The judgments of God upon the Jews are foreshewn under the type of the prophet’s hair.
By the heare of the prophets head and beard powled, and diuersly destroyed, 5. is signified the destruction of the Iewes. 10. The fathers and sonnes eating one an other, 12. in extremitie of pestilence, famine, and sword.
1And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife that shaveth the hair: and cause it to pass over thy head, and over thy beard: and take thee a balance to weigh in, and divide the hair.E tu figliuolo dell'uomo prendi un ferro affilato da radere i peli, e menalo attorno alla tua testa, e alla tua barba, e prenditi una bilancia, e fa la divisione del pelo.AND thou sonne of man take thee a sharpe knife, shauing the heares: and thou shalt take it and draw it ouer thy head, and ouer thy beard: and thou shalt take thee a ballance of weight, and shalt diuide them.Et tu, fili hominis, sume tibi gladium acutum, radentem pilos, et assumes eum et duces per caput tuum et per barbam tuam, et assumes tibi stateram ponderis et divides eos. 2A third part thou shalt burn with fire in the midst of the city, according to the fulfilling of the days of the siege: and thou shalt take a third part, and cut it in pieces with the knife all round about: and the other third part thou shalt scatter in the wind, and I will draw out the sword after them.La terza parte la metterai sul fuoco nel mezzo della città, finiti che siano i dì dell'assedio; e presa un'altra terza parte la toglierai col ferro intorno alla città, e l'altra terza parte la spargerai al vento: e io sguainerò la spada dietro ad essi.The third part thou shalt burne with fire in the middes of the citie, according to the accomplishing of the dayes of the siege: and thou shalt take a third part, and cut it with the knife in the circuite therof: but the other third part thou shalt scatter into the wind, and I wil draw the sword after them.Tertiam partem igni combures in medio civitatis, juxta completionem dierum obsidionis, et assumes tertiam partem, et concides gladio in circuitu ejus: tertiam vero aliam disperges in ventum, et gladium nudabo post eos. 3And thou shalt take thereof a small number: and shalt bind them in the skirt of thy cloak.E di questa ne piglierai un piccol numero, e li legherai all'estremità del tuo pallio.And thou shalt take therof a smal number: and shalt binde them in the skirt of thy cloke.Et sumes inde parvum numerum, et ligabis eos in summitate pallii tui: 4And thou shalt take of them again, and shalt cast them in the midst of the fire, and shalt burn them with fire: and out of it shall come forth a fire into all the house of Israel.E di questi pure alcuni ne torrai, e li arenerai in mezzo al fuoco, abbruciandoli, e ne uscirà fuoco per tutta la casa d'Israele.And of them againe thou shalt take, and shalt cast them forth in the middes of the fire, and shalt burne them with fire: and out of it shal come forth a fire into al the house of Israel.et ex eis rursum tolles, et projicies eos in medio ignis, et combures eos igni, et ex eo egredietur ignis in omnem domum Israël.
5Thus saith the Lord God: This is Jerusalem, I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries round about her.Queste cose dice il Signore Dio Questa è la Gerusalemme, cui io fondai in mezzo alle genti, e le loro terre in torno a lei.Thus saith our Lord God: This is Ierusalem, I placed her in the middes of the Gentils, and countries round about her.Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ista est Jerusalem: in medio gentium posui eam, et in circuitu ejus terras. 6And she hath despised my judgments, so as to be more wicked than the Gentiles; and my commandments, more than the countries that are round about her: for they have cast off my judgments, and have not walked in my commandments.Ed ella ha disprezzati i miei giudizj per esser empia più che le genti, e i miei precetti (ha violati) più che le genti, che le stanno d'intorno; perocché rigettarono i miei giudizj, e non han camminato secondo i miei comandamenti.And she hath contemned my iudgements, so that she was more impious then the Gentils: and my precepts more then the landes, that are round about her. For they haue cast away my iudgements, and in my precepts they haue not walked.Et contempsit judicia mea, ut plus esset impia quam gentes, et præcepta mea ultra quam terræ quæ in circuitu ejus sunt: judicia enim mea projecerunt, et in præceptis meis non ambulaverunt. 7Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because you have surpassed the Gentiles that are round about you, and have not walked in my commandments, and have not kept my judgments, and have not done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you:Quindi queste cose dice il Signore Dio: Perché voi avete sorpassate le genti, che vi stanno d'intorno, e non avete camminato secondo i miei precetti, e non avete adempiuti i miei giudizi, e non avete seguitato il costume delle genti, che sono intorno a voi;Therfore thus saith our Lord God: Because you haue passed the Gentils, that are round about you, & haue not walked in my precepts, & haue not done my iudgements, and according to the iudgements of the nations, which are round about you, you haue not wrought.Idcirco hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Quia superastis gentes quæ in circuitu vestro sunt, et in præceptis meis non ambulastis, et judicia mea non fecistis, et juxta judicia gentium quæ in circuitu vestro sunt non estis operati, 8Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, and I myself will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the Gentiles.Per questo così dice il Signore Dio: Eccomi a te: ed io stesso adempierò in mezzo a te i miei giudizj in faccia alle genti:Therfore thus saith our Lord God: Behold I to thee, and I myself wil do iudgements, in the middes of thee in the eyes of the Gentils.ideo hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce ego ad te, et ipse ego faciam in medio tui judicia in oculis gentium:
