Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at your left hand, she and her daughters; and your younger sister, who dwells at your right hand, is Sodom with her daughters. Yet you have not walked in their ways, nor done their abominations; but soon you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “Sodom your sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters.
“ ‘ “Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters. She also didn’t strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. They were arrogant, and committed abomination before me. Therefore I took them away when I saw it. Samaria hasn’t committed half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all your abominations which you have done. You also bear your own shame yourself, in that you have given judgment for your sisters; through your sins that you have committed more abominable than they, they are more righteous than you. Yes, be also confounded, and bear your shame, in that you have justified your sisters.
“ ‘ “I will reverse their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of your captives among them; that you may bear your own shame, and may be ashamed because of all that you have done, in that you are a comfort to them. Your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, will return to their former estate; and Samaria and her daughters will return to their former estate; and you and your daughters will return to your former estate. For your sister Sodom was not mentioned by your mouth in the day of your pride,
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv47–56 Now the Prophet, not content with the simile which…
Now the Prophet, not content with the simile which he had used, says that the Jews were far worse than either their mothers or sisters. Yet he is not inconsistent, for God wished by degrees to drag the wicked to trial. If at the very first word he had said that they were worse than the Sodomites, they would have been less attentive to this accusation. But when he proposed a thing incredible, namely, that they were the daughters of the nations of Canaan, and the sisters of Samaria and Sodom, and afterwards proceeded further, and pronounced that they surpassed both their mother and sisters, this, as I have said, would stir up their minds more vehemently. This difference then contains no inconsistency, but rather tends to magnify their crimes. You, says he, have not walked according to their ways. He does not here exempt the Jews from participating in sins as if they were faultless through not imitating the Hittites, or Sodomites, or Israelites: but the word walking ought to be restricted to the sense of equality, as if he said, you are not equal. But it is a kind of correction when God says that the Jews were not equal to the Hittites or Sodomites, meaning that their impiety was more detestable, since they rushed forward to all kinds of wickedness with greater license. We now understand the Prophet’s meaning when he says that; the Jews had not walked in the ways of either Sodom or Samaria or the nations of Canaan, since they had gone before them, and even with greater ardor of pursuit; for if they had simply imitated the three people of whom mention has been made, they had walked in their ways. But when they were so hurried on in their intemperance as to run before them, they did not walk in their ways only through leaving them behind. And this comparison will sufficiently explain the Prophet’s mind, that the Jews did not follow either the Sodomites, Israelites, or Canaanites, but through their base and headlong violence left them far behind. And he says, as if it were only a small matter, that is, as if it were of little moment to thee to be like thy mother and sisters. But you have been corrupt, says he, before them. He now explains the case more clearly, since they had not walked in their ways through precipitating themselves with greater license, as we have already said. It follows —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv46, 47, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56 Hebrew, thy sister younger than thou.
Hebrew, thy sister younger than thou.
That is, her cities.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv46–56 Eze 16:46 And thine elder sister [is] Samaria, she…
Eze 16:46 And thine elder sister [is] Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, [is] Sodom and her daughters.
Ver. 46. She and her daughters,] i.e., Her cities and villages.
Read full note →
That dwell at thy left hand.] Thou art well set up therewhile, well neighboured.
That dwelleth at thy right hand.] That did do so, but new dwelleth with devils; being "thrown out for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." {Jdg 1:7}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv46–56 Thine elder sister, i.e. the greater for power, riches,…
Thine elder sister, i.e. the greater for power, riches, and numbers of people, not the elder for years.
Samaria; metropolis, or mother city, of the revolted and idolatrous ten tribes.
Read full note →
Her daughters; lesser cities of the kingdom of Israel, or the people who dwelt in them.
At thy left hand; northward, as you look toward the east.
Thy younger sister; or lesser, so the Hebrew; which consists of fewer people, is of less power.
At thy right hand; southward from Jerusalem. Sodom, as chief city.
Her daughters; either the cities near in place, and joined in affinity, idolatry, and other sins like Sodom, or the inhabitants of those cities.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv46–56 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways,.... But…
Yet hast thou not walked after their ways,.... But in ways more evil; were not content to keep pace with them, and do as they did; but outwent them, outstripped them in wickedness:
nor done after their abominations; but committed greater abominations than they did; sins of a more heinous nature, and attended with more aggravated circumstances; having more power and wealth, more Wisdom and understanding; the means of grace, the word and ordinances of God:
Read full note →
but, as if that were a very little thing; to commit the sins that Samaria and Sodom did: or, "it was loathing to thee as a little thing" (a); they despised and loathed their sins as too mean and little, and not flagitious and enormous, or bold and daring enough to be committed; and looked upon them, with contempt, as sneaking sinners, that had no soul nor spirit in them, or taste for sinful pleasures, in comparison of them: or the sense is, it would have been a little thing, comparatively speaking, had they only walked after the ways and abominations of Samaria and Sodom, and stopped there; but they had greatly exceeded them; and so the Targum,
"if thou hadst walked in their ways, and done according to their abominations, thy sin had been small.''
Kimchi interprets it of a small time that the Jews continued in the ways and worship of God, after the captivity of the ten tribes, which were carried away in the sixth year of Hezekiah; so that there were but three and twenty years left of his reign, when his son Manasseh succeeded him, and was more wicked than all before him; and these three and twenty years are the little time here spoken of and within a very little time, and
thou wast corrupted more than they in all their ways; this explains what is meant by not walking after their ways and abominations; they were greater sinners than they; more corrupt in their principles and practices; more hardened in them, and more difficult to be reclaimed from them; see Mat 11:23.
