Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 7:11
Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them [shall remain], nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither [shall there be] wailing for them.
11. “Violence” must be that in Israel, not that of the enemy. This violence has risen up so as to be, or to bring down a rod of wickedness, i.e. a rod due to wickedness or in chastisement of it ( Eze 7:23). All this, however, is language very unnatural.
The rest of Eze 7:11 is very obscure, and the text certainly corrupt. The general sense conveyed when the words shall remain (A.V.) are inserted is that Israel and her multitude and her possessions shall be wholly swept away.
nor of any of theirs ] Ges. conjectured: nor of their wealth, so R.V.
wailing for them ] Ges. conjectured: magnificence, so R.V. neither shall there be eminency among them. Both words rendered “wealth” and “eminency” are entirely unknown; the former is probably no word at all but a false repetition of the previous expression “none of them;” if it be a word the natural rendering is that of Ew., moaning or sighing ( Eze 7:16 of doves), or unquietness. For the word “eminency” recourse is had to the Arab., generally a precarious proceeding. LXX. renders no account of either of the words. In his reconstruction of the text Corn. follows LXX. generally to the end of Eze 7:9; Eze 7:10-11 he emends thus: “Behold the crown (as Isa 28:5) is come forth, the sceptre blossoms; but the crown shall wither 11 and the sceptre fade; what are they, and what their multitude?” The crown and sceptre are those of Israel. The emendation may be left to itself.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 11. Violence is risen, up into a rod of wickedness] The prophet continues his metaphor: “Pride has budded.” – And what has it brought forth? Violence and iniquity. To meet these, the rod of God cometh. There is such a vast rapidity of succession in the ideas of the prophet that he cannot wait to find language to clothe each. Hence we have broken sentences; and, consequently, obscurity. Something must be supplied to get the sense, and most critics alter words in the text. Houbigant, who rarely acknowledges himself to be puzzled, appears here completely nonplussed. He has given a meaning; it is this: “Violence hath burst forth from the rod; salvation shall not proceed from them, nor from their riches, nor from their turbulence: there shall be no respite for them.” Calmet has given no less than five interpretations to this verse. The simple meaning seems to be, that such and so great is their wickedness that it must be punished; and from this punishment, neither their multitude nor struggles shall set them free. They may strive to evade the threatened stroke; but they shall not succeed, nor shall they have any respite. Our Version is to be understood as saying, – None of the people shall be left; all shall be slain, or carried into captivity: nor shall any of theirs, their princes, priests, wives, or children, escape. And so deserved shall their desolation appear, that none shall lament them. This may be as good a sense as any, and it is nearest to the letter.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Violence; with fierceness, which is their natural temper, a bitter and hasty nation, Hab 1:6; with eagerness and impetuous vigour executing, and with injustice and violence oppressing all.
Is risen up; is grown up to be, though a rod to punish bad men, yet to be worse than those it punisheth; in brief, you may expect the very worst from the power, pride, and violence of those I am now letting in upon you. Or,
2. It may refer to Israel; thus your tribe (or rod, the same word) blossometh, but it is in sin, and that in pride and violence, so grown that it is a most wicked rod of injustice and oppression to your neighbours, brethren, servants, &c., as Jeremiah, Moses, and other prophets as well as Ezekiel complained; and now, your sins thus ripe, your sorrows must be very near, as it is not many months between the budding of the tree, and the ripening and gathering of the fruit.
None of them: this also is fairly applicable to both Chaldeans and Jews; the Jews should be utterly wasted first for their sins, which God will punish by this violent, proud, mighty enemy, and afterwards he will destroy root and branch of that mighty oppressor; and so sad shall the sufferings of both be, that the living shall not bewail their dead friends, because they shall judge the dead in better case than the living. And though the words may have this double aspect, yet I take them to refer principally and first to the Jews, and their near approaching sorrows.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. Violence (that is,the violent foe) is risen up as a rod of (that is, to punishthe Jews’) wickedness (Zec5:8).
theirstheirpossessions, or all that belongs to them, whether children or goods.GROTIUS translates from adifferent Hebrew root, “their nobles,” literally,”their tumultuous trains” (Margin) whichusually escorted the nobles. Thus “nobles” will form acontrast to the general “multitude.”
