Chit SSO EAE ORI SO OM.
N this chapter, under the fign of the prophet’s removing houfhold-goods, is reprefented the removal of the king of udab and his people, from their own land into captivity; and under another fign, of the prophet’s eating and drinking with quaking, and trembling, and carefulnefs, is fet forth, either the famine that fhould be during the fiege of Ferufalem, or the defolations following the taking of it; and the chapter is concluded with a reproof of the Yews flattering themfelves that thefe prophecies refpected times a great way off, and therefore hoped they would never be accomplifhed. The preface to the firft fign is in y. 1, 2. which defcribes the people of the Jews as rebellious, and given up to judicial blindnefs and hardnefs; and fuggefts the caufe of all their calamities; the order to prepare goods for removing, to fhew to the people; for digging a wall; carrying the ftuff out in their fight, on his fhoulders at twilight; and covering his face when he did it, is in ¥. 3, 4, 5, 6. the execution of this order, which is declared in part for the whole, is in ¥. 7. then follows the explication of this fign, ¥. 8,9, 10, 11. and the application of it, firft to king Zedekiah, in whom fhould:be fulfilled feveral of the particulars mentioned, ¥. 12, 13. and to the _ people about him, and his army that fhould be fcattered and fall by the fword, ¥. 14. the end of which fhould be, that the Lord fhould be known, his power, truth and righteoufnefs, by a few that fhould efcape the famine, peftilence and fword, ¥.15,16. The fecond fign, with the explication and application of it, is in ¥. 17, 18, 19, 20. and the chapter is clofed with a reproof of the Yews; the proverbial expreffion they ufed, and which the Lord refented, is cited ¥. 21, 22. and the prophet is bid to affure them that it fhould ceafe, or there fhould be no room for it; and alfo every vain vifion and flattering divination, y. 23, 24. and that the word of the Lord fhould not be prolonged, but fhould quickly and certainly be accomplithed; and that their hopes of the contrary were in vain, ¥. 25, 26,27, 28.
means be delivered; fee the fame character of them, ch. ii. 3, 5,6, 7. and iii. 9, 26: which have eyes to fee, and fee not: they have ears to bear, and bear not; they had natural fenfe and underftanding, and means and opportunities of being better informed, and of knowing the true ftate of things, and how they were, and would be; but they wilfully fhut their eyes againft all light and evidence, and. ftopped their ears, and would not hearken to the words of the prophets: for they are a rebellious houfe; ttubborn, obitinate and felf-willed: or, 4 houfe of rebellion’.
¥. 3. Therefore, thou fon of man, prepare thee fiuff for removing, &c.] Or, veffels of captivity *; fuch as perfons take along with them when they go a journey, or into a far country; fuch as a {taff, {crip, purfe, thoes, Sc. or houfhold-goods; fuch as tables, chairs, and the like, which are removed when a perfon goes from one houfe to another; by which fign, they of the captivity were to be taught, that Zedekiah and the people of the Fews fhould in like manner be carried captive into Babylon, which they were not willing to believe, and the falfe prophets had told them the contrary: and remove by day in their fight, be carrying the {tuff out day by day, feveral days running, as Farcht from Menachem interprets it; that they may fee and take notice of it, and afk the reafon of it; which when known, they might fend to their correfpondents at Ferufalem, and acquaint them with it: and thou fhalt remove from thy place to another place in their fight; from the houfe in which he dwelt, to another houfe at fome diftance; yet fo as to be feen by them, both from whence, and whither he removed: i¢ may be they will confider, or fee‘; make ufe of their eyes, and of their underftandings, and think better of things. The Zargum is, ‘* perhaps they will fear;” the Lord, and regard his prophets, and be afraid of his judgments: tho’ they be a rebellious houfe; fach who are the moft obftinate, may be reclaimed.
