Ezekiel 16:55

55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former state.

Ezekiel 16:55 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:55

When thy sisters, Sodom, and her daughters, shall return to
their former estate
The Jews, as Jerom says, are of opinion, that in the days of their vainly expected Messiah Sodom will be restored to its ancient state, and be as the garden of God, and as the land of Egypt; and Jarchi interprets the bringing again the captivity of Sodom, in ( Ezekiel 16:53 ) ; by the Lord's healing the land of brimstone and salt, and placing inhabitants in it; and it is asserted by the Jews F6 that Sodom and Gomorrah shall be rebuilt in future times, in the times of the Messiah, according to the sense of this passage: but this is not to be understood in a literal sense, of the rebuilding of Sodom and cities adjacent, and of restoring them to their former fruitfulness and fertility, and of the inhabitants to their former prosperity, and much less to their former state of wickedness; but spiritually, of the conversion of Gentile sinners to their ancient and happy estate in Christ: and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate;
to the knowledge of the Messiah, and the pure worship of God: then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate;
the conversion of Judah, and of Israel or the ten tribes, here meant by Samaria, is frequently prophesied of, as what will be at the same time, ( Jeremiah 23:6 ) ( 50:4 ) ( Hosea 5:11 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Shemot Rabba, sect. 15. fol. 101. 3.

Ezekiel 16:55 In-Context

53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then [will I bring again] the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
54 That thou mayest bear thy own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort to them.
55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former state.
56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
57 Before thy wickedness was disclosed, as at the time of [thy] reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all [that are] around her, the daughters of the Philistines, who despise thee on every side.
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