Ezekiel 33 commentary

The prophet is a watchman to the house of Israel. His business is to warn sinners of their misery and danger. He must warn the wicked to turn from their way, that they may live. If souls perish through his neglect of duty, he brings guilt upon himself. See what those have to answer for, who make excuses for sin, flatter sinners, and encourage them to believe they shall have peace, though they go on. How much wiser are men in their temporal than in their spiritual concerns! They set watchmen to guard their houses, and sentinels to warn of the enemies' approach, but where the everlasting happiness or misery of the soul is at stake, they are offended if ministers obey their Master's command, and give a faithful warning; they would rather perish, listening to smooth things.

Those who despaired of finding mercy with God, are answered with a solemn declaration of God's readiness to show mercy. The ruin of the city and state was determined, but that did not relate to the final state of persons. God says to the righteous, that he shall surely live. But many who have made profession, have been ruined by proud confidence in themselves. Man trusts to his own righteousness, and presuming on his own sufficiency, he is brought to commit iniquity. If those who have lived a wicked life repent and forsake their wicked ways, they shall be saved. Many such amazing and blessed changes have been wrought by the power of Divine grace. When there is a settled separation between a man and sin, there shall no longer be a separation between him and God.

Those are unteachable indeed, who do not learn their dependence upon God, when all creature-comforts fail. Many claim an interest in the peculiar blessings to true believers, while their conduct proves them enemies of God. They call this groundless presumption strong faith, when God's testimony declares them entitled to his threatenings, and nothing else.

Unworthy and corrupt motives often lead men to the places where the word of God is faithfully preached. Many come to find somewhat to oppose: far more come of curiosity or mere habit. Men may have their hearts changed. But whether men hear or forbear, they will know by the event that a servant of God has been among them. All who will not know the worth of mercies by the improvement of them, will justly be made to know their worth by the want of them.

CHAPTER 33

Eze 33:1-33. Renewal of Ezekiel's Commission, Now that He Is Again to Address His Countrymen, and in a New Tone.

Heretofore his functions had been chiefly threatening; from this point, after the evil had got to its worst in the overthrow of Jerusalem, the consolatory element preponderates.

2. to the children of thy people--whom he had been forbidden to address from Eze 24:26, 27, till Jerusalem was overthrown, and the "escaped" came with tidings of the judgment being completed. So now, in Eze 33:21, the tidings of the fact having arrived, he opens his heretofore closed lips to the Jews. In the interval he had prophesied as to foreign nations. The former part of the chapter, at Eze 33:2-20, seems to have been imparted to Ezekiel on the evening previous (Eze 33:22), being a preparation for the latter part (Eze 33:23-33) imparted after the tidings had come. This accounts for the first part standing without intimation of the date, which was properly reserved for the latter part, to which the former was the anticipatory introduction [Fairbairn].

watchman--Eze 33:1-9 exhibit Ezekiel's office as a spiritual watchman; so in Eze 3:16-21; only here the duties of the earthly watchman (compare 2Sa 18:24, 25; 2Ki 9:17) are detailed first, and then the application is made to the spiritual watchman's duty (compare Is 21:6-10; Ho 9:8; Ha 2:1). "A man of their coasts" is a man specially chosen for the office out of their whole number. So Jud 18:2, "five men from their coasts"; also the Hebrew of Ge 47:2; implying the care needed in the choice of the watchman, the spiritual as well as the temporal (Ac 1:21, 22, 24-26; 1Ti 5:22).

3. the sword--invaders. An appropriate illustration at the time of the invasion of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar.

4. blood ... upon his own head--metaphor from sacrificial victims, on the heads of which they used to lay their hands, praying that their guilt should be upon the victims.

6. his iniquity--his negligence in not maintaining constant watchfulness, as they who are in warfare ought to do. The thing signified here appears from under the image.

7. I have set thee a watchman--application of the image. Ezekiel's appointment to be a watchman spiritually is far more solemn, as it is derived from God, not from the people.

8. thou shalt surely die--by a violent death, the earnest of everlasting death; the qualification being supposed, "if thou dost not repent."

9. Blood had by this time been shed (Eze 33:21), but Ezekiel was clear.

10. be upon us--that is, their guilt remain on us.

pine away in them--if we suffer the penalty threatened for them in Eze 24:23, according to the law (Le 26:39).

how should we ... live?--as Thou dost promise in Eze 33:5 (compare Eze 37:11; Is 49:14).

11. To meet the Jews' cry of despair in Eze 33:10, Ezekiel here cheers them by the assurance that God has no pleasure in their death, but that they should repent and live (2Pe 3:9). A yearning tenderness manifests itself here, notwithstanding all their past sins; yet with it a holiness that abates nothing of its demands for the honor of God's authority. God's righteousness is vindicated as in Eze 3:18-21 and Eze 18:1-32, by the statement that each should be treated with the closest adaptation of God's justice to his particular case.

12. not fall ... in the day that he turneth--(2Ch 7:14; see Eze 3:20; 18:24).

15. give again that he had robbed--(Lu 19:8).

statutes of life--in the obeying of which life is promised (Le 18:5). If the law has failed to give life to man, it has not been the fault of the law, but of man's sinful inability to keep it (Ro 7:10, 12; Ga 3:21). It becomes life-giving through Christ's righteous obedience to it (2Co 3:6).

17. The way of the Lord--The Lord's way of dealing in His moral government.

21. twelfth year ... tenth month--a year and a half after the capture of the city (Jr 39:2; 52:5, 6), in the eleventh year and fourth month. The one who escaped (as foretold, Eze 24:26) may have been so long on the road through fear of entering the enemy's country [Henderson]; or, the singular is used for the plural in a collective sense, "the escaped remnant." Compare similar phrases, "the escaped of Moab," Is 15:9; "He that escapeth of them," Am 9:1. Naturally the reopening of the prophet's mouth for consolation would be deferred till the number of the escaped remnant was complete: the removal of such a large number would easily have occupied seventeen or eighteen months.

22. in the evening--(see on Eze 33:2). Thus the capture of Jerusalem was known to Ezekiel by revelation before the messenger came.

my mouth ... no more dumb--that is, to my countrymen; as foretold (Eze 24:27), He spake (Eze 33:2-20) in the evening before the tidings came.

24. they that inhabit ... wastes of ... Israel--marking the blindness of the fraction of Jews under Gedaliah who, though dwelling amidst regions laid waste by the foe, still cherished hopes of deliverance, and this without repentance.

Abraham was one ... but we are many--If God gave the land for an inheritance to Abraham, who was but one (Is 51:2), much more it is given to us, who, though reduced, are still many. If he, with 318 servants, was able to defend himself amid so many foes, much more shall we, so much more numerous, retain our own. The grant of the land was not for his sole use, but for his numerous posterity.

inherited the land--not actually possessed it (Ac 7:5), but had the right of dwelling and pasturing his flocks in it [Grotius]. The Jews boasted similarly of their Abrahamic descent in Mt 3:9 and Joh 8:39.

25. eat with the blood--in opposition to the law (Le 19:26; compare Ge 9:4). They did so as an idolatrous rite.

26. Ye stand upon your sword--Your dependence is, not on right and equity, but on force and arms.

every one--Scarcely anyone refrains from adultery.

27. shall fall by the sword--The very object of their confidence would be the instrument of their destruction. Thinking to "stand" by it, by it they shall "fall." Just retribution! Some fell by the sword of Ishmael; others by the Chaldeans in revenge for the murder of Gedaliah (Jr 40:1-44:30).

caves--(Jud 6:2; 1Sa 13:6). In the hilly parts of Judea there were caves almost inaccessible, as having only crooked and extremely narrow paths of ascent, with rock in front stretching down into the valleys beneath perpendicularly [Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 1.16.4].

28. most desolate--(Jr 4:27; 12:11).

none ... pass through--from fear of wild beasts and pestilence [Grotius].

30. Not only the remnant in Judea, but those at the Chebar, though less flagrantly, betrayed the same unbelieving spirit.

talking against thee--Though going to the prophet to hear the word of the Lord, they criticised, in an unfriendly spirit, his peculiarities of manner and his enigmatical style (Eze 20:49); making these the excuse for their impenitence. Their talking was not directly "against" Ezekiel, for they professed to like his ministrations; but God's word speaks of things as they really are, not as they appear.

by the walls--in the public haunts. In the East groups assemble under the walls of their houses in winter for conversation.

in the doors--privately.

what is the word--Their motive was curiosity, seeking pastime and gratification of the ear (2Ti 4:3); not reformation of the heart. Compare Johanan's consultation of Jeremiah, to hear the word of the Lord without desiring to do it (Jr 42:1-43:13).

31. as the people cometh--that is, in crowds, as disciples flock to their teacher.

sit before thee--on lower seats at thy feet, according to the Jewish custom of pupils (De 33:3; 2Ki 4:38; Lu 10:39; Ac 22:3).

as my people--though they are not.

hear ... not do--(Mt 13:20, 21; Jas 1:23, 24).

they show much love--literally, "make love," that is, act the part of lovers. Profess love to the Lord (Mt 7:21). Gesenius translates, according to Arabic idiom, "They do the delights of God," that is, all that is agreeable to God. Vulgate translates, "They turn thy words into a song of their mouths."

heart goeth after ... covetousness--the grand rival to the love of God; therefore called "idolatry," and therefore associated with impure carnal love, as both alike transfer the heart's affection from the Creator to the creature (Mt 13:22; Ep 5:5; 1Ti 6:10).

32. very lovely song--literally, a "song of loves": a lover's song. They praise thy eloquence, but care not for the subject of it as a real and personal thing; just as many do in the modern church [Jerome].

play well on an instrument--Hebrew singers accompanied the "voice" with the harp.

33. when this cometh to pass--when My predictions are verified.

lo, it will come--rather, "lo it is come" (see Eze 33:22).

know--experimentally, and to their cost.

Son of man - if the people of the land take a man - The first ten verses of this chapter are the same with Eze 3:17-22; and to what is said there on this most important and awful subject I must refer the reader. Here the People choose the watchman; there, the Lord appoints him. When God chooses, the people should approve.

If our transgressions and our sins be upon us - They are upon us, as a grievous burden, too weighty for us to bear: how then can we live under such a load?

We pine away in them - In such circumstances how consoling is that word: "Come unto me, all ye who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"

As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked - From this to the twentieth verse inclusive is nearly the same with Ezekiel 18, on which I wish the reader to consult the notes.

If he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity - If he trust in his acting according to the statutes and ordinances of religion, and according to the laws relative to rights and wrongs among men, and in other respects commit iniquity, he shall die for it.

He shall live thereby - "The wages of sin is death;" the "gift of God is eternal life." It is a miserable trade by which a man cannot live; such a trade is sin.

In the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month - Instead of the twelfth year, the eleventh is the reading of seven of Kennicott's MSS., one of De Rossi's, and the Syriac. My own, mentioned in the preceding chapter, reads with the present text. This was on Wednesday, Jan. 25, A.M. 3416 or 3417.

One that had escaped out of Jerusalem - After it had been taken by the Chaldeans.

Came unto me, saying, The City Is Smitten - This very message God had promised to the prophet, Eze 24:26.

My mouth was opened - They had now the fullest evidence that I had spoken from the Lord. I therefore spoke freely and fully what Good delivered to me, Eze 24:27.

Abraham was one - If he was called to inherit the land when he was alone, and had the whole to himself, why may we not expect to be established here, who are his posterity, and are many? They wished to remain in the land and be happy after the Chaldeans had carried the rest away captives.

Ye eat with the blood - Abraham was righteous, ye are unrighteous. Eating of blood, in any way dressed, or of flesh from which the blood had not been extracted, was and is in the sight of God abominable. All such practices he has absolutely and for ever forbidden. Let the vile blood-eaters hear and tremble. See the note on Act 15:20, and the passages in the margin.

Ye stand upon your sword - Ye live by plunder, rapine, and murder. Ye are every way impure; and shall ye possess the land? No.

They that are in the wastes - He seems to speak of those Jews who had fled to rocks, caves, and fortresses, in the mountains; whose death he predicts, partly by the sword, partly by wild beasts, and partly by famine.

The people still are talking against thee - בך bach should be rather translated, "concerning thee," than "against thee;" for the following verses show that the prophet was much respected. The Vulgate translates, de te; the Septuagint, περι σου, "concerning thee," both right.