¥. 4. Then fhalt thou bring forth thy ftuff by day in their fight, &c.] Bring it forth, that they may be fpectators of it; and dy day, that it might be manifeft to them what was carried out; and this day by day, till all was removed: as fluff for removing; that is intended to be removed from one place to another, and is carried away in the daytime, in the view of every one: and thou Jfhalt go forth at even in their fight, as aman having removed his goods in the day-time, goes forth himfelf at evening: this denotes the flight of Zedekiah from Ferufalem in the night, Yer. xxxix. 4: as they that go forth into captivity, with a forrowful countenance, ina mournful habit, and with airs and geftures fhewing anger, anxiety and diftrefs; with a bundle on their fhoulders, and a ftaff in their hands..
¥. 5. Dig thou thro’ the wall in their fight, &c.} The wall of the houfe where he was, as an em-+ blem of the city of Ferufalem clofely befieged, from whence there was no efcape, but by digging thro’ the wall: this fhowed the manner in which y.1. The word of the Lord came unto me, faying.] The word of prophecy, as the Targum; the vifion of the cherubim being over, this very likely, immediately followed upon the former; tho’ the exact time of the prophecy cannot be fixed, becaufe.the date is not given; it muft be between the fixth month of the fixth year of Fehoiachin’s captivity, ch. viii. 1. and the fifth month of the feventh year, ch. xx. 1.!
y. 2. Son of man, thou dwelleft in the midft of a rebellious beufe, &c.| The captives in. Badylon, who murmure | at their prefent condition and circumftances, and looked upon: the inhabitants of Ferufalem to be in happy ones, and believed they would continue in them,:as the falfe prophets perfuaded them; not believing the prophets:of the Lord; and encouraged them to ftand out againft the king of Babylon, repenting that they had furrendered to him, and hoped. they fhould by their
Zedekiab made his efcape, by the way of the gate, between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, Fer. lii. 7: and carry out thereby; not his ituff, as before; but provifions for himfelf, neceflary for his journey or flight; as no doubt Zedekiah and thofe with him did.
¥. 6. In their fight foalt thou bear it upon thy Jooulders, &c.| The bundle, packed up for his ufe and fervice, carried out thro’ the wall dug by him. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin verfions render it, as if he himfelf was to be carried out upon the fhoulders of another, thus; ia their fight, upon the boulders, thou fhalt be carried; but the tormer fenfe is beft: and carry it forth in the twilight; fignitying the fame as before: show /halt cover thy face, that thou fee not the ground; or land; not the land of J/rae/, but the land of Chaldea, where the prophet was: this fhews that great fhame and confufion which fhould attend the king 6f Judah when he fled, and great fear and terror alfo; and likewife has regard to his eyes being put out by the king’ of Babylon, fo that he faw not the land into which he was carried captive, Jer. li. 11: for I have fet thee for a fign unto the houfé of Jjrael; to fhew unto them by deeds, as well as by words, what fhould befal. them; fee J/. viii, 18, and xx. ing of it; quite carelefs, thoughtlefs and ftupid; wherefore, tho’ they will not afk any thing concerning it, yet begin with them, and fhew them the defign of it.
y. 10. Say thou unto them, thus faith the Lord ~ Ged, &c.} In anfwer to their {neering queftion§ or notwithftanding their ftupidity and indolencé, and in order to awaken them out of it: this burden concerneth the prince in Ferufalem, the prefent reigning prince in Yerufalem, king Zedekiah. The fenfe is, either that that burden of goods the prophet carried out on his fhoulders, had a regard to the king of Judah and his captivity, and was an emblem of it; or rather that the burden of prophecy, ot that forrowful calamity predicted by the above fign or type, had relation to that prince; and would be fulfilled in him; and fo the Z argum, ‘* upon the prince is the burden of this prophecy;” in like manner Yarchi interprets it, of prophecy: and all the houfe of I/rael which are ameng them, they were alfo concerned in it, and would be carried captive with their prince. - y.411. Say, I am your fign, 8c:) OWhich reprefents you, and fhows what will befabyou.: ke as. J have done, fo foall it be done unto them; ‘as he had carried. out his ftuff, and had removed it frem
25°35 7A. one place to another, fo they fhouldube cartied.
