The Church Fathers on this verse

Ezekiel 25:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Douay-Rheims

וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

2 Church Fathers comment on this verse

Jerome of Stridon

4th centuryChurch Father

And the Lord spoke to me, saying, Son of man, direct your attention towards the children of Ammon and prophesy against them, declaring to the children of Ammon, Hear the word of the Lord God: thus declares the Lord God, Because you have spoken against my sanctuary: alas, alas, alas! (or: because you rejoiced over my sanctuary) because it has been desecrated, and over the land of Israel because it lies in ruins, and over the house of Judah because they have been taken captive: for this reason I will turn you into a possession for the children of the East (or Kedem), who will set up their sheepf

Read more (258 words)

olds and pitch their tents among you: they will harvest your fruit and drink your milk (in some traditions it is noted: yours), and I will make Gabbath a resting place for camels (or: the city of Ammon a grazing place for camels), and the children of Ammon a pasture for small livestock: and you shall know that I am the Lord. For thus declares the Lord God, Because you have clapped your hands and stomped your feet, and rejoiced with all your being (or: rejoiced in your soul) over the land of Israel: for this reason (in the Vulgate it adds: behold) I will extend my hand against you, delivering you to the nations for plunder, and I will annihilate you from the nations, wiping you out from the lands, and I will crush you: and you shall know that I am the Lord. Following the capture or siege of Jerusalem, when he arrived in Babylon, and who could escape, proclaimed that the city was on the verge of being captured or destroyed along with the temple, the prophetic message, as was customary among all prophets, is directed to all the neighboring nations, who celebrated the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, particularly against the sons of Ammon, whose principal city was Rabbath, now named Philadelphia, after the Egyptian king Ptolemy, known as Philadelphus, who ruled over Arabia and Judah. Son of man, direct your focus, he commands, or set your gaze upon the children of Ammon, who descended from the tribe of Lot.

Theodoret of Cyrus

5th centuryChurch Father

The term "sons of Kedemli" has been interpreted by some scholars as "sons of the east." They trace their lineage back to Ishmael. Consequently, the Almighty God, speaking through the prophet, addresses the children of Ammon, stating, “Because you rejoiced at the sight of my temple being desecrated by unclean and wicked individuals, at the devastation of the land of Israel, and at the exile of the tribe of Judah, I will place you under the authority of a nation that is lesser and weaker than the Babylonians. This nation will afflict you with numerous hardships, filling your cities with burdens and driving flocks of camels across your territory, while you will become shepherds of sheep. Thus, when these events occur, you will understand that my people have endured their trials not due to my inability, but because of the wickedness of your actions.