and an "astonishment" (a cause for utter horror, shock, and overwhelming amazement), demonstrating the profound and undeniable impact of God's judgment on all who observe it.
  • "when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes": This pivotal part specifies the divine agent and the precise nature of the impending judgment. God Himself, YHWH, declares that He will "execute judgments" within Jerusalem, emphasizing His direct, personal involvement and the deliberate, intentional nature of His actions. The powerful triple emphasis on "anger," "fury," and "furious rebukes" (or "chastisements") highlights the intense, righteous indignation and the comprehensive, unrelenting nature of God's wrath against the city's persistent rebellion, idolatry, and covenant unfaithfulness.
  • "I the LORD have spoken [it].": This concluding declaration is a solemn and authoritative affirmation of the absolute certainty and divine authority behind the entire prophecy. It asserts that this is not merely a human prediction or a speculative warning, but a divinely ordained decree from YHWH (H3068, Yᵉhôvâh), the self-existent, covenant-keeping God. His word is immutable, His purposes are unchangeable, and His judgments will undoubtedly be accomplished, reinforcing His ultimate sovereignty and the terrifying inevitability of His righteous judgment.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 5:15 employs several powerful Literary Devices to convey its message with maximum impact. The verse utilizes striking Repetition through the triple emphasis on God's wrath—"anger and in fury and in furious rebukes"—which serves to underscore the overwhelming intensity, deliberateness, and comprehensive nature of the divine judgment. This rhetorical device powerfully amplifies the severity of God's righteous indignation. There is also a strong element of Irony: Jerusalem, once chosen and intended to be a blessing and a radiant light to the nations, becomes instead a "reproach and a taunt," a negative and horrifying example of divine judgment. The city's catastrophic fall, intended to be a public display of God's power, also becomes a stark spectacle of its own profound failure and apostasy. Furthermore, the descriptions of "astonishment" and "instruction" suggest a profound Didactic Purpose, where the judgment itself acts as a Symbolic Act on a grand, international scale, teaching crucial lessons to both the remnant of Israel and the surrounding Gentile peoples about the dire consequences of disobedience and the unyielding, holy character of God.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 5:15 profoundly articulates the theological principle that God's justice is not confined solely to His covenant people but extends with universal authority to all nations, serving as a public, undeniable display of His holy character and sovereign rule. The judgment on Jerusalem, though devastating in its scope, is not arbitrary or capricious but a perfectly righteous response to profound and persistent covenant unfaithfulness. This divine action transforms a localized catastrophe into a universal object lesson, demonstrating unequivocally that God holds all accountable for their actions and that His word, once spoken with divine authority, is irrevocably true and will be fulfilled. The shame, taunt, and astonishment associated with Jerusalem's fall are divinely intended to instill a profound fear of the Lord in those who witness it, revealing that the God of Israel is a holy God who cannot be trifled with, and that His standards of righteousness are immutable and eternally binding.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 5:15 serves as a profoundly sobering reminder of the gravity of sin and the unwavering, holy justice of God. For believers today, it calls us to deep introspection, prompting us to consider with utmost seriousness the way God views disobedience, especially from those who bear His sacred name. It challenges any complacent notion that God's boundless grace somehow negates His absolute holiness or that a covenant relationship provides automatic immunity from righteous judgment. Instead, it underscores the profound truth that privilege brings greater responsibility and accountability. This verse also powerfully reminds us that our actions, both individually and corporately as the Church, have an impact far beyond ourselves; they can either bring profound glory to God's name or, tragically, cause His name to be reproached and reviled among those who observe us. It compels us to live lives of faithful obedience, marked by integrity and devotion, recognizing that our witness to a watching world is deeply and inextricably intertwined with our adherence to God's commands and our reflection of His holy character.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what specific ways might our actions, as individuals or as a community of faith, inadvertently bring "reproach" or, conversely, serve as "instruction" to those outside the church?
  • How does understanding the intensity of God's "anger and fury" in judgment deepen our profound appreciation for His boundless mercy and transformative grace revealed in Christ?
  • What specific areas of my personal life or our church's collective life need to be brought into greater alignment with God's perfect will to avoid spiritual "reproach" and ensure a faithful witness?

