1Dostal jsem slovo Hospodinovo: 2„Obviň, synu člověčí, obviň to město vraždění! Ukaž mu všechny jeho ohavnosti 3a řekni: Tak praví Panovník Hospodin – Ó město, jež proléváním krve přivolává svůj soudný den! Město, jež se pošpiňuje výrobou hnusných model! 4Provinilo ses krví, kterou jsi prolilo, pošpinilo ses modlami, které jsi vyrobilo. Přivolalo jsi svůj soudný den, konec tvých let nadešel. Proto tě vydám potupě mezi pohany a posměchu mezi všemi zeměmi. 5Blízkým i vzdáleným budeš k smíchu, slavné svou nečistotou a množstvím hrůz. 6Pohleď – každý vládce Izraele ve tvých zdech podle svých možností prolévá krev! 7Otci a matce se v tobě zlořečí, přistěhovalci ve tvých zdech se děje příkoří a sirotku a vdově se v tobě ubližuje. 8Pohrdáš tím, co je mi svaté, a znesvěcuješ mé soboty. 9Žijí v tobě krvelační pomlouvači, hodují v tobě na náhorních svatyních a provádějí uprostřed tebe zvrhlosti. 10Synové v tobě obcují s manželkou svého otce a ženy v době svého krvácení jsou v tobě znásilňovány. 11Kdekdo v tobě páchá ohavnost s manželkou svého bližního, tchán przní vlastní snachu a bratr znásilňuje sestru, dceru vlastního otce. 12Berou v tobě úplatek, aby se prolila něčí krev. Bereš lichvářské úroky a chamtivě ubližuješ svým bližním. Na mě však nemyslíš, praví Hospodin. 13Pohleď – tlesknu do dlaní nad tvým mrzkým ziskem a nad krví prolitou uprostřed tebe! 14Zdalipak zůstaneš tak smělé a silné ve dnech, kdy s tebou zúčtuji? To říkám já Hospodin; já to učiním. 15Rozptýlím tě mezi národy, rozpráším tě po zemích a s tvou nečistotou skoncuji. 16V očích národů budeš v opovržení a tehdy poznáš, že já jsem Hospodin.“ 17Dostal jsem slovo Hospodinovo: 18„Synu člověčí, z domu Izraele se mi stala struska. Všichni jsou odpad mědi, cínu, železa a olova – struska oddělená v peci od stříbra. 19Nuže, tak praví Panovník Hospodin: Protože se z vás všech stala struska, nahrnu vás teď do Jeruzaléma. 20Jako se stříbro s mědí, železem, olovem a cínem hrne do pece, kde se taví rozdmýchaným plamenem, tak vás ve svém zuřivém hněvu nahrnu dovnitř a tam vás nechám roztavit. 21Nahrnu vás na hromadu, rozdmýchám na vás plamen svého hněvu a nechám vás roztavit v jeho středu. 22Jako se taví stříbro uvnitř pece, tak se roztavíte v Jeruzalémě. Tehdy poznáte, že já Hospodin jsem na vás vylil svůj hněv.“ 23Dostal jsem slovo Hospodinovo: 24„Synu člověčí, řekni té zemi: Jsi nečistá, v den mé prchlivosti nebudeš svlažena! 25Tví vládci se v tobě chovají jako řvoucí lvi, co trhají kořist na kusy. Požírají lidi, sápou se po majetku a bohatství a rozmnožují v té zemi vdovy. 26Kněží té země znásilňují můj Zákon a znesvěcují, co je mi svaté. Nerozlišují mezi svatým a obyčejným, neukazují rozdíl mezi čistým a nečistým a neohlížejí se na mé soboty. Jsem mezi nimi v opovržení! 27Jejich velmoži trhají kořist jako krvelační vlci; ničí lidské životy pro svůj mrzký zisk. 28Proroci se to pak snaží zabílit omítkou falešných vidění a lživým věštěním. Říkají: ‚Tak praví Panovník Hospodin‘ – Hospodin ale nemluvil! 29Prostý lid zatím podvádí a loupí. Ubližují chudým a ubohým a na přistěhovalcích páchají křivdu a bezpráví. 30Hledal jsem mezi nimi někoho, kdo by opravil hradbu a postavil se přede mě do trhliny za tu zem, abych ji nezničil – ale nikoho jsem nenašel. 31Vyliji proto na ně své rozhořčení, pohltím je plamenem svého zuření a jejich cesty jim obrátím na hlavy, praví Panovník Hospodin.“
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 GOD'S JUDGMENT ON THE SINFULNESS OF JERUSALEM. (Eze. 22:1-31)
See
Ezek 20:4; that is, "Wilt thou not judge?" &c. (compare
Ezek 23:36).
the bloody city--literally, "the city of bloods"; so called on account of murders perpetrated in her, and sacrifices of children to Molech (
Ezek 22:3-
Ezek 22:4,
Ezek 22:6,
Ezek 22:9;
Ezek 24:6,
Ezek 24:9).
3 sheddeth blood . . . that her time may come--Instead of deriving advantage from her bloody sacrifices to idols, she only thereby brought on herself "the time" of her punishment.
against herself-- (
Pro 8:36).
4 thy days--the shorter period, namely, that of the siege.
thy years--the longer period of the captivity. The "days" and "years" express that she is ripe for punishment.
