KAR By E,
That is, the man upon the throne looked like the colour of amber; of which fee the note on ¥. 4:
| 4s the appearance of fire round about within its which may denote the deity of Chrift, or Chrift as God, who is a confuming fire to his enemies; a fire enlightning and warming to his people; as a wall of fire protecting them; and as a pillar of fire guiding and directing them, as he did the J/- raelites in the wildernefs; and who has fuch light and glory in him, as is incomprehenfible to us; and therefore this fire appeared round about within, the colour of amber, and under his human nature, thro’ which it broke forth: from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I faw as it were the appearance of fire; it reached upwards and downwards, as well as all around him: and it bad brightnels round about; the fire; which fhone thro’ the human nature, and was upon it, in virtue of its union to the Son of God; and thro’ the gofpel, in which, as ina glafs, the glory of the Lord is feen; and which will be brighter and brighter in the latter day; which may be fignified by the appearance of his loins downward.
v.28. As the appearance of ihe bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, &c.] The rain-bow, which is no other than the reflexion of the rays of the fun in a thin watry cloud ona rainy day: fo was the appearance of the brightnefs round about its fo Chrift is reprefented as clothed with a cloud, and a rain-bow about his head, Rev. x. 1. which is a token of the covenant of grace, in which Chrift is concerned; it is round about him; he is the head, mediator, furety, and meffenger of it; all the bleffings and promifes of it are in him; and he is that itfelf, which is only a reverberation of him, the fun of righteoufnefs; and it is alfo about the throne on which he fits, which is upheld by mercy and truth; and it is ever in his view, and he is always mindful of it: this part of the vifion agrees with Rev. iv. 3: this was the appearance of the likene/s of the glory of Gods of the divine Shekinah; the word of God that was made flefh, and dwelt among us; whofe glory is as the only begotten of the Father; and who is the bright~- nefs of his Father’s glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon: and when I faw it, I fell upon my face, thro’ fear and reverence of the glorious perfon that appeared to him; fee Rev.i.17: and 1 heard a voice of one that fpake, what is delivered in the following chapter; which contains Ezekzel’s commiffion from Chrift, who is the perfon that fpake unto him, without fuccefs, ¥. 6, 7. and he is inftructed not to be rebellious, as they were; but open his mouth and eat, what fhould be given him, ¥.8. when, in a vifionary way, an hand was feen, and a roll in it, and this fpread before him, written within and without, full of lamentation, mourning and woes, as a fymbol of the fubftance of his prophecy, ¥. 9, 10.
y. 1. And he faid unto me, &c.] The glorious perfon, who fat upon the throne, whofe appearance is defcribed in the latter part of the preceding chapter: fon of man, as he was to be, that fpake unto him; and fo it may denote relation, ang and familiarity; or otherwife it is expreffive of humiliation; of the frail, mean and low eftate of man, thro’ the fall, P/. viii. 4. wherefore fome think Ezekiel is thus addrefled, left he fhould be lifted up, and think himfelf as one of the angels, becaufe he had feen fo great a vifion; juft as the apoftle Paw/ was humbled, left he fhould be exalted above meafure, thro’ the vifions and revelations he had, 2 Cor. xii. 7. Kimchi mentions this, but affigns another reafon; that becaufe he faw the face of a man in the above vifion, he let him know that he was right and good in the eye of God; and was the fon of man, and not the fon of a lion, &c. which is exceeding weak and trifling. dbendana, befides thefe, mentions fome other reafons given; as that becaufe he faw the mercavab or chariot, and afcended to the dignity of the angels on high, itis as if it was faid, there is none born of a woman, as this; or becaufe he was carried out of the holy land, as 4dam was drove out of Eden; and therefore called the fon of the firft Adam, being drove out of Ferufalem, and out of the temple, where he was a prieft. It may be obferved, that this is a name which our Lord frequently took to himflf in his ftate of humiliation; and that none but Ezekiel, excepting once the prophet Daniel, is called by this name; and no doubt the reafon of it is, becaufe he was an eminent type of Chrift; and particularly in his miffion and commiffion, as a prophet, to the rebellious houfe of Jrael: fiand upon thy feet, for he was fallen upon his face, at the fight of the vifion, ch. i. 28. when a divine perfon fpeaks, men ought to ftand and hear, and be in a readinefs to do his pleafure: and I will fpeak unto thee; which is faid for his en- -couragement, being fpoken by him who has the words of truth and grace, and of eternal life.