9And I will do in thee that which I have not done: and the like to which I will do no more, because of all thy abominations.E farò contro di te quel, che mai non ho fatto, e cose tali, che mai le simili io non farò, a motivo di tue abbominazioni.And I wil doe in thee that which I haue not done: and the like wherof I wil doe no more for al thine abominations.et faciam in te quod non feci, et quibus similia ultra non faciam, propter omnes abominationes tuas. 10Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers: and I will execute judgments in thee, and I will scatter thy whole remnant into every wind.Per questo in mezzo a te i padri mangeranno i figliuoli, e i figliuoli mangeranno i padri loro, e adempirò in mezzo a te i miei giudizj, e spergerò a tutti i venti gli avanzi tuoi tutti quanti.Therfore the fathers shal eate the sonnes in the middes of thee, and the sonnes shal eate their fathers: and I wil doe iudgements in thee, and I wil scatter al thy remnant into euerie winde.Ideo patres comedent filios in medio tui, et filii comedent patres suos: et faciam in te judicia, et ventilabo universas reliquias tuas in omnem ventum. 11Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God: Because thou hast violated my sanctuary with all thy offences, and with all thy abominations: I will also break thee in pieces, and my eye shall not spare, and I will not have any pity.Per questo io giuro, dice il Signore Dio: Perchè tu hai profanato il mio santuario con tutte le tue immondezze, e con tutte le tue abbominazioni, io pure ti estirperò, né s'impietosirà l'occhio mio, e io non avrò misericordia.Therfore I liue, saith our Lord God: Vnles for that thou hast violated my sanctuarie in al thine offences, and in al thine abominations: I also doe breake thee, and mine eye shal not spare, and I wil not haue mercie.Idcirco vivo ego, dicit Dominus Deus, nisi pro eo quod sanctum meum violasti in omnibus offensionibus tuis et in cunctis abominationibus tuis, ego quoque confringam: et non parcet oculus meus, et non miserebor. 12A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and shall be consumed with famine in the midst of thee: and a third part of thee shall fall by the sword round about thee: and a third part of thee will I scatter into every wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.Una terza parte de' tuoi morrà di peste, e sarà consunta dalla fame in mezzo a te; e una terza parte di te perirà di spada intorno alle tue mura; e una terza parte di te spergerò a tutti i venti, e sguainerò dietro ad essi la spada.The third part of thee shal dye with the pestilence, & shal be consumed with famine in the middes of thee and a third part of thee shal fal by the sword round about thee: and thy third part I wil scatter into euerie wind, and I wil draw a sword after them.Tertia pars tui peste morietur, et fame consumetur in medio tui, et tertia pars tui in gladio cadet in circuitu tuo: tertiam vero partem tuam in omnem ventum dispergam, et gladium evaginabo post eos.
13And I will accomplish my fury, and will cause my indignation to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I shall have accomplished my indignation in them.E sazierò il mio furore, e sopra di essi farò, che si posi il mio sdegno, e mi consolerò: E allorché io avrò sfogata sopra di loro la mia indegnazione, conosceranno, che io il Signore pel mio zelo ho parlato.And I wil accomplish my furie, & wil make mine indignation rest in them, and wil be comforted: & they shal know that I the Lord haue spoken in my zele, when I shal haue accomplished mine indignation in them.Et complebo furorem meum, et requiescere faciam indignationem meam in eis, et consolabor: et scient quia ego Dominus locutus sum in zelo meo, cum implevero indignationem meam in eis. 14And I will make thee desolate, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of every one that passeth by.E ti renderò un deserto, e lo scherno delle nazioni, che ti stanno all'intorno, a vista di tutti i passaggieri.And I wil make thee a desert, and a reproch to the nations, that are round about thee, in the sight of euerie one that passeth by.Et dabo te in desertum, et in opprobrium gentibus quæ in circuitu tuo sunt, in conspectu omnis prætereuntis: 15And thou shalt be a reproach, and a scoff, an example, and an astonishment amongst the nations that are round about thee, when I shall have executed judgments in thee in anger, and in indignation, and in wrathful rebukes.E tu sarai l'obbrobrio, e la maledizione, e l'esempio, e lo stupore delle genti circonvicine, quando avrò esercitati contro di te i giudizj miei col furore, e coll'indegnazione, e colle vendette dell'ira.And thou shalt be a reproch, and blaspemie, an example, and astonishment amongst the nations, that are round about thee, when I shal haue done iudgements in thee in furie, and in indignation, and in the rebukes of anger.et eris opprobrium et blasphemia, exemplum et stupor in gentibus quæ in circuitu tuo sunt, cum fecero in te judicia in furore, et in indignatione, et in increpationibus iræ. 16I the Lord have spoken it: When I shall send upon them the grievous arrows of famine, which shall bring death, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will gather together famine against you: and I will break among you the staff of bread.Io Signore ho parlato: Quando io scoccherò contro di loro le saette orribili della fame, che porteranno la morte, e le quali io lancerò per isperdervi, e la fame raunerò contro di voi, e torrò a voi il sostentamento del pane.I the Lord haue spoken: When I shal send verie sore arrowes of famine vpon them: which shal be mortiferous, and which I shal send to destroy you: and I wil gather famine vpon you, and wil breake among you the staffe of bread.Ego Dominus locutus sum: quando misero sagittas famis pessimas in eos, quæ erunt mortiferæ, et quas mittam ut disperdam vos: et famem congregabo super vos, et conteram in vobis baculum panis:
17And I will send in upon you famine, and evil beasts unto utter destruction: and pestilence, and blood shall pass through thee, and I will bring in the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it.E spedirò contro di voi la fame, e le fiere crudeli, fino allo sterminio, e passeggeranno nelle tue strade la pestilenza, e la strage, e la spada farò piombare sopra di te: Io il Signore ho parlato.And I wil send in vpon you famine, and very sore beastes euen to destruction: and pestilence, and bloud shal passe through thee, and the sword I wil bring in vpon thee. I the Lord haue spoken.et immittam in vos famem et bestias pessimas, usque ad internecionem: et pestilentia et sanguis transibunt per te, et gladium inducam super te. Ego Dominus locutus sum.
