The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
The imagery is similar to that in Ezekiel 16:1; but here the reference
is not, as there, so much to the breach of the spiritual marriage
covenant with God by the peoples idolatries, as by their worldly
spirit, and their trusting to alliances with t... [ Continue Reading ]
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
THERE WERE TWO WOMEN, THE DAUGHTERS OF ONE MOTHER - Israel and Judah,
one nation by birth from the same ancestress, Sarah.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in
their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised
the teats of their virginity.
THEY COMMITTED WHOREDOMS IN EGYPT. Even so early in their history as
their Egyptian sojourn they committed idolatries (notes, Eze... [ Continue Reading ]
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister:
and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their
names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
AHOLAH - i:e., 'Her tent, or her own tent' (put for worship, as the
first worship of God in Israel was in a... [ Continue Reading ]
And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her
lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
AHOLAH PLAYED THE HARLOT WHEN SHE WAS MINE - literally, 'when she was
under me,' - i:e., subject to me as her lawful husband.
SHE DOTED ... ON THE ASSYRIANS HER NEIGHBOURS. On the north... [ Continue Reading ]
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them
desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
WHICH WERE CLOTHED WITH BLUE ... ALL OF THEM DESIRABLE YOUNG MEN -
rather, 'purple' (Fairbairn). As a lustful woman's passions are fired
by showy dress and youthful appearance in men,... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were
the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all
their idols she defiled herself.
WITH ALL THEIR IDOLS SHE DEFILED HERSELF - there was nothing that she
refused to her lovers.... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth
they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and
poured their whoredom upon her.
NEITHER LEFT SHE HER WHOREDOMS BROUGHT FROM EGYPT - the calves set up
in Dan and Bethel by Jeroboam, answering to the Egyptian... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the
hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
WHEREFORE I HAVE DELIVERED HER INTO THE HAND OF HER LOVERS, INTO THE
HAND OF THE ASSYRIANS. God, in righteous retribution, turned their
objects of trust into the instruments of their p... [ Continue Reading ]
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters,
and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for
they had executed judgment upon her.
SHE BECAME FAMOUS - literally, 'she became a name' - i:e., as
notorious by her punishment as she had been by her sins, so... [ Continue Reading ]
And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her
inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in
her whoredoms.
WHEN HER SISTER AHOLIBAH SAW THIS. Judah, the southern kingdom though
having the "warning" (note, ) of the northern kingdom before her eyes,
in... [ Continue Reading ]
She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers
clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them
desirable young men.
CAPTAINS AND RULERS ... ALL OF THEM DESIRABLE YOUNG MEN - (Ezekiel
23:6; Ezekiel 23:23).
CLOTHED MOST GORGEOUSLY - literally, to perfection ... [ Continue Reading ]
Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
THEY TOOK BOTH ONE WAY - both alike forsaking God for pagan
confidences.... [ Continue Reading ]
And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed
upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
SHE SAW MEN POURTRAYED UPON THE WALL, THE IMAGES OF THE CHALDEANS
POURTRAYED WITH VERMILION - the special colour of the Chaldeans, as
purple was of the Assy... [ Continue Reading ]
Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon
their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the
Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
EXCEEDING IN DYED ATTIRE - rather, 'in ample dyed turbans' literally,
'redundant with dyed turbans' [ cªruw... [ Continue Reading ]
And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and
sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
SENT MESSENGERS UNTO THEM INTO CHALDEA - (). It was she that
solicited the Chaldeans, not they her. Probably the occasion was when
Judah sought to strengthen herself by a Chaldean alliance... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they
defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and
her mind was alienated from them.
SHE WAS POLLUTED WITH THEM, AND HER MIND WAS ALIENATED FROM THEM -
namely, from the Chaldeans: turning again to the Egyptians (),... [ Continue Reading ]
So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then
my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her
sister.
THEN MY MIND WAS ALIENATED FROM HER - literally, was broken off from
her. Just retribution for "her mind being alienated (broken off) from
the Chalde... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days
of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
SHE MULTIPLIED HER WHOREDOMS, IN CALLING TO REMEMBRANCE THE DAYS OF
HER YOUTH. Israel first "called" her lusts, practiced when in Egypt,
"to her (fond) remem... [ Continue Reading ]
For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of
asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
SHE DOTED UPON THEIR PARAMOURS - i:e., her paramours among them (the
Egyptians); she doted upon their persons as her paramours (; ; ).