¥.2. And the fpirit entered into me, &c.|) Not his own {pirit or foul; for it does not appear that that went out of him upon the fight of the vifion; nor any of the miniftring fpirits, the angels, who are never faid to enter into the prophets or people of God; but the holy Spirit of God; the fame fpirit that was in the living creatures, and in the wheels; in the minifters, and in the churches; who entered with his gifts to qualify him for his office as a prophet; and who enters with his graces into the hearts of all the faints, to quicken, renew, comfort and fanctify them: when be Jpake unto me; at the fame time the Spirit went alon with the word; and when the word of Chrift is attended with the demonftration of the Spirit and of power, it is effectual: and he fet me upon my feet; not he that fpake with him, and bid him ftand on his feet; but the Spirit; for the word, tho’ it is the word of God, and of Chrift, yet is ineffectual without the Spirit; when he enters, he gives the word a place, and it works effectually; when he enters, as the fpirit of life from Chrift, the foul is quickened and ftrengthened; and fuch that are fallen down, ftand up; yea, fuch as are dead, arife and ftand upon their feet: that I heard him that fpake unto me; fo as to underftand; for the Spirit, who fearches the deep things of God, reveals them to his minifters, and caufes them to underftand the word of Chrift, that they may be able to inftruct others in it.
¥.3. And he faid unto me, fon of man, &c.|
Ch. HH, y. 2 Now follow his miffion and commiffion, and account of the perfons to whom he was fent: F fend thee to the children of Ifrael, that were captives. in Babylon, in Feboiakin’s captivity; fo Chrift was fent only to the loft fheep of the houfe of J/rael;
Matt.xv.24: to a rebellious nation, that hath rebelled againft me; or, rebellious Gentiles"; not the nations of the earth, tho’ Ezekie/ did prophefy many things concerning them; but the Yews, the two tribes of Fudah and Benjamin; or the twelve tribes.
of I/rael, called Gentiles, becaufe they joined with them in their idolatries; and, as Kimchi fays, were divided in their evil works; fome worfhipping the gods of the Ammonites; and fome the gods of the Moabites, and all guilty of rebellion and treafon in fo doing againft the God of heaven: they and their fathers have tranfgreffed againft me, unto this very day; which is an aggravation of their rebellion; their fathers had finned, and they had followed their ill examples, and had continued therein to that day; and as they did to the times of Chrift,. when they were about to fill up the meafure of their iniquity, Matt. xxili. 31, 32.
¥. 4. For they are impudent children, &e.] Hard of face; as is commonly faid of impudent perfons, that they are brazen-faced,; they had a whore’s forehead, and refufed to be afhamed, and made their faces: harder than a rock, Yer. iii. 3. and v. 3. they declared their fin as Sodom, and hid it not; they finned openly, and could not. blufh at it: and fiiff-hearted, or, ftrong of beart*; whofe hearts. were like an adamant-ftone, and harder than the nether mill-ftone; impenitent, obdurate and inflexible; they were not only ftiff-necked, as Sre+ phen fays they were in his time, and always had been; but ftiff-hearted; they were not fubject to the law of God now, nor would they fubmit to the gofpel and ordinances of Chrift in his time, and in the times of his apoftles, nor to his righteoufnefs, Rom. x. 3: Ido fend thee unto them; even to fuch as they are: this is a repetition, and a confirmation of his miffion; and fuggefts, that tho’ they were fuch, he fhould not refufe to go to them, fince he had fent him: and thou fhalt fay unto them, thus faith the Lord God; that what he faid came from the Lord, and was fpoken in his name.
¥. 5. And they, whether they will bear, or whether they will forbear, &c.] Or ceafe”; that is, from hearing, as Farchi and Kimchi interpret it; or from finning, as the Targum. The fenfe is, whether they would hear the word of the Lord, as _ fpoken by the prophet, attend unto it, receive it, and obey it; or whether they would reject it, turn. ‘their backs on it, and difcontinue hearing it; or whether they would fo hear, as to leave their finful courfe of life, or not: this the prophet could not know before-hand, nor fhould he be concerned about it, or be difcouraged if his miniftry fhould be fruitlefs; fince he could not expect much from them: (for they are a rebellious houfe); or, a boufe of rebellion *; a moft rebellious one; hard of heart, face and neck: yet /hall know that there bath beew a prophet among them; fo that they were left without excufe, which was the end of the being fent unto them; there was little or no of reclaiming them; but however, by fuch a ftep” taken, they could not fay that they ” sai phet {ent to reprove them for their fins, and warn them of their danger; had they, they would have liftened to him, and fo have efcaped the evils that came upon them.