Talking by the walls and in the doors of the houses is not a custom peculiar to the Copts, mentioned by Bp. Pococke, it is a practice among idle people, and among those who are resting from their work, in every country, when the weather permits. Gossiping in the inside of the house is not less frequent, and much more blamable.

As the people cometh - As they are accustomed to come on public days, Sabbaths, etc.

With their mouth they show much love - They respected the prophet, but would not bend themselves to follow his precepts. They loved earthly things, and did not relish those of heaven.

As a very lovely song - They admired the fine voice and correct delivery of the prophet; this was their religion, and this is the whole of the religion of thousands to the present day; for never were itching ears so multiplied as now.

When this cometh to pass - then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them - What I have predicted, (and it is even now at the doors), then they will be convinced that there was a prophet among them, by whose ministry they did not profit as they ought.

Is taken away - Punished by the Lord for his sin.

Our sins - The unpardoned guilt, and the unsupportable punishment of our sins, in the wasting of our country, burning our city, abolishing the publick worship of God; we shall pine away, 'tis too late to hope. How - How can it be better with us?

Smitten - Taken and plundered.

Opened my mouth - Not that the prophet was utterly dumb before, for he had prophesied against many nations, only he was forbidden to say anything of the Jews, But now the spirit moved him to speak, and continued his motion, 'till the messenger came, and ever after.

They - Who were left behind, now come out of their holes, or returned from neighbouring countries, or permitted by the conqueror to stay and plant vineyards. Wastes - Places once fruitful and abounding with people, but now, made a desolate wilderness. He inherited - Our father had a right to all this land, when but one; we his children though diminished, are many, and the divine goodness will surely continue to us both right and possession. Is given - It was given by promise to us, the seed, as well as to our progenitor; nay more, 'tis given us in possession, whereas Abraham had not one foot of it.

Ye stand - You trust to your sword; you do all with violence. Abominations - Idolatry.

The children - Captives in Babylon.

They come - As if they were really the people of God. They sit - So we find the elders of Judah, chap.8:1, so the disciples of the rabbis sat at their feet.

2. Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, when I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

The Prophet, after three years silence injoined him, now hath his mouth opened by new Commission.

To the Iews in General, to whom he had not spoke since what he spake in the 24th Chapter.

Propound a parable unto them.

If at any time

War, or any sore judgment.

Choose out a man, who lives on the Borders, knows the Avenues, and the wayes, the Enemy will most likely come to assault them.

Appoint him to watch the Coasts, that they may not be surprised.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word] when I [illegible: 1 word] a sword [illegible: 1 span]

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet , and warn l the people;

Of the Enemy, or any other danger, which he may foresee, in any of the causes, or forerunners of it.

i. e. Coming, approaching to the Land.

Sound the alarm, the sound of the Trumpet is a warning, yet to this sometimes 'tis necessary to add a warning by word of mouth, and tell people, brought together by the Trumpet, what he seeth.

4 Then whosoever the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head .

Considers not, and minds not what he hears, who hears, and do's not consider, he turns a deaf ear to the meaning, tho' not to the sound of the Trumpet.

Apprehends not, nor will be made apprehensive of the danger, to provide for resisting, or flying the sword.

Destroy him.

The guilt and blame of his blood, of his death.

Shall never be charged on any, but himself.

Marginal references: Heb. He that hearing heareth.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him: But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul .

He heard, as well as others who escap't, and he might have delivered himself, as they did, who took warning.

He is the only cause of his own death.

Shall save his life.

Himself, preserve his own person.

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned: if the sword come and take away any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity , but his blood will I require at the watchmans hand.

Neglect his charge, which is to give the Alarm.

But, unwarned, are surprized by the Enemy.

Punisht by the Lord for his sins, and trespasses formerly done, and he is destroyed under the present fault of not watching, which is a fault in every one, that is so secure in time of War.

The guilt of that blood.

Charge upon, and for it punish the Watchman, who sinn'd in not giving warning.

9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.

These three verses are the same with the 17th, 18th, 19th verses of the third chap. where see them explained.

10. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel , thus ye speak , saying, if our transgression, and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live ?

Declare to them from me.

The residue of the Two Tribes, which are brought to Babylon, or else to those already there, and hear their Brethren are on the way thitherward, since Ierusalem was taken.

Thus ye discourse among your selves, object against God, and his Prophet, and your own Duty, some of you out of infirmity, others out of perverseness.

The unpardoned guilt, and the unsupportable punishment of our sins, who were warned, and took not warning, do thus, as in the wasting our Countrey, burning our City, abolishing the publick Worship of God, come upon us, we shall pine away, consume, 'tis too late to hope, 'twill be better with us now, we should have heard, and followed the Counsel earlier, if we would have delivered our own souls: if the Prophet spake true at first, there is no hope, say the weaker, if there be hope now after so peremptory Menaces, and so great Execution, the Prophet did not speak truth say the perverse, and so concluded they would, as they were, run the hazard.

How can it be better with us, if the threats be true, and sure, 'twill be worse, if not true, how are his promises to be rested on, that 'twill be better.

Marginal references: chap. 24.23.

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel.

Vid. chap. 5. ver. 11. and chap. 16. ver. 48. let. f, and 17. chap. 16. let. g.

See chap. 18. ver. 23. and v[illegible: 1 letter]r. 32. l[illegible: 1 letter]t. a.

Here an ellipsis, but I have pleasure in the seasonable return, the Sinner makes from Sin to Holiness, and from Death to L[illegible: 1 letter]fe.

O leave sin, cease to do evil, be perswaded to repent, it will please me to pardon your faults, and to throw away the r[illegible: 1 letter]d, and to save your persons.

Death is your choice, not mine, so long as you go on in the way that is not Good; who[illegible: 1 letter]o sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul, and love to [illegible: 2 letters]n is interpretatively a love, and choosing of Death. 'Tis your culpable will, not my severe resolution, that you die.

Marginal references: 2 Sam. 14.14. chap. 18.23, 32.; chap. 13 [illegible: 1 letter]1.

12 Therefore, thou Son of man, say unto the children of thy people; The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness: neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth .

See chap. 3. ver. 20. and chap. 18. ver. 24. tot.

Vid. chap. 18. ver. 21, 22. tot.

See chap. 3. ver. 20. and 18. chap 24. where the same things are explained.

Marginal references: chap. 3.20[illegible: 1 word] and 1[illegible: 1 letter].24.

13 When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live ; if he trust to his own righteousness , and commit iniquity , all his righteousness shall not be remembred ; but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it .

Who hath in his life, for what is past, kept the Law, and forborn evil, hath done what is right and good, and not done what is evil, both which parts of this Righteousness are described in chap. 18. ver. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Make him promise of doing him good, and giving him Life, Peace, every Blessing, and Happiness.

If he conclude former Righteousness is sufficient, and therefore turn to ways of sin pleasing to an evil heart.

Give himself to doing evil, as 'twere his work.

No regard shall be had to what he had done, he doth himself practically renounce it, and interpretatively recant his doing it.

In his Apostacy, and backs[illegible: 1 letter]idden state.

Shall be punished, his comforts shall be taken away, or die in his hand, he shall live, and die miserably.

His iniquity, and punishment of it, and this is emphatically repeated, as chap. 18.26.

14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin , and do that which is lawful and right.

Chap. 18. ver. 21. let. f.

Ibid.

Marginal references: Heb. judgment and justice.

15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed , walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity; he shall surely live , he shall not die.

Chap. 18. ver. 7. let. q.

Ibid. let. r.

'Tis not a sinless life here required, or supposed, but a Life in which a man doth not habitually, and wilfully work iniquity.

Vid. chap 18. ver. 9. let. i.

Marginal references: Exod. 22.1, 4. Lev. 6.2, 4. Num. 5.6, 7.

16 None of his sins that he hath committed. shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live.

See chap. 18. ver. 16. tot.

As the threat against a Righteous man that proves a presumptuous Apostate, was stated in the former part of the 12th, and in the whole 13th verse, so in these three verses the case of a Repenting and Reforming sinner is stated, and determined to his encouragement, and comfort, and they are the same with chap. 18. ver. 21, 22, and with ver. 27, 28. which see.

17 Yet the children of thy people, say the way of the LORD is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal .

These Impious, obstinate quarrelers will accuse, and do condemn the just, and Holy God, that they may acquit themselves, see this verse explained, chap. 18. ver. 25, 29.

Marginal references: ver. 20▪

19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful, and right, he shall live thereby .

In these two verses the cases are so clearly stated, that 'tis as clear as the Sun, the wayes of God are very just, and that none but ignorant Atheists, would think or surmise otherwise.

20 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal: O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

Call you to account plead with you, and pass sentence.

This is added, to rouse every one up to repent of all sins, and of this particularly.

A terrible threat, and I know not how a greater could be denounced against sinners then this, God infinitely Holy, and perfectly just, will judge them according to their unequal, unrighteous, sinful wayes, and according to his inflexible justice. And if God enter thus into judgment, who can stand in sight?

Still blinded prejudice quarrels.

Marginal references: chap. 18.25. verse 17.

¶ And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month , that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying , the city is smitten .

That is one year, and five months after the thing was done, and Temple burnt, and the City sacked.

One whose own care, but Gods wonderful Providence had much more befriended him, perhaps it might be one of those, that yeilded to the Babylonians before, but was resolved to see the upshot of all.

Likely giving a particular account of the whole.

Ierusalem.

Taken and plundered the inhabitants, or slain, or Captives, and the City sackt razed, and burnt.

Marginal references: chap. 1.2.; 2 King. 25.

22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening afore he that was escaped came, and had opened my mouth until he came to me in the morning: and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

The powerful influence of the Prophetick spirit, inspired me, and prepared me for what followed.

Not that the prophet was dumb through impotence, and inability to speak, for he had prophesied against many Nations, but he was forbidden to say any thing of the Jews, to threaten, warn, counsel, or command, chap. 24.25 26, 27. and chap. 29.21. but now the spirit moved me to speak, and continued his motion, till the messenger came, and ever after, for God did not command him silence any more.

24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land, but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance .

Who were left behind, having either hid themselves but now come out of their holes, or returned from neighbour Countreys, whither they fled or permitted by the Conqueror to stay and plant Vineyards.

Places once very fruitful and abounding with people, but now by the spoil of the Souldiers, emptied of inhabitants, and made as a desolate Wilderness.

Our Father had hereditary right to all this land, when but one, and he multiplyed to a great Company, and so they possessed the Land, we Children of Abraham, though diminisht, are many, and the Divine goodness will surely appear then, and continue to us both right, and possession, and we▪ shall fill the Land, and recover our former state and priviledges

'Twas given by promise to us the Seed, as well as to our Progenitour, nay more 'tis given us in possession, we dwell in it, when Abraham had not one foot of it in his possession.

The perpetual inheritance is ours. Thus with vain fallacious arguments they cheat one another.

Thus think and speak, thus with vain reasonings they deceive themselves.

25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD: ye eat with the blood , and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood ; and shall ye possesse the land?

Remove them from this dangerous carnal confidence, and shew them what they do, by that, what they are, how far from Abrahams seed, his genuine Seed.

What ever might be the reason why, tis most certain, this was forbidden, Gen. 9.4. Lev. 17.14. and 19.26. they sinned by violating this Law.

Honouring, praying, depending on, and committing your selves to the protection, and guidance of those dumb Idols. Vid. c. 18.6. let. k.

Innocent blood, ye are murtherers.

Polluted with such, and many other heinous sins, and what colour of hope can you have, that you shall possesse the Land? The question includes a peremptory denial.

Marginal references: Lev. 3.17. and 7.26. and 17.10. Deut. 12.16.

26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbours wife, and shall ye possesse the land?

You trust to your Sword, and stand with it as 'twere drawn ready to kill and slay, you do all with violence, and force, not regarding what is right and equal and fear no restraints or punishments.

Idolatry, or other wickedness not to be named.

Adultery is so common among you, that 'tis no bold hyperbole to say, every one defiles his neighbours wife.

And can such sinners flatter themselves, that they shall inherit the Land promised to a holy and good Father, and to the like Seed? Will not the Land spew Jewish sinners out, as it did spew out such Canaanit[illegible: 1 letter]h sinners?

27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts , and in the caves shall dye of the pestilence.

The ruinous heaps of Cities, or Towns, in which some sorry habitations might possibly be found by them.

