T^HE word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 2 Wliat mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying. The ^ fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
3 ^s I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: ^ the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5 But if a man be just, and do '= that which is lawful and right,
NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII. Verse 2. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children''s teeth are set on edge.'] We have seen this proverb already, Jer. xxxi. 29, &c., and have considered its general meaning. But the subject is here proposed in greater detail, with a variety of circumstances, to adapt it to all those cases to which it should apply. It refers simply to these questions: How far can the moral evil of the parent be extended to his offspring ^ And, Are the faults and evil propensities of the parents, not only transferred to the children, but punished in them! Do parents transfer their evil nature, and are their children punished for their offences 1 Verse 3. As Hive, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.] I will now, by this present declaration, settle this question for ever. And hence God has sworn to what follows. After this, who will dare to doubt the judgment pronounced 1
Verse 4. All souls are mine] Equally so; I am the Father of the spirits of all flesh, and shall deal impariially with the whole.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die.] None shall die for another^ crimes; none shall be saved by another's righteousness. Here is the general judgment relative ro the righteousness and unrighteousness of men, and the influence of one man's stale on that of another; particidarly in respect to their moral conduct.
V'erse 5. If a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right] If he be just or holy within, and do what is according to taw and equity. What is meant by this, is immediately specified.
Verse 6. 1. Hath not eaten upon the mountains] Idola'rous worship was generally performed on mountains and hilts; and those who offered sacrifices feasted
3. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols] Has
6 '^ And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted
house of Israel, neither hath " de- "■ ^°'"""- ^^ filed his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a ^ menstruous woman,
7 And hath not s oppressed any, hut hath restored to the debtor his ''pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath ' given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naivcd with a garment;
8 He that hath not given forth upon '' usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, ' hath executed true judgment between man and man.
paid them,no religious adoration; has trusted in them for nothing, and has not made prayer nor supplication before them.
3. Neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife] Has had no adulterous connexion with any woman; to which idolatrous feasts and worship particularly led.
4. Neither hath come nigh to a men.ilruous icoman] Has abstained from the use of the marriage-bed during the periodical indisposition of his wife. This was absolutely forbidden by the law; and both the man and the woman who disobeyed the command were to be put to death. Lev. xx. 18. For which Calmet gives this reason: " It has been believed, and experience confirms it, that the children conceived at such times are either leprous, or monsters, or deformed by their diminutiveness, or by the disproportion of their members." There are other reasons for this law, should those of the learned commentator be found invalid.
Verse 7. 5. Hath not oppressed any] Has not used his power or influence to oppress, pain, or injure another.
C. Hath restored to the debtor his pledge] Has carefully surrendered the pawn or pledge when its owner came to redeem it. As the pledge is generally of more worth than that for which it is pledged, an unprincipled man will make some pretence to keep it; which is highly abominable in the sight of God.
7. Hath spoiled none by violence] Either by robbery or personal insult. For a man may be spoiled both ways.
8. Hath given his bread to the hungry] Has been kind-hearted and charitable; especially to them that are in the deepest want.
9. Hath covered the nahed icith a garment] Has divided both his bread and his clothing with the necessitous. These are two branches of the same root.
Verse 8. 10. Hath not given forth upon usury] \rv n'? T^J3 beneshech lo yilten. "YS: nasach signifies
10 If he beget a son that is a "robber, ° a. fehcdder of blood, and " that doeth the like to any one of these things,
11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon tlie mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hatli 1 committed abomination,
13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: sliall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; "■ his ^ blood shall be upon
14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
1 5 ' That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of
the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife.
to hite; usury is properly so termed, because it bites into and devours the principal. Usury signifies, with us, exacting unlaivful interest for money; and taking the advantage of a man's necessities to advance him cash on exorbitant profit. This bites the receiver in his property, and the lender in his salvation.
1 1. Neither hath taken any increase^ In lending has not required more than was lent; and has not taken that product of the cash lent, which was more than the value for its use. This may be a part of the tenth article.
12. That hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity] Never associates with those who act contrary to justice and equity; his hand or influence being never found among evil workers.
13. Hath executed true judgment between man and man] Being neither swayed by prejudice, fear, nor favour.
Verse 9. Halh wallccd in my statutes] Not only acknowledging them to be right, but acting according to them. Especially in every thing that relates to my worship, changing nothing, neglecting nothing.
And hath kept my judgments, to deal truly] Has attended to my Divine direction, both with respect to things forbidden, and things commanded. These concern men in their religious conduct.
16 Neither hath oppressed any, TarquiniiPrisci, '■ hath not withholden the pledge, R- R"""-"-. 23- neither hath spoiled by violence, hut hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
17 Tliat hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18 ^.s for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even ' he shall die in his iniquity.
19 Yet say ye, Why? "" doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and. hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20 ^ The soul that sinneth, it shall die. y The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity
t Ver. 6, &c. " Heb. hath not pledged the pledge, or tahen to man; he has given to all their due; he has abstained from every appearance of evil, and done that which was laivful and right in the sight of God.
A'^erse 10. If he beget a son] Who is the reverse of the above righteous character, according to the thirteen articles already specified and explained.
Verse 13. Shall he then live?] Because his father was a righteous man, shall the father's holiness be imputed to him 1 No!
He shall surely die; his blood shall he upon him.] He shall suffer for his own crimes.
Verse 14. Note, lo, if he beget a son that seeth ail his father's sins — and considereth] Lays to heart the evil of his father's life, and the dreadful consequences of a life of rebellion against God.
And doeth not such like] Is quite a different man in moral feeling and character; and acts up to the thirteen points already laid down.
A^'erse 17. He shall not die for the iniquity of his father] He shall no more be affected by his father's crimes, than his father was benefited by his grandfather'^s righteousness.
Verse 20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die.] Hitherto we have had to do with the simplt cases of the righteous and the ivicked; of him who lived and died a holy man, and of him who lived and died a wicked man. But there are /wo cases behind; 1. Tha.*
A- M- 3410' of the son: ^ the righteousness of 01. XLvi. 3. the righteous shall be upon him, Tarquiiui Prisci, " and the wickcdncss of the vvick- R.feoman.,23. g^j ^YiaQ. be upon him.
21 But ""if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 ' All his transgi-essions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 '^ Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24 But " when tlie righteous turncth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked tnan doeth, shall he live? f All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath
25 Yet ye say, « The way of tarquiuii Prisci, the Lord is not equal. Hear °°"'"'' now, 0 house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26 ''When a righteous 7na7i turncth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27 Again, ' when the wicked 7nan tumeth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he ^ considereth, and tumeth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 ' Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not yom- ways unequal?
30 "■ Therefore I will judge you, O house of
of the wicked man, who repents and turns to God. 2. That of the righteous man, who backslides, and does not return to God by repentance. On both these cases God decides thus: —
Verse 21. But if the wicked loill turn from all his sins'\ And afterwards walk according to the character of the righteous already specified; shall he find mercy, and be for ever saved 1 Yes.
Verse 22. All his transgressions'] Shall be so completely forgiven by God's mercy, that they shall not be even mentioned to him; and if he live and die in this recovered state, he shall live with God to all eternity. And why t Hear the reason: —
Verse 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the ivicked should die?] No! That is foreign to him whose name is love, and whose nature is mercy. On the contrary he " wills that he should return from his evU ways and live."
And if God can have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, he cannot have made a decree to abandon him to the evU of his nature, and then damn him for what he could not avoid; for as God can do nothing with which he is not pleased, so he can decree nothing with which he is not pleased. But he is " not pleased with the death of a sinner;" therefore he cannot have made a decree to bring him to this death.
Vtrse 24. When the righteous turnelh aivay from his righteousness] Here is the second case. Can a man who was once holy and pure, fall away so as to perish everlastingly? Yes. For God says, " If he turn away from his righteousness;" not his self-righteousness, the gloss of theologians: for God never speaks of turning away from that, for, in his eyes, that is a nonentity. There is no righteousness or holiness but what himself infuses into the soul of man, and as to self-righteousness, i. e., a man's supposing himself to be righteous when he has not the life of God in his soul, it is the delusion of a dark and hardened heart; therefore it is the real righteous principle and righteous practice that God speaks of here. And he tells us, that a man may so " turn away from this," and so " commit iniquity," and " act as the wicked man," that his righteousness shall be no more mentioned to his account, than the sins of the penitent backslider should be mentioned to his condemnation; and " in the sin that he," this once righteous man, " hath sinned, and in the trespass that he hath trespassed, in them shall he die." O, how awful a termination of a life once distinguished for righteousness and true holiness! So then, God himself informs us that a righteous man may not only fall foully, hut fall finally. But to such righteous persons the devil will ever preach, " Ye shall not surely die; ye shall be as God." Touch, taste, and handle; ye cannot ultimately fall. Thus we find, by the manner of treating these two cases, that God's way is equal, ver. 25; just, merciful, and impartial. And to prove this, he sums up his conduct in the above cases, in the following verses, 26, 27, 28, 29. And then, that tho " wicked may not die in his sins," and that the " b.ickslider may return and find mercy," he thus exhorts: — Verse 30. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions] There is still life; still a God that has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, one who is ever ready to give his Holy Spirit to all them that ask him; therefore " repent and turn, so iniquity shall not be your ruin."