¥.7. And I did fo as I was commanded, &c.]| away Tho’ it might feem ridiculous in the fight of men, and he be bantered and defpifed for it; yet it being the will of God, he was obedient to it; comes the fervants of the Lord to be with all readinefs and chearfulnefs; even in things for which they may be laughed at by others: J drought forth my fluff by day, as ftuff for captivity; brought his goods out of his houfe, in order to be had to another place, as a type of the captivity of his countrymen the Fews: and in the even I digged thro’ the wall with mine hand; not with an iron inftrument, with which walls are dug; but with his hand, he having no fuch inftrument with him, and being in hafte, and alfo that it might be done without noife; denoting the fuddennefs of Zedekich’s flight, and the hafte he was in; not having time and leifure to take proper inftruments with him, he and his men pulled out the flones of the wall with their own hands, and filently made their way thro’ and efcaped; fee ¥.12: J brought it forth in the twilight, and [ bare it upon my fooulder in their fight, that it might bea fign and emblem of the above things to them, and they might learn fome inflructions from it. he fhall cover his face,
¥.9. Son of man, hath not the houfe of Ifrael foid unto thee, &c.] The ews that were in captivity; for with thefe the prophet was, and before their eyes he had done the above things; and they only could put the following queftion to him, who were the rebellious houfe, ¥.2: what doft thou? this they put not ferioufly, ‘as defirous of being in- - formed what was meant by all this; but as deriding the prophet for acting fuch a weak and filly part: this the Lord knew they had done, and therefore. directs the prophet to make a proper anfwer; tho’ fome think the fenfe is, hath not the houfe of Ifvael faid unto thee, what doft thou? no, they have not; they take no notice of it;.never fay one word about it, or enquire into the meanout of their own land into a foreight country, as follows: they /hail remove, and go intm captivity; the Badyloni/h captivity. HAS. 9 as it be- ¥. 12. And the prince that is among them, 8c.) Zedekiah their king that reigned over’them, in whom they trufted, and under whofe government they thought themfelves fafe and fecure: fhall bear “pon his fhould:r in the twilight, and fhall goforth; out of Yeru/alem, where his palace and throne were, leaving the main of his riches behind him; only fhould carry away what he could on his fhoulder, a bundle of his moft valuable effects, or provifions for his flight: or, as Kimchi and Ben Melech think, his cloaths, for lighter march, and more. fpeedy hafte: they fhall dig thro’ the wall to carry out thereby; it feems by this, that when the king, and his nobles, and fervants made their efcape, they not only went forth between two walls, but broke thro’ one, in order to get away; which was done, not by the king -himfelf, but by his fervants 5 fo the Targum, “ in a wall fhall they dig to bring ** him out by it;” and therefore the number is changed, not be, but they /Lall dig, Bcc. tho’ in - the following words the fingular is again ufed: that he fee not the ground with bis eyes; either thro’ fhame at leaving the city, his palace, and all his grandeur. » The Zargum is, ** he fhall cover his face becaufe he hath ‘* finned;” or that he might not be known and and fo it. was thro’ fear of being betrayed by a falfe friend, or taken by the enemy: or elfe this may refpect his having his eyes put out at Rid/zh, fo that she could not fee with them the land he was carried into; tho” it rather feems to refer to his firft efcape out of Ferufalemwith a mafk or vizor on him, which might hinder his feeing the ground he wentupon; and which, in his fright, he could not attend to, looking out here and there, not being able to:keep his eye long upon any place. The Septuagint,” a asin, and Arabic verfions render it, that not be feen with the eye, and he fhall not fee the land. a Uy pepe |
¥. 8. dnd in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, faying.| That is, in the morning after he had done all the above things commanded him; explaining the meaning of them, and fhewing to whom they belonged. - be difcovered who he was;
