Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 35

Introduction

EZEKIEL CHAPTER 35

The judgment of Mount Seir, for their hatred of Israel, and insulting over their distress.

Verse 2

Put thyself in a posture looking towards Mount Seir, but with a stern and menacing countenance; the phrase you meet Ezekiel 20:46; Ezekiel 21:2; Ezekiel 25:2.

Mount Seir; the country for the inhabitants of it, as is usual in Scripture. This was a mountainous country, yet fruitful. It was so called from the old lord of it, Seir the Horite, or mountaineer from Hor, whose posterity were ousted of it by Esau’s posterity, Deuteronomy 2:12.

Prophesy against it; foretell what sad things are coming on them.

Verse 3

Say unto it; by a prosopopoeia, or personating a discourse with them; speak of them as if thou wert speaking to them. Against thee: see Ezekiel 28:22; Ezekiel 34:10.

Stretch out mine hand: see Ezekiel 6:14; Ezekiel 25:7.

Against, or over, denoting how inevitable the stroke will be which God gives from above.

Most desolate; wasted, forsaken, and nothing but solitariness left in time.

Verse 4

God doth what he stirs up his servants to do; it was Nebuchchadnezzar who was appointed to do this, and who did it, as Jeremiah 27:6; Jeremiah 28:14.

Thy cities, in the plural; there were many and strong cities in Edom, yet all should be wasted, as Ezekiel 25:12-14, where lie in like manner is threatened.

Verse 5

A perpetual hatred: Edom was of the same stock, brother to Jacob, and it was sin to disgust or envy, but greater to hate, and greatest to retain a perpetual hatred, an hereditary enmity from Esau’s time, the father of the Edomites, till now: near one thousand two hundred years had the seed of Esau hated Jacob’s seed for inheriting the blessing, which yet I have some cause to think they as little valued as their father did before them.

Hast shed the blood, by sudden incursions sometimes, by a formed war at other times, and by taking side with those who warred upon him at all times; thus the sword of Edom was ever drawn or ready against Jacob’s seed.

By the force of the sword; with fierceness, cruelty, and burning hatred, as appears, Obadiah 1:11-14, which see.

Their calamity; deepest calamity; when all was lost, and their city taken, and none to pity or help, then did Edom cruelly execute his hatred, Psalms 137:7.

In the time that their iniquity had an end; when their iniquity was charged and punished on them, which brought them to final ruin. See Ezekiel 21:25.

Verse 6

As I live: God is true and constant to his threats against hardened sinners, and will be so as sure as he lives.

Prepare thee unto blood; I will dispose all things for war against thee, for a bloody war, in which thy blood shall be shed.

Blood, thy guilt and my just revenges of innocent blood, shall pursue thee, never leave till thou die for it.

Hast not hated blood; hast loved, rather than hated, bloodshed; therefore vengeance for it follows thee.

Verse 7

All travellers that go to or from Edom’s country, or his cities; or possibly it may intimate the close sieges with which his cities should be so begirt, that none should attempt to go out or go in, but it should cost them their life: so Jericho close besieged, none went in or out, Joshua 6:1.

Verse 8

His mountains; there they will fortify, or thither they will flee, and there the enemy shall take and slay his men every where, as it follows in the words; slaughter shall be made of his men, pursued by the eager Chaldean, but more by the vengeance of God. So this phrase Ezekiel 30:11, but explained Ezekiel 32:5.

Verse 9

Edom’s sin was perpetual hatred, and Edom’s punishment shall be perpetual desolations. Edomites would never return into friendship with the Israelites, but still hate, and molest, and waste them; now for just recompence Edom’s cities shall be wasted, and never return to their former glory.

Verse 10

Covetousness is here charged upon these Edomites.

These two; Israel and Judah, two ever after the revolt of the ten tribes.

We will possess it; with arrogance they determine what they will do; they reckon the right was theirs, as being the descendants of the elder brother, and now the possession they say shall be theirs too.

The Lord was there: either thus, though God was with Israel, their patron and their right; this is blasphemous pride, to resolve thus against God himself; or though he was present among them, heard their resolutions, and would disappoint them.

Verse 11

I will even do, deal with thee, O Mount Seir,

according to thine anger; I will take my measures from thy using of Israel. Thou wast angry, and that very fiercely, in which anger thou didst smite: in fierce anger against thee I will smite thee. Thou thoughtest with an envious heart all Israel had was too good for him, and wouldst spoil him of all; and I know thee unworthy of all thou hast, and I will take it from thee. Thy hatred edged both thine anger and thine envy to extirpate and root them out; and in my hatred against such sins and obstinate sinners I will utterly destroy thee and root thee out.

When I have judged thee: so God is known by the judgments that he executeth, when such wicked ones are taken in their own works, as snares which themselves have laid.

Verse 12

Thou didst reproach, scoff, and vilify my people, as if they had been the people of some deaf idol; but I will make thee know I am the Lord, who heard all thy blasphemies, and can, for I have punished them. Which thou hast spoken; not speaking this without insulting and rejoicing, as Tyre did, Ezekiel 26:0.

Saying, Their God hath left them, either unable to rescue them, or changed in his kindness, and gone back from his word; or some such-like impious thoughts and discourses they had against God, whose city and temple they saw the Babylonians ruin, and which Edomites helped in doing.

Given us; either by the Chaldeans, or else by God.

To consume; utterly to consume, and to satisfy our hatred against them in the destruction of them.

Verse 13

Though the very words be not reported, yet it is certain, from this passage, that they spake proudly against the God of Israel, boasting what they would do, will he nill be. And these blasphemous words or discourses were not once or twice, they multiplied them, it is probable, not much unlike the words of Sennacherib; but they shall smart for all this, and know it is for this, when God acts against them, who durst proudly speak against him. I have heard your words, you shall feel my sword.

Verse 14

The whole earth; the inhabitants of the countries round about thee, the whole that thou knowest.

Rejoiceth; is in peace and plenty, and enjoy both, thou shalt want all; and then envy at the welfare of others shall break thy heart. Envy was thy sin, and now what is the object of envy shall be thy grief, viz. the prosperity of others.

Verse 15

Thou didst rejoice; thou tookest pleasure in the ruin of my people; for this thy sin I will ruin thee, and then do to thee as thou didst, I will retaliate, and rejoice in thy ruin: thou helpedst to make Jerusalem desolate, I will make thee so: thou criedst to ruin them all, to destroy all the land; all thy land shall be ruined, and by these judgments I will be known to be the Lord.