Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 7:24
Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.
24. worst of the heathen ] Cf. Eze 28:7, Eze 30:11 the terrible of the nations. Jer 6:23; Hab 1:7.
the pomp of the strong ] Or, pride. In Eze 24:21 the pride of their strength, and so LXX. here. Cf. Eze 33:28; Lev 26:19. The spelling of “sanctuaries” is an Aramaism.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The worst of the pagan – The most cruel and terrible of nations – the Chaldaeans.
The pomp of the strong – Compare Lev 26:19 The strong are those who pride themselves in imaginary strength.
Their holy places – What elsewhere is called Gods Holy place is here their holy places, because God disowns the profaned sanctuary. In the marginal rendering they must mean the worst of the pagan.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 24. The worst of the heathen] The Chaldeans; the most cruel and idolatrous of all nations.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The worst; the most violent, proud, and bloody men; such the Chaldeans showed themselves.
Possess; not only dwell in their houses, but by right of conquest account them their own, and descending to theirs after them.
The pomp; the excellency, magnificence, and glory, whatever they boasted of; either literally, the pride, or figuratively, the temple that the Jews gloried in.
Of the strong; of the Jews, who thought Jerusalem too well fortified by art and nature, and the Divine presence, it being the city of God, ever to be overthrown.
Their holy places; all that pertains to their religion, and exercise of it, persons. places, things, which now by their abuse of them are theirs, not mine, shall be polluted.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. worst of the heathenliterally,”wicked of the nations”; the giving up of Israel to theirpower will convince the Jews that this is a final overthrow.
pomp of . . . strongthepride wherewith men “stiff of forehead” despise theprophet.
holy placesthe sacredcompartments of the temple (Psa 68:35;Jer 51:51) [CALVIN].God calls it “their holy places,” because they hadso defiled it that He regarded it no longer as His. However,as the defilement of the temple has already been mentioned (Eze 7:20;Eze 7:22), and “their sacredplaces” are introduced as a new subject, it seems better tounderstand this of the places dedicated to their idols. Asthey defiled God’s sanctuary, He will defile their self-constituted”sacred places.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Wherefore I will bring the worst of the Heathen,…. The Chaldeans, notorious for their cruelty, savageness, and barbarity:
and they shall possess their houses; which they have built, and thought to have lived and died in, and left them to their children for an inheritance; but the Chaldeans, and not their children, became their heirs, and inherited their houses and lands:
I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; or, “the pride of the mighty ones” n; the noble and the rich; their wealth and substance, by which their pride and grandeur were supported, being takes away from them:
and their holy places shall be defiled; the temple, in which were the holy place, and the holy of holies: or, “they that sanctify them”; the priests that offered sacrifices, which only sanctified to the purifying of the flesh; even these holy persons and things, as well as holy places, would be defiled.
n “superbiam fortium”, Calvin; “superbiam robustorum”, Starckius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He repeats what he had said, that enemies would come who should be ministers of God’s vengeance. And again we learn from this place, that even the impious are impelled by the hand and secret direction of God, so that they cannot move a finger but by his will. He had formerly said that he would give the Jews into the hands of strangers; but what now? I will cause them to come, says he, as if he would stretch out his hand to them, and induce them. We see, therefore, that God holds the impious under his guidance, as it were, for executing his judgments; but we must consider the difference which I have lately laid down; for God so works by them, as still to have nothing in common with them. For they are carried on by a depraved impulse; but God has a method, wonderful and incomprehensible by us, which impels them hither and thither, so that he does not involve himself in any alliance with their fault. For he calls them the perverse nation, that the Jews might know that the last slaughter was approaching, since they should have to do with the most cruel enemies. He says, shall possess their homes, and because the pride of the people might seem an obstacle to God’s exacting the deserved penalty, therefore he adds, I will make the pride of the powerful to cease, says he; for as long as the Jews were swollen with haughtiness and self-confidence, the Prophet could not profit them at all. Therefore he says, that God would make their haughtiness to cease, by which they were vainly puffed up as long as God sustained or bore with them. At length he adds, their sanctuaries shall be polluted This passage confirms the opinion which I formerly approved. For Ezekiel speaks of the pollution of the sanctuary as of a new thing. For he here draws away from them the vain hope by which they deceived themselves, when they boasted that they dwelt under God’s guardianship, since the temple protected themselves and the city. Jeremiah reproves them for trusting in lying words, while they declare that they have the Lord’s temple —
“
The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord.” (Jer 7:4.)
