Ezekiel 22
Commentary from 1 father
And thou, son of man, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, declare thou to her all her iniquities.
καὶ σὺ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ κρινεῖς τὴν πόλιν τῶν αἱμάτων; καὶ παράδειξον αὐτῇ πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῆς
и҆ ты̀, сы́не человѣ́чь, а҆́ще сꙋди́ти бꙋ́деши гра́дꙋ крове́й, и҆ ꙗ҆вѝ є҆мꙋ̀ всѧ̑ беззакѡ́нїѧ є҆гѡ̀,
And thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord God: O city that sheds blood in the midst of her, so that her time should come, and that forms devices against herself, to defile herself;
καὶ ἐρεῖς· τάδε λέγει Κύριος Κύριος· ὦ πόλις ἐκχέουσα αἵματα ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς τοῦ ἐλθεῖν καιρὸν αὐτῆς καὶ ποιοῦσα ἐνθυμήματα καθ’ ἑαυτῆς, τοῦ μιαίνειν αὐτήν,
и҆ рече́ши: сїѧ̑ гл҃етъ а҆дѡнаі̀ гдⷭ҇ь: ѽ, гра́де пролива́ѧй кро́вь средѣ̀ себє̀, є҆́же прїитѝ вре́мени є҆гѡ̀, и҆ творѧ́й кꙋмі́ры на себѐ, є҆́же ѡ҆скверни́тисѧ самомꙋ̀:
in their blood which thou hast shed, thou hast transgressed; and in thy devices which thou hast formed, thou hast polluted thyself; and thou hast brought nigh thy days, and hast brought on the time of thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach to the Gentiles, and a mockery to all the countries,
ἐν τοῖς αἵμασιν αὐτῶν, οἷς ἐξέχεας, παραπέπτωκας καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασί σου, οἷς ἐποίεις, ἐμιαίνου, καὶ ἤγγισας τὰς ἡμέρας σου καὶ ἤγαγες καιρὸν ἐτῶν σου. διὰ τοῦτο δέδωκά σε εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ εἰς ἐμπαιγμὸν πάσαις ταῖς χώραις
въ кро́ви и҆́хъ, ю҆́же и҆злїѧ́лъ є҆сѝ, согрѣши́лъ є҆сѝ, и҆ въ кꙋмі́рѣхъ твои́хъ, ꙗ҆̀же твори́лъ, ѡ҆скверни́лсѧ є҆сѝ, и҆ сократи́лъ є҆сѝ дни̑ твоѧ̑, и҆ приве́дъ вре́мѧ лѣ́тъ твои́хъ: сегѡ̀ ра́ди да́хъ тѧ̀ на ᲂу҆кори́знꙋ ꙗ҆зы́кѡмъ и҆ на порꙋга́нїе всѣ̑мъ страна́мъ,
to those near thee, and to those far distant from thee; and they shall mock thee, [thou that art] notoriously unclean, and abundant in iniquities.
ταῖς ἐγγιζούσαις πρὸς σὲ καὶ ταῖς μακρὰν ἀπεχούσαις ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ ἐμπαίξονται ἐν σοί· ἀκάθαρτος ἡ ὀνομαστὴ καὶ πολλὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις.
бли́з̾ тебє̀ и҆ дале́че ѿ тебє̀ сꙋ́щымъ, и҆ порꙋга́ютсѧ тебѣ̀ и҆ возопїю́тъ на тѧ̀: ѽ, нечи́стый, пресловꙋ́тый и҆ мно́гъ во беззако́нїихъ!
Behold, the princes of the house of Israel have conspired in thee each one with his kindred, that they might shed blood.
ἰδοὺ οἱ ἀφηγούμενοι οἴκου ᾿Ισραήλ, ἕκαστος πρὸς τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ συνανεφύροντο ἐν σοί, ὅπως ἐκχέωσιν αἷμα·
сѐ, старѣ̑йшины до́мꙋ і҆и҃лева, кі́йждо ко свои̑мъ ᲂу҆́жикамъ смѣси́шасѧ въ тебѣ̀, ꙗ҆́кѡ да пролїю́тъ кро́вь:
In thee they have reviled father and mother; and in thee they have behaved unjustly toward the stranger: they have oppressed the orphan and widow.
πατέρα καὶ μητέρα ἐκακολόγουν ἐν σοί, καὶ πρὸς τὸν προσήλυτον ἀνεστρέφοντο ἐν ἀδικίαις ἐν σοί, ὀρφανὸν καὶ χήραν κατεδυνάστευον ἐν σοί·
ѻ҆тцꙋ̀ и҆ ма́тери ѕлосло́вѧхꙋ въ тебѣ̀ и҆ ко прише́льцꙋ ѡ҆браща́хꙋсѧ непра́вдами въ тебѣ̀: сиротꙋ̀ и҆ вдови́цꙋ преѡби́дѧхꙋ въ тебѣ̀:
And they have set at nought my holy things, and in thee they have profaned my sabbaths.
καὶ τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐξουθένουν καὶ τὰ σάββατά μου ἐβεβήλουν ἐν σοί.