y.13. My net alfo will I fpread upon bim, et ms Meaiing the Chaldean army, which’ the Lord P.;
up, and brought againft him, and eave fuccefs unto: and be fhall be taken in my fnare; as a bird is taken in the fnare of the fowler; or a wild beaft by the hunter. The Yews have a tradition, which is mentioned both by Yarchi, Kimchi and Abendana on the place, that there was a cave which reached from Zedekiab’s houfe to the plains of Fericho, by the way of which he fled; and that God prepared a deer, which went upon the top of the cave; and the Chaldeans purfued it; and when it came to the mouth of the cave, Zedekiah was coming out, and they took him and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans, yet fball he not fee it; his eyes being put out at Ridlah, Fer. xxxix. 7. The prophet Yeremiab fays, that his eyes fhould behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, Fer. xxxiv. 3. and yet here Ezekiel fays, that he fhould not fee the land of the Chaldeans. Fofephus » obferves, that Zedekiah thought thefe two prophecies contradicted each other, and therefore gave credit to neither; but they both proved true; he faw the king of Badylon at Riblab, but his eyes being there put out, he faw not Babylon, whither he was carried captive: tho’ he fhall die there; as he did, Yer. lit. 11. ¥. 14. And I will fcatter to every wind all that are about him to help him, &c.] Either his liteguards, the men of war that were with him when he fled, Fer. lii. 7. or his auxiliary troops, the Egyptians, whom he had taken into his pay tor his affiftance: and all his bands, or wings“, the wings of his army. The Zargum interprets it, his army; thefe were all fcattered from him when he was taken, Fer. li. 8: and I will draw out the fword after them, which fled into Egypt, and other countries; fo that they did not efcape, tho’ they went not into captivity; fee chav. 12. ¥. 15. And they fhall know that I am the Lora, *&c.] God omnifcient, and can and''do forefee and foretell future events, when the above things fhall come to pafs; and omnipotent, able’ to do what he purpofed and declared he would; and true and faithful to his word, and holy and righteous in all his ways and works: when I fall fcatter them among the nations, and difperfe them in the countries, of Egypt, Babylon, Media, and other places. y¥. 16. But I will leave a few men of them, &c.] Or, men of number *, of a {mall number, fuch as are eafily reckoned up which will require no great {kill in numbers, nor trouble to count them; from the fword, from the famine, and from the peftilence; during the fiege of Ferufalem, and at the breaking of it up; but then they fhould be carried captive into other countries: that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whi- ‘ther ‘they come; who obferving their calamities and diftrefies, would read their fin in ‘their punifhment; and conclude they muft have been guilty of great enormities, who were punifhed ‘in: fuch a manner; fo that their punifhment was a vifible and ftanding declaration to the heathens of the abominable fins. they had been guilty of: or elfe the end of referving a few of them from~ the above capital judgments, was, that they being brought to-a fenfe of their fins by their afflictions, might “freely confefs them, exprefs their repentance for
Si them, and juftify God in his proceedings towards them: and they fhall know that Iam the Lords not the heathens, among whom this declaration would be made; but the Fews, brought under a conviction of their fin, and of the juftice of God in his dealings with them. ‘das
¥.17. Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, faying.| Here follows another fign of the defolation of the Fews, which the prophet was unto them; as the former fignified their going into captivity, this their famine and diftrefs at the fiege of Ferufolem, and the dreadful calamities attending, and following that.
¥.18. Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, &c.]. As one in furprife or fear, or that has got an ague upon him: and drink thy water with trembling, and with carefulnefs, fearing want of it, or as apprehenfive of danger of its being taken away; fee ch. iv. 16.