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Year of the World 3409.
That. Hebrew, "the scissors of clippers." The same term is used for clipping sheep as for cutting hair. Shaving was not probably then in use.
Calmet
Balance, to shew that God does nothing unjustly. (Calmet)
Haydock
The hair. Literally, "them." (Haydock)
This was to be done before he lay down. Hew was to burn, cut, and divide the hair as the siege represented on the tile advanced, to denote that some should perish in the city by famine, others by the sword, while a few should be scattered among the nations: yet of these a small number should be gathered round Godolias, and perish with him, or in Egypt, etc., and the rest be thence led captive to Babylon.
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Third. Septuagint and Theodotion read "a fourth," as also [in] ver. 12., (Calmet) thus assigning half to be burnt by death (pestilence) and famine. The other half of the people falls a prey to the sword and to captivity. The pestilence, famine, and the sword, were the three usual scourges left to David's choice, (2 Kings xxiv.) which here destroy each a fourth part, while the rest become captives. Yet even of this third or fourth part, many engage in civil broils, and perish. St. Jerome hints that the Septuagint is interpolated from Theodotion, ver. 12, and that their version only comprised the pentateuch. But the other books went at least under the same title; and there must be some mistake in the words asterisked, since they occur in the Hebrew, Vulgate, etc., third being only substituted for fourth: "And a fourth part of thee shall fall by the sword." The Hebrew is rather less degrading to the Jews, as there would be thus at most one-third preserved, instead of a part only of one-fourth. See Deuteronomy 27:4., and Jeremias 52:28.
Haydock
Take. Septuagint add here, "a fourth part; and shalt burn it in the midst of it; and a fourth thou shalt cut," etc. (Haydock)
R. Salom
He was thus to deal with a part of the hair during 390 days, (Menochius) or at the end of them. (R. Salom.)
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Calmet
Out of it. Some rose up against Godolias, Jeremias xl., etc. (Calmet)
Haydock
The divisions of the Jews brought on the persecution of Epiphanes, (Sanctius) and introduced Pompey. (St. Jerome) (Haydock)
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Calmet
Surpassed in numbers, (Symmachus) or rather in wickedness. (Chaldean) (Calmet)
Haydock
Septuagint, "because you have been incited by the," etc. (Haydock)
Judgments. You have been less attached to my service than the Gentiles have been to their idols. Some think that not is here superfluous, as it is omitted [in] Ezechiel 11:12. But it is wrong to imitate the Gentiles, and worse to surpass them in crimes.
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St. Jerome
Like. The ruin of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans was terrible, (Calmet) but that by the Romans was more so. (St. Jerome)
The reasons were different.
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Worthington
Fathers. This is not specified in history. Famine prevailed, 4 Kings 25:3.; and we find something similar, Lamentations 4:10., (Calmet) and Baruch 2:(Worthington)
It is probable, therefore, that these threats were realized. (Theodoret) (Deuteronomy 28:53.)
Haydock
Scatter. Literally, "winnow." (Haydock)
The Jewish nation was never again all together in the promised land.
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Haydock
Pestilence. Septuagint, "death;" so they usually denote pestilence. They add, "and a fourth part of thee shall be," etc., ver. 2. (Haydock)
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Comforted, or revenged, Ezechiel 24:14., and Isaias 1:24.
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Haydock
And a. Septuagint, "and thy daughters (dependances. Calmet) round," etc. (Haydock)
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Worthington
Scoff. Literally, "blasphemy;" which is here used improperly, to denote derision. (Worthington)
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Menochius
Arrows; inclemency of the seasons, etc., which bring on famine. (Menochius)
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St. Jerome
Beasts. They usually take possession of abandoned countries. (St. Jerome)
The Chaldeans may also be meant, Ezechiel 17:3.
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In other cities of Iuda nere Ierusalem.
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Ieremie, Lament. 2 and Baruch. ch 2 prophecied of the same distresse by samine in the siege of Ierusalem.
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Blasphemie is here taken improperly, and signifieth that other nations shal not only reproch Ierusalem, but also •a••• and scoffe at her miseries.
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 70.2
… Hosea took a wife of whoredoms, Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and this harlot bore him a son called Jezreel or the seed of God. Isaiah speaks of a sharp razor which shaves “the head of sinners and the hair of their feet;” and Ezekiel shaves his head as a type of that Jerusalem which has been an harlot,
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.72
… “And the bones came together, each one to its joint. And I beheld, and, lo, sinews and flesh were forming upon them, and skin came upon them from above, and there was no Spirit in them.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 72
And when any one surpasses in negligence those who are far inferior; wherewith in Ezekiel He doth charge them, saying, “Not even according to the judgments of the nations hast thou done.”