FAQ

Why would God allow His chosen people to become a "reproach and a taunt" to other nations?

Answer: God allowed Jerusalem, His chosen city and people, to become a "reproach and a taunt" not out of weakness, indifference, or caprice, but as a severe, public, and undeniable demonstration of His perfect justice and unwavering holiness. Jerusalem was strategically positioned "in the midst of the nations" Ezekiel 5:5 to be a radiant beacon of righteousness and a living testimony to God's glory. However, the people's persistent idolatry, profound moral corruption, and flagrant rebellion, which surpassed even the wickedness of the surrounding pagan nations Ezekiel 5:6-7, defiled His holy sanctuary and egregiously broke His sacred covenant. Therefore, their judgment served a dual and critical purpose: it was a just and necessary punishment for their egregious sin, and simultaneously, a powerful, undeniable lesson to the observing nations that the God of Israel is a holy God who judges sin with absolute impartiality, even among His own. This public humiliation underscored the extreme gravity of their apostasy and God's unwavering commitment to His righteous and immutable standards.

What does it mean for God to execute judgments "in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes"?

Answer: This powerful triple emphasis on God's "anger," "fury," and "furious rebukes" (or "chastisements") is a rhetorical device designed to highlight the profound intensity, unwavering deliberateness, and comprehensive nature of God's righteous indignation against sin. It is crucial to understand that this is not an uncontrolled, volatile outburst of emotion, but rather a settled, burning wrath that stems from His perfect holiness and absolute justice in response to profound and persistent rebellion and covenant unfaithfulness. The repetition underscores the extreme severity and absolute certainty of the judgment, indicating that God's actions are not arbitrary but are a just, necessary, and proportionate consequence of sustained disobedience. It communicates the profound depth of His displeasure with the pervasive sin that had permeated Jerusalem, signifying that the judgment would be thorough, devastating, and entirely reflective of the seriousness of the offenses committed against His holy character.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Ezekiel 5:15 vividly portrays the severe and public judgment of God upon His disobedient people, its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment lies in the profound and glorious contrast between humanity's deserved wrath and God's perfect provision of salvation through Jesus Christ. The "anger and fury and furious rebukes" that were justly poured out upon Jerusalem for its profound sin find their ultimate expression and complete absorption not in the destruction of a city, but in the person of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Old Testament judgments, like the one upon Jerusalem, were profound shadows and types of the complete and final judgment due to all humanity for its pervasive sin Romans 1:18. Yet, Christ, the perfect and sinless Lamb of God, willingly became the divine recipient of this very wrath, suffering the "furious rebukes" and the full "fury" of God's judgment in our place Isaiah 53:5. He became the "reproach and a taunt" Psalm 22:6 for humanity, enduring public shame, mockery, and crucifixion, precisely so that all who believe in Him might be eternally spared the just wrath of God and receive instead His astonishing grace and eternal instruction John 3:16. Thus, the ultimate and most profound "instruction" for the nations is not merely the terrifying horror of judgment, but the astonishing, redemptive grace of God revealed in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, who fully satisfied the righteous demands of divine justice, triumphantly declaring, "It is finished!" John 19:30.

