Commentary on the Holy Bible

NOTES ON CHAP. L Verse 1. In the thirtieth year] We know not what this date refers to. Some think it was the age of the prophet; others think the date is taken from the time that Josiah renewed the covenant with the people, 2 Kings xxii. 3, from which TJsher, Prideaux, and Calmet compute the forty years of Judah^s transgression, mentioned chap. iv. 6.

" captives *> by the river of Chebar, that " tlie heavens were

Abp. Newcome thinks there is an error in the text, and that instead of D'iy'7B'3 hisheloshim, in the thirtieth, we should read n'tyanD bachamishith, in the fifth, as in the second verse. " Now it came to pass in the fifth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month," &c. But this is supported by none of the ancient Versions, nor by any MS. The Chaldee paraphrases the verse, " And it came to pass thrrty years

"■ ^°'°""- ^^- 3 The word of the Lord came expressly unto ^Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Ciiebar; and " the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

4 And I looked, and, behold, ^ a whirlwind came ' out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire ^ infolding itself, and a brightness loas about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

after the high priest Hilkiah had found the book of the law, in the house of the sanctuary," &c. This was in the twelfth year of Josiah's leign. The thirtieth year, computed as above, comes to A. M. 3409, the fourth year from the captivity of Jeconiah, and the fifth of the reign of Zedekiah. Ezekiel was then among the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah, and had his dwelling near the river Chebar, ChaboTtis, or Aboras, a river of Mesopotamia, which falls into the Euphrates a little above Thapsacus, after having run through Mesopotamia from east to west. —

I saw visions of God.] Emblems and symbols of the Divine Majesty. He particularly refers to those in this chapter.

Verse 2. Jehoiachiri's captivity] Called also Jeconiah and Coniah; see 2 Kings xxiv. 12. He was carried away by Nebuchadnezzar; see 2 Kings xxiv. 14.

Verse 3. The hand of the Lord] I was filled with his power, and with the influence of the prophetic spirit.

Verse 4. A whirlwind came out of the north] Nebuchadnezzar, whose land, Babylonia, lay north of Judea. Chaldea is thus frequently denominated by Jeremiah.

A great cloud, and afire infolding itself] A mass of fire concentrated in a vast cloud, that the flames might be more distinctly observable, the fire never escaping from the cloud, but issuing, and then returning in upon itself. It was in a state of powerful agitation; but always involving itself, or returning back to the centre whence it appeared to issue.

A brightness was about it] A fine tinge of light eurrounded the cloud, in order to make its limits the more discernible; beyoifd which verge the turmoiling fire did not proceed.

The colour of amber] This was in the centre of the cloud; and this amber-coloured substance was the centre of the labouring flame. The word -(jXsxTpoy, which we translate amber, was used to signify a compound metal, very bright, made of gold and brass.

of came the likeness of four Oi. XLVi. 2. living creatures. And "" this was Tarquinii Prisci, their appearance; they had "the «• l^-n^" • ^ likeness of a man.

6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7 And their feet were " straighl feet; the sole of their feet luas like the sole of a calfs foot: and they sparkled p like the colour of burnished brass.

8 ■> And ihey had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they

living creatures.] As the amber-coloured body was the centre of the^re, and this_^re was in the centre of the cloud; so out of this amber-coloured igneous cenfre came the living creatures just mentioned.

Verse 6. Every one had four faces] There were four several figures of these living creatures, and each of these figures had four distinct faces: but as the face of the man was that which was presented to the prophet's view, so that he saw it more plainly than any of the others; hence it is said, ver. 5, that each of these figures had the likeness of a man; and the whole of this compound image bore a general resemblance to the human figure.

Verse 7. Their feet were straight feet] There did not seem to be any flexure at the knee, nor were the legs separated in that way as to indicate progression by walking. I have before me several ancient Egyptian images of Isis, Osiris, Anubis, &c., where the legs are not separated, nor is there any bend at the knees; so that if there was any motion at all, it must have been by gliding, not progressive walking. It is a remark of JElian, that the gods are never represented as walking, but always gliding; and he gives this as a criterion to discern common angelic appearances from those of the gods: all other spiritual beings loalkcd progressively, rising on one foot, while they stretched out the other; hut the deities always glided without gradual progressive motions. And Heliodorus in his Romance of Theogines and Charicha, gives the same reason for the united feci of the gods, &c., and describes the same appearances.

Like the sole of a calfs foot] Before it is stated to be a straight foot; one that did not lay down a flat horizontal sole, like that of the human foot.

And they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.] I suppose this refers rather to the hoof of the calf's foot, than to the whole appearance of the leg. There is scarcely any thing that gives a higher lustre than highly polished or burnished brass. Our blessed Lord is represented v\'ith legs like burnished brass. Rev.

Verse 8. They had the hands of a man under their wings] I doubt much whether the arms be not here represented as all covered with feathers, so that they

10 As for ' the hkeness of their faces, they four ^ had the face of a man, " and the face of a lion, on the right side: " and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; ^ they four also had the face of an eagle.

1 1 Thus were their faces: and their wings were ^ stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and ^ two covered their bodies.

1 2 And " they went every one straight forward: ^ whither the spirit was to go, they went; a7id '^ they turned not when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures,

had the appearance of wings, only the hand was bare; and I rather think that this is the meaning of their having " the hands of a man under their wings."

Verse 9. Their wings were joined one to another] When their wings were extended, they formed a sort of canopy level with their own heads or shoulders; and on this canopy was the throne, and the " likeness of the man" upon it, ver. 26.

They turned not when they went] The wings did not flap in flying, or move in the manner of oars, or of the hands of a man in swimming, in order to their passing through the air; as they glided in reference to their feet, so they soared in reference to their wings.

Verse 10. As for the likeness of their faces] There was but one body to each of those compound animals: but each body had four faces; the face of a man and of a Iwn on the right side; the face of an ox »nd an eagle on the left side. Many of these compound images appear in the Asiatic idols. Many are now before me: some with the head and feet of a monkey, with the body, arms, and legs of a man. Others with the head of the dog; body, arms, and legs human. Some with the head of an ape; all the rest human. Some with one head and eight arms; others with si.^ heads or faces, with twelve arms. The head of a lion and the head of a cock often appear; and some with the head of a cock, the whole body human, and the legs terminating in snakes. All these were symbolical, and each had its own appropriate meaning. Those in the text had theirs also, could we but find it out.

Verse 12. They went every one straight forward] Not by progressive stepping, but by gliding.

Whither the spirit was to go] Whither that whirlwind blew, they went, being borne on by the wind, see

pearance ol lamps: it went up TarquinU Prisci, and down ainong the living crea- R- Roman, 22. tures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14 And the living creatures ' ran and returned fas the appearance of a flash of lightning.

1 5 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold s one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

1 6 '^ The appearance of the wheels and then: work was ' like unto the colour of a beryl • and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work ivas as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: "^ and they turned not when they went.

substance appeared to be of flame, and among them frequent coruscations of fire, like vibrating lamps, often emitting lightning, or rather sparks of fire, as we have seen struck out of strongly ignited iron in a forge. The flames might be something like what is called warring wheels in pyrotechny. They seemed to conflict together.

Verse 14. The living creatures ran and returned] They had a circular movement; they were in rapid motion, but did not increase their distance from the spectator. So I think this should be understood.

Verse 15. One icheel upon the earth] It seems at first view there were four wheels, one for each of the living creatures; that is, the creatures were compound, so were the wheels, for there was " a wheel in the middle of a wheel." And it is generally supposed that these wheels cut each other at right angles up and down; and this is the manner in which they are generally represented; but most probably the wheel within means merely the nave in which the spokes are inserted, in reference to the ring, rim, or periphery, where these spokes terminate from the centre or nave. I do think this is what is meant by the wheel within a wheel; and I am the more inclined to this opinion, by some fine Chinese dravpings now before me, where their deities are represented as walking upon wheels, the wheels themselves encompassed with fire. The wheel is simply by itself, having a projecting axis; so of these it is said, " their appearance and their work was, as it were, a wheel within a wheel." There were either two peripheries or rims with their spokes, or the nave answered for the wheel within. I have examined models of what are called Ezekiel's wheels, which are designed to move equally in all directions: but I plainly saw that this was impossible; nor can any kind of complex wheel move in this way.

01. XLVi. 2. were so high that they were TarouiniiPrisci, dreadful; and their 'rings were R. Roman., 22. „, f^jj ^f eves round about

19 And "when the Hving creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 " Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither urns their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: p for the spirit 1 of the living creature was in the wheels.

21 'When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit ' of the hving creature was in the wheels.

22 ' And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creatiure tvas as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23 And under the firmament iwere their wings straight, tlie one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

They icere dreadful] They were exceedingly great in their diameter, so that it was tremendous to look from the part that touched the ground to that which was opposite above.

'Were full of eyes] Does not this refer to the appearance of nails keeping on the spokes, or strakes or bands upon the rim 1

Verse 19. When the living creatures went, the wheels went] The wheels were attached to the living creatures, so that, in progress, they had the same motion.

