Eze 16:50 | KingComments | STEP | The LORD continues to hold out to Jerusalem her sins. He uses a proverb to make it clear that she is no better than the heathen mother from whom the city descended ( ). The mother is an unfaithful woman who has no natural love for her husband and her children ( ). So is Jerusalem. In doing so, she is also a sister to her sisters, who loath natural love in the same way. The expression “sisters” refers to the cities of Jerusalem, Samaria, and Sodom. The heathen origin lies in the connection between the Hittites and the Amorites. Jerusalem is as idolatrous as these heathen peoples. The LORD points Jerusalem to Samaria and calls that city the “older sister” of Jerusalem ( ). By Samaria is meant the whole area of the ten tribes realm which is much larger than that of Judah. Its location is north of Jerusalem. Her other sister, Sodom, is “younger” than Jerusalem. Sodom lives south of Jerusalem. That city is called “younger” because it has a smaller territory. By “her daughters” are meant the surrounding cities of Samaria and Sodom. Then the LORD points out the ways these cities have gone ( ). Jerusalem knows well what happened to Samaria and Sodom because of their apostasy from the LORD: they are ruined. Jerusalem, however, did not let herself be warned, but rather acted more corruptly than they. Jerusalem surpassed both the other cities in their sins (cf. ; ; ; ). With an oath swearing, the LORD confirms His observation that Sodom and its inhabitants have not sinned as greatly as Jerusalem ( ). To prove this, the LORD lists the heinous sins of Sodom ( ). This enumeration shows that the sins of Sodom did not consist only of the heinous sexual sins of which the city was full ( ). God richly blessed Sodom with natural prosperity ( ). But instead of thanking Him for it, she has been full of herself, full of selfishness, as the Lord Jesus also says ( ). Sodom has been a perfectly ordered constitutional state, with freedom of trade and movement, with food and drink for all. However, she has thought only of herself and not of others. Everything has served to satisfy her own pleasures. That has been the breeding ground for all the lewdness and abominations to develop and be indulged before God. That is why God turned the city upside down as soon as He had “seen it” ( ; ). Yet that city was not guilty of marriage violation, as was Jerusalem. What we see in Sodom we also see in our time. Everything revolves around prosperity. Everyone must become richer and richer, have more and more to spend, be able to enjoy themselves more and more. This greed is sometimes disguised with some money for developing countries, but that does not take away the sting of unbridled pleasure-seeking. On this soil, sexual pleasure-seeking is rampant, rejecting all God-ordained boundaries with the utmost contempt. The LORD then turns Jerusalem’s gaze to Samaria ( ). That city has not done half the sins of Jerusalem. For all the abominations Jerusalem has committed, her sisters Sodom and Samaria appear righteous. That is putting it very strongly. This is done to make clear to Jerusalem the enormous guilt she has brought upon herself because of her wicked behavior. Of course, it does not mean that it reduces the guilt of Sodom and Samaria. The point is that their guilt seems small compared to Jerusalem’s. Sodom and Samaria received their deserved punishment for a smaller debt than that of Jerusalem. Therefore, Jerusalem will certainly bear her shame ( ). The city has also arrogated in pride a judgment about Sodom and Samaria, and in doing so has been completely blind to her own heinous sins. Once again the LORD says that her own sins are so heinous that Sodom and Samaria appear righteous in comparison. He calls on the city to be ashamed and to bear her disgrace.

‏ Ezekiel 16:50

Jerusalem Compared to Her ‘Sisters’

The LORD continues to hold out to Jerusalem her sins. He uses a proverb to make it clear that she is no better than the heathen mother from whom the city descended (Eze 16:44). The mother is an unfaithful woman who has no natural love for her husband and her children (Eze 16:45). So is Jerusalem. In doing so, she is also a sister to her sisters, who loath natural love in the same way. The expression “sisters” refers to the cities of Jerusalem, Samaria, and Sodom. The heathen origin lies in the connection between the Hittites and the Amorites. Jerusalem is as idolatrous as these heathen peoples.

The LORD points Jerusalem to Samaria and calls that city the “older sister” of Jerusalem (Eze 16:46). By Samaria is meant the whole area of the ten tribes realm which is much larger than that of Judah. Its location is north of Jerusalem. Her other sister, Sodom, is “younger” than Jerusalem. Sodom lives south of Jerusalem. That city is called “younger” because it has a smaller territory. By “her daughters” are meant the surrounding cities of Samaria and Sodom.

Then the LORD points out the ways these cities have gone (Eze 16:47). Jerusalem knows well what happened to Samaria and Sodom because of their apostasy from the LORD: they are ruined. Jerusalem, however, did not let herself be warned, but rather acted more corruptly than they. Jerusalem surpassed both the other cities in their sins (cf. Mt 11:23-24; 2Chr 33:9; Jer 3:11; Lk 10:12). With an oath swearing, the LORD confirms His observation that Sodom and its inhabitants have not sinned as greatly as Jerusalem (Eze 16:48).

To prove this, the LORD lists the heinous sins of Sodom (Eze 16:49-50). This enumeration shows that the sins of Sodom did not consist only of the heinous sexual sins of which the city was full (Gen 18:20-21 ; Gen 19:4-5). God richly blessed Sodom with natural prosperity (Gen 13:10). But instead of thanking Him for it, she has been full of herself, full of selfishness, as the Lord Jesus also says (Lk 17:28).

Sodom has been a perfectly ordered constitutional state, with freedom of trade and movement, with food and drink for all. However, she has thought only of herself and not of others. Everything has served to satisfy her own pleasures. That has been the breeding ground for all the lewdness and abominations to develop and be indulged before God. That is why God turned the city upside down as soon as He had “seen it” (Eze 16:50; Gen 18:21 ; Gen 19:24-25). Yet that city was not guilty of marriage violation, as was Jerusalem.

What we see in Sodom we also see in our time. Everything revolves around prosperity. Everyone must become richer and richer, have more and more to spend, be able to enjoy themselves more and more. This greed is sometimes disguised with some money for developing countries, but that does not take away the sting of unbridled pleasure-seeking. On this soil, sexual pleasure-seeking is rampant, rejecting all God-ordained boundaries with the utmost contempt.

The LORD then turns Jerusalem’s gaze to Samaria (Eze 16:51). That city has not done half the sins of Jerusalem. For all the abominations Jerusalem has committed, her sisters Sodom and Samaria appear righteous. That is putting it very strongly. This is done to make clear to Jerusalem the enormous guilt she has brought upon herself because of her wicked behavior. Of course, it does not mean that it reduces the guilt of Sodom and Samaria. The point is that their guilt seems small compared to Jerusalem’s.

Sodom and Samaria received their deserved punishment for a smaller debt than that of Jerusalem. Therefore, Jerusalem will certainly bear her shame (Eze 16:52). The city has also arrogated in pride a judgment about Sodom and Samaria, and in doing so has been completely blind to her own heinous sins. Once again the LORD says that her own sins are so heinous that Sodom and Samaria appear righteous in comparison. He calls on the city to be ashamed and to bear her disgrace.