Then he said unto me
In order to satisfy the prophet, and make him easy, and show the equity and justice of the divine proceedings: the iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah [is] exceeding great;
it cannot be well conceived or expressed how great it is; it abounded and superabounded: this is the answer in general, but in particular it follows: and the land is full of blood;
of murders, as the Targum interprets it; of shedding of innocent blood; and even of all atrocious and capital crimes: and the city full of perverseness;
or of perversion of judgment, as the Targum; the city of Jerusalem, where was the highest court of judicature, where the sanhedrim of seventy one sat to do justice and judgment, have nothing but perversion and injustice: for they say, the Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not;
does not concern himself with human affairs, and takes no notice of what is done below; and, having imbibed such atheistical principles, were hardened in sin, and gave themselves over to all iniquity; having no restraints upon them from the consideration of the providence of God, and his government of the world: or else the sense is, that the Lord had withheld his mercy and favours from them; and therefore they showed no regard to him, and looked upon all their evils and calamities as fortuitous events, and not as ordered by him as punishments for their sins.