The Chaldean Souldier ransacking all places, and either expecting, or by chance finding them there, shall kill in revenge of G[illegible: 1 letter]da[illegible: 1 letter]iahs death, and I[illegible: 1 letter]mael, with others shall destroy some of them.

That wanders in the Fields shall be a prey to Lions, or other ravenous Beasts, that will multiply in that ruined Countrey.

Out of the reach of Men, and Beasts, my hand shall reach, I will send the Pestilence, that shall sweep them away.

Marginal references: chap. 3[illegible: 1 letter].; Heb. [illegible: 1 span] him.

28 ¶ For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease: and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

I do purpose to destroy utterly all in this Land, and what can escape, when salvage Beasts, cruel men, and a pestilential Air all concur to ruine the Land?

The stately, and pompous shews of her strength, and her former riches and power.

On which were Vineyards▪ and Oliveyards, where the joyful sounds of the Vintage, and Harvests did glad the heart, there shall be utter desolation.

No man daring to venture for fear of wild Beasts, or Pestilential Air, or Famine in those wasted Mountains.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word] on and [illegible: 1 word].; chap. [illegible: 2 letters]. and 24.21. and 30.6[illegible: 1 letter].

29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD , when I have laid the land most desolate, because of all their abominations wich they have committed.

I would have had them acknowledged me to be the Lord by my blessings, which beautifyed the Land, by my holy precepts, which directed to piety, and justice, by my Mercy and kindness towards them, but they despised my mercy, broke my law, abused my bounty, and now by the punishment of their sins, as I threatned, and by laying the Land most waste, they shall be constrained to own, and submit to me, as the Lord.

30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, come , I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

Captives in Babylon.

Thy, not my people, God doth debase, degrade, and disown them.

As men now do in Cities or Towns, so then they stood up to the Wall, when meeting in the Streets, they would talk together.

Others got into the porches or doors of their houses, this they did to tell each other what news of their Countrey.

Come I pray let us go up to the Prophet, the true Prophet, and enquire what God hath revealed to him, and what he may reveal unto us, whether any, or when will that end of our sorrows be.

And all ends in this at last.

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

Flocking to the School of some famous Doctor, or as Men and Women flock to hear some famous Preacher, or as they were wont to the Synagogues to hear their learned Scribes.

So we find the Elders of Iudah, chap. 8.1. which see at let. f. so the Disciples of the great Rabbies sat at their feet, so is Saul said to be brought up at the feet of Gamal[illegible: 1 letter]el.

By their outward deportments, you might judge them to be my people, and hear seemingly very attentive.

They do onely hear what thou sayest, but they will not do it.

All their love is but from teeth outward, either to me, my word, or my Prophet, saith God,

Their desire, love and care is about their gain, how to make thriving bargains, how to place out and secure their money with excessive, and intolerable usury and increase.

Marginal references: chap. 14.1[illegible: 1 letter] and 20.1 &c.; Heb. [illegible: 4 letters] ing to the [illegible: 3 letters] ing of the [illegible: 1 word]; Or, my [illegible: 1 word] sit before thee.; Isa. 29.12.; Heb. [illegible: 1 word] loves, [illegible: 1 word].

32 And lo, thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

These Iews esteem, and regard thee, and what thou sayest, as men regard a skilful Musician, who to a well tuned instrument hath sung the praises of vertue, or of vertuous men; it pleaseth their ear, but it doth not frame their hearts and life to vertue. They loved him for his eloquent lamentation, and reproof of their Enemies, and for foretelling that they should fall, and saying nothing against them, and their sins for these three years past, but when he exhort, or disswades them to duty, or from sin, they'l hear, not do.

Marginal references: Heb. song of loves.

33 And when this cometh to pass (lo it will come) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

When all thou hast prophesied against the Iews shall, as that thou prophesiedst against the Nations, come to pass to their ruin, they shall know thou wast no Musician but a Prophet sent of God, to forewarn you to fly from wrath, not imployed by Men, to please their wanton ear and fancy.

Marginal references: chap. 2.5.

Second Half

The Announcement of Salvation - Ezekiel 33-48

In the first half of his book, Ezekiel has predicted severe judgments, both to the covenant nation and to the heathen nations. But to the people of Israel he has also promised the turning of its captivity, after the judgment of the destruction of the kingdom and the dispersion of the refractory generation in the heathen lands; not merely their restoration to their own land, but the setting up of the covenant made with the fathers, and the renewing of the restored nation by the Spirit of God, so that it will serve the Lord upon His holy mountain with offerings acceptable to Him (compare Eze 11:16-21; Eze 16:60, and Eze 20:40.). On the other hand, he has threatened the heathenish peoples and kingdoms of the world with devastation and everlasting destruction, so that they will be remembered no more (compare Ezekiel 21:36-37; Eze 25:7, Eze 25:10,Eze 25:16; Eze 26:21; Eze 27:36, and Eze 28:19), or rather with the lasting humiliation and overthrow of their glory in the nether world (compare Eze 29:13., Eze 31:15., and Eze 32:17.); whilst God will create a glorious thing in the land of the living, gather Israel from its dispersion, cause it to dwell safely and happily in the land given to His servant Jacob, and a horn to grow thereto (Eze 26:20; Eze 28:25., and Eze 29:21). - This announcement is carried out still further in the second half of the book, where first of all the pardon, blessing, and glorification promised to the covenant nation, after its sifting by the judgment of exile, are unfolded according to their leading features, and the destruction of its foes is foretold (Ezekiel 34-39); and then, secondly, there is depicted the establishment of the renovated kingdom of God for everlasting continuance (Ezekiel 40-48). The prophet’s mouth was opened to make the announcement when a fugitive brought the tidings of the destruction both of Jerusalem and of the kingdom to the captives by the Chaboras; and this constitutes the second half of the prophetic ministry of Ezekiel. The introduction to this is contained in Ezekiel 33, whilst the announcement itself is divisible into two parts, according to its contents, as just indicated, - namely, first, the promise of the restoration and glorification of Israel (Ezekiel 34-39); and secondly, the apocalyptic picture of the new constitution of the kingdom of God (Ezekiel 40-48).

The Calling of the Prophet, and His Future Attitude towards the People - Ezekiel 33

This chapter is divided into two words of God of an introductory character, which are separated by the historical statement in Eze 33:21 and Eze 33:22, though substantially they are one. The first (vv. 1-20) exhibits the calling of the prophet for the time to come; the second (Eze 33:23-33) sets before him his own attitude towards the people, and the attitude of the people towards his further announcement. The first precedes the arrival of the messenger, who brought to the prophet and the exiles the tidings of the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (Eze 33:21). The second was uttered afterwards. The fall of the holy city formed a turning-point in the prophetic work of Ezekiel. Previous to this catastrophe, God had appointed him to be a watchman over Israel: to show the people their sins, and to proclaim the consequent punishment, namely, the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, together with the dispersion of the people among the heathen. But after the city had fallen, and the judgment predicted by him had taken place, the object to be aimed at was to inspire those who were desponding and despairing of salvation with confidence and consolation, by predicting the restoration of the fallen kingdom of God in a new and glorious form, to show them the way to new life, and to open the door for their entrance into the new kingdom of God. The two divisions of our chapter correspond to this, which was to be henceforth the task imposed upon the prophet. In the first (vv. 1-20), his calling to be the spiritual watchman over the house of Israel is renewed (Eze 33:2-9), with special instructions to announce to the people, who are inclined to despair under the burden of their sins, that the Lord has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but will give life to him who turns from his iniquity (Eze 33:10-20). The kernel and central point of this word of God are found in the lamentation of the people: “Our transgressions and sins lie upon us, and we are pining away through them; how then can we live?” (Eze 33:10), together with the reply given by the Lord: “By my life, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked...turn ye, turn yourselves; why do ye wish to die?” (Eze 33:11). The way is prepared for this by Eze 33:2-9, whilst Eze 33:12-20 carry out this promise of God still further, and assign the reason for it. - The thoughts with which the promise of the Lord, thus presented as an antidote to despair, is introduced and explained are not new, however, but repetitions of earlier words of God. The preparatory introduction in Eze 33:2-9 is essentially a return to the word in Eze 3:17-21, with which the Lord closes the prophet’s call by pointing out to him the duty and responsibility connected with his vocation. And the reason assigned in Eze 33:12-20, together with the divine promise in Eze 33:11, is taken from Ezekiel 18, where the prophet unfolds the working of the righteousness of God; and more precisely from Eze 18:20-32 of that chapter, where the thought is more fully expanded, that the judgments of God can be averted by repentance and conversion. From all this it is indisputably evident that the first section of this chapter contains an introduction to the second half of the prophecies of Ezekiel; and this also explains the absence of any date at the head of the section, or the “remarkable” fact that the date (Eze 33:21 and Eze 33:22) is not given till the middle of the chapter, where it stands between the first and second of the words of God contained therein. - The word of God in Eze 33:23. was no doubt addressed to the prophet after the fugitive had arrived with the tidings of the fall of Jerusalem; whereas the word by which the prophet was prepared for his further labours (vv. 1-20) preceded that event, and coincided in point of time with the working of God upon the prophet on the evening preceding the arrival of the fugitive, through which his mouth was opened for further speaking (Eze 33:22); and it is placed before this historical statement because it was a renewal of his call.It is incomprehensible how Kliefoth could find “no sign of introductory thoughts” in this section, or could connect it with the preceding oracles against the foreign nations, for no other reason than to secure fourteen words of God for that portion of the book which contains the prophecies against the foreign nations. For there is no force in the other arguments which he adduces in support of this combination; and the assertion that “the section, Ezekiel 33:1-20, speaks of threatenings and warnings, and of the faithfulness with which Ezekiel is to utter them, and of the manner in which Israel is to receive them,” simply shows that he has neither correctly nor perfectly understood the contents of this section and its train of thought.

Calling of the Prophet for the Future - Ezekiel 33:1-20

The prophet’s office of watchman. Eze 33:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 33:2. Son of man, speak to the sons of thy people, and say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their company and set him for a watchman, Eze 33:3. And he seeth the sword come upon the land, and bloweth the trumpet, and warneth the people; Eze 33:4. If, then, one should hear the blast of the trumpet and not take warning, so that the sword should come and take him away, his blood would come upon his own head. Eze 33:5. He heard the blast of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood will come upon him: whereas, if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul. Eze 33:6. But if the watchman seeth the sword come, and bloweth not the trumpet, and the people is not warned; and the sword should come and take away a soul from them, he is taken away through his guilt; but his blood will I demand from the watchman’s hand. Eze 33:7. Thou, then, son of man, I have set thee for the watchman to the house of Israel; thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and warn them for me. Eze 33:8. If I say to the sinner, Sinner, thou wilt die the death; and thou speakest not to warn the sinner from his way, he, the sinner, will die for his iniquity, and his blood I will demand from thy hand. Eze 33:9. But if thou hast warned the sinner from his way, to turn from it, and he does not turn from his way, he will die for his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. - Eze 33:7-9, with the exception of slight deviations which have little influence upon the sense, are repeated verbatim from Eze 3:17-19. The repetition of the duty binding upon the prophet, and of the responsibility connected therewith, is introduced, however, in Eze 33:2-6, by an example taken from life, and made so plain that every one who heard the words must see that Ezekiel was obliged to call the attention of the people to the judgment awaiting them, and to warn them of the threatening danger, and that this obligation rested upon him still. In this respect the expansion, which is wanting in Ezekiel 3, serves to connect the following prophecies of Ezekiel with the threats of judgment contained in the first part. The meaning of it is the following: As it is the duty of the appointed watchman of a land to announce to the people the approach of the enemy, and if he fail to do this he is deserving of death; so Ezekiel also, as the watchman of Israel appointed by God, not only is bound to warn the people of the approaching judgment, in order to fulfil his duty, but has already warned them of it, so that whoever has not taken warning has been overtaken by the sword because of his sin. As, then, Ezekiel has only discharged his duty and obligation by so doing, so has he the same duty still further to perform. - In Eze 33:2 ארץ is placed at the head in an absolute form; and 'כּי אביא וגו, “if I bring the sword upon a land,” is to be understood with this restriction: “so that the enemy is on the way and an attack may be expected” (Hitzig). מקציהם, from the end of the people of the land, i.e., one taken from the whole body of the people, as in Gen 47:2 (see the comm. on Gen 19:4). Blowing the trumpet is a signal of alarm on the approach of an enemy (compare Amo 3:6; Jer 4:5). נזהר in Eze 33:5 is a participle; on the other hand, both before and afterwards it is a perfect, pointed with Kametz on account of the tone. For Eze 33:7-9, see the exposition of Eze 3:17-19.