God lia^ no jji-easure in
Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. " Repent, and turn ° yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 P Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and
Verse 31. Cast aivay] With a holy violence, dash avray every transgression and incentive to it.
Make you a new heart] Call upon God for it, and he will give it: for as sure as you earnestly call on God through Christ to save you, so surely you shall be saved; and the effect wiU so speedily follow, that Cxod is pleased to attribute that in some sort to yourselves, which is done by his grace alone; because ye earnestly call upon him for it, come in the right way to receive it, and are determined never to rest tiU you have it.
For why will ye die\ Why should you go to hell while the kingdom of God is open to receive you \ Why should you be the deviVs slaves, when ye may be Christ''s freemen? Wny will ye die 1 Every word is emphatic. Why — show God or man one reason. Will — obstinacy alone, — a determination not to be saved, or a voluntary listlessness about salvation, — can prevent you. Ye — -children of so many mercies, fed and supported by a kind God all your life; ye, who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ; ye, who have made many promises to give up yourselves to God; ye, who have been dedicated to the ever-blessed Trinit}'-, and promised to renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh; why ivill ye die? Die! — what is this 1 A separation from God and the glory of his power for ever! Die! — forfeiting all the purposes for which your immortal souls were made!
new spirit: for why will ye die, 01. XLVI. 3.
32 For ' I have no pleasure in «■ R"""*"- 23- the death of him that dieth, sahh the Lord God: wherefore turn ^ yourselves, and Uve ye.
Die — to know what the worm is that never dieth, and what that Jire is which is never quenched! Why will ye die?
Verse 32. For I have no pleasure] God repeats what he had so solemnly declared before. Can ye doubt his sincerity 1 his ability I his willingness 1 the efiicacy of the blood of his covenant f
Wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.] Reader, now give God thy heart.
Though every man comes into the world with a fallen nature — a soul infected irith sin, yet no man is damned on that account. He who refuses that grace which pardons sin and heals infected nature, who permits the evil principle to break out into transgression, and continues and dies in his iniquity and sin, and will not come unto Christ that he may have life; he, and he only, goes to perdition. Nor will the righteousness of a parent or relation help his sinful soul: no man can have more grace than is necessary to save himself; and none can have that, who does not receive it through Christ Jesus. It is the mercy of God in Christ which renders the salvation of a si7iner possible; and it is that mercy alone which can heal the hackslider. The atoning blood blots out all thai is past; the same blood cleanses from all unrighteousness. \\Tio believes so as to apply for this redemption ■? Who properly thanks God for having provided such a Saviour?
TTiis chapter contains two beautiful examples of the parabolic kind of writing; the one lamenting the saa catastrophe of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, 1—9, and the other describing the desolation and captivity of the ichole people, 10—14. In the first parable, the lioness is Jerusalem. The first of the young lions is Jehoahaz, deposed by the king of Egypt; and the second lion is Jehoiakim, whose rebellion drew on himself the vengeance of the king of Babylon. In the second parable the vine is the Jewish nation, which long prospered, its land being fertile, its princes poiverful, and its people flourishing; but the judgments of Ood, in consequence of their guilt, had now destroyed a great part of the people, and doomed the rest to
]y[OREOVER Make thou up a lamentation for the princes
NOTES ON CHAP. XIX. Verse 1. Moreover take thou vp a lamentation] Declare what is the great subject of sorrow in Israel.
A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps 01. XLVi. 3.
among yovmg lions. TarnuimiPrisei,
3 And she brought up one of °°"'"'
Compose a funeral dirge. Show the melancholy fate of the kings who proceeded from Josiah. The prophet deplores the misfortune of Jehoahaz and Jehoia-
The parable of the CHAP. XIX
Tarouinii Prisci, prey; it devoured men. R. feoman., 23. 4 rpj^^ nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of " Egypt.
5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and lier hope was lost, then she ''took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.
6 ° And he went up and down among the lions, ^ he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
7 And he knew f their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roarinsc.
kirn, under the figure of two lion whelps, which were taken fit/ hunters, and confined in cages. Next he shows the desolation of Jerusalem under Zedekiah, which he compares to a beautiful vine pulled up by the roots, withered, and at last burned. Calmet justly observes, that the style of this song is beautiful, and the allegory well supported throughout.
A'erse 2. What is thi/ mother? A lioness] Judea may here be the mother; the lioness, Jerusalem. Her lying down among lions, her having confederacy with the neighbouring kings; for lion here means king.
Verse 3. She brought up one of her whelps] Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, whose father was conquered and slain by Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt.
It learned to catch the prey] His reign was a reign of oppression and cruelty. He made his subjects his prey, and devoured their substance.
Verse 4. The nations also heard of him] The king of Egypt, whose subjects were of divers nations, marched against Jerusalem, took Jehoahaz prisoner, and brought him to Egypt. Thus —
He teas taken in their pit] Here is an allusion to those Irap-pits digged in forests, into which the wild beasts fall, when the huntsmen, surrounding a given portion of the forest, drive the beasts in; by degrees narrowing the inclosure, till the animals come to the place where the pits are, which, being lightly covered over with branches and turf, are not perceived, and the beasts tread on them and fall in. Jehoahaz reigned only three months before he was dethroned by the king of Effvpt, against whom it is apparent some craft was used, here signified by the pit, into which he fell.
Verse 5. When she saw' that she had waited] Being very weak, the Jews found that they could not resist with nny hope of success; so the king of Egypt was permitted to do as he pleased.
She took another of her whelps] Jehoiakim. And made him a young Hon.] King of Judea. Verse 6. And he went up and down among the lions] He became a perfect heathen, and made Judea as idol-
8 '" Then the nations set against g '^/'gg'j''- him on every side from the 01. XLVi. 3. provinces, and spread their net Tarquinii Pri.sci, over him: 'he was taken in ^- '^°""'" ' -^- their pit.
9 '' And they put him in ward ' in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon "" the mountains
10 Thy mother is "like a vine "in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was " fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
1 1 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her 1 stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she
atrous as any of the surrounding nations. He reigned eleven years, a monster of iniquity, 2 Kings xxiii.
Verse 8. The nations set against him] The Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, and the king of Babylon — king of many nations.
He loas taken] The city was taken by Nebuchadnezzar; and Jehoiakim was taken prisoner, and sent in chains to Babylon.
Verse 9. That his voice should no more be heard] He continued in prison many years, till the reign of EvU-merodach, who set him at liberty, but never suffered him to return to the mountains of Israel. " The
unhappy fate of these princes, mentioned ver. 4, 8, 9, is a just subject of lamentation." — Newcome.
Verse 10. Thy mother (Jerusalem) is like a vine tn thy blood] Of this expression I know not what to make. Some think the meaning is, " A vine planted by the waters to produce the blood of the grape.'''' See Deut. xxxii. 14. Others, for 1013 bedamecha,in thy blood, would read |1D"13 berimmon, in or at a pomegranate; like a vine planted by or beside a pomegranate-tree, by which it was to be supported. And so the Sepluagint and Arabic appear to have read. Calmet reads '\T\':i carmecha, thy vineyard, instead of "1313 bedamecha, in thy blood. Here is no change but a 1 resh for a 1 daleth. This reading is supported by one of KennicotCs and one of De Rosses M.SS.: " Thy mother is like a vine in thy vineyard, planted by the waters." Though this is rather an unusual construction, yet it seems the best emendation. Of the textual reading no sense can be made. There is a corruption somewhere.
Her stature was exalted] Zedekiah grew proud of his numerous ofisjjring and prosperity; and although he copied the exam|ile of Jehoiakim, yet he thought he might safely rebel against the king of Babylon.
appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
1 2 But she was pkicked up in
her strong rods were broken and withered; the
13 And now she is planted in the wilder-
Verse 12. But she loas plucked up in fury] Jerusalem; taken after a violent and most destructive siege; Nebuchadnezzar being violently enraged against Zedekiah for breaking his oath to him.
She was cast down to the ground] Jerusalem was totally ruined, by being burned to the ground.
Her strong rods ivere broken] The children of Zedekiah were slain before his eyes, and after that his oivn eyes pulled out; and he was laden with chains, and carried into Babylon.
A erse 13. And now she is planted in the wilderness] In the land of Chaldea, whither the people have been carried captives; and which, compared with their own land, was to them a dreary wilderness.
