Ezekiel 35:15 · Bible study
Ezekiel 35:15 Commentary: The Boomerang of Malice
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God's justice against Edom for gloating over Israel's ruin. A study on the retributive principle and its warning for all.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God repays Edom's gloating over Israel's fall with the same desolation, demonstrating His justice and sovereignty.
- Key words: 'rejoiced' (active malice, not passive relief), 'desolate' (the physical ruin God brings), 'inheritance of the house of Israel' (the land as God's gift), 'know that I am Yahweh' (recognition formula).
- Main debate: Whether Edom's punishment was fully accomplished historically (by Nabonidus and the Maccabees) or whether it serves as a lasting typological pattern for all enemies of God's people.
- Theological theme: Lex talionis (measure-for-measure justice) as an expression of God's holy character; the certainty that God hears and responds to every word spoken against His people.
- Best use: A sobering warning against pride and schadenfreude, and an assurance that God defends His inheritance and will be known among the nations.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
As you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do to you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
As thou didst rejoice over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
According to thy joy at the inheritance of the house of Israel because of desolation, So I do to thee--a desolation thou art, O mount Seir, and all Edom--all of it, And they have known that I am Jehovah!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolated, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be a desolation, O mount Seir, and all Edom, the whole of it: and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
As thou hast rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was laid waste, so will I do to thee: thou shalt be laid waste, O mount Seir, and all Idumea: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Como te alegraste sobre la heredad de la casa de Israel, porque fué asolada, así te haré á ti: asolado será el monte de Seir, y toda Idumea, toda ella; y sabrán que yo soy Jehová.
Tal como te alegraste sobre a herança da casa de Israel, porque foi desolada, assim eu também farei a ti; o monte de Seir, e todo o Edom se tornarão em desolação; e saberão que eu sou o SENHOR.
A cause de la joie que tu as éprouvée
Und wie du dich gefreut hast über das Erbe des Hauses Israel, darum daß es wüst geworden, ebenso will ich mit dir tun, daß der Berg Seir wüst sein muß samt dem ganzen Edom; und sie sollen erfahren, daß ich der HERR bin.
Gelijk gij u verblijd hebt over de erfenis van het huis Israels, omdat zij verwoest is, alzo zal Ik aan u doen; het gebergte van Seir, en gans Edom, zal geheel een verwoesting worden; en zij zullen weten, dat Ik de HEERE ben.
Siccome tu ti sei rallegrato perché l’eredità della casa d’Israele era devastata, io farò lo stesso di te: tu diventerai una desolazione, o monte di Seir: tu, e Edom tutto quanto; e si conoscerà che io sono l’Eterno.
Jako się ty weselisz nad dziedzictwem domu Izraelskiego, przeto, że jest spustoszone, tak uczynię i tobie; będziesz spustoszona, o góro Seir! a zgoła wszystka ziemia Edomska; i dowiedzą się żem Ja Pan.
Как ты радовалась тому, что удел дома Израилева опустел, так сделаю Я и с тобою: опустошена будешь, гора Сеир, и вся Идумея вместе, и узнают, что Я Господь.