Verse 20. The spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.] That is, the wheels were instinct loith a vital spirit; the wheels were alive, they also were animals, or endued with animal life, as the creatures were that stood upon them. Here then is the chariot of Jehovah. There are four, wheels, on each of which one of the compound animals stands; the four compound

' like the noise of great waters, TarouiniiPrisci, as - the voice of the Almighty, ^- '^°'""" ' ^•^- the voice of speech, as the noise of a host: when they stood, they let dovra their wings.

25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let dovra their wings.

26 'And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, ^ as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

27 ^ And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were tiie appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

28 " As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so ivas the appearance of the brightness round about. '' This ivas the appearance of the likeness of tlie glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, " I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

by which rays of Ught were refracted, assuming either a variety of prismatic colours, or an insufferably brilliant splendour. This seems to be the meaning of the terrible crystal. Netccome tTa,Tis\iites, fearful ice. The common translation is preferable.

Verse 23. Every one had two, which covered on this side] While they employed two of their wings to form a foundation for the firmament to rest on, two other wings were let down to cover the lower part of their bodies: but this they did only when they stood, ver. 24.

Verse 24. The noise of their wings] When the whirlwind drove the wheels, the wind rustling among the wings was like the noise of many waters; like a waterfall, or waters dashing continually against the rocks, or rushing down precipices.

As the voice of the Almighty] Like distant thunder; for this is termed the twice of God, Psa. xviii. 13; Exod. ix. 23, 28, 29; xx. 18.

animals form the body of the chariot, their wings spread ' a large well cut specimen of which is now before me, horizontally above, forming the canopy or covering of this chariot; on the top of which, or upon the extended wings of the four living creatures, was the throne, on which was the appearance of a man, ver. 26.

Verse 22. The colour of the terrible crystal] Like » crystal, well cut and well polished, with various /acej, is one of the most beautiful and resplendent blues that can be conceived. I have sometimes seen the heavens assume this illustrious hue. The human form above this canopy is supposed to represent Ilim who, in the fulness of time, was manifested in the flesh.

mens of amber which are very pure and beautifully transparent. One which I now hold up to the light gives a most beautiful bright yellow colour. Such a splendid appearance had the august Being who sat upon this throne from the reins upward; but from thence downward he had the appearance of fire, burning with a clear and brilliant flame. For farther particulars see the notes on chap. x.

Verse 28. As the appearance of the hmi}] Over the canopy on which this glorious personage sat there was a fine rainhow, which, from the description here, had all its colours vivid, distinct, and in perfection — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. In all this description we must understand every metal, every colour, and every natural appearance, to be in their utmost perfection of shape, colour, and splendour. " And this," as above described, " was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." Splendid and glorious as it was, it was only the " appearance of the likeness," a faint representation of the real thing.

I have endeavoured to explain these appearances as correctly as possible; to show their forms, positions, colours, &c. But who can explain their meaning? We have conjectures in abundance; and can it be of any use to mankind to increase the number of those conjectures? I think not. I doubt whether the whole does not point out the state of the Jews, who were about to be subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, and carried into captivity. And I am inclined to think that the "living creatures, wheels, fires, whirlwinds,'' &c., which are introduced here, point out, emblematically, the various means, sword, fire, pestdence, famine, &c., which were employed in their destruction; and that God appears in all this to show that Nebuchadnezzar is only his instrument to inflict all these calamities. What is in the following chapter appears to me to confirm this supposition. But we have the rainhow, the token ot God's covenant, to show that though there should be a destruction of the city, temple, &c., and sore tribulation among the people, yet there should not be a total ruin; after a long captivity they should be restored. The rainbow is an illustrious token of mercy and love

The prophet, having been overwhelmed loith the glorious vision in the preceding chapter, is here strengthened and comforted, 1,2; and then commissioned to declare to the rebellious house of Israel the terrible judgments that would very shortly come tipon the ivhole land, if they repented not; with a gracious assurance to Ezekiel that God loould be constantly with him while executing the duties of his office, 3—5. The prophet is also commanded to be fearless, resolute, and faithful in the discharge of it, 6-8, as he must le the messenger of very unpleasing tidings, which will expose him to great persecution, 9, 10.

A ND he said unto me. Son of man, =" stand upon thy feet.

Tarquinii Prisci, and I will Speak unto thee

2 And "^ the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

Verse 1. And he said unto me] In the last verse of the preceding chapter we find that the prophet was so penetrated with awe at the sight of the glory of God in the mystical chariot, that " he fell upon his face;" and, whUe he was in this posture of adoration, he heard the voice mentioned here. It is evident, therefore, that the present division of these chapters is wrong. Either the first should end with the words " This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord," ver. 28; or the first verse of this chapter should be added to the preceding, and this begin with the second

Verse 2. And the spirit entered into me] This spirit was diflierent to that mentioned above, by which the wheels, &c., were moved. The sjiirit of prophecy is here intended; whose ofiice was not merely to enable him to foresee and foretell future events, but to purify and refine his heart, and qualify him to be a successful preacher of the word of life.

3 And he said unto me, Son of

^ they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even mito this very day.

sinners must be influenced by the Holy Ghost; otherwise he can neither be saved himself, nor become the instrument of salvation to others.

And set me upon my feet] That he might stand as a servant before his master, to receive his orders.

Verse 3. Son of 7nan] This appellative, so often mentioned in this book, seems to have been given first to this prophet; afterwards to Daniel; and after that to the MAN Christ Jesus. Perhaps it was given to the two former to remind them of their frailty, and that they should not be exalted in their own minds by the extraordinary revelations granted to them; and that they should feel themselves of the same nature with those to whom they were sent; and, from the common principle of humanity, deeply interest themselves in the welfare of their unhappy countrymen. To the latter it might have been appropriated merely to show that though all his actions demonstrated him to be God, yet that he was also really m.i.n; and that in the man Christ Jesus dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. When the acts of Christ are considered, it is more easy

4 ' For they are ^ impudent children and stiff-liearted. I do

5 8 And they, whether liiey will liear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet ^ shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

6 And thou, son of man, ' be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their ^vords, thougii '' briers ' and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: "■ be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, " though they be a rebellious house.

will hear, or whether they will for- Tarquinii Prisci, bear: for they are 1 most rebellious. R- H°man., 22.

8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and ■■ eat that I give thee.

10 And he spread it before me; and it toas written within and without: and the)-e ivas written therein lamentations, and mourning, and wo.

to believe his eternal Godhead, than to be convinced that the person we hear speaking, and see working, is also a 7nan like unto ourselves.

I send thee to the children of Israel] To those who were now in captivity, in Chaldea particularly; and to the Jews in general, both far and near.

Verse 4. Thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith the Lord] Let them know that what thou hast to declare is the message of the Lord, that they may receive it with reverence.

Every preacher of God's word should take heed that it is God's message he delivers to the people. Let him not suppose, because it is according to his own creed or confession of faith, that therefore it is God's word. False doctrines and fallacies without end are foisted on the world in this way. Bring the creed first to the Word of God, and scrupulously try whether it be right; and when this is done, leave it where you please; take the Bible, and warn them from God's word recorded there.

Verse 5. Yet shall knoiv that there hath been a prophet among thon.] By this they shall be assured of tioo things: 1. That God in his mercy had given them due warning. 2. That themselves were inexcusable, for not taking it.

Verse 6. Be not afraid of them] Thev will maltreat thee for thy message; but let not the apprehension of this induce thee to suppress it. Though they be rebels, fear them not; I will sustain and preserve

Verse 7. Whether they trill hear] Whether they receive the message, or persecute thee for it, declare it to them, that they may be without excuse.

Verse 8. Open thy mmUh and eat that I give thee.] Take my word as thou wouldst take thy proper food; receive it into thy heart; ponder it there, that it may be the means of strengthening and preserving thy soul, as proper nourishment will strengthen the body, and preserve from death And the people to whom such messages of God may come should so hear it, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, that it may become efficient nourishment to their souls.

Verse 9. A hand v^as sent] Here the Aa?!(/ signifies not only the instrument of conveyance, but an emblem of the Divine poioer, which the haiid of God always signifies.

A roll of a book] 13D rhiti megillath sepher. All ancient books were written so as to be rolled up; hence volnmen, a volume, from volvo, I roll.

Verse 10. It was ivritten within and without] Contrary to the state of rolls in general, which are WTitten on the inside only. The Hebrew rolls are generally written in this way. There are several of such Hebrew rolls before me, all vM-itten on the inside only, consisting of skins of vellum, or parchment, or basil, a sort of half-tanned sheep or goat skin, sewed together, extending to several yards in length. Other Asiatic books were wTitten in the same way. A Sanscrit roll of si:tty feet in length, also before me, is WTitten all on the inside; and a Koran, WTitten in exceedingly small characters, about two inches broad and twelve feet long, and weighing but about half an ounce. But the roll presented to the prophet was MTitten on both sides, because the prophecy was long, and to the same effect; that they might see the mind of God wherever they looked.

