Page 78 - NOTES ON EZEKIEL

72 NOTES ON EZEKIEL.

and universally in the especial arena, for the time being,
of His glory.
“ How weak [or, withered] is thine heart, saitli the
Lord Jehovah, seeing thou doest all these things, the
work of an imperious whorish woman; in that thou
buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way,
and inakest thine high place in every street; and hast
not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire ; but
as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh
strangers instead of her husband! They give gifts to
all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers,
and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every
side for thy whoredom. And the contrary is in thee
from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none fol-
loweth thee to commit whoredoms; and in that thou
givest a rewrard, and no reward is given unto thee, there­
fore thou art contrary.” (Ver. 30-34.) This indeed was a
tremendous aggravation of Jerusalem’s guilt. They had
nothing to gain; so blessed had they been of Jehovah.
Others in their blind craving after goods they saw else­
where might impute them to the gods of the hills or of the
valleys, and so add idol to idol; but Jerusalem was in­
excusable because she had nothing to desire from any
one nation around, great or small, far or near. It was
therefore lusting after false gods for mere lust; it was
sinning her worst for the love of it, leaving the vilest
strumpets excused comparatively with herself.
Jehovah thus summons the harlot Jerusalem to hear
His sentence on their mad and insatiable wantonness.
“ Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah:
thus saith the Lord Jehovah; because thy filthiness
was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through