Ezekiel 35

Prophecy Directed at Edom

1 And the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

2 "Son of man, set your face against the mountain of Seir and prophesy against it,

3 and you must say to it, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I am against you, mountain of Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you [a] desolation and [a] wasteland.

4 Your cities I will make ruins, and you will be [a] desolation, and [then] you will know that I [am] Yahweh,

5 because there [has been] to you {an ancient hostility}, and you handed over the {Israelites} to [the] power of [the] sword at the time of their disaster, at the time of {their final punishment}.

6 Therefore {as I live}," {declares} the Lord Yahweh, "Certainly to blood [guilt] I will prepare you and blood will pursue; {since} {you did not hate blood}, it will pursue you.

7 And I will make the mountain of Seir into [a] desolation and ruin, and I will cut off from it [both] [he who is] crossing over and [he who is] returning.

8 And I will fill its mountains [with] its slain; your hills and your valleys and all of your watercourses, the slain by [the] sword will fall in them.

9 {An everlasting desolation} I will make you, and your cities will not return, and you will know that I [am] Yahweh.

10 [I do this] because of your saying, 'The two nations and the two lands, they will be {mine}, and we will take possession of it,' and [yet] Yahweh was there.

11 Therefore, {as I live}," {declares} the Lord Yahweh, "so I will deal [with you] according to your anger and according to your jealousy that you did, because of your hatred against them, and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.

12 And you will know that I, Yahweh, I have heard all of your contemptible words that you said against the mountains of Israel, {saying}, 'They will be desolate; they are given to us as food.'

13 And you magnified yourself against me with your {insolent speech}, and you spoke voluminously against me [with] your words--I heard!

14 Thus the Lord Yahweh says, '{As the whole world rejoices}, I will make you [a] desolation.

15 {Like your rejoicing over the inheritance of the house of Israel} {because} it was desolate, I will do to you; you will be [a] desolation, mountain of Seir and all of Edom, indeed all of it; and they will know that I [am] Yahweh.'" '

Ezekiel 35 Commentary

Chapter 35

A prophecy against Edom.

Verses 1-9 All who have God against them, have the word of God against them. Those that have a constant hatred to God and his people, as the carnal mind has, can only expect to be made desolate for ever.

Verses 10-15 When we see the vanity of the world in the disappointments, losses, and crosses, which others meet with, instead of showing ourselves greedy of worldly things, we should sit more loose to them. In the multitude of words, not one is unknown to God; not the most idle word; and the most daring is not above his rebuke. In the destruction of the enemies of the church, God designs his own glory; and we may be sure that he will not come short of his design. And when the fulness of the Jews and Gentiles shall come into the church, all antichristian opposers shall be destroyed.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "was"
• [b]. Literally "to say"
• [c]. Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
• [d]. Literally "enmity of eternity"
• [e]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [f]. Literally "[the] time of punishment of end"
• [g]. Literally "live I"
• [h]. Literally "declaration of"
• [i]. Or "blood vengeance"
• [j]. Literally "if not"
• [k]. Literally "not blood you hated"
• [l]. Literally "of eternity/endless ages"
• [m]. Or "thinking"
• [n]. Literally "to me"
• [o]. Literally "live I"
• [p]. Literally "declaration of"
• [q]. Or "showed" or "acted on"
• [r]. Or "spoke"
• [s]. Literally "to say"
• [t]. Literally "with your mouth"
• [u]. Literally "as/like [the] rejoicing of all of the world"
• [v]. Literally "as/like rejoicing your for the inheritance of the house of Israel"
• [w]. Literally "because that"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 35

This chapter is a prophecy of the destruction of Edom, which is threatened, Eze 35:1-4, the cause of it, their hatred and slaughter of the Israelites, Eze 35:5-9, their claim of the lands of Israel and Judah for possession, Eze 35:10,11, their blasphemies against the people of God, and the Lord himself, Eze 35:12,13, the aggravation of their ruin, which was irretrievable; that when it was well with others, it should go ill with them; by way of just retaliation, Eze 35:14,15.