There was written therein lamentations, and mourn ing, and wo.] What an awful assemblage! njni D'J'p "ni kinim, vahegeh, vchi, lamentations, and a, groan, and alas! Lamentations on all hands; a groan from the dying; and alas, or Wo is me! from the sur\'ivors. It was the letter that killeth, and is the ministration of death. What a mercy to have that which is emphatically called To EuayysXiov, The glad tidings, the good news! Christ Jesus is come into the world to save sinners; and he wills that all men.should be savea and come to the knowledge of the truth. Here are rejoicings, thanksgivings, and exultation.

This chapter contains more particular instructions to the prophet. It begins with repeating his appointment to his office, 1-3. Ezekiel is then informed that his commission is, at this time, to the house of Israel exclusively, 4-6; that his countrymen would pay little regard to him, 7; that he must persevere in his duty notwithstanding such great discouragement; and he is endued tvith extraordinary courage and intrepidity to enable him fearlessly to declare to a disobedient and gainsaying people the whole counsel of God, 8-11. The prophet is afterwards carried by the spirit that animated the cherubim and loheels, and by which he received the gift of prophecy, to a colony of his brethren in the neighbourhood, where he remained seven days overwhelmed with astonishment, 12—15. He is then warned of the awful importance of being faithful in his office, 16—21; commanded to go forth into the plain that he may have a visible manifestation of the Divine Presence, 22; and is again favoured tvith a vision of that most magnificent set of symbols described in the first chapter, by which the glorious majesty of the God of Israel was in some measure represented, 23. See also Isa. vi. 1-18; Dan. x. 5-19; and Rev. i. 10-16; iv. 1-11, for other manifestations of the Divine glory, in all of which some of the imagery is very similar. The prophet receives directions relative to his future conduct, 24-27.

2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I '' eat it; and It was in my mouth •= as honey for sweetness.

4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

5 For thou art not sent to a people '^ of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;

6 Not to many people " of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. ^ Surely, ^ had I sent thee to them, they woidd have hearkened unto thee.

so ver. 6. eHeb. deep of lip and heavy of language. '^Or,

Verse 1. Eat this roll, and go speak] This must have passed in vision; but the meaning is plain. Receive my vFord — let it enter into thy soul; digest it — let it be thy nourishment; and let it be thy meat and drink to do the will of thy Father who is in heaven.

Verse 3. It was in my mouth as honey] It was joyous to me to receive the Divine message, to be thus let into the secrets of the Divine counsel, and I promised myself much comfort in that intimate acquaintance with which I was favoured by the Supreme Being. In Rev. X. 10 we find St. John receiving a little book, which he ate, and found it sweet as honey in his mouth, but after he had eaten it, it made his belly hitler, signifying that a deep consideration of the awful

7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; *" for they

will not hearken unto me: ' for Tarquinii Prisci, all the house of Israel are ^ im- R- Roman., 22. pudent and hard-hearted.

8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

9 ' As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: ™ fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they he a rebellious house.

10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee, receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

1 1 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, " Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

12 Then ° the spirit took me up, and I heard

matter contained in God's word against sinners, which multitudes of them will turn to their endless confusion, must deeply afflict those who know any thing of the worth of an immortal spirit.

Verse 5. Thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech] I neither send thee to thy adversaries, the Chaldeans, nor to the Mcdes and Persians, their enemies. Even these woidd more likely have hearkened unto thee than thy own countrymen.

Verse 7. Impudent and hard-hearted.] " Stiff of forehead, and hard of heart." — Margin. The marginal readings on several verses here are very nervous and very correct.

Verse 12. Then the Spirit took me up] This, as Calmet remarks, has been variously understood. 1.

13/ heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that ^ touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.

14 So 1 the spii-it lifted me up and took me away, and I went ■■ in bitterness, in the ' heat of my spirit; but the ' hand of tiie Lord was strong upon me.

15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and " I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

16 And it came to pass at the end of seven

An impetuous ivind carried him to the place where his brethren sojourned. 2. The Holy Spirit, which filled his heart, transported him in a moment to the place where the captives were. 3. Or, he was so transported with heavenly ardour in his mind, that he ran immediately off, and seemed to fly to the place where God commanded him to go. The promptitude and impetuosity of his spirit seemed to furnish him with wings on the occasion. However this may be understood, the going to the captives was real.

A voice of a great rushing] This was the noise made by the wings of the living creatures that formed the chariot of Jehovah. See the notes on chap. i. and X.

Blessed be the glory of the Lord] Probably the acclamation of the living creatures: " Let God be blessed from the throne of his glory! He deserves the praises of his creatures in all the dispensations of his mercy and justice, of his providence and grace."

Verse 13. A great rushing.] All the living creatures and the wheels being then in motion.

Verse 14. I leent in bitlernes.i] Being filled with indignation at the wickedness and obstinacy of my people, I went, determining to speak the word of God without disguise, and to reprove them sharply for their rebellion; and yet I was greatly distressed because of the heavy message which I was commanded to deliver.

A''erse 15. I came to them of the captivity] Because the hand of the Lord was strong upon him and supported him, he soon reached the place.

Seven days.] Perhaps God kept him all this time without an invnediate revelation, that the bitterness and heat of spirit of which he speaks above might be subdued, and that he mijht speak God's words in God's own Spirit. Had he gone in a better spirit he had pro-

17 ^Son of man, I have made Tarquinii Prisci, ihee a "' watchman unto the house R- Roman., 22. of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from mc.

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shall surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man ^ shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; y but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Verse 17. / have made thee a watchman] The care and 'welfare of all this people I have laid on thee. Thou must watch for their safely, preach for their edification, and pray for their eternal welfare. And that thou mayest be successful, receive the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

God is particularly jealous lest any words but his own be taught for Divine doctrines. He will not have human creeds, no more than traditions, taught instead of his own word. No word can be successful in the salvation of sinners but that which comes from God. Every minister of the Gospel should be familiar with his Maker by faith and prayer; God will then hold communion with his spirit; otherwise, %\hat he preaches will be destitute of spirit and life, and his hackneyed texts and sermons, instead of being the bread from heaven, will be like the dry mouldy Gibeonitish crusts.

Verse 18. Thou shall surely die] That is. If he turn not from his wickedness, and thou girest him not warning, as above, he shall die in his iniipiily, which he should not have committed; hut his blood will 1 require at thy hand — I will visit thy soul for the loss of his. O how awful is this! Hear it, ye priests. ye preachers, ye ministers of the Gospel; ye, especially, who have entered into the ministry /or a living; ye who gather a congregation to yourselves that ye may feed upon their fat, and clothe yourselves with their wool; in whose parishes and in whose congregations souls are dying unconverted from day to d.iy, who have never been solemnly warned hy you, and to whom you have never shown the way of salvation, probably because ye know nothing of it yourselves! O what a perdition awaits you! To have the blood of every soul that has died in your parishes or in your congregations unconverted laid at your door! To suffer a common damnation for every soul that perishes through your neglect! How many load.t of endless

ousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbhng-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

22 *> And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me. Arise, go forth ■= into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.

23 Then I ai'ose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, ^ the glory of the Lord

Stood there, as the glory which I " saw by the river of Chebar: f and I fell on my face.

24 Then ^the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

25 But thou, 0 son of man, beliukl, *' they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

26 And ' I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them ^ a reprover: ^ for they are a rebellion? house.

27 ""But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, " Thus saith the Lord God; he that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: ° for they are a rebellious house.

wo must such have to bear! Ye take your tithes, your stipends, or your rents, to the last grain, and the last penny; while the souls over whom you made yourselves watchmen have perished, and are perishing, through your neglect. O wortiiless and hapless men! better for you had ye never been born! Vain is your boast of apostolical authority, while ye do not the work of apostles! Vain your boast of orthodoxy, while ye neither shoiv nor hnoiv the loay of salvation! Vain your pretensions to a Divine call, when ye do not the work of evangelists! The state of the most wTetched of the human race is enviable to that of such ministers, pastors, teachers, and preachers.

But let not this discourage the faithful minister who teaches every man, and tvarns every tnan, in all wisdom, that he may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. If after such teaching and warning they will sin on, and die in their sins, theii blood will be upon themselves; but thou, O man of God, hast delivered thine own soid.

Verse 20. When a righteous man dolh turn from his righteousness] Which these words plainly state he may do, and commit iniquity, and die in his sin; and consequently die eternally, which is also here granted; if he have not been warned, though he die in his sin, the blood — the life and salvation, of this person also will God require at the watchman's hand. Pastor hunc occidit, quia eum tacendo morti tradidit. •• This man the pastor kills; for in being silent, he delivers him over to death." — Gregory. From these passages we see that a righteous man may fall from grace, and perish everlastingly. Should it be said that it means the self-righteous, I reply, this is absurd; for self-righteousness is a fall itself, and the sooner a man falls from it the better for himself. Real, genuine righteousness of heart and life is that which is meant. Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.

And I lay a stumbling-Hock before him] That is, I permit him to be tried, and he fall in the trial. God is repeatedly represented as doing things which he only permits to be done. He lays a stumbling-block, i. e., he permits one to be laid.

