Ezekiel 16:49

49 Lo! this was the wickedness of Sodom, thy sister, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance, and (the) idleness of her, and of her daughters; and they putted not hand to a needy man and poor (and they gave not their hand, or their help, to the poor and the needy).

Ezekiel 16:49 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:49

Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom
Namely, the first after mentioned, the source and spring of the rest; the causes and means of which are declared; and the same, as is suggested, was the sin of Jerusalem: namely, pride;
which was the sin of the devils, and the cause of their ruin; the sin of our first parents, by which they fell, and destroyed themselves, and their posterity; and is the prevailing, governing, sin of human nature: it has been the ruin of kingdoms and states, of cities and particular persons; a sin hateful to God, and destructive to man: fulness of bread;
the land of Sodom was very fruitful before it was destroyed; it was like the garden of the Lord, ( Genesis 13:10 ) ; it brought forth plentifully, so that there was great fulness of provision, of all sorts of food, which is meant by bread: this, considered in itself, was not sinful, but a blessing; it was the Lord's mercy and goodness to them that they had such plenty; but it was their sin that they abused it; luxury and intemperance, eating and drinking to excess, are here meant; which led on to that sin, and kindled the flames of it, and were the fuel to it, which has its name from them; and, besides, this fulness of good things enjoyed by them was the source of their pride, and served to increase that, as before mentioned: and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters;
or, "peace of rest" F2; prosperity and ease, security and quietness, at leisure, and without labour; two words are used to express the same thing, and to denote, as Kimchi observes, the abundance of it: sloth and idleness, as they often arise from the goodness and fruitfulness of a country, said fulness of provision, so they are the cause of much sin and wickedness; for, if persons are not employed in some business or another, either of the head or hand, they will be doing evil: neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy;
though she had such abundance of food to supply them with, and so much leisure to attend to their distress; but her pride would not suffer her to do it; and she was too idle and slothful to regard such service; perhaps more is intended than is expressed; that she weakened the hands of the poor and needy, and cruelly oppressed them; which is often done by proud men, in great affluence and at leisure, which they abuse to bad purposes.


FOOTNOTES:

F2 (jqvh twlvw) "quies otii, [vel] otium quietas"; so some in Vatablus; "prosperitas otii", Castalio; "tranquillitas quietas", Starckius.

Ezekiel 16:49 In-Context

47 But thou wentest not in the ways of them, neither thou didest after the great trespasses of them; hast thou done almost a little less curseder deeds than they, in all thy ways? (But wentest thou not in their ways, and didest thou not after their great trespasses? hast thou done any less cursed deeds than they, in all thy ways?)
48 (Yea, as) I live, saith the Lord God, for Sodom, thy sister, did not, she and her daughters (neither she nor her daughters), as thou didest, and thy daughters.
49 Lo! this was the wickedness of Sodom, thy sister, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance, and (the) idleness of her, and of her daughters; and they putted not hand to a needy man and poor (and they gave not their hand, or their help, to the poor and the needy).
50 And they were enhanced, and did other abominations before me; and I took them away, as thou hast seen. (And they were lifted up, that is, they were proud and haughty, and did other abominations before me; and so I took them away, as thou hast seen.)
51 And Samaria sinned not the half of thy sins, but thou hast overcome them in thy great trespasses; and thou hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations, which thou wroughtest. (And Samaria sinned not the half of thy sins, yea, thou hast gone over, or hast surpassed, them with thy great trespasses; and thou hast justified, or hast absolved, thy sisters with all thy abominations which thou hast done.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.