Verse 14. Fire is gone out] A vindictive and murderous disposition has taken hold. —
Of a rod of her branches] Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, who was of the blood-royal of Judah, — a rod of her branches, which R- Roman., 23. hath devom-ed her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to he a sceptre to mle. ' This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Hath devoured her fruit] Hath assassinated Gedaliah, slain many people, and canied off others into the country of the Ammonites. But he was pursued by Jonathan, the son of Kareah, who slew many of his adherents, and delivered much of the
She hath no strong rod] None of the bloodroyal of Judah left. And from that time not one of her own royal race ever sat upon the throne of
And shall be for a lamentation.] These predictions shall be so punctually fulfilled, and the catastrophe shall be so comjilete, that it shall ever remain as a lamentation; as this state of Jerusalem shall never be restored. Even to the present day this, to a Jew, is a subject of mourning.
.4 deputation of the elders of Israel, as usual, in their distress, came to request Ezekiel to ask counsel of God, 1. In reply to this, God commands the prophet to put them in mind of their rebellion and idolatry: In Egypt, 2-9, in the wilderness, 10-27, and in Caiman, 28-32. Noticithstanding which the Lord most graciously promises to restore them to their own land, after they should be purged from their dross, 33-44. The five last verses of this chapter ought to begin the next, as they are connected with the subject of that chapter, being a prophecy against Jerusalem, which lay to the south of Chaldea, where the prophet then was, and which here and elsewhere is represented under the emblem of a forest doomed to be destroyed by fire, 45-49.
A ND it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth
Tarquinii Prisci, month, the tenth day of the month, — °"'''"' • that => certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.
2 Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying.
Verse 1. In the seventh year] Of the captivity of Jeconiah, (see chap. viii. 1,) and the seventh of the reign of Zedekiah.
Certain of the elders of Israel] WTiat these came to inquire about is jiot known. They were doubtless hypocrites and deceivers, from the manner in which
3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Tiius saith the Lord God; Tarcmlnii Prisci, Are ye come to inquire of me? R- Roman., 24. As I live, saith the Lord God, '' I will not be inquired of by you.
4 Wilt thou "judge "'them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? « cause them to know
God commands the prophet to treat them. It seems to have been such a deputation of elders as those mentioned chap. viii. 1 and.\iv. 1.
Verse 3. / ivill not be inquired of by you.] I wiU not hear you. I will have nothing to do with you.
Verse 4. Wilt thou judge them] If thou wilt entei into any discussion with them, show them the abomination of their fathers. The whole chapter is a consecutive history of the unfaithfulness, ingratitude, re-
when ' I chose Israel, and = lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself *" known unto them in the land of Egj'pt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, ' I a?n the Lord your God;
6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, ^ to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, ' which is the glory of all lands:
7 Then said I unto them, ™ Cast ye away every man " the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with ° the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
8 But they rebelled against me, and would
abominations of their eyes, nei- TarquiniiPrisci, ther did they forsake the idols «■ «"""'"■■ ^*- of Egj'pt: then I said, I will p pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9 1 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
1 0 Wherefore I "■ caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
1 1 = And I gave them my statutes, and ' showed them my judgments, '' which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
12 Moreover also I gave them my ''sabbaths,
hellion, and idolatry of the Jews, from the earliest times to that day; and vindicates the sentence which God had pronounced against them, and which he was about to execute more fully in delivering them and the city into the hands of the Chaldeans.
Verse 5. / chose Israel] They did not choose me for their God, till I had chosen them to be my people. I lifted up mine hand] I bound myself in a covenant to them to continue to be their God, if they should be faithful, and continue to be my people. Among the Jews the juror lifted up his right hand to heaven; which explains Psa. cxliv. 8: " Their right hand is a right hand of falsehood." This is a form used in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Verse G. To bring them forth of the land of Egypt] Wlien they had been long in a very disgraceful and oppressive bondage.
.4 land that I had espied for them] God represents himself as having gone over different countries in order to find a comfortable residence for these people, whom he considered as his children.
Flounng with milk and honey] These were the characteristics of a happy and fruitful country, producing without intense labour all the necessaries and comforts of life. Of the happiest state and happiest place, a fine poet gives the following description: —
Ver erat asternum, placidique tepentibus auiis Mulcebant Zephyri natos sine semine flores. Mox etiam frugcs tellus inarata ferebat: Nee renovatus ager gravidis canebat aristis. Flumina jam lactis, jam flumina nectaris ibant; Flavague de viridi stillabant ilice mella.
Ovid's Metam. lib. i., 107. On flowers unsown soft Zephyr spreads his \ving, And time itself was one eternal spring;
Ensuing years the yellow harvest crowned, The bearded blade sprang from the untilled ground. And laden, unrenewed, the fields were found. Floods were with milk, and foods with nectar filled, And honey from the sweating oaks distilled.
In the flourishing state of Judea every mountain was cultivated as well as the valleys. Among the verj' rocks the vines grew luxuriantly.
Verse 7. Cast ye away — the abominations] Put away all your idols; those incentives to idolatry that ye have looked on with delight.
Verse 8. They did not — cast away] They continued attached to the idolatry of Egypt; so that, had I consulted my justice only, I should have consumed them even in Egypt itself. This is a circumstance that Moses has not mentioned, namely, their provoking God by their idolatry, after he had sent Moses and Aaron to them in Egypt.
Verse 9. But I wrought for my name''s sake] I bare with them and did not punish them, lest the heathen, who had known my promises made to them, might suppose that I had either broken them through some caprice, or was not able to fulfil them.
Verse 10. I caused them to go forth] Though greatly oppressed and degraded, they were not icilling to leave their house of bondage. I was obliged to force them
Verse 11. I gave them my statutes] I showed them what they should do in order to be safe, comfortable, wise, and happy; and what they should avoid in order to be uninjured in body, mind, and possessions. Had they attended to these things, they should have lived by them. They would have been holy, healthy, and happy.
13 But the house of Israel "rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they ^ despised my judgments, 'A'iiich if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly ^ polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the ^ wilderness, to consume them.
14 "But I viTought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
15 Yet also ''I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, "^ which is the glory of all lands;
16 ''Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for ■= their heart went after their idols.
17 ''Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness. Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
observance of the Sabbath was X\i& first statute or command of God to men. This institution was a sign hetioeen God and them, to keep them in remembrance of the creation of the world, of the rest that he designed them in Canaan, and of the eternal inheritance among the saints in light. Of these things the Sabbath was a type and pledge.
Verse 13. But the house of Israel rebelled] They acted in the ivilderness just as they had done in Egypt; and he spared them there for the same reason. Soever. 9.
Verse 15. lUf ted up my hand] Their provocations in the wilderness were so great, that 1 vowed never to bring them into the promised land. I did not consume them, but I disinherited them. See the note on ver. 5.
Verse 18. But I said unto their children] These I chose in their fathers' stead; and to them I purposed to give the inheritance which their fathers by disobedience lost.
t erse 22. / withdreio mine hand] I had just lifted it up to crush them as in a moment; for they also were idolatrous, and walked in the steps of their fathers.
^ walk in my statutes, and keep 01. XLVi. 4. my judgments, and do them; TarquimiPrisci,
20 >■ And hallow my sabbaths; R- i^man.. 34. and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I a7?i the Lord your God.
21 Notwithstanding ' the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, '' which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, ' I would poiu out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
22 " Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and " wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
2.3 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that ° I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
24 P Because they had not executed my judgments, but had de.spised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and 1 their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
25 Wherefore ' I gave them also statutes that luere not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
Verse 25. / gave them also statutes that were not good] What a foolish noise has been made about this verse by critics, believers and infidels! How is it that God can be said " to give a people statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they could not live 1" I answer, in their sense of the words, God never gave any such, at any time, to any people. Let any man produce an example of this kind if he can; or show even the fragment of such a law, sanctioned by the Most High! The simple meaning of this place and all such places is, that when they had rebelled against the Lord, despised his statutes, and polluted his Sab baths — in effect cast him off, and given themselves wholly to their idols, then he abandoned them, and they abandoned themselves to the customs and ordinances of the heathen. That this is the meaning of the words, requires no proof to them who are the least acquainted with the genius and idioms of the Hebrew language, in which God is a thousand times said to do, what in the course of his providence or justice he only permits to be done.
Notivithstanding their sins,
26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass ^ tlirough the fire all that openeth liie womb, that I might
Tiake them desolate, to the end that they ' might
27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the ouse of Israel, and say unto them, Thus aith the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers
nave " blasphemed me, in that they have ■^ committed' a trespass against me.
28 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to ffive it to them, then " they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also the\' made their ^ sweet savour, and poured out there their drink-offerings.
29 Then ^ I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah luito this day.
30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?
31 For when ye offer ^ your gifts, when ye make your sons to * pass through the fire, ye
Verse 26. I polluted them in their oion gifts] I permitted them to pollute themselves by the offerings which they made to their idols. Causing their children to pass through the fire was one of those pollutions; but, did God ever give them a statute or judgment of this kind? No. He ever inveighs against such things, and they incur his heaviest displeasure and curse. See on ver. 31.
