Ezekiel 16:39

16:1-58 In this chapter God's dealings with the Jewish nation, and their conduct towards him, are described, and their punishment through the surrounding nations, even those they most trusted in. This is done under the parable of an exposed infant rescued from death, educated, espoused, and richly provided for, but afterwards guilty of the most abandoned conduct, and punished for it; yet at last received into favour, and ashamed of her base conduct. We are not to judge of these expressions by modern ideas, but by those of the times and places in which they were used, where many of them would not sound as they do to us. The design was to raise hatred to idolatry, and such a parable was well suited for that purpose.

And I also will give thee into their hand,.... Into the hand of their lovers and enemies that should be gathered against them, the Assyrians and Chaldeans, with others that joined them, as in Ezekiel 16:37 ; and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thine high places; the city of Jerusalem, the temple, and altars; and not only these, but even the high places and altars which were set up for idolatrous uses; all should be destroyed by the Chaldean army. The Targum is, "and they shall destroy thy walls, and thy high places shall be destroyed:'' they shall strip thee also of thy clothes; as persons commonly are when taken captives: and shall take thy fair jewels; or, "the vessels of thy glory" (s); the vessels of the sanctuary of gold and silver, and their own household furniture, with all their riches and substance: and leave thee naked and bare; as at first when in Egypt; see Ezekiel 16:7. (s) "vasa decoris tui", V. L. "instrumenta ornatus tui", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "vasa ornatus tui", Piscator, Starckius.

Verse 39. - (For eminent place and high place , see notes on ver. 24.) These the Chaldean conqueror treated as local sanctuaries, and laid them waste. The clothes and the jewels are, of course, all outward tokens of stateliness and prosperity. The (or a) holy city, the perfection of beauty, should be as "some forlorn and desperate castaway" (comp. Lamentations 1:1-10 for a companion picture). Ezekiel 16:39

I will give thee blood in fury - Rather, "I will make thee a bloody sacrifice to fury and jealousy." By the Law of Moses, death was the penalty for murder Exodus 21:12 , and for adultery ( Leviticus 20:10 ; e. g., by stoning, Ezekiel 16:40 ). The circumstances of the siege of Jerusalem corresponded with the punishment of the adulteress; the company gathered around her were the surrounding armies, the fury of the jealous husband was the fury of the attacking army, the stripping off her ornaments was the rapine of the siege, the stoning the battering-rams, the bloody death being the slaughter in the battle.

This particularly describes the manner in which God will do what he threatens. I will give thee, as a judge delivers the condemned into the hand of the executioner. Their hand; power and exasperated rage. Throw down, undermine and utterly ruin, thine eminent place; thy idol temples, and thy stews: see Ezekiel 16:24,31 . Shall break down; the same in other terms. They shall strip thee: it is opprobrium to a man to be stripped, more to a woman; this Jewish adulteress shall be stripped, that her nakedness appear. God’s undeserved love covered her nakedness, Ezekiel 16:8 , his just displeasure will now discover her nakedness. Thy fair jewels: see Ezekiel 16:17 .

39. thine eminent place—literally, "fornication-chamber" (see on [1045]Eze 16:24), the temple which Israel had converted into a place of spiritual fornication with idols, to please the Chaldeans (Eze 23:14-17). strip thee of … clothes—(Eze 23:26; Ho 2:3). They shall dismantle thy city of its walls. fair jewels—literally, "vessels of thy fairness" or beauty; the vessels of the temple [Grotius]. All the gifts wherewith God hath adorned thee [Calvin].

As Israel has been worse than all the heathen, Jehovah will punish it notwithstanding its election, so that its shame shall be uncovered before all the nations ( Ezekiel 16:36-42 ), and the justice of the judgment to be inflicted upon it shall be made manifest ( Ezekiel 16:43-52 ). According to these points of view, the threat of punishment divides itself into two parts in the following manner: - In the first ( Ezekiel 16:35-42 ) we have, first of all (in Ezekiel 16:36 ), a recapitulation of the guilty conduct described in vv. 16-34; and secondly, an announcement of the punishment corresponding to the guilt, as the punishment of adultery and murder ( Ezekiel 16:37 and Ezekiel 16:48 ), and a picture of its infliction, as retribution for the enormities committed ( Ezekiel 16:39-42 ). In the second part ( Ezekiel 16:43-52 ) there follows a proof of the justice of this judgment. Ezekiel 16:35-42 The punishment will correspond to the sin. - Ezekiel 16:35. Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah! Ezekiel 16:36. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because thy brass has been lavished, and thy shame exposed in thy whoredom with thy lovers, and because of all the idols of thine abominations, and according to the blood of thy sons, which thou hast given them; Ezekiel 16:37.

Therefore, behold, I will gather together all thy lovers, whom thou hast pleased, and all whom thou hast loved, together with all whom thou hast hated, and will gather them against thee from round about, and will expose thy shame to them, that they may see all thy shame. Ezekiel 16:38. I will judge thee according to the judgment of adulteresses and murderesses, and make thee into blood of wrath and jealousy. Ezekiel 16:39. And I will give thee into their hand, that they may destroy thy arches, and pull down thy heights; that they may strip thy clothes off thee, and take thy splendid jewellery, and leave thee naked and bare. Ezekiel 16:40. And they shall bring up a company against thee, and stone thee, and cut thee in pieces with their swords. Ezekiel 16:41. And they shall burn thy houses with fire, and execute judgment upon thee before the eyes of many women. Thus do I put an end to thy whoredom.; and thou wilt also give payment no more. Ezekiel 16:42. And I quiet my fury toward thee, and will turn away my jealousy from thee, that I may repose and vex myself no more. - In the brief summary of the guilt of the whore, the following objects are singled out, as those for which she is to be punished: (1) the pouring out of her brass and the exposure of her shame; (2) the idols of her abominations (with על before the noun, corresponding to יען before the infinitive); (3) the blood of her sons, with the preposition כּ, according to, to indicate the measure of her punishment.