Thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments - This is exactly the way in which a loose female in Bengal adorns herself to receive guests. She first bathes, then rubs black paint around her eyes, and then covers her body with ornaments. - Ward's Customs. read more
And satest upon a stately bed - Hast raised a stately altar to thy idols; probably alluding to that which Ahaz ordered to be made, after the similitude of that which he saw at Damascus. The bed here is in allusion to the sofas on which the ancients were accustomed to recline at their meals; or to the couches on which they place Asiatic brides, with incense pots and sweetmeats on a table before them. read more
And a voice of a multitude - This seems to be an account of an idolatrous festival, where a riotous multitude was assembled, and fellows of the baser sort, with bracelets on their arms and chapters on their heads, performed the religious rites. read more
Inexcusable infidelity. What it must have cost the patriotic prophet to write this chapter passes our power to imagine. The Jew was naturally and pardonably proud of his country and of its history. No thoughtful Jew could, indeed, be insensible to imperfections and flaws in the national character, to stains upon the nation's annals. But in this passage of his prophecies the dark shading is relieved by no gleam of light. Israel is depicted as bad from the days of Egyptian bondage down to... read more
As often, Ezekiel emphasizes by reiteration, begins yet a fresh discourse with the same words, wilt thou judge , as in Ezekiel 20:4 and Ezekiel 22:2 , and enters on another summary of the sins of the two harlot sisters, in which Moloch-worship (Verse 37) and sabbath-breaking (Verse 38) were conspicuous elements. The nature of the guilt is emphasized (Verses 38, 39) by the fact that the idolatrous ritual was performed on the very day in which the people sacrificed in the temple; that it... read more
(last clause) Abominations declared. I. ABOMINATIONS MAY BE HIDDEN . 1. They may be committed in secret . Then they are unknown to every one but the guilty persons and their accomplices. 2. Their corrupt character may not be admitted . Then they may be done in open daylight without shame or rebuke. Not only the outside public, but even the guilty persons themselves, may not perceive the full evil of what they are doing. 3. They may be forgotten . People... read more
The exclusiveness of the worship of the Lord God. "Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day," etc. The chief practical suggestions of our text may be arranged under three heads. I. MEN INSTRUCTED IN THE TRUE RELIGION PRACTISING THE GREATEST ABOMINATIONS OF HEATHENISM . "They had slain their children to their idols" ( Ezekiel 23:39 ). "They have caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass through the fire unto... read more
Ye have sent for men to come from far , etc. The words obviously refer to the embassies which had been sent from time to time by both Samaria and Jerusalem to Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. The imagery of the earlier stage of the harlot's progress is resumed, and we have a picture almost the counterpart of that in Proverbs 7:10-21 . She takes her bath, paints her eyelashes with kohol, the black pigment still used in the East, as Jezebel had done ( 2 Kings 9:30 ). She decks herself with... read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 23:38
They have defiled my sanctuary - By placing idols there. read more