Eze 33:10-20

As watchman over Israel, Ezekiel is to announce to those who are despairing of the mercy of God, that the Lord will preserve from destruction those who turn from their sin, and lead them into life. - Eze 33:10. Thou then, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Ye rightly say, Our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and in them we vanish away; how, then, can we live? Eze 33:11. Say to them, As   truly as I live, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the sinner; but when the sinner turneth from his way, he shall live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways! for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Eze 33:12. And thou, son of man, say to the sons of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and the sinner will not fall through his sin in the day that he turneth from his sin, and the righteous man will not be able to live thereby in the day that he sinneth. Eze 33:13. If I say to the righteous man that he shall live, and he relies upon his righteousness and does wrong, all his righteousnesses will not be remembered; and for his wrong that he has done, he will die. Eze 33:14. If I say to the sinner, Thou shalt die, and he turns from his sin, and does justice and righteousness, Eze 33:15. So that the wicked returns the pledge, restores what has been robbed, walks in the statutes of life without doing wrong, he will live, not die. Eze 33:16. All his sins which he has committed shall not be remembered against him; he has done justice and righteousness, he will live. Eze 33:17. And the sons of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not right; but they - their way is not right. Eze 33:18. If the righteous man turneth from his righteousness and doeth wrong, he shall die thereby; Eze 33:19. But if the wicked man turneth from his wickedness and doeth right and righteousness, he will live thereby. Eze 33:20. And yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not right. I will judge you every one according to his ways, O house of Israel. - In Eze 33:10 and Eze 33:11 the prophet’s calling for the future is set before him, inasmuch as God instructs him to announce to those who are in despair on account of their sins the gracious will of the Lord. The threat contained in the law (Lev 26:39), ימּקּוּ בּעונם, of which Ezekiel had repeatedly reminded the people with warning, and, last of all, when predicting the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (compare Eze 4:17 and Eze 24:23), had pressed heavily upon their heart, when the threatened judgment took place, so that they quote the words, not “in self-defence,” as Hävernick erroneously supposes, but in despair of any deliverance. Ezekiel is to meet this despair of little faith by the announcement that the Lord has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but desires his conversion and his life. Ezekiel had already set this word of grave before the people in Eze 18:23, Eze 18:32, accompanied with the summons to salvation for them to lay to heart: there, it was done to overthrow the delusion that the present generation had to atone for the sins of the fathers; but here, to lift up the hearts of those who were despairing of salvation; and for this reason it is accompanied with the asseveration (wanting in Eze 18:23 and Eze 18:32): “as truly as I live, saith the Lord,” and with the urgent appeal to repent and turn. But in order to preclude the abuse of this word of consolation by making it a ground of false confidence in their own righteousness, Ezekiel repeats in Eze 33:12-20 the principal thoughts contained in that announcement (Eze 18:20-32) - namely, first of all, in Eze 33:12-16, the thought that the righteousness of the righteous is of no avail to him if he gives himself up to the unrighteousness, and that the sinner will not perish on account of his sin if he turns from his wickedness and strives after righteousness (יכּשׁל , Eze 33:12, as in Hos 5:5; Jer 6:15; compare Eze 18:24-25, and Eze 18:21, Eze 18:22; and for Eze 33:14 and Eze 33:15, more especially Eze 18:5 and Eze 18:7); and then, secondly, in Eze 33:17-20, the reproof of those who find fault with the way of the Lord (compare Eze 18:25, Eze 18:27, Eze 18:29-30).

Eze 33:21-22

Tidings of the Fall of Jerusalem, and the Consequences with Regard to the Prophet

Eze 33:21. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the tenth (month), on the fifth of the month after our being taken captive, there came to me a fugitive from Jerusalem, and said, The city is smitten. Eze 33:22. And the hand of Jehovah had come upon me in the evening before the arrival of the fugitive, and He opened my mouth, till he came to me in the morning; and so was my mouth opened, and I was silent no more. - In these verses the fulfilment of the promise made by God to the prophet in Eze 24:25-27, after the prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, is recorded. The chronological datum, as to the precise time at which the messenger arrived with the account of the destruction of Jerusalem, serves to mark with precision the point of time at which the obstacle was removed, and the prophet was able to speak and prophesy without restraint. - The fact that the tidings of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in the fifth month of the eleventh year, are said to have only reached the exiles in the tenth month of the twelfth year, that is to say, nearly a year and a half after it occurred, does not warrant our following the Syriac, as Doederlein and Hitzig have done, calling in question the correctness of the text and substituting the eleventh year for the twelfth. With the distance at which Ezekiel was living, namely, in northern Mesopotamia, and with the fearful confusion which followed the catastrophe, a year and a half might very easily pass by before a fugitive arrived with the information. But Hitzig’s assertion, that Ezekiel would contradict himself, inasmuch as, according to Eze 26:1-2, he received intelligence of the affair in the eleventh year, is founded upon a misinterpretation of the passage quoted. It is not stated there that Ezekiel received this information through a fugitive or any man whatever, but simply that God had revealed to him the fall of Jerusalem even before it occurred. לגלוּתינוּ, after our being led away (Eze 33:21 and Eze 40:1), coincides with לגלוּת המּלך in Eze 1:2. הכּתה, smitten, i.e., conquered and destroyed, exterminated. In the clause 'ויד יהוה , the verb היתה is a pluperfect, and אלי stands for עלי, according to the later usage. The formula indicates the translation of the prophet into an ecstatic state (see the comm. on Eze 1:3), in which his mouth was opened to speak, that is to say, the silence imposed upon him was taken away. The words, “till he came to me in the morning,” etc., are not to be understood as signifying that the prophet’s mouth had only been opened for the time from evening till morning; for this would be opposed to the following sentence. They simply affirm that the opening of the mouth took place before the arrival of the fugitive, the night before the morning of his arrival. ויּפּתח פּי, which follows, is an emphatic repetition, introduced as a link with which to connect the practically important statement that from that time forward he was not speechless any more. - It was in all probability shortly afterwards that Ezekiel was inspired with the word of God which follows in Eze 33:23-33, as we may infer from the contents of the word itself, which laid the foundation for the prophet’s further prophesying. But nothing can be gathered from Eze 33:22 with regard to the time when this and the following words of God (as far as Ezekiel 39), of which no chronological data are given, were communicated to the prophet and uttered by him. His being “silent no more” by no means involves immediate or continuous speaking, but simply recalls the command to be speechless. There is no ground for the assumption that all these words of God were communicated to him in one night (Hävernick, Hengstenberg, and others), either in Eze 33:22 or in the contents of these divine revelations.

Preaching of Repentance after the Fall of Jerusalem

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

Eze 33:23-29

False reliance upon God’s Promises

Eze 33:23. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 33:24. Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins in the land of Israel speak thus: Abraham was one, and received the land for a possession; but we are many, the land is given to us for a possession. Eze 33:25. Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Ye eat upon the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood, and would ye possess the land? Eze 33:26. Ye rely upon your sword, do abomination, and one defileth another’s wife, and would ye possess the land? Eze 33:27. Speak thus to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, By my life, those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and whoever is in the open field him do I give to the beasts to devour, and those who are in the fortresses and caves shall die of the pestilence. Eze 33:28. And I make the land devastation and waste, and its proud might shall have an end, and the mountains of Israel shall be waste, so that no one passeth through. Eze 33:29. And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I make the land devastation and waste because of all the abominations which they have done. - This threat is directed against the people who remained behind in the land of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem. ישׁבי are the Israelites who dwelt amidst the ruins of the Holy Land, the remnant of the people left behind in the land. For it is so evident as to need no proof that Kliefoth is wrong in asserting that by החרבות we are to understand the district bordering on the Chaboras, which was not properly cultivated; and by the inhabitants thereof, the exiles who surrounded Ezekiel. It is only by confounding אמר and דּבּר that Kliefoth is able to set aside the more precise definition of the inhabitants of these ruins contained in the words על אדמת ישׂראל, and to connect ישׂ 'על אד with אמרים, “they speak concerning the land of Israel;” and in Eze 33:27 it is only in a forced manner that he can generalize החרבות and take it as referring to the waste places both in the Holy Land and on the Chaboras. The fact, moreover, that Eze 33:30-33 treat of the Israelites by the Chaboras, is no proof whatever that they must also be referred to in Eze 33:24-29. For the relation in which the two halves of this word of God stand to one another is not that “Eze 33:30-33 depict the impression made upon the hearers by the words contained in Eze 33:24-29,” so that “the persons alluded to in Eze 33:30-33 must necessarily be the hearers of Eze 33:24-29.” Eze 33:30-33 treat in quite a general manner of the attitude which the prophet’s countrymen would assume towards his words - that is to say, not merely to his threats, but also to his predictions of salvation; they would only attend to that which had a pleasant sound to them, but they would not do his words (Eze 33:31, Eze 33:32). It is quite in harmony with this, that in Eze 33:23-29 these people should be told of the state of heart of those who had remained behind on the ruins of the Holy Land, and that it should be announced to them that the fixed belief in the permanent possession of the Holy Land, on which those who remained behind in the land relied, was a delusion, and that those who were victims of this delusion should be destroyed by sword and pestilence. Just as in the first part of this book Ezekiel uttered the threatened prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah in the presence of his countrymen by the Chaboras, and addressed them to these, because they stood in the same internal relation to the Lord as their brethren in Jerusalem and Judah; so here does he hold up this delusion before them as a warning, in order that he may disclose to them the worthlessness of such vain hope, and preach repentance and conversion as the only way to lie.

The meaning of the words spoken by these people, “Abraham was one,” etc., is, that if Abraham, as one solitary individual, received the land of Canaan or a possession by the promise of God, the same God could not take this possession away from them, the many sons of Abraham. The antithesis of the “one” and the “many” derived its significance, in relation to their argument, from the descent of the many from the one, which is taken for granted, and also from the fact, which is assumed to be well know from the book of Genesis, that the land was not promised and given to the patriarch for his own possession, but for his seed or descendants to possess. They relied, like the Jews of the time of Christ (Joh 8:33, Joh 8:39), upon their corporeal descent from Abraham (compare the similar words in Eze 11:15). Ezekiel, on the other hand, simply reminds them of their own sinful conduct (Eze 33:25, Eze 33:26), for the purpose of showing them that they have thereby incurred the loss of this possession. Eating upon the blood, is eating flesh in which the blood is still lying, which has not been cleansed from blood, as in Lev 19:26 and 1Sa 14:32-33; an act the prohibition of which was first addressed to Noah (Gen 9:4), and is repeatedly urged in the law (cf. Lev 7:26-27). This is also the case with the prohibition of idolatry, lifting up the eyes to idols (cf. Eze 18:6), and the shedding of blood (cf. Eze 18:10; Eze 22:3, etc.). עמד, to support oneself, or rely (עמד, used as in Eze 31:14) upon the sword, i.e., to put confidence in violence and bloodshed. In this connection we are not to think of the use of the sword in war. To work abomination, as in Eze 18:12. עשׂיתן is not a feminine, “ye women,” but ן is written in the place of מ on account of the ת which follows, after the analogy of פּדיון for פּדיום (Hitzig). On the defiling of a neighbour’s wife, see the comm. on Eze 18:6. Such daring sinners the Lord would destroy wherever they might be. In v. 37 the punishment is individualized (cf. Eze 14:21). Those in the חרבות shall fall by the חרב (the play upon the word is very obvious); those in the open country shall perish by wild beasts (compare 2Ki 17:25; Exo 23:19; Lev 26:22); those who are in mountain fastnesses and caves, where they are safe from the sword and ravenous beasts, shall perish by plague and pestilence. This threat is not to be restricted to the acts of the Chaldeans in the land after the destruction of Jerusalem, but applies to all succeeding times. Even the devastation and utter depopulation of the land, threatened in Eze 33:28, are not to be taken as referring merely to the time of the Babylonian captivity, but embrace the devastation which accompanied and followed the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. For גּאון ע, see the comm. on Eze 7:24. For Eze 33:29, compare Eze 6:14.

