Catholic Commentary on Ezekiel 35

“Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity.” (Ezekiel 35:5)

Against Edom

The word of the LORD comes against Mount Seir: I am against you; I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. I will devastate your towns and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax, therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go.

The Catechism identifies the ancient hostility of Edom toward Israel as the figure of the persistent enmity that exploits the moment of another's weakness rather than offering help (CCC 1933).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, they harbored an ancient hostility and waited for the moment of calamity to act on it. The resentment nursed over generations becomes the betrayal at the moment of maximum vulnerability. Examine your ancient hostilities. The resentments you harbor are waiting for their moment. Release them before they act.

Prayer

Lord God, deliver us from harboring ancient hostilities that wait for the moment of the other's weakness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

35
A Prophecy against Mount Seir
1 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, 3 and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:
 
Behold, I am against you,
O Mount Seir.
I will stretch out My hand against you
and make you a desolate waste.
4 I will turn your cities into ruins,
and you will become a desolation.
 
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
 
5 Because you harbored an ancient hatred and delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their disaster at the final stage of their punishment, 6 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.
 
7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go. 8 I will fill its mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
 
10 Because you have said, ‘These two nations and countries will be ours, and we will possess them,’ even though the LORD was there, 11 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.
 
12 Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you uttered against the mountains of Israel when you said, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to devour!’ 13 You boasted against Me with your mouth and multiplied your words against Me. I heard it Myself!
 
14 This is what the Lord GOD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. 15 As you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do to you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

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