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1. A SHARP SWORD, SCRAPING THE HAIR. — That is, a small sword, or a sharp knife, like a barber's razor, as the Hebrew, the Septuagint, Vatablus and others have it. This sword, and, as the Septuagint says, a broadsword, signifies both the wrath of God, as Maldonatus expounds it; and the will of God to punish and destroy the Jews, as Vatablus says; and the avenging power of God, as Polychronius says; and, as most aptly St. Jerome says, Nebuchadnezzar the executioner of the Jews, who, like a sword and a razor, scraped away from Jerusalem the hair, that is the beauty and comeliness; and the beard, that is the manhood, namely all strength, such as the handsome young men and the robust men from Judaea. For the beard is a symbol of manhood, hair of freedom and nobility. Whence Absalom nourished his hair, and the Nazarites consecrated to God, as it were sons of the Most High, cherished their hair, Numbers VI. See what is said Leviticus cap. XIX, 27. Wherefore among the ancients it was a great reproach to cut off or pluck out anyone's beard, as if by this very act they had taken away his manhood and masculine dignity. Hence Horace, Satires lib. I: Wanton boys pluck your beard. And Persius: If the impudent Nonaria plucks the beard of the Cynic. Hence the proverb: 'He plucks the beard of the dead lion,' who is fierce and contumelious toward the prostrate. The gentiles marvel at Dionysius the Sicilian, because he dared to cut off the golden beard of Aesculapius. Thus Hanon mocked the messengers of David, shaving off half the hair of their beards, II Kings X, 4, which injury David avenged by war and the destruction of the nation. By this shaving of the beard, therefore, the Prophet adumbrates not only the destruction of the Jews, but also the utmost shame and reproach. Morally, learn here that man before God is as it were a single hair. What therefore to us is a head dense with hair, this to God is the world filled with men. Lest the hair grow luxuriantly, it is cut: and lest the progeny of men grow too much, it is mowed down by God. For what region would hold all, what earth would nourish them? For indeed 'the gods hold us like balls,' nay like hairs, says Plautus. A hair falls from the head, who cares? A man perishes, what does it matter to God? And yet (such is the condescension of God) God protects these hairs of His. For 'not a hair of your head shall perish,' Christ says to His Apostles: because 'even a single hair has its own shadow,' as the Mime Publilius said. Again, God scrapes away those who are men only to the extent of a hair, and wise only to the extent of a beard, that is who outwardly display the appearance of a prudent and wise man, when inwardly they have nothing of manhood, nothing of heart and wisdom, such as these Jews were. Thus Lucian ridicules the deep beard of Philosophers, in the eunuch Bagoas, saying: 'If a philosopher ought to be measured by his beard, goats would carry off the first prize.' This befitted Julian the Apostate, who displayed himself as a philosopher by his long beard. Rightly Plutarch in the Symposiacs: 'Neither,' he says, 'does growing or wearing a beard, or wearing a cheap cloak, make a philosopher; nor wearing linen garments, Isiac priests,' that is priests of Isis. Wherefore among the ancient Romans, bearded men were called by proverbial jest men of ancient and simple manners and rustic truthfulness; hence Juvenal: It is easy to impose upon a bearded king. For the Romans began late to shave and cut their beards. For barbers first, as Pliny writes, lib. VII, cap. LVII, 'came to Italy from Sicily, four hundred and fifty-four years after Rome was founded, brought by P. Licinius Mena, as Varro attests: before that they went unshaven.' Duces, — you shall have your hair cut by a barber: for you could not conveniently cut your own head. Tropologically, hairs are curiosities, superfluous thoughts, appetites, allurements and vanities of the world: these Ezekiel, that is the faithful man, ought to cut away, and consume them by the sword and fire, that is by mortification and pure love of God, and therefore pour out the superfluous in alms to the poor. For while by this fire of the love of God and neighbor these are consumed, they are turned into a holocaust most pleasing to God. A BALANCE OF WEIGHT, — by which namely things are accustomed to be weighed, or which is just and of approved weight. This balance, or scale, signifies the equity of divine justice and vengeance, which clemency tempers and moderates, lest it exceed the measure, not of justice (for this cannot happen), but of humanity and kindness.
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2. THE THIRD PART THOU SHALT BURN WITH FIRE. — Fire signifies the plague and famine, which destroyed the third part of the hairs, that is, of the citizens of Jerusalem, as if with fire it burned, consumed, devoured them; this is clear from verse 12. For plague is physically as it were fire burning and inflaming bodies. In the midst of the city, — in which thou dwellest, near the Chobar in Chaldaea; or rather in the midst of Jerusalem, which thou hast described on the side. Thus Vatablus, Maldonatus and R. David. ACCORDING TO THE COMPLETION. — That is, as Vatablus translates: After the days of the siege shall have been fulfilled, namely 390, during which I willed thee to lie down before the side, on which thou didst delineate the siege of the city, so that in this manner thou mightest represent the days of the most strict siege of Jerusalem, as if to say: After the 390 days, and the other 40 of thy lying down, thou shalt do from thy hairs what I here prescribe. Otherwise others say, as if to say: Burn some of the hairs daily, until the days of the siege of 390 are completed. And thou shalt take the third part (of thy hairs); AND THOU SHALT CUT IT WITH A SWORD ROUND ABOUT IT, — Of the city, namely. This sword represents the sword of the Chaldaeans. For the Jews, who with Sedechias, or before, attempted to flee from the city deceitfully, all these were slain by the Chaldaeans round about and near the city. Again, while the Chaldaeans were taking the city, they slew all whom they encountered in it. AND THE THIRD PART THOU SHALT SCATTER IN THE WIND. — These were those who fled with Johanan the son of Caree into Egypt, Jerem. XLIII. Likewise all who were led away into Babylon, or who fled and were scattered hither and thither in various directions. AND I WILL DRAW OUT (thus the Roman, Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Septuagint. Therefore some codices read wrongly, thou shalt draw out) THE SWORD (ita Romana, Hebraea, Chaldaeus, Septuaginta. Perperam ergo aliqui codices legunt, nudabis) AFTER THEM. — For the Chaldaeans pursued the Jews fleeing into Egypt, and slew them there with the Egyptians, as Jeremias had threatened them, cap. XLII, 16.
