'- / ^ 
 
 LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 From the library of Professor 
 William Henry Grreen 
 
 Dkision....O..^ » -^ ^^ 
 Section :..±^...r'^ ^ 
 
 copy / 
 
Cfje Camijrttrije MMt for ^c|)cioIs 
 anti Cdlleijeo. 
 
 General Editor:— J. J. S. PEROWNE, D.D. 
 
 Bishop of Worcester. 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET 
 
 EZ E KI EL, 
 
 W/TII NOTES AND INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE REV. A. B. DAVIDSON, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
 1892 
 
(fTambritigc 
 
 PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY M.A. AND SONS 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS 
 
PREFACE 
 BY THE GENERAL EDITOR. 
 
 The General Editor of The Cambridge Bible foj^ 
 Schools thinks it right to say that he does not hold 
 himself responsible either for the interpretation of 
 particular passages which the Editors of the several 
 Books have adopted, or for any opinion on points of 
 doctrine that they may have expressed. In the New 
 Testament more especially questions arise of the 
 deepest theological import, on which the ablest and 
 most conscientious interpreters have differed and 
 always will differ. His aim has been in all such 
 cases to leave each Contributor to the unfettered 
 exercise of his own judgment, only taking care that 
 mere controversy should as far as possible be avoided. 
 He has contented himself chiefly with a careful 
 revision of the notes, with pointing out omissions, with 
 suggesting occasionally a reconsideration of some 
 question, or a fuller treatment of difficult passages, 
 and the like. 
 
 Beyond this he has not attempted to interfere, 
 feeling it better that each Commentary should have 
 its own individual character, and being convinced 
 that freshness and variety of treatment are more 
 than a compensation for any lack of uniformity in 
 the Series. 
 
PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 The Book of Ezekiel is less suited than most others 
 to be the subject of merely popular annotation. The state 
 of the Text is such that frequent references to it as well as 
 to the Versions are unavoidable. It was no part of the 
 purpose of the following Notes to construct a Text ; the 
 thing aimed at has been to shew the general meaning of 
 the Book, and, if possible, the connexion of its parts with 
 one another ; but the readings of the LXX. have generally 
 been adduced when they presented any important deviation 
 from the Hebrew. In the later chapters the MS. of which 
 the Greek is a translation was in many instances more 
 correct than that of which the present Hebrew is a copy. 
 
 Such aids as were available have been used, and 
 obligations are acknowledged to a number of works, 
 besides those named at the end of the Introduction. A 
 number of passages in the Text have baffled the ingenuity 
 of the best scholars, and appear to be incurably confused. 
 Other parts of the Book are rendered obscure by allusions 
 not now understood. And altogether the student of the 
 Book must take leave of his task with a certain sense of 
 defeat. 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGES 
 
 I. Introduction. 
 
 Chapter I. The Book of Ezekiel ix — xvii 
 
 Chapter II. Ezekiel's History and Proplictic 
 
 Work xvii — xxxi 
 
 Chapter III. Jehovah, God of Israel xxxi— xliii 
 
 Chapter IV. Israel, the People of the Lord xliii — Iv 
 
 II. Text and Notes i— 361 
 
 Index 363 
 
 The Text adopted in this Edition is that of Dr Scrivener's 
 Cambridge Paragraph Bible. A few variations from the ordi- 
 nary Text, chiefly in the spelling of certain words, and in the 
 use of italics, will be noticed. For the principles adopted by 
 Dr Scrivener as regards the printing of the Text see his Intro- 
 duction to the Paragraph Bible, published by the Cambridge 
 University Press. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Book of Ezekiel. 
 
 The Book of Ezekiel is simpler and more perspicuous in its 
 arrangement than any other of the great prophetical books. 
 It was probably committed to writing late in the prophet's life, 
 rid, unlike the prophecies of Isaiah, which were given out 
 piecemeal, was issued in its complete form at once. The pro- 
 phecies are disposed upon the whole in chronological order, 
 though the book may contain much that was never actually 
 spoken, and even the prophecies that were orally delivered may 
 have undergone considerable modification under the pen of the 
 prophet when reproducing them. None of the prophets shews 
 any anxiety to record his discourses in the precise form in 
 which he delivered them. The aim of the prophets in their 
 writings was not literary but practical, as it was in their 
 speeches. It was their purpose to influence the minds of the 
 people when they spoke, and this was equally their purpose 
 when they wrote, and, if in the interval the circumstances 
 of the people had to some extent changed, they did not 
 hesitate to accommodate their former discourses to the new 
 situation. 
 
 The book of Ezekiel is occupied with two great themes : the 
 destruction of the city and nation ; and the reconstitution of 
 the people and their eternal peace. The book thus falls into 
 two equal divisions of 24 chapters each : — 
 
 EZEKIEL If 
 
INTRODUCTION. \ 
 
 First Division, ch. i. — xxiv., Prophecies of the destruction i 
 the city and nation, its certainty and necessity. 
 / Second Division, ch. xxv. — xlviii., Prophecies of the restora- 
 tion of the people, their regeneration and eternal peace as the 
 people of the Lord. 
 
 These prophecies are for the most part symbolical actions, of 
 which the explanation is added ; or allegories and riddles, the 
 meaning of which is read to the people. Though a good many 
 actual events are referred to, the book contains little that is 
 historical. It is rather a book of general principles. These 
 principles are all but deductions from the prophet's conception 
 of Jehovah, God of Israel and God over all. In this respect 
 Ezekiel resembles the author of Is. xl — Ixvi, though he has 
 neither the breadth of sympathy nor the glow of emotion that 
 distinguish the Evangehst of the Old Testament. 
 
 First Division, ch. i. — xxiv. Prophecies of the destruction of 
 the nation. 
 
 First section, ch. i. — iii. 21. The prophet's consecration to 
 his calling, and first period of his ministry (July 592 B.C.). 
 
 (i) Ch. i. Vision of Jehovah, the God of Israel, who calls 
 and sends him. 
 
 (2) Ch. ii. I — iii. 9. His mission to Israel as a prophet. 
 His inspiration, under the symbol of eating the roll of a book 
 presented to him in the hand of Jehovah. 
 
 (3) Ch. iii. 10 — 21. He goes to the Exiles, and when among 
 them receives a clearer view of his mission, which is to be a 
 watchman to warn every individual person, the wicked that he 
 may turn from his evil, and the righteous lest he fall from his 
 righteousness. 
 
 The theophany of ch. i. is a vision of Jehovah as he is in 
 himself (final note to the Chapter). The appointment of the 
 prophet to be a watchman is not a change on his original 
 appointment to be a prophet, it is a more precise definition of 
 it. The prophet of this age is a watchman, a warner of indi- 
 vidual men. For the old order has changed, the state is dis- ' 
 appearing, and only individuals remain out of which the new 
 and eternal kingdom of the Lord has to be reconstructed (note 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 on iii. i6). On the general meaning of the whole section cf. 
 note on iii. 21. 
 
 Second section, ch. iii. 22 — vii. 27. Symbolical prophecies 
 of the overthrow of the city and state. (Under foregoing date.) 
 
 (i) Ch. iii. 22 — 27. Change in the prophet's procedure: he 
 is commanded to cease for a time from being a public reprover. 
 
 (2) Ch, iv. Symbols of the siege of the city, the terrible 
 scarcity within it, and of the people's bearing their iniquity in 
 exile. 
 
 (3) Ch. V. Further symbols of the fate of the inhabitants : 
 a third shall die of famine ; a third fall by the sword around the 
 city, and a third be scattered among the nations, still pursued 
 by the sword. 
 
 (4) Ch. vi. Prophecy of destruction on the mountains, the 
 mountain-land of Israel, where idolatries everywhere prevailed. 
 
 (5) Ch. vii. Dirge over the downfall of the city and nation. 
 
 Third section, ch. viii. — xi. More precise symbolical prophe- 
 cies of the destruction of the city and people at Jehovah's own 
 hand, because of the idolatrous pollution of his house (Aug. 
 591 B.C.). 
 
 (i) Ch. viii. The multiplied idolatries in the Temple : the 
 image of jealousy in the court; the worshippers in the cham- 
 bers of imagery ; the women wailing for Tammuz ; and the 
 sun-worship between the Temple and the altar (cf. final note 
 to the ch.). 
 
 (2) Ch. ix. Symbol of the slaughter of the idolatrous peo- 
 ple. A messenger from the Lord passes through the city put- 
 ting a mark on the forehead of all who bewail the evils that 
 prevail, and he is followed by divine executioners who slay all 
 not so sealed. 
 
 (3) Ch. X. Symbol of the destruction of the city by fire 
 from God. 
 
 (4) Ch. xi. Symbol of the Lord's departure from his House, 
 and abandonment of the city to the fury of her enemies. 
 
 Fourth section, ch. xii. — xix. The same theme of the cer- 
 tainty of the destruction of the nation, with proofs of its moral 
 necessity. (Without date, but later than preceding.) 
 
 b2 
 
xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (i) Ch. xii. I — 20. The unbelief of the people ii 
 new signs must be given them. Symbolical prophe^^ 01 tne 
 attempted escape of the king, and his capture by the Chal- 
 deans. 
 
 (2) Ch. xii. 21 — 28. The people's unbelief is partly due 
 to their observation of the character of prophecy. But the 
 popular imagination that prophecies of evil fail to come true, or 
 refer to the distant future, shall receive a speedy and terrible 
 refutation. 
 
 (3) Ch. xiii., xiv. These delusions of the people are fostered 
 by the false prophets, who prophesy only of prosperity. The 
 prophets who deceive and those who are deceived by them 
 shall perish together. 
 
 (4) Ch. XV. But will the Lord destroy the nation of Israel, 
 the vine of his planting? — The nation of Israel among the 
 nations is like the vine branch among the trees. Good for 
 little when whole, what is it good for now when half-burnt in 
 the fire ? Only to be flung again into the fire and wholly con- 
 sumed. 
 
 (5) Ch. xvi. Parable of the foundling child who became 
 the faithless wife. Let Israel's history be judged. What has 
 it been but one persistent course of ingratitude and unfaithful- 
 ness to Jehovah.? Her chastisement cannot be deferred. 
 
 (6) Ch. xvii. And must not Zedekiah's perfidy against the 
 king of Babylon, and his breaking the oath of Jehovah be 
 punished? He has brought ruin both on himself and on the 
 kingdom. Yet the Lord will set up a new kingdom on the land 
 of Israel, into which all nations shall be gathered. 
 
 (7) Ch. xviii. The principles of this kingdom: the right- 
 eous shall live in his righteousness and the sinner die in his sin. 
 The Lord hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth. 
 None shall perish for the sins of another : neither does any 
 man he under a ban from his own past life. Therefore let 
 every man repent that he may live (cf. final note to the ch.). 
 
 (8) Ch. xix. Lament over Judah and her royal house. 
 Fifth section, ch. xx — xxiii. Concluding prophecies demon- 
 strating the necessity of Israel's destruction. (Aug. 590 B.C.) 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (i) Ch. XX. That which has preserved Israel from destruc- 
 tion at every stage of her history, and that which has given her 
 a history, has been Jehovah's regard for his own name — lest it 
 should be profaned among the nations. 
 
 (2) Ch. xxi. But now his threats uttered long ago must 
 take effect. The sword of the Lord is whetted and furbished 
 against Jerusalem. 
 
 (3) Ch. xxii. The aggravated sins of all classes of the 
 people : the royal house, the priests, the prophets, and the 
 people of the land. 
 