Verse 22. Arise, go forth into the plain] Into a place remote from observation and noise; a place where the glory of God might have sufficient room to manifest itself, that the prophet might see all its movements distinctly.

Verse 24. The spirit — said unto me. Go, shut thyself within thine house.] Hide thyself for the present. The reason is immediately subjoined.

Verse 25. They shall put bands upon thee] Thy countrymen will rise up against thee; and, to prevent thy prophesying, wil' confine thee.

Verse 26. Iivill make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth] I will not give thee any message to deliver to them. They are so rebellious, it is useless to give them farther warning.

Verse 27. / loill open thy mouth] 'W]\en it is ne- } cessary to address them again, thou shalt sum up what j thou hast said in this one.speech: Thus saith the \ Lord, " He that heareth, let him hear; and he that j forbeareth, let him forbear." Let him who feels obedience to the voice of God his interest, be steadfast. Let him who disregards the Divine monition go in his 1 own way, and abide the consequences.

'Ezekiel delineates Jerusalem, and lat/s siege to it, as a type of the manner in which the Chaldean army should surround that city, 1-3. The prophet commanded to he on his left side three hundred and ninety days, and on his right side forty days, with the signification, 1—8. The scanty and coarse provision allowed the prophet during his symbolical siege, consisting chiefly of the worst hinds of grain, and liketvise ill-prepared, as he had only coio's dung for fuel, tended all to denote the scarcity of provision, fuel, and every necessary of life, which the Jews should experience during the siege of Jerusalem, 9—17.

AgM;3409. rpHOU also, son of man, take

Ol.'xLVi. 2. thee a lile, and lay it before rarquinii Prisci, thee, and pourtray upon it tlie

2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set ^ battering rams against it round about.

Verse 1. Take thee a tile] A tile, such as we use in covering houses, will give us but a very inadequate notion of those used anciently; and also appear very insufficient for the figures which the prophet was commanded to pourtray on it. A brick is most undoubtedly meant; yet, even the larger dimensions here, as to thickness, will not help us through the difficulty, unless we have recourse to the ancients, who have spoken of the dimensions of the bricks commonly used in building. Palladius, De Re Rustica, lib. vi. c. 1'2, is very particular on this subject: — Sint vero lateres longitudine pedum duorum, latitudine unius, altitudine quatuor unciarum. " Let the bricks be two feet long, one foot broad, and four inches thick." Edit. Gesner, vol. iii. p. 144. On such a surface as this the whole siege might be easily pourtrayed. There are some brick-bats before me which were brought from the ruins of ancient Babylon, which have been made of clay and straw kneaded together and baked in the sun; one has been more than four inches thick, and on one side it is deeply impressed with characters; others are smaller, well made, and finely impressed on one side with Persepolitan characters. These have been for inside or ornamental work; to such bricks the prophet most probably alludes.

But the tempered clay out of which the bricks were made might be meant here; of this substance he might spread out a sufficient quantity to receive all his figures. The figures were, 1. Jerusalem. 2. A fort. 3. A mount. 4. The camp of the enemy. 5. Battering rams, and such like engines, round about. 6. A wall round about the city, between it and the besieging army.

Verse 2. Battering rams] 0^'\2 carim. This is the earliest account we have of this military engine. It was a long beam with a head of brass, like the head and horns of a ram, whence its name. It w-as hung by chains or ropes, between two beams, or three legs, so that it could admit of being drawn backward and forward some yards. Several stout men, by means of ropes, pulled it as far back as it could go: and then.

3 Moreover take thou unto thee ^- ^ H'P- * an iron pan, and set it for a oi. XLVI. 2. wall of iron between thee and Tarquinii Prisci the city: and set thy face against R- Roman., 22. it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. "= This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay

suddenly letting it loose, it struck with great force against the wall which it was intended to batter and bring down. This machine was not known in the time of Homer, as in the siege of Troy there is not the slightest mention of such. And the first notice we have of it is here, where we see that it was employed by Nebuchadnezzar in the siege of Jerusalem, A. M. 3416. It was after\vards used by the Carthaginians at the siege of Gades, as Vitruvius notes, lib. X. c. 19, in which he gives a circumstantial account of the invention, fabrication, use, and improvement of this machine. It was for the want of a machine of this kind, that the ancient sieges lasted so long; they had nothing with which to beat down or undermine the walls.

Verse 3. Take thou unto thee an iron pan] n^no machabath, a flat plate or slice, as the margin properly renders it: such as are used in some countries to bake bread on, called a griddle or girdle, being suspended above the fire, and kept in a proper degree of heat for the purpose. A plate like this, stuck perpendicularly in the earth, would show the nature of a xoall much better than any pan could do. The Chaldeans threw such a wall round Jerusalem, to prevent the besieged from receiving any succours, and from escaping from the city.

This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.] This shall be an emblematical representation of what shall actually take place.

Verse 4. Lie thou also upon thy left side] It appears that all that is mentioned here and in the following verses was done, not in idea, but in fad. The prophet lay down on his left side upon a couch to which he was chained, ver. 5, for three hundred and ninety days; and afterwards he lay in the same manner, upon his right side, Cm forty days. And thus was signified the state of the Jews, and the punishment that was coming upon them. 1. The prophet himself represents the Jews. 2. His lying, their state of depression. 3. His being bound, their helplessness and captivity. 4. The days signify years, a day for a year; during which thev were to bear their iniquity, '435

5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: "* so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of

6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee ' each day for a year.

7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

8 f And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee ^ from one side

9 Take thou also unto thee TarquinU Prisci, wheat, and barley, and beans, R- Roman., 22. and lentiles, and millet, and ^ fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, tlixee hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat

10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.

1 1 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.

1 2 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.

or the temporal puni.shment due to their sins. 5. The three hundred and ninety days, during which he was to lie on his left side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Israel, point out two things: the first, The dttration of the siege of Jerusalem. Secondly, The duration of the captivity of the ten tribes, and that of Judah. 6. The prophet lay tliree hundred and?iinety days upon his left side, s.nA forty days upon his right side, in all four hundred and thirty days. Now Jerusalem was besieged the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah, 2 Kings xxY. 1, 2, and was not taken till the eleventh year of the same prince, 2 Kings xxv. 2. But properly speaking, the siege did not continue the whole of that time; it was interrupted; for Nebuchadnezzar was obliged to raise it, and go and meet the Egyptians, who w^ere coming to its succour. This consumed a considerable portion of time. After he had defeated the Egyptians, he returned and recommenced the siege, and did not leave it till the city was taken. We may, therefore, conclude that the four hundred and thirty days only comprise the time in which the city wa.s actually besieged, when the city was encompassed with walls of circumvallation, so that the besieged were reduced to a state of the utmost distress. The siege commenced the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah; and it was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of the same king. Thus the siege had lasted, in the whole, eighteen months, or five hundred and ten days. Subtract for the time that Nebuchadnezzar was obliged to interrupt the siege, in order to go against the Egyptians, four months and twenty days, or one hundred and forty days, and there wdl remain /om?- hundred and thirty days, composed of 390 + 40=430. See Calmet on this place. See also at the end of this chapter.

Verse 6. Forty days] Reckon, says Archbishop Newcome, near fifteen years and six months in the reign of Manasseh, two years in that of Amon, three 4?6 months in that of Jehoahaz, eleven years in that of Jehoiakim, three months and ten days in that of Jehoiachin, and eleven years in that of Zedekiah; and there arises a period of forty years, during which gross idolatry was practised in the kingdom of Judah. Forty days may have been employed in spoiling and desolating the city and the temple.

Verse 9. Take thou also unto thee loheat^ In times of scarcity, it is customary in all countries to mix several kinds of coarser grain with the finer, to make it last the longer. This mashlin, which the prophet is conmianded to take, of wheat, barley, beans, lentiles, millet, and fitches, was intended to show how scarce the necessaries of life should be during the siege.

Verse 10. Tioenly shekels a day] The whole of the above grain, being ground, was to be formed into one mass, out of which he was to make three hundred and ninety loaves; one loaf i'or each day; and this loaf was to be of twenty shekels in weight. Now a shekel, being in weight about half an ounce, this would be ten ounces of bread for each day; and with this water to the amount of one sixth part of a hin, which is about a pint and a half of our measure. All this shows that so reduced should provisions be during the siege, that they should be obliged to eat the meanest sort of aliment, and that by weight, and their water by measure; each man's allowance being scarcely a pint and a half, and ten ounces, a little more than half a pound oi hread, for each day's support.

Ver.se 12. Thou shalt bake it with dung] Dried ox and cow dung is a common fuel in the east; and with this, for want of wood and coals, they are obliged to prepare their food. Indeed, dried excrement of every kind is gathered. Here, the prophet is to prepare his bread with dry human excrement. And when we know that this did not come in contact with the bread, and was only used to warm the plate, (see ver. 3,) on which the bread was laid over the fire, it removes all

13 And the Lord said, Even thus ' shall the children of Israel

Tarquinii Prisci, eat their defiled bread among the R. Roman., 22. Qenliles, whither I will drive them.