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3. FROM THERE (from the third and last part) THOU SHALT TAKE (a few hairs), AND THOU SHALT BIND THEM IN THE BORDER (that is, the edge or hem) OF THY GARMENT. — It signifies, by God's providence and mercy, some Jews preserved from the devastation of the Chaldaeans; thus Apollinaris: namely those who, with Jeremias, at his persuasion, surrendered themselves to Nabuchodonosor with Joachin: hence thou mayest better understand the remnants of the fugitive Jews, preserved by God's providence as a seed and propagation of his own nation: for these, as if bound up in the corner of the Lord's garment, were protected by God's predestination and protection. FROM THESE AGAIN THOU SHALT TAKE, AND THOU SHALT CAST THEM INTO THE MIDST OF FIRE, — which, namely, in the midst of the side on which he had described the siege, he had kindled, from which suddenly a flame arose and began to lick and destroy the whole city described. These are, says Apollinaris, those who after their return from Babylon, on account of new sins were slain by the Macedonians, especially by Antiochus Epiphanes raging like fire. Likewise, and more so, those who were slain and taken captive by Titus and the Romans: for then the whole house of Israel was overthrown, concerning which more in verse 9. Finally Galatinus, lib. IV De Arcanis fidei, cap. XXI, reports from the ancient Rabbis that these things refer to the slaughter of the Jews which the Emperor Hadrian made after Titus in Judaea, especially in the city of Bitter, where he also slew their leader who called himself Barchochebas, that is, the son of a star (for he said that he was divinely sent, and was the star of which Balaam predicted, Num. XXIV: 'There shall rise a star out of Jacob,' as if he himself, having shaken off the Roman yoke, was to bring light and liberty to the Jews), when in truth he was Barchesba, that is, the son of a lie, namely an impostor; for he pretended to be the Messiah. Wherefore Hadrian slew fifty thousand of the Jews, and utterly destroyed the whole nation. See Eusebius, lib. IV Histor. cap. VI.
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4. And from it,—namely from the people, thus St. Jerome; or 'from it,' namely from the small number, verse 3. (The Septuagint translates, from her, namely from the city), that is to say, From it, namely from the people reduced, a fire of crimes went forth, which was the cause of the final destruction. For first on account of their crimes they were delivered to Antiochus: then on account of the death of Christ, their sons together with the city and temple, perished by the sword of the Romans, by famine, by plague, by fire. Secondly and better, 'from it,' namely from the remainder of the people cast into fire, that is, into the fiery persecution of Antiochus, there shall go forth a fire, that is an incendium then of ambition and discord among the princes of the priests, and thence every kind of wickedness; then of the consequent calamity, all cruelty and desolation. Thus Apollinaris. For Menelaus, Jason, Alcimus, and other Jewish traitors, striving for the priesthood and dignities, when they could not obtain them legitimately among their own people, fled to Antiochus, and incited him to the destruction of their nation, and those disasters which are narrated in the books of the Maccabees. See I Maccabees, cap. VII, verse 5, and book II, cap. III, verse 4, and Josephus, book XII of the Antiquities, cap. VII. Again, a dispute over the kingdom arose among the Maccabees themselves, which destroyed both them and the nation. For Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, contending with each other over the kingdom, were the cause why Pompey and the Romans subjugated Judaea to themselves: which yoke the Jews, not bearing, when they wished to shake it off, were finally completely destroyed by Titus and Vespasian. Wherefore allegorically these things are applied to the death of Christ crucified by the Jews, which fire and cause was of this destruction, says Apollinaris; for then the whole house of Israel was overthrown. That from those few hairs which he had gathered together at the top of his garment, he burned some, by this also some wish to signify the civil war between Gedaliah and Ishmael, which is described more fully in Jeremiah XL and following; which civil disturbances gave occasion to the Chaldaeans to remove from Judaea even the least person, and to leave none remaining, so that there might not be even any seeds of new things; see Jeremiah LII, 30.
