Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

into Sheol in contrast with the terror which Elain had spread around it doling its life on earth. ritsfc) Kfett, as in ch. xvi. 52. The 2 in rotoiTPM is either the u with of association," or the fact of being in the midst of a crowd. BJ refers to D^V; and UTIJ has an indefinite subject, "they gave " = there was given. 33W?j the resting-place of the dead, as in 2 Chron. xvi. 14. The last clause in ver. 25 is an emphatic repetition of the leading thought: he (Elam) is brought or laid in the midst of the slain.

Vers. 26-28. Fourth strophe. — Ver. 20. There is Meshech- Tubal and all its multitude, its graves round about it; all of them uncircumcised, slain with the sword, because they spread terror before them in the land of the living, Ver. 27. They lie not with the fallen heroes of uncircumcised men, who went down into hell with their weapons of war, whose swords they laid under their heads; their iniquities have come upon their bones, because they were a terror of the heroes in the land of the living. Ver. 28. Thou also wilt be dashed to pieces among uncircumcised men, and lie with those slain with the sword. — SJfc'D and ^n, the Moschi and Tibareni of the Greeks (see the comm. on ch. xxvii. 13), are joined together dcrwSeTcG? here as one people or heathen power; and Ewald, Hitzig, and others suppose that the reference is to the Scythians, who invaded the land in the time of Josiah, and the majority of whom had miserably perished not very long before (Herod, i. 106). But apart from the fact that the prophets of the Old Testament make no allusion to any invasion of Palestine by the Scythians (see Minor Prophets, vol. ii. p. 124, Eng. transl.), this view is founded entirely upon the erroneous supposition that in this funeral-dirge Ezekiel mentions only such peoples as had sustained great defeats a longer or shorter time before. Meshech-Tubal comes into consideration here, as in ch. xxxviii., as a northern power, which is overcome in its conflict with the kingdom of God, and is prophetically exhibited by the prophet as having already fallen under the judgment of death. In ver. 26 Ezekiel makes the same announcement as he has already made concerning Asshur in vers. 22, 23, and with regard to Elam in vers. 24, 25. But the announcement in ver. 27 is obscure. Rose nm tiller, Ewald, Hiivernick, and others, regard this verse as a question (*&\ in the sense of *6n): « and should they not lie with (rest with) other fallen heroes of the uncircumcised, who...?" i.e. they do lie with them, and could not possibly expect a better fate. But although the interrogation is merely indicated by the tone where the lanrrua<re is excited, and therefore *6i mi^ht stand for n^l!, as in Ex. viii. 22, there is not the slightest indication of such excitement in the description given here as could render this assumption a probable one. On the contrary, tib) at the commencement of the sentence suggests the supposition that an antithesis is intended to the preceding verse. And the probability of this conjecture is heightened by the allusion made to heroes, who have descended into the nether world with their weapons of war; inasmuch as, at all events, something is therein affirmed which does not apply to all the heroes who have gone down into hell. The custom of placing the weapons of fallen heroes along with them in the grave is attested by Diod. Sic. xviii. 26; Arrian, i. 5; Virgil, Aen. vi. 233 (cf. Dougtaei Analectt. ss. i. pp. 281, 282); and, according to the ideas prevailing in ancient times, it was a mark of great respect to the dead. But the last place in which we should expect to meet with any allusion to the payment of such honour to the dead would be in connection with Mcshech and Tubal, those wild hordes of the north, who were only known to Israel by hearsay. We therefore follow the Vulgate, the Rabbins, and many of the earlier commentators, and regard the verse before us as containing a declaration that the slain of Meshech-Tubal would not receive the honour of resting in the nether world alono" with those fallen heroes whose weapons were buried with them in the grave, because they fell with honour.1 v3

1 C. a Lapide has already given the true meaning: " He compares them, therefore, not with the righteous, but with the heathen, who, although norop, instruments of war, weapons, as in Deut. i. 41. The text leaves it uncertain who they were who had been burled with such honours. The Seventy have confounded Dv^yp with D^Vp, and rendered ByU'p Evpb, twv ireirrooKOTOiv air aloovos, possibly thinking of the ijibborim of Gen. vi. 4. Dathe and Hitzig propose to alter the text to this; and even Hixvernick imagines that the prophet may possibly have had such passages as Gen. vi. 4 and x. 9 sqq. floating before his mind. But there is not sufficient ground to warrant an alteration of the text; and if Ezekiel had had Gen. vi. 4 in his mind, he would no doubt have written Dniaan. The clause entity *Pim i3 regarded by the more recent commentators as a continuation of the preceding 'til WMj which is a very natural conclusion, if we simply take notice of the construction. But if we consider the sense of the words, this combination can hardly be sustained. The words, " and so were their iniquities upon their bones " (or they came upon them), can well be understood as an explanation of the reason for their descending into Sheol with their weapons, and lying upon their swords. We must therefore regard Entity *nrrt as a continuation of *33^, so that their not resting with those who were buried with their weapons of war furnishes the proof that their guilt lay upon their bones. The words, therefore, have no other meaning than the phrase Dn^pa in;^ in vers. 24 and 30. Sin comes upon the bones when the punishment consequent upon it falls upon the bones of the sinner. In the last clause we connect 0^133 with IVnn, terror of the heroes, i.e. terrible even to heroes on account of their savage and cruel nature. In ver. 28 we cannot take nriK as referring to Meshech-Tubal, as many of the commentators propose. A direct address to that people would be at variance with the whole plan of the ode. Moreover, the declaration contained in the verse would contradict what pre- uncircumcised, had met with a glorious death, i.e. they will be more wretched than these; for the latter went down to the shades with glory, bat they with ignominy, as if conquered and slain.1' cedes. As Meshech-Tubal is already lying in Sheol among the slain, according to ver. 26, the announcement cannot be made to it for the first time here, that it is to be dashed in pieces and laid with those who are slain with the sword. It is the Egyptian who is addressed, and he is told that this fate will also fall upon him. And through this announcement, occurring in the midst of the list of peoples that have already gone down to Sheol, the design of that list is once more called to mind.

Vers. 29 and 30. Fifth strophe. — Ver. 29. There are Edom, its kings and all its princes, who in spite of their bravery are associated with those that are pierced with the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and with those that have gone dovm into the pit. Ver. 30. There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians who have gone down to the slain, been put to shame in spite of the dread of them because of their bravery; they lie there as uncircumcised, and bear their shame with those who have gone into the pit. — In this strophe Ezekiel groups together the rest of the heathen nations in the neighbourhood of Israel; and in doing so, he changes the SW of the preceding list for ns*^ thither. This might be taken prophetically: thither will they come, " to these do they also belong " (Havernick), only such nations being mentioned here as are still awaiting their destruction. But, in the first place, the perfects iJnp TJ>K, *"HJ *wfi&$ in vers. 29, 30, do not favour this explanation, inasmuch as they are used as preterites in vers. 22, 24, 25, 26, 27; and, secondly, even in the previous strophes, not only are such peoples mentioned as have already perished, but some, like Elam and Meshech-Tubal, which did not rise i«to historical importance, or exert any influence upon the development of the kingdom of God till after Ezekiel's time, whereas the Edomites and Sidonians were already approaching destruction. We therefore regard nsty as simply a variation of expression in the sense of u thither have they come," without discovering any allusion to the future. — In the case of Edom, kings and E^^}, i.e. tribe-princes, are mentioned. The allusion is to the 'allu- phim or phylarcliSj literally chiliarchs, the heads of the leading families (Gen. xxxvi. 15sqq.), in whose hands the government of the people 'lay, inasmuch as the kings were elective, and were probably chosen by the phylarchs (see the comm. on Gen. xxxvi. 31 sqq.)>» Drn*3J3, in, or with their bravery, i.e. in spite of it. There is something remarkable in the allusion to princes of the north p?1??, lit. persons enfeoffed, vassal- princes; see the comm. on Josh. xiii. 21 and Mic. v. 4) in connection with the Sidonians, and after Meshech-Tubal the representative of the northern nations. The association with the Sidonians renders the conjecture a very natural one, that allusion is made to the north of Palestine, and more especially to the Aram of Scripture, with its many separate states and princes (Ilavernick); although Jer. xxv. 2(>, "the kings of the north, both far and near," does not furnish a conclusive proof of this. So much, at any rate, is certain, that the princes of the north are not to be identified with the Sidonians. For, as Kliefoth has correctly observed, " there are six heathen nations mentioned, viz. Asshur, Elam, Meshech-Tubal, Edom, the princes of the north, and Sidon; and if we add Egypt to the list, we shall have seven, which would be thoroughly adapted, as it was eminently intended, to depict the fate of universal heathenism." A principle is also clearly discernible in the mode in which they are grouped. Asshur, Elam, and Meshech-Tubal represent the greater and more distant world-powers; Edom the princes of the north, and Sidon the neighbouring nations of Israel on both south and north. DJTTI33D Drrnrm, literally, in dread of them, (which proceeded) from their bravery, i.e. which their bravery inspired. 'ttl ^^, as in ver. 24.

Vers. 31 and 32. Sixth and last strophe. — Ver. 31. Pharaoh will see them, and comfort himself over all his multitude. Pharaoh and all his army are slain with the sword, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Yer. 32. For I caused him to spread terror in the land of the living, therefore is he laid in the midst of uncircumcised, those slain with the sword, Pharaoh and all his multi- titde, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. — In these verses the application to Egypt follows. Pharaoh will see in the nether world all the greater and smaller heathen nations with their rulers; and when he sees them all given up to the judgment of death, he will comfort himself over the fate which has fallen upon himself and his army, as he will perceive that he could not expect any better lot than that of the other rulers of the world, bv cm, to comfort oneself, as in ch. xxxi. 16 and xiv. 22. Hitzig's assertion, that by Dn3 never signifies to comfort oneself \ is incorrect (see the comm. on ch. xiv. 22). irrnrrnx W13, I have given terror of him, i.e. I have made him an instrument of terror. The Keri WFin arose from a misunderstanding. The Clietib is confirmed by vers. 24 and 26. In ver. 326 the ode is brought to a close by returning even in expression to vers. 19 and 2(k.

