Ezekiel 16

— of the land of Canaan;] As your fathers sojourned in the land of Canaan before they came to have any right or property in it; so you, their posterity, have all along resembled the manners of Canaan, more than those of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, your ancestors. W. Lowth.

— thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.] Those are said to be our parents, in the Scripture dialect, whose manners we resemble: see ver. 45 of this chapter; John viii. 44. There is an expression of the same import in the History of Susanna, ver. 56, that seems to be copied from this text, “O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thine heart.” W. Lowth. It is the language of indignation and reproof. Abp. Newcome. See the note on Job xxx. 29.

• an everlasting covenant.] That of the Gospel. See Jer. xxxii. 40. W. Lowth.

Chap. XVII. ver. 2. — a riddle.] Meaning, a continued allegory, or figurative speech. W. Lowth.

Ezekiel 16:3

3. — A great eagle with great wings.] This means Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, according to the 12th and following verses. In more than one place, conquerors are represented under the figure of eagles, which are birds of prey, remarkable for their swiftness, Deut. xxviii. 49; Jer. iv. 13. W. Lowth. See the note on Jer. xlviii. 40.

— feathers, which had divers colours.] An allusion to the various nations which composed the Babylonian empire. Michaelis. Or to the rites and various forms of government in those nations. Bp. Hall.

— came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar.] Came to Judea, where Lebanon is conspicuous and renowned, and took Jehoachin captive, ver. 12, and 2 Kings xxv. 12. Bp. Hall.

Respecting the “cedar,” see note at 1 Kings v. 6. It seems there is a foundation in nature for joining the eagle and the cedars together. “We employed the rest of the day,” says La Roque, (speaking of the spot where the cedars of Lebanon grew, “in attentively surveying the beauties of this place, in measuring some of the cedars, and in cutting off many of their branches with their cones, which we sent away with a number of large eagle’s feathers, which were found in the same place.” Harner.

Ezekiel 16:4

4. — in the day thou wast born] The forlorn condition of the Israelites in Egypt is here described under the similitude of a new-born infant, exposed in its native filthiness, without any friend to pity its condition, or to take the least care of it. W. Lowth, Bp. Holl.

— not suited at all.] Galen says, that by rubbing a small quantity of salt upon a new-born infant, the skin is rendered thicker and more solid. Abp. Newcome.

4. — the top of his young twigs.] All their prime nobility and able soldiery. Bp. Hall.

— a land of traffick.] Babylon is called a land of traffick, because in fact it was at that time the most celebrated place of all the East for commerce. Its situation possessed infinite advantages in this respect: the two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Persian gulph, opened it away into the richest and most distant countries. The vast extent of the dominions of Nebuchadnezzar afforded the greatest facilities to the journeys of the merchant, and to the transport of merchan-

field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

Ezekiel 16:5

5. — but thou wast cost out in the open field.] Every one knows the barbarous custom which prevailed among the ancients, of exposing their children on account of poverty, or some natural defect. This inhuman practice was not permitted among the Hebrews: but Ezekiel alludes to it here, as a thing common and well known amongst other nations. Calmet.

6. — of the seed of the land.] Of the king’s seed, as it is explained ver. 13, that is, Zedekiah. W. Lowth, Bp. Hall.

— in a fruitful field.] The land of Judea. Abp. Newcome.

Ezekiel 16:6

6. — when thou wast in thy blood.] Whilst as yet nobody took so much care of thee, as to wash thee from thy native filthiness, ver. 4, I took pity on thee, as a traveller that passes by and sees an infant he exposed; and I provided all things necessary for thy support. W. Lowth.

naan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

6. — of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, &c.] Alluding to the tributary state of Zedekiah, and to his subjection to the king of Babylon. Abp. Newcome.

Ezekiel 16:7

7. I have caused thee to multiply &c.] For multitude the people are compared to the numberless buds of the herb; for flourishing they are like the bud in the beauty of its spring: and both include the goodness and richness of the land they dwelt in. Poole.

