Ezekiel 17:12

17:12 “Say to the rebellious house of Israel: ¹  ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ ²  Say: ‘See here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem ³  and took her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon.

Isaiah 3:15

3:15 Why do you crush my people

and grind the faces of the poor?” ⁴ 

The sovereign Lord who commands armies ⁵  has spoken.

Romans 9:20

9:20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being ⁶  – to talk back to God? ⁷  Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ⁸ 

¹ tn The words “of Israel” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation as a clarification of the referent.

² sn The narrative description of this interpretation of the riddle is given in 2 Kgs 24:11-15.

³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁴ sn The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s outrage at what the leaders have done to the poor. He finds it almost unbelievable that they would have the audacity to treat his people in this manner.

⁵ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

⁶ tn Grk “O man.”

⁷ tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”

⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.