If, now, we close with a review of the whole of the contents of the words of God directed against Egypt, in all of them is the destruction of the might of Pharaoh and Egypt as a worldpower foretold. And this prophecy has been completely fulfilled. As Kliefoth has most truly observed, " one only needs to enter the pyramids of Egypt and its catacombs to see that the glory of the Pharaohs has gone down into Sheol. And it is equally certain that this destruction of the glory of ancient Egypt dates from the times of the Babylonio-Persian empire. Moreover, this destruction was so thorough, that even to the New Egypt of the Ptolemies the character of the Old Egypt was a perfect enigma, a thing forgotten and incomprehensible." But if Ezekiel repeatedly speaks of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon as executing this judgment upon Egypt, wTe must bear in mind that here, as in the case of Tyre (see the comm. on ch. xxviii. 1-19), Ezekiel regards Nebuchadnezzar as the instrument of the righteous punishment of God in general, and discerns in what he accomplishes the sum of all that in the course of ages has been gradually fulfilling itself in history. At the same time, it is equally certain that this view of the prophet would have no foundation in truth unless Nebuchadnezzar really did conquer Egypt and lay it waste, and the might and glory of this ancient empire were so shattered thereby, that it never could recover its former greatness, but even after the turning of its captivity, i.e. after its recovery from the deadly wounds which the imperial monarchy of Babylonia and afterwards of Persia inflicted upon it, still remained a lowly kingdom, which could " no more rule over the nations" (ch. xxix. 13-16). Volnev, however, in his Recherch. nouv. sitr tliist, anc. (III. pp. 151 sqq.), and Hitzig (Ecek. p. 231), dispute the conquest and devastation of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, because the Greek historians, with Herodotus (ii. 161 sqq.) at their head, make no allusion whatever to an invasion of Egypt; and their statements are even opposed to such an occurrence. But the silence of Greek historians, especially of Herodotus, is a most " miserable " argument. The same historians do not say a word about the defeat of Necho by Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish; and yet even Hitzig accepts this as an indisputable fact. Herodotus and Ids successors derived their accounts of Egypt from the communications of Egyptian priests, who suppressed everything that was humiliating to the pride of Egypt, and endeavoured to cover it up with their accounts of glorious deeds which the Pharaohs had performed. But Hitzig has by no means proved that the statements of the Greeks are at variance with the assumption of a Chaldean invasion of Egypt, whilst he has simply rejected but not refuted the attempts of Perizonius, Vitringa, Havernick, and others, to reconcile the biblical narrative of the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar with the accounts given by Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and other Greeks, concerning the mighty feats of Necho, and his being slain by Amasis. The remark that, in the description given by Herodotus, Amasis appears as an independent king by the side of Cambyses, only less powerful than the Persian monarch, proves nothing more, even assuming the correctness of the fact, than that Amasis had made Egypt once more independent of Babylonia on the sudden overthrow of the Chaldean monarchy.

The conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, after the attitude which Pharaoh Necho assumed towards the Babylonian empire, and even attempted to maintain in the time of Zedekiah by sending an army to the relief of Jerusalem when besieged by the Chaldeans, is not only extremely probable in itself, but confirmed by testimony outside the Bible. Even if no great importance can be attached to the notice of Megasthenes, handed down by Strabo (xv. 1. 6) and Josephus (c. Ap. i. 20): " he says that he (Nebuchadnezzar) conquered the greater part of Libya and Iberia;" Josephus not only quotes from Berosus (I.e. i. 19) to the effect that " the Babylonian got possession of Egypt, Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia," but, on the ground of such statements, relates the complete fulfilment of the prophecies of Scripture, saying, in Antt. x. 9. 7, with reference to Nebuchadnezzar, " he fell upon Egypt to conquer it. And the reigning king he slew; and having appointed another in his place, made those Jews prisoners who had hitherto resided there, and led them into Babylon." And even if Josephus does not give his authority in this case, the assertion that he gathered this from the prophecies of Jeremiah is untrue; because, immediately before the words we have quoted, he says that what Jeremiah had prophesied (Jer. xliii. and xliv.) had thus come to pass; making a distinction, therefore, between prophecy and history. And suspicion is not to be cast upon this testimony by such objections as that Josephus does not mention the name of the Egyptian king, or state precisely the time when Egypt was conquered, but merely affirms in o-eneral terms that it was after the war with the Ammonites and Moabites.

N the first half of his book, Ezekiel lias predicted severe judgments, both to the covenant nation and to the heathen nations. But to the people of Israel he has also promised the turning of its captivity, after the judgment of the destruction of the kingdom and the dispersion of the refractory generation in the heathen lands; not merely their restoration to their own land, but the setting up of the covenant made with the fathers, and the renewing of the restored nation by the Spirit of God, so that it will serve the Lord upon His holy mountain with offerings acceptable to Him (compare ch. xi. 16-21, xvi. 60, and xx. 40 sqq.). On the other hand, he has threatened the heathenish peoples and kingdoms of the world with devastation and everlasting destruction, so that they will be remembered no more (compare ch. xxi. 36, 37, xxv. 7, 10, 16, xxvi. 21, xxvii. 36, and xxviii. 19), or rather with the lasting humiliation and overthrow of their glory in the nether wrorld (compare ch. xxix. 13 sqq., xxxi. 15 sqq., and xxxii. 17 sqq.); whilst God will create a glorious thing in the land of the living, gather Israel from its dispersion, cause it to dwell safely and happily in the land given to His servant Jacob, and a horn to grow thereto (ch. xxvi. 20, xxviii. 25 sqq., and xxix. 21). — This announcement is carried out still further in the second half of the book, where first of all the pardon, blessing, and glorification promised to the covenant nation, after its sifting by the judgment of exile, are unfolded according to their leading features, and the destruction of its foes is foretold (ch. xxxiv.-xxxix.); and then, secondly, there is depicted the establishment of the renovated kingdom of God for everlasting continuance (ch. xl.-xlviii.). The prophet's mouth was opened to make the announcement when a fugitive brought the tidings of the destruction both of Jerusalem and of the kingdom to the captives by the Chaboras; and this constitutes the second half of the prophetic ministry of Ezekiel. The introduction to this is contained in ch. xxxiii., whilst the announcement itself is divisible into two parts, according to its contents, as just indicated, — namely, first, the promise of the restoration and glorification of Israel (ch. xxxiv.-xxxix.); and secondly, the apocalyptic picture of the new constitution of the kingdom of God (ch. xl.-xlviii.).

This chapter is divided into two words of God of an introductory character, which are separated by the historical statement in vers. 21 and 22, though substantially they are one. The first (vers. 1-20) exhibits the calling of the prophet for the time to come; the second (vers. 23-33) sets before him his own attitude towards the people, and the attitude of the people towards his further announcement. The first precedes the arrival of the messenger, who brought to the prophet and the exiles the tidings of the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (ver. 21). The second was uttered afterwards. The fall of the holy city formed a turning-point in the prophetic work of Ezekiel. Previous to this catastrophe, God had appointed him to be a watchman over Israel: to show the people their sins, and to proclaim the consequent punishment, namely, the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, together with the dispersion of the people among the heathen. But after the city had fallen, and the judgment predicted by him had taken place, the object to be aimed at was to inspire those who were desponding and despairing of salvation with confidence and consolation, by predicting the restoration of the fallen kingdom of God in a new and glorious form, to show them the way to new life, and to open the door for their entrance into the new kingdom of God. The two divisions of our chapter correspond to this, which was to be henceforth the task imposed upon the prophet. In the first (vers. 1-20), his calling to be the spiritual watchman over the house of Israel is renewed (vers. 2—9), with special instructions to announce to the people, who are inclined to despair under the burden of their sins, that the Lord has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but will give life to him who turns from his iniquity (vers. 10-20). The kernel and central point of this word of God are found in the lamentation of the people: " Our transgressions and sins lie upon us, and we are pining away through them; how then can we live?" (ver. 10), together with the reply given by the Lord: " By my life, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked... turn ye, turn yourselves; why do ye wish to die?" (ver. 11). The way is prepared for this by vers. 2-9, whilst vers. 12-20 carry out this promise of God still further, and assign the reason for it. — The thoughts with which the promise of the Lord, thus presented as an antidote to despair, is introduced and explained are not new, however, but repetitions of earlier words of God. The preparatory introduction in vers. 2—9 is essentially a return to the word in ch. iii. 17-21, with which the Lord closes the prophet's call by pointing out to him the duty and responsibility connected with his vocation. And the reason assigned in vers. 12-20, together with the divine promise in ver. 11, is taken from ch. xviii., where the prophet unfolds the workino- of the righteousness of God; and more precisely from vers. 20-32 of that chapter, where the thought is more fully expanded, that the judgments of God can be averted by repentance and con- version. From all this it is indisputably evident that the first section of this chapter contains an introduction to the second half of the prophecies of Ezekiel; and this also explains the absence of any date at the head of the section, or the " remarkable" fact that the date (vers. 21 and 22) is not given till the middle of the chapter, where it stands between the first and second of the words of God contained therein. — The word of God in vers. 23 sqq. wTas no doubt addressed to the prophet after the fugitive had arrived with the tidings of the fall of Jerusalem; whereas the word by which the prophet was prepared for his further labours (vers. 1-20) preceded that event, and coincided in point of time with the working of God upon the prophet on the evening preceding the arrival of the fugitive, through which his mouth was opened for further speaking (ver. 22); and it is placed before this historical statement because it was a renewal of his call.1

Vers. 1-20. Calling of the Prophet for the Future,

Vers. 1-9. The prophet's office of watchman. — Ver. 1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ver. 2. Son of man, speak to the sons of thy people, and say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their company and set him for a watchman, Ver. 3. And he seeth the sword come upon the land, and bloweth the trumpet, and warneth the people; Ver. 4. If, then, one should hear the blast of the trumpet and not take warning, so that the sword

1 It is incomprehensible how Kliefoth could find " no sign of introductory thoughts " in this section, or could connect it with the preceding oracles against the foreign nations, for no other reason than to secure fourteen words of God for that portion of the book which contains the prophecies against the foreign nations. For there is no force in the other arguments which he adduces in support of this combiDation; and the assertion that " the section, ch. xxxiii. 1-20, speaks of threatenings and warnings, and of the faithfulness with which Ezekiel is to utter them, and of the manner in which Israel is to receive them," simply shows that he has neither correctly nor perfectly understood the contents of this section and its train of thought.