— and thou art come to excellent ornaments:] As jewels and rich vestments set off a beautiful person, so the successes in enterprises, rich returns in merchandise, and fruitfulness of the country itself, were the lustre of thy beauty, which all thy neighbours courted: thou wast adorned with the choicest blessings of Divine Providence. Poole.

7. — another great eagle] Pharaoh king of Egypt. This prince was also great and powerful, but less so than the king of Babylon. Calmet.

— this vine did bend her roots toward him.] Zedekiah, weary of the yoke of Babylon, requested succour from the king of Egypt, thinking, under the protection of Egypt, to cast off the Babylonish yoke, and to set himself at liberty. For the event, see Jer. xxxvii. 4—7. Calmet.

— that he might water it] That the king of Egypt might protect Zedekiah. Abp. Newcome.

Ezekiel 16:8

8. — thy time was the time of love;] When I rejoiced in thee, and espoused thee to be my wife. Poole.

— I spread my skirt over thee.] See Ruth iii. 9. I took thee under my protection, as a husband doth the wife. W. Lowth.

8. It was planted in a good soil] The words are to the same purpose as ver. 5, to shew that Zedekiah’s condition was so good under the king of Babylon, that he needed not to have broken his oath, out of a desire to better it, whereby he involved himself and his country in ruin, 2 Kings xxiv. 20. W. Lowth.

Ezekiel 16:9

9. Then washed I thee with water; &c.] The allegory is here continued, and declares what more was done to prepare this virgin for advancement by this marriage covenant. The Prophet probably alludes to a very ancient custom among the Eastern people, of purifying virgins who were soon to be espoused: see Esth. ii. 12. Poole. I added every thing that could contribute to thy beauty and ornament. The anointing with oil was an essential part in a festival dress, Ruth iii. 3; Isa. lxi. 3; Matt. vi. 17. W. Lowth.

10. — even without great power] It is an effect which may be produced with ease, God being on the side of the Chaldeans. Abp. Newcome. In fact, the conquest of Jerusalem cost but little to the king of Babylon. Zedekiah made but a slight resistance; he fled during

Before CHRIST about 594.

Ezekiel 16:10

10. — and shod thee with badgers’ skin, &c.] This and the following verses allude to those parts of women’s dress, which serve not only for use, but for ornament; and represent the varieties of wealth, luxury, and honour, which were bestowed by God upon the Jewish people. W. Lowth.

— badgers’ skin.] See note at Exod. xxv. 5: and respecting the shoes worn, see note at Cant. vii. 1.

Ezekiel 16:12

12. — a jewel on thy forehead.] The same which is called a “nose jewel,” Isa. iii. 21. See note at Gen. xxiv. 22.

— and a beautiful crown upon thine head.] Crowns or garlands were used in times of publick rejoicing; from whence is derived that expression of St. Paul, a

Before CHRIST 594. Heb. bloods. The monstrous whoredom of Jerusalem. Before CHRIST 504.

of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

Ezekiel 16:14

14. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: ] Thy name was great and honoured among the most distant nations, for the prosperity of thy country, the riches of thy merchants, the abundance of thy peace, the excellent form of thy civil government and its laws, and the holiness, purity, and truth of thy religion. Poole.

Ezekiel 16:15

15. — and playedst the harlot &c. ] Hast yielded over thyself to the spiritual fornications of all the nations round about thee. Bp. Hall.

Ezekiel 16:16

16. And of thy garments thou didst take, &c. ] Those ornaments of wit, of strength, of wealth, which I had bestowed upon thee, thou hast turned to the countenancing and furtherance of gross idolatries. Bp. Hall.

— the like things shall not come. ] Such things have never before been, and shall never be again, without bringing down my vengeance upon the authors of them. Calmet.

Ezekiel 16:17

17. — images of men. ] Images of deified heroes. W. Lowth. See chap. xxiii. 14, 15. Probably the Prophet might have intended in this passage an allusion to those

obscene figures which were carried in the ceremonies of Tammuz or Adonis. Calmet.