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5. This is Jerusalem, in the midst of the nations, that is to say: By this figure, namely of your head and hair, Jerusalem is represented; Jerusalem, I say, which I God once placed as it were the head of the world, and as a queen in the midst of the nations, so that they themselves, as it were handmaids, would be its guardians and attendants. Thus Polychronius and the Scholiast. Wherefore I have set her, and round about her the lands—of the nations; namely, Jerusalem has to the north Scythia, Armenia, Pontus; to the east, Asia; to the west, Europe; to the south, Libya, says Apollinaris. Whence Ezech. XXXVIII, 12, it is called the navel of the earth, and Psalm LXXIII, 12, the midst of the earth; because Jerusalem is in the fourth climate out of seven, into which the habitable earth is divided. And I did this for this end, that all nations in spiritual life, namely in religion and divine things, says Theodoret, from Jerusalem might receive all understanding and knowledge, namely piety, faith and law, which directs the steps of men to salvation. But she herself so far from accomplishing this, that rather she learned impiety from them, and she who was once the teacher of truth and an example of piety, became a disciple of error and impiety, and soon surpassed in her own masters, namely the other nations; justly therefore she is destined by me for destruction, thus St. Jerome and the Chaldean; Jerusalem therefore and the temple were as it were the centre of the earth, nay as its head, foundation, fountain and heart; inasmuch as from her as from a centre, the splendour of light into all the earth, as from a heart the vital spirit; as from the head of other provinces and nations, sense, motion and impulse to walk in the way of the Lord; finally as from a centre, the drawing of lines, all good and the perfection of prayers and vows was to be expected; and as from a fountain, the derivation of streams into other regions; and as from a foundation the stability of other provinces. Symbolically, note here: As man is a small world, so the world is a great man, whose members are provinces and nations, the head is Jerusalem, both because it was situated on the highest mount Sion, Isaiah II, 2, 3; and because from her, as from a head, into the whole body of the universe was derived sense, that is the knowledge of God, and motion, that is the institution of life and actions. But because she, forgetful of her own dignity, my law, says God, which had made her the head of the world, cast away; hence I will shave her hair and beard, that is I will take away all her nobles and strong men, and will expose her to the mockery of the whole world, and will abandon her to enemies. You will say: If Jerusalem is the head, how is she in the midst of nations? I answer: As the head is between two shoulders, as it were in the midst of two sides of a man: so Jerusalem, as it were a mistress, was situated in the midst of nations. Thus also Prado. Add that a similitude is not in all respects similar. Otherwise R. David, R. Solomon, and from them Lyran interpret these things, namely of Achab and Zedekiah, whom the king of Babylon burned with fire, who became to all Israel a proverb, so that when they wish to curse anyone, they say: 'May the Lord make you like Zedekiah, and like Achab,' Jerem. XXIX, 22. But this is cold and distorted. Wherefore Maldonatus takes the same, but in this sense, as if to say: These false prophets, namely Achab and Zedekiah, who persuaded the people that Jerusalem would never be taken, were the cause why the Jews rebelled against the Chaldeans, and the city was taken and burned. But the Prophet had already before this destruction represented it in the cutting of the hair and its division into three parts; therefore he does not treat of that, but of another which followed later. The Chaldean translates: Beautiful as a bridegroom in the exultation of all the earth, mount Sion, the sides of the north, the city of the great king. God shall be known in her houses. Thus Pineda, lib. V On the Affairs of Solomon, cap. V, num. 31. Such is Rome to Christians.
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6. My judgments,—my law, according to which a judge ought to judge.
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7. You have surpassed the nations,—namely in sins and impiety, and you have become as it were the standard-bearers, as apostates are wont to do. Secondly, the Hebrew הָמוֹן hamon, can be translated with Vatablus and R. David: your abundance, that is your pomp, pride, luxury, wealth, your fierceness was greater than that of the nations, as if to say: I gave you abundance of things; you rendered me abundance of ingratitude and crimes. 'For the beloved has grown fat, and has kicked.' Thirdly, the Septuagint translates: Your form, example or character, from the nations, that is, as Theodoret says, you have put on the form, religion, customs and impiety of the nations.
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8. ACCORDING TO THE JUDGMENTS OF THE NATIONS.—Judgment here is custom, institution; but in the following verse it signifies chastisement, as if to say: The good customs which the nations have, you have not followed. Or rather, as if to say: The nations do not change or abandon their gods, however vile and dumb; but you abandon me the living God, to adore dumb idols; therefore you are more wicked and foolish than the nations. Thus Apollinaris and the Scholiast. Judgments.—That is punishments, as a just avenger, I will inflict upon you.
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9. I WILL DO IN THEE THAT WHICH I HAVE NOT DONE, — even in the flood, even in Sodom, even to Pharaoh, even to the Canaanites, Lamentations IV, 6, as if to say: Because, O Jerusalem! thou hast committed crimes which the nations have not committed; I also will inflict upon thee sharp plagues, which I have not inflicted upon the nations. AND THINGS LIKE TO THESE I WILL NOT DO ANY MORE. — St. Jerome refers this to the destruction of the Jews by the Romans, which was greater than the destruction by the Chaldeans: just as the slaughter of Christ was greater than the crimes of the ancient Jews: whence on account of it the Jews were scattered to all the winds, which the Prophet here says. It can, however, also be referred to the destruction of the Chaldeans, if thou takest "any more" strictly, namely, as if to say: In this generation, in this age, in this memory of times: for thus "any more" is often taken elsewhere. For the Prophets threaten their Jews first with the destruction by the Chaldeans, and then by the Romans.
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10. FATHERS SHALL EAT THEIR CHILDREN, etc., AND CHILDREN SHALL EAT THEIR FATHERS. — Both occurred in the destruction both by the Chaldeans and by the Romans. Thus Theodoret. See what is said in Lamentations cap. II, 20, and cap. IV, 10. Note: That mothers ate their children, we read elsewhere; but that children ate their fathers, we read nowhere: from this passage, however, it is certain that it happened in the siege of Jerusalem. Otherwise Vatablus, as if to say: Therefore there will be such great famine that children will snatch food from parents, and parents from children. But this is cold and foreign to the sense; for it is one thing to eat the food of fathers, another to eat fathers. Thus in the time of the Emperor Honorius there was such great scarcity of grain in Rome, and such dearness of all things, that men were already threatening men, and so openly was heard a voice in the circus: 'Set a price on human flesh,' as Procopius relates, lib. II On the Gothic War. Hear the lamentable voice of a mother in the west eating her son from hunger, in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, in Josephus, lib. VII of the War, cap. VIII: 'Wretched child,' she says, 'in war, and famine, and sedition, for whom have I preserved thee? If thou livest among the Romans, thou shalt serve: but famine comes before servitude; but these seditious are more cruel than these. Be therefore food for me, and fury for the seditious, and a tale of human life, which alone is lacking to the calamities of the Jews.' And saying this at the same time, she killed her son, and ate half of him cooked.