 (4) Ch. xxiii. New exposure of the life-long immoralities 
 of the two adulterous women, Oholah and Oholibah (Samaria 
 and Jerusalem). 
 
 After a silence of several years the military movements of 
 Nebuchadnezzar drew a new and final oracle from the prophet 
 against Jerusalem, Jan. 587 B.C., the time when Nebuchad- 
 nezzar began to invest the city. 
 
 (5) Ch. xxiv. Final symbol of the siege and the dispersion of 
 the people, and of their purification from evil amidst the afflic- 
 tions of the exile. A rusted caldron is set upon the fire that its 
 contents may be seethed and pulled out indiscriminately (the 
 siege and dispersion), and that its brass may glow and its rust 
 and foulness may be molten and purged away. 
 
 Second Diyision, ch. xxv. — xlviii. Prophecies of the restora- 
 tion and reconstruction of the nation (xxv. — xxxix) ; and vision 
 of the final and perfect state of Israel as the people of the 
 Lord (ch. xl. seq.). 
 
 First section , ch. xxv. — xxxii. Prophecies concerning the 
 nations. 
 
 These prophecies occupy the place in the prophet's book 
 proper to their contents. They are an introduction to the posi- 
 tive prophecies of the restoration of Israel. The judgments on 
 the nations prepare the way for the restitution of the people. 
 The purpose and effect of them is to make Jehovah, God of 
 Israel, and God over all, known to the nations, so that they 
 shall no more vex or seduce his people, as they have done in 
 the past (ch. xxviii. 25, 26) ; and no more Hft themselves up in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pride of heart against the one living God (cf. introductory note 
 to ch. XXV.). The prophet does not pursue the destiny of the 
 nations further, nor state how much their recognition of Jeho- 
 vah impHes. But cf. final notes, ch. xvi. 
 
 (i) Ch. XXV. Judgment on the smaller nations around 
 Israel, and revelation to them of Jehovah — Ammon, Moab, 
 Edom and the Philistines. 
 
 (2) Ch. xxvi. — xxviii. 19. Judgment on Tyre for her pride 
 of heart, and on the prince of Tyre, who said, I am God ! 
 
 (3) Ch. xxviii. 20 — 26. Judgment on Sidon that it may no 
 more be a pricking briar to the house of Israel. 
 
 (4) Ch. xxix. — xxxii. Judgments on Egypt. It shall be 
 humbled and reduced to be a base kingdom, that it may no 
 more be a delusive stay to the house of Israel, nor seduce them 
 from trust in Jehovah alone. 
 
 Second section, ch. xxxiii. — xxxix. Positive prophecies of the 
 restoration of the people, and reconstitution of the kingdom 
 of the Lord. 
 
 (i) Ch. xxxiii. The place of the prophet in preparing for 
 the kingdom. He is a watchman, warning every individual 
 soul that by repentance and righteousness it may live. The 
 conditions of entering the new kingdom and of life are alto- 
 gether moral, and each man shall enter it for himself (cf. final 
 note to the ch.). 
 
 (2) Ch. xxxiv. The Ruler. The former evil shepherds, 
 who fed themselves and not the flock, shall be removed ; Jeho- 
 vah himself will take in hand the feeding of his flock, and will 
 set up one shepherd over them, even his servant David, to feed 
 them for ever. 
 
 (3) Ch. XXXV. — xxxvi. The Land. The land of the Lord, 
 rescued from the grasp of Edom and the nations who have 
 usurped it, shall be given again to Israel for ever ; it shall be 
 luxuriant in fertility and teem with people. — The principle that 
 moves the Lord to do these things for Israel is regard to his 
 holy name, even that he may reveal himself, as he truly is, 
 to mankind. His forgiveness and regeneration of the people, 
 who shall henceforth be led by his spirit (xxxvi. 16—38, cf. 
 final note). 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (4) Ch. xxxvii. The People. Thus the nation, now dead, 
 shall be reawakened into life and restored. In the restitution 
 Ephraim and Judah shall no more be divided, but shall have 
 one king, even David, over them for ever. 
 
 Thus the restitution of the people is complete, and their 
 hoHness as the people of the Lord perfect. Jehovah sanctifies 
 them by dwelling among them; the people know that he is 
 their God, and the nations know that he sanctifies them 
 (xxxvii. 28). So far that which is the purpose of all history 
 has been attained : Jehovah has been revealed both to his 
 people and to the nations. The nations, however, who have 
 learned to know Jehovah, whether from his judgments lighting 
 on themselves (xxv. — xxxii.), or from their observation of the 
 principles on which he rules his people, are the nations who 
 have long been on the stage of history and played their parts 
 beside Israel. There are far-off peoples lying in the ends of 
 the earth who have not heard Jehovah's fame nor seen his 
 glory. One great act in the drama of history has still to be 
 performed. He who is God alone is known to the world as 
 the God of Israel, and it is only through Israel that he can 
 reveal himself to all. These distant peoples shall come up 
 from the ends of the earth, and, like other nations, also touch 
 on Israel, and then shall the glory of the Lord be revealed 
 and all flesh shall see it together. History as the prophet! 
 conceives it, whether of Israel or of the nations, is Jehovah's , 
 revelation of himself to mankind ; every movement of it carries 1 
 this burden, "Ye shall know that I am the Lord." The wave 1 
 of history pauses on the shore when Jehovah's glory rises on 
 the uttermost ends of the earth. 
 
 (5) ch. xxxviii., xxxix. Invasion of Israel in the latter day 
 by Gog and all the nations lying in the far-off corners of the 
 earth. The Lord's defence of his people, now that they are 
 holy and true, reveals to the nations not only his power but 
 his nature, and the principles on which he rules his people and 
 the world. He is known to the ends of the earth. 
 
 T hird section , ch. xl. — xlviii. A vision of the final glory and 
 peace of the redeemed people of the Lord. 
 
xvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Preceding prophecies described the redemption and re- 
 storation of the people (xxxiii. — xxxvii.) ; the present section 
 gives a picture of the condition of the people thus for ever 
 redeemed. The background of the picture is the vi^hole pre- 
 ceding part of the book. The last words of ch. i. — xxxix. are, 
 "And I will hide my face from them no more; for I have 
 poured out my spirit on the house of Israel, saith the Lord 
 God." The people are all righteous, led by the spirit of the 
 Lord, and knowing that Jehovah is their God. The passage 
 does not describe how salvation is to be attained, for the sal- 
 vation is reaUzed and enjoyed; it describes the state and life 
 of the people now that their redemption is come. The fact 
 that the subject of the passage is the final blessedness of the 
 people accounts for the supernatural elements in the picture. 
 But both the natural and the supernatural features of the 
 people's condition are to be understood literally. The Temple, 
 the services and the like are meant in a real sense, and no 
 less literally meant is the supernatural presence of Jehovah in 
 his House, the transfiguration of nature, the turning of the 
 desert into a garden, and the sweetening of the waters of the 
 Dead Sea (cf. introductory note to ch. xl.). 
 
 (i) ch. xl. I — xliii. 27. Account of the Temple buildings. 
 {a) ch. xl. I — 27, description of the outer gateway and outer 
 court, {b) ch. xl. 28 — 47, the inner gateway and inner court. 
 {c) ch. xl. 48 — xli. 26, the house itself with its annexed build- 
 ings, {d) ch. xlii., other buildings in the inner court, and 
 dimensions of the whole, {e) ch. xliii. i — 12, entry of Jehovah 
 into his House. {J) ch. xliii. 13 — 27, the altar of burnt-offering, 
 and the rites consecrating it. 
 
 (2) ch. xliv. — xlvi. Ordinances regarding the Temple, {a) 
 ch. xliv., those who shall minister in the house, priests and 
 Levites. ip) ch. xlv. i — 17, revenues of priests, Levites and 
 prince; the duties devolving on the prince in upholding the 
 ritual, {c) ch. xlv. 18 — xlvi. 24, the special and daily services 
 in the Temple ; the special offerings of the prince. 
 
 (3) ch. xlvii., xlviii. The boundaries of the holy land, and 
 new disposition of the tribes within it. {a) ch. xlvii., the life- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 giving stream issuing from the Temple ; the boundaries of the 
 holy land, {b) ch. xlviii., disposition of the tribes in the land; 
 dimensions and gates of the holy city. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Ezekiel's History and Prophetic Work. 
 
 EZEKIEL was the son of Buzi, of whom nothing further is 
 known. This name has some resemblance to the word "to 
 despise," and a rabbinical fancy interprets it of Jeremiah, "the 
 despised," making Ezekiel the lineal descendant of this prophet, 
 as he is his child in thought and faith. Ezekiel is styled the 
 priest, and in all probability he was of the family of Zadok. 
 The priests had already in this age attained to great influence ; 
 they were the aristocracy, standing next to the royal family 
 (xxii. 25, 26). It is not certain whether Ezekiel had actually 
 been engaged in priestly duties before his captivity, though 
 it is not unlikely, both from the name priest applied to him 
 and from the minute acquaintance which he shews with the 
 Temple, its dimensions and furniture, and with the sacerdotal 
 rites. The passage iv. 14 is not certain evidence, as the pro- 
 hibition to eat carrion was binding on all the people (Ex. xxii. 
 31, though some consider this verse a later insertion). The 
 age at which priests undertook their duties is not clearly stated 
 in the Law. Ezekiel began to prophesy five years after the 
 captivity of Jehoiachin (597 B.C.), and he states that this was 
 in the thirtieth year. If this statement referred to his age he 
 would have been grown up to manhood some years before 
 his exile, but the words are obscure (notes on i. i — 3). It is 
 doubtful if the statement of Josephus {Ant. x. 6, 3) that he 
 was carried captive "when a youth" has any ground beyond 
 the historian's own fancy. The evidence points in a different 
 direction. In several passages the prophet's "house" is men- 
 tioned (iii. 24, xii. 3 seq.) ; the "elders" occasionally assemble 
 there (viii. i, xiv. i, xx. i), and according to xxiv. 18 he was 
 married. Reuss is hardly right in regarding his wife and her 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 death as fictions; the language used implies that she was a 
 real person and that her death occurred as stated, though, as 
 usual, the prophet employed the incident for didactic purposes, 
 and some of the details may be creations of his idealism ; for 
 it is characteristic of him that real events float before his eye 
 in a moral atmosphere, which magnifies them and gives them 
 an outline which is ideal only. The uncompromising attitude 
 taken up by him towards his fellow captives is a thing hardly 
 to be expected from a mere youth (Jer. i. 6); and even in the 
 earliest part of his Book his views appear fully formed, and 
 his convictions regarding the impending fate of his country 
 unalterably fixed. The weight due to the last fact, however, 
 may not be so great, because the Book was written at an 
 advanced period of life, and even the earlier parts of it may 
 be coloured with reflections of a later time. 
 
 The period at which the prophet's youth was passed was 
 rich in influences that must have powerfully affected him. 
 Though too young to take part in the reform of Josiah (620), 
 or perhaps to remember it, he grew up in the midst of the 
 changes which it had introduced, and probably learned to 
 estimate previous history from the point of view which it gave 
 him. The tragic events which followed one another closely 
 at this epoch, such as the death of Josiah (608), the exile of 
 Jehoahaz to Egypt and of Jehoiachin to Babylon, made a 
 lasting impression on his mind. The last event formed the 
 chief landmark of his life, and that not solely because his own 
 history was so closely connected with it ; and how deeply the 
 fate of the two young princes touched him, and how well he 
 could sympathise with the country's sorrow over it, a sorrow 
 recorded also by Jeremiah (xxii. 10), is seen in his Elegy on 
 the princes of Israel (ch. xix.). He has a fondness for historical 
 study, and no history is to him without a moral ; and silently 
 the events of this time were writing principles upon his mind 
 to which in after years he was to give forcible enough ex- 
 pression. 
 
