Глава 36

Turning now, in fact, to St. earth, the Lord promises her a reward for all the disgrace caused to her by her hostile neighbors (a. 1-7), and the speedy return of her people, who will dwell there, blessed with fertility, in abundance and happiness, which will silence all slander against her among the pagans (vv. 13-15). The separate speech adjoining here explains why and how this restoration of St. earth: for the glory of the name of God, since the removal of Israel from the Holy. The pagans considered the land for its desecration and captivity to be the impotence of Jehovah; therefore Israel must be, although not yet finally converted, returned to her land (vv. 16-24); God will forgive him his sins and completely transform his heart and behavior, and shower him with blessings in such a way that Israel will feel sincere repentance for past abominations and disgust from them (vv. 25-32), thanks to which St. the land, with which the glory of the name of God is so connected in the eyes of the pagans, will no longer be deprived of its population, but will be glorified by its fertility and population (vv. 33-38). – The speech is distinguished by a particularly warm feeling for St. earth, as if the latter had been struck to the very heart by desecration and was in need of consolation. The tone in this respect is the opposite of this chapter VI. The prophecy was largely fulfilled in post-exilic Israel and then Palestine, which achieved significant prosperity and wealth, especially in the Maccabean period. The prophecy about the spiritual transformation of Israel, although it was fulfilled in post-exilic Israel to some extent (loyalty to one’s religion to the point of martyrdom for it), was fully fulfilled only in the Christian revival of humanity. Ezek.36:1. And you, son of man, prophesy against the mountains of Israel and say: mountains of Israel! listen to the word of the Lord. “And you, son of man” - Ezek.4.1. – “The mountains of Israel” – Ezek.6.2. As there, this refers mainly to Judea, as the constant center of life of the chosen people and in accordance with the mountainous Idumea. In the post-exilic period, even more than before, the life of Israel was concentrated in Judah. Ezek.36:2. Thus says the Lord God: since the enemy says about you: “Ah! A! and the eternal heights were ours,” The “enemy” is, first of all, Idumea and other neighbors. – “Ah, a” – see explanation of Ezek.25.3; Greek and Vulg. ευγε, slav. "better". - “Eternal Heights”. The Israelite Mountains are so named because of the ancient history associated with them (Smend); LXX: “eternal desert”, obviously reading fireclay instead of bamot and, perhaps, considering it incredible in the mouth of the prophet to regret the “heights” that he so hated. – “They were our inheritance” – see the explanation of Ezek.35.10. Ezek.36:3. then prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord God: because they devastate you and consume you on all sides, so that you become the property of other nations and are subject to the slander and gossip of people - “They devastate” – guess. according to Vulg. translation euro shammot, instead of which the LXX read sheot "dishonorable"; glory “destroyed” – doublet. – “They consume” – Ezek.25.12. - “Other peoples”, lit. the “remnant of nations” remaining in Palestine after the captivity of Israel; referring mainly to Idumea. - “Subjected to slander,” glory. more precisely: “both hard and fast - gloss or doublet - as a reproach to the walls.” Ezek.36:4. Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and hills, ravines and valleys, and desolate ruins, and abandoned cities, which became a prey and a mockery to the rest of the surrounding nations; “To the mountains...” - see explanation of Ezek.6.3; “hollows” - glory. here, more precisely, “stream” - wadi; glory “and glades” – doublet. - “And desolate ruins, and abandoned cities”, LXX “and desolate and ruined and abandoned cities” - there must be various degrees of devastation of cities. – “Prey and ridicule” are non-parallel concepts, but corresponding to the thoughts of Art. 3 and 5. Ezek.36:5. For this, thus says the Lord God: in the fire of My jealousy I spoke a word against the other nations and against all Idumea, who appointed My land as their possession, with joy in the heart and with contempt in the soul, destining it to be their prey. “In the fire of jealousy” - intense anger. - “Idumea” is the most guilty of the nations in this case. – “Heartfelt” – LXX doesn’t have it. - “With contempt in my soul.” LXX “dishonoring (ατμασαντες) souls,” placing human life at nothing. – “Dooming her to be his prey” is a presumable translation of the dark Hebrew. an expression that rather (Vulg.) means: “driving it (the inhabitants out of it?) for plunder”; LXX “to consume by fighting.” “Let us remember that part of Edom, to the west of Araba, was a completely poor country, devoid of vegetation; the southern meadows of Judea were very useful to him” (Krech.). Ezek.36:6. Therefore