Ezekiel 7:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Hebrew term arethic is rendered by Aquila as confinement, while Symmachus and Theodotion translate it as καθήωσις, implying nailing or killing, or confixio. In contrast, the Septuagint offers the term φυρόν, which we interpret as confusion. Thus, the prophet delivers this brief declaration of my fury against the land of the Jews and the city of Jerusalem: just as the land is saturated with bloody judgment, for all who spill innocent blood face retribution for their actions, as recorded in scripture against Nebuchadnezzar by the Jews, so too shall their own blood be upon them, revealing that the city is rife with transgression. Even during the reign of Manasseh, Jerusalem was filled with the blood of prophets from one gate to the other (4 Kings 21). As a result, they will experience confinement, confusion, and the nailing that will leave no one able to evade the approaching disasters.

They will profane my watch and enter without proper regard, thus dishonoring me. They shall rise up in defiance. Through His watchtower, God refers to the temple set apart for Him, where He appeared to oversee Israel and bestowed His care upon it. Not only will your idols be handed over to the Babylonians, says God, but also the sacred temple that is dedicated to Me and for which I have vigilantly watched over you. They shall enter without proper preparation, meaning they have not made themselves ready, have not undergone purification according to the law, nor have they been circumcised beforehand; rather, they come in blood-stained garments, fully armed for battle, committing acts of violence within it, even intruding into the holy sanctuary.