и҆ ст҃а̑ѧ моѧ̑ ᲂу҆ничижа́хꙋ и҆ сꙋббѡ̑ты моѧ̑ ѡ҆сквернѧ́хꙋ въ тебѣ̀:
[There are] robbers in thee, to shed blood in thee; and in thee they have eaten upon the mountains: they have wrought ungodliness in the midst of thee.
ἄνδρες λῃσταὶ ἦσαν ἐν σοί, ὅπως ἐκχέωσιν ἐν σοὶ αἷμα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ἤσθιον ἐν σοί, ἀνόσια ἐποίουν ἐν μέσῳ σου.
мꙋ́жїе разбѡ́йницы бѣ́ша въ тебѣ̀, ꙗ҆́кѡ да пролїю́тъ въ тебѣ̀ кро́вь, и҆ на гора́хъ ꙗ҆дѧ́хꙋ въ тебѣ̀ и҆ сквє́рны творѧ́хꙋ въ тебѣ̀:
In thee they have uncovered the father’s shame; and in thee they have humbled her that was set apart for uncleanness.
αἰσχύνην πατρὸς ἀπεκάλυψαν ἐν σοὶ καὶ ἐν ἀκαθαρσίαις ἀποκαθημένην ἐταπείνουν ἐν σοί·
сты́дъ ѻ҆́тчїй ѿкры́ша въ тебѣ̀, и҆ въ нечистотѣ̀ сѣдѧ́щꙋю ѡ҆брꙋга́ша въ тебѣ̀:
They have dealt unlawfully each one with his neighbor’s wife; and each one in ungodliness has defiled his daughter-in-law: and in thee they have humbled each one his sister, the daughter of his father.
ἕκαστος τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἠνομοῦσαν, καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν νύμφην αὐτοῦ ἐμίαινεν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ, καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐταπείνουν ἐν σοί.
кі́йждо на женꙋ̀ по́дрꙋга своегѡ̀ беззако́нноваша, и҆ кі́йждо невѣ́сткꙋ свою̀ ѡ҆сквернѧ́ше въ нече́стїи, и҆ кі́йждо сестрꙋ̀ свою̀, дще́рь ѻ҆тца̀ своегѡ̀, ѡ҆брꙋгава́ше въ тебѣ̀:
In thee they have received gifts to shed blood; they have received in thee interest and usurious increase; and by oppression thou hast brought thy wickedness to the full, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord.
δῶρα ἐλαμβάνοσαν ἐν σοί, ὅπως ἐκχέωσιν αἷμα, τόκον καὶ πλεονασμὸν ἐλαμβάνοσαν ἐν σοί· καὶ συνετελέσω συντέλειαν κακίας σου τὴν ἐν καταδυναστείᾳ, ἐμοῦ δὲ ἐπελάθου, λέγει Κύριος.
мзды̑ взима́хꙋ въ тебѣ̀, ꙗ҆́кѡ да пролїю́тъ кро́вь, ли́хвꙋ и҆ и҆збы́токъ взима́хꙋ въ тебѣ̀: и҆ сконча́лъ є҆сѝ сконча́нїе ѕло́бы твоеѧ̀ ꙗ҆́же въ наси́лїи, мене́ же забы́лъ є҆сѝ, гл҃етъ а҆дѡнаі̀ гдⷭ҇ь.
And if I shall smite my hand at [thine iniquities] which thou hast accomplished, which thou hast wrought, and at thy blood that has been shed in the midst of thee,
ἐὰν δὲ πατάξω χεῖρά μου πρὸς χεῖρά μου ἐφ’ οἷς συντετέλεσαι, οἷς ἐποίησας, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς αἵμασί σου τοῖς γεγενημένοις ἐν μέσῳ σου,
Сѐ ᲂу҆̀бо, ᲂу҆да́рю рꙋко́ю мое́ю ѡ҆ рꙋ́кꙋ мою̀ на та̑, ꙗ҆̀же соверши́лъ є҆сѝ и҆ ꙗ҆̀же сотвори́лъ є҆сѝ, и҆ на крѡ́ви твоѧ̑ бы́вшыѧ посредѣ̀ тебє̀:
shall thy heart endure? shall thine hands be strong in the days which I bring upon thee? I the Lord have spoken, and will do [it].
εἰ ὑποστήσεται ἡ καρδία σου; εἰ κρατήσουσιν αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις, αἷς ἐγὼ ποιῶ ἐν σοί; ἐγὼ Κύριος λελάληκα καὶ ποιήσω.
а҆́ще ᲂу҆стои́тъ се́рдце твоѐ, и҆ а҆́ще преѡдолѣ́ютъ рꙋ́цѣ твоѝ во дне́хъ, въ нѧ́же а҆́зъ творю̀ въ тебѣ̀; А҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь гл҃ахъ, и҆ сотворю̀.
And I will scatter thee among the nations, and disperse thee in the countries, and thy uncleanness shall be removed out of thee.
