Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 16 · Verses 31-34
VERS. 31, 32, 33, 34:
In that thou buildeſt thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makeſt thine high place in every ſtreet, and haſt not bin as a harlot in that thou ſcorneſt hire.
But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh ſtrangers in ſtead of her husband.
They give gifts to all whores, but thou giveſt thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hireſt them that they may come unto thee on every ſide for thy whoredome.
And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredomes: whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredomes: and in that thou giveſt a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
THeſe verſes conteine a repetition of what this whoriſh woman did, and alſo a further amplification and aggravation of her lewd and abominable practiſes.
The repetition is in the 31. verſe, which falls in with what you have in the 24. and beginning of the 25.
The amplification and aggravation of her lewd wayes is ſet out.
1. From a diſſimilitude in the end of the 31. verſe; And haſt not been as an harlot, in that thou ſcorneſt hire; other harlots tooke hire, but thou wouldſt none.
2. From a ſimilitude in the 32. verſe; As a wife, &c. for a wife that hath an husband, to take in ſtrangers, that is great lewdneſſe.
3. From the contrarietie of her practiſe to other whores, verſe 33, 34. They had thoſe followed them, gave gifts unto them which they received; but Jeruſalem had no followers, no gifts, but ſhe gave gifts, and hired men to come unto her.
Eminent place.
Heb. is foreign which ſignifies whatſoever excells or appeares above another; here its an eminent place (a place raiſed above others) its ſo rendred in the 24. verſe. Septuag. tranſlates it foreign, there and here. foreign is a ſtewes or houſe of fornication. Aquil. foreign foveam, a ditch or pit, whoredome and idolatry are both deepe ditches and pits; theſe eminent places were for commiſſion of thoſe ſins which drowned them in perdition: from this word foreign its more then probable that that word Gabbatha in Joh. 19.13. doth proceed; the words are thus; Pilate ſate downe in the Judgement ſeat in the place that is called the pavement; but in the Hebrew Gabbatha, which ſignifies foreign locum excelſum, Grote in loc.ſuch a place as Judges ſit in to pronounce ſentence againſt malefactors; its cald the pavement or foreign, becauſe it was covered or paved with ſtones.
Thine high place.
Heb: foreign is a place higher then others, from foreign to lift up; they made Altars and places for falſe worſhip higher then all the reſt. Septu: renders it by two words in the 24. by foreign proſtibulum, a place where they did proſtitute themſelves to whoredome, or to idolatry, or both; in this verſe they render it foreign, it being the foundation of the falſe worſhip offered up there.
In that thou ſcorneſt hire.
Heb. is foreign from foreign or foreign which hath a double, yea, contrary ſignification; ſometimes it ſignifies to praiſe, and ſo the Jewes uſed it in their prayers. Pſalm 68.5.Pagn. in Theſ. auro. what there is foreign extoll. The Targum hath it, foreign praiſe him rides upon the heavens. Hence Shindler renders the word foreign ad laudandum: and ſo the meaning muſt be, that Jeruſalem was not like other whores, who did praiſe and magnifie the gifts and hire they had from their lovers, that ſo they might draw more, no, ſhee did not value or praiſe them. Sometimes, and moſt frequently, the word ſignifies to mocke, deſpiſe, diſpraiſe and villifie. In this ver. it's generally taken by Interpreters;Meretrices a mercendo. ſo the meaning then is, that Jeruſalem was ſo far from praiſing, that ſhe… ſcorned hire; not in policy to increaſe the hire as common Harlots doe, who make advantage of their ſinne; but in way of oppoſition, to manifeſt that ſhee was not for profit, but for pleaſure; not for the purſes of her lovers, but for their perſons. The Sept. hath it thus foreign. Thou waſt as an harlot gathering or ſeeking reward; directly oppoſite to the Originall. Vulg. Quaſi meretrix faſtidio augens praetiam. Fr, Pour me ſpriſer le ſalaire.
Hire.
Heb. foreign Merces meretricia; hire that belongs to a whore, from foreign, to hire,Pagn. in Theſ. and properly it is to give a reward; pro opere turpi & in honeſto, Deut. 23.18. Ethnan zonah, the hire of a whore: So Hoſ. 9.1. Mich. 1.7. Thamar, when Judah came into her, would have hire. What wilt thou give me, Gen. 38.16. and Hoſ. 2.12. Theſe are my rewards that my lovers have given me. Steph. in Theſ.Sept. is foreign which notes frequently among the Greeks, that hire, reward is given to whores. Lais the Corinthian Harlot asked great ſummes of Demoſthenes, Decem drachmarum millia, which was 150l. whence riſes that adage: Non cuivis datum adire Corinthum.
Verſ. 32. As a wife that commits adultery.