 It was not, however, merely the silent teaching of events 
 from which Ezekiel learned. He had a master interpreting 
 
INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 events to him to whose influence every page of his prophecies/' 
 bears witness. Jeremiah, indeed, may not have been Ezekiel's 
 only master ; there were other prophets of the time like- 
 minded with him, such as that Urijah whom Jehoiakim dragged 
 from his hiding-place in Egypt and slew with the sword (Jer. 
 xxvi.), and perhaps others of whose names no record has been 
 kept, for it is almost an accident, and only because his fate 
 cast light on the history of Jeremiah in a moment of peril, 
 that the name of Urijah has been preserved. There were also 
 priests who cherished the same aspirations as these prophets, 
 and pursued in their own province the same ends. It is not 
 without significance that Jeremiah no less than Ezekiel was 
 of a priestly family, and that too a rural one, for it was not 
 in the capital alone that true religion had its representatives — 
 like Micah Urijah was a prophet of the country, being of 
 Kirjath-jearim (Jer. xxvi. 20). And among Ezekiel's predecessors 
 in the priesthood and also am.ong his contemporaries there 
 were some who, if they had spoken to the world, would have 
 spoken in the same manner as he did, for the favourable 
 judgment which he passes on the Zadokite priests (xliv. 15) 
 is not altogether due to mere caste prejudice. 
 
 Still the teaching and life of Jeremiah was probably the most 
 powerful influence under which the young priest grew up. It 
 would, no doubt, be a mistake to ascribe every idea in Ezekiel 
 which coincides with Jeremiah's teaching to the influence of that 
 prophet. There is a common circle of thoughts and feelings 
 which even the greatest minds share with those of their own 
 age. Striking out some new conceptions, and opening up some 
 lines of advancement which mark an epoch, the chief elements 
 of their faith and life are common to them with others of their 
 day and have been inherited from the past. The surprise with 
 which we read Jeremiah might be lessened if the means of 
 comparing him with others were not so narrow as the paucity 
 of writers in the century before the exile causes it to be. At 
 any rate his influence upon the language and thought of Eze- 
 kiel can readily be observed. It could hardly have been other- 
 wise. For thirty years before Ezekiel's captivity Jeremiah had - 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 been a prophet, speaking in the courts and chambers of the 
 temple and in the streets of Jerusalem, and having such a his- 
 tory as made him the most prominent figure of the day. Eze- 
 kiel was famihar with his history and had listened to his words 
 from his infancy. Many of his prophecies had circulated in 
 writing for a number of years previous to the captivity of Je- 
 hoiachin which Ezekiel shared, and the constant intercourse 
 between Jerusalem and the exiles kept the prophet of the 
 Chebar well informed regarding the course of events at home, 
 and the views which prominent persons there took of them (xi. 
 2 seq.^ xvii. &c.). 
 
 In the year 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem and 
 carried into captivity the young king Jehoiachin, the flower of 
 the population including many priests, Ezekiel among them, as 
 well as a multitude of other citizens, particularly craftsmen. 
 Ezekiel with a community of other exiles was settled at Tel- 
 Abib by the river Chebar — not to be identified with the Chabor 
 which falls into the Euphrates near Carchemish, but some 
 stream or canal in Babylonia proper ; and five years later he 
 was called to occupy among them the place of a " watchman" 
 (592 B.C.). How large the community was does not appear, 
 nor what kind of place Tel-Abib was, for the references of the 
 prophet to walls (xii. 7, xxxiii. 30) hardly justify the conclusion 
 that it was a walled town. The community appears to have 
 been left, as was usually the case, to regulate its internal 
 affairs and govern itself according to its own mind. The pro- 
 phet repeatedly mentions the " elders," and though he calls 
 them elders of Judah (viii. i) or Israel (xiv. i, xx. i), he identi- 
 fies them with the captivity (xi. 25), of which they must have 
 been the heads and representatives. The lot of the exiles 
 might in some cases be hard, but there is no evidence that they 
 were harshly treated by their conquerors or suffered want. 
 When the prophet speaks of famine he refers to Canaan (xxxvi. 
 29, 30, xxxiv. 27, 28), and the phrase " made servants of them" 
 (xxxiv. 27) has more a national than an individual refer- 
 ence, like such expressions as "prison houses" in the second 
 part of Isaiah (xlii. 22). The exiles possessed houses (iii. 24, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xxxiii. 30), and there is no allusion to persecution from their 
 heathen neighbours. Cf. Jer. xxix. 5 seq. 
 
 The picture, if it can be called so, which the prophet gives 
 of the life of the exiles and their circumstances is singularly 
 colourless. His interests were exclusively religious, and any 
 insight which he affords us is into the religious condition of his 
 fellow-captives, from whose mouth he occasionally quotes an 
 expression very suggestive as to their state of mind (xii. 22, 27, 
 xviii. 2, 25, 29, XX. 49, xxxiii. 10, 30, xxxvii, 11). His own mind 
 was occupied with the largest conceptions, and the exiles were 
 to his eye representatives of a larger subject. When bidden go 
 to "them of the captivity" he felt sent to the "house of Israel" 
 (ii. 3, iii. 4), and 'while addressing his fellow exiles he fancies 
 before him the people in Canaan or the nation scattered abroad 
 throughout the world. This identification of the exiles with 
 the people as a whole, and this occupation of the prophet's 
 mind with great national interests, makes it difficult to know 
 how far in his apparent addresses to the exiles he is touching 
 upon their actual practices. Nothing is more likely than that 
 the captives continued the evil courses in which they had 
 grown up at home, so far as this was possible in a foreign land. 
 They certainly shared in the fanaticism or optimism of those 
 left in the country, and heard with incredulity the prophet's 
 predictions of the speedy downfall of the city (xii. 22, 26 scq.). 
 It is known from Jeremiah (xxix. 8) that there were false pro- 
 phets among the exiles who confirmed them in their delusive 
 hopes, and Ezekiel might refer to these prophets in such pas- 
 sages as ch. xiii, xiv. But such language as " ye have not gone 
 up into the breach" (xiii. 5), "I sought for a man that should 
 stand in the breach before me for the land" (xxii. 30), shews 
 that it is the circumstances of the nation as a whole and not 
 those of the exiles that occupy the prophet's attention. The 
 same appears from such expressions as those in xiv. 7, "every 
 one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in 
 Israel, that layeth his idols on his heart." In one passage 
 (xx. 32) the people are represented as resolving to adopt the 
 religion of the nations, " We will be as the nations, to serve 
 
xxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 wood and stone ;" and such a spirit might very naturally reveal 
 itself among the exiles surrounded by heathen neighbours. 
 But probable as this is, the chapter is a review of the nation's 
 history, and the language may be little more than the prophet's 
 interpretation of the spirit shewn by the people all through its 
 history. It is only on rare occasions that he draws any dis- 
 tinction between the exiles and those remaining in the land. 
 When he does so he shares the feeling of Jeremiah (ch. xxiv, 
 xxix. i6 seq) that the flower of the people had been carried 
 into captivity with Jehoiachin, and that the hope of the nation 
 lay in them (xi. 14—21). But usually the exiles are regarded 
 as the representatives of the house of Israel ; the "elders" are 
 the elders of Judah or Israel, and when addressing them the 
 prophet desires to speak in the ears of all his countrymen ; just 
 as it is the fate of Jerusalem (iv. — xi.), the history of the nation 
 (xvi, XX, xxiii), and its future destinies (xxxiii. — xxxvii.), that form 
 the theme of his discourse. The idea that the prophet's office 
 J was limited to the exiles, among whom he was a sort of pastor, 
 s. with a cure of souls, is supported by nothing in the Book. 
 
 It would be a mistake, however, to press this general bearing 
 of Ezekiel's mission, and his preoccupation with the destinies 
 of the house of Israel as a whole, so far as to infer from it that 
 he had no actual prophetic ministry among the exiles ; that he 
 was a writer simply, unused to the life of men — a solitary theo- 
 rist, whose "stuff for removing" (xii. 4), if he had brought it 
 forth, would have been little more than an inkhorn ; and that 
 the form of oral address which he gives his words is a mere 
 literary artifice. It may not be allowable to assume that his 
 operations among the exiles were literally altogether such as he 
 describes them, but, apart from his own representations, several 
 things afford evidence indirectly that he did exercise a ministry 
 of some kind and of some duration. In ch. xx. 49 (Heb. xxi. 5), 
 when commanded to prophesy of the great conflagration which 
 the Lord would kindle in the field of the south, he exclaims, 
 "Ah Lord God ! they say of me. Is he not a speaker of para- 
 bles?" And in xxxiii. 30 he is represented as being the subject 
 of conversation among the people: "The children of thy people 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, saying, 
 Come, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the 
 Lord." These incidental allusions imply that the prophet had 
 a manner which the people had learned to recognise and to 
 discount, and that they were in the habit of meeting to consult 
 him. The frequent assembling of the elders before him implies 
 the same thing. It is true that these elders are very subordi- 
 nate figures ; they are mentioned and then the discourse passes 
 on to the "house of Israel" or even the strangers that sojourn 
 in Israel, but they cannot be wholly fictitious, or (to speak with 
 Reuss) mere " dummies." Again, though it may be true that 
 the prophet's book was written as it now is at a late period, and 
 though its present form suggests careful planning, all passages 
 relating to the destruction of Jerusalem and the principles of 
 Jehovah's government and the attributes of his nature illus- 
 trated by it being embraced in the first part, and the second 
 part being devoted to the Restoration and the illustrations of 
 Jehovah's purposes which it affords, the fact that in the first 
 part there are many promises of restitution is evidence of 
 actual oral communication (xi. 14 — 20, xvi. 52 — 63, xvii. 22 — 
 24, XX. 39 — 44). These consolatory passages naturally arise 
 out of the preceding threatenings, as in other prophets, if these 
 were actually spoken, while in an orderly dogmatic treatise they 
 would have been postponed to the second part of the book. 
 The passage xxix. 17 — 20 possibly implies that the prophet felt 
 his predictions against Tyre to have received a less literal ful- 
 filment than was expected from them. If so, his retention of 
 the predictions without change affords ground for believing 
 that upon the whole he has reproduced his discourses with 
 fidelity. The severe, even harsh tone pervading the early part 
 of the book is evidence to the same effect. It is scarcely con- 
 ceivable that the prophet should have adopted such a tone after 
 the fall of the city unless he had been reproducing in the main 
 what he had spoken before it. And in like manner the people's 
 mind, buoyant and impatient of the prophet's anticipations of 
 disaster in the first half of the book, appears prostrated and 
 plunged into despair in the second (xxxiii. 10). It is beyond 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 belief that so many circumstances, all harmonious if real, 
 should be nothing but elaborate fictions. 
 
