Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 16:49
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
49. abundance of idleness ] prosperous ease, as R.V., lit. prosperity of quiet. Sodom lived in security and suffered no calamities, as Jer 48:11 says of Moab, “Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees; he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity.” On “fulness of bread” and consequent pride and forgetfulness of God cf. Deu 32:15; Hos 13:6; Pro 30:7.
strengthen the hand ] Or, take hold of the hand, i.e. to help or rescue. Prosperity led to pride and inhumanity and then to abominations ( Eze 16:50).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 49. This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom] If we are to take this place literally, Sodom was guilty of other crimes besides that for which she appears to have been especially punished; in addition to her unnatural crime, She is charged with pride, luxury, idleness, and uncharitableness; and these were sufficient to sink any city to the bottomless pit.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The iniquity; iniquity, either for iniquities, or the fountain and occasion of all amongst the Sodomites.
Pride; a haughty mind, swelled with the excellency, beauty, and grandeur of their state, and vaunting of it above their neighbours.
Fulness of bread, i.e. luxury, and riotous excess in eating and drinking: their plenty was not their sin, but they made it occasion of sin to themselves; they were very intemperate in their diet.
Abundance of idleness; every thing so plentiful, that they little regarded to employ themselves, but were idle and slothful, or deeply secure in their peace, plenty, and honour, neither feared Gods wrath or mans sword; the first was the fault of particular sinners, the latter was the sin and fault of the community.
Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy; she refused to help strangers, as appeareth in the history of the angels entertainment, Ge 19; nor was she mindful of helping the poor with counsel and defence; they were unmerciful and hard-hearted toward the poor amongst them. This was a great sin to those that abounded in wealth, as the Sodomites did.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
49. prideinherited by Moab,her offspring (Isa 16:6; Jer 48:26),and by Ammon (Jer 49:4). God,the heart-searcher, here specifies as Sodom’s sin, not merely hernotorious lusts, but the secret spring of them, “pride”flowing from “fullness of bread,” caused by the fertilityof the soil (Ge 13:10), andproducing “idleness.”
abundance ofidlenessliterally, “the secure carelessness of ease”or idleness.
neither did she strengthen .. . the poorPride is always cruel; it arrogates to itself allthings, and despises brethren, for whose needs it therefore has nofeeling; as Moab had not for the outcast Jews (Isa 16:3;Isa 16:4; Jer 48:27;Luk 16:19-21; Jas 5:1-5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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, Ge 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” b; 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.
b “quies otii, [vel] otium quietas”; so some in Vatablus; “prosperitas otii”, Castalio; “tranquillitas quietas”, Starckius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here God begins to show the reason why he extenuated the wickedness of Sodom in comparison with that of his own people: for if he had spoken generally, without explaining the counsel of God, his language would have been incredible, and so would have been ineffectual. But now God shows that he did not pronounce rashly what we heard before, namely, that the Jews were worse than the Sodomites. How so? for this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, says he, first pride, then fullness of bread, and luxury in which they were in the habit of indulging, and of drowning themselves in ease to enjoy a long peace; afterwards, they did not seize the hand of the poor. Now he adds —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(49) Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness.The description strikes at the causes rather than the overt acts of sin, and the unnatural crimes which are always associated in our minds with the name of Sodom are not mentioned. It is noticeable, however, that the distinct sin which is mentioned in this passage is the negative one too common in all ages, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
49, 50. This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom Pride, and wealth, and abundance of idleness (R.V., “prosperous ease”), indifference to the poor and haughtiness (religious bravado) toward God this was her iniquity, and for this the Sodomites were destroyed “when I saw it” (Gen 18:21); or “according to what I saw.” Plumptre. But Jehovah was never “married” to Sodom as to Jerusalem. Sodom never deserted a divine husband whose kindness had exalted her to heaven. Even Sodom was not guilty of that.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Ver. 49. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, ] i.e., Haughty mindedness and high conceitedness of their own surpassing excellence and stable felicity. This was the first firebrand that set Sodom on fire.
