Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
EZEKIEL VI.
The Jud(jmcnl upon Jerusalem,
The Tiipe of the Prophd's Hair.
by the Romans, and the final one by Antichrist (Zechariah 13.8,9; 14. 2), as well as that by Nebuchadnezzar. Their doom of evil was not exhausted by the Chaldeau conquest. There was to be a germinating evil iu their destiny, because there would be, as the Lord foresaw, a germinating evil in their character. As God connected Himself peculiarly with Israel, so there w.as to be a peculiar manifestation of God's wrath against sin iu their case. [Fairbairn.] The higher tlie privileges the greater the punishment in the case of abuse of thenL. When God's greatest favour, the go.spel, was given, and was abused by them, then " the wrath was to come on them to the uttermost" (1 Thessalonians 2. 16). 10. fathers . . . eat . . . sons—alluding to Moses' words (Leviticus 26. 29; Deuteronomy 28. .>3), with the additional .sad feature, that "tlie sous should eat their fathers" (see 2 Kings 6. 28; Jeremiah 19. 9; Lamentations 2.20; 4.10). H. as I live—the most solemn of oaths, pledging the self-existence of God for the certaint.y of the event. deiUe«i iny sanctuary—the climax of Jewish guilt: their defiling Jehovah's temple by introducing idols, diminish—W., withdraw, viz., mine " eye " (which presently follows), i. e., my favours ; Job 36.
nlficarit of severe and liuiiiiliatiiif; (2 Sainncl If). 4, 5) treatinent. Kspecinlly in the case of a priest; for priests (Leviticus 21. o) were forljidden " to make baldness on tlieir head, "their liair being tlie token of consecration ; lierel)y it was intimated that the ceremonial must give place to the moral, balances—implj in;^ the jiisl clUn-iniiita/ion with wliicli .leliovali weighs out tlie portion of punishment "divided," 1. €., allotted to each: tlie "hairs" are the Jews: the Divine scales do not allow even one hair to esfape accurate weighing (cf. Matthew 10.30). a. Three classes are described. Tlie sword was to destroy one third of the people; famine and plague another third (" fire " in
V. 2 being explaii>>'d in v. 12 to mean pestilence and famine"); tiiat wlncli remained was to be .scattered among the nations. A fewonl.yof the' last portion were to escap'S symbolized by the hairs bound in Ezekiel's skirts (I). 8; Jeremiah 40.6; 52. IB). F-ven of these some were to be thrown into the fier.v ordeal again {v. 4; Jeremiah 41. 1, 2, itc. ; 44. 11, *o.). The "skirts" being able to contain but few express thatextreme limit to which God's goodness can reacli. 5, 6. Explanation of the symbols. Jeriis.ilem—not the mere city, but the people of Israel generally, of which it was the centre and rejiresentative.
7 uses the Hebrew ver'o in the same way. As the Jews had witlidrawti from God's sanctuary its sacredness by "defiling" it, so God withdraws His countenance from them. The significance of the expression lies in the allusion to Deuteronom.y 4. 2, "Ye shall not diminish aught from the word which I command you:" they liad done so, therefore God diminishes thprn. The reading found iu six MSS., " I will cut thee off," is not so good. 13. Statement in plain terms of what was intended by the symbols
Ill . . . mi<lst—Jerusalem is regarded in God's point of view as centre of the whole earth, designed to radiate the true light over the naiionn in all ciircctioiis. Cf. Margin
(" navel "), ch. 38. 12; Psalm 48. 2; Jeremiah 3. 17. No centre in the ancient heathen world could have been selected more fitted than Canaan to be a vantage-ground, whence the ])eople of Go<l might have acted with success upon the heathenism of the world. It lay midway betv.-een tlie oldest and most civilizeil states, Eg.vpt and Ethiopia on one side, and Babylon, Is ineveh, and Indi.a on tlie other, and afterwards Persia, Greece, and Rome. The Phcenician mariners were close b.v, through whom they might have transmitted the true religion to the remotest lands ; and
(r. 2; see ch. 6. 12; Jeremiah 15. 2; 21. 9). draw out . . . sword after them—(Leviticus 26. 3.3.) Skeptics object; no such thing happened under Zedekiali, as is here foretold, viz., that a third part of the nation should die by pestilence, a third part b.v the sword, and a third be scattered unto all winds, and a sword sent after them. But the prophec.v is not restricted to Zedekiali's time. It includes all that Israel suffered, or was still to sutfer, for their sins, especially those committed at that period (ch.