5 infamous--They mockingly call thee, "Thou polluted one in name (Margin), and full of confusion" [FAIRBAIRN], (referring to the tumultuous violence prevalent in it). Thus the nations "far and near" mocked her as at once sullied in character and in actual fact lawless. What a sad contrast to the Jerusalem once designated "'the holy city!"
6 Rather, "The princes . . . each according to his power, were in thee, to shed blood" (as if this was the only object of their existence). "Power," literally, "arm"; they, who ought to have been patterns of justice, made their own arm of might their only law.
7 set light by--Children have made light of, disrespected, father . . . (
Deut 27:16). At
Ezek 22:7-
Ezek 22:12 are enumerated the sins committed in violation of Moses' law.
9 men that carry tales--informers, who by misrepresentations cause innocent blood to be shed (
Lev 19:16). Literally, "one who goes to and fro as a merchant."
10 set apart for pollution--that is, set apart as unclean (
Lev 18:19).
12 forgotten me-- (
Deut 32:18;
Jer 2:32;
Jer 3:21).
13 smitten mine hand--in token of the indignant vengeance which I will execute on thee (see on
Ezek 21:17).
14 (
Ezek 21:7).
15 consume thy filthiness out of thee--the object of God in scattering the Jews.
16 take thine inheritance in thyself--Formerly thou wast Mine inheritance; but now, full of guilt, thou art no longer Mine, but thine own inheritance to thyself; "in the sight of the heathen," that is, even they shall see that, now that thou hast become a captive, thou art no longer owned as Mine [VATABLUS]. FAIRBAIRN and others needlessly take the Hebrew from a different root, "thou shalt be polluted by ('in,' [HENDERSON]) thyself," &c.; the heathen shall regard thee as a polluted thing, who hast brought thine own reproach on thyself.
18 dross . . . brass--Israel has become a worthless compound of the dross of silver (implying not merely corruption, but degeneracy from good to bad,
Isa 1:22, especially offensive) and of the baser metals. Hence the people must be thrown into the furnace of judgment, that the bad may be consumed, and the good separated (
Jer 6:29-
Jer 6:30).
23 From this verse to the end he shows the general corruption of all ranks.
24 land . . . not cleansed--not cleared or cultivated; all a scene of desolation; a fit emblem of the moral wilderness state of the people.
nor rained upon--a mark of divine "indignation"; as the early and latter rain, on which the productiveness of the land depended, was one of the great covenant blessings. Joel (
Joel 2:23) promises the return of the former and latter rain, with the restoration of God's favor.
25 conspiracy--The false prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. They are mentioned first, as their bad influence extended the widest.
prey--Their aim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" (
Hos 6:9;
Zeph 3:3-
Zeph 3:4;
Matt 23:14).
made . . . many widows--by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which the husbands fell.
26 Her priests--whose "lips should have kept knowledge" (
Mal 2:7).
violated--not simply transgressed; but, have done violence to the law, by wresting it to wrong ends, and putting wrong constructions on it.
put no difference between the holy and profane, &c.--made no distinction between the clean and unclean (
Lev 10:10), the Sabbath and other days, sanctioning violations of that holy day. "Holy" means, what is dedicated to God; "profane," what is in common use; "unclean," what is forbidden to be eaten; "clean," what is lawful to be eaten.
I am profaned among them--They abuse My name to false or unjust purposes.
27 princes--who should have employed the influence of their position for the people's welfare, made "gain" their sole aim.
wolves--notorious for fierce and ravening cruelty (
Mic 3:2-
Mic 3:3,
Mic 3:9-
Mic 3:11;
John 10:12).
28 Referring to the false assurances of peace with which the prophets flattered the people, that they should not submit to the king of Babylon (see on
Ezek 13:10;
Ezek 21:29;
Jer 6:14;
Jer 23:16-
Jer 23:17;
Jer 27:9-
Jer 27:10).
29 The people--put last, after the mention of those in office. Corruption had spread downwards through the whole community.
wrongfully--that is, "without cause," gratuitously, without the stranger proselyte giving any just provocation; nay, he of all others being one who ought to have been won to the worship of Jehovah by kindness, instead of being alienated by oppression; especially as the Israelites were commanded to remember that they themselves had been "strangers in Egypt" (
Exod 22:21;
Exod 23:9).
30 the hedge--the wall (see on
Ezek 13:5); image for leading the people to repentance.
the gap--the breach (
Ps 106:23); image for interceding between the people and God (
Gen 20:7;
Exod 32:11;
Num 16:48).
I found none-- (
Jer 5:1) --not that literally there was not a righteous man in the city. For Jeremiah, Baruch, &c., were still there; but Jeremiah had been forbidden to pray for the people (
Jer 11:14), as being doomed to wrath. None now, of the godly, knowing the desperate state of the people, and God's purpose as to them, was willing longer to interpose between God's wrath and them. And none "among them," that is, among those just enumerated as guilty of such sins (
Ezek 22:25-
Ezek 22:29), was morally able for such an office.
31 their own way . . . recompensed upon their heads-- (
Ezek 9:10;
Ezek 11:21;
Ezek 16:43;
Pro 1:31;
Isa 3:11;
Jer 6:19).
The imagery is similar to that in the sixteenth chapter; but here the reference is not as there so much to the breach of the spiritual marriage covenant with God by the people's idolatries, as by their worldly spirit, and their trusting to alliances with the heathen for safety, rather than to God.