“And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.”
Fornication. That is, idolatry. (Challoner) — Down. Virgins used the stomacher, or (Haydock) fascia pectoralis, Isaias iii. 24. This chapter resembles the 16th. (Calmet)
“And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. Aholah: that is, His tent, or, tabernacle Aholibah: that is, My tabernacle in her”
Oolla and Ooliba. God calls the kingdom of Israel Oolla, which signifies their own habitation, because they separated themselves from his temple; and the kingdom of Juda Ooliba, which signifies his habitation in her, because of his temple among them in Jerusalem. (Challoner) — The ten tribes first gave way to idolatry, and were more numerous. (Calmet) — In Egypt the people were united, yet abandoned to idolatry in their youth, when they were only beginning to increase. Afterwards the ten tribes set up altars for themselves, at Dan and Bethel. (Worthington)
“And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,”
Assyrians. That is, the idols of the Assyrians: for all that is said in this chapter of the fornications of Israel and Juda, is to be understood in a spiritual sense of their disloyalty to the Lord, by worshipping strange gods. (Challoner) (Worthington) — The Assyrians taught the worship of Baal, the high places, &c. The Egyptians also promoted their abominations. (Calmet)
“Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.”
Blue, or purple. This was reserved for the principal nobility.
“Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.”
Egypt. They always retained an affection for those idols, the calf, Adonis, &c.
“These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her. famous: Heb. a name”
Disgrace: satisfying their passions, ver. 29. (Calmet) — Women. Having once lost all sense of decorum, they became more abandoned. (Haydock)
“And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. she was: Heb. she corrupted her inordinate love more than, etc more than: Heb. more than the whoredoms of her sister”
This; not chastisement, but dissolution.
“And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,”
Colours. She was enamoured at the account or picture of these people, without ever having seen them.
“And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. as soon: Heb. at the sight of her eyes”
Messengers. Achaz invited the Assyrians, and imitated their altars, &c., 4 Kings xvi. 2., &c. (Calmet) — The Chaldeans afterwards possessed the country. (Haydock)
“And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. Babylonians: Heb. children of Babel alienated: Heb. loosed, or, disjointed”
Love. Literally, “of breasts,” as Hebrew also signifies. Here it denotes the temples. (Haydock)
“Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.”
Remembering, or “causing to be remembered” by God, who seemed to have forgotten those ancient scenes of wickedness, chap. xxi. 24.
“For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.”
Asses. He means the Egyptians, (chap. xvi. 26.) in whom the kings of Juda trusted. (Calmet)
“Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;”
About. The Philistines, Ammonites, &c., shall join the Chaldeans, (Haydock) and Egypt shall desert the Jews in their greatest need. (Calmet)
“The Babylonians , and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.”
Nobles. Protestants, “Pekod, and Shoah, and Roa:” (Haydock) which Junius takes to be the three great divisions of the empire. Others suppose they denote the dignities, though they occur not in Daniel. — Captains. Hebrew, “Phachat, and Saganim, (ver. 6, 12.) and Schalischim;” officers mentioned [in] Exodus xiv. 7., and 2 Kings xxiii. 8. — Renowned, called to the assemblies and councils of the prince, Numbers i. 16. (Calmet) — Horsemen. Protestants, “all of them riding upon horses.” (Haydock)
“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.”
Judgments, at Reblatha, 4 Kings xxv. 6.
“And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.”
Jealousy, the most violent of passions. (Calmet) — So the Chaldeans are styled, as Assur is the rod, Isaias x. 5. (Worthington) — Ears, the punishment of adulteresses: both king and priests suffer. (St. Jerome) — Thus the captives were probably treated. (Calmet) See Seneca, Ira. iii. 20. — Fire, by Ismahel, chap. xix. 14.
“They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels. fair: Heb. instruments of thy decking”
Glory; vanity, or of the temple, chap. xvi. 17., and Osee ii. 4.
“Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.”
Cup. Thou shalt be punished like Samaria, dreadfully, 4 Kings xvii. 4. (Calmet)
“Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.”
Fragments, as drunkards sometimes bite (Haydock) the cup in their rage. — Rend. What had been the occasion of thy fall: (Calmet) pectori planxi. (Ovid, ep. 5.)
“The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations; judge: or, plead for”
Deeds. He is thus admonished to condemn them; (chap. xx. 4.) as times and places tended to aggravate their crimes, ver. 39. (Worthington)
“And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments, to come: Heb. coming”
Paint, with antimony. (Septuagint) See 4 Kings ix. 3.
“And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil. stately: Heb. honourable”
Bed: it seems at table, Amos ii. 8., and Tobias ii. 3. — Ointment; using them for thyself, or presenting them to idols, Exodus xxx. 23, 33. (Calmet)
“And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads. of the: Heb. of the multitude of men Sabeans: or, drunkards”
And that. Protestants, “Sabeans (marginal note and Septuagint, drunkards) from,” &c. Any were admitted (Haydock) to the priesthood and to her favours, even the most rustic and deformed, 3 Kings xii. 32.
“And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.”
Just, compared with the Jews, whom they shall chastise. (Calmet)
“And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. dispatch: or, single them out”
Stones, like adulteresses, chap. xvi. 38., and Leviticus xx. 10. (Haydock) — Let the walls be demolished. (Calmet)