should come and take him away, his blood would come upon his own head. Ver. 5. He heard the blast of the trumpet, and took not learning; his blood will come upon him: whereas, if lie had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul. Ver. 6. But if the watchman seeth the sword come, and bloweth not the trumpet, and the people is not warned; and the sword should come and take away a soul from them, lie is taken away through his guilt; but his blood will I demand from the watchman's hand. Ver. 7. Thou, then, son of man, I have set thee for the watchman to the house of Israel; thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and warn them for me, Ver. 8. If I say to the sinner, Sinner, thou wilt die the death; and thou speakest not to ivarn the sinner from his way, he, the sinner, ivill die for his iniquity, and his blood I will demand from thy liand. Ver. 9. But if thou hast vjarned the sinner from his way, to turn from it, and he does not turn from his ivay, he ivill die for his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. — Vers. 7-9, with the exception of slight deviations which have little influence upon the sense, are repeated verbatim from ch. iii. 17-19. The repetition of the duty binding upon the prophet, and of the responsibility connected therewith, is introduced, however, in vers. 2—6, by an example taken from life, and made so plain that every one who heard the words must see that Ezekiel was obliged to call the attention of the people to the judgment awaiting them, and to warn them of the threatening danger, and that this obligation rested upon him still. In this respect the expansion, which is wanting in ch. iii., serves to connect the following prophecies of Ezekiel with the threats of judgment contained in the first part. The meaning of it is the following: As it is the duty of the appointed watchman of a land to announce to the people the approach of the enemy, and if he fail to do this he is deserving of death; so Ezekiel also, as the watchman of Israel appointed by God, not only is bound to warn the people of the approaching judgment, in order to fulfil his duty, but has already warned them of it, so that whoever has not taken warning has been overtaken by the sword because of his sin. As, then, Ezekiel has only discharged his duty and obligation by so doing, so has he the same duty still further to perform. — In ver. 2 pK is placed at the head in an absolute form; and rW fcOjN *3, " if I bring the sword upon a land," is to be understood with this restriction: " so that the enemy is on the way and an attack may be expected" (Hitzig). Dn'Yjpp, from the end of the people of the land, i.e. one taken from the whole body of the people, as in Gen. xlvii. 2 (see the comm. on Gen. xix. 4). Blowing the trumpet is a signal of alarm on the approach of an enemy (compare Amos iii. 6; Jer. iv. 5). intt in ver. 5b is a participle; on the other hand, both before and afterwards it is a perfect, pointed with Kametz on account of the tone. For vers. 7-9, see the exposition of ch. iii. 17-19.

Vers. 10-20. As watchman over Israel, Ezekiel is to announce to those who are despairing of the mercy of God, that the Lord will preserve from destruction those who turn from their sin, and lead them into life. — Ver. 10. Thou then, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Ye rightly say, Our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and in them we vanish away; how, then, can we live? Ver. 11. Say to them, As truly as I live, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah, 1 have no pleasure in the death of the sinner; but ivhen the sinner turneth from his way, he shall live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ivays! for why will ye die, 0 house of Israel? Ver. 12. And thou, son of man, say to the sons of thy people, T/ie righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and the sinner will not fall through his sin in tlie day that he turneth from his sin, and the righteous man will not be able to live thereby in the day that he sinneth. Ver. 13. If I say to the righteous man that he shall live, and he relies upon his rigliteousness and does wrong, all his righteousnesses will not be remembered; and for his wrong that lie has done, he will die. Ver. 14. If I say to the sinner, Thou shalt die, and he turns from his sin, and does justice and righteous- vess, Ver. 15. So that the wicked returns the pledge, restores what has been robbed, walks in the statutes of life without doing wrong, he will live, not die. Ver. 16. All his sins which he has committed shall not be remembered against him; he has done justice and rigliteousness, he will live. Ver. 17. And the sons of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not right; but they — their way is not right. Ver. 18. If the righteous man turneth from his righteousness and doeth wrong, he shall die thereby; Ver. 19. But if the wicked man turneth from his ivickedness and doeth right and righteousness, he will live thereby. Ver. 20. A nd yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not right. I will judge you every one according to his ways, 0 house of Israel. — In vers. 1 0 and 11 the prophet's calling for the future is set before him, inasmuch as God instructs him to announce to those who are in despair on account of their sins the gracious will of the Lord. The threat contained in the law (Lev. xxvi. 39), ty&[ SPV.I, of which Ezekiel had repeatedly reminded the people with warning, and, last of all, when predicting the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (compare ch. iv. 17 and xxiv. 23), had pressed heavily upon their heart, when the threatened judgment took place, so that they quote the words, not " in self-defence," as Havernick erroneously supposes, but in despair of any deliverance. Ezekiel is to meet this despair of little faith by the announcement that the Lord has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but desires his conversion and his life. Ezekiel had already set this word of grace before the people in ch. xviii. 23, 32, accompanied with the summons to salvation for them to lay to heart: there, it was done to overthrow the delusion that the present generation had to atone for the sins of the fathers; but here, to lift up the hearts of those who were despairing of salvation; and for this reason it is accompanied with the asseveration (wanting in ch. xviii. 23 and 32): u as truly as I live, saith the Lord," and wTith the urgent appeal to repent and turn. But in order to preclude the abuse of this word of consolation by making it a ground of false confidence in their own righteousness, Ezekiel repeats in vers. 12-20 the principal thoughts contained in that announcement (ch. xviii. 20-32) — namely, first of all, in vers. 12-16, the thought that the righteousness of the righteous is of no avail to him if he gives himself up to the unrighteousness, and that the sinner will not perish on account of his sin if he turns from his wickedness and strives after righteousness (nn;V2\ ver. 12, as in Hos. v. 5, Jer. vi. 15; compare ch. xviii. 24, 25, and xxi., xxii.; and for vers. 14 and 15, more especially ch. xviii. 5 and 7); and then, secondly, in vers. 17-20, the reproof of those who find fault with the way of the Lord (compare ch. xviii. 25, 27, 29, 30).

Vers. 21 and 22. Tidings of the fall of Jerusalem, and the consequences with regard to the prophet. — Ver. 21. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the tenth (month), on the fifth of the month after our being taken captive, there came to me a fugitive from Jerusalem, and said, The city is smitten. Ver. 22. And the hand of Jehovah had come upon me in the evening before the arrival of the fugitive, and He opened my mouth, till he came to me in the morning; and so was my mouth opened, and I ivas silent no more. — In these verses the fulfilment of the promise made by God to the prophet in ch. xxiv. 25-27, after the prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, is recorded. The chronological datum, as to the precise time at which the messenger arrived with the account of the destruction of Jerusalem, serves to mark with precision the point of time at which the obstacle was removed, and the prophet was able to speak and prophesy without restraint. — The fact that the tidings of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in the fifth month of the eleventh year, are said to have only reached the exiles in the tenth month of the twelfth year, that is to say, nearly a year and a half after it occurred, does not warrant our following the Syriac, as Doederlein and Hitzig have done, calling in question the correctness of the text and substituting the eleventh year for the twelfth. "With the distance at which Ezekiel was living, namely, in northern Mesopotamia, and with the fearful confusion which followed the catastrophe, a year and a half might very easily pass by before a fugitive arrived with the information. But Hitzig's assertion, that Ezekiel would contradict himself, inasmuch as, according to ch. xxvi. 1, 2, he received intelligence of the affair in the eleventh year, is founded upon a misinterpretation of the passage quoted. It is not stated there that Ezekiel received this information through a fugitive or any man whatever, but simply that God had revealed to him, the fall of Jerusalem even before it occurred. ^Tiv}?, after our being led away (ver. 21 andch. xl. 1), coincides with f3p *£©n mW> in ch. i. 2. nnanj smitten, i.e. conquered and destroyed, exterminated. In the clause 'til T\y\\ Ti? the verb nn^n is a pluperfect, and vS stands for vJf, according to the later usage. The formula indicates the translation of the prophet into an ecstatic state (see the comm. on ch. i. 3), in which his mouth wras opened to speak, that is to say, the silence imposed upon him was taken away. The words, u till he came to me in the morning," etc., are not to be understood as signifying that the prophet's mouth had only been opened for the time from evening till morning; for this wrould be opposed to the following sentence. They simply affirm that the opening of the mouth took place before the arrival of the fugitive, the night before the morning of his arrival. s3 n0?'l> which follows, is an emphatic repetition, introduced as a link with which to connect the practically important statement that from that time forward he was not speechless any more. — It was in all probability shortly afterwards that Ezekiel was inspired with the word of God which follows in vers. 23-33, as we may infer from the contents of the word itself, which laid the foundation for the prophet's further prophesying. But nothing can be gathered from ver. 22 with regard to the time'when this and the following words of God (as far as ch. xxxix.), of which no chronological data are given, were communicated to the prophet and uttered by him. His being u silent no more " by no means involves immediate or continuous speaking, but simply recalls the command to be speechless. There is no ground for the assumption that all these words of God were communicated to him in one night (Havernick, Hengstenberg, and others), either in ver. 22 or in the contents of these divine revelations.

Vers. 23-33. Preaching of Repentance after the Fall of

The first word of God, which Ezekiel received after the arrival of the fugitive with the intelligence of the destruction of Jerusalem, was not of a consolatory, but of a rebuking nature, and directed against those who, while boasting in an impenitent state of mind of the promise given to the patriarchs of the everlasting possession of the Holy Land, fancied that they could still remain in possession of the promised land even after the destruction of Jerusalem and of the kingdom of Judah. This delusion the prophet overthrows by the announcement that the unrighteous are to have no share in the possession of the land of Israel, but are to perish miserably, and that the land is to be utterly waste and without inhabitants (vers. 23—29). The Lord then shows him that his countrymen will indeed come to him and listen to his words, but will only do that which is pleasant to themselves; that they will still seek after gain, and not do his words; and that it will not be till after his words have been fulfilled that they will come to the knowledge of the fact that he really was a prophet (vers. 30-33). We perceive from these last verses that the threat uttered in vers. 24-29 was to form the basis for Ezekiel's further prophecies, so that the whole of this word of God has only the force of an introduction to his further labours. But however the two halves of this word of God may appear to differ, so far as their contents are concerned, they are nevertheless closely connected. The state of heart disclosed in the first half, with reference to the judgment that has already fallen upon the land and kingdom, is to preclude the illusion, that the fact of the people's coming to the prophet to hear his words is a sign of penitential humiliation under the punishing hand of God, and to brin£ out the truth, that the salvation which he is about to foretell to the people is only to be enjoyed by those who turn with sincerity to the Lord.