Eze 33:30-33

Behaviour of the People Towards the prophet

Eze 33:30. And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people converse about thee by the walls and in the house-doors; one talketh to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come and let us hear what kind of word goeth out from Jehovah. Eze 33:31. And they will come to thee, like an assembly of the people, and sit before thee as my people, and will hear thy words, but not do them; but that which is pleasant in their mouth they do; their heart goeth after their gain. Eze 33:32. And, behold, thou art unto them like a pleasant singer, beautiful in voice and playing well; they will hear thy words, but they will not do them. Eze 33:33. But when it cometh - behold, it cometh - they will know that a prophet was in the midst of them. - This addition to the preceding word of God, which is addressed to Ezekiel personally, applies to the whole of the second half of his ministry, and stands in obvious connection with the instructions given to the prophet on the occasion of his first call (Eze 3:16.), and repeated, so far as their substance is concerned, in Eze 33:7-9, as Kliefoth himself acknowledges, in opposition to his assumption that vv. 1-20 of this chapter belong to the prophecies directed against the foreign nations. As God had directed the prophet’s attention, on the occasion of his call, to the difficulties connected with the discharge of the duties of a watchman with which he was entrusted, by setting before him the object and the responsibility of his vocation, and had warned him not to allow himself to be turned aside by the opposition of the people; so here in Eze 33:30-33, at the commencement of the second section of his ministry, another word is addressed to him personally, in order that he may not be influenced in the further prosecution of his calling by either the pleasure or displeasure of men.

His former utterances had already induced the elders of the people to come to him to hear the word of God (cf. Eze 14:1 and Eze 20:1). But now that his prophecies concerning Jerusalem had been fulfilled, the exiles could not fail to be still more attentive to his words, so that they talked of him both secretly and openly, and encouraged one another to come and listen to his discourses. God foretells this to him, but announces to him at the same time that this disposition on the part of his countrymen to listen to him is even now no sign of genuine conversion to the word of God, in order that he may not be mistaken in his expectations concerning the people. Kliefoth has thus correctly explained the contents, design, and connection of these verses as a whole. In Eze 33:30 the article before the participle נדבּרים takes the place of the relative אשׁר, and the words are in apposition to בּני עמך, the sons of thy people who converse about thee. נדבּר is reciprocal, as in Mal 3:13, Mal 3:16, and Psa 119:12. But ב is to be understood, not in a hostile sense, as in the passage cited from the Psalms, but in the sense of concerning, like דּבּר ב in 1Sa 19:3 as contrasted with דּבּר ב in Num 21:7, to speak against a person. The participle is continued by the finite ודּבּר, and the verb belonging to בּני  follows, in the ויבאוּ of Eze 33:31, in the form of an apodosis. There is something monstrous in Hitzig’s assumption, that the whole passage from Eze 33:30 to Eze 33:33 forms but one clause, and that the predicate to בּני עמך does not occur till the וידעוּ of Eze 33:33. -  אצל , by the side of the walls, i.e., sitting against the walls, equivalent to secretly; and in the doors of the houses, in other words publicly, one neighbour conversing with another. חד, Aramean for אחד, and אישׁ by the side of אחד, every one; not merely one here or there, but every man to his neighbour. כּמבוא־עם, lit., as the coming of a people, i.e., as when a crowd of men flock together in crowds or troops. עמּי is a predicate, as my people, i.e., as if they wished, like my people, to hear my word from thee. But they do not think of doing thy words, i.e., what thou dost announce to them as my word. עגבים are things for which one cherishes an eager desire, pleasant things in their mouth, i.e., according to their taste (cf. Gen 25:28). Hävernick is wrong in taking עגבים to mean illicit love. The word בּפיהם is quite inapplicable to such a meaning. The rendering, they do it with their mouth, is opposed both to the construction and the sense. בּצעם .esnes , their gain, the source from which they promise themselves advantage or gain. In Eze 33:32 a clearer explanation is given of the reason why they come to the prophet, notwithstanding the fact that they do not wish to do his words. “Thou art to them כּשיּר עגבים;” this cannot mean like a pleasant song, but, as מטב נגּן (one who can play well) clearly shows, like a singer of pleasant songs. The abstract שׁיּר stands for the concrete שׁר, a singer, a man of song (Hitzig). In Eze 33:32, “they hear thy words, but do them not,” is repeated with emphasis, for the purpose of attaching the threat in Eze 33:33. But when it cometh - namely, what thou sayest, or prophesiest - behold, it cometh, i.e., it will come as surely as thy prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; then will they know that a prophet was among them (cf. Eze 2:5), that is to say, that he proclaimed God’s word to them. Therefore Ezekiel is not to be prevented, by the misuse which will be made of his words, from preaching the truth. - This conclusion of the word of God, which points back to Eze 2:5, also shows that it forms the introduction to the prophecies which follow.

The Watchman's Office; The Prophet a Watchman to Israel. (b. c. 587.)

1 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

The prophet had been, by express order from God, taken off from prophesying to the Jews, just then when the news came that Jerusalem was invested, and close siege laid to it, ch. xxiv. 27. But now that Jerusalem is taken, two years after, he is appointed again to direct his speech to them; and there his commission is renewed. If God had abandoned them quite, he would not have sent prophets to them; nor, if he had not had mercy in store for them, would he have shown them such things as these. In these verses we have,

I. The office of a watchman laid down, the trust reposed in him, the charge given him, and the conditions adjusted between him and those that employ him, v. 2, 6. 1. It is supposed to be a public danger that gives occasion for the appointing of a watchman—when God brings the sword upon a land, v. 2. The sword of war, whenever it comes upon a land, is of God's bringing; it is the sword of the Lord, of his justice, how unjustly soever men draw it. At such a time, when a country is in fear of a foreign invasion, that they may be informed of all the motions of the enemy, may not be surprised with an attack, but may have early notice of it, in order to their being at their arms and in readiness to give the invader a warm reception, they set a man of their coast, some likely person, that lives upon the borders of their country, where the threatened danger is expected, and is therefore well acquainted with all the avenues of it, and make him their watchman. Thus wise are the children of this world in their generation. Note, One man may be of public service to a whole country. Princes and statesmen are the watchmen of a kingdom; they are continually to employ themselves, and, if occasion be, as watchmen, to expose themselves for the public safety. 2. It is supposed to be a public trust that is lodged in the watchman and that he is accountable to the public for the discharge of it. His business is, (1.) To discover the approaches and advances of the enemy; and therefore he must not be blind nor asleep, for then he cannot see the sword coming. (2.) To give notice of them immediately by sound of trumpet, or, as sentinels among us, by the discharge of a gun, as a signal of danger. A special trust and confidence is reposed in him by those that set him to be their watchman that he will faithfully do these two things; and they venture their lives upon his fidelity. Now, [1.] If he do his part, if he be betimes aware of all the dangers that fall within his cognizance, and give warning of them, he has discharged his trust, and has not only delivered his soul, but earned his wages. If the people do not take warning, if they either will not believe the notice he gives them, will not believe the danger to be so great or so near as really it is, or will not regard it, and so are surprised by the enemy in their security, it is their own fault; the blame is not to be laid upon the watchman, but their blood is upon their own head. If any person goes presumptuously into the mouth of danger, though he heard the sound of the trumpet, and was told by it where the danger was, and so the sword comes and takes him away in his folly, he is felo de se—a suicide; foolish man, he has destroyed himself. But, [2.] If the watchman do not do his duty, if he might have seen the danger, and did not, but was asleep, or heedless, or looking another way, or if he did see the danger (for so the case is put here) and shifted only for his own safety, and blew not the trumpet to warn the people, so that some are surprised and cut off in their iniquity (v. 6), cut off suddenly, without having time to cry, Lord, have mercy upon me, time to repent and make their peace with God (which makes the matter much the worse, that the poor creature is taken away in his iniquity), his blood shall be required at the watchman's hand; he shall be found guilty of his death, because he did not give him warning of his danger. But if the watchman do his part, and the people do theirs, all is well; both he that gives warning and he that takes warning have delivered their souls.

II. The application of this to the prophet, v. 7, 9.

1. He is a watchman to the house of Israel. He had occasionally given warning to the nations about, but to the house of Israel he was a watchman by office, for they were the children of the prophets and the covenant They did not set him for a watchman, as the people of the land, v. 2 (for they were not so wise for their souls as to secure the welfare of them, as they would have been for the protection of their temporal interests); but God did it for them; he appointed them a watchman.

2. His business as a watchman is to give warning to sinners of their misery and danger by reason of sin. This is the word he must hear from God's mouth and speak to them. (1.) God has said, The wicked man shall surely die; he shall be miserable. Unless he repent, he shall be cut off from God and all comfort and hope in him, shall be cut off from all good. He shall fall and lie for ever under the wrath of God, which is the death of the soul, as his favour is its life. The righteous God has said it, and will never unsay it, nor can all the world gainsay it, that the wages of sin is death. Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven, not only against wicked nations, speaking ruin to them as nations, but against wicked persons, speaking ruin to them in their personal capacity, their personal interests, which pass into the other world and last to eternity, as national interests do not. (2.) It is the will of God that the wicked man should be warned of this: Warn them from me. This intimates that there is a possibility of preventing it, else it were a jest to give warning of it; nay, and that God is desirous it should be prevented. Sinners are therefore warned of the wrath to come, that they may flee from it, Matt. iii. 7. (3.) It is the work of ministers to give him warning, to say to the wicked, It shall be ill with thee, Isa. iii. 11. God ways in general, The soul that sinneth it shall die. The minister's business is to apply this to particular persons, and to say, "O wicked man! thou shalt surely die, whoever thou art; if thou go on still in thy trespasses, they will inevitably be thy ruin. O adulterer! O robber! O drunkard! O swearer! O sabbath-breaker! thou shalt surely die." And he must say this, not in passion, to provoke the sinner, but in compassion, to warn the wicked from his way, warn him to turn from it, that he may live. This is to be done by the faithful preaching of the word in public, and by personal application to those whose sins are open.

3. If souls perish through his neglect of his duty, he brings guilt upon himself. "If the prophet do not warn the wicked of the ruin that is at the end of his wicked way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; for, though the watchman did not do his part, yet the sinner might have taken warning from the written word, from his own conscience, and from God's judgments upon others, by which his mouth shall be stopped, and God will be justified in his destruction." Note, It will not serve impenitent sinners to plead in the great day that their watchmen did not give them warning, that they were careless and unfaithful; for, though they were so, it will be made to appear that God left not himself without witness. "But he shall not perish alone in his iniquity; the watchman also shall be called to an account: His blood will I require at thy hand. The blind leader shall fall with the blind follower into the ditch." See what a desire God has of the salvation of sinners, in that he resents it so ill if those concerned do not what they can to prevent their destruction. And see what a great deal those ministers have to answer for another day who palliate sin, and flatter sinners in their evil way, and by their wicked lives countenance and harden them in their wickedness, and encourage them to believe that they shall have peace though they go on.

4. If he do his duty, he may take the comfort of it, though he do not see the success of it (v. 9): "If thou warn the wicked of his way, if thou tell him faithfully what will be the end thereof, and call him earnestly to turn from it, and he do not turn, but persist in it, he shall die in his iniquity, and the fair warning given him will be an aggravation of his sin and ruin; but thou hast delivered thy soul." Note, It is a comfort to ministers that they may through grace save themselves, though they cannot be instrumental to save so many as they wish of those that hear them.

The Cavils of the People Answered. (b. c. 587.)