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11. Therefore (on account of thy sins) I LIVE (that is, I swear by my life), UNLESS, etc., I WILL BREAK. — Supply: let me be a liar, or let me perish: for τὸ אם לא im lo, that is if not, unless, is a formula of execratory oath among the Hebrews, by which they devote themselves as it were: whence the evil to which they devote themselves, they pass over in silence for the sake of horror and good omen, as I have said elsewhere. MY HOLY PLACE. — In Hebrew מקדשי micdasci, that is my sanctuary, or my temple: the Hebrew root קדש cadas, first, signifies to sanctify; second, to make firm, to establish; third, to purify. Thus the house of God is called holy, that is consecrated to God, as if stable forever, which therefore ought to be most clean. To this third meaning, namely to cleanliness, God here looks, as if to say: My house, which ought to have been most clean, thou hast violated and polluted with the filth of idols, which thou hast brought into the temple, IV Kings XXI and XXIII. IN ALL THY ABOMINATIONS. — In Hebrew בשקוצים siccutsim, that is in execrations, that is in idols, which as things execrable offend the sight of God and the pious. It is similar to IV Kings XXIII, 13. Whence soon he calls idols abominations; as also Daniel cap. IX, 27: 'There shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation,' that is the idol of Antiochus. I WILL BREAK. — He alludes to the second meaning of micdasci, that is of sanctuary, as if to say: I had established for myself a stable house in the temple; but because ye have polluted it, therefore I will break it as something temporary. Whence the Chaldee renders: I also will break thy arm; in Hebrew it is אגרע egra, which secondly can be rendered, I will scrape away, so as to allude to the Nazarites and lepers, who were purified from uncleanness and leprosy by scraping the hair of the body, Numbers cap. VI, 9; Leviticus XIV, 8, as if to say: As those are expiated by scraping their hair: so I, keeping this same law of mine, my sanctuary, which ye have polluted, will purify and sanctify it by scraping and destroying it. It is similar to IV Kings XXI, 13. Third, egra can be rendered, I will diminish. Whence R. David thus explains it, as if to say: As thou hast diminished my glory in my temple: so I in turn will diminish thy glory. Whence the Septuagint renders: I also will cast thee away. My eye shall not spare. — To spare is of the mind, but is attributed to the eyes as if to judges: for these are leaders both in love and in mercy; from which a man closes his eyes, winks, turns them away, when he cannot bear to see such great misery and punishment of the guilty: but he grieves, refrains from it, and spares. God does not spare, says St. Jerome, from mercy: 'For as the most merciful physician, wishing to burn away putrid flesh and carious wounds with cautery, does not spare in order to spare; does not pity in order to pity more,' namely the living flesh, lest it be corrupted by the nearby putrid part. Thus God does, when he chastises his own, so that he may cut away their vices and future punishments; or certainly he takes care lest they spread to others.
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13. I will cause to rest (I will satisfy my soul with their punishment, and my wrath shall burn), AND I WILL BE COMFORTED. — For vengeance is wont to be a relief of received injury or insult. Whence the Poet: Vengeance is a good more pleasant than life itself. I have spoken in zeal, — I have decreed a sentence irrevocable, fierce, sanguinary. Zeal, says Prado, is indignation proceeding from love, by which a father is angered at his dear children, or a spouse at his spouse, on account of received injury of adultery. Whence it grows as much as love grows, and is strong and violent, so that it proceeds to memorable deeds. Thus God punishes the adultery of idolatry, fulfilling indignation, that is pouring out all his wraths and vengeances.
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15. BLASPHEMY, — so that all seeing thee shall blaspheme thee, that is shall curse thee, shall revile thee. For thus the common people call blasphemy any cursing; whereas properly blasphemy is contumely which is inflicted on God or the Saints. Whence in Hebrew it is גדופם gedupha, which signifies any reviling and reproach. Whence the Septuagint translates it, στεναχτή, that is thou shalt be lamentable, that is lamenting, and worthy of lamentation, over whose wound all seeing shall lament. Theodotion translated it, δειλαίων or δειλαίαν, which some interpret as wretched and miserable; others as exposed and laid bare to miseries, says St. Jerome. An example, — namely of wretchedness, as much as of wickedness, so that others may learn from thy evil not to provoke God. Whence in Hebrew it is מוסר musar, that is discipline, chastisement. Astonishment. — So that others, seeing thy calamities, may be astonished, as if thunderstruck: whence some translate it, terror. Similar threats are in Jeremiah xix, 8, and xxv, 9, and elsewhere. Judgments, — extreme punishments. It is a metonymy: for judgment is put for the penalty decreed in judgment. IN THE REBUKES OF WRATH. — That is, as the Septuagint has it, in chastisement and vengeance, which is inflicted by an angry God.
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16. ARROWS OF FAMINE. — Thus he calls, both the thunderbolts, winds, storms, by which as by arrows God strikes down the crops and brings famine; and also locusts, caterpillars, bruchuses, mildew, and other pests of fruits, by which as by arrows he sends and hurls famine upon men. Whence he adds: 'And I will gather famine upon you.' 'Famine,' that is caterpillars, bruchuses, etc., which are wont to bring famine. Thus R. David, Vatablus, Maldonatus and others. THE STAFF OF BREAD. — The Chaldean: sustenance; the Septuagint: the firmament of bread.