(a) "tanquam parvum, fastidio fuit hoc", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus; "velut parum fastidi", Starckius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv46, 47, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56 Thine elder sister - The greater for power, riches,…
Thine elder sister - The greater for power, riches, and numbers of people. Her daughters - The lesser cities of the kingdom of Israel. Thy left hand - Northward as you look toward the east. Thy younger sister - Which was smaller and less populous. Thy right hand - Southward from Jerusalem.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv46, 49, 52 Verse 46. Thine elder sister is Samaria, she and…
Verse 46. Thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left] It is supposed that the prophet by Sodom in this place means the Israelites that dwelt beyond Jordan, in the land of the Moabites and Ammonites; or rather of the Moabites and Ammonites themselves. Literally, Sodom could not be called the younger sister of Jerusalem, as it existed before Jerusalem had a name. In looking east from Jerusalem, Samaria was on the left, and Sodom on the right hand; that is, the first was on the north, the second on the south of Jerusalem.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv46, 49, 51, 53 Eze 16:46-47. Thine elder sister is Samaria, she and…
Eze 16:46-47. Thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters — That is, her lesser towns. “Samaria is called the elder, or greater sister, because it was a much larger city and kingdom, greater for power, riches, and numbers of people, and more nearly allied to Judah. And Sodom is called the younger sister, as being a smaller and less populous city, and further removed in blood from Jerusalem and its inhabitants, being only, as it were, a half sister. That dwell at thy left hand — That is, toward the north, Samaria lying northward of Jerusalem, as Sodom lay southward of it. For these two quarters of the world are expressed by the right and left in the Hebrew language, being placed in such a position to those that set their faces eastward. The prophet here considers Samaria and Sodom as two cities still subsisting; though Sodom had been long since destroyed, and Samaria had been overthrown one hundred and twenty-seven years before this prophecy of Ezekiel was delivered. Yet thou hast not walked after their ways — Thou hast not been content merely to be as bad as they, but hast carried thy wickedness to a much greater height, and committed many more crimes than they: see note on Eze 5:7. “The vices of Sodom and Samaria were not attended with such aggravating circumstances as those of Jerusalem; for they had not been blessed with the same great privileges.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv46, 50, 51, 53, 54, 56 The temple looked to the east. Samaria was on…
The temple looked to the east. Samaria was on its left, and Sodom on its right hand.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56 Right: southward. --- Sodom. The city was more ancient…
Right: southward. --- Sodom. The city was more ancient than Jerusalem. Hence it here designates Ruben, (Haydock) and the Jews east of the Jordan; (Prado) or rather Moab and Ammon, (ver. 55.; Calmet) and the rest of the Gentiles. (Haydock) --- Samaria shewed Jerusalem the road to idolatry, and therefore is called her elder sister. The number of the ten tribes was also greater than that of the kingdom of Juda, which became corrupt as Sodom, only by degrees. (Theodoret)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv46–56 elder sister . . . Samaria--older than Sodom, to…
elder sister . . . Samaria--older than Sodom, to whom Judah was less nearly related by kindred than she was to Samaria. Sodom is therefore called her younger sister; Samaria, her "elder sister" [GROTIUS]. Samaria is called the "elder," because in a moral respect more nearly related to Judah [FAIRBAIRN]. Samaria had made the calves at Dan and Beth-el in imitation of the cherubim.
her daughters--the inferior towns subject to Samaria (compare Num 21:25, Margin).
Read full note →
left--The Orientals faced the east in marking the directions of the sky; thus the north was "left," the south "right."
Sodom . . . daughters--Ammon and Moab, offshoots from Sodom; also the towns subject to it.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv46, 47, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 46. Elder sister… younger sister — The reference is…
46. Elder sister… younger sister — The reference is not to the relative age of Sodom and Samaria as compared with Jerusalem, but to their relative importance.
And her daughters — Suburban towns and colonies.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv46–56 46. elder sister] “elder” is lit. greater, and the…
46. elder sister] “elder” is lit. greater, and the reference is to the greater political importance and wider territory of Samaria; as on the other hand Sodom was smaller than Judah. In estimating the quarters of the heavens the beholder faced the east, having the north on his left, &c.
her daughters] i.e. subordinate towns.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 (46) Thine elder sister.—The words elder and younger mean,…
(46) Thine elder sister.—The words elder and younger mean, literally, greater and smaller. They thus come, like the Latin major and minor, to be used for older and younger; but still their original and most common meaning, which should be retained here, is greater and smaller. Chronologically, Sodom was not younger than Jerusalem, nor is there evidence that Samaria was older. The terms are to be understood of Samaria as the capital of the far larger northern kingdom, and of Sodom as a single city of no great population. The Orientals, in describing geographical positions, considered themselves as facing the east, and hence Samaria (at the north) was on the left, and Sodom on the right. Sodom is spoken of poetically as if still in existence. They were both the spiritual sisters of Judah, just as all alike were daughters of the Amorite and Hittite.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv46, 47, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56 No very adequate reason appears for the assignment of…
No very adequate reason appears for the assignment of the respective ages of the two sisters. Historically, Sodom, as the oldest representative of evil, would have seemed to claim precedence. Samaria may have had this position assigned to it as more closely connected with Judah. The left and right hands indicate respectively a position to the north and south of Jerusalem, the observer of the heavens looking east, as, we may note, the temple did. (Eze_8:16) The comparison with Samaria is developed more fully in ch. 23. The daughters are, as elsewhere, the cities dependent on Sodom and Samaria respectively.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv48, 51, 53 Pride, fulness of head, and abundance of idleness.