all around the Ishmaelites, the great inland traders in South Asia and North Africa. Israel was thus placed, not for its own selfish good, but to be the spiritual benefactor of the whole world. Cf. Psalm 67. throughout. Failing in this, and falling into idolatry, its guilt was far worse than that of the heathen ; not that Israel lilerally went beyond the heathen in abominable idolatries. But " corrnptio optimi pesximd ;" tlie perveision of that which in itself is
17. 21). It only received its primary fulfilment under Zedekiah: numbers then died by tlie pestilence and by the sword; and numbers were scattered in all quarters, and not carried to Bab.ylonia alone, as the objectors assert (cf. Ezra 1.4; Esther 3.8; Obadiah It), pestilence . . . and famine—signified by the symbol "Are" (r. 2). Cf. Isaiah 13.
tlie best is worse than tlie perversion of that which is less perfect: is in fact the worst of all Icinds of perversion. Therefore their punishment was the severest. So the position of the Christian piof. ssing Cliurch now, if it be not a light to tlie heathen world, its condemnation will be sorer than theirs (Matthew .5. 1.3; 11. 21-24; Hebrews 10. 2.S,
8; Lamentations 5. 10; plague and famine burning and withering the countenance, as fire does. 13. cause my fury to rest upon theau-as on its proper and permanent resting-place (Isaiah 30. 32, Margin). I will be comforted exyiressed in condescension to man's conceptions; signifying His satisfaction in the vindication of His justice by His rigliteous judgments (Deuteronomy 28. 63 ; Proverbs 1. 26; Isaiah 1. 24). they shall know—by bitter experience. 11. reproach among the n.itions— the.v whose idolatries Israel had adopted, instead of eomlorting, would only exult in tlreir calamities brought on by those idolatries
29). G. cliaiigfcl . . . Into—rather, "hath t-ra/.sr-d m.v judgments wickedly;" "hath rebelled against ni.v ordinances for wickedness." [Buxtohf.] But see end of Xote on v. 7. 7. mMltSpJi«'il—rather, " have been more abundantl.v outrageous;" lit., to tumnltuale : to have an extravagant rage lor idols, iieltlier liave done aeeortlins j"''S" ikicnts of the nations—have not lieen as tenacious of the true religion as the nations have been of the false. The heathen " changed " not their gods, liut the .lews cJianged Jehovah for idols (see t). 6, "changed m.v judgments into Wickedness," i. «., idolatry, Jeremiali 2. 11). The Cliaklean
(cf. Luke 15. 15).. 15. instruction lit., a corrective chastisement, i. e., a striking example to warn all of the fatal consequences of sin. For "lY shall be;" all ancient versions have " tliou," which tlie conm'ctiou fa\ours. 10. arrowa of famine—hail, rain, mice, locusts, m Idew (see Deuteronom.v 32. 23, 21), Increase the famljiclii., congregate or version and the Masora support the negative. Others omit it, as it is omitted (ch. 11. 12), and translate, "but have rione according to the judgments," Ac. However, both collect. When .ye think your harvest safe, because ye have escaped drought, mildew, &c., I will find other means [Calvin], which I will congregate as thc/orces of an incading arnii/, to bring famine on ,vou. 17. beasts—perhaps meaning destructive conquerors (Daniel 7. 4). Rather, ch. 11. 12 and also this verse ai e true. They in one sense "did according to llie heathen," viz.. In all that was bad ; in anntlx'r, viz., in that which was good, zeal for religion, they did not. Verse 0 also proves the negative to be genuine; because in changing their religion they have literal "beasts," which infest desolated regions such as Judea was to become (cf. ch. 34. 28; Exodus '2.'i. 29; Deuteronom.y 32. 21 ; 2 Kings 17. 25). The same tlirea'. is repeated not done as the nations whicli have not changed theirs, " ^(also) will do in thee that which I have not done." 8.
I, even I — awfully emphatic. I, even I, whom thou thinkest to be asleep, but who am ever reigning as the Omnipotent Avenger of sin, will vindicate my rigliteous government before the nations b.y Judgments on thee. 9. See IVole, v. 7. (hat -whieh I have not clone — worse than any former judgments (liameiitatlons 4. 6; Daniel 9.
ill manifold forms, to awaken tlie careless, sword—civil war.
CHAPTER VI.
