Ezekiel 25:9 Komentář

Judgment began at the house of God, and therefore with them the prophets began, who were the judges; but it must not end there, and therefore they must not. Ezekiel had finished his testimony which related to the destruction of Jerusalem. As to that he was ordered to say no more, but stand upon his watch-tower and wait the issue; and yet he must not be silent; there are divers nations bordering upon the land of Israel, which he must prophesy against, as Isaiah and Jeremiah had done before; and must proclaim God's controversy with them, chiefly for the injuries and indignities which they had done to the people of God in the day of their calamity. In this chapter we have his prophecy, I. Against the Ammonites (Eze 25:1-7). II. Against the Moabites (Eze 25:8-11). III. Against the Edomites (Eze 25:11-14). IV. Against the Philistines (Eze 25:15-17). That which is laid to the charge of each of them is their barbarous and insolent conduct towards God's Israel, for which God threatens to put the same cup of trembling into their hand. God's resenting it thus would be an encouragement to Israel to believe that though he had dealt thus severely with them yet he had not cast them off, but would still own them and plead their cause.

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 25 In this chapter the prophet foretells the judgments of God upon the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and Philistines, for their ill usage of the Jews; on the Ammonites, Eze 25:1, on the Moabites, Eze 25:8, on the Edomites, Eze 25:12, on the Philistines, Eze 25:15.

Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities,.... Or, "the shoulder of Moab" (t); that part of their country where their greatest strength lay, So the Targum renders it, "the strength of Moab;'' where their principal cities were, their frontier towns, and fortified places, as appears by what follows: from his cities which are on his frontiers; or, "from his Ars" (u), from his cities which are at his end; at the extreme part of the land, upon the borders of his countries; the two cities of Ar and Aroer, Num 21:28, the glory of the country; as the above cities were, and what follow: Bethjeshimoth; this was formerly in the tribe of Reuben, now in the possession of the Moabites, and one of their principal cities, Jos 13:20, Baalmeon; the same with Bethbaalmeon, and which was also of the tribe of Reuben, Jos 13:17, in Jerom's time it was a large village in Moab, about nine miles from Heshbon: some think by Meon is meant Menes, or Osiris the god of the Egyptians, and so this might be a temple of his; or at least he might have a temple in it, from whence it had its name: and Kirjathaim; or the double city, built also by the Reubenites, Num 32:37, now in the hands of the Moabites, ten miles from Medeba; on this side of the country of Moab, and through these cities, the Lord threatens to open a way for their enemies to enter in and destroy them, as follows: (t) , Sept.; "humerum", V. L. Montanus. (u) "ab ipsis", Haris, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus.

(Verse 8 onwards) This is what the Lord God says: Because Moab and Seir have said, 'Look, just like all the other nations, the house of Judah is also ours,' therefore I will expose Moab's shoulder, including its cities, with the renowned land of Beth Jesimoth, Beelmeon, and Kariathaim. I will give it to the people of the East along with the Ammonites as their inheritance, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. I will also execute judgments against Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord. LXX: Thus says the Lord God: Because Moab and Seir said, 'Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.' Therefore, behold, I will open up the shoulder of Moab from the cities of its coastline, the choice land, the house of Beth Jasimuth, on the spring of the coastal city. I have given the sons of the East as an inheritance to the sons of Ammon, so that the sons of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations. And I will execute vengeance upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord. What we have interpreted and added from the edition of Theodotion is not found in the Septuagint. But the Hebrews tell a ridiculous fable in this place. After the city was opened and the temple was unlocked, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Seir entered the temple and saw the Cherubim protecting the propitiatory, and they said: Just as all nations worship idols, so Judah also has idols of its own religion; and therefore, they say, the Lord is angry and has delivered them into captivity. But we shall say this, that they also insulted the house of Judah when it was captured by the Chaldeans, thinking that, as in the case of other nations, there was no divine help there, and therefore the kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, deprived of God's protection, fell under the power of Babylon. Therefore, not long afterwards, but at present, the Lord threatens that he will destroy or open his strong and fortified cities in Moab, so that even the victorious Babylonians might enter them, and the cities in Moab might cease to exist, and the famous cities in its borders and territories might be destroyed: among which he names Beth Jeshimoth, and Beelmeon, and Kiriathaim: for which, I don't know what reason, the Septuagint translators rendered them as the house of Beth Iasimuth, though this word signifies a deserted village; and Beelmeon is still today a very large town in Moab, which they translated as "over the spring," and Kiriathaim, a coastal city; and it is handed down, together with the sons of Ammon, the sons of the East, to the Babylonians, namely, according to that interpretation which we have presented against the sons of Ammon. And I will give, he says, Moab as an inheritance, that just as there is no more memory of the sons of Ammon among the nations, so I will also execute vengeance and judgment on Moab, so that they will know that I am the Lord, who delivered Judah because of sin, and I will be an avenger against the sons of Ammon and Moab. However, Moab, which is interpreted as 'from the father,' and Seir, which is turned into hairy and rough, despises and scorns the house of Judah, in which true confession resides, and thinks that it can be easily overthrown, just as the fortifications of other cities are overthrown. And the Lord threatens to open himself up, or to dissolve all the strength of the Moabites, so that they may cease to have cities and may not at all trust in the art of dialectic. But all those boundaries, which they call headlands for the purpose of deceiving the waves, shall be destroyed; and the famous and chosen land of Beth Jesimoth, which means the house of solitude and desert, and Beelmeon, which also means having a spring, or above a spring, and Cariathaim, which the 70 translated as a maritime city, shall perish. For although they may have the strength of warriors, and may proceed to battle with the art of fighting, and may march surrounded and fortified on every side: nevertheless, their famous land is not a home of habitation, but a home of solitude. And what they think they have, a source of knowledge, and a maritime city, which can withstand all the storms of the world, promising patience and fortitude to themselves: yet they will be converted there, so that they may be handed over to the sons of the East, the true light in Christ; just as the sons of Ammon were handed over, who trusted themselves in a heretical multitude. And let us consider the progress and, in the very act of punishment, the mercy of God, so that the sons of Ammon, the sons of the East, may be delivered into inheritance. And let no heresy be named among the nations. But let them come to know, at the end of things, through the judgments and punishments for their arrogance, that the Lord is the one who governs all. Now, in order to prove that the current place of the Moabites is above the pride of the philosophers, about whom it is said: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart' (1 Corinthians 1:19), a few examples from the prophets need to be repeated. Amos speaks: Thus says the Lord: Against three crimes of Moab, and against four I will not revoke it, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into ashes (Amos II, 1). Indeed, whatever is of perverse teachings in the world, whatever pertains to earthly knowledge, and is considered to be strong, is subverted by the art of dialectic and dissolved like fire into ashes and embers, in order to prove that which was thought to be the strongest is nothing. But Isaiah rebukes the pride of Moab, saying: We have heard the pride of Moab: he is exceedingly proud; his pride is taken away (Isa. XVI). Jeremiah also, prophesying against all the nations, speaks directly to Moab: Because you trusted in your fortifications (Jerem. XLVIII, 7). And shortly after: You will have confidence in your glory. And again: How do you say, We are mighty? And then: The day of Moab is near, and his malice is exceedingly swift (Ibid. 14, 10). And more plainly: Declare how the glorious staff is broken, the rod of majesty (Ibid., 20). And again: The horn of Moab is broken. But these things are said so that under the name of Moab, the foolishness of the world, exalting itself to heaven, may be shattered by pride.

