Ezekiel 37:23

Eze 37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

Ver. 23. Neither shall they defile.] After the captivity the Jews could never endure idolatry. The Popish image worship is at this day a very great stumblingblock to them.

Out of all their dwellingplaces.] Where, being mingled among the heathen, they learned their works. {Psa 106:35}

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.

23-28. The new Israel will not be defiled by idolatry, but God will cleanse them and save them from the temptations connected with their ancient dwelling places, and “from all their backslidings” (Eze_37:23, R.V., margin), and a new David, who shall live forever (Eze_37:25), shall be their shepherd-king (Eze_37:24; compare Eze_34:23-24), and they shall dwell in the land which was promised to Jacob and to Abraham before him, though he never made a sandal track in it (Act_7:5); and it shall be to them and to their children an inheritance forever, according to the new “covenant of peace” (compare Eze_34:25; Eze_16:60), and Jehovah will place them (or “give it them”) and set his sanctuary in the midst of them (Lev_26:11), and his “dwelling place” shall be with them (Eze_37:27; Eze_48:35), and the “nations” shall know that he is the Lord that doth sanctify Israel when his holy sanctuary is permitted to abide in the midst of the nation; which must therefore have been sanctified or separated unto himself as a holy possession. (Compare note Eze_37:15-22; 2Co_6:16; Rev_21:22.)

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

(Eze 36:25).

out of . . . their dwelling-places-- (Eze 36:28, Eze 36:33). I will remove them from the scene of their idolatries to dwell in their own land, and to serve idols no more.

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

(23) Out of all their dwellingplaces.—This expression can hardly refer to their places of exile and temporary sojourn among the heathen, since these were not especially the places where they had sinned. Their sins were rather committed in their own land; the “lands of their captivity” were the places where those sins were punished. “Their dwelling places” is then to be understood of their own land of Canaan, where they had been led into idolatry and all abominations by the heathen dwelling among them; and the promise is that this land shall be purged, that all evil shall be cast out from it, and the people delivered from the temptations by which they had hitherto been overcome.

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

23. Cf. Eze_36:25.

all their dwelling places] More probably: out of all their backslidings. So LXX., cf. Eze_36:29.

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.

Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols,....

With their dung, or dunghill gods (g); either with the idols of the Gentiles, or their own: after their return from the Babylonish captivity, the Jews were no more addicted to idolatry; and the image worship of the Papists is an abhorrence to them at this day, and a stumblingblock to them in their embracing Christianity: and when they are effectually called and converted to Christ; they will no more have respect to the idols, the works of their own hands; or to the idol of their own righteousness, which they have set up, and have gone about to establish, and to make to stand; they will then see it to be as filthy rags, defiling to them, instead of justifying of them; and therefore shall reject it, and no more defile themselves with it; but seek the righteousness of Christ, which justifies from all sin, and renders pure and spotless in the sight of God,

nor with their detestable things; or "abominations" (h); the traditions of the elders, which they have preferred to the word of God, and made the rule of their faith, worship, and conversation; which has made them detestable unto God:

nor with any of their transgressions; particularly their disbelief of Christ and their blasphemy against him; nor shall they indulge themselves in those sins which now prevail among them, as pride, covetousness, uncleanness, fraud, and tricking in their trade and commerce:

but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned; as wherever they dwell they do; they are notorious for their wickedness; but God will bring them out of all these places, where they have lived in sin, and been the occasion of it to some, as well as followed the example of others:

and will cleanse them; by sprinkling clean water upon them; by applying the blood of Christ to them, which cleanses from all sin see Eze 36:25,

so they shall be my people, and will be their God; the "loammi" will be taken off, and the covenant of grace shall be renewed with them, and made manifest to them; and the blessings and promises shall be applied to them, and particularly this; see Jer 31:1.

(g) "diis stercoreis suis", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "stercoribus suis", Cocceius, Starckius. (h) "abominandis suis", Starckius; "abominationibus", Pagninus, Cocceius.

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

Idols. The Jews, even many of the priests, worshipped them, under Antiochus. (Calmet) --- But the Church is never defiled. (Haydock)

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).

Defile themselves: idolatry is a very defiling sin, and the Jews in both kingdoms were exceedingly addicted to it, pertinacious in it, to the utter ruin of both kingdoms; but after the return from Babylonish captivity, we find no where that they fell to idolatry.

Their idols: it may refer to the heathen, and then it means, they shall not defile themselves with the idols the heathen did worship; or to the idols of the Jews, their own idols, with which they shall no more be defiled.

