Ezekiel 16:52

52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have made judgment favorable to your sisters; because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

Ezekiel 16:52 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:52

Thou also which hast judged thy sisters
Sodom and Samaria, by censuring and condemning them for their sins; see ( 2 Chronicles 13:8-10 ) ; in which sense Jarchi and Kimchi interpret the word; or by defending and patronizing them, acquitting and absolving them, by committing the same sins, and more heinous ones: bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more
abominable than they;
look upon thy sins, and blush at them; confess them with shame and confusion of face; take shame to thyself for them, in that thou hast censured and condemned these sins in others thou hast been guilty of thyself; and the rather, since thy sins are greater, and attended with more aggravating circumstances, than those thou hast blamed in others; or this is a prophecy of their punishment for their sins, when they should be carried captive, and be put to shame before their neighbours: or, "thou shalt bear" F4; shame is the fruit of sin, sooner or later: they are more righteous than thou;
in comparison of her; though neither of them were righteous in the sight of God, yet comparatively one was more righteous than another, having committed fewer sins, and lesser abominations: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast
justified thy sisters;
this is repeated in stronger expressions, and with the reasons of it, to show the great confusion they should be brought unto, and the certainty of it, the more to strike and affect their minds with it.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 (yav ta) imperat. pro fut. i.e. "confunderis", Vatablus.

Ezekiel 16:52 In-Context

50 They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them, when I saw it.
51 Sama'ria has not committed half your sins; you have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations which you have committed.
52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have made judgment favorable to your sisters; because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 "I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Sama'ria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in the midst of them,
54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.