Ezekiel 16:40

Eze 16:40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

Ver. 40. They shall also bring up a company against thee.] The Chaldeans, that "hasty and bitter nation." {Hab 1:6}

And they shall stone thee.] See on Eze 16:35.

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.

Eze 16:40-43. They shall bring a company against thee — A company shall come against thee, and beat down thy walls and houses, with stones slung out of battering-engines: see Jer 33:4. The expression alludes, as in Eze 16:38, to the punishment inflicted upon adulteresses, which was stoning. And they shall burn thy houses, &c. — The punishment allotted to an idolatrous city, Deu 13:16. The word may likewise allude to the punishment of burning, anciently inflicted upon harlots: see Gen 38:24. And execute judgment upon thee in the sight of many women — Nations that shall triumph over thee; such as the Syrians, Philistines, &c. — The judgment which I shall execute upon thee shall be for an instruction to other nations, deterring them from following thine evil practices. It is said, in the sight of women, because Jerusalem is spoken of and represented as a woman. So will I make my fury, &c., to rest — I will fully satisfy my just anger, in inflicting these severe punishments upon thee. I also will recompense thy way upon thy head — Thou hast despised me, I also will despise thee; thou hast forsaken me, I also will forsake thee. Thou shalt not commit this lewdness, &c. — Thou shalt not add these manifold and shameless practices of idolatry to all thy other wickedness. The clause however may be rendered, Neither hast thou laid to heart all these thine abominations.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(Eze 23:10, Eze 23:47). Compare as to the destruction under Titus, Luk 19:43-44.

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

Since what Ezekiel has hitherto brought forward was incredible, he now explains the manner of its accomplishment — that the Chaldmans and Assyrians should bring a large army and bury the whole of Judea with stones, and pierce it through with swords. By these figures he simply means that there should be such slaughter that the whole region should be made desolate, just as if the enemy should slay all that they met with stones and swords. Some think that he alludes to stones which were thrown by engines of war; but I doubt whether the Prophet thought of this. What I have stated is more simple, that the Jews had no cause to think themselves free from that final slaughter of which the Prophet spoke, since numerous and powerful armies should come and overwhelm them with stones, and pierce them through with swords. It 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.

40. a company against thee] A congregation or public assembly of the people, at which the adulteress shall be tried and then executed; Lev_20:2; Deu_22:21 (cf. 1Ki_21:9-15), Pro_5:8-14, I was almost in all evil (danger of death) in the midst of the congregation and assembly. The death of the adulteress was by stoning; Lev_20:10; Deu_22:22; Joh_8:5.

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 they shall burn thine houses with fire,.... As the houses in Jerusalem were by Nebuchadnezzar's army, even the temple, the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and the houses of great men, even all the houses in the city, Jer 52:13; and as was commanded to be done to idolatrous cities, Deu 13:16; and this also may be said in allusion to the burning of adulterous persons, Gen 38:24;

and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women; or provinces, as the Targum; meaning the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, who would rejoice in their ruin; the judgments design those before mentioned:

and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more; their idols, high places, and altars, being demolished, and they plundered of their substance; and after the Babylonish captivity the Jews never returned to idolatry any more.

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

They; the king of Babylon, and his counsellors, and captains.

A company; an assembled army. You had your assemblies for your idol worship, and I will have also an assembly, but it shall be of Chaldeans, Hab 1:6, and others, to destroy you for your idolatry.

They shall stone thee: the punishment by stoning was not inflicted on the condemned, but in the sight of the congregation; so here is a congregation of many nations, before whom this just judgment of God shall be executed on this adulteress. It intimates the manner of battering of the walls of Jerusalem, with stones cast out of their engines.

Thrust thee through with their swords; when the enemy shall assault and take the battered city, he will in his fury slay and destroy with the sword. It is called

their sword, because it might mind the Israelites that the destruction would be with the sword of a cruel one, of either an old professed enemy, or a new revolted friend.

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

40. Stone thee — Stoning was the penalty for adultery under the Jewish law (Lev_20:10; Deu_22:22).

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

The punishment of stoning was, as a rule, inflicted by the "congregation", (Num_15:36) or by the men of the city. (Lev_20:2) Other forms of punishement for impurity were those of the sword and burning, as in Lev_20:14 Lev_21:9. The thrusting through (better, hewing; the word is not found elsewhere) probably points to mutilation after death, as in the case of Agog (1Sa_15:33; Jud_1:19:29; Dan_2:5 Dan_3:29) in this case the "congregation" or "company" is the army of the Chaldeans, and each form of punishment has its counterpart in the various agencies which they employed for the punishment of the city.

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

General Information:

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

will perform many acts of punishment on you

The word "punishment" can be translated with a verbal phrase. AT: "will punish you in many different ways" (See: Abstract Nouns)

in the sight of many women

"where many women can see" or "while many women watch"

I will calm my fury against you; my anger will leave you

The words "fury" and "anger" refer to the punishment that Yahweh inflicts because he is angry. The two phrases mean basically the same thing. AT: "I will stop punishing you because I will no longer be angry with you" (See: Metonymy and Parallelism)

translationWords

stone

sword

punish

prostitute

anger

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 pierce you Heb. וּבִתְּקוּךְ. There is no similar word elsewhere in Scripture, and Jonathan rendered וְיִבְזְעוּנִיךּ, and they will pierce you, e tre[s]perzeront toy in Old French.

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.