Their detestable things; the same with idols, and added to set out the loathsomeness of the sin. Their transgressions; the former obstinate, bold, daring transgressors did that which these shall not defile themselves with: see Eze 36:25,33; 11:17,18. I will save them; whilst there I preserved them, and now I will bring them safe out of the places.

Wherein they have sinned; where out of a bad fear, or worse choice, they sinned, as did the heathen with whom they dwelt.

Will cleanse them; both sanctify and make them holy, and justify and give them pardon, Eze 36:29. My people: see Eze 11:20; 36:28.

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

The dwelling-places wherein they have sinned, from which Jehovah premises to save them, are in accordance with the views expressed above, not, as Hengstenberg and Hitzig conjecture, the dwelling-places of the exile in which the people then were, but the dwelling-places in Canaan in which they had formerly transgressed, but would in future be preserved from transgressing. The idea is, as Schroder suggests, the localization of transgression which is viewed as proceeding from the dwelling-places in which it is committed; or, according to Plumptre, the conception is that, as their habitations had formerly been contaminated by their detestable things, "the worship of teraphim and such like, if not worse," so Jehovah would save them from that contamination. The proposal to alter the text by the transposition of a letter, converting moshbhothehem, "dwelling-places," into meshubhothehem," defections," as in Jer_3:22, (comp. Eze_36:29) though adopted by some ancient versions and favored by Ewald and Smend, is not necessary. The fascination of idolatry.

Idolatry was a besetting sin of Israel. No sooner were the people delivered from Egypt by the great unseen God than they made a golden calf. Intercourse with the Moabites led to idolatry in a later stage of the wilderness-wanderings. (Num_25:2) The story of Micah and his god gives us a glimpse of the gross popular superstition that was to be found in Israel during the days of the judges. (Jud_1:17:4) Solomon in all his glory was lured to idolatry by foreign heathenish wives. (1Ki_11:4) The separated northern tribes emphasized their schism by setting up calves at Dan and Bethel. The prophets were compelled to denounce idolatry, and the doom of the Captivity was largely earned by this sin. (Eze_14:7) What is its essential character? and whence does it draw its singular fascination?

I THE SURVIVAL OF ANTIQUITY. Joshua reminded the people that their fathers worshipped "other gods". (Jos_24:2) The Hebrews cannot be described as an originally and naturally monotheistic race. Monotheism does not seem to be innate in any branch of the Semitic family. On the contrary, it is much more readily traced in the early history of the Aryan races. The Semitic instinct rather points to cruel and lustful nature-worship, accompanied by gross idolatry, although by the inspiration of their prophets the Hebrews were called out of this low form of religion to the worship of the holy Jehovah. Superstitions of idolatry linger long after a more spiritual worship.is established. This is seen in missionary lands; and even in Europe heathenish customs are mixed up with Christian belief. Much of the corruption of Christianity in Romanism is just the perpetuation of the old paganism under Christian names.

II THE CONTAGION OF EXAMPLE. The Jews were surrounded by heathen peoples. They were called to a lonely destiny of separation. But they did not always realize their vocation. Their later idolatry was an importation from their neighbors. Men are much influenced in religion by what is called "the spirit of the times," by the fashion of the day, by the stream of prevalent customs. It is hard to make our religion a continual protest against popular ideas and practices.

III THE CHARM OF THE SENSUOUS. Idols were visible, tangible objects. It was so much easier to offer worship to such things than to the unseen God of heaven. It is our perpetual temptation to neglect the spiritual for the material. We do not prostrate ourselves before calves of gold; but we are tempted to worship coins of gold. Our idol-temples are the marts of commerce. The British Parthenon is the Bank of England. The whole tendency of life is towards absorption in things temporal, concrete, visible eating and drinking, clothing and building, merry-making and amusements. Even in religion we tend to degenerate to the sensuous, and music and pageantry threaten to supersede worship and meditation. The visible ritual endangers the invisible devotion. All this is idolatry.

IV THE COMFORT OF A LOW IDEAL. The intellectual strain of spiritual worship is not its most exacting characteristic. God is not only unseen; he is holy, and he can only be approached with clean hands and a pure heart. The religion of Israel was a religion of holiness. This was its most marked feature in contrast with heathenism. It was possible to satisfy all the demands of idolatry and yet to remain in sin. Nay, much of the monstrous ritual of idol-worship consisted in the indulgence of licentious passions. It was much easier to worship idols than to worship the holy God. A worldly life is compatible with a low moral standard. Hence the temptation to be satisfied with this life. But Christ calls us to the loftiest ideal and to a warfare against sin. We must take up the cross if we would follow him.

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

I will save - I will bring them safe out of them. And will cleanse - Both justify and sanctify them.

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