Matthew Poole and continuators on Ezekiel 44:10

10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols, they shall even bear their iniquity.

Priests intended here, and indeed the sons, or posterity of them is here intended; for this Apostacy among them was elder then the eldest of them all.

Idolaters go far from God, for they depart as an Adulterous Wife from her Husband, their hearts, and affections are far from God, they fell to heathenish Idolatry.

It may be worth our while to enquire what time, or near what time this was, I doubt Baal P[illegible: 2 letters]r▪ Num. 25. or from Solomons time, when there was somewhat of this sin among the Priests. But of Re[illegible: 1 letter]oboams time 'tis said 2 Chron. 12.1. All Israel forsook the Law of the Lord. And in Ahaz his time, when the Altar at Da[illegible: 1 letter]ascus so pleas'd him, and the High-Priest U[illegible: 1 letter]iah, that presently an Altar, like that is made, and set up between Gods House and Altar; and Orders, or, in our Language, injunctions from the King to the High Priest, and from him to the inferior Priests and Levites, who obey, 2 King. 16.16. and Manasseh carried the Apostacy higher. Now account from any of these, from the last of them to the first return out of Captivity, is 114 years, to which we must add the 25 years, which each Priest must be ere they enter the Priests Office, 'twil amount to 139 years, and to these add 44 ere this Temple was repair'd, 'twill be 183 years, too great an age for any of the Priests to be of, therefore, as I said, the Preists that are now degraded, are the children of those Apostate Preists who were (as Zech. 1.5, 6. said of the Fathers) dead.

Shall bear the punishment of this their Apostacy, be debased to meanest Services, subjected to others, and be deprived for ever ministring at the Altar. So 2 King. 23.8, 9. and so God executed his threat against Eli's House. 1 Sam. 2.13.