Ezekiel 7:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Your pride has borne the consequences you deserved, so that on that staff of your wickedness—used to strike those beneath you—iniquity has flourished. This did not arise from the hapless populace, nor from those who are governed by their leaders like mute creatures, nor from their clamoring, as they were instigated by the priests and Pharisees to shout, Crucify Him, crucify Him (John 19:6). Therefore, they shall find no rest, but perpetual bondage. Moreover, the Septuagint, regarding the significance noted in the saying, 'Do not count on tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1),' states, 'Behold the day births that which it had conceived long ago, and the end has come, along with a web that encapsulates all your tribulations, or as Simmachus puts it, a reflection, indicating that God observes all your deeds and evaluates each one according to their merits.' As for the interpretation that the rod has flourished, we may refer to the scripture: 'You shall not withhold correction from your son' (Proverbs 23). The apostle adds, 'What do you desire, shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness' (1 Cor. 4:21)? Additionally, God, through the Psalmist, states: I will address their iniquity with a rod and their transgressions with wounds; yet I will not remove My kindness from them (Psalm 88:33-34). In this manner, the Lord visits and disciplines to manifest all the pride that had been hidden away as a captive and that reproach may rise against the pride that has surfaced and expanded, breaking the strength of the lawless, not through disorder or swiftness. For the purpose of the flourishing rod is healing and correction, which arises not from the worth of those receiving discipline, nor from any beauty they possess—of which there is none—but due to the mercy of the Lord. The text presents challenges and notable differences between the Hebrew and the translation by the Seventy, enriched with additional insights from Theodotion's interpretation to establish some connection.