καὶ διασκορπιῶ σε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ διασπερῶ σε ἐν ταῖς χώραις, καὶ ἐκλείψει ἡ ἀκαθαρσία σου ἐκ σοῦ,
И҆ разсы́плю тѧ̀ во ꙗ҆зы́цѣхъ и҆ разсѣ́ю тѧ̀ въ страна́хъ, и҆ ѡ҆скꙋдѣ́етъ нечистота̀ твоѧ̀ и҆з̾ тебє̀,
And I will give heritages in thee in the sight of the nations, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
καὶ κατακληρονομήσω ἐν σοὶ κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν· καὶ γνώσεσθε διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος. -
и҆ владѣ́ти бꙋ́дꙋ тобо́ю пред̾ ѻ҆чи́ма ꙗ҆зы́кѡвъ, и҆ позна́еши, ꙗ҆́кѡ а҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь.
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων·
И҆ бы́сть сло́во гдⷭ҇не ко мнѣ̀ гл҃ѧ:
(Vers. 17 seqq.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, the house of Israel has become like dross to me. All of them, copper, tin, iron, and lead, are in the midst of the furnace; they have become silver dross. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become like dross, behold, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem as a gathering of silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead in the midst of the furnace, to kindle a fire in it for melting. Thus I will gather in my fury and in my wrath and I will rest and melt you, and I will kindle you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst, like silver melted in the midst of a furnace. So you shall be in its midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have poured out my indignation upon you. The Hebrew word Sig (), Symmachus translates as dross, Aquila's first edition as grape stone and γίγαρτον, which signifies both grape seed and grape stalk. But the second translation of it, and the Septuagint's rendering, means a blending. Furthermore, it signifies dross, filth, and the waste of metals; so that subsequently, with the nearby captivity, or rather the impending destruction of the city, fire is applied: so that during the process of blending, pure silver remains, which had been mixed with and defiled by copper, tin, iron, and lead: three of which, copper, tin, and lead, are fusible substances, and are dissolved by fire. But truly, iron between the anvil and the hammer becomes soft and thin, and takes on various forms, according to the will of the craftsman. Just as, therefore, silver, which the aforementioned metals have tarnished, is put into the furnace, so that, with the impurities and foreign materials removed, it may remain pure, thus, he says, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem, and I will surround Babylon with siege, in order to kindle in you a fire for refining. And just as there the immense heat of flames is present, here hunger and pestilence will do the same: so that after I have gathered you and set you on fire with the fire of fury, then I will rest, and with the punishment of your contempt, I will restrain the pain. And I will do all this, so that after I have poured out my indignation upon you, the end of your torment may be known to me; and you shall know that I am the Lord, the judge of all and the avenger. And as for what is said to be a refiner, we read in many places, but especially in Malachi and Isaiah, of whom one says: 'Behold, the Lord will come like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap, and he will sit refining and purifying like gold and silver, and he will refine the sons of Levi.' (Mal. III, 1, 3). Moreover, the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion and cleanse the blood from their midst, with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning (Isa. IV, 4). And I believe this to sound like what is said in the Psalms: Examine me, O Lord, and test me (Ps. XXV, 2). After which it is said: Burn my kidneys and my heart, so that all the harmful fluids of the loins may be dried up, along with their wicked deeds, and the coverings that have been placed (Ps. XXV, 2). What we understand about Jerusalem, let us understand also about the state of souls, which were created pure by God: they have received gold in sense and wisdom, and silver in speech and eloquence, so that they may express with words what they have conceived in their minds. We read of silver: The speech of the Lord is pure speech; silver tried in a furnace of earth, refined seven times.\nSimilarly, the seventy-seventh psalm mentions gold and silver, where it is written: If you sleep among the nations wilees, and the wings of a silver dove, and its back parts are in greenness, or in the color of gold.\nFor all the glory of the daughter of the king is within, which speaks in the Song of Songs: The king has brought me into his chamber. He who has slept and rested between two Testaments will immediately assume the silver wings of a dove, and with gold in the treasure of his heart, he will shine with radiant light. I believe this has the meaning that for sinners and those who have earned the offense of God, the sky is made of brass and the earth is made of iron, especially the land of Egypt, from which the Lord brought forth Israel, as if from a fiery furnace. In Zechariah, also, wickedness sits upon a talent of lead (Zech. V). And in the Song of Exodus it is said: They were submerged like lead in violent waters (Exod. XV, 10). For they were burdened with the weight of their sins, and they could say: Heavy burdens are weighing down on me (Ps. XXXVII, 6). However, just as the appearance of gold deceitfully imitates the likeness of adulterated copper, so does tin simulate the whiteness of silver, which the simple and rustic cannot easily discern. And it often happens that gold and silver, mixed with heretical wickedness, are separated by the fire of the Holy Spirit and the judgment of the Lord, and pure gold and silver remain, of which the prophet says: I gave them silver and gold, but they made Baal out of them (Hosea II, 8). To whom is it similar: 'I led them out with silver and gold, and there was no feeble one among their tribes' (Psalm 104, 37). Let the end of all punishments be to know that the Lord himself is God. We read about a tin stone, or a tin mass, in Zechariah (Zechariah 4), which we have interpreted in its proper place.
