John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 35

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me

After the prophecy concerning the shepherds of Israel, and the goats of the flock, and of their oppressions of the sheep and lambs, the weak of the flock; and concerning the Messiah, and the blessings of grace promised the church in the latter day; came another concerning the destruction of her enemies, under the name of Seir or Edom: saying:

as follows:

Son of man set thy face against Mount Seir
Which had its name from Seir the Horite, who first possessed it; and was succeeded in it by Esau and his posterity, the Edomites; see (Genesis 36:8Genesis 36:9Genesis 36:20) (14:6) (Deuteronomy 2:12) , so that the country of Edom or Idumea is here intended, and the inhabitants of it; who are put for the enemies of the church and people of God in general, as these were the enemies of Israel and Judah; and particularly for Rome, which, as it was spiritually called Egypt and Sodom, so it may be called Edom, as it often is by the Jews: now the prophet is bid to turn his face towards this mountain or country, and look sternly at it, and severely threaten it. The Targum is, "take up a prophecy against it;" which is expressed in the next clause: and prophesy against it ;
foretell things contrary to it, which relate to its destruction, as follows:

And say unto it, thus says the Lord God
The prophet was not upon the spot, and could not direct his speech immediately to the Edomites; but he mightsend this prophecy to their ambassadors at Babylon; or in a letter to them in their own land, in the name ofthe Lord: behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you :
not the face of the prophet only, but the face of God himself was against them; and a terrible thing it isfor any to have God to be against them, whether a nation, or a particular person. The Targum is, ``behold,I send my fury upon you:''

and I will stretch out my hand against you ;
which was able to reach them wherever they were. When stretched out, it cannot be turned back, and where it lands, it falls heavily indeed; namely, his mighty hand of power and wrath. The Targum is, ``and I willlift up the stroke of my power upon you;''

The consequence is as follows: and I will make you most desolate ;
their land, cities, towns, and villages, all should be utterly laid waste; see (Revelation 17:16) (18:8), so it follows:

I will lay your cities waste

Such as Dedan, Teman, Bozrah, and other cities of Idumea mentioned in Scripture; and figuratively may design all within the jurisdiction of Rome, the several cities of the antichristian states, called "the cities of the nations"; which will fall at the pouring out of the vials, (Revelation 16:19).

and you shall be desolate

thoroughly and entirely, and remain so:

and you shall know that I am the Lord

that has done all this; that the hand of God was in it; and that this is a punishment inflicted by him, for their sins after mentioned; but not that they should know the Lord spiritually and savingly, and so as to yield obedience to him, and own and acknowledge him to be their God; though this may be the case of a remnant among them; see (Revelation 11:13) (18:4).

Because you have had a perpetual hatred
There was an old grudge and enmity subsisting in the posterity of Esau against the posterity of Jacob, because the latter supplanted the former, and got the birthright and blessing from him; and which was discovered in all ages, and at all opportunities, and on all occasions which offered; and such has been the hatred of the church of Rome against the true professors and followers of Christ, as their bloody persecution of them in all ages has shown:

and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the
sword in the time of their calamity :
when Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldeans, the Edomites not only rejoiced at it, and took part of the spoil, but stood in the crossways, and slew those that made their escape; or drove them back upon the sword of the enemy; or delivered them into their hands; which was barbarous and inhuman usage of their neighbours and brethren; see (Obadiah 1:10Obadiah 1:11) . The Targum is, and you did deliver the children of Israel into the hands of those that slay with the sword, in the time of their destruction:

in the time that their iniquity had an end ;
when either the measure of that was full; or when they received for it full correction and chastisement; at the consummation of that.