¥. 6. And thou fon of man be not afraid of them, &c.] Of any of them, the greateft among them, their princes and nobles; who, by their grandeur and authority, their ftern- looks, and big words, might awe and terrify him; wherefore it follows: neither be afraid of their words; of their calumnies, revilings and reproaches, their fcoffs and jeers, their menaces and threatnings: tho’ driers and thorns be with thee, that is, men comparable to fuch; wicked men are like to briers and thorns, 2 Sam. xxii. 6. I/. xxvii. 4. are grieving, pricking and diftrefling to good men, and are of no worth and value; are ufelefs and unprofitable, and fit fuel for éverlafting burnings. The Targum is, * for ** they are rebellious, and hard againft thee;” fo Farchi and Kimchi explain the firft word ta 5p tranflated driers, as fignifying rebellious and difobedient; tho’ the former obferves, that R. Donefh interprets it, of a kind of thorns, of which there are twenty names, and this is one: and thou doft dwell among Jcorpions; that is, as the Targum paraphrafes it, ** theu dwelleft in the midft of a peo- “«¢ ple whofe works are like to fcorpions.” Some interpret it, as Kzmchi obferves, of fharp thorns, of a thorny plant that grows in the form of a fcorpion +; but fcorpions here are a kind of ferpents, fubtle, venomous and mifchievous, which have ftings in their tails; which, as Pliny fays, they are continually thrufting out, and ftriking with, that they may lofe no opportunity of doing hurt >; and fitly defcribe wicked men, their fubtlety, and mifchievous nature: be not afraid of their words; as before; with which they are like briers,' thorns, and {corpions, being very grievous, defamatory, and mifchievous: nor be difmayed at their looks; their frowning, furious and angry countenances; forbidding with which, as well as with | opi their words, the prophet from prophefying unto them: tho’, or for they be a rebellious houfe, fee rolled about a ftick, in form of a cylinder; and hence they were called volumes or rolls, P/. xl. 7. This roll was a fymbol of the prophecy of this book. bien y. 10. And he fpread it before me, &c.| Unrolled it, that what was written in it might be feen and read; that fo underftanding it, he might deliver the contents of it to the people: thus the gofpel, and the myfteries of it, muft be explained by Chnift to his minifters; dnd their underftandings muft bé opened, e’re they will be capable of making them known to others:. and it was written within and without; on the back of the vellum or parchment, as well as within fide; and fuch writings were called thographa: of this kind was the book ohn faw, Rev. v.31. It was ufual only to write on the infide; but when they had a great deal to write, then they wrote on the back fide alfo *; fo that this roll beirig thus written, denotes the largenefs and abundance of the prophecies contained in this book; fome refpécting the Yews, and others the nations of the world. The Targum is ‘* it was written “< before and behind, what was from the begin- ** ning, and what fhall be in the end:” ad there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and wo; afflictions, chaftifements, and punifhments, that fhould be inflicted upon the Jews, and other nations of the world; which, when made known to them, and efpecially when inflicted on them, would occafion ‘forrow and diftrefs among them. In the Talmud, lamentations are interpreted of ‘the punifhments of the righteous in this world; mourning of’ the gift of reward to the righteous in the world to. come; and wo of the punifhments of the wicked in the World to come °. The Targum is, “¢ if the houfe of J/rael tranfgrefs the law, the peo- wardnefs to publifh it: open thy mouth; be ready to receive what fhould be given, as a fymbol of the propliecy he was to deliver. The Targum is, ‘¢ incline thy foul, and receive what I give thee.” Farchi’s note is, incline thine ear and hear, and let it be {weet to thee, as if thou didft eat food for hunger; and Kimchi obferves, the intention of the figurative expreffion is to learn the words of the prophecy, and to remémber them: @#d eat that I give thee, which may be fafely done; for Chrift gives his minifters and people nothing but whar is wholefome; his doctrines aré wholefome words, and may be eaten without fear, 1 Zim. vi. 3.