Commentary on EzekielSon of man, behold, the house of Israel are all become to me [as it were] mixed with brass, and iron, and tin, and lead; they are mixed up in the midst of the silver.
υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἰδοὺ γεγόνασί μοι ὁ οἶκος ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀναμεμειγμένοι πάντες χαλκῷ καὶ σιδήρῳ καὶ κασσιτέρῳ καὶ μολίβῳ, ἐν μέσῳ ἀργυρίου ἀναμεμειγμένος ἐστί.
сы́не человѣ́чь, сѐ, бы́ша мнѣ̀ до́мъ і҆и҃левъ смѣ́шани всѝ съ мѣ́дїю и҆ желѣ́зомъ, и҆ со ѻ҆́ловомъ чи́стымъ и҆ со свинце́мъ, средѣ̀ пе́щи сребро̀ смѣ́шено сꙋ́ть.
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have become one mixture, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
διὰ τοῦτο εἰπόν· τάδε λέγει Κύριος Κύριος· ἀνθ’ ὧν ἐγένεσθε εἰς σύγκρασιν μίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐγὼ εἰσδέχομαι ὑμᾶς εἰς μέσον ῾Ιερουσαλήμ.
Сегѡ̀ ра́ди рцы̀: сїѧ̑ гл҃етъ а҆дѡнаі̀ гдⷭ҇ь: поне́же бы́сте всѝ во смѣше́нїе є҆ди́но, сегѡ̀ ра́ди, сѐ, а҆́зъ прїимꙋ̀ ва́съ во среди́нꙋ і҆ерⷭ҇ли́ма:
As silver, and brass, and iron, and tin, and lead, are gathered into the midst of the furnace, to blow fire into it, that they may be melted: so will I take [you] in my wrath, and I will gather and melt you.
καθὼς εἰσδέχεται ἄργυρος καὶ χαλκὸς καὶ σίδηρος καὶ κασσίτερος καὶ μόλιβος εἰς μέσον καμίνου τοῦ ἐκφυσῆσαι εἰς αὐτὸ πῦρ τοῦ χωνευθῆναι, οὕτως εἰσδέξομαι ἐν ὀργῇ μου καὶ συνάξω καὶ χωνεύσω ὑμᾶς
ꙗ҆́коже прїе́млетсѧ сребро̀ и҆ мѣ́дь, и҆ желѣ́зо и҆ свине́цъ и҆ ѻ҆́лово чи́стое во среди́нꙋ пе́щи, є҆́же дꙋ́нꙋти на нѧ̀ ѻ҆гню̀, да слїю́тсѧ, та́кѡ прїимꙋ̀ ва́съ во гнѣ́вѣ мое́мъ и҆ въ ꙗ҆́рости мое́й, и҆ соберꙋ̀ и҆ слїю̀ ва́съ,
And I will blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
καὶ ἐκφυσήσω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἐν πυρὶ ὀργῆς μου, καὶ χωνευθήσεσθε ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς.
и҆ дꙋ́нꙋ на вы̀ во ѻ҆гнѝ гнѣ́ва моегѡ̀, и҆ слїѧ́ни бꙋ́дете средѣ̀ є҆гѡ̀:
As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you.
ὃν τρόπον χωνεύεται ἀργύριον ἐν μέσῳ καμίνου, οὕτως χωνευθύσεσθε ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος ἐξέχεα τὸν θυμόν μου ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς. -
ꙗ҆́коже слива́етсѧ сребро̀ средѣ̀ пе́щи, та́кѡ слїе́тесѧ посредѣ̀ є҆гѡ̀ и҆ позна́ете, ꙗ҆́кѡ а҆́зъ гдⷭ҇ь и҆злїѧ́хъ ꙗ҆́рость мою̀ на ва́съ.
