Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Fake Prophet Teachings, EZEKIEL XIV. and Gocs Consequent Judgments.
rather, "they hoped" to confirm (i. e., mak« good) their word, by the event corresponding to their prophecy. The Hebrew requires tliis. [Havernick.] Also the parallel clause, " they have seen vanity," Implies tJaat they believed their own lie (2 Thessalonians 2. 11). Subjective revelation is false, unless it rests on the objective. 8. I am against yon—rather, understand, "I come against you," to punish your wicked profanation of my name (cf. Revelation 2, 5, 16). 9. mine hand—my power in vengeance, not . . . in . . . assembly—rather, Ihe council; "they shall not occupy the honourable oi Rce of councillors
18. sew pillows . .-. to arm-holes—rather, elbows and ivrists, for which the false prophetesses made cushions to lean on, as a symbolical act, typifying the perfect tranquility which they foretold to those consulting them. Perhaps they made their dupes rest on these cushions in a fancied state of ecstasy ; after they had made 1 hem a* first stand (whence the expression, "every stature," \^ used for "men of every age"). As the men are said to have built a wall {v. 10), so the women are said to sew pillows, &c., both alike typifying the "peace" they promised the impenitent, make kerchiefs—magical veils, which they put over the heads of those consulting them, as if to fit them for receiving a response, that they might be rapt in spiritual trance above the world, head of every stature men of every age, old and young, great and small, if only these had pay to offer them, htmt souls—eagerly trying to allure them to the love of yourselves (Proverbs 6. 26; 2 Peter 2. 14), so as unwarily to become your prey, will ye save . . . souls . . . that come unto you—will ye haul after souls, and when they are yours ("come unto you"), will ye promise them life f "Save" is explained (iJ. 22), " promising life." [Grotius.] Calvin explains, " Will ye hunt my people's souls, and yet will ye save your own souls;" I, the Lord God, will not allow it. But "save" is used (v. 19) of the false prophetesses promising life to the Impenitent, so tliat English Version and Grotius explain it best. 19. handfuls—expressing the paltry gain for which they bartered immortal souls (cf. Micah 3. 5, 11; Hebrews 12. 16). They "polluted" God by making His name the cloak under which they uttered falsehoods, among my people—an aggravation of their sin, that they committed it "among the people" whom God had chosen as peculiarly His on<n, and among wliom He had His temple. It would have been a sin to have done so even among the Gentiles, who knew not God ; much more so among the people of God
III the senate of elders after the return from Babylon" (Ezra 2. 1, 2). neither . . . written in . . . Israel—they shall not even have a place in the register kept of all citizens' names; they shall be erased from it, just as the names of those who died in the year, or had been deprived of citizenship for their crimes, were at the annual revisal erased. Cf. Jeremiah 17. 13; Luke 10. 20; Revelation 3. 5, as to those spiritual!!/ Israelites; John 1. 47, and those not so. Literally fulfilled (Ezra 2. 59, 62; cf. Nehemiah 7. 5; Psalm
69. 2S). neither . . . enter . . . land—they shall not so much as be allowed to come back at all to their country. 10. Recanse, even because—The repetition heightens the einphfisis. Peace—iSa/c^2/ to the nation. Ezekiel confirms Jfreiniah 6. 14; 8.11. one lit., this one; said contemptuously, as in 2 Chronicles 28. 22. a wall—rather, a loose UKtll. Ezekiel had said, that the false prophets did not "go up Into the gaps, or make up the breaches" (u. 5), as good architects do; now he adds that they make a bustling bhow of anxiety about repairing the wall; but it is without right mortar, and therefore of no use. one . . . others —besides individual effort, Vney jointly co-operated to delude the people, daiitoed . . . with untempered mortar—as sand without lime, mud without straw. [Grotius.] YwunKXRy; translates, "plaster it with whitewash." But besides the hypocrisy of merely outwardly "daubing" to make the wall look fair (Matthew 23.27,29; Acts 23.3), there is implied the unsoundness of the wall from the absence of true unilinr; cement; the "untempered cement" answering to the lie of the prophets, who , in support
(cf. Proverbs 28. 21). slay . . . souls that should not die, &c.—to predict the slaying or perdition of the godly whom I will s?»ve. As true ministers are said to save and slay their hearers, according to the spirit respectively in which these receive their message (2 Corinthians 2. 15, of their prophecies, "Thus saith the Lord, when the Lord hath not spoken" (ch. 22. 2S). 11. overflowing inundating ; such as will at once wash away the mere clay mor-
16); so false ministers imitate them; but promise safety to those on the broad way to ruin, and predict ruin to those on the narrow way of God. my people tikat hear your lies—who are therefore wilfully deceived, so that their guilt lies at their own door (John 3. 19.) 30. I am against your pillows i. e., against your Ij'ing ceremonial tricks by which ye cheat the people, to make them fly viz., into their snares, as fowlers disturb birds so as to he suddenly caught in the net spread for them. " Fly'' tar. The three most destructive agents shall co-operate, against the wall—wind, rain, and hailstones. These last In the East are moi-e out of the regular course of nature, and are therefore often particularly specified as the instruments of God's displeasure against His foes (Exodus
9. 18; Joshua 10. 11; Job 38. 22; Psalm 18. 12, 13; Isaiah 28.