WHOSE FLESH IS AS THE FLESH OF ASSES - t... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in
bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.
THOU CALLEDST TO REMEMBRANCE - `thou didst repeat' (Maurer).
IN BRUISING THY TEATS - in suffering thy teats to be bruised.... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise
up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I
will bring them against thee on every side; I WILL RAISE UP THY LOVERS
AGAINST THEE, FROM WHOM THY MIND IS ALIENATED - (). Illicit love, soon
or late, ends in open... [ Continue Reading ]
The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and
all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains
and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.
PEKOD, AND SHOA, AND KOA - not a geographical name, but symbolically
descriptive of B... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels,
and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler
and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before
them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.
SHALL COME AGAINST THEE WITH CH... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal
furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and
thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy
daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.
THEY SHALL TAKE AWAY THY NOSE AND TH... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair
jewels.
THEY SHALL ALSO STRIP THEE OUT OF THY CLOTHES - whereby she attracted
her paramours ().... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom
brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine
eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.
THUS WILL I MAKE THY LEWDNESS TO CEASE. The captivity has made the
Jews ever since to abhor idolatry, not only on t... [ Continue Reading ]
For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into the
hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy
mind is alienated: I WILL DELIVER THEE INTO THE HAND OF THEM WHOM THOU
HATEST - namely, the Babylonians (Ezekiel 23:17; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy
labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy
whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
THEY SHALL TAKE AWAY ALL THY LABOUR - i:e., all the fruits of thy
labour.
AND SHALL LEA... [ Continue Reading ]
_I WILL DO THESE THINGS UNTO THEE, BECAUSE THOU HAST GONE A WHORING
AFTER THE HEATHEN, AND BECAUSE THOU ART POLLUTED WITH THEIR IDOLS._
No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her
cup into thine hand.
THEREFORE WILL I GIVE HER CUP INTO THINE HAND - "her cup" of
punishment. (; ; , etc.) Thy guilt and that of Israel being alike,
your punishment shall be alike.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; THOU SHALT DRINK OF THY SISTER'S CUP DEEP
AND LARGE: THOU SHALT BE LAUGHED TO_ _ THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; THOU
SHALT DRINK OF THY SISTER'S CUP DEEP AND LARGE: THOU SHALT BE LAUGHED
TO SCORN AND HAD IN DERISION; IT CONTAINETH MUCH._
No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the
sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it,
saith the Lord GOD.
THOU SHALT BREAK THE SHERDS THEREOF - so greedily shalt thou suck out
every drop, like one drinking to madness (the effect invariably
ascr... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me,
and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and
thy whoredoms.
BECAUSE THOU HAST FORGOTTEN ME - (note, ; ; ).
AND CAST ME BEHIND THY BACK - (; , "They were disobedient ... add
cast thy law behind their ba... [ Continue Reading ]
The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah
and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
A summing up of the sins of the two sisters, especially those of
Judah. A summing up of the sins of the two sisters, especially those
of Judah.
Verse 36. WILT THOU JUDGE AH... [ Continue Reading ]
And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of
adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because
they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
THE RIGHTEOUS MEN, THEY SHALL JUDGE THEM - "the righteous men," the
Chaldeans: the executioners of God's right... [ Continue Reading ]
For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and
will give them to be removed and spoiled.
I WILL BRING UP A COMPANY UPON THEM - "a company" [ qaahaal (H6951)],
properly, a council of judges passing sentence on a criminal
(Grotius).
AND WILL GIVE THEM TO BE REMOVED AND SPO... [ Continue Reading ]
And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with
their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn
up their houses with fire.
THE COMPANY SHALL STONE THEM WITH STONES - the legal penalty of the
adulteress (; ). Answering to the stones hurled by the Babylo... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women
may be taught not to do after your lewdness.
THUS WILL I CAUSE LEWDNESS TO CEASE OUT OF THE LAND - ().
THAT ALL WOMEN MAY BE TAUGHT NOT TO DO AFTER YOUR LEWDNESS - (, "And
all Israel shall hear and fear, and shall do no more a... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear
the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
YE SHALL BEAR THE SINS OF YOUR IDOLS - i:e., the punishment of your
idolatry.
YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD GOD - i:e., you shall know it to
your cost, by bi... [ Continue Reading ]