10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God , I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;   15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. 17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. 18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. 19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. 20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

These verses are the substance of what we had before (ch. xviii. 20, &c.) and they are so full and express a declaration of the terms on which people stand with God (as the former were of the terms on which ministers stand) that it is no wonder that they are here repeated, as those were, though we had the substance of them before. Observe here,

I. The cavils of the people against God's proceedings with them. God was now in his providence contending with them, but their uncircumcised hearts were not as yet humbled, for they were industrious to justify themselves, though thereby they reflected on God. Two things they insisted upon, in their reproaches of God, and in both they added iniquity to their sin and misery to their punishment:—1. They quarrelled with his promises and favours, as having no kindness nor sincerity in them, v. 10. God had set life before them, but they plead that he had set it out of their reach, and therefore did but mock them with the mention of it. The prophet had said, some time ago (ch. xxiv. 23), You shall pine away for your iniquities; with that word he had concluded his threatenings against Judah and Jerusalem; and this they now upbraided him with, as if it had been spoken absolutely, to drive them to despair; whereas it was spoken conditionally, to bring them to repentance. Thus are the sayings of God's ministers perverted by men of corrupt minds, who are inclined to pick quarrels. He puts them in hopes of life and happiness; and herein they would make him contradict himself; "for" (say they) "if our transgressions and our sins be upon us, as thou hast often told us they are, and if we must, as thou sayest, pine away in them, and wear out a miserable captivity in a fruitless repentance, how shall we then live? If this be our doom, there is no remedy. We die, we perish, we all perish." Note, It is very common for those that have been hardened with presumption when they were warned against sin to sink into despair when they are called to repent, and to conclude there is no hope of life for them. 2. They quarrelled with his threatenings and judgments, as having no justice or equity in them. They said, The way of the Lord is not equal (v. 17, 20), suggesting that God was partial in his proceedings, that with him there was respect of persons and that he was more severe against sin and sinners than there was cause.

II. Here is a satisfactory answer given to both these cavils.

1. Those that despaired of finding mercy with God are here answered with a solemn declaration of God's readiness to show mercy, v. 11. When they spoke of pining away in their iniquity God sent the prophet to them, with all speed, to tell them that though their case was sad it was not desperate, but there was yet hope in Israel. (1.) It is certain that God has no delight in the ruin of sinners, nor does he desire it. If they will destroy themselves, he will glorify himself in it, but he has no pleasure in it, but would rather they should turn and live, for his goodness is that attribute of his which is most his glory, which is most his delight. He would rather sinners should turn and live than go on and die. He has said it, he has sworn it, that by these two immutable things, in both which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation. We have his word and his oath; and, since he could swear by no greater, he swears by himself: As I live. They questioned whether they should live, though they did repent and reform; yea, says God, as sure as I live, true penitents shall live also; for their life is hid with Christ in God. (2.) It is certain that God is sincere and in earnest in the calls he gives sinners to repent: Turn you, turn you, from your evil way. To repent is to turn from our evil way; this God requires sinners to do; this he urges them to do by repeated pressing instances: Turn you, turn you. O that they would be prevailed with to turn, to turn quickly, without delay! This he will enable them to do if they will but frame their doings to turn to the Lord, Hos. v. 4. For he has said, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, Prov. i. 23. And in this he will accept of them; for it is not only what he commands, but what he courts them to. (3.) It is certain that, if sinners perish in their impenitency, it is owing to themselves; they die because they will die; and herein they act most absurdly and unreasonably: Why will you die, O house of Israel? God would have heard them, and they would not be heard.

2. Those that despaired of finding justice with God are here answered with a solemn declaration of the rule of judgment which God would go by in dealing with the children of men, which carries along with it the evidence of its own equity; he that runs may read the justice of it. The Jewish nation, as a nation, was now dead; it was ruined to all intents and purposes. The prophet must therefore deal with particular persons, and the rule of judgment concerning them is much like that concerning a nation, Jer. xviii. 8-10. If God speak concerning it to build and to plant, and it do wickedly, he will recall his favours and leave it to ruin. But if he speak concerning it to pluck up and destroy, and it repent, he will revoke the sentence and deliver it. So it is here. In short, The most plausible professors, if they apostatize, shall certainly perish for ever in their apostasy from God; and the most notorious sinners, if they repent, shall certainly be happy for ever in their return to God. This is here repeated again and again, because it ought to be again and again considered, and preached over to our own hearts. This was necessary to be inculcated upon this stupid senseless people, that said, The way of the Lord is not equal; for these rules of judgment are so plainly just that they need no other confirmation of them than the repetition of them.

(1.) If those that have made a great profession of religion throw off their profession, quit the good ways of God and grow loose and carnal, sensual and worldly, the profession they made and all the religious performances with which they had for a great while kept up the credit of their profession shall stand them in no stead, but they shall certainly perish in their iniquity, v. 12, 13, 18. [1.] God says to the righteous man that he shall surely live, v. 13. He says it by his word, by his ministers. He that lives regularly, his own heart tells him, his neighbours tell him, He shall live. Surely such a man as this cannot but be happy. And it is certain, if he proceed and persevere in his righteousness, and if, in order to that, he be upright and sincere in it, if he be really as good as he seems to be, he shall live; he shall continue in the love of God and be for ever happy in that love. [2.] Righteous men, who have very good hopes of themselves and whom others have a very good opinion of, are yet in danger of turning to iniquity by trusting to their righteousness. So the case is put here: If he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, and come to make a trade of sin—if he not only take a false step, but turn aside into a false way and persist in it. This may possibly be the case of a righteous man, and it is the effect of his trusting to his own righteousness. Note, Many eminent professors have been ruined by a proud conceitedness of themselves and confidence in themselves. He trust to the merit of his own righteousness, and thinks he has already made God so much his debtor that now he may venture to commit iniquity, for he has righteousness enough in stock to make amends for it; he fancies that whatever evil deeds he may do hereafter he can be in no danger from them, having so many good deeds beforehand to counterbalance them. Or, He trust to the strength of his own righteousness, thinks himself now so well established in a course of virtue that he may thrust himself into any temptation and it cannot overcome him, and so by presuming on his own sufficiency he is brought to commit iniquity. By making bold on the confines of sin he is drawn at length into the depths of hell. This ruined the Pharisees; they trusted to themselves that they were righteous, and that their long prayers, and fasting twice in the week, would atone for their devouring widows' houses. [3.] If righteous men turn to iniquity, and return not to their righteousness, they shall certainly perish in their iniquity, and all the righteousness they have formerly done, all their prayers, and all their alms, shall be forgotten. No mention shall be made, no remembrance had, of their good deeds; they shall be overlooked, as if they had never been. The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him from the wrath of God, and the curse of the law, in the day of his transgression. When he becomes a traitor and a rebel, and takes up arms against his rightful Sovereign, it will not serve for him to plead in his own defence that formerly he was a loyal subject, and did many good services to the government. No; he shall not be able to live. The remembrance of his former righteousness shall be no satisfaction either to God's justice or his own conscience in the day that he sins, but rather shall, in the estimate of both, highly aggravate the sin and folly of his apostasy. And therefore for his iniquity that he committed he shall die, v. 13. And again (v. 18), He shall even die thereby; and it is owing to himself.

(2.) If those that have lived a wicked life repent and reform, forsake their wicked ways and become religious, their sins shall be pardoned, and they shall be justified and saved, if they persevere in their reformation. [1.] God says to the wicked, "Thou shalt surely die. The way that thou art in leads to destruction. The wages of thy sin is death, and thy iniquity will shortly be thy ruin." It was said to the righteous man, Thou shalt surely live, for his encouragement to proceed and persevere in the way of righteousness; but he made an ill use of it, and was emboldened by it to commit iniquity. It was said to the wicked man, Thou shalt surely die, for warning to him not to persist in his wicked ways; and he makes a good use of it, and is quickened thereby to return to God and duty. Thus even the threatenings of the word are to some, by the grace of God, a savour of life unto life, while even the promises of the word become to others, by their own corruption, a savour of death unto death. When God says to the wicked man, Thou shalt surely die, die eternally, it is to frighten him, not out of his wits, but out of his sins. [2.] There is many a wicked man who was hastening apace to his own destruction who yet is wrought upon by the grace of God to return and repent, and live a holy life. He turns from his sin (v. 14), and is resolved that he will have no more to do with it; and, as an evidence of his repentance for wrong done, he restores the pledge (v. 15) which he had taken uncharitably from the poor, he gives again that which he had robbed and taken unjustly from the rich. Nor does he only cease to do evil, but he learns to do well; he does that which is lawful and right, and makes conscience of his duty both to God and man—a great change, since, awhile ago, he neither feared God nor regarded man. But many such amazing changes, and blessed ones, have been wrought by the power of divine grace. He that was going on in the paths of death and the destroyer now walks in the statues of life, in the way of God's commandments, which has both life in it (Prov. xii. 28) and life at the end of it, Matt. xix. 17. And in this good way he perseveres without committing iniquity, though not free from remaining infirmity, yet under the dominion of no iniquity. He repents not of his repentance, nor returns to the commission of those gross sins which he before allowed himself in. [3.] He that does thus repent and return shall escape the ruin he was running into, and his former sins shall be no prejudice to his acceptance with God. Let him not pine away in his iniquity, for, if he confess and forsake it, he shall find mercy. He shall surely live; he shall not die, v. 15. Again (v. 16), He shall surely live. Again (v. 19), He has done that which is lawful and right, and he shall live thereby. But will not his wickednesses be remembered against him? No; he shall not be punished for them (v. 12): As for the wickedness of the wicked, though it was very heinous, yet he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness. Now that it has become his grief it shall not be his ruin. Now that there is a settled separation between him and sin there shall be no longer a separation between him and God. Nay, he shall not be so much as upbraided with them (v. 16): None of his sins that he has committed shall be mentioned unto him, either as a clog to his pardon or an allay to the comfort of it, or as any blemish and diminution to the glory that is prepared for him.

Now lay all this together, and then judge whether the way of the Lord be not equal, whether this will not justify God in the destruction of sinners and glorify him in the salvation of penitents. The conclusion of the whole matter is (v. 20): "O you house of Israel, though you are all involved now in the common calamity, yet there shall be a distinction of persons made in the spiritual and eternal state, and I will judge you every one after his ways." Though they were sent into captivity by the lump, good fish and bad enclosed in the same net, yet there he will separate between the precious and the vile and will render to every man according to his works. Therefore God's way is equal and unexceptionable; but, as for the children of thy people, God turns them over to the prophet, as he did to Moses (Exod. xxxii. 7): "They are thy people; I can scarcely own them for mine." As for them, their way is unequal; this way which they have got of quarrelling with God and his prophets is absurd and unreasonable. In all disputes between God and his creatures it will certainly be found that he is in the right and they are in the wrong.

Message to Inhabitants of Judah; Rebuke to the Proud Jews. (b. c. 587.)

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. 22 Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb. 23 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance. 25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? 26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? 27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. 28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. 29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord , when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

Here we have,

I. The tidings brought to Ezekiel of the burning of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. The city was burnt in the eleventh year of the captivity and the fifth month, Jer. lii. 12, 13. Tidings hereof were brought to the prophet by one that was an eye-witness of the destruction, in the twelfth year, and the tenth month (v. 21), which was a year and almost five months after the thing was done; we may well suppose that, there being a constant correspondence at this time more than ever kept up between Jerusalem and Babylon, he had heard the news long before. But this was the first time he had an account of it from a refugee, from one who escaped, who could be particular, and would be pathetic, in the narrative of it. And the sign given him was the coming of such a one to him as had himself narrowly escaped the flames (ch. xxiv. 26): He that escapes in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thy ears, to hear it more distinctly than ever, from one that could say, Quæque ipse miserrima vidi—These miserable scenes I saw.

II. The divine impressions and influences he was under, to prepare him for those heavy tidings (v. 22): The hand of the Lord was upon me before he came, and had opened my mouth to speak to the house of Israel what we had in the former part of this chapter. And now he was no more dumb; he prophesied now with more freedom and boldness, being by the event proved a true prophet, to the confusion of those that contradicted him. All the prophecies from ch. xxiv. to this chapter have relation purely to the nations about, it is probable that the prophet, when he received them from the Lord, did not deliver them by word of mouth, but in writing; for he could not Say to the Ammonites, Say unto Tyrus, Say unto Pharaoh, &c., so and so, but by letters directed to the persons concerned, as Zacharias, when he could not speak, wrote; and herein he was as truly executing his prophetic office as ever. Note, Even silenced ministers may be doing a great deal of good by writing letters and making visits. But now the prophet's mouth is opened, that he may speak to the children of his people. It is probable that he had, during these three years, been continually speaking to them as a friend, putting them in mind of what he had formerly delivered to them, but that he never spoke to them as a prophet, by inspiration, till now, when the hand of the Lord came upon him, renewed his commission, gave him fresh instructions, and opened his mouth, furnished him with power to speak to the people as he ought to speak.

