Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 23:35
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
35. bear thou lewdness ] Here “bear” means endure the punishment of it, Eze 23:49.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou hast forgotten me, Eze 22:12, which is here explained by what follows; it was a wilful forgetting of God, and voluntary despising his law, ordinances, worship, favour, and presence; so God is cast behind a sinners back.
Bear thou the guilt, I will impute it; the punishment, I will not pardon it; and the shame, for I will pour out contempt upon thee: bear both sorrow and reproach for thy sins.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
35. forgotten methe root ofall sin (Jer 2:32; Jer 13:25).
cast me behind thy back(1Ki 14:9; Neh 9:26).
bear . . . thy lewdnessthatis, its penal consequences (Pr1:31).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, because thou hast forgotten me,…. His word, worship, and ordinances, and did not attend unto them, but worshipped strange gods: so the Targum,
“because thou hast left my worship:”
and cast me behind thy back; or, as the same paraphrase,
“hast cast the fear of me from before thine eyes;”
or out of thy sight, his laws and statutes; see Ne 9:26, as men cast behind their backs that which they have no value for and loath, and which they do not care to see, and choose to forget:
therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms; that is, the guilt of their sins, the punishment of their idolatries, and shame and confusion for them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A Final Verdict.
“Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh. Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”
Here is God’s final verdict. Jerusalem has turned its back on God in order to enjoy illicit pleasure with others. It must therefore now bear the consequences of its extreme behaviour. It is true for all. What we sow we will in the end reap.
God’s Charge to Ezekiel to Press on Samaria and Jerusalem Their Sins.
This whole passage is impressionable because it seeks to bring out God’s deep emotion at the behaviour of His people Israel, both of Samaria and Jerusalem. It reveals that God sees history as one whole. It begins with Him calling on Ezekiel to bring charges against both cities, and then, as though He is so angry that He cannot restrain Himself, it continues with Him speaking directly to Samaria and Jerusalem about their unforgivable behaviour. Then He returns to speaking to Ezekiel.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 23:35 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
Ver. 35. Because thou hast forgotten me. ] This was the source of all their sins, and cause of all their calamities.
And cast me behind thy back.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
lewdness . . . whoredoms. Put here by Figure of speech Metonymy (of the Cause), App-8, for the punishment due to the idolatry.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eze 23:35-42
Eze 23:35-42
“Therefore, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms. So Jehovah said moreover unto me: Son of man, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? then declare unto them their abominations. For they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands; and with their idols have they committed adultery; and they have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass through the fire unto them to be devoured. Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, this they have done in the midst of my house. And furthermore ye have sent for men that come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent, and, lo, they came; for whom thou didst wash thyself, paint thine eyes, and deck thyself with ornaments, and sit upon a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon thou didst set mine incense and mine oil. And the voice of a multitude at ease was with her: and with men of the common sort were brought drunkards from the wilderness; and they put bracelets upon the hands of them twain, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.”
“Thou hast forgotten me …” (Eze 23:35). Add this to the other reasons God here outlined as the basis of Jerusalem’s destruction. (1) They made forbidden political alliances with the nations; (2) they were polluted morally through the idols of the nations with their licentious worship; and (3) they had forgotten God! Thus, they violated the great imperative of the Law of Moses, thundered in the ears of Israel no less than four times, “See that thou forget not the Lord thy God” (Deu 8:11). This was the ultimate disaster and the reason for all of Israel’s other sins.
“They have caused their sons to pass through the fire …” (Eze 23:37). This atrocious worship of Molech was a result of shameless unfaithfulness of God’s people, who, in this despicable action, fell as completely into paganism as was possible. Furthermore, as revealed in the same chapter, they had the audacity to enter into God’s temple on the very same day, thus aggravating their guilt. God’s house, his ordinances and his statutes, including even the sabbath, were totally ignored, despised, and profaned.
“With men of the common sort were brought drunkards of the wilderness …” (Eze 23:42). “These refer to Israel’s new neighbors, Arabs, Moabites, Tyre, Sidon, etc.
The extent of Judah’s whoredom is emphasized in this reference to her courting with all the ardor of an insatiable prostitute these comparatively insignificant nations, as compared with the Assyrians, Egypt, and the Babylonians. Yes, this is speaking of Judah’s seeking an alliance with these very peoples (See Jer 27:3 f). The relative of value of these “powers” in world politics is evident in their comparison with “men of the common sort, and drunkards from the wilderness”! Judah would have made an alliance with anyone.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Because: Eze 22:12, Isa 17:10, Jer 2:32, Jer 3:21, Jer 13:25, Jer 23:27, Jer 32:33, Hos 8:14, Hos 13:6, Rom 1:28
and cast: 1Ki 14:9, Neh 9:26
therefore: Eze 23:45-49, Eze 7:4, Eze 44:10, Lev 24:15, Num 14:34, Num 18:22
Reciprocal: Num 14:33 – bear Jer 2:27 – for they Eze 8:16 – with their Eze 23:49 – ye shall bear Hos 2:13 – forgat
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 23:35. When Gods servants turn to other persons or objects with their devotions it is because they have forgotten Him. Jesus taught this truth in Mat 6:24. Bear thy lewdness has a twofold bearing. One is that they would have to bear the punishment due their sins, and the other is they would have Lo continue their lewdness which was idolatry, for they actually did have to continue that in the captivity.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jerusalem would bear the Lord’s punishment for her lewd and immoral behavior because she had abandoned Him. This short message identifies the root problem in Israel’s apostasy: she had forsaken Yahweh.
"When a nation (or an individual) discards God, there is no other road to follow but that which leads to perversion and utter degradation." [Note: Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 855.]