Bible Commentaries

The next movement described the utter evil of the city. Its fundamental sins of bloodshed and idolatry were named and denounced, and the resultant evils were described. These consisted of the oppression of the people by the princes, of despising holy things and of profanation of the Sabbath, of terrible and widespread impurity, and of active and iniquitous greed. On account of these things the judgment of Jehovah would be terrible, and the people were challenged whether they could endure Jehovah's dealing with them. Again the truth was emphasized that the method of judgment was characterized by a procedure toward the fulfillment of purpose, by the figure of the refining of metals in the furnace of fire.

Again the prophet described the corruption of the inhabitants, first in a general statement under the figure of an unwatered land, that is, having no teaching, and the figure of the polluted springs, that is, having no prophets. He then proceeded to make particular charges against priests, princes, prophets, and people. The priests had failed to discriminate between things unclean and clean. The princes had cruelly oppressed for selfish ends. The prophets had uttered false words of hope. The people had been guilty of oppressing the poor, and needy, and the stranger. He then concluded by describing the utter hopelessness of the case. There was no man to stand in the gap, therefore the fire of wrath must proceed on its way.