1God's vengeance upon the Ammonites, 8upon Moab and Seir, 12upon Edom, 15and upon the Philistines, for their declared malevolence to the Jews.
1THE word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2Son of man, 1seta thy face against the 2Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
1 See Ezek. 6 on verse 2.
a Jer. 49:1, etc.
2 See Jer. 49:1, etc.; Ezek. 21:28, etc. The Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites and Philistines were all enemies of God’s people; Ammon and Moab in the east beyond the Jordan, Edom in the south, and the Philistines in the west along the Mediterranean Sea.
3And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, 3Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was 4profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
3 That is, did take delight in it, and did shout about it. See Job 39:25; Psalm 35:21, with the annotations. Also Ezek. 26:2.
4 As Ezek. 24:21.
4Behold, therefore I will deliver thee 5to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their 6palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.
5 Hebr. the children of the east. Some understand hereby the Chaldeans or Babylonians; but because the Holy Scripture continually says that the Chaldeans would come from the north, therefore others understand it of the eastern nations which bordered on the east side of Ammon, as the Arabians, who lived in tents, Kedarenes, etc., having great store of camels, and cattle, and given to seek out for good pasture, and in Scripture commonly reckoned among those of the east. These (namely, as many of them as were left or spared by Nebuchadnezzar) would take and possess the land of the Ammonites, (being destroyed by the Chaldeans, and the inhabitants thereof carried into captivity) to accommodate their cattle. See Gen. 29:1; Judges 6:3; 8:11; Job 1:3; Isa. 60:6, 7; Jer. 49:28, 29, 31, 32, with the annotations.
6 Or, castles, towers, stately buildings, magnificent houses.
5And I will make 7Rabbah a 8stable for camels, and the 9Ammonites a 10couchingplaceb for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7 The royal capital of the Ammonites. See 2 Sam. 11 on verse 1.
8 For their camels of those in the east.
9 That is, their land.
10 For the sheep of those in the east.
b place to lie down
6For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast 11clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced 12in heart with all thy 13despite against the land of Israel;
11 For great joy and delight at the miseries of the Jews, as if they said: Aha, so so, that is too good for them, that is bravely done. Compare verse 3; Ezek. 6 on verse 11.
12 Or, with delight. See Psalm 27 on verse 12. Also verse 15. Or thus: and hast rejoiced in all their eager plundering. Hebr. in or with the soul. Compare Ezek. 36:5
13 Or, plundering, likewise contempt. As verse 15; Ezek. 16:57.
7Behold, therefore I will 14stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off 15from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
14 See Ezek. 14 on verse 9. Also below, verses 3, 16.
15 That thou shalt be no more reckoned a people or land.
8¶Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that 16Moabc and 17Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is 18like unto all the heathen;
16 See Jer. 48:1, etc.
c Jer. 48:1, etc.
17 That is, the land of Edom, and consequently the Edomites, Esau’s posterity, to whom this land fell from Seir’s posterity. See Gen. 36 on verse 20. Also Ezek. 35:2, etc. And further of Edom Jer. 49:7; Obadiah verse 1, etc.
18 That is, they imagined that they were God’s peculiar possession and people, and had a prerogative with Him above other nations, but it appears now otherwise, because they are no more favored by the Babylonians than others; mocking thus at God’s covenant, and His church, yea, at the God of Israel Himself.
9Therefore, behold, I will open the 19side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his 20frontiers, the glory of the country, 21Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, 22and Kiriathaim,
19 That is, I will prepare for them of the east (as follows in verse 10) an open passage into the best and strongest places and regions of the land.
20 Hebr. utmost or end.
21 These were some of the most important cities of the Moabites, situated between the brook Arnon and the Jordan.
22 Or, and unto Kiriathaim.
10Unto the men of the 23east 24with the Ammonites, and will give them in 25possession, that the Ammonites may not be rememberedd among the nations.
23 See on verse 4. God wants to say: As He had given the land of the Ammonites unto them of the east, as such He would likewise open the land of the Moabites unto them.
24 Or, above, besides.
25 For them of the east, as verse 4.
d Ezek. 21:32.
11And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
12¶Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that 26Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by 27taking vengeance, and 28hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon 29them;
26 Called Seir above in verse 8.
27 Hebr. hath done or dealt in or by revenging of revenge, or by revenging revenge. Compare verse 15.
28 The Edomites.
29 Upon the Jews, from the old grudge which they inherited from their forefather Esau. See Gen. 27:41; 2 Chron. 28:17; Psalm 137:7; Amos 1:11; Obadiah verse 11, etc.
13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also 30stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from 31it; and I will make it desolate from 32Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
30 As verse 7.
31 The land of Edom, or Idumea.
32 See Jer. 49 on verse 7.
14And I will 33lay my vengeance upon Edom 34by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do 35in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.
33 Hebr. give, set against or under or upon, etc., as verse 17.
34 That is, (as some expound this) by the same hand with which I smote My people Israel (namely, the army of the Babylonians) will I also execute My vengeance upon thee. See Jer. 49:19 with the annotation. Yet others take it in a spiritual sense: by the hand, that is, by the means, the ministry, or the power of My church in their Head Jesus Christ, Who shall vanquish and subdue the enemies of His people. Compare Isa. 11:14; Jer. 49:2; Obadiah verse 19, with the annotations. Of any corporal vengeance which the Jews or the Israelites would have executed upon Edom in succeeding times, we read nothing at all, save what is related in the second book of the Maccabees, 2 Maccabees 10:15, 16, and so forth.
35 Or, against, with Edom.
15¶Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the 36Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have 37taken 38vengeance with a 39despiteful heart, to destroy it for the 40old hatred;
36 See 2 Chron. 28:18; Joel 3:4; Amos 1:6, 7, 8.
37 Hebr. avenged.
38 Or, spite, contempt; as verse 6
39 Or, with a delightful heart, as verse 6.
40 Hebr. enmity of eternity or antiquity.
16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I 41will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the 42Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the 43sea coast.
41 As verse 7.
42 This seems to have been the name of a region in the land of the Philistines, but thereby are understood the Philistines in general, as 1 Sam. 30:14, 16, see there, likewise Zeph. 2:5. Yet in the Hebrew the words Cheretim and cutting off suit ingeniously one with another, as if we would say: I will cut off those cutters off.
43 See Jer. 47:7; Zeph. 2:5, 6.
17And I will execute great vengeance upon them with 44furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall 45lay my vengeance upon them.
44 Hebr. rebukes of fury.
45 Hebr. give, etc., as verse 14.