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων·
И҆ бы́сть сло́во гдⷭ҇не ко мнѣ̀ гл҃ѧ:
(Verse 23 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, say to him: You are unclean land, not cleansed on the day of wrath. The conspiracy of the prophets within it, like a roaring lion seizing its prey: they have devoured souls, taken riches and precious things, multiplied widows within it. Its priests have despised my law and defiled my sanctuaries. They have not kept a distance between the holy and the profane, and they have not understood the difference between the unclean and the clean. They have turned their eyes away from my sabbaths, and I have been defiled among them. Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves tearing the prey to shed blood, and to destroy souls, and to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing vain things, and divining lies unto them, saying: Thus saith the Lord God: whereas the Lord hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have done violence to the needy and poor, and have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought among them a man who would interpose a wall, and stand opposite me for the land, so that I would not destroy it, and I did not find one. So I poured out my indignation upon them, I consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I repaid their deeds upon their heads,' says the Lord God. A diligent listener could inquire about the impurities that violate the purity of silver, and have been mixed with copper, lead, tin, and iron. Therefore, what is expressed there under the image of a city and a furnace, is proclaimed as under the likeness of land that is not irrigated and does not receive rain. We should understand those rains about which it is written: I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isa. V, 6); we expect when a temporary and late rain is given to us, about which it is written: You will separate voluntary rain, O God, for your inheritance (Ps. LXVII, 10). But it is a day of fury, which each person procures for themselves with a multitude of sins. We desire to know what the scum of the city is, which is the hardness and foulness of the earth, full of thorns and briers. The conspiracy, he says, of the Prophets, or according to the LXX, the leaders in the midst of it having the likeness of a lion, about which Peter writes: Our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about (I Peter V, 8). This lion and all its companions do not seek to devour bodies, but souls, and they receive rewards and judge everything by money. That this indeed happened to the people of the Jews at that time is beyond doubt. For the Lord brought evil upon them because of the priests, and the rulers, and the prophets. But in our Jerusalem we often see this: those who, according to the Seventy, devour souls in power, and accept payment to make many widows who have lost the Lord as their spouse. However, this is the faction and conspiracy of these prophets, that they may be each other's supporters and do all things for the sake of filthy gain. The priests who should be the leaders of the temple, from whose mouth the knowledge of the Law is sought, violate the sanctuaries, and there is no distinction between the holy and the profane except for money. They turn their eyes away from the Sabbath, and they do not recognize the rest of God which is in the knowledge of the Scriptures; neither do they say with the prophet: Open my eyes, and I will consider the wonders of your law (Psalm 118:18). Nor do they say what the Apostle says: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). Among such prophets and priests, the Lord's mediator is defiled, of whom it is written: But there stands among you one whom you do not know (John 1:26). Therefore, prophets or leaders are compared to lions. But the princes whom we understand to be of a lower rank imitate the rapaciousness of wolves, so that they shed not the blood of bodies, but of souls, and they greedily pursue gains, not at all satisfied with that: 'They who serve the altar, live by the altar' (1 Corinthians 9:13); but after they have approached the ministry of God, they gather the riches of Croesus. Even those prophets who foretell future events anointed them without moderation, as we have already said, of the prophesying prophets, who anointed a wall without the mixture of plaster, which is dissolved by rain. They see such things as empty, and not so much prophesy as they divine falsehood, saying to the miserable land: 'Thus says the Lord, the Lord promises this', when the Lord has not spoken to them. But the people of the land are not of God, but rather imitators of earthly works, rulers and priests, who by deceit and power do all things: not oppressing the rich, but rather the poor, of whom it is written: 'But the poor cannot endure a threat.' And: The redemption of a man's soul, by his own wealth (Prov. XIII, 8). They also oppressed the stranger and foreigner, who had not yet become a citizen of the Church, but only a listener, and who had the beginnings of faith, with slander: so that after they had gone through the sea and the dry land, they would make him a proselyte and make him a child of hell. Among such a multitude of vices and crimes, I sought for a man who could resist my anger, and who could stand against my fire and my burning, like Moses, and Aaron, and Samuel; but I could not find one. And he spoke to Moses, saying: Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them (Exodus 32:10). And because I could not find anyone who resisted and held me back, I poured out my indignation upon them, and consumed them, not without measure and judgment, but to repay their ways upon their own heads, attributing their own sins to them as authors, or certainly to the heads of the people, the leaders, princes, and prophets, of whom none dared to resist the angry Lord, and for whose sake the land remained barren and desolate, not deserving to receive the rain of the Lord.
Commentary on EzekielSon of man, say to her, Thou art the land that is not rained upon, neither has rain come upon thee in the day of wrath;
υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἰπὸν αὐτῇ· σὺ εἶ γῆ ἡ οὐ βρεχομένη, οὐδὲ ὑετὸς ἐγένετο ἐπὶ σὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς·
сы́не человѣ́чь, рцы̀ є҆мꙋ̀: ты̀ є҆сѝ землѧ̀ неѡдожди́маѧ, нижѐ до́ждь бы́сть на тѧ̀ въ де́нь ꙗ҆́рости.
whose princes in the midst of her are as roaring lions seizing prey, devouring souls by oppression, and taking bribes; and thy widows are multiplied in the midst of thee.
ἧς οἱ ἀφηγούμενοι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὡς λέοντες ὠρυόμενοι ἁρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα, ψυχὰς κατεσθίοντες ἐν δυναστείᾳ, καὶ τιμὰς λαμβάνοντες ἐν ἀδικίᾳ, καὶ αἱ χῆραί σου ἐπληθύνθησαν ἐν μέσῳ σου.
Є҆гѡ́же старѣ̑йшины средѣ̀ є҆гѡ̀, ꙗ҆́кѡ львы̀ рыка́юще, восхища́юще восхищє́нїѧ, дꙋ́шы и҆з̾ѧда́юще наси́лїемъ, бога́тство и҆ че́сть прїе́млюще, и҆ вдѡви́цы твоѧ̑ ᲂу҆мно́жишасѧ посредѣ̀ тебє̀:
Her priests also have set at nought my law, and profaned my holy things: they have not distinguished between the holy and profane, nor have they distinguished between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I was profaned in the midst of them.
καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς ἠθέτησαν νόμον μου καὶ ἐβεβήλουν τὰ ἅγιά μου· ἀναμέσον ἁγίου καὶ βεβήλου οὐ διέστελλον καὶ ἀναμέσον ἀκαθάρτου καὶ τοῦ καθαροῦ οὐ διέστελλον καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σαββάτων μου παρεκάλυπτον τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐβεβηλούμην ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν.
