THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, your kinsmen, your kinsmen, men of your own flesh, have been scattered among the nations. To all the house of Israel, those who dwell in Jerusalem have insisted, Remove yourselves from the Lord; for the land has been granted to us as a possession. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: since I have dispersed them among the nations, I will be a sanctification for them in the lands where they have gone.
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The LXX renders this: The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, your fellow captives and all the house of Israel are perishing. To those in Jerusalem, it is said, You have distanced yourselves from the Lord; to us the land is granted as an inheritance. Thus says Adonai the Lord: I will send them to the nations and scatter them throughout the earth, but I will be a small sanctification to them in the countries into which they have entered.
It is important to note the variation in translation: instead of the Hebrew which refers to men united by blood with you, the LXX provides men of your captivity. Additionally, where Hebrew states, all those to whom it was said who dwell in Jerusalem, the LXX translates this simply as perished, a rendering that diverges from the original meaning due to uncertainties in the text.
Thus, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, expressing sorrow over the fate of Israel's remnant. The doom of Phaltias and his slain comrades illustrates that the remnant are not necessarily those in Jerusalem but include those who appeared as captives in Babylon.
The essence of the message is: Son of man, concerning your brethren and your tribal kin, those whom the residents of Jerusalem have denounced as having forsaken the Lord, saying, you are captives who turned away with Jechoniah, while we possess the land of Israel as an eternal inheritance, instruct them that although I have removed them from their homeland and scattered them among the nations, and led them into foreign lands, I will still offer them a measure of sanctification because they have heeded my command. Many among them will remain steadfast, avoiding idolatry, and will remember the commandments of God, similar to how Daniel and the three young men did, along with others mentioned in Scripture.
From all this, we should learn not to deride those whom God has allowed to face hardship nor reproach anyone who has turned from sin. We must refrain from telling those who have repented that they have strayed far from the Lord and that the land is ours alone as a possession. For thus says the Lord: though I have momentarily separated them from My Church and scattered them among the nations, I will still be a source of sanctification for them. When they acknowledge their sins and those who have strayed due to their weaknesses seek to return to their former state through repentance, I will welcome them back.