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Commentary on Ezekiel 5 verses 5–17

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

We have here the explanation of the foregoing similitude: This is Jerusalem. Thus it is usual in scripture language to give the name of the thing signified to the sign; as when Christ said, This is my body. The prophet's head, which was to be shaved, signified Jerusalem, which by the judgments of God was now to be stripped of all its ornaments, to be emptied of all its inhabitants, and to be set naked and bare, to be shaved with a razor that is hired, Isa 7:20. The head of one that was a priest, a prophet, a holy person, was fittest to represent Jerusalem the holy city. Now the contents of these verses are much the same with what we have often met with, and still shall, in the writings of the prophets. Here we have,

I. The privileges Jerusalem was honoured with (Eze 5:5): I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her, and those famous nations and very considerable. Jerusalem was not situated in a remote obscure corner of the world, far from neighbours, but in the midst of kingdoms that were populous, polite, and civilized, famed for learning, arts, and sciences, and which then made the greatest figure in the world. But there seems to be more in it than this. 1. Jerusalem was dignified and preferred above the neighbouring nations and their cities. it was set in the midst of them as excelling them all. This holy mountain was exalted above all the hills, Isa 2:2. Why leap you, you high hills? This is the hill which God desires to dwell in, Psa 68:16. Jerusalem was a city upon a hill, conspicuous and illustrious, and which all the neighbouring nations had an eye upon, some for good-will, some for ill-will. 2. Jerusalem was designed to have a good influence upon the nations and countries round about, was set in the midst of them as a candle upon a candlestick, to spread the light of divine revelation, which she was blessed with, to all the dark corners of the neighbouring nations, that from them it might diffuse itself further, even to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem was set in the midst of the nations, to be as the heart in the body, to invigorate this dead world with a divine life as well as to enlighten this dark world with a divine light, to be an example of every thing that was good. The nations that observed what excellent statutes and judgments they had concluded them to be a wise and understanding people (Deu 4:6), fit to be consulted as an oracle, as they were in Solomon's time, Kg1 4:34. And, had they preserved this reputation and made a right use of it, what a blessing would Jerusalem have been to all the nations about! But, failing to be so, the accomplishment of this intention was reserved for its latter days, when out of Zion went forth the gospel law and the word of the Lord Jesus from Jerusalem, and there repentance and remission began to be preached, and thence the preachers of them went forth into all nations. And, when that was done, Jerusalem was levelled with the ground. Note, When places and persons are made great, it is with design that they may do good and that those about them may be the better for them, that their light may shine before men.

II. The provocations Jerusalem was guilty of. A very high charge is here drawn up against that city, and proved beyond contradiction sufficient to justify God in seizing its privileges and putting it under military execution. 1. She has not walked in God's statutes, nor kept his judgments (Eze 5:7); nay, the inhabitants of Jerusalem had refused his judgments and his statutes (Eze 5:6); they did not do their duty, nay, they would not, they said that they would not. Those statutes and judgments which their neighbours admired they despised, which they should have set before their face they cast behind their back. Note, A contempt of the word and law of God opens a door to all manner of iniquity. God's statutes are the terms on which he deals with men; those that refuse his terms cannot expect his favours. 2. She had changed God's judgments into wickedness (Eze 5:6), a very high expression of profaneness, that the people had not only broken God's laws, but had so perverted and abused them that they had made them the excuse and colour of their wickedness. They introduced the abominable customs and usages of the heathen, instead of God's institutions; this was changing the truth of God into a lie (Rom 1:25) and the glory of God into shame, Psa 4:2. Note, Those that have been well educated, if they live ill, put the highest affront imaginable upon God, as if he were the patron of sin and his judgments were turned into wickedness. 3. She had been worse than the neighbouring nations, to whom she should have set a good example: She has changed my judgments, by idolatries and false worship, more than the nations (Eze 5:6), and she has multiplied (that is, multiplied idols and altars, gods and temples, multiplied those things the unity of which was their praise) more than the nations that were round about. Israel's God is one, and his name one, his altar one; but they, not content with this one God, multiplied their gods to such a degree that according to the number of their cities so were their gods, and their altars were as heaps in the furrows of the field; so that they exceeded all their neighbours in having gods many and lords many. They corrupted revealed religion more than the Gentiles had corrupted natural religion. Note, If those who have made a profession of religion, and have had a pious education, apostatize from it, they are commonly more profane and vicious than those who never made any profession; they have seven other spirits more wicked. 4. She had not done according to the judgments of the nations, Eze 5:7. Israel had not acted towards their God, as the nations had acted towards their gods, though they were false gods; they had not been so observant of him nor so constant to him. Has a nation changed its gods, or slighted them, so as they have? Jer 2:11. or it may refer to their morals; instead of reforming their neighbors, they came short of them; and many who were of the uncircumcision kept the righteousness of the law better than those who were of the circumcision, Rom 2:26, Rom 2:27. Those who had the light of scripture did not according to the judgments of many who had only the light of nature. Note, There are those who are called Christians who will in the great day be condemned by the better tempers and better lives of sober heathens. 5. The particular crime charged upon Jerusalem is profaning the holy things, which she had been both entrusted and honoured with (Eze 5:11): Thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, with thy idols and idolatries. The images of their pretended deities, and the groves erected in honour of them, were brought into the temple; and the ceremonies used by idolaters were brought into the worship of God. Thus every thing that is sacred was polluted. Note, Idols are detestable things any where, but more especially so in the sanctuary.