Ezekiel 16:20

20. — thy sons and thy daughters. ] See notes at Lev. xviii. 21; Deut. xviii. 10.

Ezekiel 16:25

25. Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, &c. ] These and the following expressions allude to the practices of common harlots, who used to frequent the most publick places to allure passengers to them: see Prov. ix. 14, 15: idolatry being in this chapter and elsewhere compared to fornication. W. Lowth. See Isa. lvii. 5; Jer. ii. 23, 24. See notes at Deut. xii. 2.

— and hast opened thy feet &c. ] Thou hast communicated in idolatry with every nation that has had any intercourse with thee. Bp. Hall.

26. — the Egyptians! They were remarkable for many gross idolatries, and the Jews had learned to practise them. See chap. xx. 7, 8; Lev. xx. 3; Deut. xxix. 16, 17; Josh. xxiv. 14. Of all the idolatrous nations the Egyptians have exercised the greatest indecencies in their worship. Calmet.

Ezekiel 16:27

27. — have diminished thine ordinary food. ] I will abandon you like an adulteress. The law commanded that certain things should be given by husbands to their wives. See Exod. xxi. 10. God says, that He will take away all these things from his faithless spouse. Calmet.

— and delivered thee unto the will &c. ] As a punish- Jerusalem’s sin shall not go unpunished Before CHRIST 594. A 2 Kings 25. 9. Jer. 52. 13.

Ezekiel 16:41

41. — many women.] Many nations. The Syrians, Philistines, and other nations. W. Lowth.

— thou also shalt give no hire any more.] Thou shalt not be able any more to give the hire of fornication to thy mercenary lovers. Bp. Hall.

Ezekiel 16:42

42. — to rest.] I will reject you, and will think no more of you. Calmet.

Ezekiel 16:43

43. — the days of thy youth.] The favours I conferred upon thee, and the covenants I made with thee in thy youth. Bp. Hall. See ver. 22.

Ezekiel 16:44

44. Behold, every one that useth proverbs &c.] Thy notorious sin shall be the ordinary by-word of the world, who shall say, As is the mother Canaan, so is the daughter Judah. Bp. Hall.

Ezekiel 16:45

45. Thou art thy mother’s daughter, &c.] Like her in wickedness and sin: as she, so thou hast cast off thy God, and all that appertain unto Him. Bp. Hall.

— which loth[ed] In imitation of which unnatural practice, thou hastest me thy husband, and offerest thy children to idols. Abp. Newcome.

Ezekiel 16:46

46. And thine elder sister is Samaria, &c.] Or the ten tribes of Israel. She, and those her daughter cities, that lie to the north; and thy younger sister that dwelleth to the south, is Sodom, and the cities appertaining unto her. Bp. Hall.

By Sodom, the Ammonites and Moabites seem here to be meant. These people, whose father Lot went out of Sodom, and whose country bordered upon the Dead sea, or the lake of Sodom, are called the younger sister of Jerusalem; partly because they were less in number than the Samaritans, and partly because they were more distant from Jerusalem than Samaria. Grotius,

younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

Ezekiel 16:47

47. Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, &c.] Thou hast not contented thyself to do after their example; but, &c. Bp. Hall.

Ezekiel 16:49

49. — this was the iniquity of —Sodom, &c.] We may learn from this passage of the Prophet, how odious in the sight of God are intemperance, vanity, and want of mercy to the poor. These reproaches may regard the ancient Sodomites less perhaps than the Moabites and the Ammonites of that day, who were extremely wicked and corrupted, as appears from Isa. xvi. 6; Jer. xlviii. 29, 30; and xlix. 4. Calmet.

— abundance of idleness] In places, where there is least work, the worst sins do most prevail: and idleness therefore is by the Prophet reckoned one of the three great sins of Sodom, parents of the rest. It seldom happens in any way of life, that a sluggard and a profligate do not go together, or that he, who is idle, is not also dissolute. Dr. Isaac Barrow.

