Ezekiel 25:14

14 My people Israel will take revenge on Edom for me, and they will make Edom feel my furious anger. Edom will know what it means to be the object of my revenge." The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel 25:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 25:14

And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by fie hand of my people
Israel
This was fulfilled in the times of the Maccabees, when Judas Maccabins overthrew and conquered them, ``Then Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea at Arabattine, because they besieged Gael: and he gave them a great overthrow, and abated their courage, and took their spoils.'' (1 Maccabees 5:3) and when Hyrcanus took their cities, and subdued them, and they became Jews, as Josephus F24 relates; though Kimchi thinks this refers to future time, and is yet to be accomplished; and it is, by the ancient Jews F25, understood of the times of the Messiah: some choose to understand the phrase, by the hand of my people Israel,
the same hand by which judgment was inflicted upon Israel; suggesting that by the same hand vengeance would be inflicted on the Edomites, namely, by the Babylonians: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my
fury;
that is, shall execute all the anger and fury, or all that punishment in anger and fury, which the Lord in righteous judgment has appointed them to, and has determined shall be performed upon them, by the children of Israel or the Babylonians, as his instruments: and they shall know my vengeance,
saith the Lord God; the meaning is, they shall feel it, and be sensible of it, and know that it comes from the Lord himself; full of resentment against them, and highly displeased at their behaviour towards his people Israel.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9. sect. 1.
F25 In Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 2. fol. 179. 3.

Ezekiel 25:14 In-Context

12 The Sovereign Lord said, "The people of Edom took cruel revenge on Judah, and that revenge has brought lasting guilt on Edom.
13 Now I announce that I will punish Edom and kill every person and animal there. I will make it a wasteland, from the city of Teman to the city of Dedan, and the people will be killed in battle.
14 My people Israel will take revenge on Edom for me, and they will make Edom feel my furious anger. Edom will know what it means to be the object of my revenge." The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
15 The Sovereign Lord said, "The Philistines have taken cruel revenge on their agelong enemies and destroyed them in their hate.
16 And so I am announcing that I will attack the Philistines and wipe them out. I will destroy everyone left living there on the Philistine Plain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.