Verse 29. What is the high place] noDH n3 mah habhamah, " what is the high place V VThs.t is it good for? Its being a high place shows it to be a place of idolatry. I called it 7133 bamah, to mark it with infamij; but ye continue to frequent it, even while it is called n:33 bamah, to the present day!
Verse 31. Ye pollute yourselves] This shows the sense in which God says, ver. 26, " I polluted them in their own gifts." They chose to pollute themselves, and I permitted them to do so. See on verses 25, 26.
Verse 32. And that lohich cometh into your mind] Ye wish to be naturalized among idolaters, and make a part of such nations. But this shall not be at all; you shall be preserved as a distinct people. Ye shall not be permitted to mingle yourselves with the people of those countries: even (hey, idolaters as they are, will despise and reject you. Besides, I will change pollute j'ourselves whh all your ^"t-sus' idols, even unto this day: and oi. XLVi. 4. "'shall I be inquired of by you, Tarqumii Prisci 0 house of Israel? As I live, «■ K"'"""— ^*- saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.
32 And that '^ which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say. We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
33 As 1 live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and ^ with a strctchedout arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there " will I plead with you face to face.
36 '^ Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Eg^'pt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.
37 And I will cause you to? pass under the rod, and I will bring you into '' the bond of the covenant:
your place, restore your captivity; yet not in mercy, but in fury poured out; and reserve you for sorer evils,
Verse 35. I will bring you into the wilderness of the people] I will bring 3'ou out of your captivity, and bring you into your own land, which you will find to be a ivilderness, the consequence of your crimes.
There will I plead with you] There I will be yoirr king, and rule you with a sovereign rule; and the dispensations of my justice and mercy shall either end you or tncnd you.
Verse 37. / will cause you to pass under the rod] This alludes to the custom of tithing the sheep. 1 take it from the rabbins. The sheep were all penned: and the shepherd stood at the door of the fold, where only one sheep could come out at once. He had in his hand a rod dipped in vcrmillion; and as they came out, he counted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine; and as the tenth came out, he marked it with the rod, and said, " This is the tenth;'" and that was set apart for the Lord.
I will bring you into the bond of the covenant] You shall be placed under the same obligations as before, and acknowledge yourselves bound; ye shall feel your obligation, and live according to its nature.
R. Roman., 24. ]^j-[^„ them forth out of the country where they sojoiun, and '' they shall not enter into the land of Israel: ^ and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; "" Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: ° but pollute ye my holy name no more with yoiu: gifts, and with your idols.
40 For ° in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there p will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the i first-fruits of your oblations, with all yoiu: holy things.
41 I will accept you with your ■■ sweet ^ savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
42 'And ye shall know that I am the Lord, " when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for tlie which I lifted up
Verse 38. I will purge out from among you the rebels] The incorrigibly wicked I will destroy; those who will not receive him whom I have appointed for this purpose as the Saviour of Israel. And I will gather you icho believe out of all the countries where you sojourn, and bring you into your own land; but those of you who unit not believe — will not receive the Son of David to reign over you, shall never enter into the land of Israel, but die in your dispersions. This is what the contradicting and blaspheming Jews of the present day have to expect. And thus, both of you shall know that he is Jehovah, fulfilling his ihreatenings against the one, and his promises to the other.
Verse 3 9. Go ye, serve ye every one his idols] Thus, God gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they could not live, by thus permitting them to take their own vvay, serve their gods, and follow the maxims and rites of that abominable worship.
Verse 40. For in mine holy mountain] The days shall come in which all true Israelites shall receive HI5I whom I have sent to be the true sacrifice for the life of the world; and shall bring to Jerusalem — the pure Christian Church, their offerings, which I wUl
43 And ■'there shall ye remem- Tarquinu Prisci, ber yom: ways, and all your doings, R- Roman., 24. wherein ye have been defiled; and ■"" ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
44 ^ And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought widi you '' for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.
45 Moreover, the word of the Lord came
46 '■ Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
47 And say to the forest of the south. Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, " I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour ''every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces "^ from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
48 And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
49 Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of me. Doth he not speak parables?
there accept, for they wUl give me thanks for my unspeakable gift.
Verse 43. And there shall ye remember your loays] Ye shall be ashamed of your past conduct, and of your long opposition to the Gospel of your salvation.
These promises may, in a certain limited sense, be applied to the restoration from the Babylonish captivity; but they must have their proper fulfilment when the Jews shall accept Jesus as their.Saviour, and in consequence be brought back from all their dispersions to their own land.
Verse 46. Set thy face toward the south] Towards Judea, which lay south from Babylon, or Mesopotamia, where the prophet then dwelt.
The forest of the south field] The city of Jerusalem, as full of inhabitants as the forest is of trees.
Verse 47. I will kindle a fire] I will send war, " and it shall devour every green tree," the most eminent and substantial of the inhabitants; and every dry tree, the lowest and meanest also.
The flaming flame shall not be quenched] The fierce ravages of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans shall not be stopped till the whole land is ruined.
All faces from the soulh to the north shall be burned] From the one end of the land to the other there shall be nothing but fear, dismay, terror, and confusion, occasioned by the wide-wasting violence of the Chaldeans. Judea lay in length from north to south.
Verse 48. All Jlesh] Ail the people shall see that this war is a judgment of the Lord.
It shall not be (quenched.] TiU the whole land shall be utterly ruined.
Verse 49. Ah Lord God.'] O my God, consider my situation; who will believe what I shall say? They put the evil day far from them.
Doth he not speak parables?] Sin D'Si^D hiOl"^ nhTI halo memashshcl meshalim hu, " Is not he a maker of parables V Is it not his custom to deal in enigmas I His figures are not to be understood; we should not trouble ourselves with them. We are not obliged to fathom his meaning; and perhaps after all it docs not refer to us, or will not be accomplished in our tunc. if it even respect the land. Thus they turned aside what might have done them good, and rejected the counsel of God against themselves.
By dividing the word with our neighbour we often lose the benefit both of threatenings and promises. They voluntarily shut their own eyes; and then God, in judgment, sealed them up in darkness.
The prophet goes on to denounce the fale of Jerusalem and Judea; using signs of vehement grief, to denote the greatness of the calamity, 2-7. He then changes the emblem to that of a sharp and bright sword, still denoting the same sad event, 8-17; and, becoming yet more explicit, he represents the king of Babylon, who was to be employed by God in this work, as setting out to take vengeance on both the Jeios and the Ammonites, for joining with Egypt in a confederacy against him. He is described as standing at the parting of the roads leading to the respective capitals of the Jews and Ammonites; and doubting which to attack first, he commits the decision of the matter to his arts of divination, performed by mingling arrows inscribed with the names of the different nations or cities, and then?narching against that whose name was written on the arrow first drawn from the quiver. In this case the name Jerusalem comes forward; and therefore he proceeds against it, 18-24. History itself could 'scarcely be more explicit than this prophecy. The profane prince Zedckiah is then declared to be given up by God, and his kingdom devoted to utter destruction, for thai breach of oath of which the prophet foretells he should be guilty, 25-27. The remaining verses farm a distinct prophecy relating to the destruction of the Ammonites, which was fulfilled about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, 28-32.
word toward the holy places, and prophesy aminst the land of Israel,
Verse 2. Set thy face toward Jerusalem] This is a continuation of the preceding prophecy; and in this copter the prophet sets before them, in the plainest language, what the foregoing metaphors meant, so that they could not complain of his parables.
Verse 3. Behold, 7am against thee] Dismal news! When God is against us, who can be for us?
The righteous and the icicked.] All shall be removed from thee. Some shall be cut off — removed by the sword; shall be slain in battle, or by the pestilence; and some shall be cut off^die by the famine; and some shall be cut off.— removed from the land by captivitt/. Now, among the two latter classes there might be many righteous as well as wicked. And when all the provisions were consumed, so that there was no more bread in the city, during the siege by Nebuchadnezzar, the righteous must have suffered as well as the wicked; for they could not be preserved alive, but
3 And say to the land of Israel, ^ "• S'*!'- Thus saith the Lord; Behold, 01. XLVi. 4. I am against thee, and will draw Tarqutn'ii'prisci. forth my sword out of his sheath, R- Roman., 24. and will cut off from thee " the righteous and the wicked.
by miracle, when there was no bread; nor was their perishing for want any loss to them, because the Lord would take them straight to his glory. And however men in general are unwilling to die, yet there is no instance, nor can there be, of any man's complaint that he got to heaven too soon. Again, if God had permitted none to be carried off captive but the tcicked, the case of these would be utterly hopeless, as there would be none to set a good e.\ample, to preach repentance, to reprove sin, or to show God's willingness to forgive sinners. But God, in his mercy, permitted many of the righteous to be carried off also, that the wicked might not he totally abandoned, or put beyond the reach of being saved. Hence, both Ezekicl and Daniel, and indeed several others, prophets and righteous men, were thus cut off from the land, and carried into captivity. And how much was God's glory and the good of men promoted by this! What a scetl of salvation was sown, even in the heathen countries, by thus cutting off the righteous with the wicked! To this we owe, under God, many of the Psalms, the
"b ^' foz' '* Seeing then that I will cut
against all flesh, ^ from the south to the north:
5 That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: It " shall not retiurn any more.
6 ^ Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins: and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee. Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and s all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees '' shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the
ver. 15, 28. ^ Or, it is the rod of my son, it despiseth every tree.
