Go to Related Reading
About this book

Ezekiel

About this book
Chapter 35

1 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, turn toward Mount Seir and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir; I will stretch out my hand against you and turn you into a desolate ruin. 4 I will lay waste your cities, and you will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord! 5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword at the time of their calamity,⁠ at the time of their final punishment. 6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; I will cut off from it the one who passes through or returns. 8 I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall. 9 I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 10 “‘You said, “These two nations, these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,” (although the Lord was there); 11 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will deal with you according to your anger and your envy, by which you acted spitefully against them. I will reveal myself to them when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate; they have been given to us for food.” 13 You exalted yourselves against me with your speech and hurled many insults against me—I have heard them all! 14 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will turn you into a desolation. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you—you will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom—all of it! Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Texts in conversation

Compare Ezekiel 35:5 and Obadiah 1:13

Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

Ezekiel accuses Edom of helping to deliver Judeans to be killed during Jerusalem’s invasion and collapse. Obadiah echoes this charge, condemning Edom for taking advantage of the city’s disaster instead of offering help.

Passages

Ezekiel 35:5

Hebrew Bible
3 Say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir; I will stretch out my hand against you and turn you into a desolate ruin. 4 I will lay waste your cities, and you will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord! 5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment. 6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; I will cut off from it the one who passes through or returns.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ezekiel

Obadiah 1:13

Hebrew Bible
11 You stood aloof while strangers took his army captive and foreigners advanced to his gates. When they cast lots over Jerusalem, you behaved as though you were in league with them. 12 You should not have gloated when your relatives suffered calamity. You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed. You should not have boasted when they suffered adversity. 13 You should not have entered the city of my people when they experienced distress. You should not have joined in gloating over their misfortune when they suffered distress. You should not have looted their wealth when they endured distress. 14 You should not have stood at the fork in the road to slaughter those trying to escape. You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity. 15 “For the day of the Lord is approaching for all the nations! Just as you have done, so it will be done to you. You will get exactly what your deeds deserve.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Obadiah

References

"... The 8th-century prophet Amos inveighed against Edom for stifling natural brotherly compassion and pursuing Israel with the sword (Amos 1:11-12), and Isaiah viewed the nation as the archenemy of Israel (Isaiah 34; compare 63:1-6). Edom's expressions of hatred toward Judah apparently intensified in the latter's darkest hours. When Nebuchadrezzar razed Jerusalem, the Edomites had stood by clapping their hands with glee. Our text suggests that they played an active part in Judah's calamity, delivering her population over to the sword. The idiom 'to pour into the hands of the sword' combines the notions of violence and betrayal. Verse 5 refers to Judah's calamity with two special expressions. For the Edomites the ring of the first, at the time of their calamity, is ominous. While the etymology of 'calamity' is uncertain, the prophets capitalized on its sound to play on the name 'Edom'. Of the four occurrences relating to the fall of Jerusalem, three are found in oracles against Edom. (See Obadiah 13; Jeremiah 49:8; Ezekiel 35:5; compare Jeremiah 49:32 to Damascus) Ezekiel will maintain the play in the following verse with his fourfold reference to blood, dam. The second expression refers to Judah's fall as the time of their final punishment is a typically Ezekielian expression (compare 21:30, 34), employing not in the common sense of 'iniquity, guilt,' but as 'punishment' for guilt ..."
Daniel I. Block, The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 25-48 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1997), 317.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Ezekiel 35:5 and Obadiah 1:13

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library