Vers. 23-29. False reliance upon God's promises. — Ver. 23. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ver. 24. Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins in the land of Israel speak thus: Abraham was one, and received the land for a possession; but we are many, the land is given to us for a possession, Ver. 25. Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Ye eat upon the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood, and would ye possess the land? Ver. 26. Ye rely upon your sword, do abomination, and one defileth another's wife, and would ye possess the land? Ver. 27. Speak thus to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, By my life, those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and whoever is in the open field him do I give to the beasts to devour, and those who are in the fortresses and caves shall die of the pestilence. Ver. 28. And I make the land devastation and waste, and its proud might shall have an end, and the mountains of Israel shall be ivaste, so that no one passeth through. Ver. 29. And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I make the land devastation and waste because of all the abominations which they have done. — This threat is directed against the people who remained behind in the land of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem, rriinnn *ivh are the

Israelites who dwelt amidst the ruins of the Holy Land, the remnant of the people left behind in the land. For it is so evident as to need no proof that Kliefoth is wrong in asserting that by florin we are i0 understand the district bordering on the Chaboras, which was not properly cultivated; and by the inhabitants thereof, the exiles who surrounded Ezekiel. It is only by confounding ">BK and ISpl that Kliefoth is able to set aside the more precise definition of the inhabitants of these ruins contained in the words ^nc* nonx?V, and to connect '& '"IS?y with E^K, " they speak concerning the land of Israel;" and in ver. 27 it is only in a forced manner that he can generalize Himnn and take it as referring to the waste places both in the Holy Land and on the Chaboras. The fact, moreover, that vers. 30-33 treat of the Israelites by the Chaboras, is no proof whatever that they must also be referred to in vers. 24-29. For the relation in which the two halves of this word of God stand to one another is not that " vers. 30-33 depict the impression made upon the hearers by the words contained in vers. 24-29," so that " the persons alluded to in vers. 30-33 must necessarily be the hearers of vers. 24-29." Vers. 30-33 treat in quite a general manner of the attitude which the prophet's countrymen would assume towards his words — that is to say, not merely to his threats, but also to his predictions of salvation; they would only attend to that which had a pleasant sound to them, but they would not do his words (vers. 31, 32). It is quite in harmony with this, that in vers. 23-29 these people should be told of the state of heart of those who had remained behind on the ruins of the Holy Land, and that it should be announced to them that the fixed belief in the permanent possession of the Holy Land, on which those who remained behind in the land relied, was a delusion, and that those who were victims of this delusion should be destroyed by sword and pestilence. Just as in the first part of this book Ezekiel uttered the threatened prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah in the presence of his countrymen by the Chaboras, and addressed them to these, because they stood in the same internal relation to the Lord as their brethren in Jerusalem and Judah; so here does he hold up this delusion before them as a warning, in order that he may disclose to them the worthlessness of such vain hope, and preach repentance and conversion as the only way to life. The meaning of the words spoken by these people, " Abraham was one," etc., is, that if Abraham, as one solitary individual, ived the land of Canaan for a possession by the promise of God, the same God could not take this possession away from them, the many sons of Abraham. The antithesis of the "one" and the u many " derived its significance, in relation to their argument, from the descent of the many from the one, which is taken for granted, and also from the fact, which is assumed to be well known from the book of Genesis, that the land was not promised and given to the patriarch for his own possession, but for his seed or descendants to possess. They relied, like the Jews of the time of Christ (John viii. 33, 39), upon their corporeal descent from Abraham (compare the similar words in ch. xi. 15). Ezekiel, on the other hand, simply reminds them of their own sinful conduct (vers. 25, 26), for the purpose of showing them that they have thereby incurred the loss of this possession. Eating upon the blood, is eating flesh in which the blood is still lying, which has not been cleansed from blood, as in Lev. xix. 26 and 1 Sam. xiv. 32, 33; an act the prohibition of which was first addressed to Noah (Gen. ix. 4), and is repeatedly urged in the law (cf. Lev. vii. 26, 27). This is also the case with the prohibition of idolatry, lifting up the eyes to idols (cf. ch. xviii. 6), and the shedding of blood (cf. ch. xviii. 10, xxii. 3, etc.). ia")n by 1J?y, to support oneself, or rely ("Tpy, usec^ as *n cn# ***!• 14) upon the sword, i.e. to put confidence in violence and bloodshed. In this connection we are not to think of the use of the sword in war. To work abomination, as in ch. xviii. 12. t^b'y is not a feminine, "ye women," but J is written in the place of D on account of the n which follows, after the analogy of $>**[& for Di^Q (Hitzig). On the defiling of a neighbour's wife, see the comm. on ch. xviii. 6. Such daring sinners the Lord would destroy wherever they might be. In ver. 37 the punishment is individualized (cf. ch. xiv. 21). Those in the ntojn shall fall by the Tm (the play upon the word is very obvious); those in the open country shall perish by wild beasts (compare 2 Kings xvii. 25; Ex. xxiii. 19; Lev. xxvi. 22); those who are in mountain fastnesses and caves, where they are safe from the sword and ravenous beasts, shall perish by plague and pestilence. This threat is not to be restricted to the acts of the Chaldeans in the land after the destruction of Jerusalem, but applies to all succeeding times. Even the devastation and utter depopulation of the land, threatened in ver. 28, are not to be taken as referring merely to the time of the Babylonian captivity, but embrace the devastation which accompanied and followed the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. For TO |iK3, see the comm. on ch. vii. 24. For ver. 29, compare ch. vi. 14.

Vers. 30-33. Behaviour of the people towards the prophet. — Ver. 30. And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people converse about thee by the walls and in the house-doors; one talketh to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come and let us hear what kind of word goeth out from Jehovah. Ver. 31. And they will come to thee, like an assembly of the people, and sit before thee as my people, and will hear thy words, but not do them; but that which is pleasant in their mouth they do; their heart goeth after their gain. Ver. 32. And, behold, thou art unto them like a pleasant singer, beautiful in voice and playing well; they will hear thy words, but they will not do them. Ver. 33. But when it cometh — behold, it corneth — they will know that a prophet was in the midst of them. — This addition to the preceding word of God, which is addressed to Ezekiel personally, applies to the whole of the second half of his ministry, and stands in obvious connection with the instructions given to the prophet on the occasion of his first call (ch. iii. 16 sqq.), and repeated, so far as their substance is concerned, in vers. 7-9, as Kliefoth himself acknowledges, in opposition to his assumption that vers. 1—20 of this chapter belong to the prophecies directed against the foreign nations. As God had directed the prophet's attention, on the occasion of his call, to the difficulties connected with the discharge of the duties of a watchman with which he was entrusted, by setting before him the object and the responsibility of his vocation, and had warned him not to allow himself to be turned aside by the opposition of the people; so here in at the commencement of the second section of his ministry] another word is addressed to him personally, in order that he may not be influenced in the further prosecution of his calling by either the pleasure or displeasure of men. — His former utterances bad already induced the elders of the people to come to him to hear the word of God (cf. eh. xiv. 1 and xx. 1). But n<>w that his prophecies concerning Jerusalem had been fulfilled, the exiles could not fail to be still more attentive to his words, so that they talked uf him both secretly and openly, and encouraged one another to come and listen to his discourse. God foretells this to him, but announces- to him at the same time that this disposition on the part of his intrymen to listen to him is even now no sign of genuine conversion to the word of God, in order that he may not be mistaken in his expectations concerning the people. Kliefoth lias thus correctly explained the contents, design, and connection of these verses as a whole. In ver. 30 the article before the participle EH3"IJ takes the place of the relative "UPK, and the words are in apposition to ^OV *33, the sons of thy people who converse about thee. "UT3 is reciprocal, as in Mai. iii. 13, 16, and Ps. cxix. 23. But 2 is to be understood, not in a hostile sense, as in the passage cited from the Psalms, but in the sense of concerning, like 3 "i2i in 1 Sam. xix. 3 as contrasted with 2 131 in Num. xxi. 7, to speak against a person. The participle is continued by the finite T3T1, and the verb belonging to ^joy '33 follows, in the *N3'1 of ver. 31, in the form of an apodosis. There is something monstrous in Hitzig's assumption, that the whole passage from ver. 30 to ver. 33 forms but one clause, and that the predicate to ^V 03 does not occur till the WW of ver. 33. — nvvpn bvs, by the side of the walls, i.e. sitting against the walls, equivalent to secretly; and in the doors of the houses, in other words publicly, one neighbour conversing with another. Wj Aramean for ^nx? and B*K by the side of intf, every one; not merely one here or there, but every man to his neighbour.

DXTNtaos, lit. as the coming of a people, i.e. as when a crowd of men flock together in crowds or troops. ^W is a predicate, as my people, i.e. as if they wished, like my people, to hear my word from thee. But they do not think of doing thy words, i.e. what thou dost announce to them as my word. &2ty are things for which one cherishes an eager desire, pleasant things in their mouth, i.e. according to their taste (cf. Gen. xxv. 28). Havernick is wrong in taking D^jy to mean illicit love. The word E^?5? is quite inapplicable to such a meaning. The rendering, they do it with their mouth, is opposed both to the construction and the sense. &#¥?> their gain, the source from which they promise themselves advantage or gain. In ver. 32 a clearer explanation is given of the reason why they come to the prophet, notwithstanding the fact that they do not wish to do his words. "Thou art to them D^J TO3;" this cannot mean like a pleasant song, but, as |33 3tpp (one who can play well) clearly shows, like a singer of pleasant songs. The abstract "W stands for the concrete ">^, a singer, a man of song (Hitzig). In ver. 326, " they hear thy words, but do them not," is repeated with emphasis, for the purpose of attaching the threat in ver. 33. But when it cometh, — namely, what thou sayest, or prophesiest, — behold, it cometh, i.e. it will come as surely as thy prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; then will they know that a prophet was among them (cf. ch. ii. 5), that is to say, that he proclaimed God's word to them. Therefore Ezekiel is not to be prevented, by the misuse which will be made of his words, from preaching the truth. — This conclusion of the word of God, which points back to ch. ii. 5, also shows that it forms the introduction to the prophecies which follow.

