Ezechiel 13:19
And they violated me among my people, for a handful of barley, and a piece of bread, to kill souls which should not die, and to save souls alive which should not live, telling lies to my people that believe lies.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et violabant me ad populum meum propter pugillum hordei, et fragmen panis, ut interficerent animas quæ non moriuntur, et vivificarent animas quæ non vivunt, mentientes populo meo credenti mendaciis.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐβεβήλουν με πρὸς τὸν λαόν μου ἕνεκεν δρακὸς κριθῶν καὶ ἕνεκεν κλασμάτων ἄρτων, τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι ψυχὰς ἃς οὐκ ἔδει ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ τοῦ περιποιήσασθαι ψυχὰς ἃς οὐκ ἔδει ζῆσαι, ἐν τῷ ἀποφθέγγεσθαι ὑμᾶς λαῷ εἰσακούοντι μάταια ἀποφθέγματα.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַתְּחַלֶּלְ֨נָה אֹתִ֜י אֶל עַמִּ֗י בְּשַׁעֲלֵ֣י שְׂעֹרִים֮ וּבִפְת֣וֹתֵי לֶחֶם֒ לְהָמִ֤ית נְפָשׁוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא תְמוּתֶ֔נָה וּלְחַיּ֥וֹת נְפָשׁ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא תִֽחְיֶ֑ינָה בְּכַ֨זֶּבְכֶ֔ם לְעַמִּ֖י שֹׁמְעֵ֥י כָזָֽב
Haydock's commentary
Violated me. That is, dishonoured and discredited me. (Challoner)
Protestants, "and will ye pollute?" &c. (Haydock)
They employed the name of God to give credit to their lies, for the smallest advantage.
Souls, &c. That is, to sentence souls to death, which are not to die: and to promise life to them who are not to live. (Challoner)
They contradicted Jeremias, who exhorted the people to surrender. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and Ephesians, Ephesians 5:5,6
There were, it is likely, in the time of our forefathers also, some who “weakened the hands of the people” ( Jer. xxxviii. 4 .), and brought into practice that which is mentioned by Ezekiel, or rather who did the works of the false prophets, who “profaned God among His people for handfuls of barley” ( Ezek. xiii. 19 .); a thing, by the way, done methinks by some even at this day. When, for example, we say that he who calleth his brother a fool shall depart into hell-fire, others say, “What? Is he that calls his brother a fool to depart into hell-fire? Impossible,” say they. And again, when we say that “the covetous man is an idolater,” in this too again they make abatements, and say the expression is hyperbolical. And in this manner they underrate and explain away all the commandments. …