^ Ver. 19.' — — ™0r, they are thrust down to the sword with my peo- whole of the Book of Ezehiel, all the prophecies of Daniel, the bright example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, the decrees passed in favour of the religion of the true God by Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Darius, &c. And to this dispensation of God's merciful providence we owe the Books and example of Ezra and Nehcmiah. Where then is the injustice, so loudly declaimed against, of God's thus cutting off from the land of Judea the righteous with the wicked? The righteous were not cut off for the crimes of the wicked, (see chap, xviii,,) nor were these crimes visited upon them; yet several of them shared in the common calamity, but none perished. Those that were removed by a violent death, (and I believe we shall find few such,) got a speedier entrance into eternal glory.
Verse 4. Frmn the south to the norlh^ The whole land shall be ravaged from one end to the other.
Verse 5. It shall not return any more. ^ That is, till all the work that I have designed for it is done. Nor did it; for Nebuchadnezzar never rested till he had subdued all the lands from the south to the north, from the Euphrates to the Nile.
Verse 6. Sigh — tvith the breaking of thy loins] Let thy mourning for this sore calamity be like that of a woman in the pains of travail.
Verse 7. Wherefore sighest thou?] The prophet was a sign unto them. His sighing and mourning showed them how they should act.
Verse 10. It contemneth the rod of my soti] "It," the sword of Nebuchadnezzar, " contemneth the rod,"
10 It is sharpened to make a R- Roman.. 24. sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? '' it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of ^ the slayer.
12 Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: ™ terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: " smite therefore upon thy thigh.
13 ° Because it is p a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? "i it shall be no more, saith the Lord God.
14 Thou, therefore, son of man, prophesy, and ■■ smite thine ^ hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword
then? shall they not also belong to the despising rod? P Job ix despises the power and influence of my son — Israel, the Jewish people: " Out of Egypt have I called mv
As every tree.] As all the stocks, kindreds, and nations, over which 1 have already given him commission. Can the rod of Israel be spared, when the trees of Assyria, Egypt, &c., have been cut down?
Verse 1 1. This sword is sharpened] It is prepared for the slaughter, it is furbished; from the French, fourbir, to polish, brighten. He shall have splendid victories every where. Some complain of corruption in the original in this place; but I think without sufficient reason.
'Hs ecpar^' avrap Apjjj ^aXspu irivX-riySTo jxrifu Xepffi xarairpriviiff', oXoipvpofiEvoj oe ttfoirivSa.
" She spake; and, wth expanded arms his thighs Smiting, thus sorrowful the god exclaimed."
Verse 13. Because it is a trial] This wUl be a trial of strength and skill between the Chaldeans and the Jews; and a trial of faith and patience to the righteous.
And what if the sword, (Nebuchadnezzar,) contemn even the rod.'] Overtlirow Zedekiah % It will do so; for the regal government of Judea shall be no more. Or, it is tried; that is, the sword. Nebuchadnezzar has already shown himself strong and skilful.
Verse 14. Let the sword be doubled the third time] The sword has been doubled, and it shall come the ( 31* \
15 I have set the "point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! " it is made bright, it is " wrapped up for the slaughter.
16 'Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, >' or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set.
17 1 will also ^ smite mine hands together, and " I will cause my fury to rest: I the Lord have said it.
18 The word of the Lord came imto me again, saying,
19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out
third time. Nebuchadnezzar came against Judea THRICE. 1. Against /e/iO!a^»«. 2. Against /eco7ua/«. 3. Against Zedekiah. The sword had already been doubled; it is to come now the third time, i. e., against Zedekiah.
The sword of the slain] D'SSn 3"\n chereb chalalim, " the sword of the soldiers," of the Chaldeans. So in the next clause, SnJH ^hn 3in N'H hi chereb chalal haggadol, " it is the sword of that great soldier,^'' that eminent king and conqueror. This is the meaning of the word '7'7n chalal, that is so ill rendered in almost every place of its occurrence, in our Version. See Dr. Kcnnicott.
Verse 15. Wrapped up] It is not a blunt sword, it ie carefully sharpened and preserved for the slaughter.
Verse 16. Go thee one way or other] Thou shalt prosper, O sword, whithersoever thou turnest; against Amraon, or Judea, or Egypt.
Verse 19. Appoint thee two tcat/s] Set off from Babylon, and lay down two ways, either of which thou mayest take; that to the right, which leads to Jerusalem; or that to the left, which leads to Rabhath of 'he Ammonites, ver. 20. But why against the Ammonites t Because both they and the Moabites were united with Zedekiah against the Chaldeans, (see Jer. xxvii. 3,) though they afterwards fought against Judea, chap. xii. 6.
Verse 21. For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way] He was in doubt which way he should first take; whether to humble the Ammonites by taking their metropoUs, Riblalh, or go at once against Jerusalem. In this case of uncertaint)', he made use of divination. And this was of three kinds: 1. By arrows. 2. By images or talismans. 3. By inspecting the entrails of a sacrifice offered on the occasion of one land: and choose thou a '^Y- ^''i^- place, choose it at the head of oi. xLvi. 4. the way to the city. Tamuinii'prisci.
20 Appoint a way, that the R- R"-"^"-. ^*- sword may come to '■ Kabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.
21 For the king of Babylon stood at the " parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his ^ arrows bright, he consulted with ° images, he looked in the liver.
22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint ^ captains, ^to open the mouth in the slaugliter, to •> lift up tlie voice with shouting, ' to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.
23 And it sliall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, ^ to them that ^ have
1. He made bright his arrows. This might be after the manner in which the divination is still practised among the Arabs. These arrows were without head or wing. They took tiiree. On one they «Tote, Command me, Lord. On the second, Forbid me. Lord. The third was blank. These were put in a bag, and the querist put in his hand and took one out. If it was Command me, he set about tlie business immediately; if it was Forbid me, he rested for a xohole year; if it was the blank one, he drew again. On all occasions the Arabs consulted futurity by such arrows. See IXHerbelot, under the word Acdah.
2. As to the images, the Hebrew calls them D'iJTn teraphim. See the note on Gen. xxxi. 19.
3. And as to the liver, I believe it was only inspected to see whether the animal offered in sacrifice were sound and healthy, of which the state of the liver is the most especial indication. Wien the liver is sound, the animal is healthy; and it would have been a bad omen to any who offered sacrifice, to find that the animal they had offered to their gods was diseased; as, in that case, they would have taken for granted that the sacrifice was not accepted.
Verse 22. At his right hand ivas the divination for Jerusalem] He had probably written on two arrows; one, Jerujsalem; the other, Riblath; the third, left blank. He drew, and that on which Jerusalem was written came to his hand; in consequence of which he marched immediately against that city. It was ripe for destruction; and had he marclied before ox after, it would have fallen; but 1«3 never considered himself as sure of the conquest till now.
Verse 23. To them that have sworn oaths] To Zedekiah and his ministers, who had bound themselves by the oath of tlie Lord to be faitliAil to the Chaldeans, and to pay them the promised tribute. The sworn oatlis: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that tliey may be taken.
24 Tlierefore thus saith the
Lord God; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
25 And thou " profane wicked prince of Israel, " whose day is come, when iniquity thall have an end,
26 Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not he the same: ° exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
27 P I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: 1 and it shall be no mo7'e, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.
28 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God ■■ concerning the
oatlis may refer, farther, to the alliances formed with the Egyptians, Ammonites, and others. They will not beUeve that Nebuchadnezzar shall succeed against them, while they expect the powerful assistance of the Egyptians.
Verse 25. And thou profane ivicked prince of Israel] Zedekiah, called here profane, because he had broken his oath; and wicked, because of his opposition to God and his prophet.
Whose day is come] Who in a short time shalt be delivered into the hands of thy enemies.
Abase him that is high.] Depose Zedekiah — remove his diadem, and take off his crown.
A''erse 27. I -will overliini] I will utterly destroy the Jewish government. Perverted will I make it. See the margin.
Until he come whose — is] [33S'0 mishpat, the judgment; i. e., till the coming of the son of David, the Lord Jesus; who, in a mystic and spiritual sense, shall have the throne of Israel, and whose right it is. See the famous prophecy. Gen. xlix 10, and Luke i. 32.
and concerning their reproach; even say thou, ol XLVi. 4.
