Ezekiel 25:14
Ver. 14. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by fie hand of my people Israel,.... This was fulfilled in the times of the Maccabees, when Judas Maccabins overthrew and conquered them,"Then Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea at Arabattine, because they besieged Gael: and he gave them a great overthrow, and abated their courage, and took their spoils.'' (1 Maccabees 5:3)and when Hyrcanus took their cities, and subdued them, and they became Jews, as Josephus {x} relates; though Kimchi thinks this refers to future time, and is yet to be accomplished; and it is, by the ancient Jews {y}, understood of the times of the Messiah: some choose to understand the phrase,by the hand of my people Israel, the same hand by which judgment was inflicted upon Israel; suggesting that by the same hand vengeance would be inflicted on the Edomites, namely, by the Babylonians:and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; that is, shall execute all the anger and fury, or all that punishment in anger and fury, which the Lord in righteous judgment has appointed them to, and has determined shall be performed upon them, by the children of Israel or the Babylonians, as his instruments:and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God; the meaning is, they shall feel it, and be sensible of it, and know that it comes from the Lord himself; full of resentment against them, and highly displeased at their behaviour towards his people Israel.{x} Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9. sect. 1. {y} In Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 2. fol. 179. 3. Ezekiel 25:15Ver. 15. Thus saith the Lord God,.... Once more, and concerning another enemy of the people of Israel, and who had been of old an implacable one:because the Philistines have dealt by revenge: for what they suffered in the times of Saul, when Goliath was slain by David, and their army was discomfited; and for the overthrow of them by David, when he came to throne; and for his burning their images, and subduing them, 1Sa 17:51, this revenge they took in the time of Ahaz, 2Ch 28:18, and very probably also showed their spite at the time of Jerusalem's destruction:and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; which they bore to the people of Israel, from their first settlement in Canaan; from the times of the judges, particularly Samson; and from the times of Saul and David: it was an old grudge they bore, they had spite and malice in their hearts, and wanted an opportunity to vent it; having determined to take vengeance when they could, and utterly destroy them from being a people; very likely, through despite, they assisted the Chaldean army: or, this they did "with a perpetual hatred" {z}; they did everything they could, in a spiteful and malicious way, to perpetuate the hatred between them and Israel.{z} Mlwe tbya "inimictias perpetuas", Pagninus; "iuimietia perpetua", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator Ezekiel 25:16Ver. 16. Therefore thus saith the Lord God,.... Because of such wretched malice and despiteful usage:behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines; as is foretold, Jer 47:1,and I will cut off the Cherethims: one of the tribes of the Philistines, a principal part of their country, which lay to the south, 1Sa 30:14, there is a beautiful play on words {i} in the Hebrew:and destroy the remnant of the seacoast; as that of Ashdod, Caphtor, and Ashkelon, formerly spoiled by other persons; what they left should now be utterly destroyed; see Isa 20:1{a} Mytrk ta ytrkhw. Ezekiel 25:17Ver. 17. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes,.... By way of retaliation for their vengeance and fury, wrath and malice, against his people; suggesting, that the judgments inflicted on them, for quantity and quality, should be very great:and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them; they shall see the hand of God in it, acknowledge his justice, and confess that their gods were idols, and that the God of Israel is the only true God.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.