Ver. 1-14. Continuation of tiik same Subject. St, mountains of Israel— s. e., of Palestine in general. The mountains are addres.sed by personification; Implying
H), The prophecy includes the destruction of Jerusalem
The Fuitliful Exhorted lo Lament. EZEKIEL VII. The Final Desolation of Israel.
watcheth for thee— Rather, " waketh for thee." It awakes up from its past slumber against thee (Psalm 78.
that the Israelites themsp Tves are incurable and unworthy of any more appeals; so the prophet sent to Jeroboam (lid not deign to address tlie king, but addressed the altar (1 Kings 2). Tlie mountains are specified as being the scene of Jewish idolatries on -'the high places"
65, 66). 7. The morning—So Chaldean and Syriac versions
(cf. Joel 2. 2). Ezekiel wishes to awaken them from their lethargy, whereby they were promising to themselves an uninterrupted night (1 ThessaloniansS. 5-7), as if they were never to be called to account. [Calvin.] The expression, "morning," refers to the fact that this was the usual time for magistrates giving sentence against offenders (cf. v.
(f. 3: Leviticus 2C. 30). 3. riveri—?i7., the ehanneU of torrents. Rivers were often the scene and objects of idolatrous worship. 4-. Jjnages—called so from a Hebrew root, towaxliot, implying the mad ardour of Israel after idol-
10, below; Psalm 101. S; Jeremiah 21.12). Gesenitts, less probably, translates, "the order of fate;" thy turn to be punished, not the sounding again—not an empty echo, such as is produced by the reverberation of sounds in "the mountains," but a real cry of tumult is coming. [Calvin.] Perhaps it alludes to the joyous cries of the grape-gatherers at vintage on the hills FGrotius], or of the idolaters in their dances on their festivals in honour of their false gods. [Tirinus.] Havebnick translates, " no brightness." 8,9. Repetition of u. 3, 4; sadly expressive of accumulated woes by the monotonous sameness, 10. rod . . . blossomed, i>ride . . . budded—the "rod" is the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God's vengeance (Isaiah 10.5; Jeremiah 51. 20). The rod sprouting (as the word ought to be translated), &c., implies that God does not move precipitately, but in successive steps. He as it were has planted the ministers of His vengeance, and leaves them to grow till all is ripe for executing Hia purpose. "Pride" refers to the insolence of the Babylonian conqueror (Jeremiah 50.81,32). The parallelism ("pride" answering to "rod") opposes Jerome's view, that " pride" refers to the Jeivs who despised God's threats (also Calvin's, " though the rod grew in Chaldea, the root was with the Jews"). The " rod" cannot refer, as GROTiua thought, to the tribe of Judah, for it evidentl.v refers to the "smiteth" (v. 9) as the instruinent of smiting. 11.
atry. [Cai,vi>'.] Otliors translate it, sun-images ; and so
In v. 6 (see 2 Kings n. 11; 2 Chronicles 34.4; Isaiah 17.8,
Marfiiii). cast yonr glain men before your Idols—the foolisli objects of their trust in the day of evil should witness their ruin. 5. cnrcasses . . . before . . . Idols polluting thus with the dead bones of j'ou, the worshippers, the idols wliich seemed to you so sacrosanct. 6. your works—not gods, as you supposed, but the mere work of men's hands (Isaiah 40. 18-20). 7. ye shall know that I am the I/ord—and not your idols, lords. Ye shall know rne as the all-powerful Punisher of sin. 8. Mitigation of tlie extreme severity of their punishment; still their life shall be a wretched one, and linked with exile
(ch. 5. 2, 12; 12. Ifi; 14.22; Jeremiah 41.28). 9. they that escajie of yoii shall reinemtocime—the object of God's Chastisements sliall at last be et Tected by working in them true contrition. This partially took place in the complete eradication of idolatry from the Jews ever since the Babylonian captivity. But they have yet to repent of their crowning sin, tlie crucifixion of Messiah; their full repentance is tlierefove future, after the ordeal of trials for many centuries, ending with that foretold In Zechariah 10.9; 13.8,0; 14.1-4,11. "They sha.ll remember rne in far countries" (cli. 7. Hi; Deuteronomy 30.1-8). I nm broken witli their whorlsh heart— Faikbairn translates, actively, "I will break" their whorish heart; Knglish Version is better. In tlieir exile they shall remember how long I bore with tliem, but was at last corn-