III. The punishments that Jerusalem should fall under for these provocations: Shall not God visit for these things? No doubt he shall. The matter of the sentence here passed upon Jerusalem is very dreadful, and the manner of expression makes it yet more so; the judgments are various, and the threatenings of them varied, reiterated, inculcated, that one may well say, Who is able to stand in God's sight when once he is angry?

1.God will take this work of punishing Jerusalem into his own hands; and who knows the power of his anger and what a fearful thing it is to fall into his hands? Observe what a strong emphasis is laid upon it (Eze 5:8): I, even I, am against thee. God had been for Jerusalem, to defend and save it; but miserable is its case when he has turned to be its enemy and fights against it. If God be against us, the whole creation is at war with us, and nothing can be for us so as to stand us in any stead: "You think it is only the Chaldean army that is against you, but they are God's hand, or rather the staff in his hand; it is I, even I, that am against thee, not only to speak against thee by prophets, but to act against thee by providence. I will execute judgments in thee (Eze 5:10), in the midst of thee (Eze 5:8), not only in the suburbs, but in the heart of the city, not only in the borders, but in the bowels of the country." Note, Those who will not observe the judgments of God's mouth shall not escape the judgments of his hand; and God's judgments, when they come with commission, will penetrate into the midst of a people, will enter into the soul, into the bowels like water and like oil into the bones. I will execute judgments. Note, God himself undertakes to execute his own judgments, according to the true and full intent of them; whatever are the instruments, he is the principal agent.

2.These punishments shall come from his displeasure. As to the body of the people, it shall not be a correction in love, but he will execute judgments in anger, and in fury, and in furious rebukes (Eze 5:15), strange expressions to come from a God who has said, Fury is not in me, and who has declared himself gracious, and merciful, and slow to anger. But they are designed to show the malignity of sin, and the offence it gives to the just and holy God. That must needs be a very evil thing which provokes him to such resentments, and against his own people too, that had been so high in his favour, and expressed with so much satisfaction (Eze 5:13): "My anger, which has long been withheld, shall now be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them; it shall not only light upon them, but lie upon them, and fill them as vessels of wrath fitted by their own wickedness to destruction; and, justice being hereby glorified, I will be comforted, I will be entirely satisfied in what I have done." As, when God is dishonoured by the sins of men, he is said to be grieved (Psa 95:10), so when he is honoured by their destruction he is said to be comforted. The struggle between mercy and judgment is over, and in this case judgment triumphs, triumphs indeed; for mercy that has been so long abused is now silent and gives up the cause, has not a word more to say on the behalf of such an ungrateful incorrigible people: My eye shall not spare, neither will I have any pity, Eze 5:11. Divine compassion defers the punishment, or mitigates it, or supports under it, or shortens it; but here is judgment without mercy, wrath without any mixture or allay of pity. These expressions are thus sharpened and heightened perhaps with design to look further, to the vengeance of eternal fire, which some of the destructions we read of in the Old Testament were typical of, and particularly that of Jerusalem; for surely it is nowhere on this side hell that this word has its full accomplishment, My eye shall not spare, but I will cause my fury to rest. Note, Those who live and die impenitent will perish for ever unpitied; there is a day coming when the Lord will not spare.