III. The particular message he was entrusted with, relating to these Jews that yet remained in the land of Israel, and inhabited the wastes of that land, v. 24. See what work sin had made. The cities of Israel had now become the wastes of Israel, for they lay all in ruins; some few that had escaped the sword and captivity still continued there and began to think of re-settling. This was so long after the destruction of Jerusalem that it was some time before this that Gedaliah (a modest humble man) and his friends were slain; but probably at this time Johanan, and the proud men that joined with him, were at the height (Jer. xliii. 2); and before they came to a resolution to go into Egypt, wherein Jeremiah opposed them, it is probable that the project was to establish themselves in the wastes of the land of Israel, in which Ezekiel here opposed them, and probably despatched the message away by the person that brought him the news of Jerusalem's destruction. Or, perhaps, those here prophesied against might be some other party of Jews, that remained in the land, hoping to take root there and to be sole masters of it, after Johanan and his forces had gone into Egypt. Now here we have,

1. An account of the pride of these remaining Jews, who dwelt in the wastes of the land of Israel. Though the providence of God concerning them had been very humbling, and still was very threatening, yet they were intolerably haughty and secure, and promised themselves peace. He that brought the news to the prophet that Jerusalem was smitten could not tell him (it is likely) what these people said, but God tells him, They say, "The land is given us for inheritance, v. 24. Our partners being gone, it is now all our own by survivorship, or, for want of heirs, it comes to us as occupants; we shall now be placed alone in the midst of the earth and have it all to ourselves." This argues great stupidity under the weighty hand of God, and a reigning selfishness and narrow-spiritedness; they pleased themselves in the ruin of their country as long as they hoped to find their own account in it, cared not though it were all waste, so that they might have the sole property—a poor inheritance to be proud of! They have the impudence to compare their case with Abraham's, glorying in this, We have Abraham to our father. "Abraham," say they, "was one, one family, and he inherited the land, and lived many years in the peaceable enjoyment of it; but we are many, many families, more numerous than he; the land is given us for inheritance." (1.) They think they can make out as good a title from God to this land as Abraham could: "If God gave this land to him, who was but one worshipper of him, as a reward of his service, much more will he give it to us, who are many worshippers of him, as the reward of our service." This shows the great conceit they had of the own merits, as if they were greater than those of Abraham their father, who yet was not justified by works. (2.) They think they can make good the possession of this land against the Chaldeans and all others invaders, as well as Abraham could against those that were competitors with him for it: "If he, who was but one, could hold it, much more shall we, who are many, and have many more at command than his 300 trained servants." This shows the confidence they had in their own might; they had got possession, and were resolved to keep it.

2. A check to this pride. Since God's providences did neither humble them nor terrify them, he sends them a message sufficient to do both.

(1.) To humble them, he tells them of the wickedness they still persisted in, which rendered them utterly unworthy to possess this land, so that they could not expect God should give it to them. They had been followed with one judgment after another, but they had not profited by those means of grace as might be expected; they were still unreformed, and how could they expect that they should possess the land? "Shall you possess the land? What! such wicked people as you are? How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land? Jer. iii. 19. Surely you never reflect upon yourselves, else you would rather wonder that you are in the land of the living than expect to possess this land. For do you now know how bad you are?" [1.] "You make no conscience of forbidden fruit, forbidden food: You eat with the blood," directly contrary to one of the precepts given to Noah and his sons when God gave them possession of the earth, Gen. ix. 4. [2.] "Idolatry, that covenant-breaking sin, that sin which the jealous God has been in a particular manner provoked by to lay your country waste, is still the sin that most easily besets you and which you have a strong inclination to: You lift up your eyes towards your idols, which is a sign that though perhaps you do not bow your knee to them so much as you have done, yet you set your hearts upon them and hanker after them." [3.] "You are as fierce, and cruel, and barbarous as ever: You shed blood, innocent blood." [4.] "You confide in your own strength, your own arm, your own bow, and have no dependence on, or regard to, God and his providence: You stand upon your sword (v. 26); you think to carry all before you, and make all your own, by force of arms." How can those expect the inheritance of Isaac (as these did) who are of Ishmael's disposition, that had his hand against every man (Gen. xvi. 12), and Esau's resolution to live by his sword? Gen. xxvii. 40. We met with those (ch. xxxii. 27) who, when they died, thought they could not lie easy underground unless they had their swords under their heads. Here we meet with those who, while they live, think they cannot stand firmly above ground unless they have their swords under their feet, as if swords were both the softest pillows and the strongest pillars; though it was sin, it was sin, that first drew the sword. But, blessed be God, there are those who know better, who stand upon the support of the divine power and promise and lay their heads in the bosom of divine love, not trusting in their own sword, Ps. xliv. 3. [5.] "You are guilty of all manner of abominations, and, particularly, you defile every one his neighbour's wife, which is an abomination of the first magnitude, and shall you possess the land? What! such vile miscreants as you?" Note, Those cannot expect to possess the land, nor to enjoy any true comfort or happiness here or hereafter, who live in rebellion against the Lord.

(2.) To terrify them, he tells them of the further judgments God had in store for them, which should make them utterly unable to possess this land, so that they could not stand it out against the enemy. Do they say that they shall possess the land? God has said they shall not, he has sworn it, As I live, saith the Lord. Though he has sworn that he delights not in the death of sinners, yet he has sworn also that those who persist in impenitency and unbelief shall not enter into his rest. [1.] Those that are in the cities, here called the wastes, shall fall by the sword, either by the sword of the Chaldeans, who come to avenge the murder of Gedaliah, or by one another's swords, in their intestine broils. [2.] Those that are in the open field shall be devoured by wild beasts, which swarmed, of course, in the country when it was dispeopled, and there were none to master them and keep them under, Exod. xxiii. 29. When the army of the enemy had quitted the country still there was no safety in it. Noisome beasts constituted one of the four sore judgments, ch. xiv. 15. [3.] Those that are in the forts and in the caves, that think themselves safe in artificial or natural fastnesses, because men's eyes cannot discover them nor men's darts reach them, there the arrows of the Almighty shall find them out; they shall die of the pestilence. [4.] The whole land, even the land of Israel, that had been the glory of all lands, shall be most desolate, v. 28. It shall be desolation, desolation, all over as desolate as desolation itself can make it. The mountain of Israel, the fruitful mountains, Zion itself the holy mountain not excepted, shall be desolate, the roads unfrequented, the houses uninhabited, that none shall pass through; as it was threatened (Deut. xxviii. 62), You shall be left few in number. [5.] The pomp of her strength, whatever she glories in as her pomp and trusts to as her strength, shall be made to cease. [6.] The cause of all this was very bad; it is for all their abominations which they have committed. It is sin that does all this mischief, that makes nations desolate; and therefore we ought to call it an abomination. [7.] Yet the effect of all this will be very good: Then shall they know that I am the Lord, am their Lord, and shall return to their allegiance, when I have made the land most desolate. Those are untractable unteachable indeed that are not made to know their dependence upon God when all their creature-comforts fail them and are made desolate.

Hypocritical Professions. (b. c. 587.)

30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord . 31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

The foregoing verses spoke conviction to the Jews who remained in the land of Israel, who were monuments of sparing mercy and yet returned not to the Lord; in these verses those are reproved who were now in captivity in Babylon, under divine rebukes, and yet were not reformed by them. They are not indeed charged with the same gross enormities that the others are charged with. They made some show of religion and devotion; but their hearts were not right with God. The thing they are here accused of is mocking the messengers of the lord, one of their measure-filling sins, which brought this ruin upon them, and yet they were not cured of it. Two ways they mocked the prophet Ezekiel:—

I. By invidious ill natured reflections upon him, privately among themselves, endeavouring by all means possible to render him despicable. The prophet did not know it, but charitably thought that those who spoke so well to him to his face, with so much seeming respect and deference, would surely not speak ill of him behind his back. But God comes and tells him, The children of thy people are still talking against thee (v. 30), or talking of thee, no good, I doubt. Note, Public persons are a common theme or subject of discourse; every one takes a liberty to censure them at pleasure. Faithful ministers know not how much ill is said of them every day; it is well that they do not; for, if they did, it might prove a discouragement to them in their work not to be easily got over. God takes notice of all that is said against his ministers, not only what is decreed against them, or sworn against them, not only what is written against them, or spoken with solemnity and deliberation, but of what is said against them in common talk, among neighbours when they meet in an evening, by the walls and in the doors of their houses, where whatever freedom of speech they use, if they reproach and slander any of God's ministers, God will reckon with them for it; his prophets shall not be made the song of the drunkards always. They had no crime to lay to the prophet's charge, but they loved to talk of him in a careless, scornful, bantering way; they said, jokingly, "Come, and let us hear what is the word that comes forth from the Lord; perhaps it will be something new, and will entertain us, and furnish us with matter for discourse." Note, Those have arrived as a great pitch of profaneness who can make so great a privilege, and so great a duty, as the preaching and hearing of the word of God, a matter of sport and ridicule, yea though it be not done publicly, but in private conversation among themselves. Serious things should be spoken of seriously.

II. By dissembling with him in their attendance upon his ministry. Hypocrites mock God and mock his prophets. But their hypocrisy is open before God, and the day is coming when, as here, it will be laid open. Observe here,

1. The plausible profession which these people made and the speciousness of their pretensions. They are like those (Matt. xv. 8) who draw nigh to God with their mouths and honour him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. (1.) They were diligent and constant in their attendance upon the means of grace: They come unto thee as the people come. In Babylon they had no temple or synagogue, but they went to the prophet's house (ch. viii. 1), and there, it is probable, they spent their new moons and their sabbaths in religious exercises, 2 Kings iv. 23. When the prophet was bound the word of the Lord was not bound; and the people, when they had not the help for their souls that they wished for, were thankful for what they had; it was a reviving in their bondage. Now these hypocrites came, according to the coming of the people, as duly and as early as any of the prophet's hearers. Their being said to come as the people came seems to intimate that the reason why they came was because other people came; they did not come out of conscience towards God, but only for company, for fashion-sake, and because it was now the custom of their countrymen. Note, Those that have no inward principle of love to God's ordinances may yet be found much in the external observance of them. Cain brought his sacrifice as well as Abel; and the Pharisee went up to the temple to pray as well as the publican. (2.) They behaved themselves very decently and reverently in the public assembly; there were none of them whispering, or laughing, or gazing about them, or sleeping. But they sit before thee as my people, with all the shows of gravity, and sereneness, and composure of mind. They sit out the time, without weariness, or wishing the sermon done. (3.) They were very attentive to the word preached: "They are not thinking of something else, but they hear thy words, and take notice of what thou sayest." (4.) They pretended to have a great kindness and respect for the prophet. Though, behind his back, they could not give him a good word, yet, to his face, they showed much love to him and his doctrine; they pretended to have a great concern lest he should spend himself too much in preaching or expose himself to the Chaldeans, for they would be thought to be some of his best friends and well-wishers. (5.) They took a great deal of pleasure in the word; they delighted to know God's word, Isa. lviii. 2. Herod heard John Baptist gladly, Mark vi. 20. Thou art unto them as a very lovely song. Ezekiel's matter was surprising, his language fine, his expressions elegant, his similitudes apt, his voice melodious, and his delivery graceful; so that they could sit with as much pleasure to hear him preach as (if I may speak in the language of our times) to see a play or an opera, or to hear a concert of music. Ezekiel was to them as one that had a pleasant voice and could sing well, or play well on an instrument. Note, Men may have their fancies pleased by the word, and yet not have their consciences touched nor their hearts changed, the itching ear gratified and yet not the corrupt nature sanctified.

2. The hypocrisy of these professions and pretensions; it is all a sham, it is all a jest. (1.) They have no cordial affection for the word of God. While they show much love it is only with the mouth, from the teeth outward, but their heart goes after their covetousness; they are as much set upon the world as ever, as much in love and league with it as ever. Hearing the word is only their diversion and recreation, a pretty amusement now and then for an hour or two. But still their main business is with their farm and merchandise; the bent and bias of their souls are towards them, and their inward thoughts are employed in projects about them. Note, Covetousness is the ruining sin of multitudes that make a great profession of religion; it is the love of the world that secretly eats the love of God out of their hearts. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are the thorns that choke the seed, and choke the soul too. And those neither please God nor profit themselves who, when they are hearing the word of God, are musing upon their worldly affairs. God has his eye on the hearts that do so. (2.) They yield no subjection to it. They hear thy words, but it is only a hearing that they give thee, for they will not do them, v. 31. And again (v. 32), they do them not. They will not be persuaded by all the prophet can say, either by authority or argument, to cross themselves in any instance, to part with any one beloved sin, or apply themselves to any one duty that is against the grain to flesh and blood. Note, There are many who take pleasure in hearing the word, but make no conscience of doing it; and so they build upon the sand, and deceive themselves.