' The sword, the sword is Tarquinii Prisci, drawn: for the slaughter it is R- K"-"^"- ^- furbished, to consume because of the glittering:
29 Whiles they ' see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, " whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end.
30 "^ Shall "^ I cause it to return into his sheath? '= I will judge diee in the place where thou wast created, >" m the land of thy nativity.
3 1 And I will * pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will " blow against thee in the fire of mv wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of '' brutish men, and skilful to destroy.
32 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; '^ thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the Lord have spoken it.
The mv avah, which we translate overturn, is thrice repeated here; to point out, say the rabbins, the three conquests of Jerusalem, in which Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah were overthrown.
Verse 28. Concerning the Ammonites] They had reproached and insulted Judea in its low estate, see chap. xxv. This prophecy against them was fulfilled about five years after the taking of Jerusalem. See Joseph. Ant. lib. x. c. 1 1; and Jer. xxvii., xlviii., xlix.; Ezek. X.XV.
Verse 30. I will judge thee] This seems to refer to Nebuchadnezzar, who, after his return from Jerusalem, became insane, and lived like a beast for seven years; but was afterwards restored, and acknowledged
Verse 32. Thou shalt be no more remembered] The empire of the Chaldeans was destroyed, and the power transferred to the Persians; the Persian empire was destroyed, and given to the Greeks; the Grecian empire was destroyed, and given to the Mohammedans; and the destruction of the Mohanunedans is at no great distance.
This chapter contains a recital of the sins of Jerusalem, 1—12; for which God threatens it with severe judgments, 13-16, in order to purify it from the dross, 17—22. And as the corruption is general, pervading prophets, priests, princes, and people; so, it is declared, shall be the punishment, 23-31.
* bloody city? yea, tliou shall " show her all her abominations.
3 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.
4 Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast f shed, and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: s- therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
5 Those that he near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art ^ infamous and much vexed.
6 Behold, ' the princes of Israel, every one ■were in thee to their ^ power to shed blood.
7 In thee have they ' set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they ™ dealt by "oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.
8 Thou hast ° despised mine holy things, and hast ^ profaned my sabbaths.
9 In thee are i men ' that carry tales to shed
Verse 2. Wilt thou judge the bloody city'] Pronounce the sentence of death against the murderers.
Show her ail her alominations.] And a most revolting and dreadful catalogue of these is in consequence exhibited.
Verse 3. Her time may come] Till now, it was my ong-suffering; she has fulfilled her days — completed the time of her probation; has not mended, but is daily worse; therefore her judgment can linger no longer.
Verse 5. Tliose that be near] Both distant as well as neighbouring provinces consider thee the most abandoned of characters; and through thee many have been involved in distress and ruin.
Verse 6. Behold, the princes] Ye are a vile and murderous people, and your princes have been of the same character. Lihe people, like prince.
1 0 In thee have they ' discovered their father's nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was " set apart for pollution.
1 1 And ' one hath committed abomination ■" with his neighbour's wife; and ^ another y hath ^ lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law: and another in thee hath humbled his " sister, his father's daughter.
1 2 In thee '' have they taken gifts to shed blood; " thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and '' hast forgotten me,
13 Behold, therefore, I have "smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.
14 ^ Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? s I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.
15 And ''I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and ' will consume thy filthiness out of thee.
16 And thou ' shalt take thine inheritance
do not reverence their parents. Parental affection and filial respect do not exist among you. The stranger is not only not succoured, bnt he is oppressed. The widows and fatherless are vexed hy wrongs and exactions.
Verse 8. Thou hast despised] All my ordinances are not only neglected, but treated with contempt; and my Sabbaths profaned. There is not only no power of godliness among you, but there is no form.
Verse 9. In thee are men that carry tales] Witnesses that will swear any thing, even where life is concerned.
Verse 10. In thee have they discovered] They are guilty of the most abominable incest and unnatural lust.
In thee have they humbled] In their unholy and unnatural connexions, they have not abstained from those set apart because of their infirmities. The catalogue of crimes that follow is too plain to require comment.
18 Son of man, "the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and lin. ind iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the " dross of silver.
1 9 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of
20 ° As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
2 1 Yea, I will gather you, and p blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
22 As silver is melted in the midst of the fiirnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst "hereof: and ye shall know that I the Lord have 1 poured out my fury upon you.
23 And the word of the Lord came unto me,
24 Son of man, say imto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
25 ' There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening
treasure and precious thmgs: r. Roman., they have made her many widows ""' """"'" ^- in the midst thereof.
26 "Her priests have ''violated my law, and have "" profaned mine holy things; they have put no ^ difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
27 5' Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
28 And ^ her prophets have daubed them with untempered nurrtar, '^ seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying. Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.
29 *> The people of the land have used ° oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have ^ oppressed the stranger * wrongfully.
30 f Ajid I sought for a man among them, that should e make up the hedge, and *" stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
3 1 Therefore have I ' poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: "^ their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the
I shall so deal with and punish thee, that thou shalt be obliged to own the vindictive hand of a sin-avengingGod.
Verse 18. The house of Israel is to me become dross] They are all like base metal — brass, tin, iron, and lead alloyed together with silver. Ye must be put in the furnace, and subjected to the most intense fire, till your impurities are consumed away. No ordinary means wiU avail any thing; the most violent must be resorted to.
Verse 19. I will gather yoii] Jerusalem is represented here as the fining pnt; all the people are to be gathered together in it, and the Chaldean fire is to melt the whole. And God will increase tliy sufferings: as the refiner bloios the fire with his bellows, so God will How upon you with the fire of his wrath, ver. 21.
Thou art like a country where there is no rain, either
'•:> cleanse the garments, or fertilize the ground.
Verse 25. There is a conspiracy] The false prophets have united together to say and support the same things; and have been the cause of the destruction of souls, and the death of many, so that widows, through their means, are multiplied in thee.
Verse 26. Her priests] Even they whose lips should preserve knowledge, have not instrncted the people: they have violated my law, not only in their private conduct, but in their careless and corrupt manner of serving in my temple.
Verse 27. Her princes] Are as bad as her;>«>.??.?; they are rapacious, and grievously oppress the people by unjust impositions in order to increase their revenues.
Verse 28. Her prophets] Even those who profess themselves to be my prophets, have been unfaithful in the discharge of their office; have soothed the people in their sins, and pretended to have oracles of peace and safety when I had not spoken to them.
Verse 29. The people] All that have power or authority have abused it; vexed and oppressed the poor, the needy, and the stranger.
Verse 30. / sought for a man] I saw that there was a irrievous breach made in the moral slate and feeling of the people, and I sought for a man that would stand in the gap; that would faithfully exhort, reprove, and counsel, with all long-suffering and doctrine. But none was to be found!
already mentioned; because of the false worship so generally practised; because of the false prophets tolerated; because of the unholy and profane priesthood; because of the oppressive princes; because of the unfaithful and deceiving prophets; because of the oppressions of petty officers; and because of the total corruption of rnanners in all ran/iS, places, offices, &c.; —
Have I poured out mine indignation — consumed them with the fire of my xcrath] Considering the above, has there not been sufficient reason why 1 should abandon such a people, and i)our out upon them such a destructive storm of calamities 1
The idolatries of Samaria and Jerusalem are represented in this chapter by the had practices of two common harlots, for which God denounces severe judgments against them, 1—49. See the sixteenth chapter, where the same metaphor is enlarged upon as here, it being the prophefs view to excite the utmost detestation of the crime against which he inveighs.
r: Roman., 2 bon ot man, there were " two cir. annum 24. ^vomen,. tlie daughters of one mother:
3 And ''they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in "^ their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4 And the names of them luei-e Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and '' they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters.
Verse 2. Son of man, there were two women] All the Hebrews were derived from one source, Abraham and Sarah; and, till the schism under Rehoboam, formed but one people: but as these ten tribes and a half separated from Judah and Benjamin, they became two distinct people under different kings; called the kingdom of Judah, and the kingdom of Israel. They are called here, because of their consanguinity, tteo sisters. The elder, Samaria, (for there was the seat of government for the kingdom of Israel,) was called n'^ns aholah, " a tent." The younger, Judah, was called n^'bnx aholibah, " my tent is in her," because the temple of God was in Jerusalem, the seat of the government of the kingdom of Judah.
Verse 5. And Aholah played the harlot] Without entering into detail here, or following the figtires, they both became idolatrous, and received the impure rites of the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans; of which connexion tlie prophet speaks here as he did in cliap. xvi., which see.