14 Then said I, ''Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of ' that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there " abominable flesh into my mouth.

1 5 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given

the horror and much of the disgust. This was retjuired to show the extreme degree of wretchedness to which they should be exposed; for, not being able to leave the city to collect the dried excrements of beasts, the inhabitants during the siege would be obliged, hterally, to use dried human ordure for fuel. The very circumstances show that this was the plain fact of the case. However, we find that the prophet was relieved from using this kind of fuel, for cows' dung was substituted at his request. See ver. 15.

Verse 14. My soul hath not been polluted] There is a remarkable similarity between this expostulation of the prophet and that of St. Peter, Acts x. 14.

Verse 16. / will break the staff of bread] They shall be besieged till all the bread is consumed, till the famine becomes absolute; see 2 Kings.xxv. 3: "And

16 Moreover he said unto me, «■ «""■■•"'- ^- Son of man, behold, I will break the " staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall ° eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall p drink water by measiure, and with astonishment:

17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and 1 con sume away for their iniquity.

on the ninth of the ybuWA month, the famine prevailed in the city; and there w.a.s no bread for the people of the land." AU this was accurately foretold, and as accurately fulfilled.

Abp. Newcome on ver. 6 observes: " This number of years will take us back, with sufficient exactness, from the year in which Jerusalem was sacked by Nebuchadnezzar to the first year of Jeroboam's reign, when national idolatry began in Israel. The period of days seems to predict the duration of the siege by the Babylonians, ver. 9, deducting from the ye3.x five months and twenty-nine days, mentioned 2 Kings xxv. 1—4, the time during which the Chaldeans were on their expedition against the Egyptians; see Jer. xxxvii. 5." This amounts nearly to the same as that mentioned above.

Verses 1-4. Take thee a sharp knife] Among the Israelites, and indeed among most ancient nations, there were very few edge-tools. The sword was the chief; and this was used as a knife, a razor, &c., accordino' to its different length and sharpness. It is likely that only one kind of instrument is here intended; a knife «r short sword, to be employed as a razor.

In this chapter the prophet shows, under the type of hair, the judgments which God was about to execute on the inhabitants of Jerusalem by famine, sword, and dispersion, 1-4. The type or allegory is then dropped, and God is introduced declaring in plain terms the vengeance that was coming on the ivhole nation which had proved so unworthy of those mercies with which they had hitherto been distinguished, 5—17.

A ND thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, '^ and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

2 ^ Thou shalt bum with fire a third part in the midst of ■= the city, when "^ the days of the

siege are fulfilled: and thou slialt take a tliird part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.

3 " Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy '' skirts.

4 Then take of them again, and s cast them

out the coming evUs. 1. The prophet represents the Jewish nation. 2. His hair, the people. 3. The razor, the Chaldeans. 4. The cutting the heard and hair, the calamities, sorrows, and disgrace coming upon the people. Cutting off the hair was a sign of mourning; see on Jer. xiv. 5;.xlviii. 37; and also a sign of great disgrace; see 2 Sam. x. 4. 5. He is ordered to divide the hair, ver. 2, into three equal parts, to intimate the different degrees and kinds of punish-

A- M. cir. 3410. injo the midst of the fire, and bum j oi. XL VI. 3. them in the fire; for thereof ilJ'^RomaTr' shall a fire come forth into all cir. annum 23. ^j^g house of Israel.

5 Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are roimd about her.

6 And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, '' neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Be-

ment which should fall upon the people. 6. The balances, ver. 1, were to represent the Divine justice, and the exactness with which God's judgments should be distributed among the offenders. 7. This hair, divided into three parts, is to be disposed of thus: 1. A third part is to be burnt in the midst of the city, to show that so many should perish by famine and pestilence during the siege. 2. Another third part he was to cut in small portions about the city, (that figure which he had pourtrayed upon the brick,) to signify those who should perish in different sorties, and in defending the walls. 3. And the remaining third part he was to scatter in the leind, to point out those who should be driven into captivity. And, 4. The sword following them was intended to show that their lives should be at the will of their captors, and that many of them should perish by the sword in their dispersions. 5. Thefeio hairs which he was to take in his skirts, ver. 3, was intended to represent those few Jews that should be left in the land under Gedaliah, after the taking of the city. 6. The tlurowing a part of these last into the fire, ver. 4, was intended to show the miseries that these suffered in Jadca, in Egypt, and finally in their being also carried away into Babylon on the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. See these transactions particularly pointed out in the notes on Jeremiah, chapters xl., xli., xlii. Some think that this prophecy may refer to the persecu'ion of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes.

Verse 5. This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations] I have made this city the most eminent and the most illustrious in the world. Some tliink that these words refer to its geographical situation, as being equally in the centre of the habitable world. But any point on a globe is its centre, no matter wliere laid down; and it would not be difficult to and will execute judgments in the 01. XLVi. 3. midst of thee in the sight of the R%"oman.T'

9 ' And I will do in tliee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.

10 Therefore the fathers "shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I ' scatter into all the winds.

11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast ™ defiled my sanctuary with all thy " detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; ° neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

12 P A thii'd part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall tiiey be con-

show that even this literal sense is tolerably correct. But the point which is the centre of the greatest portion of land that can be exhibited on one hemisphere is the capital of the British empire. See my Sermon on the universal spread of the Gospel.

Verse 6. She hath changed my judgments'] God shows the reason why he deals with Jerusalem in greater severity than with the surrounding nations; because she was more wicked than they. Bad and idolatrous as they were, they had a greater degree of morality among them than the Jews had. Having fallen firom the true God, they became more abominable than others in proportion to the height, eminence, and glory from which they had fallen This is the common case of backsliders; they frequently, in their fall, become tenfold more the children of wrath than they were before.

Verse 9. I will do in thee that which I have not done] The destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest calamities that ever fell on any nation or place before; and that by the Romans under Titus exceeded all that has taken place since. These two sackages of that city have no parallel in the history of mankind.

Verse 10. The fathers shall eat- the sons] Though we have not this fact so particularly stated in history, yet we cannot doubt of it, considering the extremities to which they were reduced during the siege. The same is referred to by Jeremiah, Lam. iv. 10. Even the women, who were remarkable for kindness and humanity, boiled their own children, and ate them during the siege.

Will I scatter into all the winds.] Disperse you, by captivity, among all the nations of the earth.

a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and 1 1 will scatter a third part into all and ■■ I will draw out a sword

13 Thus shall mine anger *be accomplished, and I will ' cause my fiuy to rest upon them, " and I will be comforted: ' and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fui-y in

14 Moreover " I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.

15 So it shall be a ^ reproach and a taunt,

Verse 13. I will cause my fury to rest] My displeasure, and the evidences of it, shall not be transient; they shall be permanent upon you, and among you. And is not this dreadfully true to the present day?

Verse 16. The evil arrows of famine] Famine and pestilence are represented as poisoned arrows, inflicting death wherever they tvound. The ancients represented them in the same way.

an instruction and an astonish- a ^r <-ir. 3tio. ment unto the nations that are oi. -XLVi. 3. romid about thee, when I shall R!''Ro'ma'rf,''' execute judgments in thee in ''"'• '^""'"" ^^- anger and in fury and in >' furious rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it.

16 When I shall ^ send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your ^ staff of bread.

17 So will I send upon you famine and ^ evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and "pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it.

Verse 17. So will I send upon you famine and evu beasts, and they shall bereave thee] Wild beasts always multiply in depopulated countries. In England, tvolves abounded when the country was thinly peopled, it is now full of inhabitants, and there is not one woLf in the land. Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldeans may be called here evil beasts. He is often compared to a lion, Jer. iv. 7; Dan. vii. 14; on account of the ravages made by him and his Chaldean armies.

Jn this chapter, which forms a distinct section, the prophet denounces the judgments of God against the Jens for their idolatry, 1-7; but tells them that a remnant shall be saved, and brought to a sense of their sins by their severe afflictions, S— 14.

2 Son of man, " set thy face toward the '' mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

3 And say. Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to

NOTES ON CHAP. VI. Verse 2. Set thy face toward the mountains of Israefj This is a new prophecy, and was most probably given after the four hundred and thirty days of his lying on his left and right side were accomplished. By Israel here, Judca is simply meant; not the ten tribes, who had long before been carried into captivity. Ezetiel uses this term in reference to the Jews onlj-.

the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and " I will destroy your high places.

4 And your altars shall be desolate, and your ■* images shall be broken: and ^ I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

5 And I will ^ lay the dead carcasses of the

The mountains may be addressed here particularly, because it was on them the chief scenes of idolatry were exhibited.

Verse 4. Your images shall be broicn] Literally, your sun images; representations of the sun, which they worshipped. See the margin.

Ver.se 5. Will scatter your bones round about your altars.] This was hterallv fulfilled by the Chaldeans

the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and p ye shall know that I am the Lord.

8 ''Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.