The promise of the salvation, which is to blossom for the covenant nation after the judgment, commences with the announcement that the Lord will deliver Israel out of the hand of its evil shepherds, who only feed themselves and destroy the flock, and will take care of His own flock, gather them together, feed and tend them on a good meadow, protect the weak sheep against the strong, and through His servant David bring security and blessing to the whole of 'the flock (ch. xxxiv.). This comprehensive promise is carried out still further in the following chapters in various phases. Because Edom cherishes perpetual enmity against the sons of Israel, and has sought to take possession of their land, in which Jehovah was, the mountains of Seir shall become a perpetual desert (ch. xxxv.); whereas the devastated land of Israel shall be rebuilt, and sown once more, bear fruit, and be filled with man and beast (ch. xxxvi. 1-15). The Lord will do this for His holy name's sake, will cleanse His people from their sins, when gathered out of the nations, by sprinkling them with pure water, and renew them by His Spirit in heart and mind, that they may walk in His commandments, and multiply greatly in their land, when it has been glorified into a garden of God (ch. xxxvi. 16-38). The house of Israel, which has been slain with the sword, and has become like a field full of dry bones of the dead, the Lord will awaken to new life, and bring in peace into the land of Israel (ch. xxxvii. 1—14); the two divided peoples and kingdoms of Israel He will unite into one people and kingdom, will liberate them from their sins, cause them to dwell in the land given to His servant Jacob under the sovereignty of His servant David, will make with them a covenant of peace for ever, and dwell above them as their God for ever in the sanctuary, which He will establish in the midst of them (ch. xxxvii. 15-28). And, finally, in the last time, when Israel is dwelling in its own land in security and peace, the Lord will bring Gog from the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, with a powerful army of numerous peoples, into the land that has been restored from the sword; but when he has come to plunder and prey, the Lord will destroy him with all his army, and by this judgment display His glory among the nations, and so have compassion upon the whole house of Israel, and because He has poured out His Spirit upon it, will hide His face from it no more (ch. xxxviii. and xxxix.). — From this- general survey it is evident that the words of God contained in ch. xxxiv.-xxxvii. announce the restoration and exaltation of Israel to be the sanctified people of God, and ch. xxxviii. and xxxix. the lasting establishment of this salvation, through the extermination of those enemies who rise up against the restored people of God.

CHAP. XXXIV. DEPOSITION OF THE BAD SHEPHERDS; COL- LECTING AND TENDING OF THE FLOCK; AND APPOINT- MENT OF THE ONE GOOD SHEPHERD.

The shepherds, who have fed themselves and neglected the flock, so that it has been scattered and has become a prey to wild beasts, will be deprived by the Lord of their office of shepherd (vers. 1—10). And He will take charge of His own flock, gather it together from its dispersion in the lands, feed and tend it on good pasture in the land of Israel, and sift it by the extermination of the fat and violent ones (vers. 11-22). He will appoint His servant David shepherd over His flock, make a covenant of peace with His people, and bless the land with fruitfulness, so that Israel may dwell there in security, and no more be carried off either as booty for the nations or by famine, and may acknowledge Jehovah as its God (vers. 23-31).

This word of God is a repetition and further expansion of the short prophecy of Jeremiah in Jer. xxiii. 1-8. The threat against the bad shepherds simply forms the foil for the promise, that the flock, which has been plunged into misery by bad shepherds, shall be gathered and tended by the Lord and His servant David, whom Jehovah will appoint prince over His people, so that it is essentially a prophecy of salvation for Israel. — The question in dispute among the commentators, whether we are to understand by the shepherds, out of whose hand and tyranny the Lord will rescue Israel His flock, the priests and kings (Ephr., Syr., and Theodoret), or the false prophets and false teachers of the people (Glass and others), or simply the kings (Hengst., Hav., and others), or all those who, by reason of their office, were leaders of the people, rulers, priests, and prophets, " the whole body of official persons charged with the direction of the nation " (Kliefoth), may be settled by the simple conclusion, that only the rulers of the nation are intended. This is proved not only by the biblical idea of the shepherd generally, which (probably in distinction from the idea of the bell-wether) is everywhere employed to denote rulers alone, but more particularly by the primary passage already referred to (Jer. xxiii. 1-8), where we are to understand by the shepherds, kings and princes, to the exclusion of priests and prophets, against whom Jeremiah first prophesies from ver. 9 onwards; and, lastly, by the antithesis to the good shepherd, David, who is to feed the flock of Jehovah as prince (K^J), and not as priest or prophet (vers. 23, 24). Only we must not take the term rulers as applying to the kings alone, but must understand thereby all the persons entrusted with the government of the nation, or the whole body of the civil authorities of Israel, among whom priests and prophets come into consideration, not on account of their spiritual calling and rank, but only so far as they held magisterial offices. And apart from other grounds, we are not warranted in restricting the idea of shepherds to the kings alone; for the simple reason that our prophecy, which dates from the time succeeding the destruction of Jerusalem, does not apply to the former rulers only, i.e. the kings who had fallen along with the kingdom of Judah, but although treating of shepherds, who had scattered Israel among the nations, assumes that the rule of these shepherds is still continuing, and announces their removal, or the deliverance of the flock out of their hand, as something to be effected in the future (cf. vers. 8-10); so that it also refers to the civil rulers who governed Israel after the overthrow of the monarchy, and even after the captivity until the coming of the Messiah, the promised Prince of David.

Vers. 1-10. Woe to the bad shepherds. — Ver. 1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ver. 2. Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who fed themselves; should not the shepherds feed the flock? Ver. 3. Ye eat the fat, and clothe yourselves with the wool; ye slay the fattened; the flock ye do not feed. Ver. 4. The weak ones ye do not strengthen, and that which is sick ye do not cure, the wounded one ye bind not up, the scattered ye bring not back, and the lost one ye do not seek; and ye rule over them with violence and with severity, Ver. 5. Therefore they were scattered, because without shepherd, and became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. Ver. 6. My sheep wander about on all the mountains, and on every high hill; and over all the land have my sheep been scattered, and there is no one who asks for them, and no one who seeks them, Ver. 7. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear ye the word of Jehovah: Ver. 8. As I live, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah, because my sheep become a prey, and my sheep become food to all the beasts of the field, because there is no shepherd, and my shepherds do not inquire after my sheep, and the shepherds feed themselves, but do not feed the sheep, Ver. 9. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear ye the word of Jehovah, Ver. 10. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will deal with the shepherds, and will demand my sheep from their hand, and cause them to cease to feed my flock, that they may feed themselves no more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may be food to them no more. — In ver. 2 D\y'iJ is an explanatory apposition to D^y**, and is not to be taken in connection with '" "TOW n'3, in opposition to the constant nse of this formula, as Kliefoth maintains. The reason for the woe pronounced is given in the apposition, who fed themselves, whereas they ought to have fed the flock; and the charge that they only care for themselves is still further explained by a description of their conduct (vers. 3 and 4), and of the dispersion of the flock occasioned thereby (vers. 5 and 6). Observe the periphrastic preterite D^in WJ, they were feeding, which shows that the woe had relation chiefly to the former shepherds or rulers of the nation. Drris is reflective, se ipsos (cf. Gesen § 124. lb). The disgracefulness of their feeding themselves is brought out by the question, u Ought not the shepherds to feed the flock? " Ver. 3 shows how they fed themselves, and ver. 4 how they neglected the flock. 3?n, the fat, which Bochart and Hitzig propose to alter into 2?nn, the milk, after the Septuagint and Vulgate, is not open to any objection. The fat, as the best portion of the flesh, which was laid upon the altar, for example, in the case of the sacrifices, as being the flower of all the flesh, is mentioned here as pars melior pro toto. Havernick has very properly pointed, in vindication of the reading in the text, to Zech. xi. 16, where the two clauses, ye eat the fat, and slay the fattened, are joined together in the one clause, u the flesh of the fattened one will he eat." There is no force in the objection raised by Hitzig, that " the slaughtering of the fat beasts, which ought to be mentioned first, is not introduced till afterwards;" for this clause contains a heightening of the thought that they use the flock to feed themselves: they do not even kill the leaner beasts, but those that are well fattened; and it follows very suitably after the general statement, that they make use of both the flesh and the wool of the sheep for their own advantage. They care nothing for the wellbeing of the flock: this is stated in the last clause of ver. 3, which is explained m detail in ver. 4. HOT? is the Niphal participle of

?vn. and is a contracted form of niprn like n?m in Isa. xvii. 11.

The distinction between HWU and n?in is determined by the respective predicates p?n and KS"}. According to these, npn: signifies that which is weak in consequence of sickness, and rb'n that which is weak in itself, fl"?.?^?, literally, that which is broken, an animal with a leg or some other member injured. rru? scattered, as in Deut. xxii. 1. In the last clause of ver. 4, the neglect of the flock is summed up in the positive expression, to rule over them with violence and severity. "ipQl rvn is taken from Lev. xxv. 43, 46; but there as well as here it points back to Ex. i. 13, 14, where 5pB3 is applied to the tyrannical measures adopted by Pharaoh for the oppression of the Israelites. The result of this (vers. 5, 6) was, that the sheep were scattered, and became food to the beasts of prey. v3D nv'i, on account of there not being a shepherd, i.e. because there was no shepherd worthy of the name. This took place when Israel was carried away into exile, where it became a prey to the heathen nations. When we find this mournful fate of the people described as brought about by the bad shepherds, and attributable to faults of theirs, we must not regard the words as applying merely to the mistaken policy of the kings with regard to external affairs (Hitzig); for this was in itself simply a consequence of their neglect of their theocratic calling, and of their falling away from the Lord into idolatry. It is true that the people had also made themselves guilty of this sin, so that it was obliged to atone not only for the sins of its shepherds, but for its own sin also; but this is passed by here, in accordance with the design of this prophecy. And it could very properly be kept out of sight, inasmuch as the rulers had also occasioned the idolatry of the people, partly by their neglect of their duty, and partly by their bad example. ru^asni is repeated with emphasis at the close of ver. 5; aid the thought is still further expanded in ver. 6. The wandering upon all the mountains and hills must not be understood as signifying the straying of the people to the worship on high places, as Theodoret and

Kliefoth suppose. The fallacy of this explanation is clearly shown by the passage on which this figurative description rests (1 Kings xxii. 17), where the people are represented as scattered upon the mountains in consequence of the fall of the king in battle, like a flock that had no shepherd. The words in the next clause, corresponding to the mountains and hills, are p.5?? ^f^?, the whole face of the land, not " of the earth " (Kliefoth). For although the dispersion of the flock actually consisted in the carrying away of the people into heathen lands, the actual meaning of the figure is kept in the background here, as is evident from the fact that Ezekiel constantly uses the expression ni^NH (plural) when speaking of the dispersion among the heathen (cf. ver. 13). The distinction between BH^ and ty'j53 is, that Bh*l signifies rather to ask, inquire for a thing, to trouble oneself about it, whereas C'pn means to seek for that which has strayed or is lost. In vers. 7-10, the punishment for their unfaithfulness is announced to the shepherds themselves; but at the same time, as is constantly the case with Ezekiel, their guilt is once more recapitulated as an explanation of the threatening of punishment, and the earnest appeal to listen is repeated in ver. 9. The Lord will demand His sheep of them; and because sheep have been lost through their fault, He will depose them from the office of shepherd, and so deliver the poor flock from their violence. If we compare with this Jer. xxiii. 2: a Behold, I will visit upon you the wickedness of your doings," the threat in Ezekiel has a much milder sound. There is nothing said about the punishment of the shepherd, but simply that the task of keeping the sheep shall be taken from them, so that they shall feed themselves no more. This distinction is to be explained from the design of our prophecy, which is not so much to foretell the punishment of the shepherds, as the deliverance from destruction of the sheep that have been plunged into misery. The repetition of ^K¥, my flock (vers. 8 and 10, as before in ver. 6), is also connected with this. The rescue of the sheep out of the hand of the bad shepherds had already commenced with the overthrow of the monarchy on the destruction of Jerusalem. If, then, it is here described as only to take place in the future, justice is not done to these words by explaining them, as Hitzig does, as signifying that what has already actually taken place is now to be made final, and not to be reversed. For although this is implied, the words clearly affirm that the deliverance of the sheep out of the hand of the shepherds has not yet taken place, but still remains to be effected, so that the people are regarded as being at the time in the power of bad shepherds, and their rescue is predicted as still in the future. How and when it will be accomplished, by the removal of the bad shepherds, is shown in the announcement, commencing with ver. 11, of what the Lord will do for His flock.

