Ezekiel 35

Eze 35:1-15.

JUDGMENT ON

EDOM.

Another feature of Israel's prosperity; those who exulted over Israel's

humiliation, shall themselves be a "prey." Already stated in

Eze 25:12-14;

properly repeated here in full detail, as a commentary on

Eze 34:28.

The Israelites "shall be no more a prey"; but Edom, the type of their

most bitter foes, shall be destroyed irrecoverably.

2. Mount Seir--that is, Idumea

(Ge 36:9).

Singled out as badly pre-eminent in its bitterness against God's

people, to represent all their enemies everywhere and in all ages. So

in

Isa 34:5; 63:1-4,

Edom, the region of the greatest enmity towards God's people, is the

ideal scene of the final judgments of all God's foes. "Seir" means

"shaggy," alluding to its rugged hills and forests.

3. most desolate--literally, "desolation and desolateness"

(Jer 49:17,

&c.). It is only in their national character of foes to God's people,

that the Edomites are to be utterly destroyed. A remnant of

Edom, as of the other heathen, is to be "called by the name of God"

(Am 9:12).

5. perpetual hatred--

(Ps 137:7;

Am 1:11;

Ob 10-16).

Edom perpetuated the hereditary hatred derived from Esau against Jacob.

shed the blood of, &c.--The literal translation is better.

"Thou hast poured out the children of Israel"; namely, like water. So

Ps 22:14; 63:10,

Margin;

Jer 18:21.

Compare

2Sa 14:14.

sword"; the sword being personified as a devourer whose "hands" were the

instruments of destruction.

in the time that their iniquity had an end--that is, had its

consummation

(Eze 21:25, 29).

Edom consummated his guilt when he exulted over Jerusalem's downfall,

and helped the foe to destroy it

(Ps 137:7;

Ob 11).

6. I will prepare thee unto blood--I will expose thee to slaughter.

sith--old English for "seeing that" or "since."

thou hast not hated blood--The Hebrew order is, "thou

hast hated not--blood"; that is, thou couldst not bear to live without

bloodshed [GROTIUS]. There is a play on similar

sounds in the Hebrew; Edom resembling dam, the

Hebrew for "blood"; as "Edom" means "red," the transition to

"blood" is easy. Edom, akin to blood in name, so also in nature and

acts; "blood therefore shall pursue thee." The measure which Edom meted

to others should be meted to himself

(Ps 109:17;

Mt 7:2; 26:52).

7. cut off . . . him that passeth--that is, every passer to and fro;

"the highways shall be unoccupied"

(Eze 29:11;

Jud 5:6).

9. shall not return--to their former state

(Eze 16:55);

shall not be restored. The Hebrew text (Chetib) reads,

"shall not be inhabited" (compare

Eze 26:20;

Mal 1:3, 4).

10. So far from being allowed to enter on Israel's vacated inheritance,

as Edom hoped

(Eze 36:5;

Ps 83:4, 12;

Ob 13),

it shall be that he shall be deprived of his own; and whereas Israel's

humiliation was temporary, Edom's shall be perpetual.

Lord was there--

(Eze 48:35;

Ps 48:1, 3; 132:13, 14).

Jehovah claimed Judea as His own, even when the Chaldeans had

overthrown the state; they could not remove Him, as they did the idols

of heathen lands. The broken sentences express the excited feelings of

the prophet at Edom's wicked presumption. The transition from the "two

nations and two countries" to "it" marks that the two are regarded as

one whole. The last clause, "and Jehovah was there," bursts in, like a

flash of lightning, reproving the wicked presumption of Edom's

thought.

11. according to thine anger--

(Jas 2:13).

As thou in anger and envy hast injured them, so I will injure thee.

I will make myself known among them--namely, the Israelites. I will

manifest My favor to them, after I have punished thee.

12, 13. blasphemies . . . against . . . Israel . . . against me--God

regards what is done against His people as done against Himself

(Mt 25:45;

Ac 9:2, 4, 5).

Edom implied, if he did not express it, in his taunts against

Israel, that God had not sufficient power to protect His people. A type

of the spirit of all the foes of God and His people

(1Sa 2:3;

Re 13:6).

14.

(Isa 65:13, 14).

"The whole earth" refers to Judea and the nations that submit

themselves to Judea's God; when these rejoice, the foes of God and

His people, represented by Edom as a nation, shall be desolate.

Things shall be completely reversed; Israel, that now for a time

mourns, shall then rejoice and for ever. Edom, that now rejoices over

fallen Israel, shall then, when elsewhere all is joy, mourn, and for

ever

(Isa 65:17-19;

Mt 5:4;

Lu 6:25).

HAVERNICK loses this striking antithesis by

translating, "According to the joy of the whole land (of Edom), so I

will make thee desolate"; which would make

Eze 35:15

a mere repetition of this.

15.

(Ob 12, 15).