“Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. judge: or, plead for bloody: Heb. city of bloods? shew her: Heb. make her know”
Blood. Why dost thou cease to admonish and rebuke the people? (Worthington) — Pronounce sentence on Jerusalem, (Haydock) for her cruelties. (Calmet)
“Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. power: Heb. arm”
Hath. Septuagint, “was mixed with his relations,” ver. 10., &c., (Haydock) fighting against them. (Theodoret)
“Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.”
Sabbaths, by servile works, and by their sinful deportment.
“In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. that: Heb. of slanders”
Slanderers, hateful to all, Leviticus xix. 16., and Proverbs xi. 13. — Mountains. Chap. xviii. 6.
“In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.”
Father, his widow, their mother-in-law, or one of his wives.
“In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.”
Increase. Chap. xviii. 18. (Calmet) — Me. “The remembrance of God excludes all sins.” (St. Jerome)
“Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.”
Hands, through surprise and sorrow. (Calmet) — God wishes the sinner’s salvation, Genesis vi. 6. (Worthington)
“And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.”
In thee. I will purify thee by violent medicines. (Calmet)
“And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. shalt take: or, shalt be profaned”
Possess, “as an inheritance:” (Septuagint; Haydock) “I will defile:” (Aquila) “wound thee.” (Symmachus) Hebrew is very different: (Calmet) “thou hast inherited in thyself,” (Haydock) being no longer willing to be subject.
“Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. dross of silver: Heb. drosses, etc”
Dross. Hebrew, “a mixture.” Septuagint, “God will purify the silver,” Isaias iv. 4.
“Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.”
Rained upon, or watered with the instructions of the prophets, chap. xx. 46.
“There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.”
Conspiracy. The false prophets defend each other, (Calmet) while the priests connive at their proceedings, (Haydock) and set the example of wickedness.
“And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.”
Without. Septuagint, “they shall fall, seeing,” &c.
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
None like Abraham, Moses, &c. (Calmet) — The prayers of the just are very powerful; and God wishes them to exert themselves for sinners. (St. Jerome) (Worthington)