Violevce, i. e., the violent foe, is risen up as a rod of, i. e., to punish the Jews' wickedness (Zechariah 5.8). tlieirs— their possessions, or all that belongs to them, whether children or goods. Grotius translates, from a different Hebrew root, "their nobles," lit., their tumultuout trains (Margin) which usually escorted the nobles. Thus "nobles" will form a contrast to the general "multitude." neither . . . walling— (Jeremiah 16.4-7; pellet", to pnnish, after I was " broken" (my long-suffering wearied out) by their desperate (Numbers 15. 39) spiritual whorishness [CalvinJ (Psalm 78.40; Isaiah 7.13; 43.24;
63.10). loathe themselves—(Leviticus 26.39-45; Job 42. 6.) They shall not wait for men to condemn them, but shall condemn themselves (ch. 20.43 ; 36.31; Job 42.6; 1 Corinthians 11. 31). 11. Gesticulations vividly setting before the hearers the greatness of the calamity about to be in-
25.33.) Gesenius translates, "nor shall there be left any beauty among them." English Version is supported by the old Jewish interpreters. So general shall be the slaughter, none shall be left to mourn the dead. 13. let not . . . buyer rejoice—because he has bought an estate at a bargain price, nor . . . seller mourn—because he has had to sell his land at a .sacrifice through poverty. The Clialdeans will bo masters of the land, so that neither shall the buyer have any good of his purchase, nor the seller any loss ; nor shall the latter (v. 13) return to his inheritance at the jubilee year (see Leviticus 25. 13). Spiritually this holds good now, seeing that " the time is short," " they that rejoice .should be as though they rejoiced not, and they that buy as though they possessed not:" v?8,lnt Paul (1 Corinthians 7. 30) seems to allude to Ezekie) here.' Jeremiah 32. 15, 37, 43, seems to contradict Ezekiel here. But Ezekiel is speaking of the parents, and of Uvpresent; Jeremiah, of the children, and of the future Jeremiah is addressing believers, that they should hoye for a restoration; Ezekiel, the reprobate, who weie excluded from hope of deliverance. 13. although tl>ey were yet alive—although they should live to the year of jubilee, multitude thereof—iii2., of the Jews, wliieh shall not return-answering to " the seller shall not return;" not only he, but the whole multitude, shall not return. CalviX omits is and which: " the vision touching the whole multitude shall not return" void (Isaiah 5.5. 11). neltlier sliail any strengthen himself in tlie Iniquity of his life—no hardenlngof one's self in iniquity will avail agalnst God'u threat of punishment. Fairb.vikn tran.ilates, " no one by his iniquity shall invigorate his life;" referring to the Jubilee, which was regarded as a revivification of the whole commonwealth, when. Us disorders being rectiflicted. In indignation at the abominations of Israel extend thine hand towards .ludea, as if about to "strike," and "stamp," shaking off the dust with thj'foot, in token of how God shall "stretch out His hand upon them," and treail them down (v. 14; ch. 21. 14). 13. He that is far off —f(2., from the foe; those who in a distant exile fear no evil, he that remaineth he that ?-? left in the city; not carried away into captivity, nor having escaped into the conntry. Distinct from "he that is near," those outside the city who are within reach of " the sword" of the foe, and so fall by it; not by "famine," as those left in the city. 14. DIblath—Anotljer form of Diblathalm, a city In Moab (Numbers a?. 46; Jeremiah 48. 22), near which, east and south of the Dead Sea, was the wilderness of Arabia Deserta.
CHAPTER VII.
Ver. 1-27. Lamentation over the Coming Ruin of Israel; the Penitent IIefokmation of a Remnant; THE Chain Symkolizing the Captivity. !J. An end, the end—The indefinite "an'' expresses the general fact of God bringing His long-suffering towards the whole of Judea to an end ; "the" following, marks it as more definitely fixed (.\mos 8. '2). 4. thine abominations— the punishment of thine aliomi nations, sliall be in the midst of tliee—shall be manifest to all. Tliey and thou shall recognize th'e fact of tlilne abominations by thy punishment which shall everywhere befall thee, and that manifestl.v. 5. An evil, an only evil—A peculiar calamity Buch as was never before; unparalleled. The abruptness of the style and the repetitions exjjress the agitation of tbn propliet s mind lu foreseeing these calamities. 6.
fied, the bod.v politic sprang up again Into renewed life. What God thus provided for by the Institution of the 573