Our Prophet does not speak openly, but he doubtless shows that their security was false, while they oppose the temple to God, as if the temple were a shield to repel his vengeance. God, indeed, dwelt in the temple, but this condition was added, that he was to be purely worshipped there. But when the temple was polluted, God departed from it, as we shall afterwards see. For this reason the Prophet says, the enemies should come who should pollute and contaminate the holy places of the people Hitherto he had not spoken of the temple, but he now adds, the temple, that the Jews should not rashly boast in the name of God, as if they held him fixed to themselves. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(24) Worst of the heathen.Worst refers to the power and thoroughness of their work against the Israelites. (Comp. Deu. 28:49-50; also Lev. 26:19, where the word here rendered pomp of the strong is translated pride of power.) Both passages are the warnings, long ages ago, of the judgments now declared to be close at hand. Their holy places; no longer Gods, since He has abandoned them for the sin of the people. (See Eze. 11:23.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. The worst of the heathen Compare Eze 28:7; Eze 30:11. Jeremiah had said (Jer 6:23) the Chaldeans “are cruel, and have no mercy,” and Habakkuk (Hab 1:7), “they are terrible and dreadful.” These Chaldeans shall take possession of the palaces and holy places of the Israelitish nobles, and “the pride of their strength shall cease.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“For this reason I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they will possess their houses. And I will also make the pride of the strong to cease, and their holy places will be profaned. Destruction comes and they will seek peace, and there will be none.”
Because of the behaviour of Israel ‘the worst of the heathen’ would come against them and take possession of all they had. The Assyrians were a fierce enemy, renowned for their cruelty, and it would be fully revealed in their actions towards Israel. The result is that those who prided themselves on their strength and position would cease to have cause for pride, for they would be humbled into the dust. Their ‘holy places’ is probably a reference to the high places which they saw as holy, these will be profaned. But it may signify that even the holy places of Yahweh will be profaned, that there will be nowhere at all to seek God. Either way what they relied on for ‘spiritual’ sustenance would have gone. Destruction would come and they would be unable to find peace anywhere. There would be no peace. It would no longer exist. They would be unable to avoid strife and violence.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 7:24. The worst of the heathen The shepherds of the heathen. Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 7:24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.
Ver. 24. Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen. ] Velut carnifices; who may plunder you to the life, and take away your lives. Hab 1:6-7 ; Hab 1:9 The Jews were bad enough, but the Chaldees were worse, if worse might be; malignants above measure, Poneropolitans, breathing devils. A hard knot must have a harder wedge, as the proverb is.
I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease.
Their holy places shall be defiled.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
heathen = nations.
the strong. The Septuagint evidently read `uzzam, instead of `uzzim (“the fierce ones”), Compare Eze 24:21.
holy. See note on Exo 3:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will bring: Eze 21:31, Eze 28:7, Psa 106:41, Jer 4:7, Jer 12:12, Hab 1:6-10
they shall: That is, “the Chaldeans shall possess the houses of the Jews.” The antecedents of pronouns are thus frequently understood in Hebrew poetry. Jer 6:12, Lam 5:2
I will also: Eze 33:28, Isa 5:14
the pomp: That is, the magnificence of their greatest and haughtiest princes.
their holy places shall be defiled: or, they shall inherit their holy places, Eze 21:2, 2Ch 7:19, Psa 83:12
Reciprocal: Gen 47:26 – except Lev 26:19 – will break Lam 1:17 – commanded Lam 2:7 – given up Eze 22:16 – take thine inheritance in thyself Dan 4:17 – the basest Mat 24:6 – ye shall hear Act 25:23 – with
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 7:24. Worst of the heathen. The first word is defined in the lexicon as meaning bad either naturally or morally. Both phases of the meaning could properly be applied to the Babylonians, and they were the ones whom the Lord was bringing against his own people. Make pomp to cease refers to the proud leaders in Judah who were destined to be humiliated by the captivity.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
7:24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their {u} holy places shall be defiled.
(u) Which was the temple that was divided into three parts.