Ezekiel · Chapter 14

V. 1. Elders-Men of note, that were in office and power among the Jews, who were come from Jerusalem.

Verse 1. Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me] These probably came to tempt him, or get him to say something that would embroil him with the government. They were bad men, as we shall see in the third verse.

Verse 1. Then came certain of the elders of Israel — Men of note, that were in office and power among the Jews. “The prophet neither tells us the name nor the intention of these elders of Israel, nor the time when they came to him. But the manner wherein God speaks, gives us to understand that they came only to tempt him, as the Pharisees came to Christ, and with no design to profit by what they heard, or to correct their faults:” see Calmet. And sat before me — As was the usual posture of those that came to hear the instructions of any prophet or teacher: see Ezekiel 8:1. In after times the teachers sat in a chair or eminent seat, and the hearers on lower forms at the feet of their masters: see Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3.

Verse 1. Then came certain of the elders of Israel, ex-judges and magistrates in Judea. They were all idolaters, yet they wished to know whether there were any hope of their return to Jerusalem, and of restoration to their lands and their honours. They sat and waited for the Word of the Lord to speak by his prophet.

FUTURE, 1-5.

1. Then came certain of the elders of Israel — Ezekiel’s sermons have at last aroused deep interest, and the chief men among the exiles, notwithstanding his fearful arraignment of the most popular prophets, come to him to inquire of the future. Ezekiel’s word to them is very different from the soft, smooth messages which he has been condemning (chap. 13). He openly exposes the iniquity of their hearts, and declares that Jehovah will have no speech with such as they (verse 3).

Verses 2, 3. And the word of the Lord came unto me — To acquaint me with the real character of these men, and what I should say to them. These men have set up their idols in their hearts — They are not only inclined to idolatry in their hearts, but they have actually set up idols and worshipped them. It seems, however, that their idolatry consisted, not in entirely deserting, but in corrupting and polluting the service of the true God, intermixing it with foreign worship and superstitions, learned from the heathen. And have set up the stumbling-block, &c. — Their idols, which were both the object of their sin, and the occasion of their ruin. Should I be inquired of at all by them? — Shall I give any counsel, or any answer concerning that of which they inquire of me, to such hypocrites as these?

FUTURE, 1-5.

1. Then came certain of the elders of Israel — Ezekiel’s sermons have at last aroused deep interest, and the chief men among the exiles, notwithstanding his fearful arraignment of the most popular prophets, come to him to inquire of the future. Ezekiel’s word to them is very different from the soft, smooth messages which he has been condemning (chap. 13). He openly exposes the iniquity of their hearts, and declares that Jehovah will have no speech with such as they (verse 3).

V. 3. Set up-Are resolved idolaters. The stumbling block-Their idols which were both the object of their sin, and occasion of their ruin.

Verse 3. These men have set up their idols in their heart] Not only in their houses; in the streets; but they had them in their hearts. These were stumbling-blocks of iniquity; they fell over them, and broke the neck of their souls. And should God be inquired of by such miscreants as these?

Verses 2, 3. And the word of the Lord came unto me — To acquaint me with the real character of these men, and what I should say to them. These men have set up their idols in their hearts — They are not only inclined to idolatry in their hearts, but they have actually set up idols and worshipped them. It seems, however, that their idolatry consisted, not in entirely deserting, but in corrupting and polluting the service of the true God, intermixing it with foreign worship and superstitions, learned from the heathen. And have set up the stumbling-block, &c. — Their idols, which were both the object of their sin, and the occasion of their ruin. Should I be inquired of at all by them? — Shall I give any counsel, or any answer concerning that of which they inquire of me, to such hypocrites as these?

Ver. 3. These men have set up their idols in their heart. Viri hi fecerunt ascendere stercora sua in cor suum. These men have caused the dung, or as the Munster version reads, stercoreos Deos suos, the dung of their gods to ascend before me. Delicacy induced our version to omit a part of the text; yet it has not omitted the same offensive word in Malachi 2:3.

FUTURE, 1-5.

1. Then came certain of the elders of Israel — Ezekiel’s sermons have at last aroused deep interest, and the chief men among the exiles, notwithstanding his fearful arraignment of the most popular prophets, come to him to inquire of the future. Ezekiel’s word to them is very different from the soft, smooth messages which he has been condemning (chap. 13). He openly exposes the iniquity of their hearts, and declares that Jehovah will have no speech with such as they (verse 3).

V. 4. According-According to his desert, I will give answer, but in just judgment.

Verse 4. According to the multitude of his idols] I will treat him as an idolater, as a flagrant idolater.

Verses 4, 5. Say unto them — Declare my will clearly and faithfully; Every man of the house of Israel — Whoever he be, rich or poor, mighty or mean; that setteth up his idols in his heart — That is attached in his heart to any species of idolatry; and cometh to the prophet — As if he were desirous to know what is best to be done, that he might do it; or what is the will of God, that he might comply with it: and what will be the issue of these times and affairs; I the Lord will answer him that cometh — And that in a way but little to his satisfaction; according to the multitude of his idols — According to his real iniquity, not according to his pretended piety: I will declare the greatness of his sin by the greatness of his punishment; he has multiplied his idols, and I will multiply his sorrows. That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart — That I may lay open what is in their hearts, and discover their hypocrisy and impiety; or, that I may reprove and convince them, from their own words and behaviour, what a base part they act, and that their inward and secret wickedness is perfectly known to me. Because they are estranged from me through their idols — It is always through some idol or other that the hearts of men are estranged from God. Some creature has gained that place in the heart which belongs to none but God.

4. According to the multitude — The severity of the Lord’s answer will be proportionate to the heinousness of the transgression.

V. 5. Take-That I may lay open what is in their heart, and discover their hypocrisy, and impiety. Through their idols-It is always through some idol or other, that the hearts of men are estranged from God: some creature has gained that place in the heart, which belongs to none but God.

Verses 4, 5. Say unto them — Declare my will clearly and faithfully; Every man of the house of Israel — Whoever he be, rich or poor, mighty or mean; that setteth up his idols in his heart — That is attached in his heart to any species of idolatry; and cometh to the prophet — As if he were desirous to know what is best to be done, that he might do it; or what is the will of God, that he might comply with it: and what will be the issue of these times and affairs; I the Lord will answer him that cometh — And that in a way but little to his satisfaction; according to the multitude of his idols — According to his real iniquity, not according to his pretended piety: I will declare the greatness of his sin by the greatness of his punishment; he has multiplied his idols, and I will multiply his sorrows. That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart — That I may lay open what is in their hearts, and discover their hypocrisy and impiety; or, that I may reprove and convince them, from their own words and behaviour, what a base part they act, and that their inward and secret wickedness is perfectly known to me. Because they are estranged from me through their idols — It is always through some idol or other that the hearts of men are estranged from God. Some creature has gained that place in the heart which belongs to none but God.

5. That I may take… in their own heart — “The sinner’s sin is like a snare in which he is captured and destroyed; sin carries its own retribution in itself (Job 8:4). Their ‘heart’ is the idolatrous direction of their thoughts and affections; in this they shall be taken (verses 3, 4, 7).” — Davidson.

STATEMENT OF THE DIVINE LAW WHICH CONTROLS EVEN FALSE PROPHECY, 6-11.

Verses 6-8. Therefore say, Repent — Be truly sorry for your past sins, and give proof of your sorrow by forsaking them, &c.; and turn from your idols — Separate yourselves from them, that they may not finally and eternally separate you from God. And turn away your faces — Your heart and ways; from all your abominations — Not only from all your idolatries, but from all sinful practices. Turn your faces from them, abhor the very sight of them; not only forsake them, but do it with loathing and detestation. For every one of the house of Israel — Every Jew of the seed of Abraham, whom this warning first and principally concerns; or of the stranger that sojourneth, &c. — Every proselyte: or the expression may include the foreigners who lived in Judea, termed, in the fourth commandment, the stranger within their gates. For these, although they were neither circumcised nor subject to the ceremonial laws, yet were under an obligation to refrain from idolatry, or from worshipping any God but Jehovah. Which separateth himself from me — Who leaves me to worship idols. God considered them as separating themselves from him, not only if they wholly left off to worship him, but also if they worshipped as gods any other beings, real or imaginary, along with him. For he, being the only true God, could not, of course, admit of any other to be worshipped together with him, as no other being whatsoever had the least pretence to be worshipped as God. I the Lord will answer him by myself — I who am Jehovah, the only Creator, Preserver, and Lord of all things, will answer him according to my own inherent power, not by words, but by executing my judgments upon him. And he shall find by the answer, that it was not the prophet, but God that answered, so dreadful, searching, and astonishing shall my answer be. And I will set my face against that man — I will make him a mark for my indignation; and will make him a sign and a proverb — A signal and remarkable instance of my vengeance; and will cut him off, &c. — By sudden death, attended with extraordinary circumstances.

6. Repent — The Lord will give to these idolaters no view of the future until they pluck their idols out of their hearts and turn away from sin.

V. 7. The stranger-Every proselyte. I the Lord-He shall find by the answer, ‘twas not the prophet, but God that answered: so dreadful, searching, and astonishing shall my answer be.

Verse 7. And cometh to a prophet] Generally supposed to mean a false prophet.

I the Lord will answer him by myself] I shall discover to him, by my own true prophet, what shall be the fruit of his ways. So, while their false prophets were assuring them of peace and prosperity, God’s prophets were predicting the calamities that afterwards fell upon them. Yet they believed the false prophets in preference to the true. Ahab, about to engage with the Syrians, who had possession of Ramoth-Gilead, asked Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, concerning the event; who told him he should lose the battle. He then inquired of Zedekiah, a false prophet, who promised him a glorious victory. Ahab believed the latter, marched against the enemy, was routed, and slain in the battle, 1 Kings 22:10, &c.

Verses 6-8. Therefore say, Repent — Be truly sorry for your past sins, and give proof of your sorrow by forsaking them, &c.; and turn from your idols — Separate yourselves from them, that they may not finally and eternally separate you from God. And turn away your faces — Your heart and ways; from all your abominations — Not only from all your idolatries, but from all sinful practices. Turn your faces from them, abhor the very sight of them; not only forsake them, but do it with loathing and detestation. For every one of the house of Israel — Every Jew of the seed of Abraham, whom this warning first and principally concerns; or of the stranger that sojourneth, &c. — Every proselyte: or the expression may include the foreigners who lived in Judea, termed, in the fourth commandment, the stranger within their gates. For these, although they were neither circumcised nor subject to the ceremonial laws, yet were under an obligation to refrain from idolatry, or from worshipping any God but Jehovah. Which separateth himself from me — Who leaves me to worship idols. God considered them as separating themselves from him, not only if they wholly left off to worship him, but also if they worshipped as gods any other beings, real or imaginary, along with him. For he, being the only true God, could not, of course, admit of any other to be worshipped together with him, as no other being whatsoever had the least pretence to be worshipped as God. I the Lord will answer him by myself — I who am Jehovah, the only Creator, Preserver, and Lord of all things, will answer him according to my own inherent power, not by words, but by executing my judgments upon him. And he shall find by the answer, that it was not the prophet, but God that answered, so dreadful, searching, and astonishing shall my answer be. And I will set my face against that man — I will make him a mark for my indignation; and will make him a sign and a proverb — A signal and remarkable instance of my vengeance; and will cut him off, &c. — By sudden death, attended with extraordinary circumstances.

7. I the Lord will answer him by myself — In matters of judgment the Lord will not speak by proxy. If they do not repent, they will hear from him in person. The future, of which they are so anxious to learn, will come all too soon, and the answer which they seek will be their total destruction.

V. 8. A sign-Of divine vengeance.

Verses 6-8. Therefore say, Repent — Be truly sorry for your past sins, and give proof of your sorrow by forsaking them, &c.; and turn from your idols — Separate yourselves from them, that they may not finally and eternally separate you from God. And turn away your faces — Your heart and ways; from all your abominations — Not only from all your idolatries, but from all sinful practices. Turn your faces from them, abhor the very sight of them; not only forsake them, but do it with loathing and detestation. For every one of the house of Israel — Every Jew of the seed of Abraham, whom this warning first and principally concerns; or of the stranger that sojourneth, &c. — Every proselyte: or the expression may include the foreigners who lived in Judea, termed, in the fourth commandment, the stranger within their gates. For these, although they were neither circumcised nor subject to the ceremonial laws, yet were under an obligation to refrain from idolatry, or from worshipping any God but Jehovah. Which separateth himself from me — Who leaves me to worship idols. God considered them as separating themselves from him, not only if they wholly left off to worship him, but also if they worshipped as gods any other beings, real or imaginary, along with him. For he, being the only true God, could not, of course, admit of any other to be worshipped together with him, as no other being whatsoever had the least pretence to be worshipped as God. I the Lord will answer him by myself — I who am Jehovah, the only Creator, Preserver, and Lord of all things, will answer him according to my own inherent power, not by words, but by executing my judgments upon him. And he shall find by the answer, that it was not the prophet, but God that answered, so dreadful, searching, and astonishing shall my answer be. And I will set my face against that man — I will make him a mark for my indignation; and will make him a sign and a proverb — A signal and remarkable instance of my vengeance; and will cut him off, &c. — By sudden death, attended with extraordinary circumstances.

8. Will make him a sign — How different from the sense in which Ezekiel was made a sign. (See Ezekiel 12:11.) This unrepentant idolater shall be set as a public sign of warning to men not to travel in his steps. (See Numbers 26:10; Deuteronomy 28:37.)

V. 9. The prophet-The false prophet, who speaks all serene, and quiet, in hope of reward. Have deceived-Permitted him to err, or justly left him in his blindness.

Verse 9. I the Lord have deceived that prophet] That is, he ran before he was sent; he willingly became the servant of Satan’s illusions; and I suffered this to take place, because he and his followers refused to consult and serve me. I have often had occasion to remark that it is common in the Hebrew language to state a thing as done by the Lord which he only suffers or permits to be done; for so absolute and universal is the government of God, that the smallest occurrence cannot take place without his will or permission.

Verses 9-12. And if the prophet be deceived — Or, seduced. This is to be understood of the false prophets, whose practices are reproved throughout the whole foregoing chapter. I the Lord have deceived that prophet — I Jehovah have suffered him to be deceived; I have given him up to strong delusions, as a just judgment upon him for going after idols, and setting up false pretences to inspiration, 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12. Or the words may signify, I will disappoint the expectations of those prophets who seduce my people, by speaking peace to them. For I will bring upon them those evils which they, with great assurance, have declared shall never come to pass. Thus Bishop Newcome, “When any false prophet is deceived, the probable event proving contrary to his prophecy, I Jehovah have so superintended the course of things as to deceive that prophet.” And I will, &c. — Or, Yea, I will stretch out my hand upon him — Remarkably punish his falsehood, and in severity destroy him. And they — Both the deceiver and the deceived; shall bear the punishment of their iniquity — There is so great a parity in the folly and impiety of both the seducing prophets and the seduced people, that it is hard to say, whose sin is greatest. The punishment of the prophet shall be, &c. — Their punishments shall be as similar as they made their sins: both shall be cut off and destroyed. That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me — The judgments I will inflict upon the false prophets, and those that consult them, shall be an instruction to my people to continue steady to me and my worship, and not hanker after the idolatrous practices of the neighbouring nations.

9. When he hath spoken a thing — Literally, and speaketh a thing. I the Lord have deceived that prophet — The prophecy was false and did not come from God (Ezekiel 13:4, 6); but the prophet who willfully follows a lie will soon lose the power to know the truth. This is God’s punishment for sin: that a man’s own “ways” and “abominations” fall upon him (Ezekiel 7:3; 9:10; 11:21), and is the rod by which he is chastised (Ezekiel 7:11, 20; note 14:5). These liars (Ezekiel 13:7, 8) at first hope that the prophecy which comes from their own hearts may be true (Ezekiel 13:6); at last by the action of this well-known mental law they are made to believe the lies they tell. It is one of God’s laws that rebellion against the truth blinds a man’s eyes so that he cannot see the truth (Ezekiel 12:1). He who speaks seeing “nothing” (xiii, 3) shall presently see a false vision and be himself deceived; but this will not do away with his guilt. No teaching of Scripture was more emphasized by Jesus than this (Matthew 13:14; John 12:40; see also Acts 28:26; Romans 11:8; 2 Corinthians 3:14). They who call evil good and good evil in order to deceive others will in the end be themselves deceived. The Hebrews, who took no interest in “second causes” and knew nothing of psychological laws, naturally and properly referred to God directly that which is now seen to be the inevitable result of willful falsehood according to the eternal laws of mind established by the Creator from the beginning. The above explanation is given because of the ordinary supposition that the “deception” spoken of refers to the substance of the prophecy; but the connection indicates very clearly that it has reference particularly to the outcome of such prophesying. The Lord has blinded the prophet’s eyes not to his own wickedness, nor even necessarily to the sequence of historical events, but to the results which shall come to him personally through these falsehoods. He expects praise and reward, and does not see his own destruction which shall surely come because of it.

Verse 10. The punishment of the prophet] They are both equally guilty; both have left the Lord, and both shall be equally punished.

Verses 9-12. And if the prophet be deceived — Or, seduced. This is to be understood of the false prophets, whose practices are reproved throughout the whole foregoing chapter. I the Lord have deceived that prophet — I Jehovah have suffered him to be deceived; I have given him up to strong delusions, as a just judgment upon him for going after idols, and setting up false pretences to inspiration, 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12. Or the words may signify, I will disappoint the expectations of those prophets who seduce my people, by speaking peace to them. For I will bring upon them those evils which they, with great assurance, have declared shall never come to pass. Thus Bishop Newcome, “When any false prophet is deceived, the probable event proving contrary to his prophecy, I Jehovah have so superintended the course of things as to deceive that prophet.” And I will, &c. — Or, Yea, I will stretch out my hand upon him — Remarkably punish his falsehood, and in severity destroy him. And they — Both the deceiver and the deceived; shall bear the punishment of their iniquity — There is so great a parity in the folly and impiety of both the seducing prophets and the seduced people, that it is hard to say, whose sin is greatest. The punishment of the prophet shall be, &c. — Their punishments shall be as similar as they made their sins: both shall be cut off and destroyed. That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me — The judgments I will inflict upon the false prophets, and those that consult them, shall be an instruction to my people to continue steady to me and my worship, and not hanker after the idolatrous practices of the neighbouring nations.

10. The punishment of the prophet shall be, etc. — This penalty has been described in detail previously (Ezekiel 13:9; chaps. 5-7, etc.).

Verses 9-12. And if the prophet be deceived — Or, seduced. This is to be understood of the false prophets, whose practices are reproved throughout the whole foregoing chapter. I the Lord have deceived that prophet — I Jehovah have suffered him to be deceived; I have given him up to strong delusions, as a just judgment upon him for going after idols, and setting up false pretences to inspiration, 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12. Or the words may signify, I will disappoint the expectations of those prophets who seduce my people, by speaking peace to them. For I will bring upon them those evils which they, with great assurance, have declared shall never come to pass. Thus Bishop Newcome, “When any false prophet is deceived, the probable event proving contrary to his prophecy, I Jehovah have so superintended the course of things as to deceive that prophet.” And I will, &c. — Or, Yea, I will stretch out my hand upon him — Remarkably punish his falsehood, and in severity destroy him. And they — Both the deceiver and the deceived; shall bear the punishment of their iniquity — There is so great a parity in the folly and impiety of both the seducing prophets and the seduced people, that it is hard to say, whose sin is greatest. The punishment of the prophet shall be, &c. — Their punishments shall be as similar as they made their sins: both shall be cut off and destroyed. That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me — The judgments I will inflict upon the false prophets, and those that consult them, shall be an instruction to my people to continue steady to me and my worship, and not hanker after the idolatrous practices of the neighbouring nations.

11. That the house of Israel may go no more astray — This penalty, which shall fall upon both prophet and people, is not because of God’s vengeance, but because of his mercy. God’s punishments are reformatory, and true prophecy and true religion prosper by the destruction of the false. THE CERTAINTY OF PUNISHMENT PROPHESIED AND A STATEMENT OF THE DIVINE LAW GOVERNING IT, 12-21.

Verses 9-12. And if the prophet be deceived — Or, seduced. This is to be understood of the false prophets, whose practices are reproved throughout the whole foregoing chapter. I the Lord have deceived that prophet — I Jehovah have suffered him to be deceived; I have given him up to strong delusions, as a just judgment upon him for going after idols, and setting up false pretences to inspiration, 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12. Or the words may signify, I will disappoint the expectations of those prophets who seduce my people, by speaking peace to them. For I will bring upon them those evils which they, with great assurance, have declared shall never come to pass. Thus Bishop Newcome, “When any false prophet is deceived, the probable event proving contrary to his prophecy, I Jehovah have so superintended the course of things as to deceive that prophet.” And I will, &c. — Or, Yea, I will stretch out my hand upon him — Remarkably punish his falsehood, and in severity destroy him. And they — Both the deceiver and the deceived; shall bear the punishment of their iniquity — There is so great a parity in the folly and impiety of both the seducing prophets and the seduced people, that it is hard to say, whose sin is greatest. The punishment of the prophet shall be, &c. — Their punishments shall be as similar as they made their sins: both shall be cut off and destroyed. That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me — The judgments I will inflict upon the false prophets, and those that consult them, shall be an instruction to my people to continue steady to me and my worship, and not hanker after the idolatrous practices of the neighbouring nations.

V. 13. When-At what time soever.

Verse 13. By trespassing grievously] Having been frequently warned, and having refused to leave their sin, and so filled up the measure of their iniquity.

Verses 13, 14. When the land, or, when a land sinneth, &c. — The meaning of this and the following verses is, that when the inhabitants of a land have filled up the measure of their iniquities, and God ariseth to execute judgment upon them, the few righteous that are left among them shall not be able, by their prayers and intercessions, to deliver the nation from the judgments decreed against it. They shall but deliver their own souls; as we see in the case of Sodom, where there were none righteous but Lot and his family: those just persons saved themselves, but no intercession could avail to save the city. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it — All of them persons eminent for piety. Noah, as a reward of his piety, saved eight persons out of the universal deluge, and obtained a promise from God that he would never destroy the world so again, Genesis 8:21. Daniel interceded with God for the whole nation of the Jews, and obtained a promise of their restoration, and of the coming of the Messiah, Daniel 9. Job was appointed by God to make intercession for his three friends, and obtained pardon for them, Job 42:8. But when God’s irreversible decree is gone out against a nation which hath filled up the measure of its iniquity, even the prayers of such men will be ineffectual toward their deliverance. For it is only for those that are not arrived to that height of wickedness, that the prayers of the righteous avail: compare Jeremiah 15:1. We may observe here how early the fame of Daniel’s piety was spread over Chaldea, who at this time was probably not above thirty years of age; he having been carried to Babylon only fourteen years before, when he was very young. For he was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim, (Daniel 1:1,) who, after this, reigned eight years, 2 Kings 23:36. And this prophecy, as appears from chap. 8:1, was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and only reigned three months.

13. Then will… and will — Literally, and. Trespassing grievously — Literally, committing unfaithfulness.

V. 14. Noah-Who ‘tis probable prevailed with God to spare the world for some years, and saved his near relations when the flood came. Daniel-Who prevailed for the life of the wise men of Chaldea. Job-Who daily offered sacrifice for his children, and at last reconciled God to those that had offended.

Verse 14. Though—Noah, Daniel, and Job] The intercession even of the holiest of men shall not avert my judgments. Noah, though a righteous man, could not by his intercession preserve the old world from being drowned. Job, though a righteous man, could not preserve his children from being killed by the fall of their house. Daniel, though a righteous man, could not prevent the captivity of his country. Daniel must have been contemporary with Ezekiel. He was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim, Daniel 1:1. After this Jeholakim reigned eight years, 2 Kings 23:36. And this prophecy, as appears from Ezekiel 8:1, was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and reigned only three months, 2 Kings 24:6, 8. Therefore at this time Daniel had been fourteen years in captivity. See Newcome. Even at this time he had gained much public celebrity. From this account we may infer that Job was as real a person as Noah or Daniel; and of their identity no man has pretended to doubt. When God, as above, has determined to punish a nation, no intercession shall avail. Personal holiness alone can prevent these evils; but the holiness of any man can only avail for himself.

Verses 13, 14. When the land, or, when a land sinneth, &c. — The meaning of this and the following verses is, that when the inhabitants of a land have filled up the measure of their iniquities, and God ariseth to execute judgment upon them, the few righteous that are left among them shall not be able, by their prayers and intercessions, to deliver the nation from the judgments decreed against it. They shall but deliver their own souls; as we see in the case of Sodom, where there were none righteous but Lot and his family: those just persons saved themselves, but no intercession could avail to save the city. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it — All of them persons eminent for piety. Noah, as a reward of his piety, saved eight persons out of the universal deluge, and obtained a promise from God that he would never destroy the world so again, Genesis 8:21. Daniel interceded with God for the whole nation of the Jews, and obtained a promise of their restoration, and of the coming of the Messiah, Daniel 9. Job was appointed by God to make intercession for his three friends, and obtained pardon for them, Job 42:8. But when God’s irreversible decree is gone out against a nation which hath filled up the measure of its iniquity, even the prayers of such men will be ineffectual toward their deliverance. For it is only for those that are not arrived to that height of wickedness, that the prayers of the righteous avail: compare Jeremiah 15:1. We may observe here how early the fame of Daniel’s piety was spread over Chaldea, who at this time was probably not above thirty years of age; he having been carried to Babylon only fourteen years before, when he was very young. For he was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim, (Daniel 1:1,) who, after this, reigned eight years, 2 Kings 23:36. And this prophecy, as appears from chap. 8:1, was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and only reigned three months.

Ver. 14. Noah, Daniel, and Job. God may be so provoked with the sins of a nation, and so determined to destroy them, that he will hear no intercession for them. Even though Noah were to intersede, who was himself delivered because he was righteous, and delivered his children, though they were not all good: or Job, who interseded for his friends, and prevailed. To these Daniel is added, who was now alive, and but a young man. This honour God conferred upon him, as he intended to make him a great blessing to the public, and to animate him in all his services, and comfort him under all his sufferings. The jews at Jerusalem might hear of the growing fame of Daniel, and think that if he had been with them they should have been delivered; but God assures them of the contrary.

14. Daniel — The criticism which always finds a blunder in Scripture whenever it is possible to force one in, suggests that Ezekiel could not have mentioned Daniel here — as there was no such man known to the Jews at this time — but that he was probably referring to Zoroaster (Zurathustra), of whom he had somewhere heard, and made a mistake in his attempt to Hebraize the name. Not knowing just when he lived, he made another mistake in locating him between Noah and Job (Cheyne, Bampton Lectures, 1889, p. 107). Is this criticism? Halevy and others would correct the text, reading Enoch instead of Daniel. This is not necessary, and is not favored by existing texts. It is not far from the banks of the Chebar to Babylon, and at the date when Ezekiel wrote, if the biblical narrative can be trusted, Daniel was a man in middle life, already famous as a statesman and an interpreter of secrets. (Compare Ezekiel 28:3.) Delitzsch thinks the prophet here intends to mention together a pious Hebrew of the ancient times (Noah), another of modern times (Daniel), and the ideal righteous man outside of the Hebrew people (Job). Job was ever regarded by the Hebrew people as marking the apex of faith (Hebrews 10:32, 36; James 5:11). When he lived is not known. He also may have been a contemporary. Though… Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it — The most righteous men that ever lived, either in past or present times, could not save this apostate land. Noah saved seven relatives by his righteousness (Genesis 7:13); Job saved his false friends from punishment (Job 42:8; compare 1:5); Daniel even saved the Chaldean Magi by his intercession (Daniel 2:18). “There is no shadow of evidence for the view of some commentators that an older Daniel is referred to. Had there been such a person, eminent enough to be grouped with Noah and Job, there would surely have been some mention of him in the Old Testament.” — Plumptre. “The references to the hero of the book of Daniel are by no means impossible, as, according to Daniel 1, at the time when this was written he was already celebrated.” — Orelli.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

Ver. 15. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, to range abroad unexpectedly; if the lion roar against the shepherds; if the lurking leopard make his leap, and the powerful bear gripe them in his jaws; the holy triumvirate mentioned in the former verse shall not deliver them, for the land shall be waste and desolate. Such is the decision of offended Deity.

15. Noisome beasts — Remembering that serpents, according to Scripture language, were included among these “hurtful beasts” (Genesis 3:14), it is a suggestive circumstance that over twenty thousand people die in India every year of snake bite, notwithstanding the excessive population and the carefulness of British officials, and notwithstanding the fact that the government kills five hundred thousand of these reptiles every year (Victoria Institute, 26:89, 111). In Syria, where the serpent was reverenced as possessing superhuman powers, its ability to “bereave” the land would be great.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

16. Neither sons nor daughters — Noah was granted this answer to prayer, and Daniel saved his fellow-exiles, and Job his three friends (compare James 5:16; Matthew 18:20); but the wickedness of the holy land is so great, because of God’s special favors, that even the united prayer of all three would not be granted in behalf of these hardened impenitents.

V. 17. That land-What land soever it be.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

17-19. See Ezekiel 5:12-17; 21:3; 38:21, 22; Leviticus 26:22-26.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

17-19. See Ezekiel 5:12-17; 21:3; 38:21, 22; Leviticus 26:22-26.

V. 19. In blood-In death and destruction, not by the sword.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

17-19. See Ezekiel 5:12-17; 21:3; 38:21, 22; Leviticus 26:22-26.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

20. By their righteousness — This is the strength of all intercessory prayer; but no prayer, however fervent, coming from any heart, however righteous, can put away this punishment so justly due to willful and persistent transgression and guilt. (See chap. 33.)

V. 21. How much more-If they could not be able to keep off one of the four, how much less would they be able to keep off all four, when I commission them all to go at once.

Verse 21. My four sore judgments] SWORD, war. FAMINE, occasioned by drought. PESTILENCE, epidemic diseases which sweep off a great part of the inhabitants of a land. The NOISOME BEAST, the multiplication of wild beasts in consequence of the general destruction of the inhabitants.

Verses 15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. — “If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors’ sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of God’s judgments.” So that I cut off man and beast from it — “Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the air’s being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies.” Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood — With great destruction of men’s lives, Ezekiel 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more — Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — “If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions?” And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?

21. How much more — If a transgression which has brought upon itself one of these penalties cannot be forgiven, even upon the petition of these great saints, how much more is this impossible when the wickedness has been so outbreaking that God has sent all four of his severest judgments upon the land (Ezekiel 5:17; 33:27). Remembering that Ezekiel wrote in Babylon it is a curious fact that wild beasts, famine, and pestilence were united as a trinity of death in Chaldean legend. For example, in the story of Dibbara (Hebrews, Debar, “Plague”), Kutha, the Babylonian necropolis, was the seat of the worship of Laz, the goddess of famine, while Nergal, the god of war, was also the god of death. (See Babylonian and Oriental Record, 1:1-16, and Jastrow, Religion of the Babylonians, p. 505.) THE JUSTICE AND BENEFICENCE OF THE PUNISHMENT PROVED BY ITS

V. 22. Their way-Their sin and their punishment. Comforted-In this proof of the truth of God.

Verse 22. Behold, they shall come forth unto you] Though there shall be great desolations in the land of Judea, yet a remnant shall be left that shall come here also as captives; and their account of the abominations of the people shall prove to you with what propriety I have acted in abandoning them to such general destruction. This speech is addressed to those who were already in captivity; i.e., those who had been led to Babylon with their king Jeconiah.

Verses 22, 23. Yet, behold, therein — In Jerusalem itself, though marked for utter ruin; in Judea, though condemned to suffer unexampled desolations; shall be left a remnant — That shall not be cut off by any of those sore judgments before mentioned, but shall escape and be brought forth into Chaldea, to be your companions in captivity; both sons and daughters — That shall be the seed of a new generation. And ye shall see their ways and their doings — “Ye shall be made sensible of their guilt and reformation.” Their sufferings shall be made instrumental in bringing them to a due sense of the greatness and aggravations of their former iniquities, and you shall hear them make a free and ingenuous confession of them, and an humble profession of repentance for them, with promises of amendment, and you shall see instances of this amendment, and be witnesses of the good their affliction has done them, and how prudently and patiently they carry themselves under it. And ye shall be comforted — “By their confession of their idolatries, by a conviction of my justice, and by the spirit of allegiance to me, which they shall propagate.” — Bishop Newcome. Concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem — Ye shall the less grieve when you are made sensible they were not punished beyond what their sins deserved, and that their sufferings have had a salutary influence on their spirit and conduct. This consideration will compose your minds, and make you give glory to God, and acknowledge his judgments to be righteous, though they touch you very nearly in the destruction of your friends and country. And they shall comfort you when ye see their ways, &c. — When you see them repenting of their sins and reforming their lives, humbling themselves before God, justifying his conduct toward them, and quietly accepting the punishment of their iniquity. And ye shall know that I have not done without cause — Not without a just provocation, and yet not without a gracious design; all that I have done in it — In Jerusalem and among its inhabitants. When afflictions have done their work, and have accomplished that for which they were sent, then will appear the wisdom and goodness of God in sending them, and God will not only be justified, but glorified in them.

EFFECTS, 22, 23.

22. Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant — The “remnant” of righteous persons who remain will be worth more than the vast mixed multitude that called themselves Israelites. (See Isaiah 10:20-22.) They shall “bring forth sons and daughters” whose purity of life shall prove to all observers that the judgments were wise that had cut off the offending multitudes and left only a pure and zealous remainder. Dr. Davidson and others believe that the “remnant” referred to here is a remnant of the wicked which in after years, by their extreme wickedness, shall prove the justice of the punishments which fell upon their fathers; but the reference to the saved remnant in other places in Ezekiel (see verse 11, etc.), as also in Isaiah and Jeremiah, taken in connection with the actual historic results of the punishment of Israel, discountenances this interpretation. (See notes Ezekiel 6:8-10.)

V. 23. Comfort you-That is, you will be comforted, when you compare their case with your own: when they tell you how righteous God was, in bringing these judgments upon them. This will reconcile you to the justice of God, in thus punishing his own people, and to the goodness of God, who now appeared to have had kind intentions in all.

Verse 23. Ye shall know that I have not done without cause] There is no part of the conduct of God towards man that is not dictated by the purest principles of justice, equity, and truth. He does nothing but what is right; and whatever is right to be done, that ought to be done. In God’s justice there is no severity; in God’s mercy there is no caprice. He alone doth all things well; for he is the Fountain of justice and mercy. EZEKIEL

Verses 22, 23. Yet, behold, therein — In Jerusalem itself, though marked for utter ruin; in Judea, though condemned to suffer unexampled desolations; shall be left a remnant — That shall not be cut off by any of those sore judgments before mentioned, but shall escape and be brought forth into Chaldea, to be your companions in captivity; both sons and daughters — That shall be the seed of a new generation. And ye shall see their ways and their doings — “Ye shall be made sensible of their guilt and reformation.” Their sufferings shall be made instrumental in bringing them to a due sense of the greatness and aggravations of their former iniquities, and you shall hear them make a free and ingenuous confession of them, and an humble profession of repentance for them, with promises of amendment, and you shall see instances of this amendment, and be witnesses of the good their affliction has done them, and how prudently and patiently they carry themselves under it. And ye shall be comforted — “By their confession of their idolatries, by a conviction of my justice, and by the spirit of allegiance to me, which they shall propagate.” — Bishop Newcome. Concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem — Ye shall the less grieve when you are made sensible they were not punished beyond what their sins deserved, and that their sufferings have had a salutary influence on their spirit and conduct. This consideration will compose your minds, and make you give glory to God, and acknowledge his judgments to be righteous, though they touch you very nearly in the destruction of your friends and country. And they shall comfort you when ye see their ways, &c. — When you see them repenting of their sins and reforming their lives, humbling themselves before God, justifying his conduct toward them, and quietly accepting the punishment of their iniquity. And ye shall know that I have not done without cause — Not without a just provocation, and yet not without a gracious design; all that I have done in it — In Jerusalem and among its inhabitants. When afflictions have done their work, and have accomplished that for which they were sent, then will appear the wisdom and goodness of God in sending them, and God will not only be justified, but glorified in them.

EFFECTS, 22, 23.

22. Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant — The “remnant” of righteous persons who remain will be worth more than the vast mixed multitude that called themselves Israelites. (See Isaiah 10:20-22.) They shall “bring forth sons and daughters” whose purity of life shall prove to all observers that the judgments were wise that had cut off the offending multitudes and left only a pure and zealous remainder. Dr. Davidson and others believe that the “remnant” referred to here is a remnant of the wicked which in after years, by their extreme wickedness, shall prove the justice of the punishments which fell upon their fathers; but the reference to the saved remnant in other places in Ezekiel (see verse 11, etc.), as also in Isaiah and Jeremiah, taken in connection with the actual historic results of the punishment of Israel, discountenances this interpretation. (See notes Ezekiel 6:8-10.)