Ezekiel 35

Chapters 33–39 of Ezekiel contain prophecies of restoration delivered after the fall of Jerusalem, and chapter 35 belongs to this section. The preceding chapter, Ezekiel 34, pronounces judgment on the false shepherds and promises that God himself will tend his flock. Chapter 35 declares judgment on Israel's neighbor Edom, which had designs on Israel, and so sets the stage for Ezekiel 36, which speaks of the restoration of the mountains of Israel.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The LORD tells the son of man to set his face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. God declares that he is against Mount Seir, that he will make it desolate, and that he will lay its cities waste.
• Verses 5–9 The reason for the judgment is given. Mount Seir has harbored a perpetual hatred and delivered the house of Israel to the sword in the time of their calamity. Swearing by his own life, God declares that blood will pursue Edom, that the slain will fall on its mountains, valleys, and rivers, and that the land will be a perpetual desolation.
• Verses 10–13 Edom had said that "these two nations and these two countries" would be its possession. Yet the LORD was there. God will repay Edom according to its anger and envy, and he declares that he has heard all its blasphemies against the mountains of Israel and its boastful words against him.
• Verses 14–15 Just as Edom rejoiced over the desolation of Israel's inheritance, so Mount Seir and all of Edom will become desolate.

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 35:5 "Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity" — This verse identifies the root cause of the judgment as long-standing enmity and betrayal in a time of distress.
• Ezekiel 35:10 "whereas the LORD was there" — This is the central claim of the chapter: the land belongs not to human beings but to God.
• Ezekiel 35:15 "As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate" — This verse illustrates the principle that rejoicing over another's misfortune will be repaid in kind.

People and Places

• Ezekiel: A prophet who ministered among the exiles in Babylon. In this chapter he is addressed as "son of man."
• Mount Seir: A mountainous region southeast of the Dead Sea and the homeland of the Edomites. In this chapter the name stands for Edom as a whole.
• Edom: A people traditionally regarded as the descendants of Esau.
• The mountains of Israel: An expression referring to the land of Israel. They become the object of the restoration prophecy in chapter 36.

Points for Reflection

• In this chapter "son of man" is a form of address for the prophet as a human being standing before God. Its use differs from the title Jesus applied to himself in the Gospels.
• Many interpreters read the phrase "perpetual hatred" in connection with the conflict between Jacob and Esau, although the text itself does not mention Esau directly.
• "Two nations and two countries" is usually understood as the northern kingdom of Israel and Judah.
• Edom's conduct at the fall of Jerusalem is also described in Obadiah and in Psalm 137:7. A brief judgment oracle against Edom also appears in Ezekiel 25:12–14.
• The phrase "ye shall know that I am the LORD" recurs throughout the book of Ezekiel and shows that the purpose of judgment is to bring people to know God.
• There is no clear direct quotation of this chapter in the New Testament.