Eze_16:48-50
Pride, fulness of head, and abundance of idleness.
Read full note →
The conflict in a luxurious age
1. We must be on our guard against the suggestions of pride and self-complacency, by endeavouring to form as humble an estimate as possible of our own powers and works. We cannot better the world but by bettering ourselves. We cannot put down the pride of the generation in which we live, but we can mortify our own.
2. In regard of that danger which arises to the soul from living in plenty and abundance, we can regulate ourselves in our use of meats and drinks and personal indulgence, practising at certain times a holy moderation and abstinence, that we be not overcome of such delights. And as a safeguard to ourselves in this matter, let us remember the poor. It may be said that in our nation no sooner is a case of real suffering made public than contributions flow in on all sides; and yet do our public prints reveal, almost daily, abuses of the very law by which we provide for poor and indigent persons, which ought to bring to our remembrance more keenly than it does that cumulative sin of Sodom and her daughters, Neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy.
3. In regard of the disposition to abundance of idleness, which is increasing, I believe, daily, to which all the incidents of our national prosperity minister, and which must in the end issue in the disturbance of our tranquillity, it is not that you here can do anything to stem that torrent of self-indulgence which is flowing in upon us, especially in the lowest orders, whose tastes are the coarsest, and whose wills through ignorance are the most perverse; but you can resist the tendency to it in yourselves; you can endure this hardness at least, of girding up your loins to do the work which God has appointed for you in the world, as men who believe that it is their duty, required of them by the laws of true religion and sound morality. (T. L. Claughton, M. A.)
The bread of idleness demoralising
Honest work is the best employment for fallen man; and the bread of idleness breeds trouble in those that eat it. This is often illustrated in the luxuriant affluence of tropical vegetation. Mr. Dilke believes that the banana plant is one of the greatest curses of tropical countries, because it will support life with no labour. It grows as a weed, and hangs down its bunches of ripe tempting fruit into your lap as you lie in its cool shade. The terrible results of the plentiful possession of this tree are seen in Ceylon, at Panama, in the coast lands of Mexico, and at Auckland in New Zealand. At Pitcairns island the plantain grove has beaten the missionary from the field; there is much lip Christianity, but no practice to be got from a people who possess the fatal plant. The much-abused cocoanut cannot come near it as a devils agent. Such are the results of eating the bread of idleness. (R. A. Bertram.)
Idle and aimless living
Some time ago I read in a paper of a gentleman being brought up before the magistrate. What was the charge against him? Nothing very serious, you will say. He was found wandering in the fields. He was asked where he was going, and he said he was not going anywhere. He was asked where he came from, and he said he did not know. They asked him where his home was, and he said he had none. They brought him up for wandering as what? a dangerous lunatic. The man who has no aim or object in life, but just wanders about anywhere or nowhere, acts like a dangerous lunatic, and assuredly he is not morally sane. What! Am I aiming at nothing? Have I all this machinery of life, making up a vessel more wonderful than the finest steamboat, and am I going nowhere? My heart throbs are the pulsing of a divinely arranged machinery: do they beat for nothing? Do I get up every morning, and go about this world, and work hard, and all for nothing which will last? As a being created of God for noblest purposes, am I spending my existence in a purposeless manner? How foolish! (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Prosperity tests character
The soundness of a vessel is not seen when it is empty, but when it is filled with water, then we shall see whether it will leak or no. (Manton.)
It is in our prosperity that we are tested. Men are not fully discovered to themselves till they are tried by fulness of success. Praise finds out the leak of pride, wealth reveals the flaw of selfishness, and learning discovers the leak of unbelief. Davids besetting sin was little seen in the tracks of the wild goats, but it became conspicuous upon the terraces of his palace. Success is the crucible of character. Hence the prosperity which some welcome as an unmixed favour may far more rightly be regarded as an intense form of test illustrations and meditations. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The folly and danger of pride
I. The sinfulness and danger of pride.
1. Pride is, as far as we know, the first sin that ever was committed. It seems to have been the leading transgression in the defection of fallen angels.
2. Pride renders persons, in a special manner, hateful and abominable in the sight of God (Pro_8:13; Jam_4:6; 1Pe_5:5).
3. Pride is productive of other sins. Hence springs covetousness (Hab_2:5), persecution (Psa_10:2), strifes and quarrels (Pro_13:10).
4. Pride is a destructive sin. It is a presage of the ruin of those in whom it reigns (Pro_16:18). It produces shame (Pro_11:2). Sodom (Gen_19:24-25). Haughty Pharaoh and his hosts (Exo_14:27-28). Haman (Est_7:10). Nebuchadnezzar (Dan_4:32-33). Herod (Act_12:23).
II. Some remedies against it.
1. Endeavour to acquire the knowledge of your own meanness and sinfulness, and of the holiness and majesty of God; for by comparing yourselves with Him you will sink into nothing in your own esteem.