¥.9. And when I locked, bebold, an hand was Sent unto me, &cc.| Not of an angel, but of Chrift himfelf, in a vifionary*way; for this was not a real hand, but the likenefs of one, as it ch. viii. 3. and. fo the Targum here ‘* and I faw, dnd behold, *¢ the likenefs of a Hand ftretched ott on the fide “to me.” This fymbol was to fhow that his ptophecy, that he was fent to deliver, was from heaven, and came from Chrift; and that hand that delivered it to him, would protect and defend him: and lo, a roll of a book was therein; held in it, and held forth by it, to the prophet. Books were frequently written on parchment or vellum, and.
¥. 7. And thou fhalt [peak my words unto them, &c.} Not his own words, but thofe the Lord fhould put into his mouth. The Zargum is,°** and ** thou fhalt prophefy the words of my prophecy << unto them:” whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, fee the note on ¥. 5: for they are moft rebellious; or rebellion © itfelf; as the carnal mind is faid to be enmity itfelf againft God, Rom. viii. 7. which aggravates their character and ftate.
¥.8. But thou, fon of man, hear what I fay unto thee, &c.] Which was neceffary, becaufe he was to fpeak, not his own words, but the Lord’s, and therefore ought to hear before he fpoke; and indeed thofe that fpeak in a public way, for the inftruction of others, ought to hear and learn of Chrift firft: be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious houfe; who would not hear what was faid unto t them; but they were riot to be imitated, no not in a lefler degree; the prophet’ was to avoid every thing that looked like rebellion as inattention to what was faid-to him, hefitation about it, or back- * Phin, Nat. Hit. lez. cots. andl.c2. cng. ‘ ple fhall rule over them; but if they keep the “ Jaw, lamentation, and mourning, and forrow,; ‘ fhall ceafe from them.”
4 ——Aut fummi plena tam margine libri
AHIIS chapter contains a further account of the prophet’s call and miffion; of his preparation of him for his work; of the perfons to whom he was fent; of what happened to him upon this; of the nature of his office, and the work of it; and of what followed upon the renewal of his call. His further preparation for prophefying is in ¥. 1, 2, 3. where he is bid to eat the roll fhewed him, eiek he did, and found it in his mouth as honey for fweetnels;; and then he receives frefh orders to go to the people of J/rael, and prophefy to them, ¥. 4. and that he might not be difcouraged, an account is. given before-hand of the people to whom he was fent; of their language, behaviour and difpofition; by which he could not ‘ expect fuccefs, ¥. 5, 6, 7- and for his further encouragement, ftrength, boldnefs, refolution, firmnefs and prefence of “mind, are promifed him, y.8, 9. alfo a revelation of more things to him; all which he fhould hear, receive and fpeak, whether the people would attend to them or no; which ought to be no difcouragement to him, fince it was not regarded by the Lord, ¥. 10, 11. then follows an account of his being lift up by the Spirit from the earth, when he heard a voice, which is defcribed by the manner and matter of it; anda noife, both of the living creature’s wings, and of the wheels he had feen in a former vifion, ¥. 12,13. and next, of his being carried away by the fame Spirit, and of the condition he was.in, in his own {pirit, as he went; and of the ftrength he received from the Lord; and of the place to which he was carried; and his ftate and circumftances, and time of continuance there, ¥. 14, 55. where, after a time mentioned, he has a frefh call to his office, under the character of a watchman, whofe bufinefs was to hear Chrift’s words, and warn the houfe of and the chapter is concluded with a narration of } belly.to eat, &c.| Or devour ', various events which befel the prophet; he is bid by the Lord to go into the plain, which he did, and there faw the glory of the Lord, as he had before feen it at the river Chebar; which fo affected him, that he fell upon his face, ¥. 22, 23, the Spirit entered into him, fet him on his feet, and fpake with him; ordered him what he fhould do himfelf, that he fhould fhut himfelf up in his houfe, ¥.24. informed him what the people would do to him; bind him with bands, that he fhould not come forth, ¥. 25. and what Chnift would do to him; ftrike him dumb in judgment to the people, that he might not be a reprover of them, y. 26. but he is told that when the Lord fpoke to him, his mouth fhould be opened, and he fhould declare what was faid to him, ¥. 27.
¥. 1. Moreover, he faid unto me, 8c.] The fame glorious perfon, who had been {peaking all along in the preceding chapter; and who was feen by ‘the prophet on a fapphire throne, and defcribed in ch. i. 26, 27, 28. the firft fifteen verfes, of this chapter are by Yanius and Tremellius made a part of the fecond: fox of man, eat that thou findeft; not any thing, but what he found in the hand fent