prophesy about the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, ravines and valleys: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I have spoken these things in My jealousy and in My wrath, because you are the reproach of the nations. Ezek.36:7. Therefore thus says the Lord God: I have lifted up My hand with an oath, that the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame. Since Israel (and together with the God of Israel, hence the oath) was subjected to shame and ridicule from the pagans, then the same should happen to the latter: the fate that they prepared for Israel will befall them. Ezek.36:8. And you, mountains of Israel, send forth your branches and bring forth your fruit to my people Israel; for they will come soon. The trees will be completely green and fruitful, and their fruits will be enjoyed not by the pagans, as before, but by Israel. This refers not only to tree fruits, but also to bread, v. 9, Ezek.24.17. - “For they will come soon.” The return from captivity is near, and with it the fulfillment (at least partial) of all the joyful predictions of St. earth. The prophet’s confidence is remarkable that his predictions do not refer to the distant future and that change in things is at hand. The Holy Land is already ready for the arrival of the returning rightful owners. But the LXX somewhat weakens the thought: “as they hope to come,” Vulg.: woe enim est, ut veniat, that is, the fulfillment of what was predicted is near; so is the Targum. Ezek.36:9. For behold, I will return to you, and you will be tilled and sown. “I will turn to you” with a blessing, and not like Eze.5.8, 13.8, etc. - “You will be cultivated and sown.” In glory “and you will till and sow”, the active voice is erroneously placed, perhaps because in the Greek. second verb in Bud. With. II, which does not have a characteristic for the village. h. θ : κατερρασθησεσθσε και σπαρησεσθε .. Ezek.36:10. And I will settle a multitude among you, even the whole house of Israel, and the cities will be inhabited and the ruins built up. In addition to fertility in gardens and fields, the earth is promised the adornment and mercy that a dense population represents for it. - “The whole house of Israel, all”, Judah and Ephraim (Ezek.20.40, 37.19, etc.). “All” LXX: “to the end”, Vulg. lowers. - “And the cities will be inhabited” - the survivors. "And the ruins are built up". Slav. “the deserts will be fenced off” inaccurate translation of the Greek: και η ηρημωνενη οικοδομηθη σετον – “the devastated (country) will be built up.” Ezek.36:11. And I will multiply among you people and cattle, and they will be fruitful and multiply, and I will populate you as in your former times, and I will do you more good than in your former times, and you will know that I am the Lord. “On you” - the mountains of Israel, in Palestine. - “And I will do you more good than in former times.” Like Job. In post-exilic Judaism it was hardly fulfilled. But LXX: “And I will do good to you (Israel) as they were before you.” Ezek.36:12. And I will bring people against you, My people Israel, and they will rule over you, O land! and you will be their inheritance and will no longer make them childless. Ezek.36:13. Thus says the Lord God: because they say about you: “You are a land that devours people and makes your people childless”: Ezek.36:14. Therefore you will no longer devour people, and you will no longer make your people childless, says the Lord God. “By you” is an unexpected replacement of the plural (“mountains”) with the singular (“earth”) without a title. n. - “And you will no longer make them childless” (LXX: “and you will not, that is, Israel, cause childlessness from them” - from the mountains, the country). According to some, the prophet here refers to the strategic position of Palestine (between the conquering monarchies: East and West) and the defenselessness that prevented the growth of its population; according to others, frequent famines in it (v. 30) or unhealthy soil conditions (2 Kings 2.19). The reason for such unfavorable living conditions in the Promised Land, according to the prophet, lay not in its natural properties, but in the will of God, in God’s intention to correct his people through all sorts of trials. - “You will not eat people and people.” In addition to the above, wild animals may also be meant: see explanation of Ezek.5.17; Wed Ezek.19.3, 6. Ezek.36:15. And you will no longer hear ridicule from the nations, and you will no longer bear reproach from the nations, and you will no longer make your people childless, says the Lord God. “And you will not make your people advance” - repetition from v. 13 and 14; no in Vat. and many more etc. Ezek.36:17. son of man! when the house of Israel lived in their land, they desecrated it with their behavior and deeds; Their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman when she was cleansed. “By your behavior and deeds.” As Art. 18 shows, the first can mean moral actions, the second