Ezekiel 22:12

12. taken gifts] i.e. bribes, said of judges, Exo_23:8; Isa_1:23; Mic_3:11—Cf. ch. Eze_18:13, Eze_23:35.

by extortion] oppression, or violence, as Eze_22:7. The vices here enumerated follow one another without any strict connexion. 1. The despotic conduct of the princes, whose power is their god (Hab_1:11), Eze_22:6. 2. Irreverence to parents, and want of compassion for the unprotected and helpless, Eze_22:7. 3. Irreligion, Eze_22:8; Eze_9:4. Immoralities and incest, Eze_22:10-11. And finally, greed of gain that overreaches and oppresses, Eze_22:12. The picture is dark enough, and is unmistakeably that of a people whose decline is incurable, and its time at hand (Eze_22:3), cf. Jer_5:7; Jer_6:13; Jer_7:5-6; Jer_22:3; Hos_7:7; Mic_6:10.

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.

Eze 22:12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

Ver. 12. Thou hast taken usury and increase.] Usura quasi propter usum rei, saith one, and foenus quasi funus. Such money to necessity, is like cold water to a hot ague, that for a time refresheth, but prolongeth the disease. It is like the timber worm, which is wonderfully soft to touch, but hath teeth so hard that it eateth the timber. See on Eze 18:13.

And hast greedily gained of thy neighbour.] Sept., Thou has consummated the consummation of thy wickedness in oppression.

And hast forgotten me.] All the forementioned evils are resolved into this as the root and origin of them. {a} See the like, Rom 3:18.

{a} Dei oblivio convehit omnem vitiorum catervam. - Jerome.

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.

forgotten me-- (Deu 32:18; Jer 2:32; Jer 3:21).

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

In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood..... Innocent blood, as the Targum; judges upon the bench, whose office it is to take the part of the innocent, and clear him from unjust charges; and protect him from the violence of wicked and unreasonable men; that lay things to his charge, which, if true, would require blood; and yet men in such offices took bribes to bring in the innocent guilty, and pass sentence of death on him; which is a most shocking iniquity indeed: to take bribes in pecuniary matters is very wicked; but to do it in cases which affect life is most dreadfully cruel: or if it is to be understood of such persons who take bribes to bear false witness against a man, to the taking away of his life, it is a very heinous and detestable sin; for, as for a set of jurymen bribed to bring in a wrong verdict, which would be equally a most enormous crime; such a custom to try causes to be determined by a jury did not obtain among the Jews:

thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion; not content with moderate usury, and increase, and even that were forbid the Jews among themselves; so greedy were they of gain at any rate, that they extorted it of their neighbours, in the most violent and oppressive manner. Kimchi, by her "friends or neighbours", understands the Assyrians and Egyptians; to whom she gave gifts, extorted by oppression from her own people, to get help of them:

and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord; to seek for help from me; or they had forgotten his law, which forbids the above sins; they had forgotten the instructions, cautions, and directions he had given them. The Targum is,

"and hast forsook my worship;''

forgetfulness of God is the cause of all sin.

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

Increase. Chap. xviii. 18. (Calmet) --- Me. "The remembrance of God excludes all sins." (St. Jerome)

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).

Judges, who should have saved, have sold the life of innocents; they who sat on God’s tribunal have acted the devil there, and murdered innocents, contrary to Exo 23:8.

Taken usury: see Eze 18:8. Greedily gained of thy neighbours; with unsatiable thirst of gain torn to pieces and devoured thy neighbour: so hast thou been an oppressing extortioner where thou shouldst not have been a moderate usurer, and thus forgottest thy God.

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

12. Taken gifts — Bribes (Exo_23:8; Isa_1:23; Mic_3:11).

Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors — In ancient Babylon the money lenders received twenty-five per cent a month from their victims. Assyriologists have noticed that some of these money lenders had Hebrew names, so that these words of Ezekiel may have been a severe blow to the “elders” in his congregation — as to many in the modern Church.

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

and enriched your neighbors with dishonest gain You made your friends rich with the dishonest gain that you gained dishonestly from the poor. Another explanation: וַתְּבַצְעִי is a form of a word for robbery, like (Ps. 10:3): “and the robber (וּבֹצֵעַ) blesses himself for having blasphemed the Lord.” Accordingly, its interpretation is: and you robbed your friends with affliction.

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.