Ezekiel 24:7

Eze 24:7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;

Ver. 7. For her blood is in the midst of her.] She careth not who knows of her murders and oppressions. He seemeth to allude to that law, that blood being let out of a beast should be covered in the ground.

She set it upon the top of a rock.] Super limpidissimam petram, saith the Vulgate, as glorying in it. So Abimelech slew all his brethren upon one stone; {Jdg 9:5} the Jews crucified our Saviour on Mount Calvary.

She poured it not.] Pudet et non esse impudentem. It is shameful not to be shameless.

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.

The city showed her cruelty to all the world, and was not ashamed thereof, neither yet hid it.

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

upon the top of a rock--or, "the dry, bare, exposed rock," so as to be conspicuous to all. Blood poured on a rock is not so soon absorbed as blood poured on the earth. The law ordered the blood even of a beast or fowl to be "covered with the dust" (Lev 17:13); but Jerusalem was so shameless as to be at no pains to cover up the blood of innocent men slain in her. Blood, as the consummation of all sin, presupposes every other form of guilt.

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

Verse 7. For her blood is in the midst of her] She gloried in her idol sacrifices; she offered them upon a rock, where the blood should remain evident; and she poured none upon the ground to cover it with dust, in horror of that moral evil that required the blood of an innocent creature to be shed, in order to the atonement of the offender's guilt. To "cover the blood of the victim," was a command of the law, Le 17:13; De 12:24.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(7) Upon the top of a rock.—Crimes of violence are continually charged upon Jerusalem (Eze_22:12-13; Eze_23:37, &c.), but here she is further reproached with such indifference to these crimes that she did not even care to cover them decently. It was required in the law that the blood even of the sacrifices (Lev_4:7; Lev_16:15, &c.) and of animals slain for food (Deu_12:16) should be poured upon the ground, that it might be absorbed and covered out of sight; but Jerusalem had put the blood of her victims upon the hard rock, and not even covered it with dust, thus glorying in her shame. (Comp. Job_16:18; Isa_26:21.)

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

7. top of a rock] a bare rock. Job_16:18, “O earth cover not my blood.” Blood uncovered cries for vengeance. Cf. Lev_17:13; Deu_12:16. On the idea of the openness of Jerusalem’s sin cf. Isa_3:9, “They declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not.”

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.

For her blood is in the midst of her,.... The blood of innocent persons shed in the midst of her, openly and publicly, cried for vengeance:

she set it upon the top of a rock; where it could not soak in, as when spilled upon soft earth: this denotes her openness and impudence in shedding blood, as not being ashamed of it, or afraid of punishment for it, but as rather glorying in it; perhaps there may be some allusion to the tops of hills and mountains, where idolatry was committed, attended with shedding human blood:

she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; she did not take any methods to hide her sin; having no sense of the heinousness of it, nor any consciousness of guilt, or any remorse or repentance; respect is had to a law which obliged to cover blood shed with dust, Lev 17:13. The Targum of the whole is,

"because innocent blood which is shed in the midst of her; with pride and with a high arm she shed it; she shed it not through ignorance, that she might repent of it.''

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

The top of a rock - The blood was poured upon a naked, dry, rock where it could not be absorbed or unnoticed.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

She hath. Septuagint, "I have let it corrupt upon. I have not," &c., (ver. 8.; Haydock) as if God spoke. The Jews had committed murder without fear. They had naturally a horror for blood, and the law ordered even that of beasts to be covered, Leviticus xvii. 13. Now innocent blood cries for vengeance, Genesis iv. 10. The punishment shall be as visible as the crime, ver. 8.

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).

Her blood, innocent blood which she hath shed,

is in the midst of her; openly and publicly, without fear, or shame, or reluctance.

Set it upon the top of a rock, where it might be long seen, cared not to hide her murders, as the next words clear it.

Poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust: with cruelty and inhumanity they did murder, for when the law directed that the blood of beast or fowl killed should be poured on the earth, and covered with dust, Lev 17:13, these butchers of innocent ones leave their blood uncovered, whether in a boasting manner, or for terror, I will not say, but this aggravates the sin.

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

7. Top of a rock — The blood of her idol sacrifices was not hidden, but was offered in plain view on the “naked rock;” so shall her own blood be poured out (Eze_24:8).

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

The parable is for a moment interrupted, and Jerusalem is the murderess who has shed blood, not where the earth might cover it, (Isa_26:21) but as on the top of a rock visible in the sight of all men.

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

The blood - Innocent blood which she hath shed. The top of a rock - Where it might be long seen. To cover it - These butchers of innocent ones leave their blood uncovered.

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

General Information:

Yahweh continues telling a parable to Ezekiel about a cooking pot that represents Jerusalem. This parable continues through Ezekiel 24:14. (See: Parables)

For her blood is in the midst of her

This means that the blood from those who were murdered in Jerusalem is still there. AT: "For the blood of those who were murdered among her is still there" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

her

The word "her" refers to Jerusalem, which is represented by the cooking pot.

She has set it on the smooth rock; she has not poured it out on the ground to cover it with dust

This personifies Jerusalem as a person who murdered the people and chose where to put their blood. AT: "They were murdered on the smooth rocks; not on the dirt where the dust would hide their blood" or "Their blood fell on the smooth rocks; it did not fall on the ground where the dust would cover it" (See: Personification)

has set it on the smooth rock

"has put the blood on bare rocks"

so it brings fury up to exact vengeance

Here Yahweh is speaking about himself taking revenge on those who murdered the people in Jerusalem. AT: "in order that I could see it and then be angry and get revenge" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

so it could not be covered

This can be stated in active form. AT: "so that no one could cover it" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

wrath

avenge

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

smooth [Heb. צְחִיחַ,] smoothness.

she did not pour it out on the ground, etc. Jonathan paraphrased: with willful wickedness and with an arm raised on high did she shed it; she did not shed it unintentionally to repent of it. Our Rabbis (Git. 57b, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana 122a) explained it as referring to the blood of Zechariah the son of Jehoiada. They did not treat it as the blood of the deer or the blood of the gazelle.

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.