religious; therefore LXX: “by your way and by your idols, and by your uncleanness.” - “Like the uncleanness of a woman when she is cleansed.” So great is therefore this natural uncleanness - Ezek.18.6; Wed Lion. 15.19; Isa 64.6. Ezek.36:18. And I poured out My wrath on them because of the blood that they shed on this land, and because they desecrated it with their idols. Two types of sins are indicated: moral and religious. “For the blood they shed” - violence and outright murder, perhaps, among other things, unjust death sentences; see explanation of Ezek.9.9. From here (inclusive) to the end of the verse there is no Vat. and many more etc. Ezek.36:19. And I scattered them among the nations, and they were scattered throughout the lands; I judged them according to their ways and according to their deeds. Ezek.22.15, see explanation of Ezek.5.5. Ezek.36:20. And they came to the nations where they had gone and profaned My holy name, because they say about them: “They are the people of the Lord, and came out of His land.” “To the Nations” – the diverse composition of the Assyrian and Babylonian monarchy. - “They have dishonored My holy name”, instilling the idea of ​​the powerlessness of Jehovah, which is said further, - and also with their depravity. - “They are the people of the Lord God, and came out of His land.” Having only national gods, the pagans and Jehovah could only consider the Jew to be the national god, and the unfortunate fate of Israel, its captivity, could be explained only by the powerlessness of Jehovah, the victory of their gods over Him. Ezek.36:21. And I had pity on My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where I came. “And I had compassion on the holy name Moe...”. The fate of all humanity on earth then especially depended on the glory of the name of God, on the correctness of knowledge of God. LXX: “and I have mercy on my holy name”; but in Heb. stronger; and Vulg. “He has spared My name.” A bitter complaint. Ezek.36:22. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I will not do this for you, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have come. “I will not do this for you.” Israel did not deserve any mercy from God. Ezek.36:23. And I will sanctify My great name, which is dishonored among the nations, among whom you have dishonored it, and the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I show My holiness to you before their eyes. “When I will show you My holiness before their eyes.” This refers primarily, if not exclusively, to the glorious return of the Jews from captivity, which is about to take place before the eyes of the pagans; by this return the honor of the name of God, dishonored by Israel's disaster, will be restored (v. 20). Ezek.36:24. And I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all countries, and bring you into your own land. Wed. Ezek.11:17, 20:41, 37:21. There is no mention of the intermediate “judgment in the wilderness of nations” Eze. 20.35 et seq., because it is only about the salvation of Israel from the hand of the pagans. Ezek.36:25. And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. Sprinkling with water is taken from ablution, which was a very ancient rite that preceded any divine service (Gen. 35.2; Ex. 30.17–21). Targum: “I will forgive your sins,” as one cleanses with sprinkling water and the ashes of a heifer offered for sins. – “Clean” indicates specifically purifying water as opposed to irrigating water. A very clear indication of the sacrament of baptism. - “And I will cleanse you from all your idols.” It was also fulfilled in post-exilic Judaism, although only Christianity completely cleansed the human heart of everything pagan. Ezek.36:26. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; And I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. The promise is renewed Ezek.11.19–20; see there “A new heart”, receptive to everything divine. – “New Spirit”, namely God’s, as we will explain later. Art. This is done in Christianity by the Holy Spirit, which is communicated to believers only after baptism; Wed Art. 25. Ezek.36:27. I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in My commandments and keep My statutes and do them. “My Spirit”, through which only life is possible, completely in accordance with the will of God. The promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit is, however, less clear than in Joel. “In My commandments and My statutes...” see the explanation of Ezek.5.6. Ezek.36:28. And you will live in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you will be My people, and I will be your God. Only under this condition is life in St. Petersburg possible for Israel. earth (Lev. 25.18–19; Deut. 5.16) and the restoration of covenant relationships with God (see explanation of Ezek. 11.20). "I", Heb. Anokhi the long form instead of ani is the only time in Ezekiel, while ani 138 times, for which reason the entire verse was considered a gloss from Jeremiah 30.22, but the case can be