“Therefore those who lived
In an unrighteous way,
In a life of folly,
You tormented
Through their own abominations.
They went far astray
On the paths of error.
They accepted as gods
Those animals
That even their enemies despised.
They were deceived like foolish infants.
Therefore as though like children,
Who cannot reason,
You sent your judgment to mock them.
But those who have not heeded
The warning of light rebukes
Will experience the deserved judgment of God.
When in their suffering,
They became incensed
At those creatures
That they had thought to be gods,
They were punished by means of them.
They saw the true God.
They recognized the true God
Whom they had before refused to know.
Therefore the utmost condemnation
Came upon them.”
Once again, we are reflecting on God’s actions in Egypt. The unrighteous ones (ἀδίκους) were tormented by their own abominations. They had accepted various animals as gods (θεοὺς) as if they were unknowing little infants. When they reached the age of reason you mocked their gods with mild rebukes or the so-called plagues. But they did not heed these mild rebukes or plagues. Finally they recognized the true God (Θεὸν ἐπέγνωσαν ἀληθῆ) and thus they received the ultimate condemnation at the end. This was an attempt to justify the killing of the first born of Egypt. The Egyptians should have known better.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 