Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 16 · Verses 44-46
VERS. 44, 45, 46.
Behold, every one that uſeth proverbs, ſhall uſe this proverb againſt thee, ſaying, as is the mother, ſo is her daughter.
Thou art thy mothers daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children: and thou art the ſiſter of thy ſiſters which loathed their husbands and their children, your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
And thine elder ſiſter is Samaria, ſhe and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger ſiſter that dwelleth at thy rig… hand is Sodome and her daughters.
IN theſe words you have,
1. Another judgement threatned, which is common reproach, verſ. 44.
2. A compariſon of her for wickedneſſe with her parents and ſiſters: her parents were the Hittites and Amorites, verſ. 45. her ſiſters Samaria and Sodome, verſ. 46.
That uſeth proverbs.
Upon the 12. Chap. verſ. 22. I opened the word proverb, and ſhewed you the nature and meaning of it: all Nations have their proverbs, which they much account of; every one that can jeere and ſcoffe ſhall diſgrace thee.
As is the mother, ſo is her daughter.
The mother is lewd, idolatrous, bloody, rebellious, & the daughter is ſuch; looke therefore what befell the mother for her ſinnes, what puniſhment was inflicted upon her, the like ſhall befall, and be inflicted upon thee. Proverbs ſuitable unto this are theſe: Ill birds lay ill egges. Roſes grow not out of ſhrimps; from the wicked proceeds wickedneſſe; ill ſeed, ill corne; by the children you may know the parents. Now theſe are not alwaye true; but ſometimes it falls out, that wicked parents have good children, and good parents wicked ones. Noah had a Cham, Iſaak an Eſau, David an Abſolom, Hezekiah Manaſſes: and ſo contrary, Ahaz that wicked King had good Hezekiah for his ſonne, Amon, Joſiah; Lamech, Noah.
Verſ. 45. Thou art thy mothers daughter, &c.
We muſt enquire who was her mother, and wherein the likeneſſe beeween them lyeth.
Her mother is ſaid here to be an Hittite, and her father an Amorite, vid. ſupra in verſ. 3. She was ſo unlike to Sarah and Abraham, out of whoſe loynes by nature ſhe came, and ſo like to the Amorites and Hittites, as that the Lord calls her the daughter of them.
Her Siſters were,
1. Samaria, that was the chiefe Citie of the tenne Tribes; the royall Citie, it was upon an hill, built by Omri King of Iſrael, who bought the hil of one Shomer, ſo from him cal'd it Samaria, 1 Kin. 16.24. afterwards called Sebaſte. Bonfrerius in Onomaſt.
2. Sodome: This was the Citie where Lot dwelt,Cognatio hic eſt communio impietatis non carnis, Theod. given ſo to filthineſſe and uncleanneſſe, that one ſinne of that kind hath its name from hence, and is cal'd peccatum Sodomiticum, and was one of the five Cities, yea the chiefe, that God conſum'd with fire and brimſtone from heaven.
The daughters of theſe were the leſſer Cities, Towns and Villages which depended on them for protection, counſell, maintenance, and were under the governement of their Kings.
The likeneſſe between them is ſet out in theſe words; which loathed their husbands and their children. The word foreign ſignifieth to ſpew, and caſt out, to loath with contempt, and ſpitting at. Sep. foreign expellentes. The Lat. expoſ: faſtidientes abominantes. Theſe nations forſooke Jehovah the true God who was their Creator, Lawgiver, and Benefactor, and ſerved idols,They were rebellious to God & man. murthered their children, and walked in all lewd wayes, not regarding the light or laws of nature: ſee Deut. 18.9, 10. They made their children paſſe through the fire. They were ſo uncleane, idolatrous, and prophane, that the Land vomited them out, Levit. 18.25. ſpewed out thoſe nations, verſ. 28.
Jeruſalem was come to that paſſe, that ſhee rejected God, her husband, and loathed his worſhip, violated all bonds of Religion and humanity, ſacrificing her children unto Devils: ſhee was exceeding like the Sodomites. Deut. 32.32. Their vine is the vine of Sodome. Iſa. 1.10. Rulers of Sodome, and people of Gomorrah. The Jews were transformed into their natures, dipoſitions, cuſtomes. Samaria was at her left hand, that was the north part, and Sodome at her right hand, which was the ſouth part.
It ſeems ſtrange that Samaria here is called the elder ſiſter, when as Sodome was many yeares before her, and deſtroyed ere ſhee had her birth. The originall therefore conſulted, and rightly interpreted will help us in this; for the word for Elder is foreign magna, thy ſiſter, the great Samaria. foreign parva, or minor, thy ſiſter, the little one in compariſon of thee; or Samaria had more power, Cities, and Citizens belonging to her then Sodome had.
Obſer. 1.
