The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 115

them to the worship of Jehovah. So the earlier e~ages of their history, I.hey hC1d be- writer of 1 Kings iii. 2 records tho fact that come. high p!C1ces of Dool (Jer. xix. 5; "the people sa-0rificed in high places," be- xxxn. 35), and were assooiated with nbomi- cause RS yet, though the ark had been !1ations like those of_ the worship of llloloch brought to Jerusalem, "there was no housP. m the Valley of Hmnom. So it wns that built unto the Name of Jehovah until those Ezekiel, writing on tbe banks of tho Chebnr days," and that Solomon himself also "sacri- is now led to place them in the forefront of ficed and burnt incense in the high places." the sins of his people. At the chief of these, the great high place Ver. 4.-Yonr images, etc. The ''eun- of Gibeon, Solomon offered a thousand burnt ime.ges" of the Revised Version shows why offerings, and had the memorable vision in these are mentioned as distinct from the which he made choice of wisdom rather than "idols." The chammanim were pillars or obe- length of days, or riches and honour, return- lisks identified with the worship of Baal as ing from it, as though the cultus of the two the sun-god, standing on hie altars (2 Chron. places stood nearly on an equal footing, to xx.xiv. 4), coupled with the "groves," or offer otLer burnt offerings before the ark Asherim (lell.. xvii. 8; xxvii. 9), and with the of God at Jerusalem (1 Kings iii. 3-15). "high places" in 2 Chron, xiv. 5. I will cast With the erection of the temple the state down your slain men before your idols. As of things was, in some measure, altered, and in the prophecy against Bethel (I Kino-s the temple was the one legitimate sanctuary. xiii. 2), and in Joeiah's action (2 Kings When the ten tribes revolted nnder Jero- xx.xili. 16), this was the ne plus ultra of de- Loam, they were, of course, cut off from the secration. Where there had been the sweet temple services, and the king accordingly, savour of incense there should be the sick- besides the calves at Bethel and Dan, set ening odour of the carcases of the slain. up high places, with priests not of the sons The word for "idols" (gillulim ), though found c,f Aaron, in the cities of Samaria (1 Kings elsewhere, notably in Ezekiel's favourite xii. 31; xiii 32). From that time forward text-books (Lev. xxvi. 30; Dent. xxix. 17), the high places are al ways mentioned by both is more prominent in his writings (where it historians and prophets in a tone of con- occurs thirty-six times) than in any other book demnation, whether they were in Israel or of the Old 'festament, and means, primarily, Jndah (1 Kings xiv. 4), bnt they had be- a cairn or heap of stones, which, like the come so deeply rooted in the reverence of "sun-images," came to be associated with the people that even the better kings of Baal. Ezekiel repeats both words in ver. 6, Judah, who warred against open idolatry, with all the emphasis of scorn. He predicts like Asa (1 Kings xv. 14), Jehoshaphat the coming of a time when the work of de- (1 Kings n:ii. 43), Jehoe.eh (2 Kings xii 3), struction should be done more thoroughly Amaziah (2 Kings xiv. 4), Azariah (2 Kings than even Josiah had done it. When that xv. 4), left them undisturbed; while in the time co.ma, the familiar formula, "Ye eLall history of the northern kingdom the cnltue know that I am the Lord," should receive of the Be.moth reigned paramount (2 Kings yet another fulfilment. xvii., passim). It was not till Hezekiah, Ver. 8.-Yet will I leave e. remnant, etc. presumably under Isaiah's influence, re- The thought, though not the word, is that moved the "high places" (2 Kings xviii. of Isa. i. 9; x, 20; Zeph. ii. 7; iii. 13; Jer. 4) that we find any serious attempt to put xliii. 5. For these, at lee.et, the punishment them down. They had been tolerated, ap- would, in greater or lees measure, do its parently, because, as in Rabehakeh's taunt work; and, in remembering Jehovah, they (2 Kings xviii. 22), they were nominally would find the beginning of conversion. connected with the worship of Jehovah. Ver. 9.-:Beoanse I am broken with their Under the confluent polytheism of Manasseh whorish heart. The words have been very they naturally reappeared (2 Kings xxi. 3 ; differently rendered. (1) The Revised Ver- 2 Cbron. xuiii. 3). The reformation of sion me.inly follows the Authorized Version, Josiah was more thorough (2 Kings xxiii, but gives, they shall 7'emember . . . h010 I passim; 2 Chron. :u:xiv. 3), and was pro- have been brol,en, eto. So taken, the w01·ds 1.Jably stimulated by Hilkiah and Hnldah. are boldly anthropomorphic, and ascribe to The discovery of the book of the Law (pro- Jehovah the w01·d which implies the bably Deut.eronomy), with its condemnations strongest form of human distress. The of mountain sanctuaries, though, as we "whorish heart" of the people has mnde have seen, the Be.moth were not prohibited Jehovah himself '' broken-hearted." (2) by name, roused the zeal of the prophets, Most recent critics, however, follow the (.;Bpecially of the priest-prophets Jeremiah rendering of the Vulgate (contrivi), and take and Ezekiel, and when the Bamoth-cultua the verb, which is passive in form, o.e bein!?' revived, after the death of Josiah, the former like a Greek verb in the middle· voict was strong in his protests (Jer, vii. 31, et transitive in form, with an implied reflex al.), all the more so because now, lldil in the force. So we get, as in the margin of en. vi.1-14.] THE BOOK OF' THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 103