Ezekiel 7
DortA further prophecy of the first and most fearful desolation of the whole land Jud avers 12 &c. the pitiful lamentations of those that escaped 16 because of their fins they shall like man astonished desperate malfactours both high and low heartless comfortless and void of counsel be carried into captivity this was represented unto them by a token of a chain 17 &c.
1. After that the Lord came unto me saying :
2. Moreover thou child of man thus saith the Lord LORD concerning the land of Israel [meaning the kingdom of Juda which is often in the book called Israel compare 2 Chron 15.17 and 21.2]the end is come [to wit of the fore mentioned land understand by the word end the ruine and destruction of the land see Genesis 6:13 compare Lament 4.18]the end is come that is very high at hand in this prophecy was made in the fifth year of Zedikiahs reign and was fulfilled in the eleventh see the like phrase 1 Sam 2.31 Psal 102.14 Isaiah 13:22 Jerem50.31] upon the four corners of the land .[Heb wings &c that is sides bound s parts of the land of Juda as for example they were the west ,east ,south, north-borders Christ calleth these the four winds Matth 4.31 .The meaning is that no part of the land should be free from Gods punishment .]
3. Now is the end upon thee for I will send mine anger against thee [that is my judgments which I will pour out in my wrath against thee so Exodus 15:7 Job 20:23 Psal 78.49]and I will judge [that is punish see Genes 15 on vers 14]thee according to thy ways [that is works see genes 6 on vers 12]and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations [Heb I will give upon the &c that is bring , lay ,put so vers4 that is I will punish thee for thine abominations and wicked works see the like phrase 1 Kings 8 on vers 32 Jerem 26.15 below vers 8 and chap9.10 and 11.21 and 16.43 and 22.31 . 23.48 .
4. And mine eye shall not pity thee [see above chap 5 on vers 11 and below chap 8 on vers 18] neither will I spare but will bring ways upon thee and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee [that is the punishments of thine abominations &c for the guilt of abominations had been long before among them so iniquity of punishment thereof see Levit 5.1 and the annotate]and you shall know that I am the LORD .
5. Thus saith the Lord LORD ;an evil [meaning the evil of punishment Gen 19 on vers 19] an only evil which at once shall utterly ruine and destroy you compare the phrase with 1 Sam 26.8 Nahum 1:9]behold is come .
6. An end is come [see above on vers 2] that the end is come [to wit which I have continually threatened by my prophets one and the same thing is twice said to express the truth and heaviness of it] it is awaked against thee [it meaning the fore mentioned end others he is awaked to wit the Lord and that to punish thee awaked that is prepared and ready to fall upon thee compare 2 Pet 2.3]behold the evil [to wit whereof is spoken in the former vers]is come.
7. The morning that is the time wherein thou shalt of a certain be early and quickly cut off .Some conceive that here respect is had to the time of public civil punishments which among the Israelites were done in the morning using for that purpose that which is said Psal 101.8 ] is come unto thee o inhabitants of the land the time is come that day of trouble is near [meaning a certain and determined time wherein the land should be full of trouble by means of the lamenting and howling of men Heb the day the trouble is near]and there is no echo of the mountains [meaning the echo proceeding from the shouting and noise that is made when they gather in their new wine and other fruits of the fields some understand this also of the joyful sound which idolaters made upon the mountains near their altars compare 25 on vers 30 .]
8. Now will I shortly [Heb from high at hand] pour out my fury upon thee [that is send upon thee the punishments of my fury in great abundance and with violence so below chap 20.8,13 see Psal 79 on vers 6] and accomplish mine anger against thee [see above chap 5 on vers 13]and judge thee according to thy ways [that is works or doings as above on vers 3] and will bring upon thee all thine abomination
9. And mine eye shall not pity neither will I spare I will render unto thee according to thy ways and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee [see above on vers 4] and ye shall know that I am the Lord that finisheth [that is that punisheth justly see of this word on Gen 8 on vers 21 .
10. Behold the day [that is the time of punishment and vengeance of God see above vers 7 and below vers 12]behold the morning [this word is here inserted from the fore going seventh vers or from the following words of this vers .We may also put in the room of it the evil from the fifth vers]is come the morning is gone forth the rod hath blossomed [by the rod here is understood by many king Nebuchadnezzar by whom the Jews should be punished for which end his might increased and flourished compare Isaiah 10:5] pride hath budded [by pride here is meant the bold and obstinate presumption of the Jews in the sinning against God which was the cause of the aforesaid blossoming rod see the next vers .]
11. Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness [by violence understand here injustice and cruelty proceeding from the afore mentioned pride .For from contempt of God issueth and injustice and cruelty which men practice one against another now this bringeth forth the rod whereby the wickedness of men according to the just judgment of God is punished violence maybe also here understood by in respect of the Chaldeans whom the Lord would shortly raise up to punish the wickedness of the Jews] nothing of them [to wit of the Jews] shall remain [this is to be understood with exception of the remnant whereof is spoken above on chap 6.8]nor of their multitude [that is of the common people]nor of their tumult[understand the Lord the great ones of the land that is with multitudes of people accompanying them or waiting upon them shew themselves others nor of them that are out of them that is of their prosperity]neither shall there be lamentation for them [that is no mourning when they shall be dead the meaning is that the destruction should be so great that few shall be left to lament the dead or that everyone should have enough to do with his own grief see Jerem 16.4,5,6,7.]
12. The time is come [see above on vers 7] the day is approached let not the buyer rejoice[to wit because he shall he should not enjoy the commodity that he hath bought] neither let the seller mourn [to wit because he was constrained through want and poverty to sell his land or other goods of his for if he had not sold it yet he would not have been able to have kept it see the next vers] for burning [meaning the burning anger of the Lord see 2 Chron 28 on vers 13 and below vers 14] is upon all the multitude of the land [to wit of the land of Juda .]
13. for the seller shall not return to the thing sold [As was done in the year of Jubilee wherein every man that had sold his inheritance was to return to it again see Levit 25.13 but this law should not be kept in seventy years captivity Heb selling above chap1 .1 carrying away for those that were carried away]though their lives were yet among the living [[that is those both buyer and seller were yet alive] because the vision concerning the whole multitude of the land [to wit of the land of Juda as in the former vers that is this prophecy foretelling the ruine of the kingdom of Juda and of the seventy years captivity of people of the Jews see of the word vision Genes 15 on vers 1 and 46 on vers 2]shall not turn back [that is shall not be revoked by God nor be in vain but shall be certainly accomplished so is the word taken Isaiah 55:11 compare also2 Sam 1.22] and no man shall strengthen his life by his iniquity [the meaning is that the Jews how wickedly and vilely so ever they shall seek to keep back Gods vengeance yet not withstanding they should not escape the same .These words may also be rendered thus no man whose life is in his iniquity shall strengthen his life or shall strengthen himself in his life that is as long as he goeth on in his iniquity he shall not be able to save himself from destruction .]
14. They have trumpeted with the trumpet have prepared all [to wit that is needful and serviceable for war]but no man goeth to the battel [to wit either because through carelessness he will not or through fear he will dare not or through weakness can not] for my burning anger is upon all the multitude of the land [to wit of the land of Juda as in the two former verses .]
15. The sword without [to wit without the city of Jerusalem] and the pestilence and the famine within [to wit within the city of Jerusalem]be that is in the field [meaning those that flee out of the city that they might not perish in the destruction]shall die by the sword [to wit the Chaldeans that besieged the city]and he that is in the city the pestilence shall consume him .
16. And their escaping ones [meaning those that shall have escaped the common plague of the city and the hand of Chaldeans [ shall indeed escape but they shall be upon the mountains they shall be like the doves of the valleys [to wit wherein they hide themselves for fear of storm and tempest or for fear of some birds of prey] mourning, [the Hebrew signifieth here as much as making a stir by sighing ,whining and howling compare Isa 38 .14 and 59 .11]everyone for his iniquity .
17. All hands shall wax feeble [see 2Sam 4 on vers 1 compare Isa 13 on vers 7 Jerem 6.24] as all knees shall show way as water [[Heb go away c that is lose their strength trembling for fear and not being able to stand not against my violence or to flee from it so belowchap21.7 of feeble knees see also Job 4:4 and the annotate .]
18. They shall also gird on sacks [see Gen 37on vers 37 Isaiah 15:2 ,3 Jerem 48.37]horror shall cover them see the same phrase Psal 55.6 and shame shall be upon all faces and baldness upon all their heads [to wit because through the greatness of their sorrow they should pluck out the hair of their head of which the lord had forbidden Deuteronomy 14:1 not willing that his people should mourn immoderately and uncivilly as the heathen which command for as much as these men would not heed or regard it seemeth therefore that they repented not.]
19. They shall cast their silver in the streets [to wit either because it might been an hinderance to them in their flight or because they should despair of possessing it any longer]and their gold shall be as un cleanness [that is which they shall esteem no more then that which by the law is unclean and from which they were to separate and sequester themselves Heb sequestration see of this word 2Chron 29.5]their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord [that is when god in his just judgment shall severely punish the Jews compare Proverbs 11:4 Zephaniah 1:18]they shall not satisfy their soul [the word soul here is taken for the appetite and desire unto meat the same is said not to be satisfied for want of victuals which should also besal the richer fort yea the very richest the phrase is also found n Jerem31.25] nether shall they fill their bowels for it [to wit gold and silver]shall be the stumbling block of iniquity[that is the occasion and cause of their fall and ruine because they had gotten it ill and used it ill and especially in honoring their idols therewith below chap 16.17 see of the word stumbling block also below chap 21.15 and the annotate.