2. Be persuaded of the excellency of humility, the grace opposite to pride, and be clothed with it (1Pe_5:5).
3. Consider well the examples of humility set before you in the sacred Scriptures. Abraham, Jacob, David, Agur, Paul, and many others; yea, the holy angels fall down before the throne in lowest adoration; but, above all, the example of Jesus Christ (Php_2:5).
4. Understand that all your natural and acquired abilities are the gifts of God. Talents intrusted to your care and management (1Co_4:7). (Pulpit Assistant.)
Idlers
I. Idlers are generally careless. It is said that a stitch in time saves nine. But the idler seldom takes the stitch in time. He is careless in his habits, careless over his soul, and careless about everything. An idle man thinks any way of doing a thing will do if it gets done. He has not sufficient interest to take pains with his work. Whatever you do for Christ, do it well; because God sees your work. He not only looks on the work of stupendous magnitude which is being done by an angel; but He also sees you at your post of deacon and helper and teacher and visitor.
II. Idlers are often sinful. Experience proves this. An English proverb tells us that, An idle brain is the devils workshop,--and it is confirmed by an old Latin proverb, which says, Evil thoughts intrude in an unemployed mind as naturally as worms generate in a stagnant pond. Let me show how idle Christians become sinful. You join a church, but that is all you do for Christ; you never speak a word to the perishing, never visit the sick. Your soul is an empty spiritual house, which the devil uses as a purified workshop where he invents sinful thoughts and wicked actions.
III. Idlers are always miserable. Another old English proverb tells us that, The used key is always bright. But the key which hangs on the nail soon becomes rusted. And your soul will soon rust unless you employ it in good work. Do not allow yourself to be even for only half an hour without finding something useful to do.
IV. Idlers soon tire of work. Some people only pray when they are compelled by misfortune. They soon tire of what is to them the task of prayer. An idle prayer gets nothing; it is like a rusted sword.
V. Idlers always mean well.
VI. Idlers are often of a kindly disposition. They are too lazy to be angry. But they are always ready to do a good turn, if it does not last too long. Christians belong to a life-saving institution. What would you think of the lifeboat men if they sat smoking their pipes the shore when there was a wreck crowded with human beings at the entrance of the harbour? Christians, there are human wrecks about! Come to the rescue! (W. Birch.)
Idleness
Of the various evils to which mankind are subject, few steal upon the soul with such fatal security, and deprive us at once of dignity, of happiness, and virtue, as Idleness. To active crimes that annoy the peace of others, even the most hardened sinner is forced to be awake; but against the still, corroding vices of the heart, that chiefly affect ourselves, we are seldom guarded, except by the voluntary exercise of our own reason, or the friendly admonitions of others.
1. If we look up to the great Creator, as to the source of all perfections, and contemplate His wisdom and His goodness in His works, we shall find that no living example of Idleness or inactivity is ordained by His Providence. All seem working together, and gradually fulfilling some wise and beneficent purpose, which He has appointed. While the face of nature presents us with this general scene of action, shall man remain, in contradiction to the will of heaven, in the rest and sloth of Idleness? Nothing could degrade him more in that scale of being in which he was intended to hold so distinguished a rank. There are active duties allotted to every human being; and the fulfilling of them with cheerfulness and diligence should form no inconsiderable portion of our happiness. While some are assiduously providing for their own household, by following their respective avocations, others may be engaged in laudable attempts to extend the boundaries of science, and to increase the comforts of social life;--while many are anxiously employed in protecting the helplessness of infancy, and in forming the manners of childhood, a few, whom fortune has placed above these humble duties, might fill the offices of state with advantage; and, by their industry, their virtues, and their wisdom, greatly contribute to the general welfare.
2. In a state of indolence are engendered many evils and many sorrows. Among the lower classes of the community Idleness is productive of misery and guilt in every varied form. The ties of every duty, indeed, will be but slightly felt by him who gives himself up to Idleness. His predominant vice gradually undermines his principles, and spreads licentiousness through his character. If a man of this description have a family, all bred up under the contagious influence of his vices, it is impossible to tell how far and wide the stream of corruption will spread. So much is Idleness to be dreaded in its consequences when it infects the poor. If we consider those of middle life, who might be said to possess the object of Agurs prayer, and to have neither poverty nor riches, we shall perceive the same vice diffusing its miseries. Under the pleasing delusion of comfort and of ease we may observe some quitting the active scenes of life, which habit had rendered familiar, and almost natural, in pursuit of happiness in retirement. But it is not every mind that is formed or prepared for the enjoyment of solitude. A languid discontent and a peevish neglect of ordinary comforts soon lead to sensuality and excess of every kind. Self-indulgence is the last idol of the heart; and the short remnant of life is often divided between the feebleness or pain of disease and the stupors of intoxication. To those who may not be in danger of gross and sensual vices, Idleness still brings with it distresses that ought to be dreaded. If temptation from the body should be resisted, it seldom fails to fasten on the mind. The human frame is so constituted as to require frequent alternations of action and of rest. The animal functions cannot be properly performed without them; and how these affect the mind is well known. It may be remarked, however, that even excess of labour is not so injurious as excess of ease. Idleness, indeed, completely disqualifies us for every rational enjoyment. One chief pleasure in human life is the blessing of repose after fatigue; or the relaxation of amusements, either solitary or social, after labour. But these, to the idle, are like food to one whose appetite is already cloyed.