In this chapter there are many of what we would call indelicate e.xj)ressions, because a parallel is run
5 And Aholah played the harlot "'■■■ """"■" 2*- when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on s the Assyrians her neighbours,
6 ^Vh^ch were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
7 Thus she ^ committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that xoere ■ the chosen men of Ass}Tia, and with all on whom she doted;
fThat is. My tabernacle in Iter; I Kings viii. 20. g2 Kings between idolatry and prostitution, and the circumstances of the latter illustrate the peculiarities of the former. In such cases, perhaps, the matter alone was given to the prophet, and he was left to use his own language, and amplify as he saw good. Ezelciel was among the Jews what Juvenal was among the Romans, — a rough reprover of the most abominable vices. They both spoke of things as they found them; stripped vice naked, and scourged it publicly. The original is still more rough than the translation; and surely there is no need of a comment to explain imagery that is but too generally understood. I have said enough on chap, xvi., and to that I must refer the reader. It is true that there are a iew things here in the shade that might be illustrated by anatomy; and it would not be difficult to do it: but they are not necessary to salvation, and I shall not take off the covering. They were sufficiently understood by those for whose use they were originally designed.
Verse 6. Clothed with blue] The purple dye was highly valued among the ancients, and at first was only used by kings; at last it was used among the military, particularly by officers of high rank iu the country.
in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the ' AssjTians, upon whom she doted.
1 0 These " discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became " famous among women: for they had executed judgment upon her.
1 1 And ° when her sister Aliolibah saw this, p she 1 was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms ' more than her sister in her whoredoms.
1 2 She doted upon the = Assyrians her neighbours, ' captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
14 And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
1 6 '' And "^ as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
Verse 20. She doled upon their paramours] DH'K'jSi] pillagsheyhem, their harlots or concubines. Anciently harlot meant in our language either the male or female prostitute.
Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses] See on chap. XVI. 25.
Verse 23. Pekod, and Shoa, andKoa] j'lplj'ltyi "IlpS. These names have been thought to designate certain people bordering on the Chaldeans; but no geographer has ever been able to find them out.
In our old translations these names were considered to herinto the bed of love, and they 01. XLVi.4. defiled her with their whoredom, '^K^XIianr'' and she was polluted with them, «"•■ annum 24. and ^ her mind was y alienated fi-om them.
18 So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then ^ my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
19 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, " wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Eg}'pt.
20 For she doted upon their paramours, *" whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.
22 Therefore, 0 Aholibah, thus saith the Lord God; "^ Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alien ated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;
23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, '' Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: ' all of them desirable young men, captains, and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.
24 And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, tvhich shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.
25 And I will set my jealousy against thee,
at the sight of her eyes. '" Heb. children of Babel. ' Ver. 22, appellatives — rulers, mighty men, and tyrants. Others, following the literal import of the words, have translated, visiting, shouting, and retreating. Others have applied them to the habits of the Chaldean soldiers. Pekod signifying the muster or review of armies; Shoa, the masnificence of their uniform and arms; and Koa, the marks or cmhroidery of the clothes of the captains and generals. Grotius thought that they might be names of contiguous nations: Pekod, the Baclrians; Shoa, a people of Armenia; and Koa, the Medes. I have nothing to add that would satisfy myself, or be edifying to my readers.
A- M. cir. 3411. ^jjd they shall deal furiously with 01. XL VI. 4. thee: they shall take away thy R Roman., nose and thine cars; and thy cir. annum 24. remnant shall fall by the sword:
they shall take thy sons and thy daughters;
and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.
26 f They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy ^ fair jewels.
27 Thus *" will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and ' thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.
28 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them ^ whom thou hatest, into the hand of them ' from whom thy mind is alienated:
29 And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and " shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
30 I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast " gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.
31 Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her ° cup into thine hand.
32 Thus saith the Lord God; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: " thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.
33 Thou shalt be filled with dnmkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and de-
34 1 hou shalt 1 even dnnk it r. Roman.. and suck it out, and thou shalt ""•■ annum -. break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the
35 Therefore thus sailh the Lord God; Because thou ■■ hast forgotten me, and ' cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
36 The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou ' judge "^ Aholah and Aholibah? yea, ■" declare unto them their abominations;
37 That they have committed adultery, and " blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, == whom they bare unto me, to pass for them tlirough the fire, to devour them.
38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and ^ have profaned my Sabbaths.
39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, ^ thus have they done in the midst of mine house.
40 And furthermore, that ye have sent for men " to come from far, ^ unto whom a inessen ger was sent; and, lo, they came; for whom thou didst " wash thyself, ''■ paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments.
41 And satest upon a " stately ^ bed, and a table prepared before it, s whereupon thou
frequent among the Persians and Chaldeans, as ancient authors tell. Adulteries were punished in this way; and to this Martial refers: —
Quis tibi persuasit nares abscindere mcecho ]
"Who has counselled thee to cut off the adulterer's nose V
Women were thus treated in Egypt. See Calmet.
Verse 32. Thou shalt drink of thy sister^s cup\ Thou shalt be ruined and desolated as Samaria was.
Verse 34. Thou shalt — -pluck off thine own breasts] Thou shalt tear them; a frequent action in extreme sorrow and desolation. Weeping, tearing the bosom, and beating the breasts.
Tunc vero rupique sinus, et pectora planxi.
Verse 40. Thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments.] This is exactly the way in which a loose female in Bengal adorns herself to receive guests. She first bathes, then rubs black paint around her eyes, and then covers her body with ornaments. — Ward's Customs.
Verse 41. And satest upon a stately bed] Hast raised a stately altar to thy idols; probably alluding to that which Aiiaz ordered to be made, after the similitude of that which he saw at Damascus. The bed here is in allusion to the sofas on which the ancients were accustomed to recline at their meals; or to the couches
Tlireateninsrs denounced against shed blood; because they 42 And a voice of a multitude I adulteresses, and " blood i being at ease was with her: and their hands.
with the men '' of the common sort were brought ' Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.
43 Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit '' whoredoms with her, and she with them?
44 Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aliolibah, the lewd women.
45 And the righteous men, they shall ' judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and
on which they place Asiatic brides, with incense pots and sweetmeats on a table before them.
Verse 42. And a voice of a multitude] This seems to be an account of an idolatrous festival, where a riotous multitude was assembled, and fellows of the baser sort, with bracelets on their arms and chaplets on their heads, performed the religious rites.
Verse 45. And the righteous men] □'p'lX D^tyjN anashun tsaddikim. The Chaldeans, thus called because they are appointed by God to execute judgment on these criminals.
46 For thus saith the Lord God; " I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them ° to be removed and spoiled.
47 p And the company shall stone them with stones, and i despatch them with their swords; they ■■ shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
48 Thus ^ will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, ' that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.
49 And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall '^ bear the sins of your idols: " and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
Verse 47. Shall stone them with stones] As they did adulteresses under the law. See Lev. XX. 10, Deut. xxii. 22, compared with John
Verse 48. Thus will I cause lewdness to cease] Idolatry; and from that time to the present day the Jews never relapsed into idolatry.
Verse 49. Ye shall bear the sins of xjour idols] The punishment due to your adultery; your apostasy from God, and setting up idolatry in the land.
The prophet now informs those of the captivity of the very day on which Nebuchadnezzar was to lay siege to Jerusalem, {compare Jer. lii. 4,) and describes the fate of that city and its inhabitants by a very apt similitude, 1—14. As another sign of the greatness of those calamities, the prophet is forbidden to mourn for his wife, of whom he is to be deprived; intimating thereby that the sufferings of the Jews should be so astonishing as to surpass all expressions of grief; and that private sorrow, hoivever affectionate and tender the object, ought to be absorbed in the public calamities, 15—18. The prophet, having farther expressed his prediction in plain terms, intimates that he was to speak to them no more till they should have the newi of these prophecies having been fulfilled, 19—27.
A GAIN in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth Prisci, day of the month, the ^ word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, write thee the name of the
NOTE.S ON CHAP. XXIV. Verse 1. The ninth year] This prophecy was given in the ninth year of Zedekiah, about Thursday, the thirtieth of January, A. M. 3-114; the very day in which the king of Babylon commenced the siege of king of Babylon set himself 01. XLVII. 3.
against Jerusalem ''this same Tarquinii Prisci,
3 " And utter a parable unto the rebellious
Verse 3. Set on a pot] The pot was Jerusalem; the flesh, the inhabitants in general; every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, King Zedekiah and his family; the bones, the soldiers; and the setting on the pot, the commencement of the siege. The prophet was then in Mesopotamia; and he was told particularly
4 Gather the pieces tlicreof into it, even every good piece, the thigli, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and " burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
6 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Wo to f the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no ^ lot fall upon it.
7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; '' she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
8 That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; ' I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
9 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; '' Wo to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
to mark the day, &c., that it might be seen how precisely the spirit of prophecy had shown the very day in wliich the siege toolc place. Under the same image of a boiling pol, Jeremiah had represented the siege of Jerusalem, chap. i. 13. Ezekiel was a priest; the action of boiling pots was familiar to him, as these things were much in use in the temple service.