 It cannot be assumed that the prophet's exercise of his 
 office was just literally such as it is represented. Circumstances 
 of actual occurrence are idealized by him and made the ex- 
 pressions of general conceptions and principles, and it is not 
 always possible to distinguish between events which were actual 
 but are idealized, and things which are purely creations of the 
 symbolizing imagination (note on xi. 13). The prophet appears 
 to have entered on his mission with his convictions in regard 
 to the fate of his country fixed. He clearly foresaw the down- 
 fall of the state. But like all the prophets he was assured 
 of the reconstitution of the kingdom of God on a securer 
 basis. It is for this chiefly that he is appointed to labour 
 (ch. xxxiii.); and this position suggests to him from the be- 
 ginning the nature of his prophetic calling, which is to be a 
 "watchman" to warn every individual man (note iii. 16). It 
 is probable that the first section of the book (ch. i. — iii. 21) 
 covers the earliest period of his ministry. After this a change 
 of procedure, occasioned by the incredulity of the people, ap- 
 pears to have been adopted by him ; he ceased to be a pubhc 
 reprover, confining himself to the instruction of those who 
 visited him in his house (iii. 22 — 27, note, p. 26). The meaning 
 of this so-called "silence" is obscure; it was only comparative, 
 though it is represented as lasting till tidings arrived of the 
 fall of the city (xxiv. 27, xxxiii. 22), when, his anticipations 
 being verified, his mouth was again opened. Little is said of 
 the prophet after this beyond mention of occasional visits from 
 the elders. But, though the book may contain a good deal 
 that was never pubUcly spoken, and though, being edited after 
 the events foretold had occurred, the predictions in it may 
 even have received in some parts a certain colour from the 
 fulfihiient, it may be assumed that the main contents of the 
 oral addresses are faithfully reproduced in it ; and the passage 
 XX. 49 is warrant for supposing that the more striking pecu- 
 liarities of the prophet's manner are truly reflected. 
 
 The prophet's style, though stately and polished, is less 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 elevated and more prosaic than that of the earlier prophets, 
 though he occasionally rises into wild and irregular poetry 
 (ch. vii., xxi.), and in particular affects the Ki7iah or Lament 
 (ch. xix., xxvi. 17, xxxii. 17). His language begins to shew 
 incorrectness, though some of the faults may be due to the 
 very depraved state of the text; and his diction has a certain 
 luxuriance, which must sometimes be called redundancy, unless 
 we may infer from the more sober text of the LXX. that many 
 of the cumulative phrases are glosses with which the Heb. 
 text has been overgrown (note, vi. 6). The frequent recurrence 
 of the same phrases produces a feeling of monotony, though 
 the repetition appears due to mannerism and the ascendancy 
 of certain ideas in the prophet's mind quite as much as to 
 defective literary skill. The expression "child of man" (ii. i) 
 occurs nearly a hundred times, and others very frequently, such 
 as "idols" (block-gods, vi. 4); "the mountains of Israel" (vi. 
 2 &c.), a phrase found in no other writer (cf. Is. xiv. 25); 
 "appease my fury" (v. 13, «&c.); "stumbling-block of iniquity" 
 (vii. 19) ; "rebellious house" (ii. 5, and often in ch. i. — xxiv. 
 cf xliv. 6); "desolate in the midst of the countries that are 
 desolate" (xxix. 12, xxx. 7); "the time of the iniquity of the 
 end" (xxi. 25, &c.); "the Lord Jehovah" (ii. 4, and extremely 
 often, though much seldomer in LXX.) ; " I Jehovah have spoken 
 it" (v. 13, &c,) ; and the characteristic "they (ye) shall know 
 that I am Jehovah" (vi. 7, &c.), language by which Ezekiel 
 expresses his conception of the purpose and issue of all history, 
 whether it be the dispersion and restoration of his own people 
 or the commotions and changes that take place among the 
 nations. 
 
 There are three things in particular which are characteristic 
 of the Book : symbolical figures, symbolical actions, and visions. 
 The three seem all due to the same cast of mind, and are related 
 to one another, being all more or less the creations of an ima- 
 gination or phantasy always grandiose and often beautiful. 
 One of the finest of the ideal symbols appears in the Elegy 
 on the princes of Israel (ch. xix.), in which the nation is repre- 
 sented as a mother lioness rearing her whelps, one after another 
 
 EZEKIEL c 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of which when they had learned to catch the prey was taken 
 by the nations in their pit and caged in captivity. There is 
 a touch of pathos, rare in the prophet, when in reference to 
 the captive prince he speaks of the young lion's voice being 
 no more heard on the mountains of Israel. Of singular beauty 
 also is the representation of the merchant city Tyre, rising ou' 
 of the waters on her island rock, under the symbol of a gallant 
 ship moored in the seas (ch. xxvii.). Her mast is a cedar of 
 Lebanon, her sail fine byssus of Egypt, her decks of teak 
 inlaid with ivory. All the ships of Tarshish attend on her 
 and pour into her the richest products of the nations to form 
 her cargo. But she is broken by the east wind and founders 
 in the heart of the seas, to the dismay and inconsolable grief 
 of all -seafaring men. If the author of the Apocalypse be a 
 purer poet than Ezekiel, the prophet has given him his in- 
 spiration and furnished him with materials for his most splendid 
 creations. Again, though marked by a breadth which offends 
 against modern taste, the allegory of the foundling child which 
 became the faithless wife is powerful, and, when the details 
 are forgotten and only the general idea kept in mind, even 
 beautiful as well as true. An outcast infant, exposed in the 
 open field and weltering in her blood, was seen by the pitying 
 eye of a passer by. Rescued and nourished she grew up to 
 the fairest womanhood and became the wife of her benefactor, 
 who heaped on her every gift that could please or elevate. 
 But the ways into which he led her were too lofty to be under- 
 stood, and the atmosphere around too pure for her to breathe ; 
 the old inborn nature (her father was the Amorite and her 
 mother a Hittite) was still there beneath all the refinements 
 for which it had no taste, and at last it asserted itself in shame- 
 less depravity and insatiable lewdness. Other figures are the 
 familiar one of Israel as a vine (ch. xv.), to which a pathetic 
 turn is given by a studious silence regarding its fruit; that 
 of Egypt as the crocodile, a semi-mythical monster, fouling 
 his waters in his restless energy, but dragged out by the hook 
 of Jehovah and flung upon the land, his carcase filling the 
 valleys and his blood the water-courses; and that of Nebu- 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxvii 
 
 chadnezzar as a great speckled eagle with long pinions, hovering 
 over Lebanon and cropping its highest branches. It is the 
 prophet's manner to develop his symbols into a multitude of 
 details, which sometimes has the effect of obscuring the bril- 
 liancy of the central conception. 
 
 ^Though scarcely, with Ewald, to be called "learned," Ezekiel 
 has a knowledge of designing and architecture (ch. xl. seq.), 
 and his acquaintance with foreign lands and their natural and 
 industrial products is wide. In this respect he comes nearest 
 to the author of Job, though the latter delights rather to dwell 
 on the phenomena of nature, the luxuriant vegetation of the 
 Nile valley, the wild creatures of the desert, and the monstrous 
 creations of the waters, while Ezekiel is more attracted by the 
 precious stones and metals which various lands are famed for, 
 and by the rich fabrics produced by human skill (ch. xxvii.). 
 Naturally, his imagination luxuriates in mythological tradition, 
 especially of a weird kind, such as tales of the "mighty" which 
 were of old (ch. xxxii.), legends of paradise, the garden of 
 God (xxviii.), and impressions of the popular mind regarding 
 Sheol the abode of the dead. 
 
 The prophet's symbolical actions have been variously under- 
 stood. It is beyond doubt that actions of this kind were oc- 
 casionally performed by prophets. Zedekiah made him "horns 
 of iron" wherewith to push (i Kings xxii. ii). Jeremiah put a 
 yoke upon his own neck, which Hananiah broke from off him 
 (Jer. xxviii. 2, 10). The symbolical act, ch. li. 59 — 64, may also 
 have been literally executed, as well as that in xix. 10. Whether 
 his act in hiding his girdle (ch. xiii.) was real or not may be 
 doubtful, and the same doubt exists in regard to Isaiah's walking 
 naked and barefoot (ch. xxi.); the fact that the sign was con- 
 tinued for three years rather tells against a literal performance 
 of it ; and it may be held certain that Jeremiah did not send 
 yokes to the kings of Edom and Moab (Jer. xxvii. 3). It is 
 possible that Ezekiel may in some cases have had recourse to 
 this forcible way of impressing his teaching. Some of the actions 
 described might well have been performed, such as joining two 
 sticks together into one to represent the future union under one 
 
 c 2 
 
xxviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 king of Judah and Israel (xxxvii. 15 seq.). He might also have 
 refrained from all outward mourning on the death of his wife, as 
 a sign of the silent grief under which the people would pine 
 away when tidings reached them of the destruction of the city 
 and the death of all dear to them (xxiv. 15 seq.). But on the 
 other hand how could the prophet "eat his bread with quaking 
 and drink his water with trembling" as a sign to the house 
 of Israel? (xii. 18). And can it be seriously supposed that he 
 actuall/took a sharp sword as a razor and shaved off the hair 
 of his head and beard, burning a third of it in the city (what 
 city ?), smiting a third of it with the sword about the walls, and 
 scattering the remaining third to the winds? (v. i seq.). Such 
 actions, and others like them, could not have been performed, 
 and this fact casts doubt on the literality even of those which 
 were possible. Even if 190 days be the true reading in iv, 5, it is 
 most improbable that the prophet should have lain on his side 
 immoveable for half a year, and it appears impossible when 
 other actions had to be done simultaneously. The hypothesis 
 of Klostermann^ hardly deserves mention. This writer sup- 
 poses that the prophet lay on his side because he was a cataleptic 
 and temporarily paralysed, that he prophesied against Jerusalem 
 with outstretched arm because his arm could not be withdrawn, 
 being convulsively rigid, and that he was "dumb" because struck 
 with morbid alalia. It is surprising that some reputable scholars 
 should seem half inclined to accept this explanation 2. They 
 perhaps have the feeling that such an interpretation is more 
 reverential to Scripture. But we need to remind ourselves, as 
 Job reminded his friends, that superstition is not religion (Job 
 xiii. 7 — 12, xxi. 22). The Book itself appears to teach us how to 
 interpret the most of the symbolical actions. In xxiv. 3 the 
 symbol of setting the caldron on the fire is called uttering a 
 parable (cf. xx. 49). The act of graving a hand at the parting 
 of the ways (xxi. 19) must certainly be interpreted in the same 
 
 1 Stud. u. Krit.^ 1877. 
 
 2 Orelli, Kurzgef. Kommentar; Valeton, Vicrtal Voorlezingen ; 
 Gautier, La Mission dii Prophete EzecJiiel. See on the other side 
 Kuenen, Onderzoek, ii. p. 268. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 way, and, though there may be room for hesitation in regard to 
 some of them, probably the actions as a whole. They were 
 imagined merely. They passed through the prophet's mind. He 
 lived in this ideal sphere; he went through the actions in his 
 phantasy, and they appeared to him to carry the same effects as 
 if they had been performed ^ 
 
 The vision is a mental operation of the same kind, though 
 higher. The simplest and most beautiful of them all is the 
 vision of the dry bones and their resurrection (ch. xxxvii.). 
 Three elements are observable in it: first, certain truths and 
 ideas in the prophet's mind, truths not new but often expressed 
 elsewhere, at least partially, such as the idea of the people's 
 restoration. Secondly, the operation on these truths of the 
 prophet's mental genius, giving them a unity, throwing them 
 into a physical form, and making them stand out before the eye 
 of his phantasy as if presented to him from without. And thirdly, 
 there may be a certain literary embellishment. This last element 
 is most conspicuous in the visions of the Cherubim (ch. i.) and 
 of the new Temple (ch. xl. seq^'^. But it must be maintained 
 that the second element, the constructive operation of the 
 phantasy, was always present, and that the visions are not mere 
 literary invention. Occasionally, however, the prophet does use 
 the vision, like other things, in an ideal way, bringing consider- 
 able stretches of his own prophetic work under the outline of a 
 single vision, as in ch. i. — iii. 21 and ch. viii. — xi. (cf. note, iii. 21). 
 Ezekiel felt such visions as that in ch. xxxvii. to be a revelation 
 of God. And from whence else could his assurance of the 
 people's restoration have come.'' There was nothing in the 
 state of the world and the nations to suggest it, and everything 
 
 1 In regard to ch. iv. i — 3 Calvin remarks, Hoc fuit puerile specta- 
 culum, nisi a Deo jussus fuisset Propheta sic agere. But that which 
 would be puerile unless commanded by God remains puerile in itself, 
 and the sound sense of men will conclude that God did not command it. 
 
