Ezekiel 22

Ezekiel 22:1-31 . GOD'S JUDGMENT ON THE SINFULNESS OF JERUSALEM.

Repetition of the charges in the twentieth chapter only that there they were stated in an historical review of the past and present; here the present sins of the nation exclusively are brought forward.

2. See Ezekiel 20:4 ; that is, "Wilt thou not judge?" &c. (compare Ezekiel 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 ( Ezekiel 22:3 Ezekiel 22:4 Ezekiel 22:6 Ezekiel 22:9 , Ezekiel 24:6 Ezekiel 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--( Proverbs 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 . . . ( Deuteronomy 27:16 ). At Ezekiel 22:7-12 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 ( Leviticus 19:16 ). Literally, "one who goes to and fro as a merchant."

10. set apart for pollution--that is, set apart as unclean ( Leviticus 18:19 ).

12. forgotten me--( Deuteronomy 32:18 , Jeremiah 2:32 , 3:21 ).

13. smitten mine hand--in token of the indignant vengeance which I will

14. ( Ezekiel 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, Isaiah 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 ( Jeremiah 6:29 Jeremiah 6:30 ).

23. From this verse to the end he shows the general corruption of all ranks.