Vers. 11-22. Jehovah Himself will seek His flock, gather it together from the dispersion, lead it to good pasture, and sift it by the destruction of the bad sheep. — Ver. 11. For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I myself, I will inquire after my flock, and take charge thereof. Ver. 12. As a shepherd taketh charge of his flock in the day when he is in the midst of his scattered sheep, so will I take charge of my flock, and deliver them out of all the places whither they have been scattered in the day of cloud and cloudy night. Ver. 13. And I will bring them out from the nations, and gather them together out of the lands, and bring them into their land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all the dwelling-places of the land. Ver. 14. / ivill feed them in a good pasture, and on the high mountains of Israel will their pasture-ground be: there shall they lie down in a good pasture-ground, and have fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. Ver. 15. / will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Ver. 16. That which is lost will I seek, and that which is driven away will I bring back; that which is wounded will J bind up, and that which is sick will 1 strengthen: but that which is fat and strong will I destroy, and feed them according to justice.

Ver. 17. And you, my sheep, tints saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, and the rams and the he-goats. Ver. 18. Is it too little for you, that ye eat up the good pasture, and what remains of your pasture ye tread down with your feet? and the clear water ye drink, and render muddy what remains with your feet? Ver. 19. And are my sheep to have for food that which is trodden down by your feet, and to drink that which is made muddy by your feet? Ver. 20. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah to them, Behold I, I will judge between fat sheep and lean. Ver. 21. Because ye press with side and shoulder, and thrust all the weak with your horns, till ye have driven them out; Ver. 22. / will help my sheep, so that they shall no more become a prey; and will judge between sheep and sheep. — All that the Lord will do for His flock is summed up in ver. 11, in the words tSWJ|M "O&rnx W^i, which stand in obvious antithesis to 'til Bhfa pw in ver. 6, — an antithesis sharply accentuated by the emphatic ^K W, which stands at the head in an absolute form. The fuller explanation is given in the verses which follow, from ver. 12 onwards. Observe here that ">i?3 is substituted for P'i?3. "ijpa, to seek and examine minutely, involves the idea of taking affectionate charge. What the Lord does for His people is compared in ver. 12a to the care which a shepherd who deserves the name manifests towards sheep when they are scattered (ni^iD3 without the article is connected with fafcftf in the form of apposition); and in ver. 126 it is still more particularly explained. In the first place, He will gather them from all the places to which they have been scattered. 7W implies that in their dispersion they have fallen into a state of oppression and bondage among the nations (cf. Ex. vi. 6). ^jn |:y DV3 belongs to the relative clause: whither they have been scattered. The circumstance that these words are taken from Joel ii. 2 does not compel us to take them in connection with the principal clause, as Hitzig and Kliefoth propose, and to understand them as relating to the time when God will hold His judgment of the heathen world. The notion that the words in Joel signify " God's day of judgment upon all the heathen" (Kliefoth), is quite erroneous; and even Hitzig does not derive this meaning from Joel ii. 2, but from the combination of our verse with Ezek. xxx. 3 and xxix. 21. The deliverance of the sheep out of the places to which they have been scattered, consists in the gathering together of Israel out of the nations, and their restoration to their own land, and their feeding upon the mountains and all the dwelling-places of the land (SKfiD, a place suitable for settlement), and that in good and fat pasture (ver. 14); and lastly, in the fact that Jehovah bestows the necessary care upon the sheep, strengthens and heals the weak and sick (vers. 15 and 16), — that is to say, does just what the bad shepherds have omitted (ver. 4), — and destroys the fat and strong. In this last clause another side is shown of the pastoral fidelity of Jehovah. ^p^'K has been changed by the LXX., Syr., and Vulg. into ■NDBW, (f>v\d^co; and Luther has followed them in his rendering, " I will watch over them." But this is evidently a mistake, as it fails to harmonize with BQtt'ED n3}TK. The fat and strong sheep are characterized in vers. 18 and 19 as those which spoil the food and water of the others. The allusion, therefore, is to the rich and strong ones of the nation, who oppress the humble and poor, and treat them with severity. The destruction of these oppressors shows that the loving care of the Lord is associated with righteousness — that He feeds the flock BBB>tea. This thought is carried out still further in vers. 17-21, the sheep themselves being directly addressed, and the Lord assuring them that He will judge between sheep and sheep, and put an end to the oppressive conduct of the fat sheep and the strong. nb£ nb> pa: between the one sheep and the other. nb9 is extended in the apposition, u the rams and he-goats," which must not be rendered, u with regard to the rams and he-goats," as it has been by Kliefoth. The thought is not that Jehovah will divide the rams and he-goats from the sheep, as some have explained it, from an inappropriate comparison with Matt.

xxv. 32; but the division is to be effected in such a manner that sheep will be separated from sheep, the fat sheep being placed on one side with the rams and he-goats, and kept apart from the lean (nn, ver. 20) and the sickly sheep (A^fU, ver. 21). It is to the last-named sheep, rams, and he-goats that vers. 18 and 19 are addressed. With regard to the charge brought against them, that they eat up the pasture and tread down the remainder with their feet, etc., Bochart has already correctly observed, that " if the words are not quite applicable to actual sheep, they are perfectly appropriate to the mystical sheep intended here, i.e. to the Israelites, among whom many of the rich, after enjoying an abundant harvest and vintage, grudged the poor their gleaning in either one or the other." V\>W?9 a substantive formation, like DO")D, literally, precipitation of the water, i.e. the water purified by precipitation; for Pj?tP, to sink, is the opposite of £>D"), to stir up or render muddy by treading with the feet (compare ch. xxxii. 14 and 2). ^I2y ver. 20 — ns"i3 or np3. Ver. 22 brings to a close the description of the manner in which God will deliver His flock, and feed it with righteousness. W^im points back to *n?&y\ in ver. 12, and VttpBB* to BBfM najHK in ver. 16.— To this there is appended in vers. 23 sqq. a new train of thought, describing how God will still further display to His people His pastoral fidelity.

Vers. 23-31. Appointment of David as shepherd, and blessing of the people. — Ver. 23. And I will raise up one shepherd over them, who shall feed them, my servant David; lie will feed them, and he will be to them a shepherd. Ver. 24. And I, Jehovah, will be God to them, and my servant David prince in the midst of them: I, Jehovah, have spoken it. Ver. 25. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and destroy the evil beasts out of the land, so that they will dwell safely in the desert and sleep in the forests. Ver. 26. And I will make them and the places round my hill a blessing, and cause the rain to fall in its season: showers of blessing shall there be. Ver. 27. The tree of the field will give its fruity and the land will give its produce, and they icill be safe in their land, and vrill know that I am Jehovah, when I break their yoke-bars in pieces, and deliver them out of the hand of those who made them servants. Ver. 28. They will he no more a prey to the nations, and the wild beasts will not devour them; but they will dwell safely, and no one will terrify them. Ver. 29. And I vnll raise up for them a plantation for a name, so that they will no more be swept away by famine in the land, and shall no longer bear the disgrace of the heathen nations. Ver. 30. And they shall know that I, Jehovah, their God, am with them, and they are my people, the house of Israel, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Ver. 31. And ye are my sheep, the flock of my pasture; ye are men, I am your God, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. — God will cause to stand up, raise up, one single shepherd over His flock. &\>r\, the standing expression for the rising up of a person in history through the interposition of God (cf. Deut. xviii. 15, 2 Sam. vii. 12, and other passages), *inN itgh, not unicus, singularis, a shepherd unique in his kind, but one shepherd, in contrast not only with the many bad shepherds, but with the former division of the people into two kingdoms, each writh its own separate king. Compare ch. xxxvii. 24 with Jer. xxiii. 6, where it is expressly said that the David to be raised up is to feed Israel and Judah, the two peoples that had been divided before. "My servant David:" Jehovah calls him *H3y, not merely with reference to the obedience rendered (Havernick), but also with regard to his election (Isa. xlii. 1; Hengstenberg). There is no necessity to refute the assertion of Hitzig, David Strauss, and others, that Ezekiel expected the former King David to be raised from the dead. The reference is to the sprout of David (Jer. xxiii. 5), already called simply David in Hos. iii. 5 and Jer. xxx. 9. In ver. 24 the relation of Jehovah to this David is more precisely defined: Jehovah will then be God to His people, and David be prince in the midst of them. The last words point back to 2 Sam. vii. 8b. Through the government of David, Jehovah will become in truth God of His people Israel; for David will feed the people in perfect unity with Jehovah, — will merely carry out the will of Jehovah, and not place himself in opposition to God, like the bad shepherds, because, as is therewith presupposed, he is connected with God by unity of nature. — In vers. 25 sqq. the thought is carried out still further, — how God will become God to His people, and prove Himself to be its covenant God through the pastoral fidelity of the future David. God will fully accomplish the covenant mercies promised to Israel. The making of the covenant of peace need not be restricted, in accordance with Hos. ii. 20 (18), to a covenant which God would make with the beasts in favour of His people. The thought is a more comprehensive one here, and, according to Lev. xxvi. 4-6, the passage which Ezekiel had in his mind involves all the salvation which God had included in His promises to His people: viz. (1) the extermination of everything that could injure Israel, of all the wild beasts, so that they would be able to sleep securely in the deserts and the forests (ver. 25; compare Lev. xxvi. 6); (2) the pouring out of an abundant rain, so that the field and land would yield rich produce (vers. 26, 27; cf. Lev. xxvi. 4, 5). "I make them, the Israelites, and the surroundings of my hill, a blessing." TO, the hill of Jehovah, is, according to Isa. xxxi. 4, Mount Zion, the temple-mountain, including the city of Jerusalem. The surroundings of this hill are the land of Israel, that lay around it. But Zion, with the land around, is not mentioned in the place of the inhabitants; and still less are we to understand by the surroundings of the hill the heathen nations, as Hengstenberg does, in opposition both to the context and the usage of the language. The thought is simply that the Lord will make both the people and the land a blessing (Havernick, Kliefoth). nD"}2, a blessing, is stronger than "blessed" (cf. Gen. xii. 2) The blessing is brought by the rain in its season, which fertilizes the earth. This will take place when the Lord breaks the yokes laid upon His people. These words are from Lev.