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17. Beasts. — that is, the Chaldaeans, says Theodoret, who like wild beasts with gaping jaws and bloodstained claws will tear you apart as sheep. Secondly, I will properly send lions and other beasts upon those who flee from the Chaldaeans: for I will cause those hiding in mountains and forests to be devoured by wild animals. Moses threatened these beasts to the Jews when sinning, Deuteronomy XXXII, 24; again Ezekiel cap. XXXIV, 28; likewise to the Canaanites, Exodus XXIII, 28. Thus God sent lions upon the Cutheans transplanted by the Assyrians into Samaria, because they did not fear the Lord, IV Kings XVII, 25. Thus in later centuries God likewise sends wolves, bears and other wild beasts from time to time upon certain provinces, to punish the crimes of the inhabitants. Tropologically St. Jerome says: 'But into our Jerusalem (namely into the Church and into the soul) the worst beasts are sent, when we are delivered into the passions of shame, and into a reprobate mind, and into the conscience of sins, which torment and tear apart our soul. Dissensions, heresies, schisms, rivalries, envies, sorrows, detraction, evil desires, avarice, which is the root of all evils, are the worst beasts. When these have been in us, we deserve to hear: Thy transgression shall correct thee. And we pray and say: Deliver not to beasts the soul that confesseth to thee.' BLOOD (that is, slaughter and carnage of war) SHALL PASS THROUGH, — shall rage. For thus it is said Psalm XLI, 8: 'Thy waves have passed over me.' And Psalm LXXXVII, 17: 'Thy wrath hath passed over me,' that is, hath raged against me. I the Lord have spoken, — thus I decree, thus I subscribe to this prophecy in the manner of kings, as if to my own edict. Morally, from so many signs and portents by which God through Ezekiel forewarned the Jews of the future vengeance, note: God is accustomed to foreshow by prior signs the future calamities of the commonwealth and Church, so that He may admonish sinners and incite them to repentance, by which they may escape them; but He forewarns the just so that they may bear them bravely. Thus He did not wish to bring the flood upon the world unless He first admonished men through Noah of its future coming, Genesis VI. Thus He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, of the Moabites, of the Ammonites, of the Egyptians, of the Babylonians, etc., through Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel: but the destruction of Babylon He prescribed to Belshazzar on the wall: mene, tekel, phares, Daniel cap. V. The calamity of Judaea under Antiochus was portended by armies seen in the sky clashing together, II Maccabees V, 2. Thus to the Jews He presignified the calamity of Judaea impending through Titus. For above Jerusalem there stood for a year a comet like a sword. Again, chariots were seen in the sky, and armies fighting. A voice of angels was heard in the temple: 'Let us depart hence.' A certain Jesus, son of Ananus, cried out for seven years continuously: 'Woe to Jerusalem,' nor could he be restrained from this cry by scourges, until crying out on the wall: 'Woe to Jerusalem, and to me,' he was struck by an enemy missile and died. Thus Josephus, lib. VII of the War, cap. XII. Thus the persecution of Huneric, king of the Vandals, was presignified: for someone saw the church of St. Faustus shining with unusual ornament, with candles, veils, and lamps gleaming: soon after he saw Ethiopians succeed, and dispel all this ornament. Another saw the same church filled with crowds of men, soon after filled with pigs and goats. A third saw someone winnowing grain from chaff. A fourth saw someone crying out: 'Depart, depart.' A fifth saw clouds, with the sky roaring, hurling great stones, which when they fell to earth burned everything up. Sixth, Paul the Bishop saw a tree expanded with branches flowering up to the heavens, which shaded all of Africa, and behold there came a violent ass (Huneric), who rubbing his neck at the root, cast it to the ground. Seventh, Quintilian the Bishop saw himself standing on a mountain, from which he beheld an innumerable flock of his own sheep, and in the middle of the flock there were two pots boiling excessively (these portended Huneric and Cyrola his Bishop). And there were present the slayers of sheep, whose flesh they plunged into the boiling pots. Thus Victor of Utica, lib. II of the Vandals. Around the year of the Lord 1017, as Baronius relates from the Annals of the Franks, in the region of Aquitaine, in the times of Benedict VIII, near the seacoast, such a prodigy occurred before the solemnity of St. John the Baptist: for three days blood rained from heaven, which falling upon the flesh of a man, or upon a stone, could not be washed away; but if it fell upon wood, it was washed away. Such a prodigy terrified all of Gaul, so much so that Robert, king of the Franks, consuled by letter Fulbert, Bishop of Chartres, easily the foremost among Gallic bishops in learning, whose letter responding to the same king at that time is extant, in which, what these things portended, he philosophizes thus at the end: 'But whereas you have recently heard that such blood rained in a certain part of your kingdom; and that this blood where it had fallen upon a stone, or upon the flesh of a man, could not be washed away; but where it had fallen upon wood, was easily washed away: by these things, three kinds of men seem to have been signified; by stone, the impious; by flesh, fornicators; by wood truly, which is neither hard as stone, nor soft as flesh, those who are neither impious, nor fornicators; when therefore it shall come upon that nation to which the sword or pestilence is extended, signified by blood, if before they shall not have been changed from hard and soft to better, they will die perpetually in their own blood; but the middle ones, through the straits of death, or otherwise, will be able to be freed, according to the judgment of the most secret and most excellent judge.' Thus Fulbert to King Robert. Furthermore, that most grave wars followed in that province, between William Duke of Aquitaine, and Geoffrey Count of Anjou, by which they destroyed each other with mutual arms, the same author affirms. Behold a threefold portent, similar to the threefold portent of the hairs of Ezekiel here.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.