3.Punishments shall be public and open: I will execute these judgments in the sight of the nations (Eze 5:8); the judgments themselves shall be so remarkable that all the nations far and near shall take notice of them; they shall be all the talk of that part of the world, and the more for the conspicuousness of the place and people on which they are inflicted. Note, Public sins, as they call for public reproofs (those that sin rebuke before all), so, if those prevail not, they call for public judgments. He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others (Job 34:26), that he may maintain and vindicate the honour of his government, for (as Grotius descants upon it here) why should he suffer it to be said, See what wicked lives those lead who profess to be the worshippers of the only true God! And, as the publicity of the judgments will redound to the honour of God, so it will serve, (1.) To aggravate the punishment, and to make it lie the more heavily. Jerusalem, being made waste, becomes a reproach among the nations in the sight of all that pass by, Eze 5:14. The more conspicuous and the more peculiar any have been in the day of their prosperity the greater disgrace attends their fall; and that was Jerusalem's case. The more Jerusalem had been a praise in the earth the more it is now a reproach and a taunt, Eze 5:15. This she was warned of as much as any thing when her glory commenced (Kg1 9:8), and this was lamented as much as any thing when it was laid in the dust, Lam 2:15. (2.) To teach the nations to fear before the God of Israel, when they see what a jealous God he is, and how severely he punishes sin even in those that are nearest to him: It shall be an instruction to the nations, Eze 5:15. Jerusalem should have taught her neighbours the fear of God by her piety and virtue, but, she not doing that, God will teach it to them by her ruin; for they have reason to say, If this be done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? If judgment begin at the house of God, where will it end? If those be thus punished who only had some idolaters among them, what will become of us who are all idolaters? Note, The destruction of some is designed for the instruction of others. Malefactors are publicly punished in terrorem - that others may take warning.

4.These punishments, in the kind of them, shall be very severe and grievous. (1.) They shall be such as have no precedent or parallel. Their sins being more provoking than those of others, the judgments executed upon them should be uncommon (Eze 5:9): "I will do in thee that which I have not done in thee before, though thou hast long since deserved it; nay, that which I have not done in any other city." This punishment of Jerusalem is said to be greater than that of Sodom (Lam 4:6), which was more grievous than all that went before it; nay, it is such as "I will not do any more the like, all the circumstances taken in, to any other city, till the like come to be done again to this city, in the final overthrow by the Romans." This is a rhetorical expression of the most grievous judgments, like that character of Hezekiah, that there was none like him, before or after him. (2.) They shall be such as will force them to break the strongest bonds of natural affection to one another, which will be a just punishment of them for their wilfully breaking the bonds of their duty to God (Eze 5:10): The fathers shall eat the sons, and the sons shall eat the fathers, through the extremity of the famine, or shall be compelled to do it by their barbarous conquerors. (3.) There shall be a complication of judgments, any one of them terrible enough, and desolating; but what then would they be when they came all together and in perfection? Some shall be taken away by the plague (Eze 5:12); the pestilence shall pass through thee (Eze 5:17), sweeping all before it, as the destroying angel; others shall be consumed with famine, shall gradually waste away as men in a consumption (Eze 5:12); this is again insisted on (Eze 5:16): I will send upon them the evil arrows of famine; hunger shall make them pine, and shall pierce them to the heart, as if arrows, evil arrows, poisoned darts, were shot into them. God has many arrows, evil arrows, in his quiver; when some are discharged, he has still more in reserve. I will increase the famine upon you. A famine in a bereaved country may decrease as fruits spring forth; but a famine in a besieged city will increase of course; yet god speaks of it as his act: "I will increase it, and will break your staff of bread, will take away the necessary supports of life, will disappoint you of all that which you depend upon, so that there is no remedy, but you must fall to the ground." Life is frail, is weak, is burdened, so that, if it have not daily bread for its staff to lean upon, it cannot but sink, and is soon gone if that staff be broken. Others shall fall by the sword round about Jerusalem, when they sally out upon the besiegers; it is a sword which God will bring, Eze 5:17. The sword of the Lord, that used to be drawn for Jerusalem's defence, is now drawn for its destruction. Others are devoured by evil beasts, which will make a prey of those that fly for shelter to the deserts and mountains. They shall meet their ruin where they expected refuge, for there is no escaping the judgments of God, Eze 5:17. And, lastly, those who escape shall be scattered into all parts of the world, into all the winds (so it is expressed, Eze 5:10, Eze 5:12), intimating that they should not only be dispersed, but hurried, and tossed, and driven to and fro, as chaff before the wind. Nay, and Cain's curse (to be fugitives and vagabonds) is not the worst of it neither; their restless life shall be cut off by a bloody death: "I will draw out a sword after them, which shall follow them wherever they go." Evil pursues sinners; and the curse shall come upon them and overtake them.