 2 The difference between Isaiah's knowledge of God and that of 
 Ezekiel, and consequently the greater detail of the latter in ch. i. com- 
 pared with Is. vi., is very prettily expressed by Abarbanel, who says 
 that Ezekiel was a villager who saw the divine Majesty but rarely and 
 therefore minutely described it, while Isaiah dwelt in the capital and 
 was familiar with the great King. 
 
XXX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 in the past history of the people and their present condition 
 to make it seem impossible (xxxiii. lo). The singular struggle 
 between hope and fear revealed in Lam. iii. 21 seq. is typical of 
 the state of mind even of those in whose hearts hope was not 
 dead; and the very energy of the utterance in Is. 1. 4—8 is 
 evidence of the obstacles which faith had to overcome. 
 
 Between the latest date in ch. i. — xxxix. and the date of 
 ch. xl. seq. there is an interval of thirteen years. Ch. i. — xxxix. 
 may be supposed to have been composed a considerable time 
 before ch. xl. seq. The latter chapters are quite unique in a 
 prophetic book, while the contents of the earlier part do not 
 differ from those of other prophetic writings. The difference of 
 the two parts may have suggested to Josephus {Ant. x. 5, i) the 
 idea that Ezekiel wrote two books, unless, indeed, the words he 
 uses should apply rather to Jeremiah. Although ch. i. — xxxix. 
 form the background to ch. xl.— xlviii., a certain change in the 
 prophet's view seems to have taken place in the interval, par- 
 ticularly in regard to the role of the Prince. The passage xxix. 
 17—21 is a later insertion dated two years after ch. xl. After 
 this date (570 B.C.) nothing is known of the prophet. Tradition 
 asserts that he met his death in Babylonia at the hands of a 
 prince of his people whom he had upbraided for his idolatrous 
 practices\ 
 
 The contention of some scholars that the Book is later than 
 the exile and pseudepigraphic has not met with any wide accept- 
 ance. Zunz^ would place it in the Persian period (c. 440 — 400 
 B.C.). The view of Geiger^ is similar; while Seinecke*, who 
 identifies Gog with Antiochus Epiphanes, brings the Book as 
 low as the Maccabean age. 
 
 Ezekiel was received into the Canon along with the other 
 prophetical books. The date of the canonising of the Prophets 
 is uncertain, though it must have been prior to 200 B.C. (Prol. 
 
 1 For this and other traditions cf. Knobel, Prophetistmis, p. 301. 
 
 2 Gottesdienst. Vortrage, p. 157, and Zeit, Deut. Morg. Ges.^ vol. xxvii., 
 p. 676. 
 
 3 Urschri/i, p. 23. 
 
 •* Gesch. d. V. Is. i. 138, quoted in Kuen., Ouderz., ii, 315. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to Ecclus,, and Ch. xlix. 8, Dan. ix. 2). The differences between 
 the ritual details in ch. xl. seq. and the Law naturally created 
 difficulties, which, however, do not seem to have been widely- 
 felt, as no scholar's name or school is mentioned in connexion 
 with them. Hananiah ben Hezekiah, of blessed memory (a 
 contemporary of Gamaliel the master of St Paul), resolutely 
 grappled with them ; he had 300 measures of lamp-oil brought 
 him, and betaking himself to an upper room he sat and recon- 
 ciled the differences, of which no more was heard ^. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Jehovah, God of Israel. 
 
 Ezekiel's general doctrine of God does not differ materially 
 from that of other prophets of the same age, such as Jeremiah 
 and Isaiah xl. sq.^ though the character of his mind causes 
 him to bring some divine attributes into more prominence than 
 others, and his education as a priest leads him to a way of 
 thinking or at least to the use of a kind of phraseology not 
 observed in other prophets. 
 
 His conception of Jehovah appears in the "visions of God" 
 which he describes (ch. i., viii., x., xliii.). These visions were 
 all alike, and they reveal his general impression of that which 
 Jehovah is. The fourfold nature of the cherubim, of their 
 faces and wings and of the wheels, all forming a chariot mov- 
 ing in every direction alike, and with the velocity suggested 
 by the wings and wheels, symbolizes the omnipresence of Je- 
 hovah, while the eyes of which the whole was full are a token 
 of his omniscience. The throne above the firmament on which 
 he sat indicates that he is King in heaven, God over all, om- 
 nipotent. The divine being himself appeared as of human 
 
 1 See Buhl, Kanon und Text, p. 30 {Transl., p. 24, 30). Wilde- 
 boer, Het Ontstaati van deji Kanon, p. 59. Bleek, 4 Ed., p. 551. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 form, while his nature was hght, of such brightness that fire 
 fitly represented him only from the loins downwards, from 
 th6 loins upwards the effulgence was something purer and 
 more dazzling, and he was surrounded by a brightness like 
 that of the rainbow in the day of rain. This "glory," which 
 contains himself within it (x. 4, 18, xliii. 5, 6), is that which 
 is manifested to men (final note, ch. i.). 
 
 The name by which the prophet calls the God of Israel is 
 Jehovah, or the Lord Jehovah. Whether the name Lord ex- 
 presses something judicial or no may be uncertain, it expresses 
 at least something sovereign (Is. vi. 1,5); but the other name 
 Jehovah now in Ezekiel's age expresses the idea of God abso- 
 lutely. Jehovah has all power: the nations as well as Israel are 
 in his hand. He brought Israel out of Egypt, and gave them 
 the good land of Canaan, and he will disperse them among 
 the nations, delivering them over to the king of Babylon; 
 but yet again he will recover them out of the hand of those 
 who have served themselves of them, and save them with an 
 everlasting salvation. With the same omnipotence he rules 
 among the nations. His judgments fall upon the peoples 
 around Israel, Ammon, Moab and Edom, whose name he 
 causes to perish among the nations; but they light also on 
 Tyre and even upon Egypt, which he gives into the hand of 
 Nebuchadnezzar. He breaks the arm of Pharaoh and strikes 
 the sword out of his hand, putting his own sword into the 
 hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He brandishes his sword in the 
 eyes of all the nations, while creation shudders and the waters 
 of the great deep stand motionless. He puts his hook in the 
 jaws of Gog, and brings him up from the ends of the earth, 
 revealing himself to the most distant lands and the far-off 
 islands of the sea. He reverses the past, bringing again the 
 captivity of Sodom and her daughters. He sends forth his 
 life-giving spirit, and the nation that was dead and its bones 
 scattered feels the breath of life and rises to its feet a great 
 army. His rule of the nations is the judgment of the nations; 
 and his verdict upon a nation is seen in the last act which it 
 plays upon the stage of history and is eternal (xxxii. 17 sq.). 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 At the sight of his glory the prophet fell upon his face, but 
 it is not Jehovah's will that his servants should be overborne 
 by his majesty (Job ix. 32 — 35, xiii. 21), and he says to the 
 prophet " stand upon thy feet that I may speak with thee" 
 (ii. i). Though profoundly devout and but a "child of man" 
 in the presence of Jehovah, the prophet is far from regarding 
 God as a mere transcendent majesty and abstract omnipotence. 
 He is the living God. He has "a hkeness as the appearance 
 of a man" (i. 26). He has "a mighty hand and a stretched 
 out arm" (xx. 33), a "face" (vii. 22, xiv. 8, xv. 7, xxxix. 23, 24), 
 a "mouth" (iii. 17, cf. xxii. 21), "eyes" and "'ears" (viii. 18), 
 his fury comes up into his "nostrils" (xxxviii. i8)j and the 
 sanctuary is the place of the "soles of his feet" (xhii. 7; cf. 
 Is. Ix. 13). These representations in Ezekiel mean neither 
 more nor less than they do in other prophets, such as Is. xl. 
 — Ixvi. ; they are not to be dwelt upon individually but taken 
 together, and when thus combined they express the idea of 
 a hving personality possessing all the powers of personal being. 
 Even when the prophet represents Jehovah's judgments as 
 executed by the mediation of divine messengers (ch. ix.), or 
 when he interposes a "man" between God and himself (xl. 3 
 sq.), this is due to his tendency to personify rather than to 
 any feeling of the distance of God from men or the world, 
 as appears from xliii. 5 — 7. 
 
 Again, Jehovah appears in the prophet endowed with all 
 the attributes and emotions of moral being. He expresses his 
 own consciousness of that which he is by using his own name, 
 as when he says, "Ye shall know that I am Jehovah ;" and his 
 sense of himself when injured, as it is when his people worship 
 other gods or when the nations touch that which is his, op- 
 pressing his people or usurping his land, reacts and manifests 
 itself as "jealousy." He pities the outcast infant weltering in 
 its blood and bids it live (xvi. 6), and the little children passed 
 through the fire to Molech, whom he calls "my children" 
 (xvi. 21). He has compassion on "his sheep," broken or lost 
 and scattered on the mountains through the selfishness of 
 hirelings who feed themselves and not the flock, and he binds 
 
xxxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 up that of them which was broken, and strengthens that which 
 was sick (xxxiv. i6). His "soul" is "alienated" from his people 
 (xxiii. 1 8), whose uncleannesses he "loathes" (xxxvi. 17). His 
 "anger" is kindled by their ways, he pours out his "fury" 
 upon them and "appeases" it in their punishment. Yet he 
 has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; his will is that 
 men should live (xviii. 23, xxxiii. 11). He is conscious of being 
 God alone, and directs all history, whether of his people or 
 the nations, towards one goal, the revealing of himself as that 
 which he is to the eyes of mankind. If he sends afflictions 
 on his people it is that he may break their whorish heart and 
 their eyes (vi. 9), and when his chastisements fail he forgives 
 for his name's sake (xxxvi. 22 ; cf. Is. xlviii. 9), brings himself 
 near and dwells by his spirit in men's hearts (xxxvi. 27), even 
 tabernacling in a visible form among them for ever, so that 
 the name of the new Jerusalem to all generations is, The Lord 
 is there (xlviii. 35). 
 
