Catholic Commentary on Ezekiel 25

“Because Ammon said 'Aha!' over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste... therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East as a possession.” (Ezekiel 25:3,4)

Oracles against the Nations Begin

Ezekiel 25-32 contains oracles against surrounding nations: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. The common thread is that these nations took pleasure in Jerusalem's fall or took advantage of Israel's weakness. Against Ammon: because Ammon said 'Aha!' over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile, therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East as a possession. Against Moab: because Moab said Judah has become like all the other nations, I will expose the flank of Moab. Against Edom: because Edom took revenge on Judah, I will lay my vengeance on Edom through my people Israel. Against the Philistines: because they acted in vengeance with malice in their hearts.
The Catechism draws from the oracles against the nations the principle of universal accountability: the God of Israel is the God of all nations who holds every people responsible for their treatment of the vulnerable (CCC 56).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, they said Aha! when God's sanctuary was desecrated. The gloating over another community's destruction is one of the most condemned attitudes in the prophetic literature. God notices who gloats when the sacred is profaned and who mourns. Let your response to the suffering of others determine which list your name appears on.

Prayer

Lord God, keep us from saying Aha! when others suffer. Give us the mourning of those who feel the pain of every community's loss. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

25
A Prophecy against Ammon
1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Tell the Ammonites to hear the word of the Lord GOD, for this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you exclaimed, “Aha!” when My sanctuary was profaned, when the land of Israel was laid waste, and when the house of Judah went into exile, 4 therefore I will indeed give you as a possession to the people of the East. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and Ammon * 25:5 Hebrew and the Ammonites a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’
 
6 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you clapped your hands and stomped your feet and rejoiced over the land of Israel with a heart full of contempt, 7 therefore I will indeed stretch out My hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the LORD.’
A Prophecy against Moab
 
8 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Moab and Seir † 25:8 LXX does not include and Seir. said, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,” 9 therefore I will indeed expose the flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities-Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim-the glory of the land. 10 I will give it along with the Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. 11 So I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the LORD.’
A Prophecy against Edom
 
12 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, 13 therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. 14 I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’
A Prophecy against the Philistines
 
15 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance with malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient hostility, 16 therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast. 17 I will execute great vengeance against them with furious reproof. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.’ ”

*25:5 25:5 Hebrew and the Ammonites

†25:8 25:8 LXX does not include and Seir.

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