Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 22:13
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.
13 22. The judgment on these vices
13. smitten mine hand ] clapped my hands, cf. Eze 21:14; Eze 21:17, Eze 6:11. The gesture is expressive of violent agitation, though the agitation may be due to different emotions here disdain and dislike.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold; hear therefore, and mark, ye wicked Jews.
I have smitten mine hand, in testimony of my abhorrence of your ways, as threatening to punish you, and setting on the fierce Babylonian upon you to execute my just displeasure.
At thy dishonest gain; thy covetousness, the root of all the evils in thee; thy cursed, unsatiable hunger for wealth.
Thy blood, which thou didst shed, that thou mightest then seize their estates; kill Naboths, and take possession.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. smitten mine handin tokenof the indignant vengeance which I will execute on thee (see on Eze21:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, therefore, I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made,…. As one amazed at it; or as filled with indignation against it; or as grieved and distressed at it; so Jarchi and Kimchi: or else as rejoicing at the punishment going to be inflicted on them for it. So the Septuagint renders it,
“I will bring my hand upon them;”
and the Targum,
“behold, I will bring my vengeance upon thee for the sins of mammon, c.
Jarchi and Kimchi observe from their Rabbins, that four and twenty sins are recited by Ezekiel but the final sentence of punishment is for rapine or dishonest gain, which is the greatest evil of all, 1Ti 6:10:
and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee; the innocent blood shed in the midst of her; not so much by thieves and cutthroats, as under a pretence of justice which was very abominable indeed; against which the Lord expresses just and strong resentment.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(13) Smitten mine hand.See Note on Eze. Vi. 11, and comp. Eze. 22:17 and Eze. 22:13.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Smitten mine hand at [or, in ] See note Eze 6:11. Yet perhaps this is not a clapping of the hands, but a striking of the hand upon the evil object.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Behold therefore I have smitten my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in the midst of you.”
What has happened in Jerusalem has made God ‘smite his hand’, in anger and determination to do something. Two sins stand out, those of dishonest business dealings and especially of treating the poor and defenceless dishonestly, and that of murder by various means. both violent and judicial.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 22:13. I have smitten mine hand That is to say, either as an expression of indignation, or in testimony of my horror at their crimes and cruelties. See chap. Eze 21:14-17.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 22:13 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.
Ver. 13. I have smitten my hand. ] In token of utmost indignation, as Num 24:10 .
At thy dishonest gain which thou hast made.
a Plutarch.
b Turkish History.
c Paraei, Med. Hist. Profan.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 22:13-16
13Behold, then, I smite My hand at your dishonest gain which you have acquired and at the bloodshed which is among you. 14Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken and will Acts 15 I will scatter you among the nations and I will disperse you through the lands, and I will consume your uncleanness from you. 16You will profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will know that I am the LORD.
Eze 22:13 I strike my hand See note at Eze 21:14.
Eze 22:14 This is an allusion to Eze 21:7.
I, the LORD, have spoken and will act This is a recurrent theme of Ezekiel which emphasizes
1. YHWH’s control of world events
2. the fact that YHWH’s word can be trusted and depended on
3. the fact that judgment is coming, repentance (i.e., conditional covenant) is no longer possible
Eze 22:15 The threat of removal from the Promised Land for covenant disobedience goes back to Lev 26:33 and Deu 4:27; Deu 28:64; Deu 29:28. YHWH removed the Canaanites from Canaan because of their sins (cf. Gen 15:12-21), now He will remove Israel. He is no respecter of persons, shows no favoritism!
The VERBS scatter (BDB 806, KB 918, cf. Eze 12:15; Eze 20:23-24) and disperse (BDB 279, KB 280, cf. Eze 5:10; Eze 5:12; Eze 6:8; Eze 12:15; Eze 20:23; Eze 36:19) are most often used of Israel’s and Judah’s exiles, but they are also used of YHWH’s judgment on Egypt, Eze 29:12-13; Eze 30:23; Eze 30:26. Egypt was the source of Israel’s idolatry (cf. Eze 23:27; Eze 23:48). YHWH must cleanse His people of this pollution.
The same VERBS are used to describe YHWH’s fighting on Israel’s behalf (i.e., Num 10:35), but now He fights against them because they have become abominations like the ten Canaanite tribes (see Special Topic at Eze 16:3). They must be removed from YHWH’s land, which they are polluting!
YHWH’s purpose in the exiles was the purification of His people! YHWH wants a righteous people who reflect His character to a lost world so that they may know Him and come to Him!