xxvi. 13, where they refer to the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt; and they are transferred by Ezekiel to the future redemption of Israel from the bondage of the heathen. For DH3 E^'y, compare Ex. i. 14. This thought is carried out still further in ver. 28; and then, in ver. 29, all that has been said is summed up in the thoughts, " I raise up for them a plantation for a name," etc. JK3&, a plantation, as in ch. xvii. 7; not a land for planting (Hitzig). B£v, for a name, i.e. not for the glory of God (De Wette); but the plantation, which the Lord will cause to grow by pouring down showers of blessing (ver. 26), is to bring renown to the Israelites, namely, among the heathen, who will see from this that Israel is a people blessed by its God. This explanation of the words is supplied by the following clause: they shall no more be swept away by famine in the land, and no more bear the disgrace of the heathen, Le. the disgrace which the heathen heaped upon Israel when in distress (compare Zeph. iii. 19; Jer. xiii. 11; and the primary passage, Deut. xxvi. 29). From this blessing they will learn that Jehovah their God is with them, and Israel is His people. The promise concludes in ver. 31 with these words, which set a seal upon the whole: "Ye are my flock, the flock of my pasture (lit. my pasture-flock; JVino pfy Jer. xxiii. 1, the flock fed by God Himself); men are ye, I am your God." That these last words do not serve merely as an explanation of the figurative expression " flock," is a fact of which no proof is needed. The figure of a flock was intelligible to everv one. The words " call attention to the depth and greatness of the divine condescension, and meet the objection of men of weak faith, that man, who is taken from the earth n?'™'?> and returns to it again, is incapable of so intimate a connection with God " (Hengstenberg).

If we take another survey, in conclusion, of the contents of our prophecy, the following are the three features of the salvation promised to the people of Israel: — (1) The Lord will liberate His people from the hand of the bad shepherds, and

He Himself will feed it as His flock; (2) lie will gather it together from its dispersion, bring it back to the land of Israel and feed it there, will take charge of the sheep in need of help, and destroy the fat and strong sheep by which the weak ones are oppressed; (3) He will raise up the future David for a shepherd, and under his care lie will bestow upon His people the promised covenant blessings in richest measure. These saving acts of God for His people, however, are not depicted according to their several details and historical peculiarities, as Kliefoth has correctly observed, nor are they narrated in the chronological order in which they would follow one another in history; but they are grouped together according to their general design and character, and their essential features. If, then, we seek for the fulfilment, the Lord raised up His servant David as a shepherd to Israel, by sending Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke xix. 10; Matt, xviii. 11), and who calls Himself the Good Shepherd with obvious reference to this and other prophetic declarations of a similar kind (John x. 11 sqq.). But the sending of Christ was preceded by the gathering of Israel out of the Babylonian exile, by which God had already taken charge of His flock. Yet, inasmuch as only a small portion of Israel received the Messiah, who appeared in Jesus, as its shepherd, there fell upon the unbelieving Israel a new judgment of dispersion among all nations, which continues still, so that a gathering together still awaits the people of Israel at some future time. No distinction is made in the prophecy before us between these two judgments of dispersion, which are associated with the twofold gathering of Israel; but they are grouped together as one, so that although their fulfilment commenced with the deliverance of Israel from the Babylonian captivity and the coming of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd of the family of David, it was only realized in that portion of Israel, numerically the smallest portion, which was willing to be gathered and fed by Jesus Christ, and the full realization will only be effected when that conversion of Israel shall take place, which the Apostle Paul foretells in Rom. xi. 25 sqq. — For further remarks on the ultimate fulfilment, we refer the reader to a later page.

The two sections, ch. xxxv. 1-15 and ch. xxxvi. 1-15, form a connected prophecy. This is apparent not only from their formal arrangement, both of them being placed together under the introductory formula, " And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying," but also from their contents, the promise in relation to the mountains of Israel being so opposed to the threat against the mountains of Seir (ch. xxxv. 1-15) as to form the obverse and completion of the latter; whilst allusion is evidently made to it in the form of expression employed (compare ch. xxxvi. 4, 6, with ch. xxxv. 8; and ch. xxxvi. ba with ch. xxxv. 15/;). The contents are the following: The mountains of Seir shall be laid waste (ch. xxxv. 1-4), because Edom cherishes eternal enmity and bloody hatred towards Israel (vers. 5-9), and because it has coveted the land of Israel and blasphemed Jehovah (vers. 10-15). On the other hand, the mountain-land of Israel, which the heathen have despised on account of its devastation, and have appropriated to themselves as booty (ch. xxxvi. 1-7), shall be inhabited by Israel again, and shall be cultivated and no longer bear the disgrace of the heathen (vers. 8-15). This closing thought (ver. 15) points back to ch. xxxiv. 29, and shows that our prophecy is intended as a further expansion of that conclusion; and at the same time, that in the devastation of Edom the overthrow of the heathen world as a whole, with its enmity against God, is predicted, and in the restoration of the land of Israel the re-erection of the fallen kingdom of God.

the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ver. 2. Son of man, set tin/ face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, Ver. 3. And say to it, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold^ I will deal with thee. Mount Seir, and will stretch out my liand against thee, and make thee WOSU and devastation. Ver. 4. Thy cities will I make into ruin*, and thou wilt become a waste, and shalt know that I am Jehovah. Ver. 5. Because thou cherishest eternal enmity, and gave st up the sons of Israel to the sword at the time of their distress, at the time of the final transgression^ Ver. G. Therefore, as truly as I live, is the saying of the Jord Jehovah, 1 will make thee blood, and blood shall pursue thee; since thou hast not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue thee. Ver. 7. I will make Mount Seir devastation and. waste, and cut off therefrom him that goeth away and him that rcturneth, Ver. 8. And fill his mountains with his slain; upon thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy low places, those pierced with the sword shall fall. Ver. 9. I will make thee eternal wastes, and thy cities shall not be inhabited; and ye shall knoiv that I am Jehovah. Ver. 10. Because thou sayest, The two nations and the two lands they shall be mine, and we will take possession of it, when Jehovah was there; Ver. 11. Therefore, as truly as I live, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah, 1 will do according to thy wrath and thine envy, as thou hast done because of thy hatred, and will make myself known among them, as I shall judge thee. Ver. 12. And thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, hive heard all thy reproaches which tliou hast uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, u they are laid waste, they are given to us for foodr Ver. 13. Ye have magnified against me with your mouth, and heaped up your sayings against me; L have heard it. Ver. 14. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will prepare devastation for thee. Ver. 15. As thou hadst thy delight in the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was laid waste, so will I do to thee; thou shalt become a waste, Mount Seir and all Edom together; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

The theme of this prophecy, viz. " Edom and its cities are to become a desert" (vers. 2-4), is vindicated and earnestly elaborated in two strophes, commencing with 'til ]W (vers. 5 and 10), and closing, like the announcement of the theme itself (ver. 46), with '" S2X s3 flFjn) EV|0T{, by a distinct statement of the sins of Edom. — Already, in ch. xxv., Edom has been named among the hostile border nations which are threatened with destruction (vers. 12-14). The earlier prophecy applied to the Edomites, according to their historical relation to the people of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. In the present word of God, on the contrary, Edom comes into consideration, on the ground of its hostile attitude towards the covenant people, as the representative of the world and of mankind in its hostility to the people and kingdom of God, as in Isa. xxxiv. and lxiii. 1-6. This is apparent from the fact that devastation is to be prepared for Edom, when the whole earth rejoices (ver. 14), which does not apply to Edom as a small and solitary nation, and still more clearly from the circumstance that, in the promise of salvation in ch. xxxvi., not all Edom alone (ver. 5), but the remnant of the heathen nations generally (ch. xxxvi. 3-7 and 15), are mentioned as the enemies from whose disgrace and oppression Israel is to be delivered. For ver. 2, compare ch. xiii. 17. 1W ">n is the name given to the mountainous district inhabited by the Edomites, between the Dead Sea and the Elanitic Gulf (see the comm. on Gen. xxxvi. 9). The prophecy is directed against the land; but it also applies to the nation, which brings upon itself the desolation of its land by its hostility to Israel. For ver. 3, compare ch. vi. 14, etc. A?")?, destruction. The sin of Edom mentioned in ver. 5 is eternal enmity toward Israel, which has also been imputed to the Philistines in ch. xxv. 15, but which struck deeper root, in the case of Edom, in the hostile attitude of Esau toward Jacob (Gen. xxv. 22 sqq. and xxvii. 37), and was manifested, as Amos (i. 11) has already said, in the constant retention of its malignity toward the covenant nation, so that Edom embraced every opportunity to effect its destruction, and according to the charge brought against it by Ezekiel, gave up the sons of Israel to the sword when the kingdom of Judah fell. ffjn *T by "Wj lit. to pour upon ( — into) the hands of the sword, i.e. to deliver up to the power of the sword (cf. Ps. lxiii. 11; Jer. xviii. 21). DTK DV3 recalls to mind DTK DV3 in Obad. 13; but here it is more precisely defined by YP. PV nya, and limited to the time of the overthrow of the Israelites, when Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by the Chaldeans. YP. ity n??> as in ch. xxi. 30. On account of this display of its hostility, the Lord will make Edom blood (ver. 6). This expression is probably chosen for the play upon the words Cn and d'"in\ Edom shall become what its name suggests. Making it blood does not mean merely filling it with bloodshed, or reddening the soil with blood (Hitzig); but, as in ch. xvi. 38, turning it as it were into blood, or causing it to vanish therein. Blood shall pursue thee, " as blood-guiltiness invariably pursues a murderer, cries for vengeance, and so delivers him up to punishment" (Havernick). N? DX cannot be the particle employed in swearing, and dependent upon ^fcpn, since this particle introduces an affirmative declaration, which would be unsuitable here, inasmuch as CH in this connection cannot possibly signify bloodrelationship. SO DK means il if not/' in which the conditional meaning of DN coincides with the causal, " if " being equivalent to a since." The unusual separation of the &6 from the verb is occasioned by the fact that D^J is placed before the verb to avoid collision with Ul\ To hate blood is the same as to have a horror of bloodshed or murder. This threat is carried out still further in vers. 7 and 8. The land of Edom is to become a complete and perpetual devastation; its inhabitants are to be exterminated by war. The form HDDB> stands for nw} and is not to be changed into n?3^D. Considering the frequency with which ne^'o occurs, the supposition that we have here a copyist's error is by no means a probable one, and still less probable is the perpetuation of such an error. 3^J "D'y? as in Zech. vii. 14. For ver. 8 compare ch. xxxii. 5, 6 and ch.

