The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 279

The women stand for the "cities" which (Rom. iii. 29). The Hittites and Sodom and looked on, with awe or exultation, e.t the Samarfo,, to whom she is compared, had all destruction of the guilty. Possibly, how- alike been guilty of unfaithfulness to their ever, the words may include a, literal sense, husbands. '!'heir idolatry was therefore, like Bll in Lam. ii. 10. hers, an act of apostasy. Jehovah wns their Ver. 42.---So will I make my fury, eto.: husband also, their childrnn were his chil- read, with the Revised Version, will satiify. dren (ver. 21). He claimc,l them as bis own, The words are not primarily words of bad entered with them also into a relation comfort. They speak of the satisfaction of which, though less close than that with the j<>alous husband's righteous anger, and Israel, was ll.8 that of the husband to the therefore of a completed punishment. And wife. The thought expands, as we shall yet that thought we.s, as the sequel shows see, in the sequel of the chapter. (vers. 53, 60-63), the beginning of hope for Ver. 46.-Novery adequate reason appears the future. as the prophet thought of his for the assignment of the respective ages of people. For here the forms of punishment the two sisters. Historically, Sodom, as the were not final. The daughter of Zion oldest representative of evil, would have survived the stoning, the sword, and the seemed to claim precedence. Samaria may burning. And so, when wrath had done its have bad this position assigned to it 11s more work of retribution, it might become cor- closely connected with Judah. The left and rectiveand purgatorial. The injured husband, right bands indicate respectively a position in the bold anthropomorphic language of to the north and south of Jerusalem, the the parable, would be no more angry. The observer of the heavens looking east, as, we Lord God of Israel would remember his may note, the temple did (eh. viii. 16). The covenant, e.nd forgive. comparison with Samaria is developed more Ver. 43.-Because thou hast not re- fully in eh. xxiii. The daughters are, as membered (comp. Jer. ii 2). There is, so to elsewhere, the cities dependent on Sodom speak, a certain dawn of tenderness in the and Samaria respectively. new form of reproach, as compared with the Ver. 47.-The words in italics indicate, as sternness of what had gone before, and this usual, a difficulty. A better construction in itBelf implies the pity which is the ground gives, Thou hast not . . . done afle1- a miall of hope. Fretted. Ezra (v. 12) uses the same meallure only. So the Vulgate, Neque secun• word, there rendered "provoke." Had dwm 6celera earum fecisti pauzillum min11,11. Ezekiel's use of it stamped it as the right The LXX. connects the words with the word for confession? Thon shalt not com- clause that follows: "Thou wast all but (,rap~ mit, etc. The Vulgate follows a reading µ11,pov) corrupted more than they." which gives, "I have llot done according Vere. 49, 50.-lt is noticeable that what to thy lewdness," etc. ; i.e. the guilt had we commonly speak of 11s the specific sin of deserved a greater punishment. The Revised the cities of the plain is not mentioned here. Version margin gives, "Hast thou not The prophet fixes on the point which made committed," etc. ? The word for "lewd- Sodom a luxurious and sensual city, the ness" (" lewd way" in ver. 27) is specially graver evil being just hinted at in the word characteristic of Ezekiel, who uses it eleven abominations, and as the outcome of the times. Elsewhere it is translated "wicked- evil tendencies. So in like manner the ness" (Lev. xviii. 17, et al.)," lewdness" in special sin of Samaria, the worship of the Judg. xx. 6; Jer. xiii. 27. It conveys calves, is not named, but taken for granted. alwavs the sense of a guilt that revolts and (For fulness of bread, see Prov. xxx. 9; Hos. shocks us. xiii. 6; Dent. viii. 12.) Prosperity and luxury Ver. 44.-Every one that spea.keth pro- in her case, as in that of other wealthy cities, verbs, etc. .Al! in eh. xviii 2, we have an hardened the hearts of men against the poor example of the tendency of the Eastern mind and needy. There was probably B sufficient to condense the experience of life into the reason for the omission which has been form of proYerbial sayings. Here the pro- pointed out. It was wiser to dwell on the verb expresses what we call the doctrine of sins which were common to the two cities her~diti. We say, in such cases," Like rather than on the vice which, though it father, !ike son;" but the feeling of the East existed in Jerusalem (2 Kings xxiii. 7), was recognized, especially in the case of probably not prevalent there. As I saw daughters, that the mother's influence was good; better, according to what I saw. 1'he predominant. word "good" is not in the Hebrew, and the Ver. 45.-Ezekiel returns to the thought words apparently refer to Gen. xviii. 21. of the spiritual parentage of Jerusalem and Vers. 51, 52.-Thon hast jnsti11ed, etc. Judah, as in ver. 3. Reading between the The word has a touch of sarcasm. Sodom lines, we find something like an anticipation and Samaria might claim a verdiot of ac- of St. Paul's thought that Jebovah was the quittal (" juHtify," in its technical sense) as God of the Gentile11 11,9 well as of the Jew11 co1Dpare4 with ,1 utlah. They biad not prll• tlit, x\'1. 1-63.j '!'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL, 277