When States, Churches, Cities, Perſons diſhonour God by ſinfull and lewd wayes, God will diſhonour them, and ſet men awork that are skilfull at, and exerciſed in jeering, ſcoffing, and reviling, to diſgrace them. This woman had brought up an ill report upon the land of Canaan, and God of Iſrael: and therefore ſaith God, thoſe are uſed to proverbs, yea, every one that is skil'd and traded that way, ſhal uſe this proverb againſt thee, as is the mother, ſo is the daughter. Thy mother was a whore, an idolotreſs, a murthereſs, & ſo art thou. Jer. 24.9. I will deliver them to be removed into all Kingdomes of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curſe in all places whether I ſhall drive them. 2 Chron. 7.20. If they diſhonour'd God, he tels them he would pull them up by the roots out of the land, make them and their Temple a proverb, and by-word among all Nations. Jer. 23.40. I will bring an everlaſting reproach upon you, and a perpetuall ſhame which ſhall not be forgotten. Ezek. 22.5. Thoſe are neere, and thoſe are far ſhall mocke thee which art infamous. Lam. 5.1. Conſider and behold our reproach. Their Princes, Prophets, people, City, Temple, Land, were all reproached. Job 12.21. He poureth contempt upon Princes.
2. Children uſually tread in the ſteps of their Parents; as is the mother, ſo is the daughter, of the ſame diſpoſition, ſpirit, practiſe; drunken parents have drunken children; unclean, covetous, proud, froward, contentious parents have had ſuch children, they have learn'd of them to be and doe, as they were and did. 1 King. 22.52. Ahaziah did evill in the ſight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his Father who was Ahab, and of his mother who was Jezabel. Jehoram the ſonne of Jehoſhaphat, it's ſaid, he walked in the way of the Kings of Iſrael, 1 King. 21.25. for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, 2 King. 8.18. Take heed who you marry; for partus ſequitur ventrem, and take heed what you doe before your children, for your examples have great influence into them; they are ſtrong traces to draw your children into your wayes, eſpecially if bad.
3. Cities, States, Churches, people are their children in the account of the Scripture, whoſe manners, wayes, and examples they follow. Jeruſalem took up the wayes, worſhip, manners, and cuſtomes of the Nations and Cities neare to her: hence her mother is ſaid to be an Hittite, her father an Amorite, her ſiſters Sodome and Samaria, according to their wayes ſhee faſhioned her ſelfe. Thoſe that follow the faith and ſteps of Abraham, are the children of Abraham, Gal. 3.7. Rom. 4.16. Thoſe are peaceable, and labour to make peace, they are children of God, Matth. 5.9. Men that minde the world are provident, frugall, and ſaving; they following courſes of the world, are called children of the world, Luke 16.8. So thoſe that doe wickedly, they are the children of the Devill, 1 Joh. 3.8.10.12. Matth. 13.38. Yee are of your Father the Devill, and the luſts of your Father you will doe, John 8.44. they did imitate him: and here Jeruſalem declared her ſinne as Sodome, Iſa 3.9. and as the nations, and therefore is ſtiled the daughter and ſiſter of them.
4. Thoſe are in neare relation to God, and think well of themſelves, may be hatefull to him, and as bad as any. Jeruſalem was in covenant with God, his Spouſe, the Jewes his peculiar people, and thought themſelves more holy, righteous, in a better condition then any of all the Nations; and thought the Prophets wronged them when they compar'd them to the nations, to Sodome and Samaria; but what ſaith the Lord here, thy mother is an Hittite, and thy father an Amorite: what ever thou thinkeſt of thy ſelfe, that thou art of the ſtock of Abraham and Sarah, Iſaak and Jacob, a true Iſraelite; yet it's otherwiſe, thou art of the ſeed of the nations, and worſt of the nations, viz. the Hittites and Amorites: thou thinkeſt thou art holy, but art prophane; that thou art deare to me above them, but thou art as odious and hatefull as any.
The Prieſts were neare the Lord, ſtood before him, offered ſacrifice, thought themſelves to be ſomebodies. Mal. 2.1, 2. They thought they did glorifie God, and ſhould be glorified by God: but verſ. 8, 9. Yee are departed out of the way, yee have cauſed many to ſtumble at the law, yee have corrupted the covenant of Leui, ſaith the Lord of hoſts. Therefore have I alſo made you contemptible and baſe before all the people, according as you have not kept my wayes, but have been partiall in the law. Matth. 7.22, 23. Many will ſay unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have wee not propheſied in thy name? and in thy name caſt out Devills? and in thy name done many wonderfull workes? You ſee they ſtood in neer relation to God, pretend they did all in his name, thought themſelves in a good condition, looked for ſome good and great reward; but what follows? then will I profeſſe I never knew you, depart from me ye that worke iniquity. There is vaſt difference between mans and Gods judgement.