Ezekiel 16:51

51. — and hast justified thy sisters in all &c.] Thou hast made thy sister’s wickedness to appear small in comparison of thine. Bp. Hall. The ingratitude of Jerusalem was greater than that of Samaria. God had placed his name in Jerusalem, and they forsook his worship, and profaned his temple, by placing idols in it; a degree of idolatry beyond any thing the ten tribes had been guilty of. W. Lowth.

Ezekiel 16:52

52. — bear thine own shame] Expect to undergo the Before CHRIST 594. was loth[ed] as a small thing. b Gen. 19. 24. Mercy is promised her in the end.

more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

Ezekiel 16:53

53. When I shall bring again their captivity, &c.] The meaning is, When the fulness of the Gentiles shall come into the Church, (some of whom may be compared to Sodom for wickedness,) then will I also remember you who are my ancient people. The conversion of the Gentiles is expressed in Jeremiah by the returning of the captivity of Moab, Ammon, and Elam, chap. xlviii. 47; xlix. 6. 39; and by the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Syrians, acknowledging themselves his servants in the prophecy of Isaiah, chap. xix. 24, 25; xxiii. 18. And by the same analogy we are to understand the returning of “the captivity of Sodom,” here, of the Gentiles coming into the Church. W. Lowth, Abp. Newcome. See below, verses 60-63, which seem to explain the sense of this passage.

Ezekiel 16:54

54. That thou mayest bear thine own shame, &c.] In the mean time thou shalt bear the shame and punishment due to thy sins, and shalt be some sort of comfort to thy neighbours, in being a companion with them in punishment, as thou hast been in wickedness. W. Lowth.

Ezekiel 16:56

56, 57. For thy sister Sodom &c.–Before thy wickedness was discovered.] These words should be joined together in the same verse or sentence. W. Lowth. “Thou never thoughtest of the judgment which I brought upon thy sister Sodom, while thou wert transported with thy security and pride; before that God, by his inflicted judgments, brought forth thy wickedness to the notice of the world; and before He made thee a reproach to the Syrians, and to the Philistines, and to the people adjoining; all which have despitefully insulted upon thee.” Bp. Hall.

Ezekiel 16:59

59. • in breaking the covenant.] The solemn oath you entered into to be my people, and to serve no other God besides, Deut. xxix. 12-14. W. Lowth.

Ezekiel 16:60

60. Nevertheless I will remember my covenant &c.] The

that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which || despise thee round about.

Ezekiel 16:61

61. • when thou shalt receive thy sisters.] See ver. 53. 55. Converted with thee to Christianity. Abp. Newcome. Thou, who didst not blush, whilst thou wast false to thine husband, shalt now with a deep shame remember and detest thy lewdness, when thou shalt admit thy sisters into communion with thee, or own them as members of the Church of Christ. Poole.

• I will give them unto thee for daughters, † Jerusalem thus restored shall be a type of that heavenly Jerusalem, which is “the mother of us all,” Gal. iv. 26. And even in the times of the Apostles there was a particular deference paid to the Church of Jerusalem, as the mother Church of the Christian world. See Rom. xv. 26, 27. Accordingly she is styled “the mother of all Churches,” by the second general council, in their synodical Epistle: a title, which the Church of Rome now assumes, without any pretence from Scripture or antiquity. W. Lowth.

• not by thy covenant.] But by the covenant under the Gospel. Bp. Hall, Abp. Newcome.

The Gentile nations, represented in this very remarkable prophecy by Sodom and Samaria, are become the daughters of Jerusalem by that new alliance, in which Jesus Christ has been graciously pleased to comprehend strangers together with his children, the Gentiles together with the Jews. Calmet.

Ezekiel 16:62

62. And I will establish my covenant with thee;] With thee, O Israel, first; and then with the Gentiles, as thy children; with all the genuine children of Abraham, father of the faithful. Poole.

The parable of two eagles and a vine, Before CHRIST 591. shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. # CHAP. XVII.