9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because ' I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and ^ with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and ' they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all tlieir abominations.

1 0 And they shall know that I am the Lord,

and that I have not said in vain * that I would do this evil unto them.

1 1 Thus saith the Lord God; Smite "with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! ° for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

12 He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: " thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.

13 Then f shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, "^ upon every high hill, "■ in all the tops of the moun tains, and ' under every gi'een tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.

14 So will I ' stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, ''more desolate than the wilderness toward " Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

According to Baruch, chap. ii. 24, 25, they opened the sepulchres of the principal people, and threw the bones about on every side.

Verse 9. They that escape of you shatt remember me] Those that escape the sword, the pestUence, and the famine, and shall be led into captivity, shall plainly see that it is God who has done this; and shall humble themselves on account of their abominations, leave their idolatry, and worship me alone. And this they have done from the Babylonish captivity to the jiresent day.

Verse 11. Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot] Show the utmost marks of thy astonishment and indignation, and dread of the evUs that are coming upon them. Some have contended for the propriety of dapping and stamping in public worship from these words! It is scarcely a breach of charity to think that such persons are themselves incapable either of attending on or conducting the worship of God. To be consistent, they should copy the prophet in his other typical actions as well as these; and then we shall hear of their lying on their left side for three hundred and ninety days, and on their right side for forty days; yhaving their heads, lurnmg their hair, hahing their bread with dung, &c. Now aU these things, because they were typical and commanded, were proper in the prophet: in such persons as the above they would be evidences of insanity. Such extravagant acts are no part of God's worship.

Verse 14. And make the land — more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath] Diblath or Diblathayim is situated in the land of Moab. It is mentioned Num. xxxiu. 46, Almon-Dihlathaim; and in Jer. xlviii. 22, Beth-Diblathaim. It was a part of that horrible wilderness mentioned by Moses, Deut. viii. 15, " wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought." The precise reason why it is mentioned here is not very evident. Some think it is the same as Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar slew the princes of Israel, and put out Zedekiah's eyes; the principal difference lying between the T daleth and the T resh, which in MSS. is often scarcely discernible; and hence vast multitudes of various readings. Five, probably six, of Kennicotfs MSS. have nnSai riblathah, as likewise two of my oldest MSS.; though in the margin of one a later hand directs the word to be read itbl2 bedalelh, with daleth. But all the Versions read the word with a D. This may appear a matter of little importance, but we should take pains to recover even one lost letter of the word of God.

This chapter, which also forms a distinct prophecy, foretells the dreadful destruction of the land of Israel, or Judtth, (for after the captivity of the ten tribes these terms are often used indiscriminately for the Jews in general,) on account of the heinous sins of its inhabitants, 1—15; and the great distress of the small remnant that should escape, 16-19. The temple itself ivhich they had polluted with idolatry, is devoted to destruction, 20-22; and the prophet is directed to maie a chain, as a type of that captivity, in which both king and people should be led in bonds to Babylon, 23—27. The whole chapter abounds in bold and beautiful figures, flowing in an easy and forcible language.

2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; =' An end, the end is come upon the foiu: comers of the land.

3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and ^ will judge thee according to thy ways, and will ■^ recompense upon thee all thine abominations.

4 And ^ mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: " and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

5 Thus saith the Lord God; An A^^ "r. 34io.

7 s The morning is come unto thee, 0 thou that dwellest in the land: '^ the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the ' soimding again of the mountains.

8 Now will I shortly '' pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: ^ and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.

9 And ™ mine eye shall not spare, neither will

sword, the pestilence, the famine, and the captivity. Many MSS. read inx achar, after. So evil cometh after evil; one instantly succeeds another.

Verse 6. An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee] This is similar to the second verse; but there is a paronomasia, or play upon letters and words, which is worthy of note. ySs ypn "pn N3 N3 yp kets ba, ba hakkets, hekits elayich. nxp katsah signifies to make an end or extremity, by cutting off something, and ]'p' yakats signifies to awake from sleep: hence 1"p kits, the summer, as the earth and its productions seem then to awake from the sleep of winter. The end or final destruction is here personified; and represented as an executioner who has arisen early from his sleep, and is waiting for his orders to execute judgment upon the.se offenders. Hence it is said —

Verse 7. The morning is come unto thee] Every note of time is used in order to show the certainty of the thing. The morning that the executioner has watched for is come; the time of that morning, in which it should take place, and the day to which that time, prerise hour of that morning, belongs, in which judgment shall be executed. All, all is come.

And not the sounding again of the mountains.] The hostile troops are advancing! Ye hear a sound, a tumultuous noise; do not suppose that this proceeds from festivals upon the mountains; from the joy of harvestmen, or the treaders of the tvine-press. It is the noise of those by whom ye and your country are to fall. D'ln nn nSi veto hed harim, and not the reverberation of sound, or reflected sound, or re-echoing from the

Verse 2. An end, the end is come] Instead of "p ypn X3 kets ba hakkets, one MS. of Kennicotfs, one of De Rossi's, and one of my men, read vpn N3 N3 Vp kets ba, ba hakkets, " The end cometh, come is the end." This reading is supported by all the ancient Versions, and is undoubtedly genuine. The end cometh: the termination of the Jewish state is coming, and while I am speaking, it is come. The destruction is at the door. The later hand, who put the voioel points to the ancient MS. that has the above reading, did not put the points to the first S3 ba, but struck his pen gently across it, and by a mark in the margin intimated that it should be blotted out. All my ancient MSS. were without the points originally; but they have been added by modern hands, with a different ink; and they have in multitudes of instances corrected, or rather changed, important readings, to make them quadrate with the masora. But the original reading, in almost every case, is discernible.

The end is come upon the four comers of the land.] This is not a partial calamity; it shall cover and sweep the whole land. The cup of your iniquity is full, and my forbearing is at an end. This whole chapter is poetical.

Verse 4. Thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee] They shall ever stare thee in the face, upbraid thee with thy ingratitude and disobedience, and be witnesses against thee.

Verse 5. An evil, an only evil] The great, the sovereign, the last ejrterminating evil, is come: the

01. XLVi. 3. "thee according to thy ways and E.'^^Roman.! ' thine abominations that are in the

10 Behold the day, behold, it is come: "the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.

Ill Violence is risen \v^ into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their ■■ multitude, nor of any of '^ tiieirs; ' neither shall there he wailing for them.

12 " The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for WTath is upon all the mviltitude thereof.

13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, ' although they were yet alive:

whole multitude thereof, which 01. XLVi. 3. shall not return; neither shall r^ Roman., any strengthen himself ^ in " the "'"■ "■'■»'"' ^^3- iniquity of his life.

14 They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready: but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

1 5 y The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.

1 6 But ^ they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.

17 All ^ hands shall be feeble, and aU

Verse 10. Behold the day] The same words are repeated, sometimes varied, and pressed on the attention with neiv figures and neio circumstances, in order to alarm this infatuated people. Look at the day! It is come!

The mornmg is gone forth] It will wait no longer. The rod that is to chastise you hath blossomed; it is quite ready.

Pride hath budded.] Your insolence, obstinacy, and daring opposition to God have brought forth their proper fruits.

Verse 1 1. Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness] The prophet continues his metaphor: " Pride has budded." — And what has it brought forth '\ Violence and iniquity. To meet these, the rod of God Cometh. There is such a vast rapidity of succession in the ideas of the prophet that he cannot wait to find language to clothe each. Hence we have broken sentences; and, consequently, obscurity. Something must be supplied to get the sense, and most critics alter words in the te.xt. Houbigant, who rarely acknowledges himself to be puzzled, appears here completely nonplussed. He has given a meaning; it is this: " A'iolence hatli burst forth from the rod; salvation shall not proceed from them, nor from their riches, nor from their turbulence: there shall be no respite for them." Calmet has given no less than fire interpretations to this verse. The simple meaning seems to be, that such and so great is their wickedness that it must be punished; and from this punishment, neither their multitude nor struggles shall set them free. They may strive to evade the threatened stroke; but they shall not succeed, nor shall they have any respite. Our Version is to be understood as saying, — None of the people shall be left; all shall be slain, or carried into captivity: nor shall any of theirs, their princes, priests, wives, or children, escape. And so deserved shall their desolation appear, that none shall lament them. This may be as good a sense as any, and it is nearest to the letter.

Verse 12. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn] Such is now the state of public affairs, that he who through want has been obliged to sell his inheritance, need not mourn on the account; as of this the enemy would soon have deprived him. And he who has bought it need not rejoice in his bargain, as he shall soon be stripped of his purchase, and either fall by the sword, or be glad to flee for his life.

Verse 13. For the seller shall not return] In the sale of all heritages among the Jews, it was always understood that the heritage must return to the family on the year of jubilee, which was every fiftieth year; but in this case the seller should not return to possess it, as it was not likely that he should be alive when the next jubilee should come; and if he were even to live till that time, he could not possess it, as he would then be in captivity. And the reason is particularly given; for the vision — the prophetic declaration of a seventy years' captivity, regards the whole multitude of the people; and it shall not return, i. e., it will be found to be strictly true, without any abatement.