你怎樣因 以色列 家 的地業 荒涼 而喜樂，我必照 你所行的待 你。西珥 山哪，你和以東 全 地必 都 荒涼。你們就知道 我 是耶和華。」
You will become a waste, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse states the core of God's case against Edom: the joy they took in Israel's desolation becomes the measure of their own punishment. Matthew Henry notes that Edom 'triumphed in Jerusalem's ruin,' and now the Lord will 'do to thee as thou didst.' Adam Clarke puts it plainly: 'Others shall rejoice in thy downfall as thou hast rejoiced at their downfall.' The Cambridge Bible observes that the clause 'as thou didst … do unto thee' is missing in the Septuagint, but the principle remains: Edom received no commission from God to harm Israel; they acted out of ancient enmity. Gill draws a typological connection to the rejoicing of antichristian powers over the slain witnesses (Revelation 11:10), while still affirming the immediate historical judgment. All agree that the closing formula, 'then they will know that I am Yahweh', shows God's ultimate purpose: to make Himself known as the Lord who sees, hears, and repays.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God judges those who gloat over His people's suffering, and He does so by turning their own weapon against them, all for the purpose of making Himself known as the Lord.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Divine retribution | Christians agree that God punishes those who maliciously rejoice over the suffering of His people. | Catholics and some Protestants emphasize the disciplinary and purgative aspects of judgment; others stress the punitive and retributive character more strongly. |
| Historical fulfillment | All affirm that Edom as a nation did suffer desolation and eventually disappeared from history. | Some read this as a specific, fulfilled prophecy about the Edomites; others see it as a pattern pointing to final judgment on all who oppose God's kingdom. |
| Edom as representative enemy | Edom often symbolizes persistent hostility to God's people in both Testaments (Psalm 137, Obadiah, Malachi 1). | Reformed traditions often see Edom typologically as representing the reprobate; others treat it as a literal historical nation with its own unique fate. |
| Recognition formula | The phrase 'they shall know that I am Yahweh' is a central theme in Ezekiel, linking judgment to revelation. | Some interpret the 'knowing' as a forced acknowledgment of God's power; others as the beginning of repentance or even salvation for survivors. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Edom, the nation descended from Esau, shared a bitter history with Israel that stretched back centuries (Genesis 25, 27, 32-33). When Babylon besieged Jerusalem in 587 B.C., Edom not only refused help but actively joined the plunderers. Psalm 137:7 remembers their cry: 'Raze it, raze it even to its foundation!' Ezekiel 35 is a concentrated oracle against Mount Seir (the mountainous region of Edom) that expands on the shorter judgment in Ezekiel 25:12-17.
In the ancient Near East, a people's god was seen as the guarantor of their land and identity. Attacking Israel was therefore, in the prophet's view, a direct affront to Yahweh. Edom's gloating over the 'inheritance of the house of Israel' (the promised land) was a contemptuous dismissal of God's covenant gift. The Cambridge Bible underlines that Edom had no commission from Yahweh; they acted out of 'perpetual hatred.' The Assyrian and Babylonian empires had been God's instruments, but Edom was merely a spiteful neighbour.
Historically, Edom did become desolate. After the Babylonian period, Nabonidus campaigned against Edom, and later the Maccabees forced conversion or expulsion. By the first century A.D., the Edomites (Idumeans) had essentially vanished as a distinct nation. The verse thus stands as a concrete warning: what you sow in malice, you will reap in ruin.
Literarily, this oracle is placed in a bracket with Ezekiel 36, which promises restoration to the mountains of Israel. Edom's desolation serves as a dark foil to Israel's renewal, a reminder that God's justice and mercy operate together.
Textual Notes
The clause 'As you rejoiced ... so will I do to you' (v.15a) is absent in the Septuagint (LXX), according to the Cambridge Bible. The LXX may have omitted it as redundant, since the idea already appears in v.14. The Masoretic Text (MT), which underlies the standard Hebrew Bibles, includes the clause. No other significant variants are reported in the consulted sources.
Reception History
Ezekiel 35 has been read across church history as both a historical oracle and a moral lesson. Early church interpreters, such as Jerome, saw Edom as a type of the enemies of Christ and the church. Reformation-era commentators, including Calvin and the Reformers behind the Geneva Bible, emphasized the principle of divine retribution and the certainty that God hears the insults against His people. Matthew Henry used this passage to warn against 'brutish malice' and to comfort the afflicted that their cause is God's cause. In more recent centuries, critical scholarship has focused on the historical context of Edom's role in the fall of Jerusalem, while devotional readings continue to draw out the warning against gloating and the assurance that God will vindicate His inheritance.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The sin of gloating. Edom rejoiced over Israel's inheritance becoming desolate. Their joy was not passive; it was active malice that God heard (Ezekiel 35:12-13).
- The principle of measure-for-measure. 'As you did, so I will do to you.' God uses the same standard Edom used. This is not blind revenge but cosmic justice rooted in God's character.
- The goal of judgment. 'Then they will know that I am Yahweh.' The final purpose is recognition of God's sovereignty, not merely punishment, but revelation.
Five-point outline
- Edom's hostility was ancient and persistent (v.5, 'perpetual hatred').
- Their glee at Judah's fall showed contempt for God's inheritance and for God Himself (v.13, 'you magnified yourselves against me').