3. Let us see what will be in the end hereof: Shall their unbelief and carelessness make the word of God of no effect? By no means. (1.) God will confirm the prophet's word, though they contemn it, and make light of it, v. 33. What he says will come to pass, and not one jot or one tittle shall fall to the ground. Note, The curses of the law, though they may be bantered by profane wits, cannot be baffled. (2.) They themselves shall rue their folly when it is too late. When it comes to pass they shall know, shall know to their cost, know to their confusion, that a prophet has been among them, though they made no more of him than as one that had a pleasant voice. Note, Those who will not consider that a prophet is among them, and who improve not the day of their visitation while it is continued, will be made to remember that a prophet has been among them when the things that belong to their peace are hidden from their eyes. The day is coming when vain and worldly men will have other thoughts of things than now they have, and will feel a weight in that which they made light of. They shall know that a prophet has been among them when they see the event exactly answer the prediction, and the prophet himself shall be a witness against them that they had fair warning given them, but would not take it. When Ezekiel is gone, whom now they speak against, and there is no more any prophet, nor any to show them how long, then they will remember that once they had a prophet, but knew not how to use him well. Note, Those who will not know the worth of mercies by the improvement of them will justly be made to know the worth of them by the want of them, as those who should desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, which now they slighted, and might not see it.

CHAP. XXXIII.

Ver. 1. AGain the Word of the Lord came unto me, ſaying] A new commiſſion to preach again to his Country-men: which he had not done, ſince chap. 24.27. See the Note there.

Ver. 2. Speak to the children of thy people] I ſay of thy people: for I can ſcarce find in my heart to own them, they be ſo [illegible: 1 letter]ad.

When I bring the ſword upon a Land] The ſword is of Gods ſending, chap. 14.17. and whenceſoever it cometh, it is bathed in heaven, Iſa. 34.5. Think the ſame of any other publike calamity, Amos 3.6. and therefore frame to a patient and peaceable behaviour under it. Among Philoſophers the moſt noted ſect for patience, was that of the Stoikes, who aſcribed all to Fate.

Ver. 3. He blow the trumpet] Hence the Ancients infer,Clem. Bern. that a Biſhop muſt preach, and that Praelati officium est ſollicitudo non celſitudo. He taketh upon him the office of a conſtant Preacher, ſaith Gregory, that undertaketh to be a Miniſter.

Ver. 4. His blood ſhall be upon his own] The blame ſhall reſt wholly upon himſelf. Not to be warned is a juſt both preſage and deſert of deſtruction.

Ver. 5. But he that taketh warning] Praeviſion is the beſt means of prevention.

Ver. 6. He is taken away in his iniquity] This a diſmal kind of death, far worſe then that of dying in priſon, or of dying in a ditch.

At the watch-man's hand] By whoſe treachery, or indiligence at leaſt, he miſcarried.

Ver. 7, 8, 9. See Notes on chap. 3.17, 18, 19.

Ver. 10. Thus ye ſpeak] But not well, whilſt ye have hard thoughts of God,Refricat verba deſperantium. Omnis reſtitutionis ſpecies & ſpes à Deo nobis praeciſa eſt. Heb. 2.1. and heavy thoughts of your ſelves; as if your ſins were unpardonable; and that ye were already ruined beyond relief: whereas true Repentance is a ready remedy, a plank after ſhipwrak, that would ſet you ſafe, and render you right again. This they had been told before, chap. 18. but to little purpoſe: the word was not mingled with faith in their hearts, and did therefore run through them, as water runs through a riven veſſel.

And we pine away in them] Ita punimur ut per[illegible: 1 letter]amus. This the Prophet had threatened, chap. 24.23. and they ſtill ſtomackfully object it to him: it lay as hard-meat, and they raiſe a cavil upon it: whereto the Lord anſwereth;

Ver. 11. As I live ſaith the Lord God, &c.] This is one of thoſe precious places, thoſe melliflous hony-combes, which we ſhould go on, ſucking, towards heaven, as Sampſon once did toward his parents, Judg 14.9. Here, if anywhere, we may find ſtrong conſolation. God when he ſwears, deſires certainly to be credited, ſaith Tertullian. O happy we, for whoſe ſakes God vouchſafeth to ſwear:Lib. de Poenitent. cap. 4. and O thrice-wretched we, if we believe not God, no though he ſwear to us! Oh (ſaith Theodoret here) who can ever ſufficiently admire the Lords great goodneſſe, who being ſo ſhamefully ſl[illegible: 1 letter]ghted by the ſinful ſons of men, doth yet ſwear his readineſſe to receive them graciouſly, who have revolted grievouſly? Well might Nazianzen ſay that God delighteth in nothing ſo much as in mans converſion and ſalvation: [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſaith Baſil, i. e. he would we ſhould fear him,Suff[illegible: 1 letter]ndere mavult ſanguinem quam effundere. Tertul. not fall by his hand: redire nos ſibi, non perire deſiderat, (as Chryſologus phraſeth it) return unto him, not periſh from the way, Pſal. 2.12

For why will ye dye?] Turn ye muſt, or burn. See chap 18.31, 32.

Ver. 12. Say unto the children] The ſame as before; only with a Proviſo of Perſeverance in well-doing, for elſe all's loſt. Non enim quaeruntur in Chriſtianis initia ſed finis, ſaith Hierom, The end is better then the beginning.

Ver. 13. When I ſhall ſay to the righteous] See on chap. 18.24.

If he truſt to his own righteouſneſſe] As thinking that he hath thereby purchaſed a licenſe to commit iniquity.

Ver. 14. Thou ſhalt ſurely dye] Viz. Except thou repent; for that altereth the caſe. Poenitency is almoſt as good as innocency.

If he turn from his ſin and do] Theſe two parts make up true Repentance.

Ver. 15. Give again that he had robbed] Quod rapuit reddideret. The law for reſtitution ſee Num. 5.6, 7.

Ver. 16. None of his ſins] This is point-blank againſt the doctrine of Purgatory.

Ver. 17. Yet the children of the people ſay] This was a ſecond cavil of theirs. See ver. 10. and chap. 18.25. Archeſilas was ſurnamed Cavillator: ſo might theſe well have been.

Their way is not equal] There is no equity at all in this cauſeleſſe quarrel of theirs.

Ver. 18. When the righteous turneth] To ſet them down, if right reaſon would do it (and man ſhould be mancipium rationis, a ſlave to reaſon) he repeateth what he hath ſaid before.

Ver. 19. He ſhall live thereby] Provided that he reſt not in his righteouſneſſe, but learn to live by the faith of the Son of God, Gal. 2.

Ver. 20. Yet ye ſay] But therein ye lye, which is not the guiſe of Gods children, Iſa. 63.8.

I will judge you every one after his wayes] And ſo wring a teſtimony, if not from your mouthes, yet from your conſciences, of mine impartial Juſtice; ſuch as is that, Deut. 32.4. A God of truth, and without iniquity, juſt and right is He.

Ver. 21. In the twelfth year] Some read the eleventh year: and indeed it was wonder that ſuch ill news came no ſooner; for [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſaith Sophocles.

Superſtes ſtragis. That one that had eſcaped] This God had promiſed, chap. 24.26.

The City is ſmitten] i. e. Sacked and burnt. This man ſpoke much in few.

Ver. 22. The hand of the Lord] i. e. The Spirit of the Lord, which acted me and caried me out, 2 Pet. 1.21. See 1 Cor. 12.3.

And my mouth was opened] As God had promiſed, chap. 24.27. And this fell out before the meſſengers narration. This was much for the prophets honour.

Ver. 23. Then the Word of the Lord] See chap. 18.1.

Ver. 24. They that inhabit thoſe waſts of the land of Iſrael] Thoſe poor few now left in the land, 2 King. 25.12, 22. Jer. 40.5, &c. Surely they are poor, they are fooliſh, they have loſt the fruit of their affliction, miſerrimi facti ſunt & peſſimi permanent (as Auſtin ſaith of ſome in his time) they are never the leſſe wicked, for being wretched.

Verba facis populi recitat. Abrahae ſe conferre, imò praeferre audebant. Speak] Bubbles of words. Antiquum obtinent; They are no changelings, not at all creſt-faln.

Abraham was one] And no ſuch one, but that we may match him. Thus theſe proud hypocrites ſet up their counter for a thouſand pound, and ſtand upon their compariſons, without all ſhame or ſenſe.

The land is given to us] And here we will hold our own: for we are well worthy.

Ver. 25. Ye eat with the blood] Which wicked Saul would not do, 1 Sam. 14. much leſſe would righteous Abraham have done it; ſith it was againſt the light and letter of the Law, Gen. 9.4. Levit. 7.26. Deut. 12.16. Nay ye do worſe things: and are you Abraham's children, and heirs of the promiſed land, together with that faithful Patriarch? I trow not. See a like manner of reaſoning, Mic. 2.7. Joh. 8.39: So the learned Linaker, having read our Saviours Sermon in the mount, and conſidering how little it is lived amongſt us, brake out into theſe words, Certainly either this is not Goſpel, or we are not right Goſpellers.

Ver. 26. Ye ſtand upon your ſword] Vivitur ex rapto, He that hath the longeſt ſword carrieth it amongſt you: ye are alſo very revengeful: ready to ſay with him in the Poet, Caparene ap. Statum. Theb. 2. Mezent. ap. Virg. Aeneid. 10. Martin. VI. vald. in candelab.—virtus mihi numen, & enſis Quem teneo. Dextra mihi deus, & telum quod miſſile libro.

Ye work abomination] This R. Solomon underſtandeth de Venere obſcaeniore. It is in the original, ye women work abomination, as proſtituting your ſelves to an unnatural filthineſſe, as the Caſuiſts complain ſtill of ſome Spaniſh Curtezans.

And ſhall ye poſſeſſe the land] q. d. Ye ſhall be ſet up: what ſhould you expect better then exilium & excitium, baniſhment and deſtruction?

Ver. 27. They that are in the waſtes] Ver. 24.

Shall dye of the peſtilence] Or elſe of the famine, which is worſe. When, where, and how this was fulfilled upon them, we read not: In Egypt likely, whither they went after Gedaliah's death; if not ſooner, at home, as Jeremy alſo had fore-prophecyed, chap. 42, 43, 44.

Ver. 28. For I will lay the land moſt deſolate] Heb. deſolation & deſolation. God made clean work there; there was not a Jew left in the Country: See Zach. 7.14.

Ver. 29. Then ſhall they know] By woful experience.

Ver. 30. The children of thy people] Theſe Captives in Babylon, no whit better then thoſe in Jury.

Still are talking] Detracting from thee, and deriding thee.

By the walls] Suſurros miſcentes clancularios: Ʋti otioſi & ſanniones in foro facere ſolent. fearing left any one behind them ſhould hear them, they get the walls at their backs.

Come I pray you and hear] Thus they jear: and there are too many ſuch ſcoffers at this day.

Ver. 31. And they come unto thee] Very goodly.

And they ſit before thee] Very demurely, and (to ſee to) devoutly; taking up all the ſeats.

They hear thy Words] But they were as heartleſſe in hearing, as they were liſtleſſe in praying, ver. 10.

They will not do them] Of the Athenians alſo it was ſaid of old, that they knew well what was good and right, but would do neither.

Their heart goeth after their covetouſneſſe] Their heart is on their half-penny, as we ſay: neither can the Load-ſtone of Gods Word hale them one jot from the earth. It ſhould be Surſumcorda: but when many mens bodies are in ſacellis, Haram domiſticam arae Dominicae prafer. their hearts are in ſacculis, as Auſtin complaineth: as Serpents have their bodies in the water, their heads out of the water: ſo here. As thoſe Gergeſites, they more mind a ſwine-ſtye then a Sanctuary.

Ver. 32. As a very lovely ſong] Or a love-ſong. Canticum amatorium. Vatab. The word leaves no more impreſſion upon carnal mens conſciences, then a ſweet leſſon upon the Lute in the ear, when it is ended; for then both the vocal and inſtrumental ſweetneſſe diſſolve into the air and vaniſh into nothing. Happy was Auſtin who coming to Ambroſe to have his eares tickled, had his heart touched.

Ver. 33. That a Prophet] See on chap. 2.5.