Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: Ezechiel
Ver. 44. Daughter. They too commonly (Calmet) follow bad parents. (Juvenal vi. 239., and xiv. 25.) --- Jerusalem is more wicked than the Cethite, (Haydock) her mother, ver. 3. (Calmet) --- Even this nation had once received the principles of true religion from the patriarchs, but cast them off to embrace idolatry, and to destroy her children. (Haydock) --- Jerusalem was formerly and is still wicked. (Worthington)
Ver. 46. Right: southward. --- Sodom. The city was more ancient than Jerusalem. Hence it here designates Ruben, (Haydock) and the Jews east of the Jordan; (Prado) or rather Moab and Ammon, (ver. 55.; Calmet) and the rest of the Gentiles. (Haydock) --- Samaria shewed Jerusalem the road to idolatry, and therefore is called her elder sister. The number of the ten tribes was also greater than that of the kingdom of Juda, which became corrupt as Sodom, only by degrees. (Theodoret)
Ver. 47. Ways, but hast done even worse. --- Almost. He seems to diminish their crimes, (Calmet) as if it could hardly be believed that Jerusalem should be more abandoned. Hebrew and Septuagint, "that would be but little: yea, thou hast done more," &c. (Haydock)
Ver. 49. Sodom, &c. That is, these were the steps by which the Sodomites came to fall into those abominations for which they were destroyed. For pride, gluttony, and idleness, are the high road to all kinds of lust; especially when they are accompanied with a neglect of the works of mercy. (Challoner) --- These crimes alone are great enough; (Luke xvi. 19.) and the prophets never accuse the Jews of unnatural lust. Hence Ezechiel takes no notice of it here, as he probably refers to the manners of the Moabites, &c., who were then living, Isaias xvi. 6. (Calmet) --- Abundance and idleness produce crimes; temperance and labour bring forth good fruit. (Worthington)
Ver. 50. Seen. This would seem to allude to the Israelites beyond the Jordan, who had been led away into Assyria. The Moabites, &c., beheld the downfall of Jerusalem, (Haydock) and were treated in like manner, only five years later. (Jos.[Josephus?]) (Jeremias xlviii., &c.)
Ver. 51. Justified, as they are comparatively innocent. (St. Augustine, contra Faust. xxii. 61.) --- They had not the like advantages, (Matthew xi. 23.) nor the example of others' punishment to open their eyes. Thou hast pleaded for or with them, and hast lost thy cause. (Calmet)
Ver. 53. Back, &c. This relates to the conversion of the Gentiles out of all nations, and of many of the Jews, to the Church of Christ. (Challoner) --- Cyrus also liberated the tribes on the east as well as on the west of the Jordan, (Haydock) and in general all the captive nations. (Calmet) --- And restore. Hebrew, "the captivity, even the captivity of Sodom." Septuagint, "I will turn away their aversions, the," &c. I will give them a more docile spirit. (Haydock)
Ver. 54. Them. It affords some consolation to have partners in misery. (Calmet)
Ver. 55. Ancient state. That is, to their former state of liberty, and their ancient possessions. In the spiritual sense, to the true liberty and the happy inheritance of the children of God, through faith in Christ. (Challoner) --- All will be treated alike, whether Jew or Gentile. (Haydock) --- When Sodom or the Gentiles shall have embraced the gospel, then also will the Jews, Romans x. (Worthington)
Ver. 56. Pride. Thou scornedst to mention her, (Psalm xv. 4.; Calmet) or wouldst not take warning. (St. Jerome)
Ver. 59. Covenant at Sinai, or under Josue, [Josue] viii., and Exodus xix. 7.
Ver. 60. Covenant. After punishing thee I will fulfill my promises, as we see was done (Calmet) after the captivity, and (Haydock) in the Christian Church. (Calmet) --- All shall be converted, not by the Jewish but by the evangelical covenant. (Worthington)
Ver. 61. Daughters. The countries were conquered by the Machabees. All nations embrace the gospel. --- Covenant. It is broken. I will, out of pity, re-establish it, or a better, to last for ever under Christ, free from the servitude and fear of the old law. (Calmet)
Bible Text & Cross-references:
Under the figure of an unfaithful wife, God upbraids Jerusalem with her ingratitude and manifold disloyalties: but promiseth mercy by a new covenant.
1 And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations:
3 And thou shalt say: Thus saith the Lord God to Jerusalem: Thy root, and thy nativity is of the land of Chanaan, thy father was an Amorrhite, and thy mother a Cethite.
4 And when thou wast born, in the day of thy nativity thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed with water for thy health, nor salted with salt, nor swaddled with clouts.
5 No eye had pity on thee to do any of these things for thee, out of compassion to thee: but thou wast cast out upon the face of the earth in the abjection of thy soul, in the day that thou wast born.
6 And passing by thee, I saw that thou wast trodden under foot in thy own blood: and I said to thee when thou wast in thy blood: Live: yes, I said to thee: Live in thy blood.
7 I caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field: and thou didst increase and grow great, and advancedst, and camest to woman's ornament: thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair grew: and thou wast naked, and full of confusion.
8 And I passed by thee, and saw thee: and behold thy time was the time of lovers: and I spread my garment over thee, and covered thy ignominy. And I swore to thee, and I entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God: and thou becamest mine.
9 And I washed thee with water, and cleansed away thy blood from thee: and I anointed thee with oil.
10 And I clothed thee with embroidery, and shod thee with violet-coloured shoes: and I girded thee about with fine linen, and clothed thee with fine garments.
11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and put bracelets on thy hands, and a chain about thy neck.
12 And I put a jewel upon thy forehead and ear-rings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.
13 And thou wast adorned with gold, and silver, and wast clothed with fine linen, and embroidered work, and many colours: thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil, and wast made exceedingly beautiful: and wast advanced to be a queen.
14 And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty: for thou wast perfect through my beauty, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.
15 But trusting in thy beauty, thou playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and thou hast prostituted thyself to every passenger, to be his.
16 And taking of thy garments thou hast made thee high places sowed together on each side: and hast played the harlot upon them, as hath not been done before, nor shall be hereafter.
17 And thou tookest thy beautiful vessels, of my gold, and my silver, which I gave thee, and thou madest thee images of men, and hast committed fornication with them.
18 And thou tookest thy garments of divers colours, and coveredst them: and settest my oil and my sweet incense before them.
19 And my bread which I gave thee, the fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast set before them for a sweet odour; and it was done, saith the Lord God.
20 And thou hast taken thy sons, and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne to me: and hast sacrificed the same to them to be devoured. Is thy fornication small?