John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 22

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me.
&c.] The word of prophecy from the Lord, as the Targum, another prophecy: saying;
as follows:

Now, you son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city ? Or, "city of bloods"^F25? the city of Jerusalem, in which was shed the blood of the prophets sent to her; the doubling of the word denotes the vehemency with which it was expressed: will you plead for and excuse such a city as this? surely no; so some: or will you do your work and office as a prophet? Do you have courage enough to do it? Will you rebuke and reprove? as the Targum; will you examine her case, judge truly, and condemn her, as you ought to do? Do you have an inclination to take this affair in hand? Then be directed to it, as follows:

Yes, you shall show her all her abominations; lay them before her; convict her of them; show her the evil of them, and the punishment they deserve; every kind of sin she was guilty of; for, as for particular acts, it was impossible to reckon them; those sins that were the most flagrant, and most frequently committed, and which were abominable to the Lord, and rendered her so in his sight, are intended.

FOOTNOTES:

• F25: (Mymd rye ta) "civitatem sanguinum", V. L. Munster, Montanus.

Then say you, thus says the Lord God; For though the prophet was to sit as judge, yet in the name of the King of kings, under whose authority he acted.

the city sheds blood in the midst of it; openly and impudently, in the face of all, and in great abundance; even innocent blood, as the Targum has it: murders were frequent and common, either through quarrels, or through unrighteous judgments in courts of judicature.

that her time may come; to fill up the measure of her iniquity, and to receive the just punishment of her sins. So the Targum, "the time of her destruction:"

and makes idols against herself, to defile herself; being guilty, not only of murder, but of idolatry; she was an idol maker and an idol worshipper; and which was against herself, as well as against God; to her own ruin and destruction, as well as to his dishonour; and it is no wonder she should be defiled with such dunghill gods as these were, as the word used signifies.

The Targum renders it, "in the midst of her"; and Kimchi interprets it, by "her", or "above her", upon the mountains and hills.

You are become guilty in your blood that you have shed
Not only she contracted guilt by the innocent blood she shed, but she was tried and found guilty; her guilt was notorious, plain, and evident, as well as exceeding great, and much aggravated:

and have defiled yourself in your idols which you have made :
she not only made them, in doing which she sinned; but polluted herself with them, by worshipping them; her mind and conscience were defiled with them; and which brought such a stain and pollution, as could not be removed by anything that she could do: there are both pollution and guilt in sin, and neither can be removed but by the blood of Christ; and, unless removed that way, punishment must follow:

and you have caused your days to draw near, and are come even unto your years ;
to full age, to ripeness for judgment; she had hastened by her sins her days of affliction and distress appointed for her, and was come to years of maturity to suffer for her sins; the years of her captivity, which would soon take place; years in which she would have no pleasure:

therefore have I made you a reproach unto the Heathen, and a mocking to all countries ;
who, instead of praising them for their idolatry, would deride them for leaving the God of their fathers, which they did not; and insult over them in their affliction and distress, though they joined with them in idolatrous practices.

Those that be near, and those that be far from you, shall mockyouThe neighbouring nations, as the Edomites, Philistines, Moabites, and Ammonites; and distant ones, as theBabylonians, Medes, and Persians; all that either hear of, or see their misery, shall rejoice at it, andtriumph over them: which are infamous and much vexed ;or they shall say, O you of an infamous name and character; who have defiled your name, got a blot upon it,and lost your credit by your conduct and behaviour; and now fretting and vexing under the afflictions andcalamities that lie upon you: or whose tumults are many, as the Targum; who have been full of noise, andfactions, and tumults; you are now come to a righteous end.