Ezekiel 16:38

Eze 16:38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.

Ver. 38. And I will judge thee as women that break wedlock.] See Lev 20:10 Deu 22:22. The Egyptians cut off the harlot’s nose, and the adulterer’s privy members; the Romans beheaded them; the old Germans whipped them through the streets; Canutus, the Danish king in this land, banished them; Tenedius, a king in another land, did cut them in sunder with an axe; by our laws they are to be hanged, as by the Jews’ laws to be stoned. {Eze 16:40}

And shed blood.] See Eze 16:35.

I will give thee blood.] God loveth to retaliate.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I will judge thee to death, as the adulterers and murderers.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

judge thee, as women that break wedlock-- (Lev 20:10; compare Eze 16:2). In the case of individual adulteresses, stoning was the penalty (Joh 8:4-5). In the case of communities, the sword. Also apostasy (Deu 13:10) and sacrificing children to Molech (Lev 20:1-5) incurred stoning. Thus the penalty was doubly due to Israel; so the other which was decreed against an apostate city (Deu 13:15-16) is added, "they shall stone thee with stones and thrust thee through with . . . swords." The Chaldeans hurled stones on Jerusalem at the siege and slew with the sword on its capture.

shed blood . . . judged-- (Gen 9:6).

jealousy--image taken from the fury of a husband in jealousy shedding the blood of an unfaithful wife, such as Israel had been towards God, her husband spiritually. Literally, "I will make thee (to become) blood of fury and jealousy."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

This verse is only added for the sake of explanation. Already God had explained shortly and clearly every event which should happen to the Jews, yet they should perish in the greatest disgrace and be destitute of all help, since through distrust in God they sought the favor of men, like a woman eager for lovers. But he confirms the same teaching, that they should suffer double punishment, since they not only polluted themselves thus shamefully, but also by impious slaughters, since they burnt their children in honor of false gods. This sentence may be explained generally, I will judge you with the judgments of women pouring out blood, as we know that not only idolatry was rampant at Jerusalem, but rapine, and all kinds of cruelty; for since they had departed from God and his worship, they boldly violated his law. By the second word we may understand all the crimes by which they had provoked God’s anger on account of their cruelty. But since he has lately spoken of sons, I willingly retain that sense, that they should suffer as an adulteress and a parricide who has put her children to death. But they thought that they obeyed: but he not only rejects, but abominates such foolish thoughts; for nothing is more disgraceful than, under the pretense of piety, to slay and to burn one’s own children: this, I say, was a profanation of God’s name scarcely tolerable. No wonder, then, that he denounces double vengeance, since, when the Jews pleaded their zeal, God branded upon them the mark of wickedness, though they thought him bound to their interests. It afterwards follows —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(38) Women that break wedlock and shed blood.—Under the Mosaic law the penalty for adultery was death (Lev_20:10), and the same penalty also was attached to the devotion of “seed to Moloch” (Lev_20:1-5), and to murder (Exo_21:12). The Jewish method of capital punishment on individuals was by stoning (see Lev_20:2, and comp. Joh_8:5), and of punishing an apostate city was by the sword (Deu_13:15). Hence both modes are mentioned together in Eze_16:40, though somewhat at the expense of the consistency of the allegory. The last clause would be more exactly translated, “I will make thee blood of fury and jealousy,” the fury referring to the avenging of murder, and the jealousy to the punishment of adultery, each requiring the life, or blood, of the offender.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

38. shed blood] Reference to child murder, Eze_16:20; Eze_16:36. Cf. ch. Eze_23:45; Lev_20:10; Deu_22:22.

give thee blood in fury] Lit. make thee the blood of fury, i.e. bring on thee the bloody death which fury and jealousy executes. On cons. cf. ch. Eze_26:21, Eze_35:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I also will give thee into their hand,.... Into the hand of their lovers and enemies that should be gathered against them, the Assyrians and Chaldeans, with others that joined them, as in Eze 16:37;

and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thine high places; the city of Jerusalem, the temple, and altars; and not only these, but even the high places and altars which were set up for idolatrous uses; all should be destroyed by the Chaldean army. The Targum is,

"and they shall destroy thy walls, and thy high places shall be destroyed:''

they shall strip thee also of thy clothes; as persons commonly are when taken captives:

and shall take thy fair jewels; or, "the vessels of thy glory" (s); the vessels of the sanctuary of gold and silver, and their own household furniture, with all their riches and substance:

and leave thee naked and bare; as at first when in Egypt; see Eze 16:7.