xxxi. 12. The Chetib nj3fc;*n is scriptio plena for njn^'n, the imperfect Kal of SB* in the intransitive sense to be inhabited. The Keri ""^bri, from 3)0, is a needless and unsuitable correction, since 1W does not mean restituu

In the second strophe, vers. 10-15, the additional reason assigned for the desolation of Edom is its longing for the possession of Israel and its land, of which it desired to take forcible possession, although it knew that they belonged to Jehovah, whereby the hatred of Edom toward Israel became contempt of Jehovah. The two peoples and the two lands are Israel and Judah with their lands, and therefore the whole of the holy people and land. flN is the sign of the accusative: as for the two peoples, they are mine. The suffix appended to uWT is neuter, and is to be taken as referring generally to what has gone before. nv; D^ nSp*] is a circumstantial clause, through which the desire of Edom is placed in the right light, and characterized as an attack upon Jehovah Himself. Jehovah was there — namely, in the land of which Edom wished to take possession. Kliefoth's rendering, u and yet Jehovah is there," is opposed to Hebrew usage, by changing the preterite njn into a present; and the objection which he offers to the only rendering that is grammatically admissible, viz. u when Jehovah was there," to the effect " that it attributes to Ezekiel the thought that the Holy Land had once been the land and dwelling-place of God, but was so no longer," calls in question the actual historical condition of things without the slightest reason. For Jehovah, had really forsaken His dwelling-place in Canaan before the destruction of the temple, but without thereby renouncing His right to the land; since it was only for the sins of Israel that He had given up the temple, city, and land to be laid waste by the heathen. il But Edom had acted as if Israel existed among the nations without God, and Jehovah had departed from it for ever " (Havernick); or rather as if Jehovah were a powerless and useless Deity, who had not been able to defend His people against the might of the heathen nations.

The Lord will requite Edom for this, in a manner answering to its anger and envy, which had botli sprung from hatred. D3 Vljnfoj " I will make myself known among them (the Israelites) when I judge thee;" i.e.y by the fact that lie punishes Edom for its sin, lie will prove to Israel that lie is a God who does not suffer His people and His possession to be attacked with impunity. From this shall Edom learn that He is Jehovah, the omniscient God, who has heard the revilings of His enemies (vers. 12, 13), and the almighty God, who rewards those who utter such proud sayings according to their deeds (vers. 14 and 15). rrisxj has retained the Kametz on account of the guttural in the first tone, in contrast with rifoWU in Neh. ix. 18, 26 (cf. Ewald, § G06). — The expression u mountains of Israel," for the land of Israel, in ver. 12 and ch. xxxvi. 1, is occasioned by the antithesis u mountain (mountain-range) of Seir." The Chetib ilDDP is to be pronounced n~r'> anc^ to De retained iu spite of the Keri. The singular of the neuter gender is used with emphasis in a broken and emotional address, and is to be taken as referring ad sensum to the land. HB3 TTOHj to magnify or boast with the mouth, i.e. to utter proud sayings against God, in other words, actually to deride God (compare hq 7*Hn in Obad. 12, which has a kindred meaning). Tnyn used here according to Aramean usage for ^WW}, to multiply, or heap up. In nbb'3, in ver. 14, 3 is a particle of time, as it frequently is before infinitives (e.g. Josh. vi. 20), when all the earth rejoices, not u over thy desolation" (Hitzig), which does not yield any rational thought, but when joy is prepared for all the world, I will prepare devastation for thee. Through this antithesis pNn-73 is limited to the world, with the exception of Edom, i.e. to that portion of the human race which stood in a different relation to God and His people from that of Edom; in other words, which acknowledged the Lord as the true God. It follows from this, that Edom represents the world at enmity against God. In ^jnn?pb>3 (ver. 15) D is a particle of comparison; and the meaning of ver. 15 is: as thou didst rejoice over the desolation of the inheritance of the house of Israel, so will I cause others to rejoice over thy desolation. In ver. 156 we agree with the LXX., Vulgate, Syriac, and others, in taking iTnn as the second person, not as the third. n?3 DilfrOS serves to strengthen n^yb' in (compare ch. xi. 15 and xxxvi. 10).

Chap, xxxvi. 1-15. The Kestoration and Blessing of Israel. — Ver. 1. And thou, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah: Ver. 2. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because the enemy saith concerning you, Aha! the everlasting heights have become ours for a possession: Ver. 3. Therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because, even because they lay you waste, and pant for you round about, so that ye have become a possession to the remnant of the nations, and have come to the talk of the tongue and gossip of the people: Ver. 4. Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and hills, to the loiv places and valleys, and to the waste ruins and the forsaken cities, which have become a prey and derision to the remnant of the nations round about; Ver. 5. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Truly in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the remnant of the nations, and against Edom altogether, which have made my land a possession for themselves in all joy of heart, in contempt of soid, to empty it out for booty. Ver. 6. Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, to the low places and valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, in my jealousy and fury have I spoken, because ye have borne the disgrace of the nations. Ver. 7. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, I, I have lifted up my hand; truly the nations round about you, they shall bear their disgrace. Ver. 8. But ye, ye mountains of Israel, shall put forth your branches, and bear your fruit to my people Israel; for they will soon come. Ver. 9. For, behold, I will deal with you, and turn toward you^ and ye shall be tilled and sown. Ver. 10.

/ will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel at once; and the shall be inhabited, <md the ruins built. Ver, 11.

And Twill multiply upon you man and beast; they shall multiply and be fruitful: and I trill make you inhabit n your former hall know that I am Jehorah. Xcv. \'2. I will cause men, my j un\ to walk upon you; and they shall poeseet thee, and thou shalt be an inheritance to them, and make them childless no more. Ver. 13. Thus saith the Lord Jehorah, Because they say to you, u Thou art a deronrer of men, and hast made thy ole childless;n Ver. 14. 77 $ thou shalt no more devour men, and?io more cause thy to stumble, is the saying of the

Lord Jehorah. Ver. 15. And I will no more cause thee to hear the scoffing of the nations, and the disgrace of the nations thou shalt bear no more, and shalt no more cause thy people to stumble, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah.

This prophecy is uttered concerning the land of Israel, as is plainly declared in ver. G; whereas in vers. 1 and 4 the mountains of Israel are mentioned instead of the land, in antithesis to the mountains of Seir (ch. xxxv.; see the comm. on ch. xxxv. 12). The promise takes throughout the form of antithesis to the threat against Edom in ch. xxxv. Because Edom rejoices that the Holy Land, which has been laid waste, has fallen to it for a possession, therefore shall the devastated land be cultivated and sown again, and be inhabited by Israel as in the former time. The heathen nations round about shall, on the other hand, bear their disgrace; Edom, as we have already observed, being expanded, so far as the idea is concerned, into all the heathen nations surrounding Israel (vers. 3-7). In ver. 2, ^ixn, the enemy, is mentioned in quite a general manner; and what has already been stated concerning Edom in ch. xxxv. 5 and 10, is here predicted of the enemy. In vers. 3 and 4 this enemy is designated as a remnant of the heathen nations; and it is not till ver. 5 that it is more precisely defined by the clause, " and all Edom altogether." The

D;5n round about (MBO Tisfcj, ver. 4, compared with ver. 3) are the heathen nations which are threatened with destruction in ch. xxv. and xxvi., on account of their malicious rejoicing at the devastation of Jerusalem and Judah. This serves to explain the fact that these nations are designated as D^ian ft^JM^ the rest, or remnant of the heathen nations, which presupposes that the judgment has fallen upon them, and that only a remnant of them is left, which remnant desires to take possession of the devastated land of Israel. The epithet applied to this land, a?W ™^?> everlasting, i.e. primeval heights, points back to the thSV rriyzia of Gen. xlix. 26 and Deut. xxxiii. 15, and is chosen for the purpose of representing the land as a possession secured to the people of Israel by primeval promises, in consequence of which the attempt of the enemy to seize upon this land has become a sin against the Lord God. The indignation at such a sin is expressed in the emotional character of the address. As Ewald has aptly observed, " Ezekiel is seized with unusual fire, so that after the brief statement in ver. 2 i therefore' is repeated five times, the charges brought against these foes forcing themselves in again and again, before the prophecy settles calmly upon the mountains of Israel, to which it was really intended to apply." For $-? iV!> see the comm. on ch. xiii. 10. rriEB> is an infinitive Kal, formed after the analogy of the verbs n'J (cf. Ewald, § 238e), from DDB>, to be waste, to devastate, as in Dan. viii. 13, ix. 27, xii. 11, and is not to be taken in the sense of DPJ, after Isa. xlii. 14, as Hitzig supposes. *)XK>', to pant for a thing; here it is equivalent to snapping at anything. This is required by a comparison with ver. 46, where T2? n\i corresponds to p)Nttn nto^, and 3jtt to 'W nab hy £>W. In the connection |i£9 nab, nab signifies the lip as an organ of speech, or, more precisely, the words spoken; and tfB>J, the tongue, is personified, and stands for jiKv B^K (Ps. cxl. 12), a tongue-man, i.e. a talker. In ver. 4 the idea expressed in "the mountains of Israel" is expanded into mountains, hills, lowlands, and valleys (cf. ch.