Verse 5. Make it hoil well] Let it boil over, that its own scum may augment the fire, that the bones — the soldiers, may be seethed therein. Let its contentions, divided counsels, and disunion be the means of increasing its miseries. riTirn nm rattaeh rethacheyha, let it bubble its bubbling; something like that of the poet: —
Very like the noise made by ebullition, when a pot of thick broth., " sleek and slab," is set over a fierce fire. Such was that here represented, in which all the flesh, the fat, and the bones were to be boiled, and generally dissolved together.
Verse 6. Let no lot fall upon it.] Pull out the flesh indiscriminately; let no piece be chosen for king or priest; thus showing that all should be involved in one indiscriminate ruin.
Verse 7. For her blood is in the midst of her] She gloried in her idol sacrifices; she offered them upon a 'ock, where the blood should remain evident; and she
the flesh, and spice it well, and -^ ^- ^*'''- let the bones be burned. oi.XLvii.'3
may be hot, and may burn, and that ' the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: hei scum shall be in the fire.
13 In thy filthiness is lewdness; because I have purged thee, and thou wast not jnirgcd, thou shalt not be piu-ged from thy filthiness any more, "^ till I have caused my fiury to rest upon thee.
14 " I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back; ° neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord
15 Also the word of the Lord came unto
16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desure of thine eyes with a stroke:
poured none upon the ground to cover it with dust, in horror of that moral evil that required the blood of an innocent creature to be shed, in order to the atonement of the offender's guilt. To " cover the blood of the victim," was a command of the law, Lev. xvii. 13; Deut. xii. 24.
Verse 8. That it might cause fury] This very blood shall be against them, as the blood of Abel was against Cain.
Verse 10. Heap on wood] Let the siege be severe, the carnage great, and the ruin and catastrophe complete.
A''erse 13. In thy filthiness is lewdness] HOT ii'mmah, a word that denominates the worst kinds of impurity; adultery, incest, &c., and the purpose, wish, design, and ardent desire to do these things. Hers were not accidental sins, they were abominations by design; and they were the worse in her, because God had cleansed her, had separated the Israelites from idolatry and idolatrous nations, and by his institutions removed from them all idolatrous incentives. But they formed alliances with the heathen, and adopted;dl their abominations; therefore God would not spare them See ver. 14.
^'erse 16. Behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes] Here is an intimation that the stroke he was to suffer was to be above all grief; that it would be so great as to prevent the relief of tears. Curae leves loquuntur, graviores sdent, I is a well-accredited maxim in such cases. Superficial
R. Roman., 27. jy 1 Forbear to cry, "^make no mourning for the dead, ' bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and ' put on thy shoes upon tliv feet, and " cover not iliy " lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18 Sol spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wik died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
1 9 And the people said unto me, " Wilt tliou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20 Then I answered them, Tlie word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 1 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, ^ I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, y the desire of your eyes, and ^ that which your soul pitieth; " and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left, shall fall by the sword.
22 And ye shall do as I have done: ^ ye
23 And your tires s/ia/Z 6e upon TarquimiPnsci, your heads, and your shoes upon ^' ^°'"''"' ^'^- your feet: ° ye shall not mourn nor weep; but •^ ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24 Thus ' Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: f and when this cometh, ^ ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not he in the day when I take from them '^ their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of tlieir eyes, and ' that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
26 That ^ he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27 ^ Li that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and " thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that 1 am the Lord.
griefs affect the more easily moved passions; great ones affect the soul itself, in its powers of reasoning, reflecting, comparing, recollecting, &c., when the sufferer feels all the weight of wo.
Saxpva xai ifpo&idugi xai touj oip^aXfAouj' Achill. Tat. lib. 3. c. 11. For this is the case with the eyes in great calamities: in light misfortunes tears flow freely, but in heavy afflictions tears fly away, and betray the eyes.
Bind the tire of thine head] This seems to refer to the high priest's bonnet; or perhaps, one worn by the ordinary priests: it might have been a black veil to cover the head.
Cover not thy lips] Mourners covered the under part of the face, from the nose to the bottom of the chin.
Eat not the bread of men.] U'Vim. Urh lechem ana-.fhim, " the bread of miserable men," i. e., mourners; probably, the funeral banquet.
Verse 18. At even my wife died] The prophet's wife was a type of the city, which was to him exceedingly dear. The death of his toife represented the destruction of the city by the Chaldeans; see ver. 2 1, where the temple is represented to be the desire of his eyes, as his loife was, ver. 16.
A''erse 19. Wilt thou not tell us] In the following verses he explains and applies the whole of what he had done and said.
Verse 27. In that day shall thy mouth be opened] That is. When some one who shall have escaped from Jerusalem, having arrived among the captives, shall inform them of the destruction of the city, the temple, the royal family, and the people at large; till then he might suppress his tears and lamentations. And we find from chap, x.xxiii. 21, that one did actually escape from the city, and informed the prophet and his brethren in captivity that the city was smitten.
Thus he was not only a prophet to foretell such things, but he was also a sign or portent, shadowing them out by circumstances in his own person and family; and thus the prediction, agreeing so perfectly with the event, proved that the previous information was from the Lord.
Heavy judgments threatened
This chapter contains threatenings of the heavy judgments of God against the Ammonites, 1—7; Moabites, 8—11; Edomites, 12-14; and Philistines, 15-17; on account of their haired to his people, and their insulting them in the time of their distress. These prophecies were fulfilled by the instrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar, about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem. The same events were predicted by several of the other prophets, as may be seenfrmn the citation of parallel texts in the margin.
Tarquinii Prisci, 2 Son of man, " set thy face R. Roman., 27. b against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God; "^ Because thou saidst. Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the ^ men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.
5 And I will make " Rabbah ^ a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching-place for flocks: s and ye shall know that I am the
6 For thus saith the Lord God; Because
Verse 1. The word of the Lord] The chronological order of this chapter is after chap, xxxiii. 31, &c. See Abp. Newcome.
Vetso 2. Set thy face against the Ammonites] We have already" seen, chap. xxi. 19, &c., that when Nebuchadnezzat left Babylon, he was in doubt whether he should besiege Riblath, the capital of the Ammonites, or Jerusalem, the capital of the Jews, first: and having used his divination, he was determined, by the result, to attack Jerusalem the first. He did so: and the Ammonites, seeing the success of his arms, made friends with him, and exulted in the ruin of the Jews. God resents this, and predicts their downfall with that of Edom, Moab, and the Philistines. The fulfilment of this prediction is not noted in Scripture: but Josephus tells us, that about "^rc years after the taking of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar turned his arms against the Ammonites and Moaliiles, and afterwards against Egypt; and having subdued those nations, he returned to Babylon. Joseph. Antiq., 1. x., c. ii. Berosus states, as Huoted by Josephus, contra App., that Nebuchadnezzar subdued Syria, Arabia, Phcenicia, and Egypt; and con-
7 Behold, therefore I will " stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for " a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and p thou shalt know that I am the
8 Thus saith the Lord God; Because that 1 Moab and "^ Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;
9 Therefore, behold, I will open the ' side of Moab from the cities, from his cities ivhich are on his, frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim,
10 'Unto the men of the east "with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites ^ may not be remembered among the nations.
sequently, that he had brought under his dominion the Ammonites, Moabites, and Idumeans, who were included among the Philistines. See Calmet.
Verse 4. Will deliver thee to the men of the east] Probably the Scenite Arabs, Ishmaelites, and people of Kedar, who seized upon the provinces of the vanquished Ammonites, &c. The following description suits this people only, living on fruits, the milk of their flocks, using camels, &o. Some think the people of the east mean the Chaldeans.
Verse 7. I will cause thee to perish] Except in history, the name of the Ammonites does not now exist.
Verse 8. Moab and Seir do say] Seir means the Idumeans. It appears that both these, with the Ammonites, had made a league with Zedekiah, Jer. xxvii. 3, which they did not keep; and it is supposed that they even joined with the Chaldeans.
Verse 9. / u-ill open the side] ^inD kethepli, the shoulder, the strongest frontier place. Beth-jeshimoth. Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim were strong frontier towns of Moab.
Verse 10. That the Ammonites] The Syriac has, " That Rabbah of the sons of Ammon be not remembered."'
\^cym' ^^ ^"'^ ^ "''^^ execute judg- Ol. XLVii, 3. meiils upon Moab; and they Tarquinii Prisci, shall kiiow that I am the Lord. R. Roman.. 27. jg Thus saith the Lord God; "■ Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah ^ by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and ^ they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14 And ^ I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine
Verse 12. Because thai Edom liatli dealt] The Edomites were the most inveterate enemies of the Jews from the very earliest times, and ever did all that they could to annoy them.
Verse 13. / unll malte it desolate from Tema7i\ Teman and Dedan were both cities of the Moabites, and apparently at each extremity of the land.