- God heard every boastful word and insult (v.12, 'I have heard all your insults').
- Judgment comes in identical form: desolation for desolation (v.15). The Cambridge Bible compares this to Jehu's commendation and later punishment for the same act (Hosea 1:4).
- The final verdict is universal recognition of Yahweh as Lord, both by those punished and by onlookers.
Illustration hooks
- A workplace rival celebrates when you lose a client; later the same rival loses their biggest account. Their earlier gloating now rings hollow.
- A student rejoices when a classmate fails a test, only to be caught cheating on the next exam. The laughter turns to shame.
- In sports, a team taunts an injured opponent, then suffers a crushing defeat themselves. The video of their taunting surfaces.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it wrong to feel relief when an enemy fails, or only to show open joy?
- Does this mean I cannot be happy when a bully finally gets what they deserve?
- How do I guard my heart from secret satisfaction at others' troubles?
Leading a Discussion
This passage calls us to examine our hearts when others fall. Edom's sin was not only in what they did to Israel but in how they felt about it. God hears the hidden posture of the soul. Use these questions to help your group explore the nature of righteous anger, the danger of gloating, and the justice of God.
Discussion questions
- Read Ezekiel 35:15. What specific action of Edom does God call out, and why does He treat it as a serious offense?
- Look at Ezekiel 35:5 and 35:12-13. What deeper attitudes (anger, envy, hatred) drive Edom's joy over Israel's desolation? How does God describe their speech?
- Compare Proverbs 17:5 ('Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.') How does this verse support the principle in Ezekiel 35?
- The phrase 'then they will know that I am Yahweh' appears repeatedly in Ezekiel. What does this tell us about God's purpose in judgment? Is it only punishment, or something more?
- In what situations might we be tempted to secretly rejoice when someone we dislike experiences hardship? How can we guard against that temptation as a church community?
- The Cambridge Bible notes that Edom acted without divine commission, unlike Assyria or Babylon. How does that distinction affect the fairness of God's judgment on Edom?
- How does this oracle of judgment on Edom prepare the way for the promises of restoration for Israel in Ezekiel 36? What does that contrast teach us about God's character?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 137:7 | Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!” |
| Proverbs 17:5 | Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished. |
| Isaiah 34:5 | For my sword has drunk its fill in the sky. Behold, it will come down on Edom, and on the people of my curse, for judgment. |
| Isaiah 34:6 | Yahweh’s sword is filled with blood. It is covered with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for Yahweh has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. |
| Jeremiah 50:11 | “Because you are glad, because you rejoice, O you who plunder my heritage, because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain, and neigh as strong horses, |
| Lamentations 4:21 | Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz. The cup will pass through to you also. You will be drunken, and will make yourself naked. |
| Ezekiel 35:3 | and tell it, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you. I will make you a desolation and an astonishment. |
| Ezekiel 35:4 | I will lay your cities waste, and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws a direct divine law from this chapter: as a person treats others, God will treat them the same way. He presents it as a principle of strict reciprocity, where each person effectively makes their own temporal good or evil by how they act, and God guarantees the outcome.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator draws a sharp distinction between Edom and the great empires that destroyed Jerusalem. Assyria and Babylon acted under God's commission, even if their motives were wrong. Edom had no such commission; their malice against Israel was direct hostility toward Jehovah, and God will repay them accordingly.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes exact retribution: because Edom rejoiced when Israel lay desolate, God will bring the same desolation on Edom. This punishment serves a dual purpose — it repays their malicious joy and forces them to recognize that the Lord is God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the principle of divine retribution: Edom rejoiced when Israel was desolate, so God would make Edom desolate in return. He extends this pattern to the followers of the man of sin who rejoice at the witnesses' downfall, warning that all antichristian powers face the same fate.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Edom as a symbolic figure for the profane, materialistic world that rejects grace and election. Edom's perpetual enmity and hatred stand in stark contrast to the blessing on Israel, representing the doomed Antichristian world that has no share in Christ's salvation.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that the troubles of God's church do more than test its friends; they expose the hidden malice of its enemies. Edom's gloating over Jerusalem's ruin revealed a brutish hatred that amounted to blasphemy against God Himself, who had heard every boastful word.