Verse 14. They have blown the trumpet] Vain are all the efforts you make to coUect and arm the people, and stand on your own defence; for all shall be dispirited, and none go to the battle.

Verse 15. The sivord is tvithoul] VVWr through aU the countri/, and pestilence anA famine within the city, shall destroy the whole, except a small remnant. He who endeavours to flee from the one shall fall by the other.

Verse 16. They — shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys] Rather, like mourning doves, nVNjn haggeayoth, chased from their dove-cotes, and separated from their mates.

Averse 17. All knees shall be weak as irater.] Calmet understands this curiously: La frayeur dont on sera

18 They shall also ■= gird themselves with sackcloth, and ^ horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.

19 Tlicy shall cast their silver in the streets, ajid tlieir gold shall be " removed: their ^ silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wTath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their

20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: ' but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable tilings therein: therefore have I ^ set it far from them.

21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.

22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the

saisi, fera qu'on ne pourra retenir son urine. D'autres I'expliquent d'une autre soiiillure plus honteuse. I believe him to be nearly about right. St. Jerome is exactly the same; Pavoris magnitudine, urina polluet genua, nee valebit profluentes aquas vesica prohibere. This and other malretentions are often the natural effect of extreme fear or terror.

Verse 19. They shall cast their silver in the streets] Their riches can be of no use; as in a time o{ famine there is no necessary of life to be purchased, and gold and silver cannot Jill their bowels.

It is the stumbling-block of their iniquity.] They Iov6d riches, and placed in the possession of them their supreme liappiness. Now they find a pound of gold not worth an ounce of bread.

Verse 20. As for the beauty of his ornament] Their beautiful temple was their highest ornament, and God made it majestic by his presence. But they have even taken its riches to make their idols, wliich they have brought into the very courts of the Lord's house; and therefore God hath.se< il — the temple,/ro»< him — given it up to pillage. Some say it means, " They took their ornaments, which were their pride, and made them into images to worship."

23 Make a chain: for " the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.

24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and "their holy places shall be defiled.

25 " Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

26 P Mischief shall com.e upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; i then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; bvit the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.

27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and "■ according to their deserts will I judge them; ' and they shall know that I am the Lord. /

'Jer. vii. 30. ^Or, made it unto them an unclean thing.

Chaldeans shall not only destroy the city; but they shall enter the temple, deface it, plunder it, and burn it to the ground.

Verse 23. Make a chain] Point out the capticity; show them that it shall come, and show them the reason: " Because the land is fuU of bloody crimes," &c.

Verse 24. The trorst of the heathen] The Chaldeans; the most cruel and idolatrous of all nations.

Verse 25. They shall seek peace] They see now that their ceasing to pay the tribute to the king of Babylon has brought the Chaldeans against them; and now they sue for peace in vain. He will not hear: he is resolved on their destruction.

Verse 26. Then shall they seek a vision] Vision shall perish from the prophet, the law from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. Previously to great national judgments, God restrains the influences of his Spirit. His word is not accompanied with the usual unction; and the wise men of the land, the senators and celebrated statesmen, devise foolish schemes; and thus, in endeavouring to avert it, they hasten on the national ruin. How true is the saying, Quern Deus vult perdere, prius dementat. " Those whom God designs to destroy, he first infatuates."

Here begins a section of prophecy extending to the twelfth chapter. In this chapter the prophet is carried in vision to Jerusalem, 1-4; and there shown the idolatries committed by the rulers of the Jews, even within tlie temple. In the beginning oj this vision, by the noblest stretch of an inspired imagination, idolatry ilself IS personified, and made an idol; and the- image sublimely called, from the provocation it gave God, the Image of Jealousy, 5. The prophet then proceeds to describe the three principal superstitions of this unhappy people: the Egyptian, 6-12, the Phoenician, 13, 14, and the Persian, 15, 16; giving thi striking features of each, and concluding with a declaration of the heinousness of their sins in the sight of God, and the consequent greatness of their punishment, 17, 18.

elders of Judah sat before me, that '' the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. 2 ■= Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the

Verse 1. In the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month] This, according to Abp. Usher, was the sixth year of Ezekiel's captivity. The sixth day of the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year, which answers to August, A. M. 3410.

This chapter and the three following •ontain but one vision, of which I judge it necessary, with Calmet, to give a general idea, that the attention of the reader may not be too much divided.

The prophet, in the visions of God, is carried to Jerusalem, to the northern gate of the temple, which leads by the north side to the court of the priests. There he sees the glory of the Lord in the same manner as he did by the river Chebar. At one side he sees the image of jealousy. Going thence to the court of the people, he sees through an opening in the wall seventy elders of the people, who were worshipping all sorts of beasts and reptiles, which were painted on the wall. Being brought thence to the gate of the door of the house, he saw women weeping fur Tammuz or Adonis. As he returned to the court of the priests, between the porch and the altar, he saw twenty-five men with their backs to the sanctuary and their faces towards the east, worshipping the rising sun. This is the substance of the vision contained in the eighth chapter.

About the same time he saw su men come from the higher gate with swords in their hands; and among them, one with an ink-horn. Then the Divine Presence left the cherubim, and took post at the entrance of the temple, and gave orders to the man with the ink-horn to put a mark on the foreheads of those who sighed and prayed because of the abominations of the land; and then commanded the men with the swords to go forward, and slay every person who had not this mark. The prophet, being left alone among the dead, fell on his face, and made intercession for the people. The Lord gives him the reason of his conduct; and the man with the ink-horn returns, and reports to the Lord what was done. These are the general contents of the ninth chapter.

appearance of fire: from the ap- ^^ ^^ ^j*g'^°- pearance of his loins even down- Oi. xLvi. 3. ward, fire; and from his loins Tarquinii Prisci, even upward, as the appearance R- Roman., 23. of brightness, ^ as the colour of amber.

3 And he * put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and

The Lord commands the same person to go in between the wheels of the cherubim, and take his hand full of live coals, and scatter them over the city. He went as commanded, and one of the cherubim gave him the coals; at the same time the glory of the Lord, that had removed to the threshold of the house, now returned, and stood over the cherubim. The cherubim, wheels, wings, &c., are here described as in the first chapter. This is the substance of the tenth

The prophet then finds himself transported to the east gate of the temple, where he saw twenty-five men, and among them Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people, against whom the Lord commands him to prophesy, and to threaten them with the utmost calamities, because of their crimes. Afterwards God himself speaks, and shows that the Jews who should be left in the land should be driven out because of their iniquities, and that those who had been led captive, and who acknowledged their sins and repented of them, should be restored to their own land. Then the glory of the Lord arose out of the city, and rested for a time on one of the mountains on the east of Jerusalem, and the prophet being carried in vision by the Spirit to Chaldea, lost sight of the chariot of the Divine glory, and began to show to the captivity what the Lord had shown to him. This is the substance of the eleventh chapter.

We may see from all this what induced the Lord to abandon his people, his city, and his temple; the abominations of the people in public and in private. But because those carried away captives with Jeconiah acknowledged their sins, and their hearts turned to the Lord, God informs them that they shall be brought back and restored to a happy state both in temporal and spiritual matters, while the others, who had filled up the measure of their iniquities, should be speedily brought into a state of desolation and ruin. This is the sum and intent of the vision in these four chapters.

the inner gate that looketh toward the north; ■^ where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which ' provoketh to jealousy.

4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel ivas there, according to the vision that I '' saw in the plain.

5 Then said he mito me. Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the wajf^ toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what thej^ do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth '. here, that I should go far off from my sane- ' tuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt I see greater abominations..

7 And he brought me to the door of the 1 court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

8 Then said he unto me. Son of man, dig

hakkinah. We do not know certainly of what form this image was, nor what god it represented. Some say it was the image of Baal, which was placed in the temple by Manasses; others, that it was the image of Mars; and others, that it was the image of Tammuz or Adonis. Calmet supports this opinion by the following reasons: — 1. The name agrees perfectly with him. He was represented as a beautiful youth, beloved by Venus; at which Mars, her paramour, being incensed and filled with jealousy, sent a large boar against Adonis, which killed him with his tusks. Hence it was tlie image of him who fell a victim to jealousy. 2. The prophet being returned towards the northern gate, where he had seen the image of jealousy, ver. 14, there saw the women lamenting for Tammvz. Now Tammuz, all agree, signifies Adonis; it was that therefore which was called the image of jealousy. 3. The Scripture often gives to the heathen idols names of degradation; as Baal-zebub, god of flies; Baal-zebul, god of dung. It is liltely that it was Ado7us who is called The dead, Lev. xix. 27, 38; Deut. xiv. 9, because he was worshipped as one dead. And the women represented as worshipping him were probal)ly adulteresses, and had suffered through the jealous'/ of their husbands. And this worship of the image of jealousy provoked God to jealousy, to destroy this bad people.

Verse 4. The vision that I saw in the plain.] See the note on chap. iii. 23; see also chap. i. 3.