3. Let me earnestly exhort you, therefore, to guard against a vice, whose pernicious influence is so extensive, and whose consequences ought to be so much dreaded. Whatever be your situation, reason and religion will point out to you some scheme of duties appropriated to it, which it should be at once your interest and pleasure to fulfil. Life abounds also with such frequent opportunities of doing good, or improving time, that no part of the small portion which remains should be squandered away in trifles; for, next to the vice of Idleness, is that of employing time amiss. It is fortunate, indeed, for the generality, that many of the active duties are forced on them by necessity: for those who have it in their power to do what they please, always do the least; and soon find the ardour of voluntary pursuits gradually subside, till it is wholly lost in a passion for pleasure, or the love of ease. (J. Hewlett, B. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v53 EXEGETICAL NOTES.—Eze_16:53. “When I shall bring again their captivity,…
(Eze_16:53-63.)
EXEGETICAL NOTES.—Eze_16:53. “When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them.” “The promise commences with an announcement of the restoration, not of Jerusalem, but of Sodom and Samaria. The two kingdoms, or peoples, upon which judgment first fell, shall also be the first to receive mercy; and it will not be till after then that Jerusalem, with the other cities of Judah, will also be restored to favour, in order that she may bear her disgrace, and be ashamed of her sins (Eze_16:54); that is to say, not because Sodom and Samaria have borne their punishment for a longer time, but to the deeper shaming, the more complete humiliation of Jerusalem. The Hebrew expression means, “to turn the captivity,” not “to bring back the captives;” and it is here used in a figurative sense for restitutio in statum integritatis. No carrying away took place in the case of Sodom.”—(Keil.)
Read full note →
Eze_16:54. “In that thou art a comfort unto them.” “By bearing disgrace, i.e., by its endurance of well-merited and disgraceful punishment, Jerusalem consoles her sisters, Samaria and Sodom; and that not merely by fellowship in misfortune, but by the fact that from the punishment endured by Jerusalem, both Samaria and Sodom can discern the righteousness of the ways of God, and find therein a foundation for their hope, that the righteous God will bring to an end the merited punishment as soon as its object has been attained.” (Keil.)
Eze_16:55. “When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former estate.” “If Jerusalem, Samaria, and Sodom, are to be viewed as symbolical of the surrounding people whose centre they formed, or with whom they stood connected, no difficulty will arise relative to the restoration of Sodom. If we regard her as the representative of the Ammonites and Moabites, the descendants of Lot, we shall here have only a parallel prediction to Jer_48:47; Jer_49:6. However obscure the lights of history relative either to the captivity or the restoration of the nations beyond the Dead Sea, there can be little doubt that they participated more or less in the fate of the Jews, to whose country they lay contiguous. That most of the ten tribes of which Samaria had been the capital were restored under Cyrus, is now generally admitted. The restoration of all the three classes of people is here predicted to take place at the same time.”—(Henderson.)
Eze_16:56. “For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride.” They took no heed of the warning of Sodom’s example. Boasting themselves as “The Temple of the Lord,” they thought that they needed it not (Jer_7:4).
Eze_16:57. “As at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria.” “By the reproach of the cities of Syria, was not meant anything derogatory to the character of those cities nationally considered, but the indignity offered by the Syrians to the Jews, when, under Rezin, they invaded the land of Judah (2Ki_15:37; Isa_7:1-9). That this is the construction to be put upon the words is evident from the parallelism, in the corresponding member of which the manner in which the Jews had been treated by the Philistines is mentioned. Compare for the insults offered by both, Isa_9:11-12.—(Henderson.)
Eze_16:58. “Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations.” Jerusalem would bear the guilt of these iniquities, and would know how great that burden was when she would be called upon to atone for her wrong-doing.
Eze_16:59. “I will even deal with thee as thou hast done.” In mercy Jehovah would “walk contrary unto them,” so that they might be humbled and thus brought to repentance. “Which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant”. “Despising the oath points back to Deu_29:11-12, where the renewal of the covenant concluded at Sinai is described as an entrance into the covenant and oath which the Lord then made with His people. But even if Israel has faithlessly broken the covenant, and must bear the consequent punishment, the unfaithfulness of man can never alter the faithfulness of God. This is the link of connection between the resumption and further expansion of the promise in Eze_16:60 and the closing words of Eze_16:59. The remembrance of His covenant is mentioned in Lev_26:42-45 as the only motive that will induce God to restore Israel to favour again, when the humiliation effected by the endurance of punishment has brought it to a confession of its sins.”—(Keil.)
Eze_16:60. “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.” “The covenant which God concluded with Israel in the day of its youth, i.e., when he led it out of Egypt, He will establish as an everlasting covenant. Consequently it is not an entirely new covenant, but simply the perfecting the old one for everlasting duration. For the fact itself, compare Isa_55:3, where the making of the everlasting covenant is described as granting the steadfast mercies of David, i.e., as the fulfilment of the promise given to David (2 Samuel 7). This promise is called by David himself an everlasting covenant, which God had made with him (2Sa_23:5). And the assurance of its everlasting duration was to be found in the fact that this covenant did not rest upon the fulfilment of the law, but simply upon the forgiving grace of God (compare Eze_16:63 with Jer_31:31-34).”—(Keil).