neither . . . wailing(Jer 16:4-7; Jer 25:33).GESENIUS translates, “norshall there be left any beauty among them.” EnglishVersion is supported by the old Jewish interpreters. So generalshall be the slaughter, none shall be left to mourn the dead.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness,…. Some understand this of the Chaldeans, who came with great violence against the Jews, and were a rod in the hand of the Lord, to scourge them for their wickedness; and this seems to be the sense of the Targum,
“spoilers are risen up to visit the wicked;”
but rather the violence, oppression, and rapine of the Jews are meant, and mentioned as the cause of their punishment; for this their oppression of the poor and needy, the widow and the fatherless, among them, God suffered the king of Babylon, a wicked prince, to come and chastise them:
none of them [shall remain], nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs; meaning not the Chaldean army, as if they came not of themselves, but of God, and much less were cut off, for they returned to their own land again; but the Jews, who either should die in the siege with the famine and pestilence, or be put to death by the sword, or be carried into captivity:
neither [shall there be] wailing for them; the destruction should be so general, that there would be but few left to mourn; and those that were left would be struck with such a stupor and amazement at the calamity, that they would not be capable of mourning; or with such a dread of the enemy, that there would be no place for lamentation over their dead friends and relations.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This is an explanation of the words, that pride had budded: now he adds violence to pride, which is its fruit: for contempt of God always begets cruelty and savagery, and rapine, and all injustice. But he speaks, as I have said, concerning the Israelites. He says that violence had risen up into a rod of wickedness Thus he confirms what he had touched upon, that the rod of God’s vengeance was not to be sought elsewhere than among the Israelites. God indeed had stirred up the king of Babylon to punish them: but the rod had grown up from the root of their wickedness by which the Israelites had provoked God’s anger: and so he adds, that nothing should be left of them: nothing, says he, should remain safe, either of themselves or of their opulence: for so I interpret המון , hemon: then, of their noise or multitude; either will do moderately well; and there shall not be wailing for them Jerome reads, נה, neh, and hence translates — there shall not be rest among them: but the Prophet means that there shall be neither sorrow nor lament, because the slaughter of all would be promiscuous. And we saw the same in Jeremiah: when one family has perished, friends and acquaintances assemble, and celebrate the funeral of the deceased; but when a pestilence pervades the whole city, and no house is free from death: nay when fathers are mingled with sons, so that their carcases can scarcely be drawn out for multitude, all sorrow ceases. With this intention then the Prophet says, there shall be no grief nor lamentation. For נהה, neheh, means lamentation. But we have already explained its meaning, namely, that all the Israelites were so destined to destruction that there should be, no survivors to lament the dead, and even should there be any, they should be so astonished amidst the multitude of the dead, that every duty of humanity towards them would perish. Now it follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Neither shall there be wailing for them.The word for wailing is another of those words occurring only in this passage which have been variously understood. It is now generally taken for that which is glorious or beautiful. Israel has run its circle; prosperity has developed pride, and pride has culminated in all wickedness; now the end has come, they and their tumult (marg., for multitude) disappear together, and of their glory there shall be nothing left.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. A rod of wickedness Rather, a rod for wickedness. Their own violence (see Eze 7:22; Jer 6:7) has become the rod with which they are scourged. This refers to a little-appreciated historic fact. The history of that era shows that when Jerusalem was quiet and peaceful, Egypt and Babylon hurled their armies at each other, along the Palestinian and Syrian highways, without paying any attention to the Israelitish capital hidden in the hills; but when Jerusalem became proud and boastful and aggressive, and took sides with either party, then her own warlike spirit brought upon her speedily a scourge of punishment. This verse is so mutilated that it is impossible to do more than translate a single word here and there. The general sense points to the complete destruction of the national pride and the carrying away of the tumultuous population of the capital city.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 7:11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them [shall remain], nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither [shall there be] wailing for them.
Ver. 11. Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness. ] Their oppressions speak them most wicked, and will make them most wretched.
Nor of their multitude.
Neither shall there be wailing for them.
a Tacit.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
a rod of wickedness: i.e. a rod to punish the wickedness. Genitive of Relation. App-17.
wickedness = lawlessness. Hebrew rasha. App-44. neither shall there be wailing for them. Some codices, with four early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read “no rest for them”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Violence: Eze 7:23, Isa 5:7, Isa 9:4, Isa 14:29, Isa 59:6-8, Jer 6:7, Amo 3:10, Amo 6:3, Mic 2:2, Mic 3:3, Mic 6:12, Jam 2:13
none: Eze 7:2, Eze 7:16, Eze 5:4, Eze 5:11, Eze 6:11, Zep 1:18
multitude: or, tumult
theirs: or, their tumultuous persons
neither: Eze 24:16-24, Psa 78:64, Jer 16:5, Jer 16:6, Jer 22:18, Jer 25:33
Reciprocal: Eze 7:14 – for
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 7:11. Rod means a ruling influence, and violence had become the ruling element in the nation. This was chiefly because the ruling or leading classes of men had become vio-lently corrupt in their practices.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
7:11 {g} Violence hath risen into a rod of wickedness: none of them [shall remain], nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither [shall there be] wailing for them.
(g) This cruel enemy will be a sharp scourge for their wickedness.