2; 30. .30; Revelation 16. 21). The Hebrew here is, lit., stones of ice. They fall in Palestine at times an inch thick with a destructive velocity. The personification heightens the vivid effect, " O ye hailstones." The Chaldeans will be the violent agency whereby God will unmask and refute them, overthrowing their edifice of lies. 13. shall it not be said—Your vanity and folly shall be so manifested, that it shall pass Into a proverb, "Where is the daubing?" Ac. 13. God repeats, in His own name, as the Source of the coming calamity, what had been expressed generally is peculiarly appropriate as to those lofty spiritual flights to which they pretended to raise their dupes, when they veiled their heads with kerchiefs and made them rest on luxurious arm-cushions (v. 18). let . . . souls go—"ye make them fly" in order to destroy them; "I will let them go" in order to save them (Psalm 91. 3; Proverbs 6.
5; Hosea9. 8). SJl. in your hand—in your power. "My people" are the elect remnant of Israel to be saved, j'e sitall know—by the judgments which ye shall suH'er. 33. ye Iiave made . . . the righteous sad—by lying predictions of calamities impeuding over the godly, strengtiicned . . . wicked—(Jeremiah 23. 14.) heart of . . . rigliteous . . . Itands of . . . wicked heart is applied to the righteous, because the terroi's foretold penetrated to their inmost feelings; hands, to the wicked, because they were so hardened as not only to despise God in their minds, but also to manifest it in their whole acts, as if avowedly waging war with Him. 33. ye sixall see no more vanity —the event shall confute your lies, involving yourselves in destruction (v. 9; ch. 14. 8; 15. 7; Micah 3. G).
ill f. 11. 14. The repetition of the same threat is to awaken the people out of their <lream of safety by the certainty of the event, foundation—As the "wall" represents the security of the nation, .so the "foundation" \h. Jerusalem, on the fortifications of which they rested their confidence. GuoTiiT.s makes the " foundation" refer to tte _fal.ie principles on whicli they rested; v. 16 supports the former view. 16, iiropltcsy concerning Jerusalem—with all their "seeing visions of peace for her," they cannot ensure peace or safety to themselves. 17. set thy face—put on a bold countenance, fearlessly to denounce them (ch. 3. 8, 9; Isaiah 50. 7). daughters—the false prophetesses; alluded to only here; elsewhere the guilt specified in the women
CHAPTER XIV.
Is the active share they took in maintaining Idolatry (ch.
Ver. 1-23. Hypocriticai Inquirers are Answered ACCOUniNG TO THEIR Hyi'OCWISY. THE CALAMITIES COMING ON THE PEOPLE; IlUT A REMNANT IS TO ESCAPB.
8. 14). It was ouly in extraordinary emergencies that God bestowed prophecy on women, e. on Miriam, Debor.-ih, Huldah (Elxodus 15. 20; Judges 4.4; 2 Kings 22. 14); so in thp laal days to come (Joel 2. 28). The rareness of such InitsnceK enhanced their guilt in pretending inspiiation.
1. elders—persons holding that dignity among the exiles at the C'hebar. Grotius refers this to Scraiah and luuse
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