Eze 22:25-29 | JFB | STEP | 25. conspiracy —The false prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. They are mentioned first, as their bad influence extended the widest. prey —Their aim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" ( ). made . . . many widows —by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which the husbands fell.

Ezekiel 22:25-29

25. conspiracy—The false prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. They are mentioned first, as their bad influence extended the widest.

prey—Their aim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" (Ho 6:9; Zep 3:3, 4; Mt 23:14).

made . . . many widows—by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which the husbands fell.

26. Her priests—whose "lips should have kept knowledge" (Mal 2:7).

violated—not simply transgressed; but, have done violence to the law, by wresting it to wrong ends, and putting wrong constructions on it.

put no difference between the holy and profane, &c.—made no distinction between the clean and unclean (Le 10:10), the Sabbath and other days, sanctioning violations of that holy day. "Holy" means, what is dedicated to God; "profane," what is in common use; "unclean," what is forbidden to be eaten; "clean," what is lawful to be eaten.

I am profaned among them—They abuse My name to false or unjust purposes.

27. princes—who should have employed the influence of their position for the people's welfare, made "gain" their sole aim.

wolves—notorious for fierce and ravening cruelty (Mic 3:2, 3, 9-11; Joh 10:12).

28. Referring to the false assurances of peace with which the prophets flattered the people, that they should not submit to the king of Babylon (see on Eze 13:10; Eze 21:29; Jer 6:14; 23:16, 17; 27:9, 10).

29. The people—put last, after the mention of those in office. Corruption had spread downwards through the whole community.

wrongfully—that is, "without cause," gratuitously, without the stranger proselyte giving any just provocation; nay, he of all others being one who ought to have been won to the worship of Jehovah by kindness, instead of being alienated by oppression; especially as the Israelites were commanded to remember that they themselves had been "strangers in Egypt" (Ex 22:21; 23:9).