 His relation to his people or the prophet is not that of one 
 distant or unapproachable. Being King in Israel, — and he 
 expresses his resolution to be King over them yet in truth 
 (xx. 33), — he gives them statutes and judgments. Yet these are 
 "good," they are "statutes of life" (xxxiii. 15), which if a man 
 do he shall live by them (xx. 11). In like manner he com- 
 municates his word to the prophet, commanding him to receive 
 it and not be rebellious like the rebellious house (ii. 8). The 
 prophet represents his inspiration under the symbol of eating 
 the roll of a book, but why this symbol should imply a more 
 "mechanical" idea of inspiration than the language of Jer., 
 " Behold I have put my words in thy mouth " (i. 9), does not 
 appear. Though the roll was written on the front and on the 
 back with lamentation and woe, it was in the prophet's mouth 
 "as honey for sweetness" (iii. 3). The same joy in Jehovah's 
 service even amidst persecutions was felt by Jeremiah : " Thy 
 words were found and I did eat them ; they were the joy and 
 rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by thy name" (xv. 16). 
 Sympathy with Jehovah in his alienation from the people be- 
 cause of their evil is expressed by both prophets, "I sat alone 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 because of thy hand, for thou hast filled me with indignation " 
 (Jer. XV. 17, and in a more violent form vi. 11 ; cf. Ez. iii. 14), 
 Both prophets have such fellowship with Jehovah that they can 
 venture to intercede for the people, though they are repulsed 
 with the answer that the time for intercession has gone by, 
 "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me my mind could 
 not be toward this people ; cast them out of my sight" (Jer. xv. i ; 
 Ez. ix. 8, xi. 13). 
 
 Jehovah is God over all, and the self-exaltation of peoples or 
 their rulers in any place of the world, as when the prince of 
 Tyre says, I am God, or when the Pharaoh says, My river is 
 mine, I have made it, is an offence against the majesty of him 
 who is alone exalted. What might be called moral forces are 
 no less subservient to his will and ruled by him than those that 
 are physical. The prophet, indeed, represents Jehovah as the 
 Author of all that occurs, whether on the stage of history or in 
 the minds of men. Even the evil that men do is in many 
 instances ascribed to him, without men, however, being thereby 
 relieved of responsibility for it. In one aspect men's deeds are 
 their own, in another they are occasioned by God. Jerusalem 
 sets her bloodshed on a bare rock, without covering it ; but 
 from another point of view it is the Lord himself who sets it on 
 a bare rock "that it might cause fury to come up, to take 
 vengeance" (xxiv. 7). A prophet allows himself to be enticed, 
 and entering into the purposes of the people — whitewashing the 
 wall which they build — speaks such a prophetic word as fosters 
 their delusive hopes. It is the Lord that deceives this prophet 
 that both he and those whom he deludes may perish together 
 (xiv. 10). The laws given to the people were "good," statutes 
 of life. But the people neglected and disobeyed them, they 
 perverted their meaning, extending the law of the offering of the 
 firstborn even to children, whom they burnt in the fire. This 
 perversion was caused by God himself; he gave them laws 
 that were not good, that he might destroy them (xx. 25, 26). 
 Evil things come into the mind of Gog, he devises an evil device, 
 saying, "I will go up against them that are quiet, to take the 
 spoil, and to take the prey." It is Jehovah that puts hooks in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 his jaws and brings him forth; "I will bring thee against my 
 land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified 
 in thee" (xxxviii. 4, 10, 16). 
 
 These representations in Ezekiel are similar to others in 
 Scripture, and, no doubt, raise difficult questions. Perhaps two 
 things may be said in general : first, Jehovah is nowhere repre- 
 sented as causing nations or men to do evil acts, which they are 
 not also represented as doing of their own accord and with evil 
 intent; and secondly, Jehovah is nowhere represented as the 
 author of sin in such a sense that he causes an innocent mind 
 to sin. He adds to the sin of one already sinful for wider 
 purposes which he has in view. The instances of Pharaoh, 
 the Amorites (Deut. ii. 30; Josh. xi. 20; cf. Gen. xv. 16; Lev. 
 xviii. 24, 25), Saul (i Sam. xxvi. 19), Ahab (i K. xxii. 20), Israel 
 (Is. vi. 9, xxix. 10, Ixiii. 17, cf Ixiv. 5, 6; Ez. xx. 25, 26), the 
 false prophets (Ez. xiv. 9), Gog (Ez. xxxviii.) are all of this kind. 
 They are so clearly of this kind that none of them needs dis- 
 cussion except the case of Saul's persecution of David. The 
 words of David are, "If the Lord hath stirred thee up against 
 me let him smell an offering." David's view appears to be that 
 Saul's persecution of him is due to an aberration with which the 
 king has been struck by Jehovah. This aberration is a punish- 
 ment for some previous unwitting offence, and he advises an 
 atoning offering that the offence may be forgiven and the 
 aberration removed. The aphorism qtiejn deics viclt perdere 
 prius deinetitat may have its application in Scripture, but there 
 at least the previous question needs to be carefully raised, 
 Whom does God will to destroy.? It is always assumed that 
 they are evil men, either in themselves or as the adversaries of 
 Jehovah or of his people. On broader grounds the propriety or 
 justice of this assumption may in some cases appear to Qeed in- 
 vestigation. But, the assumption being made, God appears as 
 the author of sin only in a secondary and very modified sense. 
 He uses sin already existing, punishes it with delusion and 
 worse sin, laying a stumbling-block before the sinner, over which 
 he falls and perishes (Jer. vi. 21 ; Ez. iii. 20)^ 
 
 1 The Essay of Dr J. C. Matlhes, Gorsprong der Zonde, Theol, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The view has been suggested that to the prophet's mind 
 the prevaihng characteristic of Jehovah is his justice— Jehovah 
 is "the rigidly just one ;" and that this conception of Jehovah's 
 justice is but the reflection of the prophet's own " scrupulous 
 and precise character." Jehovah's punctilious righteousness 
 appears in his way of dealing with different classes of men, 
 ch. xiv. 12 — 20, xviii., xxxiii. 10 — 20; and the prophet's own 
 scrupulous and somewhat pedantic nature in the way he feels 
 the responsibilities of his office as watchman, ch. iii. 16 — 21, 
 xxxiii. i^ — 9^ This representation appears to invert the true 
 order, putting that first which is last. The prophet's concep- 
 tion of his office is a reflection, if there be reflection in the case, 
 of his idea of the divine method of dealing with men. It is 
 because God will deal with each man individually that the 
 prophet feels he must warn each separately. The reality of 
 his office and of his sense of responsibility in the discharge of 
 it being admitted, his statements about himself are in the main 
 an indirect way of impressing upon men the true nature of 
 their relations to God and of the method in which he will treat 
 them (initial note to xxxiii.). And the point of view from which 
 passages like ch. xviii. and xxxiii. are to be looked at is scarcely 
 that of the divine rectitude merely (final notes to xviii,). 
 
 There are several expressions used by Ezekiel of interest in 
 connexion with his conceptions of God. They are the words 
 frequently spoken by the Lord, (i) "Ye (they) shall know that 
 I am Jehovah ; " (2) " I will be sanctified (shew myself holy) in 
 you (them) ; " and (3), " I wrought for my name's sake, that it 
 should not be profaned in the sight of the nations." From the 
 occasional combination of these phrases together it appears 
 that they differ little from one another in meaning ; thus : " I 
 will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself 
 known in the eyes of many nations ; and they shall know that 
 I am Jehovah" (xxxviii. 23). "And my holy name will I make 
 known in the midst of Israel ; and the nations shall know 
 
 Tijds., 1890, p. 225, appears to overlook the previous assumption 
 referred to. 
 
 ^ Kuenen, Modern Review^ Oct. 1884. 
 
xxxviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel" (xxxix. 7). " I will 
 be jealous for my holy name" (xxxix. 25). "That the nations 
 may know me when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, 
 before their eyes" (xxxviii. 16). "And the nations shall know 
 that I am Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you (Israel) 
 before their eyes " (xxxvi. 23). 
 
 In the words spoken by the Lord, " Ye shall know that I am 
 Jehovah," the term "Jehovah" expresses the speaker's own 
 consciousness of that which he is. The language is frequently 
 used towards the nations : his judgments on them reveal to 
 them that he is Jehovah, or they learn the same truth from 
 observation of his restoration and protection of Israel (the 
 former, xxv. 5, 7, 11, 17, xxvi. 6, xxviii. 22, 23, xxix. 9, xxx. 19, 
 XXXV. 9, 15, xxxviii. 16, 23, xxxix. 6, 7; and the latter, xxxvi. 23, 
 36). The phrase is also addressed to Israel, both in connexion 
 with judgments and in connexion with blessings such as restora- 
 tion and final peace (the former, vi. 7, 10, 14, vii. 4, 27, xi. 10, 
 12, xii. 15, 16, 20, xiii. 9, 23, xv. 7, xx. 38, xxiv. 24; and the 
 other, XX. 42, 44, xxviii. 26, xxxiv. 27, 30, xxxvi. 11, 38, xxxvii. 
 13). The words mean more than that those addressed shall 
 learn that it is "Jehovah" who inflicts the judgment or confers 
 the blessing upon them ; they mean that they shall learn to 
 know the nature of Him who is dealing with them, or at least 
 his nature on some side of his being. This appears from an 
 occasional variation in the expression : " Ye shall know that 
 I am Jehovah God" (xiii. 9, xxiii. 49, xxiv. 24, xxix. 16, cf. xxviii. 
 26). The term "Jehovah," however, is not a mere synonym 
 for " God ; " it appears always to carry a historical element in 
 it. When addressed to the nations it connotes "the God of 
 Israel;" and when addressed to Israel it carries a reminder 
 of that which they have been told of him by his servants the 
 prophets, or that which they have learned of him from his 
 presence in their history. How much is suggested by the 
 name "Jehovah" must perhaps be learned from each particular 
 passage. When spoken to the nations in general it may 
 suggest his power, and that he will not leave injuries done to 
 his people unrequited ; in some cases it may imply that he is 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 God over all, as when the words are spoken in regard to the 
 Pharaoh (xxix. 9), Indeed, as the language is used now in 
 Ezekiel we should probably not be far wrong in putting into 
 the term "Jehovah" when spoken by the Lord himself the 
 meaning which it would have if used by the prophet, and to 
 him certainly "Jehovah," the God of Israel, is he who is God 
 alone, and who, in righteousness and power and all other 
 attributes, is that which one who is God alone is — although in 
 each several passage where the word is used some special divine 
 attribute may be more particularly suggested. 
 
 The expression " I will be sanctified," or, " sanctify myself," 
 or, " shew myself holy " (or, get me sanctifying), does not differ 
 materially from the phrase just discussed. In modern usage 
 the term "holy" has drifted away from its proper sense and 
 lost its original comprehensive meaning. The word is an 
 adj. derived from a neut. verb which probably expressed some 
 physical idea, though the idea is not now recoverable. What- 
 ever the idea was the term " holy " was very early felt to be an 
 appropriate epithet for deity, not as expressing any particular 
 attribute but rather the general notion of godhead. Jehovah 
 swears by his "holiness" or by "himself" without difference 
 of meaning (Am. iv. 2, vi. 8). The term was so much appro- 
 priated to the divine that when coupled with the word "god" 
 or "gods" it became a mere otiose epithet, "the holy gods" 
 meaning nothing more than "the gods " (Dan. iv. 8, 9, 18, v. 11, 
 cf. V. 14 ; Inscrip. of Eshmunazar). In Israel the epithet is 
 transferred to Jehovah, who is the Holy One of Israel, or, i)i, 
 Israel (xxxix. 7), or the Holy One, or even Holy One, almost as 
 a proper name (Prov. xxx. 3 ; Is. xl. 25 ; cf. Josh. xxiv. 19). 
 