This chapter contains threatenings of the heavy judgments of God against the Ammonites, Eze 25:1-7; Moabites, Eze 25:8-11; Edomites, Eze 25:12-14; and Philistines, Eze 25:15-17; on account of their hatred to his people, and their insulting them in the time of their distress. These prophecies were fulfilled by the instrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar, about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem. The same events were predicted by several of the other prophets, as may be seen from the citation of parallel texts in the margin.

I will open the side - קתף ketheph, the shoulder, the strongest frontier place. Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim were strong frontier towns of Moab.

APPROPRIATELY IN THE INTERVAL OF SILENCE AS TO THE JEWS IN THE EIGHT CHAPTERS, (TWENTY-FIFTH THROUGH THIRTY-SECOND) EZEKIEL DENOUNCES JUDGMENTS ON THE HEATHEN WORLD KINGDOMS. (Eze. 25:1-17) (Jer 49:1). when . . . profaned; . . . when . . . desolate; . . . when . . . captivity--rather, "for . . . for . . . for": the cause of the insolent exultation of Ammon over Jerusalem. They triumphed especially over the fall of the "sanctuary," as the triumph of heathenism over the rival claims of Jehovah. In Jehoshaphat's time, when the eighty-third Psalm was written (Psa 83:4, Psa 83:7-8, Psa 83:12, "Ammon . . . holpen the children of Lot," who were, therefore, the leaders of the unholy conspiracy, "Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession"), we see the same profane spirit. Now at last their wicked wish seems accomplished in the fall of Jerusalem. Ammon, descended from Lot, held the region east of Jordan, separated from the Amorites on the north by the river Jabbok, and from Moab on the south by the Arnon. They were auxiliaries to Babylon in the destruction of Jerusalem (Kg2 24:2).

open . . . from the cities--I will open up the side, or border of Moab (metaphor from a man whose side is open to blows), from the (direction of) the cities on his northwest border beyond the Arnon, once assigned to Reuben (Jos 13:15-21), but now in the hands of their original owners; and the "men of the east," the wandering Bedouin hordes, shall enter through these cities into Moab and waste it. Moab accordingly was so wasted by them, that long before the time of Christ it had melted away among the hordes of the desert. For "cities," GROTIUS translates the Hebrew as proper names, the Ar and Aroer, on the Arnon. Hence the Hebrew for "cities," "Ar" is repeated twice (Num 21:28; Deu 2:36; Isa 15:1). glory of the country--The region of Moab was richer than that of Ammon; it answers to the modern Belka, the richest district in South Syria, and the scene in consequence of many a contest among the Bedouins. Hence it is called here a "glorious land" (literally, "a glory," or "ornament of a land") [FAIRBAIRN]. Rather, "the glory of the country" is in apposition with "cities" which immediately precedes, and the names of which presently follow. Beth-jeshimoth--meaning "the city of desolations"; perhaps so named from some siege it sustained; it was towards the west. Baal-meon--called also "Beth-meon" (Jer 48:23), and "Beth-baal-meon" (Jos 13:17, called so from the worship of Baal), and "Bajith," simply (Isa 15:2). Kiriathaim--"the double city." The strength of these cities engendered "the pride" of Moab (Isa 16:6).