9 And he said unto me. Go in, TarquiniiPrisci and behold the wicked abomina- «■ R°"">" ■ ^3- tions that they do here.

10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtraycd upon the wall round about.

1 1 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

1 2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, ' The Lord seeth us not; tlie Lord hath forsaken the

13 He said also unto me. Turn thee yet again, and ■" thou shalt see greater abominations that, they do.

14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward

large enough to see what was doing within; and the prophet is directed to dig, and make it larger, ver. 8; and when he had done so and entered, he says, —

Verse 10. And saw — every form of creeping things] It is very likely that these images pourtrayed on the wall were the objects of Egyptian adoration: the ox, the ape, the dog, the crocodile, the ibis, the scarabo'us or beetle, and various other things. It appears that these were privately worshipped by the sanhedrin or great Jewish council, consisting of seventy or seventytwo persons, six chosen out of every tribe, as representatives of the people. The images were pourtrayed upon the wall, as we find those ancient idols are on the walls of the tombs of the kings and nobles of Egypt. See the plates to Belzoni's Travels, the Isaic Tomb in the Bodleian Library, and the Egyptian hieroglyphics in general. Virgil speaks of these, jEn. lib. viii. -.^m

Verse 11. Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan] Shaphan was a scribe, or what some call comptroller of the temple, in the days of Josiah; and Jaazaniah his son probably succeeded him in this office. He was at the head of this band of idolaters.

16 And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple 'if the Lord, "between the porch and the altar, ° were about five and twenty men, p with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped i the sun toward the east.

17 Then he Hast thou

of man? ' Is it a light thing to XarquinUPrisci,

the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have '^ filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

1 8 ' Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine " eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity and though they ^ cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

tve t!)dt 10 clepcb?titionpbe;j. He is fabled to have been a beautiful youth beloved by Venus, and killed by a wild boar in Mount Lebanon, whence springs the river Adonis, which was fabled to run blood at his festival in August. The ^^■omen of Phojnicia, Assyria, and Judea worshipped him as dead, with deep lamentation, wearing priapi and other obscene images all the while, and they prostituted themselves in honour of this idol. Having for some time mourned him as dead, they then supposed him revivified, and broke out into the most extravagant rejoicings. Of the appearance of the river at this season, Mr. Maundrell thus speaks: " We had the good fortune to see what is the foundation of the opinion which Lucian relates, viz., that this stream at certain seasons of the year, especially about the feast of Adonis, is of a bloody colour, proceeding from a kind of sympathy, as the heathens imagined, for the death of Adonis, who was killed by a wild boar in the mountain out of which this stream issues. Something like this we saw actually come to pass, for the water was stained to a surprising redness; and, as we observed in travelling, had stained the sea a great way into a reddish hue." This was no doubt occasioned by a red ochre, over which the river ran with violence at this time of its increase. Milton works all this up in these fine lines: —

" Thammuz came next behind, Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured The Syrian damsels to lament his fate, In amorous ditties all a summer's day; While smooth Adonis, from his native rock, Ran purple to the sea, suffused xfith blood Of Thammuz, yearly wounded. The love tale

Infected Siori's daughters with like heat:

Whose wanton passions in the sacred porch

Ezekiel saw, when by the vision led.

His eye surveyed the dark idolatries

Tammuz signifies hidden or obscure, and hence the worship of his image was in soine secret place.

Verse 16. Five and twenty meii\ These most probably represented the ticenty-four courses of the priests, with the high priest for the twenty-fifth. This was the Persian worship, as their turning their faces to the east plainly shows they were worshipping the rising sun.

Verse 17. They ptU the branch to ihetr nose.] This is supposed to mean some branch or branches, which they carried in succession in honour of ihe idol, and with which they covered their faces, or from which they inhaled a pleasant smell, the branches being odoriferous. That the heathens carried branches of trees in their sacred ceremonies is well known to all persons acquainted with classic antiquity; and it is probable that the heathen borrowed those from the use of such branches in the Jewish feast of tabernacles. There are many strange, and some filthy, interpretations given of this clause; but the former are not worth repeating, and I abominate the latter too much to submit to defile my paper with them. Probably the Brahminic Linga is here intended.

It really seems that at this time the Jews had incorporated every species of idolatry in their impure worship, — Phcenician, Egyptian, and Persian. I might add that some imagine the image of jealousy to be a personification of idolatry itself.

The vision m this chapter seems intended to denote the general destruction of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, excepting a few pious individuals thai were distressed at the abominations that were committed in the land; who, in order lo he delivered from the general calamity, loere marked, in allusion, perhaps, to the custom of eastern princes, who marked their servants in the forehead, or rather to the custom very frrijuent among the Pagan ivorshippers, of indelibly imprinting on different parts of their body the marks of their idols, 446.

To indicate, likewise, that God was soon to forsake the temple, the shechinah, or glorious symbol of hts presence, is seen to remove from the inner sanctuary to the threshold or door of the temple, 1—7. The prophet intercedes for his people; but God, on account of the greatness of their sins, leill not he en' treated, 8-11.

TIE cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying,

everj- man with his ^destroying weapon in his hand.

2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, '' which lieth toward the north, and every man ■= a slaughter weapon in his hand; ^ and one man among them ivas clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhoni * by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.

3 And <■ the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was,

Verse 1. Cause them that have charge over the city] By those six men with destroying weapons the Chaldeans are represented, who had received commission to destroy the city; and when the tiorth is mentioned in such cases, Chaldea and the Chaldean armies are generally intended. There appears to have been six men with a sort of slaughter-bills, and one man with an inkhorn. These may represent the seven counsellors of the eastern monarchs, who always saw the king's face, and knew all the secrets of the government. One of them was that minister who had the office of reporting concerning criminals, who carried the book of death and the book of life into the presence of the king, where the names were entered of criminals who were destined to suffer, and of those who were either considered as innocent or recommended to mercy; tliose of the former in the book of death, those of the latter in the book of Ufe. This person with the inkhorn might be termed, in our phrase, the recorder.

Verse 2. Stood beside the brazen altar.] To signify that tlie people against wliom they had their commission were, for their crimes, to be sacrificed to the demands of Divine justice.

^ crse 3. And he called to the man] The person here who called was that who sat on the chariot of the Divine glory. See chap. i. 26.

Verse 4. Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh] This is in allusion to the ancient everywhere-used cus''..ii of setting marks on servants and slaves, to distinguish them from others. It was also common for the worshippers of particular idols to have their idol's mark upon their foreheads, arms, &c. These are called sectarian marks to the present day among the Hindoos and others in India. Hence by this mark we can easily know who is a follower of

to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed

4 And the Lord said unto him. Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and ^ set ''a mark upon the foreheads of the men ' that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst

5 And to the others he said in '' mine hearing. Go ye after him through the city, and smite: ' let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:

6 " Slay " utterly old and young, both maids,

Vishnoo, who of Siva, who of Bramah, &c. The original words, in n''inm vehithvitha tau, have been tra"." lated by the Vulgate, et signa thau, " and mark ttau on the foreheads," &c. St. Jerome and mar others have thought that the letter tau was that which was ordered to be placed on the foreheads of those mourners; and Jerome says, that this Hebrew letter n tau was formerly ^^Titten like a cross. So then the people were to be signed with the sign of the cross ' It is certain that on the ancient Samaritan coins, which are yet extant, the letter jT tau is in the form -\-, which is what we term St. Andrew's cross. The sense derived from this by many commentators is, that God, having ordered those penitents to be marked with this (ignre, which is the sign of the cross, intimated that there is no redemption nor saving of life but by the cross of Christ, and that this will avail none but the real penitent. All this is true in itself, but it is not true in respect to this place. The Hebrew words signify literally, thou shall make a mark, or sign a sign, but give no intimation what that mark or sig7i was. It was intended here to be what the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb on the lintels and door-posts of the Israelites was, namely, a notice to the destroying angel what house he should spare. -\s the whole of this matter only passed in vision, we are bound to neither letter, nor any other kind oi figure. The symbolical action teaches us that God, in general judgments, will make a distinction between the innocent and the guilty, between the penitent and the hardened sinner. Verse 6. Begin at my sanctuary.] Let those who have sinned against most mercy, and most privileges, be the first victims of justice. Those wlio know their Lord's will, and do it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. The unfaithful members of Chri.it's Church will be first visited and most punished. But let not

A. M. 3410. Q^^ little cliildren, and women: 01. XL VI. 3. but ° come not near any man upon Tarqvu:S'uPrisci, whom is the mark; and ^ begin R. Roman., 23. ^j. ^y sanctuary. 1 Then they began at the ancient men wliich were before the house.

7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the coiu-ts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I ''fell upon my face, and cried, and said, ^ Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fmy upon Jerusalem?

tliose who belong to the synagogue of Satan exult in this; for if judgment begin at the house of God, what ■n-ill the end be of tliem who obey not the Gospel! However, the truly penitent of all descriptions in such cases shall be safe. The command of God is, " Set a mark on all them that sigh and cry;" and his command to the destroyers is, " Come not near any man on whom is the mark."