 It appears to be a secondary use, though also very early, 
 when the term was applied to that which belongs to the sphere 
 of deity, which lies near God's presence or has come into it 
 (Ex. iii. 5 ; Numb. xvi. 37, 38), or which belongs to him, whether 
 as part of himself or as his property. Hence his arm, his spirit 
 are "holy;" and so his house, city, hill, people, land, and the 
 like; his sabbath, his offerings, and his ministers. Hence the 
 angels, belonging to the sphere of deity, are the "holy ones" 
 
xl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (Job V. i). The word in this sense is apphed both to things 
 and men, and expresses primarily not a quahty but a relation. 
 But naturally, just as the idea of godhead would always carry 
 some attribute or perhaps several with it, so that which was 
 considered the possession of God or near him, whether things 
 or men, would also be considered to have certain characteristics. 
 These characteristics would be regulated by that which God 
 was thought to be. Things repulsive to his nature could not be 
 his nor come near him, and could not be "holy;" neither could 
 men unlike him in character, or in any physical condition re- 
 pugnant to his nature. But things and men that were his 
 shared his "holiness" and could be "profaned," such as his 
 sabbaths or his holy princes (Ez. vii. 22, 24, xx. 16; Is. xhii. 28). 
 The term "holy" applied to Jehovah is very elastic, and may 
 embrace much or little, one thing or another. To call Jehovah 
 "holy" tells nothing in regard to him further than that he is 
 God, with the attributes of God. The idea has to be dis- 
 tinguished from the details brought at different times under it. 
 There might be included under the idea the sole godhead of 
 Jehovah ; such natural attributes of deity as power, manifested 
 in the rule of nature (Ex. xv. i, 11), or in judgments on the 
 enemies of his people (Ez. xxviii. 22, xxxviii. 16, 23, xxxix. 7); 
 moral attributes, as punitive righteousness (Is. v. 16), or ethical 
 purity (Lev. xix. 2) ; and finally physical or what might be called 
 aesthetic purity (Lev. xi. 44 seq.^ xx. 25, 26; Ez. xhii. 7, 9, cf. 
 initial note to xl. — xlviii., last par.). When Jehovah reveals 
 himself as that which he is, or in any of his attributes and 
 aspects of that which he is, he "sanctifies" himself. Hence to 
 "magnify" or "glorify" himself or set his glory among the 
 nations are particulars coming under the more general "sanctify" 
 (xxxviii. 23, xxxix. 21). In like manner men "sanctify" Jehovah 
 when they recognise that which he is or ascribe to him his true 
 nature (xxxvi. 23; Is. viii. 13). On the other hand when the 
 iniquities of his people constrain him to act in such a way as to 
 disguise any of his great attributes, such as his power, in the 
 eyes of the nations, so that they misinterpret his being, his holy 
 name is "profaned," as on the contrary he is "sanctified" in the 
 
INTRODUCTION. xli 
 
 eyes of the nations by the restoration of his people and their 
 defence when restored and righteous (xxxvi. 23, xxxviii. 16). 
 
 The phrase, " I wrought for my name's sake, lest it should be 
 profaned among the nations," has a meaning but little different. 
 The expression is chiefly used in reference to Israel and its 
 destinies. It contains the prophet's philosophy of history. 
 History, particularly that of Israel in the face of the nations, is 
 Jehovah operating for his name's sake. It is his regard for his 
 name that explains Israel's history, that, indeed, has given her 
 a history, for otherwise she would many a time have been cut 
 off for her iniquities. The "name" of God here is not the mere 
 word " Jehovah," neither is it what might be called his " reputa- 
 tion," though both are included in it. The idea of the prophet 
 is suggested by the fact that he who is God alone and over all 
 is known to the world as Jehovah, God of Israel. He whom the 
 peoples of mankind know as the God of Israel has the con- 
 sciousness of being true God, and wills to reveal himself to all 
 mankind (Is. xlii. 8, xliii. 10, xliv. 8, xlv. 21 — 24). Within Israel 
 he can reveal himself as he is in himself; to the nations he must 
 reveal himself as that which the God of Israel is. He who 
 knows himself as God alone (Is. xliv. 8) has become historically 
 God of Israel, has begun his revelation of himself to the world 
 thus, and will thus carry it to an end till he is known to all the 
 earth. Therefore he cannot destroy Israel, for this would undo 
 the first steps of his great purpose already taken, and efface 
 from the minds of the nations the knowledge of him which they 
 have received by his redemption of his people in their sight 
 (xx. 9, 14, 22; cf. Deut. ix. 28, 29, xxxii. 26, 27; Num. xiv. 15, 16; 
 Ex. xxxii. II, 12). Henceforth his "name," the name of him 
 who knows himself to be God alone, is inseparably linked with 
 the destinies of Israel. Within Israel his revelation of himself 
 as he is went on, though thwarted by the rebelliousness of 
 the people. Eventually their want of receptiveness was so 
 great that they had to be rejected for a time and cast out of 
 Jehovah's land. In the world of the nations without this was a 
 retrograde movement. Unable to conceive of a moral rule of 
 his people by Jehovah, the nations concluded that he was with- 
 
 EZEKIEL d 
 
xlii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 out power to protect them (xxxvi. 20). Thus his name was 
 profaned ; the knowledge which the nations had of him was ob- 
 scured. It was perhaps not among the nations only that Jehovah's 
 name had suffered an ecHpse: the feet of many in Israel also 
 well-nigh slipped. It took time for them to accommodate 
 themselves to what had happened. It was only when they were 
 enabled to read their past history in a new light, the light shed 
 on it by the prophets, that their minds came to rest. But this 
 new reading both gave them a profounder knowledge of Jehovah 
 and awakened a new enthusiasm for the future. And Jehovah's 
 recovery of his people from all lands not only restored the 
 prestige of his power among the nations, but taught them the 
 deeper moral principles of his rule (xxxix. 23), as it sealed to 
 Israel the ancient truths which they had heard concerning him 
 (xx. 42 — 44, xxxvi. II, 37, xxxix. 28, 29). 
 
 The prophet's idea is a large one, and might comprehend 
 more than he fills into it. It is that God's revelation of himself 
 is historical ; that he becomes the God of one people with 
 whose destinies his name is linked ; that his rule of this people 
 in their history, its progress and final issues, the way he leads 
 them and that into which at the last he fashions them, is his 
 revelation of himself to the eyes of mankind. 
 
 The conception that Jehovah acts only for his own name's 
 sake, to sanctify his great name, is capable of being set in a 
 repellent light. It seems to make the divine being egoistic, 
 and his own sense of himself the source of all his operations. 
 The way too in which he brings the nations to know that he is 
 Jehovah, through judgments mainly, invests the idea with addi- 
 tional harshness. The conception is not found in the earlier 
 prophets, but is familiar in the age of Ezekiel. Perhaps two 
 things, if considered, would help to explain the prophet's idea. 
 One is his lofty conception of Jehovah, God alone and over 
 all, and his profound reverence before him. The "child of 
 man" cannot conceive the motive of Jehovah's operations to 
 be found anywhere but in himself. But that name for whose 
 sake he works is a "great name" (xxxvi. 23), and a "holy 
 name" (xxxix, 25), it is that of him who is God. The prophet 
 
INTRODUCTION. xliii 
 
 thinks of Jehovah as one of his predecessors did : "For Jehovah 
 your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, 
 the mighty and the terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor 
 taketh a reward" (Deut. x. 17). And other prophets of his 
 age, very unlike him, move among similar thoughts : " my 
 glory will I not give to another" (Is. xlii. 8, xlv. 23) ; "for mine 
 own sake will I do it ; for how should my name be profaned " 
 (Is. xlviii. 11). 
 
 And the second thing is this : the conception arose out of 
 the conflicts of the time. There were antagonisms within 
 Israel, and more powerful antagonisms without, between Israel 
 and the nations. These conflicts on the stage of history were 
 but the visible forms taken by a conflict of principles, of 
 religions, of Jehovah God with the idolatries of which the 
 nations of the earth were the embodiments. The prophet 
 could not help drawing up this antagonism into his conception 
 of God ; and not unnaturally he reflected his own feeling upon 
 the mind of God, and conceived him thinking of himself as he 
 thought of him. If it was but half a truth, it was perhaps the 
 half needful for the age. When the fulness of time was come 
 the centre of divine motive was shifted, " God so loved the 
 world." Coming from the bosom of the Father and knowing 
 him, the Son's mind was altogether absorbed in the positive 
 truth, the stream of which was so broad and deep that all 
 antagonisms were buried beneath it 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Israel, the People of the Lord. 
 
 The tone of the prophet towards the people in the early part 
 of his book is severe and threatening, though the threats are 
 here and there relieved with consoling promises and a brighter 
 outlook (xi. 16 scq.^ xvi. 53 seq., xvii. 22 scq.^ xxi. 27). In the 
 second half he adopts a kindlier tone. In both parts his 
 
 d 2 
 
xliv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 teaching agrees in many things with that of his predecessors, 
 particularly Jeremiah. 
 
 It is surprising how much the two prophets have in common. 
 Both enter upon their office with opinions already formed of 
 the people to whom they are sent, and with the expectation of 
 opposition from them (Jer. i. 19) ; those around Ezekiel are 
 thorns and briars and he dwells among scorpions (ii. 6) ; they 
 are impudent and stiffhearted (ii. 4). Both receive assurance 
 of divine assistance in their contention with them : " I have 
 made thy face hard against their faces... harder than flint have 
 I made thy forehead" (iii. 8, 9 ; Jer. i. 8, 17, 18, xv. 20; Is. 1. 7). 
 Both sympathise with the anger of Jehovah in his controversy 
 with his people and share it, being filled with "indignation" 
 (iii. 14; Jer. vi. 11, xv. 17), and keep aloof from the people, 
 refusing to enter into their sorrow or joy, for a doom from 
 heaven hangs over them (iii. 26, cf. xxiv. 15 — 27 ; Jer. xvi. 
 5 seq.). Israel is a " rebellious house," and their rebellion has 
 been continuous throughout their history, " they have rebelled 
 they and their fathers unto this very day" (ii. 3, ch. xvi., xx.) ; 
 " from the day that your fathers came forth out of Egypt unto 
 this day, I have sent unto you my servants the prophets ; yet 
 they hearkened not unto me, they did worse than their fathers " 
 (Jer. vii. 25). Both assert that Jerusalem has outbidden Samaria 
 in wickedness (xvi. 47, 51, xxiii. 11 ; Jer. iii. 11, xvi. 12), and 
 that both peoples have been more perverse than the heathen 
 (v. 6, xvi. 48; Jer. ii. 11). The degeneracy has infected all 
 classes and persons, it is in vain to look for a "man" in the 
 streets of Jerusalem : " I sought for a man among them to 
 stand in the gap before me for the land, but I found none" (xxii. 
 30; Jer. V. i). 
 