20. And he [to wit God]set the beauty of his ornament [meaning the temple of Jerusalem which was not only adorned with gold and many precious instruments and jewels but also with the exercise of the true service of God]for excellency [that is to shew thereby as an outward token his exceeding eminent glory and to exalt his people as his dear spouse most costly adorned above all nations]but they made images of their abominations and of their detestation therein therefore have I made it [to wit the beauty of mine ornament]uncleanness unto them [see on the former vers others made it a separation &c that it or put it far from them .]
21. And I will deliver it [to wit the beauty of mine ornament unto the hand of strangers for a prey [to wit into the hand the power of strange nation as the Chaldeans or Babylonians who spoiled ,destroyed and burnt the temple 2King 25 .9&c 2 Chron 36.18 ,19] and to the wicked of the earth[meaning the same Chaldeans that should have no tear of God no justice no compassion towards men] for a spoil and they shall pollute it [to wit the plundering murdering ,violating and burning it likewise by taking the gold ,silver ,copper and the holy vessels out of it and employing them to profane uses 2 Kings 25:13,14,15& c Daniel 1:2 and 5.3.]
22. I will also turn away my face from them [to wit from the Chaldeans that shall take and destroy my temple .It implies that he will let them alone and not hinder nor resist their wicked practice .Others understand this of the Israelites]and they shall profane my secret place : [meaning the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was and it is called a secret or hidden place because it was the innermost part of the temple and no man might enter into it save the high priest and that only once a year]for breakers in see of this word Psal 17 on vers 4 shall enter into it [namely into Jerusalem and from thence into the temple and into the holy of the holies]and profane it .
23. Make a chain [or cord to wit for a token that the Jews like malefactors that are wont so to be carried bound with chains and cord to prison or to the place of execution should partly perish by the sword and partly be carried away captive into Chaldea]for the land is full of judgment of bloud [that is fins that have deserved death otherwise called judgment of death see Deut 19 on vers 6Jerem 26.11 others understand public judgments wherein the innocent are condemned to death by the unrighteous judges]and the city full of violence [understand hereby all manner of of injustice practiced against our neighbor either by open public oppression or by secret fraud and deceit to heap up riches.]
24. Therefore I will cause the worst of the heathens [that is the Chaldeans who at that time were the mightiest among the heathens and implacable enemies to the Jews] that shall hereditarily possess their houses [the Hebrew word indeed signifieth for the most part to posses a thing by right of secular inheritance but also taken in possession in propriety how and in what manner so ever the same might be obtained 1 Kings 21:15 Habak 1.6]and I will haughtiness [that is the pride lostiness pomp and stateliness] of the strong [that is of the great ones in the land that are great and mighty in birth ,honour, richies or one of them]to cease that hallow them [to wit the fore mentioned strong men .Now those that hallowed them were the priest that offered sacrifices for them whereby they thought to be hallowed]shall be profaned .
25. Ruine [or rooting out destruction Heb cutting off compare Isaiah 38:12]cometh and they shall seek peace but it shall not be .
26. Misery shall come upon misery and there shall be a rumuor upon rumour then they shall they seek the vision of a prophet [to know of him the event then misery but their seeking shall be without finding because they hearkened not to the prophet in due time]but the law shall perish from the priest and counsel from the eldest [that from the counselors rulers of the land [that is the ordinary ecclesiastical person shall shall lose the true and sincere doctrine which alone can instruct and comfort a man truly in all trouble and affliction and the political or civil rulers shall be void of counsel and all this to the aggravation and increas4e of punishment that the Jews had deserved compare Isaiah 29:14 .
27. the king shall mourn and the princes shall be clothed with desolation [that is be quiet filled with astonishment amazement and despair see the like phrase Job 8:22 and the annotate Heb the prince shall be clothed c]and the hands of the people of the land [that is of the common people see Jeremiah 44:21 Higg 2.5] shall be troubled [that is through trouble and astonishment of the heart be utterly unable to do anything towards the beating off of the enemy compare 2 Sam 4.1 and the annotate] I will do unto them according to their way [that is according to the deserts of their works] and with their judgment [that is with the punishment that they have deserved judgments for punishment see 2 Chrons 20 on vers 12 or according to the manner so as they deserve judgment for manner see Genes 40 on vers 13] will I judge them and they shall know that I am the Lord .