(s) "vasa decoris tui", V. L. "instrumenta ornatus tui", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "vasa ornatus tui", Piscator, Starckius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Judge; punish thee by stoning to death, Leviticus xx. 10. The walls of the Jews were battered to the ground.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

And I, who am thy Lord and Husband, whose authority and kindness thou hast so contemned and abused,

will judge thee; both condemn thee to suffer what thou deservest, and execute what thou art condemned to;

as women that break wedlock, who were sometimes strangled, sometimes stoned, sometimes burnt, were put to death to be sure, Lev 20:10; Deu 22:22. It may intimate the future destruction of her adulterous lovers, for both the adulterer and adulteress were to die. Site was guilty of the unnatural murder of her children, and God will, according to his own law, Gen 9:5,6; Num 35:31,32, cause her blood to be shed.

Will give thee blood; the like phrase you have Rev 16:6, and elsewhere; the like judgment is expressed by watering the land with blood, as Eze 32:6, and by preparing one for blood, Eze 35:6; Thou gavest the blood of thy children to idols in sacrifice, I will give thee thine own blood to drink; thou didst it in contempt of my law, I will do it in vindication of my law.

In fury and jealousy; passions that do usually appear in the revenges that abused husbands take on their wives which have intolerably dishonoured and wronged them; and God expresseth his great indignation, and the severity of his just displeasure, by allusion hereunto.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

38. I will judge thee — The scorn of the nations whose favor she has courted will be the least of her punishment.

I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy — Rather, I will make thee to be the blood of fury and jealousy. The meaning is that hers shall be the bloody death which, according to the law, the furious husband could inflict upon the wife who has been untrue to the marriage vow and has shed the blood of her child. (See Eze_16:20; Eze_16:36; Eze_23:25; Lev_20:10; Deu_22:22.) Toy translates, “I will inflict on thee the bloody requital of furious indignation.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The bloodshed may refer, as in ver. 36, to the Moloch sacrifices, or may include also other crimea, assassinations and judicial murders. (Jer_2:34) Strictly speaking, the punishment of the adulteress was death by stoning. (Lev_20:2, Lev_20:10; Deu_21:21 Deu_22:21; Joh_8:5) Did Ezekiel think of the stones cast against the city from the catapult engines of the Chahleans as a literal counterpart of that punishment? In the last clause read, with the Revised Version, I will bring upon thee the blood of fury and jealousy; sc. the death which was inflicted by the indignation of Jehovah as the Husband against whom Judah had sinned.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Blood - Thou gavest the blood of thy children to idols in sacrifice; I will give thee thine own blood to drink.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Yahweh continues to speak about Jerusalem as if the city were his unfaithful wife. The city represents the people who live there. (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)

the shedding of blood

This phrase represents murder in any form. AT: "murder" (See: Metonymy)

I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and passion

Here "bloodshed" represents murder in any form. Possible meanings are 1) Yahweh speaks of punishing her for murder as if he were bringing bloodshed upon her. AT: "In my anger and passion, I will punish you for committing murder" or 2) Yahweh speaks of putting her to death as if he were bringing bloodshed upon her. AT: "In my anger and passion, I will shed your blood" (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)

I will give you into their hands

Here "hands" represents power or control. AT: "I will place you in their control" or "I will allow them to have power over you" (See: Metonymy)

throw down your vaulted chamber

Possible meanings are that they will destroy 1) the place where she worshiped her idols or 2) the place where she practiced her prostitution. See how you translated "vaulted chamber" in Ezekiel 16:24.

naked and bare

These two words mean the same thing. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 16:7. AT: "completely naked" (See: Doublet)

translationWords

punish

adultery

bloodshed

anger

hand

high place

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

and I shall deliver you [to those who shed] blood with fury and zeal And I shall deliver you to those who slay with fury and zeal and anger.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.