5.These punishments will prove their ruin by degrees. They shall be diminished (Eze 5:11); their strength and glory shall grow less and less. They shall be bereaved (Eze 5:17), emptied of all that which was their joy and confidence. God sends these judgments on purpose to destroy them, Eze 5:16. The arrows are not sent (as those which Jonathan shot) for their direction, but for their destruction; for god will accomplish his fury upon them (Eze 5:13); the day of God's patience is over, and the ruin is remediless. Though this prophecy was to have its accomplishment now quickly, in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, yet the executioners not being named here, but the criminal only (this is Jerusalem), we may well suppose that it looks further, to the final destruction of that great city by the Romans when God made a full end of the Jewish nation, and caused his fury to rest upon them.

6.All this is ratified by the divine authority and veracity: I the Lord have spoken it, Eze 5:15 and again Eze 5:17. The sentence is passed by him that is Judge of heaven and earth, whose judgment is according to truth, and the judgments of whose hand are according to the judgments of his mouth. he has spoken it who can do it, for with him nothing is impossible. He has spoken it who will do it, for he is not a man that he should lie. He has spoken it whom we are bound to hear and heed, whose ipse dixit - word commands the most serious attention and submissive assent: And they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it, Eze 5:13. There were those who thought it was only the prophet that spoke it in his delirium; but God will make them know, by the accomplishment of it, that he has spoken it in his zeal. Note, Sooner or later, God's word will prove itself.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 5–17. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 15) And you will be a reproach and a blasphemy, an example and a wonder among the nations around you. For in the Septuagint it is written: And it will be στενακτὴ, which means mournful. And in Theodotion it is added, καὶ δηλαἳστὴ; the meaning of this word is unknown to us. For this reason, three other interpreters have translated it as blasphemy, which is called Geddupha in Hebrew (). It follows:

When I pronounce judgment on you in my anger and wrath and in the fierce blows of my fury, in full view of your sinfulness, you groan and moan like the deserving city of Jerusalem, which experiences the wrath and indignation of God because it has offended him. This is also confirmed by the words of Paul, who says, 'We were by nature children of wrath, just like everyone else' (Ephesians 2:3). And again, 'While we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened' (2 Corinthians 5). We also say with Jerusalem, 'I will endure the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him.' Some interpret 'Δηλαἳστὴν' or 'δηλαίαν' as unfortunate and miserable, while others believe it to mean clear and exposed to miseries.
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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