¥. 19. And fay unto the people of the land, &c.] Of Chaldea, where the prophet now was; not the natives of the land, but the J/raelites, who were captives in it,; who were ready to murmur and repine at their own cafe, as miferable; and at that of the Fews at Ferufalem, as happy; and therefore they are taught by this fign, as well as by the following prophecy, that they were miftaken: thus aith the Lord Géd, of the inhabitants of Ferufalem; or to them, or concerning them’; whom the captives in Chaldea thought lived fo happily, and would continue fo: and of the land of Ij/rael; or, upon the land of Ifrael*; inhabitants on it; to this fenfe the Targum and Septuagint verfion interpret it, and allo Kimchi: they fhall eat their bread with carefulne/s, and drink their water with aftonifhment s meaning at the fiege of Feru/alem, when they could not eat and drink in peace; but while they were eating and drinking, were difturbed and put. into fear and furprife by the befiegers; and alfo hearing that their provifions would not hold out, were careful how they ate and drank, and were frighted with the thoughts of being reduced to extreme want: that ber land may be defolate from all that is therein; or, from its fulnefs +, men and cattel, cities, towns, houfes, vineyards, fields, fruits, and plenty of all good things. ‘farchi expounds it, of riches: decaufe of the violence of all them that dwell therein; not the violence of the Chaldeans, making a prey of all they met with, plundering cities and towns, and making forage of the fruits of the earth, by which means the land was defolate;,but the rapine, oppreffion and injuftice of the Hews, which were the caufe of all thefe calamities which came upon their country. ©
¥.20. And the cities that are inhabited, fhall be laid wafte, &c.] Not.only the city of Feru/alem, but the other cities of Fudea; as they were by the Chaldeans, which. were then full of inhabitants:
and the land foall be defolate; the whole land of
Yudea, be deftitute of men and cattel, and lie uncultivated, and become barren and unfruitful: and ye foall know that Iam the Lord, who were. then captives in Babylon, as well as thofe who fhould be difperfed among the nations would; fee y. 15, 16.
y. 21. And the word of the Lord came unto me,
Jaying.) After he had been a fign unto the people, in the two inftances above-mentioned; and they had hardened themfelves againft the belief of the things fignified by them, becaufe the time of their accomplifhment was not yet. ¥. 22. Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Irael, &c.] Which queftion is put, not as ignorant of it, but as filled with indignation at the impiety and boldnefs of thofe that ufed it, and in order to expofe the wickednefs and folly of it: faying, the days are prolonged, the days of affliction and diftrefs; the time of Yeru alem’s deftruétion, and of the Badylonifh captivity, thefe were not to be of a long time; and therefore they were ready to flatter themfelves they would, never be, at Jeaft in their days; and hence, becaufe judgment was not immediately executed, their hearts were fet in them to do evil; and thus they abufed the patience and long-fuffering of God; and they ufed this and the following expreffion fo often, and fo long, that they became proverbial to them: and every vifion faileth? or perifbes*? every prophecy comes to nothing; no one is fulfilled; at leaft becaufe not at once, therefore they concluded it never would, or however, hoped it never would; and fo pleafed themfelves, and continued in their impenitence and unbelief, and contempt of prophecy. ¥. 23. Tell them therefore, &c.] Plainly and boldly, with the greateft affurance and confidence, as from God himfelf: thus faith the Lord God, I will make this proverb to ceafe; by quickly accomplifhing the things which they, by this proverb, reprefented as at a great diftance, and what would never be brought about: and they fhall no more ufe it as @ proverb, when the things predicted fhall take place: dut fay auto them, the days are at hand, and the effec of every vifion, the time is haftning on, and will quickly come, when every prophecy fhall be fulfilled: it was in the fixth year of 7eboiachin’s captivity, that thefe prophecies were delivered out; and in the ninth year Nebuchadnezzar came with his army, and befieged Ferufalem; fo that the days were at hand; in three years time there began an accomplifhment of the above predictions, which were fcoffed at in the proverb ufed. ¥. 24. For there fhall be no more any vain vifion, &c.] Or prophecy; fuch as the falfe prophets had given out, that the people fhould be in peace and fafety, and not be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon; which they gave heed to, and fo encouraged the lying prophets to go on prophefying fmooth things; when the prophecies of the true prophets were accomplifhed, then the falfe ones were rejected, and their prophecies no more regarded; nor could there be any more a place for them, or a reception of them: zor flattering divination within the houfe of Irael. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac and Arabic verfions read, in the midft of the children of Ifrael; and fo the Targum, but Kimchi fays, that copies that fo read are -wrong; and which is confirmed by the Ma/ora, which obferves, that the reading is fo in all places, but in this. The Syriac verfion renders it, doubtful predittion; and the Vulgate Latin verfion, ambiguous divination; like the prophecies and anfwers ot the heathen oracles, which were delivered in