Eze 22:16
NASB, ASVyou will profane yourself
NKJVyou shall defile yourself
NRSV, RSVI shall be profaned through you
NJBthrough your own fault, you will be profaned
JBI shall be dishonoured by you
LXXI will take possession of thee
PESHITTAI will chastise you
REBI shall sift you
JPSOAyou shall be dishonored
NIVwhen you have been defiled
The MT has you, but several ancient versions (LXX, Peshitta, Vulgate) change this to I. The second part of the verse lends support for the MT, but Eze 22:26 tends to support the versions. The UBS Hebrew OT Project gives I a C rating (considerable doubt).
I have smitten Mine hand. See note on Eze 21:17.
Eze 22:13-16
Eze 22:13-16
“Behold, therefore, I have smitten my hand, at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I, Jehovah, have spoken, and will do it. And I will scatter thee among the nations, and disperse thee through the countries; and I will consume thy filthiness out of thee. And thou shalt be profaned in thyself, in the sight of the nations; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.”
“I have smitten my hands at thy dishonest gain …” (Eze 22:13). “This figuratively describes God’s indignation at the crooked dealings of Israel.
“Can thy heart endure …” (Eze 22:14)? No matter how bold and daring wicked men may pretend to be, when God’s judgment falls upon them, all of their alleged courage evaporates! It will be true especially upon the final day of judgment depicted in Rev 6:14-17.
“I will consume thy filthiness out of thee …” (Eze 22:15). This will be accomplished by the total destruction of all of the wicked sinners in Jerusalem, who are, themselves, the “filthiness” of the city.
“And thou shalt be profaned in thyself, in the sight of the nations …” (Eze 22:16). This is admittedly a difficult expression. “The meaning appears to be that `Thou shalt be inwardly conscious of thy polluted condition, and shall loathe thyself on account of thy sins.'” It should be remembered here, that, “Although God allowed his people to be profaned for a time, and allowed the nations to mock them, concluding that God was powerless to save them; nevertheless, the scattering of His people was remedial in God’s intention; and, in God’s own time, `The holiness of God’s name’ would yet be vindicated (Eze 36:23).
I have: Eze 21:14, Eze 21:17, Num 24:10
thy dishonest: Eze 22:27, Pro 28:8, Isa 33:15, Jer 5:26, Jer 5:27, Jer 7:9-11, Amo 2:6-8, Amo 3:10, Amo 8:4-6, Mic 2:1-3, Mic 6:10, Mic 6:11, 1Th 4:6
and at: Eze 22:2-4
Reciprocal: Lev 19:35 – in meteyard Lev 25:14 – General Deu 27:25 – General Jos 7:24 – took Achan Job 31:39 – caused the owners thereof to lose their life Psa 26:10 – bribes Pro 21:7 – robbery Isa 23:17 – and she shall Jer 17:11 – he that Eze 7:23 – for Eze 18:7 – hath not Rom 2:21 – dost thou steal 1Co 6:10 – thieves
Eze 22:13. Have smitten mine hand refers to the gesture that was used in ancient times to emphasize the intensity of Gods feelings against wicked men.
Eze 22:13-16. Therefore I have smitten my hand at thy dishonest gain, &c. Therefore I have expressed my indignation against thy avarice and unjust practices: I have called for punishment to come upon thee, and have animated and encouraged thy enemies to destroy thee. Can thy heart endure? Will not thy heart fail thee when thou shalt fall into those calamities which I will certainly bring upon thee? And will consume thy filthiness out of thee Will purge thee in the furnace of afflictions, and take that method to consume thy dross, and put an end to thy idolatrous practices. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen Instead of being mine inheritance, and under my peculiar care and protection, thou shalt be cast out among the heathen, and there eat the fruit of thine own ways, and receive the just reward of thy wickedness. The translation of this clause in the margin seems preferable: Thou shalt be profaned, that is, thou shalt no longer enjoy the privileges of a city called by my name, and set apart for my worship, but shalt be laid open as common ground to be profaned by infidels: compare Isa 47:6.
22:13 Behold, therefore I have {f} smitten my hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.
(f) In token of my wrath and vengeance.
The financial corruption and physical violence that marked Jerusalem disturbed God so greatly that He pictured Himself as striking His palm with His fist (an anthropomorphism). The hearts of the people would not be able to bear up under His coming judgment of these sins nor would they be able to maintain their physical strength.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)