и҆ жерцы̀ є҆гѡ̀ ѿверго́шасѧ зако́на моегѡ̀ и҆ ѡ҆скверни́ша ст҃а̑ѧ моѧ̑: междꙋ̀ ст҃ы́мъ и҆ скверна́вымъ не разлꙋча́хꙋ, и҆ междꙋ̀ нечи́стымъ и҆ чи́стымъ не раздѣлѧ́хꙋ, и҆ ѿ сꙋббѡ́тъ мои́хъ покрыва́хꙋ ѻ҆́чи своѝ, и҆ ѡ҆сквернѧ́хꙋ мѧ̀ посредѣ̀ себє̀:
Her princes in the midst of her are as wolves ravening to shed blood, that they may get dishonest gain.
οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὡς λύκοι ἁρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα τοῦ ἐκχέαι αἷμα, ὅπως πλεονεξίᾳ πλεονεκτῶσι.
кнѧ̑зи є҆гѡ̀ средѣ̀ є҆гѡ̀ ꙗ҆́кѡ во́лцы восхища́юще похищє́нїѧ, є҆́же пролїѧ́ти кро́вь и҆ погꙋби́ти дꙋ́шы, ꙗ҆́кѡ да лихои́мствомъ лихои́мствꙋютъ:
And her prophets that daub them shall fall, that see vanities, that prophesy falsehoods, saying, Thus saith the Lord, when the Lord has not spoken.
καὶ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς ἀλείφοντες αὐτοὺς πεσοῦνται, ὁρῶντες μάταια, μαντευόμενοι ψευδῆ, λέγοντες· τάδε λέγει Κύριος, καὶ Κύριος οὐκ ἐλάλησε.
и҆ проро́цы є҆гѡ̀ помазꙋ́ющїи и҆̀хъ падꙋ́тъ, ви́дѧщїи сꙋ́єтнаѧ, волхвꙋ́ющїи лѡ́жнаѧ, глаго́люще: сїѧ̑ гл҃етъ а҆дѡнаі̀ гдⷭ҇ь: а҆ гдⷭ҇ь не гл҃а.
That sorely oppress the people of the land with injustice, and commit robbery; oppressing the poor and needy, and not dealing justly with the stranger.
λαὸν τῆς γῆς ἐκπιεζοῦντες ἀδικίᾳ καὶ διαρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα, πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα καταδυναστεύοντες καὶ πρὸς τὸν προσήλυτον οὐκ ἀναστρεφόμενοι μετὰ κρίματος.
Люді́й землѝ ᲂу҆тѣснѧ́юще непра́вдою и҆ восхища́юще восхищє́нїѧ, ни́ща и҆ ᲂу҆бо́га наси́льствꙋюще и҆ со прише́льцемъ не живꙋ́ще сꙋдо́мъ.
And I sought from among them a man behaving uprightly, and standing before me perfectly in the time of wrath, so that I should not utterly destroy her: but I found [him] not.
καὶ ἐζήτουν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρα ἀναστρεφόμενον ὀρθῶς καὶ ἑστῶτα πρὸ προσώπου μου ὁλοσχερῶς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς γῆς τοῦ μὴ εἰς τέλος ἐξαλεῖψαι αὐτήν, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον.
И҆ и҆ска́хъ ѿ ни́хъ мꙋ́жа живꙋ́ща пра́вѡ и҆ стоѧ́ща цѣ́лѡ пред̾ лице́мъ мои́мъ во вре́мѧ гнѣ́ва моегѡ̀, є҆́же бы не до конца̀ погꙋби́ти є҆го̀ {гра́дъ і҆ерⷭ҇ли́мъ}, и҆ не ѡ҆брѣто́хъ.
So I have poured out my wrath upon her in the fury of mine anger, to accomplish [it]. I have recompensed their ways on their own heads, saith the Lord God.
καὶ ἐξέχεα ἐπ’ αὐτὴν θυμόν μου ἐν πυρὶ ὀργῆς μου τοῦ συντελέσαι· τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν δέδωκα, λέγει Κύριος Κύριος.
И҆ и҆злїѧ́хъ на́нь ꙗ҆́рость мою̀ во ѻ҆гнѝ гнѣ́ва моегѡ̀, є҆́же сконча́ти ѧ҆̀: пꙋти̑ и҆́хъ на главы̑ и҆́хъ да́хъ, гл҃етъ а҆дѡнаі̀ гдⷭ҇ь.
