Ezekiel 6
DortA prophecy of the destruction of the land for the abominable idolatry of the people vers 1 & c promises of mercy to a small penitent remnant 8.The prophet is commanded by the gestures of disquietness and mourning to represent the fins and plagues of the people 11.
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me saying:
2. Child of man set thy face against the mountains of Israel [that is take a strong resolution and make thy self ready to prophesie boldly and undauntedly against them so below chap 13.17 and 20.4 and 21.2 and 25.2 and 28.21 and 35.2 and 38. 2 against the mountains of Israel to wit that there were near and round about Jerusalem see Psal 125.2 meaning the land and kingdom of Juda which is called Israel not only the Jews as well as the Israelites descended from the patriarch Israel that is, Jacob but for other causes also mentioned 2 Chron 15 on vers 17 and 21 on vers 2] and prophesie against them .
3. And say ye mountains of Israel [meaning the men that dwelt upon the mountains so must in the following words hills brooks and valleys be taken namely for those that had their habitations upon or by or in the woods compare Jugd 1.19 Psal 98.8 below chap 36 .1Mich 6.1,2] hear the word of the Lord LORD thus saith the Lord LORD to the mountains and to the hills and to the brooks [or steams floods gulfs that strongly spread forth their course into the land so is the word taken Job 6:15 below chap 31.12 and 35.8]and to the valleys ,behold, I bring the sword [that is war see Levit 26.6 and 2 Chron 20.9 and the annotate]upon you and I will destroy your high places [of high places Levit 26 on vers 30.]
4. Moreover your alters [to wit which they had set up to the honor of their idols] shall be wasted and your images of the sun [see of these Levit 26 on vers 30]shall be broken and I will cast down your slain men [or your mortally wounded man meaning the Jews that should be slain or murdered by their enemies even when they should be fled to their idols to be helped by them in their necessity as is implied in the following words]before the face of your dung-gods [see Levit 26 on vers 30]
5. And I will lay Heb properly give the dead bodies of the children of Israel before the face of their dung-gods and I will scatter your bones round about your altars .[that is I will not cause not only to be slain before their idols but I will also cause their dead bodies and the pieces thereof to lie and to be scattered about their idolatrous altars to defile them therewith for the dead bodies of men were held to be most loathsome and abominable about altars and sacrifices]
6. In all your habitations [That is in all place were you might dwell]the cities shall be laid waste and the high places he made a wilderness ,that your altars may be waste and solitary and your dung-gods may be broken and cease and the images of the sun may be cut down and your works [meaning their images and idols with all their idolatrous furnisher made by men’s hands see 2Kings 22 on vers 17] may be abolished .
7. And the slain shall he [Heb threatening for lying see Jerem 9 on vers 22]in the midst of you that you may know [see above chap 5 on vers 13] that I am the Lord [that is the only and true God that have spoken these things by my by my prophets and will make it actually appear that I am both true and just so below vers 1 and chap 11.10 and 12.15 &c.]
8. I will yet leave a remnant when ye shall have some to escape the sword among the heathen when ye shall be scattered into the lands [Heb escapers of the sword &c meaning those that should indeed become exile in foreign countries but by the grace of God should remain alive for their good that God might always reserve unto himself a people in the midst of all destruction]
9. Then shall thine escape remember me [to wit whom when they were in their prosperity and lived in pleasure they had forgotten .To remember God is here to return unto him forsaking their former wicked life compare Jerem 50.51] among the heathen were they shall become captives because I am broken by their whorish heart which hath departed from me [that is I am fore troubled and vexed this is spoken of God after the manner of man to shew that the fins of the Jews extremely displeased him ,and stopped and broke down the current of mercies towards them .by the whorish heart here is meant the spiritual whoredom which is idolatry which is idolatry see Levit 17 on vers 7 and 20 on vers 5]and by their eyes ,which go a whoring after their dung-god compare below chap 20 on vers 24 and they shall loath themselves [Heb their faces that is themselves]for[the Hebrew particle is like wise taken 1 Kings 21:22 2Kings 7.7 and here in vers 7]the evils which they have committed in their abominations.
10. And they shall know [see above chap 5 on vers 13]that I am the Lord I have not spoken in vain of doing this evil unto them .[To wit because my faithfulness requireth that I should so admonish and threaten them by my prophets and my justice that I should so destroy them by their enemies .]
11. Thus saith the Lord LORD Smite with thine band [to wit in token of sorrow and heaviness which thou shalt bewray for the fins of people ,and the punishment that shall follow there upon compare Numb 24.10 and the annotate smiting and clapping the hands but with other words in the original hath also been used as a token of contempt see Job 34 on vers 37 Lamentations 2:14 yea even as a token of joy Psal 47.1 and 97.8 and 25.6 and of contracts or bargain Job 17 on vers 3]and stamp with thy foot [also in token of sorrow .A like token it is to smite upon the thigh or hip Jeremiah 31:19 below chap 21.12]and say Ab for all the abominations of the evil for the house of Israel for they shall fall [ that is perish and die see Genesis 14:10 and the annotate Levit 26.7 and the annotate by the sword ,by the famine and by the pestilence.
12. He that is far off [meaning those that should be fled into the countries round about or should hide themselves in the woods and caves]shall die by the pestilence but he that is near [that is those that should fall into the hands of the Chaldeans]shall fall by the sword and he that remaineth and besieged [to wit in the city of Jerusalem others is preserved] shall die by the famine this will I accomplish my fury against them .
13. Then shall yea know that I am the Lord when their slain man shall be in the midst of their dung-god round about their altars upon all high bill upon all the tops of the mountains and under every green tree [see Deut 12 on vers 2 1 Kings14.23 2Kings16.4]and under all thick oaks [that is very thick branched oaks]the place were they made a pleasant savor to all their dung-gods [Heb savor of rest c [to wit of sacrifices and incense wherein they conceived that their idols took rest pleasure
14. Therefore will I stretch out mine hand upon them and will make the land desolate yea more desolate then the wilderness towards the Diblath [it is conceived that the wilderness lay in the land of the Moabites being very terrible by reason of its extraordinary desolation thorow which wilderness the Israelites passed when they were to first enter into the land of Canaan Numb 33.47 Jerem 48.22 Diblath was a city as is conceived in the fore mentioned land of Moabites others called Diblathalain Jerem 48.22] in all their habitations and they shall find that I am the Lord .