Ezekiel 16:37-44
37. thy lovers—the Chaldeans and the Assyrians. The law of retribution is the more signally exemplified by God employing, as His instruments of judgment on Israel, those very nations whose alliance and idols Israel had so eagerly sought, besides giving her up to those who had been always her enemies. "God will make him, who leaves God for the world, disgraced even in the eyes of the world, and indeed the more so the nearer he formerly stood to Himself" [HENGSTENBERG], (Isa 47:3; Jer 13:26; Ho 2:12; Na 3:5).
all . . . thou hast hated—the Edomites and Philistines; also Moab and Ammon especially (De 23:3). I . . . will discover thy nakedness—punishment in kind, as she had "discovered her nakedness through whoredoms" (Eze 16:36); the sin and its penalty corresponded. I will expose thee to public infamy.38-40. judge thee, as women that break wedlock— (Le 20:10; compare Eze 16:2). In the case of individual adulteresses, stoning was the penalty (Joh 8:4, 5). In the case of communities, the sword. Also apostasy (De 13:10) and sacrificing children to Molech (Le 20:1-5) incurred stoning. Thus the penalty was doubly due to Israel; so the other which was decreed against an apostate city (De 13:15, 16) is added, "they shall stone thee with stones and thrust thee through with . . . swords." The Chaldeans hurled stones on Jerusalem at the siege and slew with the sword on its capture.
shed blood . . . judged— (Ge 9:6). jealousy—image taken from the fury of a husband in jealousy shedding the blood of an unfaithful wife, such as Israel had been towards God, her husband spiritually. Literally, "I will make thee (to become) blood of fury and jealousy."39. thine eminent place—literally, "fornication-chamber" (see on Eze 16:24), the temple which Israel had converted into a place of spiritual fornication with idols, to please the Chaldeans (Eze 23:14-17).
strip thee of . . . clothes— (Eze 23:26; Ho 2:3). They shall dismantle thy city of its walls. fair jewels—literally, "vessels of thy fairness" or beauty; the vessels of the temple [GROTIUS]. All the gifts wherewith God hath adorned thee [CALVIN].40. (Eze 23:10, 47). Compare as to the destruction under Titus, Lu 19:43, 44.
41. The result of the awful judgment shall be, when divine vengeance has run its course, it shall cease.
burn— (De 13:16; 2Ki 25:9). women—the surrounding Gentile nations to whom thou shalt be an object of mocking (Ps 137:7). I will cause thee to cease . . . harlot— (Eze 23:27). Thou shalt no longer be able to play the harlot through My judgments. thou . . . shall give . . . no hire . . . any more—Thou shalt have none to give.42. my fury . . . rest—when My justice has exacted the full penalty commensurate with thy awful guilt (see on Eze 5:13). It is not a mitigation of the penalty that is here foretold, but such an utter destruction of all the guilty that there shall be no need of further punishment [CALVIN].
43. (Eze 16:22; Ps 78:42). In gratitude for God's favors to her in her early history.
fretted me— (Isa 63:10; Eph 4:30). thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations—that is, this the wickedness (compare Zec 5:8), peculiarly hateful to God, namely, spiritual unchastity or idolatry, over and "above" (that is, besides) all thine other abominations. I will put it out of thy power to commit it by cutting thee off. FAIRBAIRN translates, "I will not do what is scandalous (namely, encouraging thee in thy sin by letting it pass with impunity) upon all thine abominations"; referring to Le 19:29, the conduct of a father who encouraged his daughter in harlotry. English Version is much better.44. As . . . mother . . . her daughter—"Is," and "so is," are not in the original; the ellipsis gives the proverb (but two words in the Hebrew) epigrammatic brevity. Jerusalem proved herself a true daughter of the Hittite mother in sin (Eze 16:3).