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
ΚΑΙ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων·
И҆ бы́сть сло́во гдⷭ҇не ко мнѣ̀ гл҃ѧ:
(Ver. 23, 24 onwards) Again, I raised my hand against them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the lands, because they had not performed my judgments, and had rejected my commandments, and had violated my Sabbaths, and their eyes had been after the idols (or thoughts) of their fathers. Therefore, I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments in which they would not live, and I defiled them in their offerings (or transgressions), as they offered (or led astray) everything that opens the womb because of their sins (for which the Septuagint translated, to destroy them and what they had overlooked): and they will know that I am the Lord. Where in the Old Testament, against their children, who fell in the wilderness, the Lord lifted up His hand to scatter them among the nations, Scripture does not say; but it is to be believed that this was done in accordance with what is reported here. Or he signifies by this, that after they entered the promised land, they were given over at various times, for many sins, to different nations and kings, and at that time the commandments of the Lord, which were good according to their nature, and the judgments by which believers could live, were made not good for them, since they were in no way able to keep the precepts of the law in captivity, and to do what the divine word commanded. He did not say, 'I gave them evil commandments,' but, 'not good commandments.' For it does not immediately follow that what is not good is evil, as the Apostle teaches, it is good for a man not to touch a woman; but because of incontinence, let each possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor (I Cor. VII). And if he does not do this, it is neither good nor evil. Therefore, God gave them, dispersed among the nations, not good commandments, that is, he allowed them to follow their own thoughts and desires, to do what is not appropriate. And he defiled them in his gifts: just as a Priest separates lepers from the people, and shows that they are defiled; while they offer to idols what they should offer to God. And they pass everything that opens the womb through the fire of Baal, that is, the firstborn; so that after they have deserted God and been handed over to the worship of idols, then they may understand that He is the Lord whom they have provoked to anger by their own fault. Symmachus interpreted this passage more explicitly, treating the future as past. Therefore, I will also give them bad precepts and judgments for which they will not live, and I will defile them because of their gifts, as they consecrate and offer everything that opens the womb, so that I may destroy them, and they will know that I am the Lord. And the meaning is this: because I have seen the sons of the fathers equaling the wickedness of their ancestors and doing the same things for which they offended God, I wanted to divide them into nations and disperse them throughout the whole world, and give them bad precepts and judgments in which they would not live, so that I may defile them with their gifts, for they consecrated everything that opens the womb to idols, and I may destroy them forever, and they will know that I am the Lord. Through which he showed that he had not given them good commandments who dwelt in the wilderness, but to those whom he wanted to scatter among the nations, and to make foreigners in the whole world, he gave them a desire for things that he did not give: so that there they would do good commandments of God, not good because of their own fault, while they exhibited to idols what God had commanded to be exhibited. This can also be said, that before the offense, they received only the Ten Commandments; but after idolatry and blasphemy, they received multiple ceremonies of the law, so that they would offer victims to God rather than to demons, and by comparison with sacrilege, what was not good in itself became lighter, and by no means evil, because it was offered to God, and yet not good, because they offended the author of good.
Commentary on Ezekiel(Verse 27, 29 onwards) Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them: Thus says the Lord God: Moreover, your fathers have blasphemed against me and have treated me with contempt, even as they spurned me. And I brought them into the land that I had lifted my hand to give them ((Vulgate adds: that land)): they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and presented there the irritation of their offerings, and they placed there the fragrance of their sweetness, and they poured out their ((Vulgate is silent on this)) libations there. And I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you are going?' And its name was called the High Place until this day. Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: As for your fathers, they have provoked Me to anger by their iniquities, by the fact that they have fallen away from Me. So I brought them into the land that I had lifted My hand in an oath to give them.' They saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices. They also presented there the provocation of their gifts, and they set there their pleasing aroma, and they poured out there their drink offerings. And I said to them: What is abbana, because you enter there? And they called its name abbana until this day. I wanted, he said, to scatter them in the wilderness, and to give them not good precepts, so that they would sacrifice to idols what they should have offered to me, and consecrate all their first-fruits to them by fire, so that I might kill them and destroy them. But when he says, I wanted, he shows that he did not do what he wanted. And that which follows: 'And they shall know that I am the Lord,' is not found in the Septuagint. For it did not seem fitting to them to know after their destruction that he himself is the Lord. But you, son of man, speak again to them, that is, to the elders of the house of Israel, who have come to inquire of you: Your fathers, from whom you have descended, have also blasphemed against me and held me in contempt; after I brought them into the land which I had given them to possess, they turned against me to provoke me. For when they saw every high hill and leafy tree, they would sacrifice on the mountains and in the groves and thickets, and offer victims to the idols, and pour out libations. And when I saw this, I said to them: What is this, Bama? for it is called high: or why do you enter into such a place which you have chosen for yourselves in all the hills, so that even today these places are called Bamoth, and the ancient error retains its original name? Regarding Bama, which we translate as excelsum, there is an error in the Septuagint edition, where it is written as ἀββανὰ, which does not resonate in the Hebrew language. Bama can mean 'in which' if the two syllables are divided into two words, but in the present context, that sense does not fit. However, wherever it is written in the Books of Kings and Chronicles: 'The people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places,' Bama in the singular and Bamoth in the plural mean 'high places.'