explained by the fact that from Hosea 1.9 this form of the pronoun in this formula became dominant. Ezek.36:29. And I will free you from all your uncleanness, and I will call for bread and multiply it, and I will not let you suffer hunger. The consequence of cleansing from sins ("impurities" - meaning mainly idolatry, as the main sin and the source of others) will be the return of God's blessing to the earth. - “I’ll call for bread.” Plants, like all soulless nature, obey the word of God (cf. Ps 104:16), which alone is enough for them to grow. Ezek.36:30. And I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that in future you will not suffer reproach from the nations because of famine. Not only bread will be multiplied, but also other plants useful to people - tree fruits, herbs, greens. “Reproach... because of hunger”, glory. "smooth reproaches". Famine is a disgrace to a country because it is a sign of God's wrath, because of which God deprives the country of His blessing. Ezek.36:31. Then remember your evil ways and your unkind deeds, and you will feel disgusted with yourself for your iniquities and your abominations. “Paths” – behavior, direction; “deeds” - glory. “undertakings” are individual actions. God’s undeserved good deed “will arouse in Israel repentance, which legal fear could not produce in it” (Trosh.). Ezek.36:32. It is not for your sake that I will do this, says the Lord God, let it be known to you. Blush and be ashamed of your ways, O house of Israel. Ezek.36:33. Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I will cleanse you from all your iniquities, and I will populate the cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt, Ezek.36:34. and the desolate land will be cultivated, being desolate in the eyes of everyone who passes by, The calculation of God's benefits to the earth is given again, but the purpose is already to depict their moral effect on the pagans, who, seeing them, receive a completely different idea of ​​the God of Israel. - “Everyone passing by” - a random traveler, which is possible only in a deserted land. Ezek.36:35. Then they will say: “This desolate land has become like the Garden of Eden; and these ruined and deserted and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.” “They will say” mainly the travelers who had previously seen the land desolate (v. 34), and then the whole world will be amazed at such a change. – “Like the Garden of Eden” is the prototype of fertility. An important promise of heavenly fertility in the future for the earth. - “Fortified and populated”, glory. more precisely, “the visors of the statement of the stash” are fenced with walls, which at that time constituted the difference between a city and a village and which all cities, even Jerusalem, lost during the devastation of the country. Ezek.36:36. And the nations that remain around you will know that I, the Lord, build again what was destroyed, and plant what was desolate. I, the Lord, said and did. “A rapid change in things will at once entail a complete change in the general opinion about Jehovah” (Bert.). - “The nations that will remain around you” and of which there will be few after judgments XXV and the following chapters; perhaps this means Israel's closest neighbors: the Edomites, the Moabites, etc. - “I, the Lord, have spoken and done.” God always keeps his promises because his word is infallible. Ezek.36:37. Thus says the Lord God: Behold, in this also I will show my mercy to the house of Israel, I will multiply them as a people like a flock. “Thus saith the Lord” indicates an important addition to the speech. Indeed, the promise given here to Israel about its great multiplication was especially important for the Israel of that time, so destroyed by the last wars and scattered everywhere, numbered in Babylon around the prophet, perhaps only in the thousands (cf. explanation of Ezek. 47.22). - “In this too I will show My mercy.” LXX and Vulg. “Behold, I will find myself again”; euro Ch. Darash allows the translation: “I will beg.” - “I will multiply them like a flock,” glory. more precisely, “like sheep,” distinguished by special fertility, although another idea is meant here, see Art. 38. Targ. “I will multiply them with people and enrich them with herds.” Ezek.36:38. Just as there are many sacrificial sheep in Jerusalem during its festivals, so the deserted cities will be full of people, and they will know that I am the Lord. The comparison is especially natural for a former priest, who more than once, perhaps, rejoiced at entire herds of sacrificial animals; Wed 1 Chronicles 29.21; 2 Par 7.4; Josephus De bel. Iud. 6:9, 3. The comparison is natural also after the images of Chapter XXXIV. Mainly, perhaps, the future numerous gatherings of people in the church are meant. – “Sacrificial sheep” – glory. more precisely and stronger: “the sheep of Jerusalem.” Targ. “like a holy people, a purified people, who come to Jerusalem during the Easter celebration.” You might be interested in: