Ezekiel 36

By the speech directed to the mountains of Israel, God foretelleth that he will in great zeal execute vengeance upon the enemies of his church, that had deaded, oppressed, and made havock of her, verse 1, c. and that he will most gloriously restore, multiply, and bless her, 8. He sheweth that he was necessitated to punish and chastise her for her sins, for the honour of his holy name, 16, but that he will again for his names sake out of his free grace and mercy, abundantly favour her, cleanse her, sanctifie her by holy spirit and fill her with all manner of blessings, and everlastingly save her, 21, c.

1. And thou child of man, prophesie unto the mountains of Israel, and say, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD, [as above chapter 6.2,3. God speaketh to the mountains, that is, the hilly countrey (as verse 6) of Israel, for the instruction of men (for whose sins they lay waste, and were divided) and to shew that the wicked scornings and directions of his land and people did concern himself. Compare Joel 2:18 and see further of such speeches above chapter 14 on verse 17.]

2. Thus saith the Lord LORD; because the enemy saith of you, Aha! [See Job 39 on verse 28 and Psalms 35 on verse 21 and compare above chapter 25.3 and 26.2.] Even the everlasting high places [Heb. High places of eternity; the ancient famous mountains, also strong, lasting, &c. Deuteronomy 33:15. Habakkuk 3:6 with the Annotat. This might otherwise be also understood of mount Zion and Moria, where David’s tower and temple had been. Compare Psalms 78:69 and above chap 35.10.] And become our inheritance! [Thus this should be wicked boasting at God, and at the destruction of his sanctuary, called Gods everlasting habitation, as being now fallen into the enemies and possession. Here it is said are become; in the Hebrew is become; meaning every one of those high places. See below verse 5.]

3. Therefore prophesie, and say, thus saith the Lord LORD; therefore because they have made you desolate, ad swallowed (you) up on every side [Compare Psalms 56:2 you; the mountains of Israel, environed by Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, Tyrians, Zidonians, Syrians, &c. that ye might be an inheritance [or so that ye are become, c] for the remnant of the heathen, [to the east, to the residue that are left, or might be left of the common desolations. So verse 4,5. Compare also verse 3, 6.] and ye are brought [Heb. Brought up] upon the prattling lip, [Heb. Lip of the tongue; that is, as if one should say, tongue; that is as if one should say, tongue, lip; that is, prattling, prating lip, so that every one’s mouth is full of you, and speak scornfully of you, maketh taunts and proverbs of you] and (in) the taunts of the people.

4. Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord LORD: thus saith the Lord LORD to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams, and to the valleys, and the desolate solitary places, and to the forsake cities, that are become a prey and derision for the remnant! Of the heathen that are round about:

5. Therefore thus saith the Lord LORD; if I have not spoken in the fire of my zeal [or in my zealous zeal; to wit, for my land and people, and against mine and their enemies. Compare above on verse 1 and below verse 6 and above chapter 5.13. Deuteronomy 4:24. with the Annotat.] Against the remains of the heathen, and against all Edo, which have given my land [Canaan See Psalms 68 on verse 10. Hos. 9 on verse 3. So below verse 20] unto themselves for an inheritance, [see above chapter 35.10.] with the joy of all (their) heart, with desirable plundering, [Heb. Plundering, or contempt of the foul; that is, despise or plundering my people and land with an inward delight and servant affection or desire, without any pity or compassion at all. See Psalms 27 on verse 12.] That the countrey thereof [of my land of Canaan] might be for a prey. [The Hebrew word rendered here countrey, signifieth suburbs, lands or fields, near empty ruinous places, lying before, without and about cities or other buildings: farmers, out-gardens inheritance, c. because they are separated therefrom: whereunto the original Hebrew word hath respect, which otherwise sinifieth casting out, driving out: wherefore others render these words thus; to set out the same land (land) for a prey. Heb. That the countrey, or setting out, casting out (might be) for a prey. See of this abrupt sentence usual in oaths, above chapter 34.8. With the Annotat. And fill up the sense from verse 7.

6. Therefore prophesie concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the streams, and to the valleys, thus saith the Lord LORD; behold, I have spoken in my zeal, and in y fury, because ye have born the reproach of the heathen: [As above chapter 34.29 and below verse 15.]

7. Therefore thus saith the Lord LORD; I have lifted up mine hand, [That is, sworn by my self: as men swear by God by lifting up, or putting up of the hand. See Genesis 14 on verse 22.] If the heathen that it are round about you shall not bear their (own) shame!

8. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall yield your branches (again), [That is, flourish again, and become fruitful] and bear your fruit for my people of Israel: for they are at hand to come. [The Israelites shall soon return out of captivity: whereupon the most principal thing of all shall follow, to wit, the redemption and restauration of the universal church by the Messiah]

9. For lo, I am with you; [O ye mountains of Israel, to deliver your and do you good. Others I (will be) upon you; which phrase must not be taken here (as elsewhere: see Jeremiah 21 on verse 13 and above chapter 13.8) in a bad, or in an hostile way, but in good sense, and in a friendly and loving way: as we also sometimes do in our own language, when we will be upon a man in a hostile manner, or also in a good sense; to deliver a man, or to do him a good turn, &c.] And I will look towards you, [or turn my face towards you; that is, graciously, accept you, sending the Messiah unto you, at whose coming and benefits towards his church this happeneth chiefly, and principally looketh, as appeareth in the sequel] and ye shall be tilled and sown.

10. And I will multiply men [Heb. man: and so in the next verse, man and beast. Compare below verse 37.38. Jeremiah 31:27. with the Annotat] upon the whole house of Israel, (yea) that whole: [my whole Church, the whole body, under one head, the Messiah. See Ephesians 2:12,13,19,21,22. Colossians 2:19. and compare below chapter 37.16,17,19,24, c.] And the cities shall be inhabited, and the solitary shall be builded.

11. Yea I will multiply men and beasts upon you and they shall be multiplied, and be fruitful, and I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, yea I will make it better then in your beginnings. Therefore the new covenant is called a better covenant, and the time of the Messiah, times of bettering, or of reformation, Hebrews 8:7 and 9.10, &c] and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

12. And I will cause men to walk upon you, (namely) my people Israel, they shall possess thee hereditarily; and thou shall be for an inheritance unto them: and thou shalt henceforth bereave them no more [Heb. not adde to bereave them any more, c, or] henceforth, to wit, or anything that is dear unto them, as children, men in general, fruits of the earth, &c. see Jeremiah 15 on verse 7. So below verse 13,14,15. The meaning is that the land should be no more in such a café as it was formerly, when man perished in it through war, famine, and pestilence, thou wast bereaved of them, and they were bereaved of thee: for which cause reproachful terms used concerning the land, such as are mentioned in the following verse. God speaketh to the land done it in a Rhetorical kind of speech; of the saying of the enemies, which held it to be a cursed land, wherein no man could prosper, or dwell in peace. Compare Numb. 13.32.]

13. Thus saith the Lord LORD; because they say unto you, [in a jeering and mocking way] thou art (a liid) that catest up men: and thou art (a land) that bereaveth thy nations, [Of the twelve tribes: so in the two next chapters and below chapter 37.22. see on the former verse.[

14. Therefore shall eat up men no more, neither cause thy nations to stumble [And consequently bereave them. See above on verse 12.] Any more, saith Lord LORD.

15. And I will cause that men shall hear no more the taunt of the heathen against thee, and thou shalt bear no more the reproach of the nations: [As above verse 6] neither shall thou cause the people to stumble any more, saith the Lord LORD.

16. Furthermore, the word of the Lord came unto me saying:

17. Cild of man, the house of Israel when they dwelt in their (own) land, then they defiled it by their way. See Gen. 6 on verse 12.] And by their dealing: their way was before my face as the uncleanness of a separate (woman). (See Levit. 1519, 24. With the Annotat.]

18. Therefore I poured out my fury upon them. [See Psalms 79 on verse 6] because of the blood that they had shed in the land: [Or, upon the earth] and for their dung-gods, [see Levit. 16 on verse 30] (wherewith) they had polluted the same.

19. And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed in the lands: I judged them according to their way, and according to their dealings.

20. Now when they came into the heathen whither they were gone, they profaned my holy name: [Heb. the name of my holiness; and so in the sequel. The reason is, because the Israelites themselves were the cause that God has cast them out of his own land: which enemies continued to God’s ignominy and dishonor, as if he had not been able enough to preserve his own land and people, or not faithful in his promises. Adde hereunto this, that they everywhere, where forever they came, so behaved themselves that God reaped nothing but dishonour by them, whereby he was necessitated to do all this for his own name’s sake, whereof in the sequel] because they said because of them, these are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of the land. [As above verse 5. others they are gone one after another out of their land: that is, they were sain to leave it, everyone for his own part Israel first, and after Juda: some strange accident hath befallen his people and the land]

21. But I had pity on (them) for my holy name, [Or, I had pity on my holy name] which the house of Israel profaned among the heathen, whither they were come.

22. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord LORD; I do it not for your sakes, ye house of Israel, but for mine holy names sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen whither ye are come.

23. For I will hallow [Compare above chapter 28 on verse 22.] my great name, which is profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them, and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord LORD, when I shall be hallowed in you [or, shall have hallowed my self. That is, shall have manifested my holiness, power, and faithfulness in you] before their eyes. [Others, your eyes]

24. For I will fetch [Heb. Take. See Jerem. 37 on verse 17. so below chapter 37.21.] you from among the heathen, [first, and partly you Jews with a few Israelites from Babel, &c. but this shall be a type of the figure of the great spiritual work of the grace which I will work in the time of the Messiah and of the New Testament, gathering my universal church from among the whole world, and blessing them as followeth. Compare above chapter 11.17] and will gather you out of all countreyes, and I will bring you unto your (own) land.

25. Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, [I will by my word and spirit apply unto you the precious blood of the immaculate lamb Jesus Christ. For the cleansing of your soul. See 1 Pet. 1.2,19 and Ephesians 5:26. Hebrews 9:14. 1 Job 1:7, &c.] And ye shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your dung-gods will I cleanse you. [Compare below chapter 37.23 and 43.7.]

26. And I will give you a new heart, [See hereof above chapter 11 on verse 19.] and I will give a new spirit in the innermost (part) of you: and I will take away the stony heart of out of your flesh, and will give you a fleshy heart.

27. And I will give my spirit in the innermost (part) of you: and I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and to keep my judgement, and to do (them)

28. And ye shall dwell in the land but I give to your fathers, and ye shall be a people unto me, [see Deut. 7 on verse 6] and I will be a God unto you. [See Gen. 17 on verse 7.]

29. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses, and I will call for the corn, [by my powerful working send all manner of blessings, which is elsewhere called God’s commanding, (see Levet. 25 on verse 21.) as the Lord is also said to call for the plagues. See Psalms 105:16. Jerem. 25.29 With the Annotat. By these corporal blessings for the most part (as elsewhere) spiritual blessings are represented yet so as that Godliness hath also the promise of the life that now is (see Joel 2 on verse 23 and 1 Tim. 4.8) but without excluding the conflict and cross. (see Psalms 37 on verse 1) whereof below chapter 38] and will multiply it, and I will lay no famine upon you.

30. And I will multiply the fruit of the trees, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the heathen.

31. Then shall ye remember your wicked waies, and your dealing that were not good: [see above chapter 6.9. with the Annotat] and you shall loathe your selves [Heb. Your faces, as above chapter 6.9.] for your iniquities; and for your abominations.

32. I do it not for your sakes, [Ye have not deserved it in the least: but I do it out of free grace, for the honour of my holy name] saith the Lord LORD, beit known unto you: be ashamed, and blush for your (own) waies, ye house of Israel. [God will earnestly have them to know this and to confess it with a humble and dejected confession and acknowledgement of their own unworthiness]

33. Thus saith the Lord LORD, in the day when I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities, then will I cause the cities to be inhabited, [plant them with inhabitants] and the solitary places shall be builded.

34. And the desolate land shall be tilled, in stead that it was a desolation before the eyes of everyone that passed by.

35. And they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden: [that is, garden of pleasure. Compare above chapter 28.13. With the Annotat.] And the solitary and the desolate and destroyed cities are strong and inhabited.

36. Then shall the heathen that shall be left in the places round about you, know that I am the LORD build the destroyed places, (and) plant that that was desolate: [Or, have builded, planted the destroyed (cities)] I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it.

37. Thus saith the Lord LORD; moreover, I will for this be sought of the house of Israel, to perform it unto them: I will multiply them with men like sheep. [Or, as (with) flocks of men. Or, I will suffer my self to be sought, or enquired of, &c. that is, willingly yield to this, suffer myself to be found in it. (Compare Isaiah 65:1.) that (in regard the grace is plentiful and exceeding ample and spacious, so that these seemeth to want but men to enjoy it) I may adde yet this mercy thereunto, that I may fill up my church with believing men, like sheep, both of Jews, and chiefly of Gentiles. Compare Job 10:16. Song of Solomon 8:8, c. Isaiah 49:19, 20 and 54.2, c and above verse 10.]

38. As the halloweth sheep, as the sheep of Jerusalem on her appointed feasts: [Heb, sheep of holiness. Meaning the cattel for sacrifice, that in great multitudes were brought into Jerusalem against the yearly feasts for sacrifice] so shall the cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.