Eze_16:61. “Then shalt thou remember thy ways and be ashamed.” They would be ashamed when they saw the other nations associated with them in the enjoyment of the same blessings. “I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.” The covenant to which they assented at Horeb excluded all other nations from its benefits (Exo_24:7). The blessings which were to come upon all nations would flow from the earlier promise which God made to Abraham (Gal_3:13-14).
Eze_16:62. “And I will establsh My covenant with thee.” This was the old covenant made with Abraham, wherein Christ was promised, who was to bless all nations. That was a covenant purely of blessing, and in the form of it entirely unconditional (Gal_3:17).
Eze_16:63. “And never open thy mouth because of thy shame.” This would be the shame of the penitent, who is overwhelmed with a sense of God’s extraordinary goodness, and of his own foolishness and ingratitude (Rom_3:19).
HOMILETICS
GOD’S PURPOSE OF MERCY TOWARDS ISRAEL
I. It would not be defeated by the greatness of their sin. Israel had sinned against the clearest light, and in spite of great gifts and privileges. Their sin was greater than the common iniquity of the nations around them, for it was ingratitude and rebellion against the living God. Yet this did not overtask God’s infinite mercy, or close the door of hope against them for ever. With Him there is plenteous redemption. The gospel offers salvation to the worst of sinners, even to those who like Israel, have sinned against the greatest light.
II. Its strength lay in God’s ancient covenant with them. It was the old covenant which God would now call to mind that which He made with them when He first chose them as a people destined to accomplish His purpose of salvation for the world. In the meantime they were punished according to their works, which was justice. But, in the end, His grace would deal with them according to His mercy secured by His old covenant (Eze_16:60). Faith in God’s unchanging goodness was David’s comfort when he uttered his “last words.” He remembered many failures, and how he and his house had fallen far short of their high calling, but his soul stood firmly upon this rock, “Yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow” (2Sa_23:5). Thus David confessed that his house was no suitable home for Israel’s Great Ruler, but he had strong faith that grace would prevail over all this unworthiness. And now grace begins the work of reconciliation, of re-establishment. God had not broken His covenant, and now He will make the first advance towards its renewal and fulfilment. All would be seen to be of grace, and not of merit; and, therefore, there can be no ground of boasting on the part of Israel. God’s purpose of mercy towards mankind, in Jesus Christ, is intended to prevail over all their sin. The grace displayed in redemption is sufficient for the largest designs of mercy.
III. It would be accomplished through their humiliation.
1. They would be brought to see their own sin in all its magnitude. They would remember the past with shame, and the sense of God’s infinite mercy displayed in their forgiveness would close their months in utter astonishment. They would be both ashamed and confounded (Eze_16:61-63).
2. They would be put to shame by God’s dealings with other nations. The restoration of Sodom and Samaria was also promised (Eze_16:53-54). Nations which they thought were for ever beyond the reach of Divine mercy were about to be blessed. This great purpose of restoration is fully accomplished in the Gospel dispensation. God chose from His people, Israel, the apostles who were to preach the Gospel, “Salvation is of the Jews.” They were the people appointed to spread the glad tidings of salvation to the heathen. The old Covenant would expand into the large and unchangeable purpose of God’s mercy in the Gospel. From Jerusalem is to go forth the word of mercy that is to save the world. Thus in the end, it will be seen that God’s love is not partial, but contemplates the larger purpose of bringing the means of salvation within the reach of all.
(Eze_16:53-54)
But how could a restoration of Sodom and her daughters (Gomorrah, etc.) be predicted, when the destruction of these cities was accompanied by the sweeping away of all their inhabitants from off the face of the earth? Many of the commentators have attempted to remove the difficulty by assuming that Sodom here stands for the Moabites and Ammonites, who were descendants of Lot, who escaped from Sodom. But the untenableness of such an explanation is obvious, from the simple fact that the Ammonites and Moabites were no more Sodomites than Lot himself. And the view expressed by Origen and Jerome, that Sodom is a typical name, denoting heathenism generally, is also unsatisfactory. The way in which Sodom is classed with Samaria and Jerusalem, and the special reference to the judgment that fell upon Sodom (Eze_16:49-50), point undeniably to the real Sodom. The heathen world comes into consideration only so far as this, that the pardon of a heathen city, so deeply degraded as Sodom, carries with it the assurance that mercy will be extended to all heathen nations. We must therefore take the words as referring to the literal Sodom. Yet we certainly cannot for a moment think of any earthly restoration of Sodom. For even if we could conceive of a restoration of the cities that were destroyed by fire, and sunk into the depths of the Dead Sea, it is impossible to form any conception of an earthly and corporeal restoration of the inhabitants of those cities, who were destroyed at the same time; and in this connection it is chiefly to them that the words refer. This does not by any means prove that the thing itself is impossible, but simply that the realization of the prophecy must be sought for beyond the present order of things, in one that extends into the life everlasting.—(Keil).