Fulness of bread.
“ Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis:
Nec facile est aequa commoda mente pati. ”
And abundance of idleness.
Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
was = came to be.
abundance of = luxurious: i.e. security of ease. Compare Deu 11:21.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eze 16:49-52
Eze 16:49-52
“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, ruiness of bread, and prosperous ease in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou hast done. Thou also, bear thine own shame, in that thou has given judgment for thy sisters; through thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they, they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.”
These verses put the icing on the cake for Ezekiel’s efforts to make her abominations known to Jerusalem. It must be admitted that the prophet had done a remarkably effective job of fulfilling his assignment (Eze 16:2).
As for the reasons why Jerusalem’s sins were so much worse than those of her sisters Sodom and Samaria, they are resident in the privileges and obligations of the covenant. “To whom much is given, of him much is required” (Luk 12:48).
The terrible punishment that was executed upon Jerusalem was necessary, because God’s justice required it. He had utterly destroyed Sodom for less sin than that of Israel.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
pride: Eze 28:2, Eze 28:9, Eze 28:17, Eze 29:3, Gen 19:9, Psa 138:6, Pro 16:5, Pro 16:18, Pro 18:12, Pro 21:4, Isa 3:9, Isa 16:6, Dan 4:30, Dan 4:37, Dan 5:23, Oba 1:3, 1Pe 5:5
fulness: Gen 13:10, Gen 18:20, Deu 32:15, Isa 22:13, Isa 22:14, Amo 6:3-6, Luk 12:16-20, Luk 16:19, Luk 17:28, Luk 21:34
neither: Eze 18:12, Pro 21:13, Isa 3:14, Isa 3:15, Amo 5:11, Amo 5:12, Amo 8:4-6, Mic 3:2-4, Luk 16:20, Luk 16:21
Reciprocal: Gen 19:5 – General Gen 19:24 – the Lord Gen 19:27 – to the Num 21:25 – villages Psa 73:7 – eyes Pro 30:9 – I be full Isa 3:16 – are haughty Jer 5:7 – I had fed Jer 48:11 – emptied Eze 16:46 – thy younger sister Eze 28:5 – and thine Mat 20:3 – standing Mat 20:6 – Why Mat 24:38 – they Rom 2:12 – For 1Ti 6:17 – that they 2Pe 2:6 – turning
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 16:49. The corruptions of Sodom were described in order to make the guilt of Judah appear still greater, since that had been already declared to be worse than the sins of Sodom.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 16:49-50. Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, &c. The inhabitants of Sodom abused that plenty which God gave them to pride and idleness, which gave rise to those enormities that they afterward were guilty of. The Scripture takes notice of the fruitfulness of the soil where Sodom stood, Gen 13:10. Lowth. Such is the depravity of human nature, that plenty, and a freedom from toil and danger, often prove peoples ruin; and therefore, if we were truly wise, we should be as much afraid of prosperity as we are of any of those supposed evils which are the frequent objects of our fears. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy Pride and luxury make men expensive in their way of living, and regardless of the wants and miseries of others. And they were haughty Hebrew, , they were high, lofty, arrogant in their deportment toward good men, vexing Lots righteous soul, toward the angels, whom they assaulted in his house, and toward God himself, all whose laws they trampled under foot, Gen 13:13; and before whom they committed abominations of the most heinous and detestable kind; arriving by degrees to the height of impiety and wickedness. And, indeed, when pride has got the ascendency in a man he is in the high road to all abominations. And therefore I took them away as I saw good Destroyed their cities, people, and country, by a most tremendous, unexpected, and unexampled judgment.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, {b} pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
(b) He alleges these four vices, pride, excess, idleness and contempt of the poor as four principal causes of such abomination, wherefore they were so horribly punished, Gen 19:24 .