Ezekiel 35
DortA prophesy concerning the utter destruction of the Edomites for their continual bitter hatred and reviling against the people of God, and their rejoicing at their miseries.
1. Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
2. Child of man, set thy face against mount Seir: [see of this phrase above chapter 6 on verse 2. By mount Seir is meant the hilly country of the Edomites, the posterity of Esau. See above chapter 25.8,12, c.] and prophesy against it.
3. And say unto it, thus saith the Lord LORD; behold I (will be) upon thee, [As above chapter 13.8.] O mount Seir: and I wil stretch out mine hand against thee, see above chapter 14 on verse 9.] And I will make thee a desolation and a terrour [or, utter desolation, or astonishment and desolation, as above chapter 33.28. and here below verse 7.]
4. I will make thy cities solitariness, and thou shalt become a desolation: and shall know that I am Lord, LORD.
5. Because thou hast an everlasting enmity, [Heb. Enmity of eternity, to wit, against my people. Compare above chapter 25.12, c. Amos 1:11.] And hast caused the children of Israel to flow [or shed; that is, poured out their blood like water by murderings, and caused to flow away. Compare Psalms 63:11 and Jeremiah 18:21. With the Annotat.] See Job 5 on verse 20] in the time of their destruction, [or ruine by the Chaldeans whom the Edomites helped, and stirred up to destroy Jerusalem to the very foundation. See Psalms 137:7.] in the time of the uttermost iniquity: [Heb. Iniquity of the end, or of the uttermost. See above chapter 21 on verse 25.]
6. Therefore (as time as) I live, saith the Lord LORD, I will assuredly prepare thee unto blood, [that is, to be killed or murdered. See Gen. 4 on verse 10. and above chapter 16.36 and 21.32 or I will make thee (to be) blood, that is, I will so order thee, that the land shall be full of thine own blood, and shall (in a Manner) be nothing but pure blood] and blood [That is, slaughter and murder, and consequently slayers and murderers] shall pursue thee: [Or, blood shall flow thee, as being shed and flowing every where] sith thou bast not hated blood, [that is, hast with delight beheld, yea and helped forward the murder and slaughter of my people] blood shall also pursue thee.
7. And I will make mount Seir utter desolation, [or meer desolation, as verse 3. though the Hebrew words (being of one root) do a little differ] and I will cut off from it him that passeth out, and him that entreth. [I will make it so desolate, that no man shall inhabit, neither go in nor out there]
8. And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: thy hills, [O Edom] and thy valleys, and all thy streams, in [or upon, by] them shall they that are slain by the sword lie. [As above chapter 6.7.]
9. I will make thee everlasting desolations, [Heb. Desolation of eternity] and thy cities shall not be inhabited: [Others return. The meaning is, that they shall not be built again to be inhabited] and ye shall know that that I am LORD.
10. Because thou sayeth, those two nations, [Juda and the ten tribes] and those two lands shall be mine, and we will possess them hereditarily, [see below chapter 36.5] though the LORD hath been there. That is, hath dwelt there. The meaning is, every where, whether God will or no, (as wicked enemies use to speak) they shall be for us, we are now the next, none shall be able to alienate them from us. Others, when the Lord hath been, understanding this of Juda, where the temple of the Lord had been. Compare below chapter 36.2. With the Annotat.]
11. Therefore (as true as) I live, saith the Lord LORD, I will also deal according unto thine anger and according to thy envy which thou hast exercised out of thine hatred against them: [Or as thou hast dealt with, or against them] and I will acknowledged among them, when I shall have judged [that is, punished] thee [that is, I shall be known among my people, who shall find that I am their friend when I shall have cut off their deadly enemies.]
12. And thou shall know that I the LORD have heard all thy blasphemies, [Or, that I (am) the lord, &c.] which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, they are laid waste, (that) they are given to us for meat. [See Deut. 31 on verse 17.]
13. Thus with your mouth you have magnified yourselves against me, [that is, spoken stoutly and proudly against me, as it were daring me with boasting and bragging language. See of this phrase Psalms 35 on verse 26] and (have) multiplied your words against me: [that is, ye have used much prating against me. The Hebrew Athar, or Gnathar signifieth multitude or abundance of words or things, for the most part in a good sense, when it is taken for much entreting and earnest, or servant praying, wherein a multitude of words is used or abundance of all manner of blessings. See Genesis 25:21. Exodus 8:8. c. Jeremiah 33:6. But here of the proud Edomites it is taken in a bad sense, for much prattling and prating. So it is used above for abundance of Idolatrous incense] I have heard it.
14. Thus saith the Lord LORD, as the whole land joyceth, (so) [this article is here inserted to fill up the sense from the following verse] will make thee desolate. [As the whole land of the Edomites rejoiced at Israel’s desolation, so will I also for it make their whole land again desolate? See the next verse. Others, when the whole earth rejoyceth, (then) will I, &c. that is, when there shall be ever where joy and gladness for the mercies that I will bestow on my people, principally by the Messiah, then shalt thou be plagued and be made desolate.]
15. As thou didst rejoice [Heb. According to thy joy. Compare above verse 11. and elsewhere often] at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was made desolate; [that is, didst rejoice at the desolation of the land of Canaan, which I gave unto Israel (and not unto thee) for an inheritance] so will I do unto thee: Mount Seir, and all Edom, shall be wholly a desolation: [as the whole land of Edom shouted at Israel’s calamity, as is said in the former verse] and they shall know that I am the LORD.