Heb. is foreign a woman an adultereſſe. A ſingle woman that playes the harlot doth very ill; but a woman that hath a Husband, to leave him, and receive others in his ſtead, that is exceeding grievous, eſpecially when ſhe wants nothing, hath abundance, and her Husband is moſt loving, meeke, delightfull, wiſe, and faithfull; this was the caſe of Jeruſalem, yet ſhe playes the Adultereſſe, takes in ſtrangers in the roome of her Husband.
Verſ. 33. They give gifts, and thou giveſt gifts.
The word for gift is foreign and foreign which is merces meretricia, from foreign which ſignifies to ſeparate, and remove a thing as uncleane. The hire of a Whore was not to be brought into the Temple, becauſe gotten, ex opere immundo, and therefore was to be kept, and ſeparated from the Temple, Deut. …3.18.
Verſ. 34. The contrary is in thee.
Heb. is foreign oppoſitum, from foreign to invert, change, alter; this Jewiſh woman did invert, change, and alter the way that other women went in, for ſatisfaction of their luſts, in the abuſe of their bodies; they had gifts given them, but this woman gave gifts; they were hired, this woman did hire. Sept. is foreign perverſum quid. Vulg. Contra conſu etudinem mulierum. Calv. Inverſio a mulieribus. Lav. Contrarium mulierum. Whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredomes: the Hebr. runs thus, after thee it hath not been whored. So the Sep. foreign, they have not gone a whoring after thee. The meaning is, Jeruſalem ſought after the Idoll gods of other Nations, was at expences, gave gifts to them to get, and fetch in their idolatry; but no Nation did ſo by them. Hoſ. 8.9. Ephraim hath hired lovers. 2 K. 16.8.10. Ahaz ſent the ſilver & gold of the Temple to the K. of Aſſyria, & was at no ſmal charges for the Altar of Damaſcus. Iſa. 57.7. Ʋpon a lofty and high mountaine haſt thou ſet thy bedde; that is, Altars, Chappels, Temples, which he calls beds; becauſe there they committed ſpirituall adultery: and they were upon the eminent and high places, becauſe the more might ſee them turne in and worſhip their Idol gods, and ſo commit folly with them; for it followes, even thither wenteſt thou up to offer ſacrifice. And in verſ. 8. Thou haſt diſcovered thy ſelfe to another then me, 2 King 21.4. Jer. 32.34.and art gone up; thou haſt enlarged thy bed, made a Covenant with them, thou love aſt their bed when thou ſaweſt it. The ſenſe is this, the Jewiſh eſtate was not content with God alone to be her husband, but like a whoriſh wife left her husband, and went up to the bed of others: and not only ſo, but enlarged her owne bed, made more roome, built more Altars, high places, and Temples for the gods of other Nations to be taken in to her, and made covenant with them to worſhip and honour them: and what ever bed, that is, Altar, Temple, Idoll ſhe ſaw among the Nations, ſhe fell in love with it, and muſt have it, coſt it never ſo deare.
Obſer. 1.
That the worſhip of God is not to be model'd according to the wiſdome of States or Churches. This Jewiſh State and Church built high places, Altars, fetched in the worſhip and wayes of it, which other Nations had, were at much coſt and charges to accompliſh the ſame, and thought herein they did acceptable ſervice; but God was provoked ſorely: and the more expenſive any State or Church is that way, the more they exaſperate the Lord againſt them; as a husband, the more prodigall his wife is to entertain others, the more offended is he. God is a jealous God, and it's dangerous to alter in, or adde any thing to his worſhip, eſpecially to corrupt it with idolatrous inventions. Ahaz did ſo; but what ſaith the Text, 2 Chron. 28.22. This is that King Ahaz, that ſpent the gold and ſilver found in the houſe of the Lord, that was affected with, and brought into the Temple the Altar of Damaſcus, that ſacrificed to the gods of Damaſcus, that ſhut up the doores of the Temple, that made Altars in every corner of Jeruſalem, that burnt incenſe to other gods, and provoked the Lord to anger, v. 25.
2. A pure virgin-Church may in proceſſe of time become whoriſh, adulterous, idolatrous, and worſe then others: This Church of Jeruſalem was at firſt chaſt, holy, glorious; but when ſhe had left the Lord, and thoſe wayes and rules of worſhip which hee had given her, then ſhee became a Strumpet, a common whore, did worſe, yea contrary to all whores; ſhee ſought for, and hired lovers to come into her. If Churches would therefore not degenerate, let them hold faſt the forme of wholſome words, 2 Tim. 1.13. Let them be content with the way of worſhip which God hath preſcribed them, and lead ſuch lives as may not blemiſh the Religion they profeſſe, and then they ſhall never provoke God to complaine of them.