Sodom represents the collective heathen world standing in like relations with her. That great crushing judgments will fall upon the whole heathen world no less than on Sodom itself is the uniform announcement of the prophets, also of Ez., in ch. 25 and 26; so that the remark, that “Sodom is not a type of heathendom on this account, because heathendom does not need to be restored,” is not to the point. The representative character of Sodom lies in the nature of the thing. If God pities the most notorious sinners among the heathen, how should He not pity all? And it is confirmed by Eze_47:18, where the sea introduced in place of Sodom is a symbol of the world dead in sins. Sodom also stands frequently elsewhere in the O.T. as a representative of deep corruption (Deu_32:32; Isa_1:10; Jer_23:14). But all doubt is excluded by Eze_16:61. There the representative character of Sodom is expressly affirmed. Yet we may not exclude even Sodom itself from salvation. The special references to it are too strong for this (comp. Eze_16:49-50) Michaelis says:—“As Samaria and Jerusalem, so must Sodom also, it appears, be taken literally.” As a restoration of the city is not to be thought of, its inhabitants swept away by the judgment can only be the object of salvation; and we have here an allusion to a continuance of the arrangements of grace after death for those for whom on earth salvation did not attain to its highest completion, the O. T. basis for 1Pe_3:20-21; 1Pe_4:6, especially for the latter passage; also for Mat_12:41-42, a passage that indeed only indirectly leads to the same result.—(Hengstenberg).
(Eze_16:62)
“I will establish my covenant with thee.” Men once sensible of breach with God are not easily induced to believe that God will bestow great mercies upon them. The Lord, therefore, out of His abundant kindness, doubles the promise of making and establishing His covenant with Jerusalem, so that her fears and disputes may cease, and she be ascertained thereof. “Thou shalt know that I am the Lord.” The Heb word signifies to know, to acknowledge, to understand, to be certain, and properly refers to the mind and understanding. The knowledge here meant is a saving knowledge; for He speaks not of that knowledge which arises from afflictions and judgments, of which He had oft spoken before. Thirteen times the Lord saith, that they should know that He was the Lord But this was by His judgments. Here He speaks of such knowledge as springs from a fountain and foundation of mercy. “Thou shalt know Me,” i.e. in another manner than thou didst before; thou shalt know Me spiritually, with a knowledge of faith and salvation (Joh_7:17; Joh_10:4). This differs from a legal and literal knowlege, for—
1. It is a more distinct knowledge of God. Human knowledge is more mixed, dark, and confused. Every ungodly man’s light is darkness (Job_10:22). But he who hath light from God in covenant, his light is clear. “The light of the righteous rejoiceth” (Pro_13:9). If it were confused and obscure, it would not rejoice. “The wisdom from above is pure” (Jas_3:17); and the more pure, the more clear, the more distinct.
2. It is a savoury, relishing knowledge, the soul is affected with it. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” The true knowledge and taste of God is as sweet as any gain, as ever manna was. “His fruit was sweet to my taste.” His knowledge hath a savour in it (2Co_2:14).
3. It is a deep-rooted and well-settled knowledge. The Lord puts wisdom in the inward parts, and gives understanding to the hearts of those with whom He strikes His covenant (Job_38:36). “God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts” (2Co_4:6). Not in our heads only, not on our hearts only, but in our hearts. God puts and writes His law in the hearts of His people (Jer_31:33). Wicked men have knowledge and light in their heads, but darkness in their hearts.
4. It is distinguishable from other kinds of knowledge by the effects
(1.) It is peaceable. It causeth men to live peaceably (Jas_3:17; Isa_11:9). When men know God savingly, they love peace, and pursue peace; but when knowledge is literal, they are contentious and bitter.
(2.) It humbleth much. The more men know God in His holiness, glory, and goodness, the more humble they will be (Eze_20:42-43). When Job had a clear and spiritual sight of God, he abhorred himself in dust and ashes (Job_42:5-6). In like manner the prophet Isaiah and Paul (Isa_6:5; 1Co_15:8-9).
(3.) It is working and powerful. Like fire, it consumes the lusts of men’s hearts, and separates the dross of their spirits. The truth purifies the soul (1Pe_1:22). Divine knowledge keeps under what hinders practice, and leads out the soul to action (Psa_109:3-4). Men have not the true knowledge of God when their lusts overpower them, and make them disobedient.
(4.) Trust and confidence in the Lord. The knowledge we speak of hath certainty in it, and causeth venturing (Psa_9:10). They that know God spiritually, His truths and promises, covenant, faithfulness, will resign up themselves to Him and lean upon Him. “In the Lord, Jehovah, is everlasting strength” (Isa_26:4). When a man hath the true, real, and clear knowledge of this he will trust in God. David had the right knowledge of God when he said, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust” (Psa_91:2).—(Greenhill.)
(Eze_16:63)
1. Godly sorrow and shame for sin arises from a right knowledge of God in the covenant of grace. If the knowledge be spiritual and evangelical, the fruit of the covenant, men’s repentance will be suitable; sanctified knowledge will produce sanctified shame, sorrow, and tears (Zec_12:10). When men are in covenant with God, and have the spiritual knowledge of His love and bounty, in giving Christ to take away sin, and look upon Him in His piercings and sufferings for their sins, then they will mourn with a great but spiritual mourning, which is the most kindly and acceptable.
2. Those who rightly know God in the covenant of grace, will not murmur against Him for any of His dealings with them. They will be silent and submissive before Him. They know God is infinitely wise, just, and holy; that all their afflictions and chastisements are exceeding short of what they deserve; that nothing comes to pass without His Providence; that He can wrong none; that He can use unholy instruments holily, and hath holy ends in all His ways. Job met with very hard things; but knowing God the right way, he opened not his mouth against Him but for Him. So David, “I was dumb; I opened not my mouth, because Thou didst it” (Psa_39:9). He was silent, and patiently submitted unto the hand of God; he neither accused Him, nor excused himself. If I be reproached, persecuted, afflicted any way, I know it is Thy doing, and I will be dumb. Those who have spiritual knowledge of God, and spiritual sorrow for their sins are most silent. In whatsoever condition they be cast, they will say with the Church, “We will bear the indignation of the Lord, because we have sinned against Him” (Mic_7:9).
3. Sin is such an evil as provokes God. “When I am pacified towards thee.” If there were not offence, no place would be found for pacification, for where this has to be made provocation hath gone before. Sin provokes God bitterly, and makes him angry every day (Hos_12:14; Psa_7:11). To kindle His anger, even but a little, is a dangerous thing (Psa_2:12). Paul knew it when he said, “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy; are we stronger than He?” (1Co_10:22).
4. Though sin do provoke God greatly and bitterly, yet He is to be pacified. He is not implacable. “He will not keep His anger for ever.” His mercy endures for ever, but not His anger; His wrath is momentary, but His kindness is everlasting (Isa_54:8). Aaron made an atonement for the people (Num_16:46). Phineas turned away his wrath (Num_25:11). Moses prevailed with God, and pacified Him when he was very angry (Exo_32:14). And when the people were full of sin, had greatly trespassed, “He being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath (Psa_78:38).
5. God being pacified toward a people is a great mercy. This appears in two things:
(1.) All that hath offended is passed by and forgiven. “For all that thou hast done.” Not for one, or two, or a hundred things done, but for all done; the idolatry, oppression, pride, fulness of bread, idleness, neglect of the poor, injustice, profaneness, etc. Here is the greatness of Divine grace; be sins never so great, old, many, they are all done away.
(2.) He is so pacified, that He will not be angry with them again for those evil deeds. The Heb. word denotes such a covering of their sins, so that they cannot be easily seen again; an expiation, a blotting out (Isa_43:25). “The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none, and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found” (Jer_50:20).—(Greenhill).
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v53 Mercy Promised for the latter end
Mercy Promised for the latter end
v. 53. When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, restoring sinners of even the worst type to the enjoyment of His grace, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them, rather, "and the captivity of thy captivity in their midst," Israel being placed on the same level with the greatest sinner from among the heathen, also in her relation to the grace of God,
Read full note →
v. 54. that thou mayest bear thine own shame, suffer the well-deserved punishment, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them, her own eventual restoration serving as an encouragement to other sinners, that they also may find mercy.
v. 55. When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, the position which they held before they yielded to the godless behavior which brought the decline upon them, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. This is said only by way of comparison, to bring home the fact that the mercy of the Lord is able to lift up men from the very abysses of degradation and give them the privileges and blessings of his children for the sake of His mercy.
v. 56. For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, her fate was not made the subject of discussion, with the purpose of letting it serve as a warning; Israel did not profit by the example of Sodom’s destruction,
v. 57. before thy wickedness was discovered, when Judah still stood proud and haughty, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about. By the judgment which was carried out upon Jerusalem on the part of the Chaldeans her wickedness was uncovered, to her great shame, as at the time when the Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west took every opportunity to humiliate her.
v. 58. Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the Lord, suffering the well-deserved punishment of her sins, especially of her pride.
v. 59. For thus saith the Lord God, I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, in forgetting the oath of faithfulness and in forsaking the covenant relation, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. Cf Deu 29:11-12. But although Israel has been guilty of treachery and must bear the punishment of her sins, yet all faithlessness on the part of men cannot change the eternal faithfulness of Jehovah.
v. 60. Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, being ready once more to show mercy to a repentant people, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant, the Messianic idea being brought out at this point.
v. 61. Then thou shalt remember thy ways, the goodness of God leading at least a few to repentance, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger, representatives from various parts of the heathen world becoming partakers of the privileges formerly accorded to Israel alone; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by the covenant, that is, not by that of the Old Testament, under which Israel had been chosen.
v. 62. And I will establish My covenant with thee, namely, that of the new dispensation, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, realizing the new covenant relation and making use of it in the proper way,
v. 63. that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, all boasting on the part of man being excluded by the obvious deliverance by grace alone, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. Thus the grace of God which has pardoned so many and so great sins is the one great subject of Gospel-preaching at all times. Nothing is so conducive to love and humility as the sense of the riches of God’s pardoning grace.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv46, 47, 49, 51, 53, 56 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues to speak about Jerusalem as if the city were his unfaithful wife. The city represents the people who live there. (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)
Read full note →
Your older sister was Samaria ... your younger sister was the one living south of you, that is, Sodom
Samaria and Sodom were both cities that Yahweh had judged for their idolatry and wickedness. Yahweh speaks of these cities being Jerusalem's sisters to express that she belonged to a family that practiced idolatry and wickedness. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information and Metaphor)
translationWords
sister
Samaria
life
Sodom
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv46, 51, 53 16:46-50 Samaria, Jerusalem’s older (or larger) sister, had practiced…
16:46-50 Samaria, Jerusalem’s older (or larger) sister, had practiced deviant worship ever since Jeroboam introduced golden calves into his national shrines at Dan and Bethel (1 Kgs 12:28-33). • Sodom, Jerusalem’s younger (or smaller) sister, was a byword for sexual sin (Gen 19:4-9) and for pride, gluttony, laziness, and neglect of the poor and needy.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.