Commentary on Ezekiel(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
Commentary on Ezekiel(Chapter 22, Verses 1 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, do you not judge the city of blood, and show her all her abominations? And say: Thus says the Lord God: The city that sheds blood within herself, so that her time may come, and that has made idols against herself to defile herself. In your blood that was shed, you have sinned, and you have defiled yourself with your idols that you have made. You have brought near your days, and have come to the years of your punishment; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the countries. Those who are near, and those who are far from you, will triumph over you (or mock you), you sordid noble, great in your destruction. Behold the princes of Israel, each one in his own arm was in you to shed blood. They have dishonored father and mother in you (or cursed father and mother). They have slandered the stranger among you. They have oppressed the orphan and the widow (or oppressed). You have despised my sanctuaries (Vulg. you have despised and polluted), you have profaned my Sabbaths. There were detractors (or thieves) in you to shed blood, and they ate on the mountains in you. They committed a crime (or, as it is more significantly in Hebrew, a heinous act), in your midst. They uncovered the shame of their fathers in you, and they humiliated the impurity of menstruation in you. And each one committed an abomination with the wife of his neighbor, and the father-in-law defiled his daughter-in-law wickedly. He oppressed (or humiliated) his own sister, the daughter of his father, in you. They received gifts from you to shed blood. You took interest and excess, and greedily slandered your neighbors (or and I will complete the fulfillment of your evil in your oppression); you have forgotten me, says the Lord God. Behold, I will clap my hands over your greediness which you have done, and over the blood which was shed in your midst. Will your heart endure, or will your hands prevail in the days I will bring upon you? I, the Lord, have spoken and I will act. I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries, and I will remove your impurity from you. I will possess you in the sight of the nations. (or according to the first edition of Aquila and Theodotion: And I will defile you, or according to Symmachus: And I will wound you in the sight of the nations) And you will know that I am the Lord. And you, he said, son of man (I will use the familiar term for you), judge the city of blood, and show it all its abominations, so that it may know that it deserves its imminent captivity, and that it has brought on its own ruin through much bloodshed. First and foremost among its sins, you have worshiped idols instead of God; and you have also defiled with your own hands the time appointed for your years, which was long spoken of and delayed, in order to bring about repentance. But you, according to your hardened heart, treasure up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath (Romans II). Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands around you, both near and far. They will triumph over you and mock you. Filthy, noble, great in destruction. Filthy because you have ceased to be clean. Noble in evil, for once you surpassed all cities in nobility. Great in destruction: the higher you were, the harder you fell. And meanwhile, without mentioning everything else, I will mention a few things that have happened to you. Your rulers, judging not with justice but with the strength and might of the arm, shed innocent blood in you. Others have treated their father and mother with disrespect, even cursing their parents, as Scripture says: 'Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death' (Exodus 21:17). They have oppressed the stranger and the foreigner among you, as if their suffering and exile from their homeland were not enough for them. They have saddened and oppressed the orphan and the widow among you: so that those whose entire estate is in the justice of the law, would not only be saddened, but oppressed by you. You have despised my sanctuaries and holy things, and you have defiled my sabbaths: so that you would not distinguish between the holy and the polluted, between the decreed day of religion and the rest of the sabbath for the worship of God, and the other days on which it is allowed by law to work and serve the needs of the flesh. The detractors, whether according to Symmachus and Theodotion, were deceitful, because it is said in Hebrew: Rachil, and they were murderers in you, to blaspheme God, or to do all things with deceit or violence. And the wise men devoured on high mountains, and with pride elevated against God, they committed wickedness or incest in your midst, such things as rarely happen in corners and secret places, when they are avoided by evil-conscious men, you have done openly. The following discourse explains what incest is: They have exposed the more modest parts of their father in you, they have unlawfully joined with their stepmother, and have defiled the impurity of menstruation within you, showing no regard for nature, nor granting any truce to indecency, clinging instead to the wife of their nearest kinsman. And what is even more wicked, the father-in-law has burned with desire for his daughter-in-law, and the brother has disregarded the rights of his sister: he violated his sister, not one born of the same mother, but rather the one born of the same father. They accepted gifts in order to shed innocent blood. They turned the necessity of the poor into profit, in order to receive interest and abundance; and because of greed, they slandered friends. 'But you, O Jerusalem, have done this,' he says, 'because you have forgotten me. For the memory of God excludes all crimes.' Therefore, I have taken on the appearance of an angry Lord, and I have clapped my hands against your greed and against the blood that was shed among you, so that you may understand and comprehend whether I can endure my anger with either mind or hands. For I have spoken, and I will do it: and after thou shalt be taken, Jerusalem, I will scatter thee into nations, and I will fan thee in the air, and thou shalt be moved to and fro in every wind: and my wrath shall be accomplished in thee, and my indignation shall rest in thee. And I will do, so that I may signify: and I will cause my indignation to rest in thee, and my wrath shall depart from thee, and I will be pacified, and will be angry no more. And my wrath shall rest in thee: and my indignation shall depart from thee, and I will be pacified, and will cease to be angry. And they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it, and have done it, saith the Lord God. But if we follow the interpretation of Symmachus and Theodotion, of whom one says, 'And I will wound you, or kill you,' and the other, 'I will defile you before the nations,' all things must be interpreted in a negative sense. Although this is contrary to this meaning, which was stated above, 'And I will cause your filthiness to cease from you.' For the ceasing of filthiness is the restoration of purity. I have discussed both editions equally, in order to avoid the extent of the books.
Commentary on Ezekiel