 In one respect Ezekiel appears to exceed his predecessors in 
 the condemnation of his people : he recognises no good time in 
 Israel's history. To older prophets a halo surrounded Israel's 
 earliest time, though it soon faded away : " I found Israel like 
 grapes in the wilderness ; but they came to Baal-Peor and con- 
 secrated themselves unto the shame, and became abominable 
 like that which they loved" (Hos. ix. 10) ; " I remember of thee 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlv 
 
 the kindness of thy youth, when thou wentest after me in the 
 wilderness" (Jer. ii. 2). And Isaiah even speaks of Jerusalem 
 as at one time " the faithful city," though in his own day she 
 had become an harlot (i. 21). Jeremiah appears to date the 
 declension from the settlement in Canaan (ii. 5 — 7, 21, cf. Is. v. 
 2 ; Mic. vi. 3), and Ezekiel agrees with him that at that time 
 the people sank into deeper degeneracy, seizing the occasion 
 presented by the Canaanite shrines to add to their provocation 
 and blasphemy (xvi. 15 seq.^ xx. 28 ; Deut. xii. 2). But he goes 
 further, pushing the people's idolatries back as far as the 
 wilderness (xx. 24), and even into an earlier time : " Son of 
 man, there were two women... and they committed whoredoms 
 in Egypt" (xxiii. 2). Jerusalem came of tainted blood: her 
 father was the Amorite, and her mother an Hittite (xvi. 3). 
 The history of Israel in Egypt is told so briefly in the Pent, 
 that no corroboration of the prophet's idea is found, which, 
 however, has everything in its favour (on xx. 7, 8) ; and for the 
 wilderness the oldest part of the Pent, supports him (Ex. xxxii., 
 cf. Deut. ix. 6, and often). The revelation of Jehovah was 
 not first made to Israel in Egypt, Jacob was his "servant" 
 (xxviii. 25, xxxvii. 25), as well as Abraham (xxxiii. 24); and 
 the prophet supposes the state of the people in Egypt to be 
 very much their state in his own day : they knew Jehovah, 
 but they had abandoned him for idols which they refused to 
 i"orsake (xx. 5). It is possible that Ezekiel may judge the past 
 history of his people from the point of view of his own attain- 
 ment in religious knowledge ; he may regard the worship at 
 the high places, though meant by the people for service of 
 Jehovah, as nothing better than Canaanitish heathenism ; and 
 looking at the darker side of the people's history and regarding 
 the nation as a moral personality (xx. 30 — 44), he may not 
 advert to much that deserved to be excepted from his sweeping 
 charge of apostasy. The nature of the prophetic discourse 
 has always to be taken into account. Its object was to shew 
 to Jacob his transgressions (Mic. iii. 8 ; Jer. xxviii. 8). The 
 judgment of the prophets on the people in every age was not 
 a comparative but an absolute one. They condemn the people 
 
xlvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 because they fail short of the ideal which they themselves 
 perceive to be true. They also represent this shortcoming as 
 a declension and forsaking of a position formerly attained. 
 This latter part of the prophetic judgment has been thought by 
 many to be scarcely historical : their own ideal which they con- 
 trast with the popular religion is always true, but their verdict 
 on the people, it is thought, would have been fairer if, instead 
 of charging them with declension, they had blamed them for 
 backwardness and slowness of attainment. The written history 
 of Israel is so greatly occupied with external events that it 
 affords little insight into the religious condition of the people 
 before the prophetic age, but the unanimous feeling of the 
 prophets as to the past must have a historical ground. Ezekiel's 
 judgment on Jerusalem (ch. xvi.) finds a parallel in a singular 
 passage in Jer. xxxii. 30 — 35 : " For this city hath been to 
 me a provocation of mine anger and my fury from the day 
 that they built it unto this day." 
 
 Further, the two prophets are in agreement on much else, the 
 details of the people's sin and the issue of it. Both name the 
 chief sin of Israel '^whoredom," as had been common since 
 Hosea, though Isaiah uses the metaphor only once (i. 21); and 
 the figures by which Ezekiel describes it, realistic and repulsive 
 enough though they be, in nothing exceed those used by 
 Jeremiah (xvi. 25, 34, xxiii. 8, 17, 20, 40; Jer. ii. 23, 24, iii. 2, 
 V. 7, 8, xiii. 27). Apart from figure, this whoredom or infidelity 
 to Jehovah, includes two things, idolatry and alliances with 
 foreign states, those "lovers" on whom Israel and Judah doted 
 (xxiii. 5, 16; Jer. iv. 30). The idolatry was partly real, a wor- 
 ship of "other gods" (Jer. xvi. 11), the Baals or shame (xi. 13), 
 the host of heaven (Jer. xix. 13; Ez. viii. 16), and the queen of 
 heaven (Jer. vii. 18, xliv. 17 seq. cf. Ez. viii. 14). It is not certain 
 to what deities the small shrines were erected which were to be 
 found in every street and at the head of every way (xvi. 24, 25). 
 Jer. xi. 13 appears to call them altars to the shame or Baal, 
 though it might be inferred from Ez. xvi. 23 that they were 
 dedicated to deities not native to Canaan. Besides this, however, 
 both prophets stigmatise with the same odious name the whole 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlvii 
 
 service at the rural altars, on the high hills and under the ever- 
 green trees, with its accessories of images, sun-pillars and 
 asheras (vi. 6; Jer. ii. 20, iii. 2, 6). It is not the mere localities 
 nor the number of the altars that arouses their aversion ; it is 
 the nature of the worship and its evil memories (Hos. iv. 13, 14; 
 Am. ii. 7), for Ezekiel regards the rural shrines as a survival of 
 Canaanitish paganism (xx. 27, 28). The images or block-gods 
 (vi. 4) standing in these shrines were probably in many instances 
 figures of Jehovah, for since the verdict of Hosea on the calf- 
 image (viii. 6), "A workman made it, it is no God," little if any 
 distinction was drawn between such images and others (Is. ii. 8, 
 xvii. 8, XXX. 22). Both prophets name these objects of worship 
 "abominations," and represent them as being placed in the 
 house of the Lord to defile it (Jer. vii. 30, xix. 4 ; Ez. viii. 3 seq,\ 
 and as polluting the land (Jer. xvi. 18). Since Hosea foreign 
 aUiances had been stigmatised as "hiring lovers" (viii. 9, 10), 
 and both the later prophets adopt the phraseology (xvi. 37, xxiii. 
 9, 22; Jer. XXX. 14; cf. Lam. i. 19). From the earhest times the 
 prophets regard these alliances as due to a false conception of 
 the nature of the kingdom of the Lord, and as evidence of 
 mistrust in Jehovah (Is. vii. 9, x. 20, 21, xxx. 15, xxxi. i); and, 
 naturally, they were opposed to them for another reason, be- 
 cause the customs and idolatries of the foreign nations followed 
 in their train (Is. ii. 6, cf. on xvi. 23 seq.\ initial note to xxiii., 
 and final note to xvi.). 
 
 In other details the two prophets are in harmony : they both 
 reprobate the "bloodshed" of which Jerusalem is guilty. This 
 "blood" was partly judicial murders (ix. 9, xxii. 6; Jer. vii. 6, 
 xxii. 3), partly that shed in partizan conflicts within the city 
 (xi. 7), but especially the child murder of later days (xvi. 20, 36, 
 XX. 26; Jer. vii. 31, xxxii. 35, cf. notes on xvi. 20, xx. 25). Jeru- 
 salem is "the bloody city" (xxiv. 6, xxii. 3, 4, &c.); she has set 
 her blood upon a rock and it cries for vengeance (xxiv. 7 ; Job 
 xvi. 18). But both prophets enter into greater details regarding 
 the sins of the people than earlier prophets were wont to do, 
 though Jeremiah adheres more to the ancient custom of denounc- 
 ing civil wrongs (vii. 5 scq.^ xxii. i — 5), while Ezekiel descends 
 
xlviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lower and exposes the social abominations of his day (ch. xviii., 
 xxii., xxiii., cf. Jer. ix. 2 — 9). In these descriptions (e.g. xxii. i — 13) 
 he shews affinities with some parts of the Law, particularly the 
 small code, Lev. xvii. — xxvi., and reveals how deeply the taint of 
 Canaanitish impurity had infected the moral life of Israel, though 
 it may not be easy to say whether what he describes be a recent 
 outbreak of immorality due to the decaying vigour of the national 
 life and the moral paralysis rapidly advancing to its heart, or 
 whether the conscience of the teachers of Israel was only now 
 awakening to the enormity of vices that had long been pre- 
 valent. — On the prophet's moral ideal compared with others cf. 
 on xviii. 9. 
 
 The sin of Israel is universal, infecting all classes, the royal 
 house, the priests, the prophets and the people of the land (xxii. 
 23 — 31). The time for intercession has gone by; the sword of 
 the Lord is whetted for the slaughter (xxi.); Jerusalem, the 
 rusted caldron, must be set upon the fire that its contents may 
 be seethed, and that its brass may glow and its rust be molten 
 away (xxi v.). When the catastrophe came, verifying the prophet's 
 anticipations, his mouth was opened. The people perceived 
 that the view taken of their history by their prophetic teachers, 
 from Amos downwards, was just, and that they were true in- 
 terpreters of the mind of their God. So the old era was closed. 
 The prophet had now to inaugurate the new. 
 
 Like all other prophets Ezekiel, though he sees the destruction 
 of the state to be necessary, believes in its restitution. And this 
 restitution will be the operation of Jehovah. A complete section 
 of his prophecies (xxxiii. — xxxvii.) is devoted to this future, in 
 which all its details are set forth; but even in the earlier part 
 of his Book many allusions to it occur. As early as ch. xi. the 
 exiles are consoled with the promise: "I will gather you from 
 the peoples and give you the land of Israel. And I will put 
 a new spirit within you, and I will be your God" (xi. 17 — 20). 
 And in xvi. 60 a new and everlasting covenant is promised to 
 Jerusalem, under which she shall not only be restored herself, 
 but receive her sisters Samaria and Sodom for daughters. 
 
 As in other prophets these prophecies of restitution assume a 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlix 
 
 Messianic form, a universal kingdom being promised to the house 
 of David : " I will take of the lofty top of the cedar. . .in the moun- 
 tain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and under it shall 
 dwell all fowl of every wing" (xvii. 22 — 24). In xxi. 27 the 
 Messiah is alluded to in the words "till he come whose right 
 it is" (the ref. in xxix. 21 is more general, to the restoration 
 of Israel). The passages xxxiv. 23 seq.^ and xxxvii. 24 seq. 
 are even more explicit. In the restitution the two kingdoms 
 shall be reunited, with one shepherd over the two peoples, 
 even the Lord's servant David (Am. ix. 11; Hos. iii. 5; Jer. 
 xxxiii. 15). David shall be their prince for ever (xxxvii. 24, 25 ; 
 Is. ix. 7). In these passages "prince" and "king" are used 
 wiihout distinction, and as the Messianic king is called "David" 
 it is probable (Jer. xxiii. 5 — 8) that there is allusion to the 
 Davidic house, though "David" might mean one in the spirit 
 and power of David (cf. on xxxiv. 23, xxxvii. 25). In all these 
 passages Ezekiel's representations are quite parallel to those of 
 other prophets. In ch. xl. seq. the "prince" seems to play a 
 more subordinate role^ though there his functions in the wor- 
 ship of the restored community are specially referred to. Ch. 
 xxxiii. — xxxvii. describe the reconstitution of the kingdom on 
 all its sides : the culmination of the monarchy in the Messiah 
 (xxxiv.) ; the recovery of the land and its transfiguration (xxxv., 
 xxxvi.); the regeneration of the people, with the redemptive 
 principles which it illustrates, such as will leave eternal im- 
 pressions on the people's mind (xxxvi.); and the re-awakening 
 of the dead nation into life and the union of all the disjointed 
 members of the north and of the south into one living subject 
 again, as seen in the grandiose vision of the dry bones (xxxvii.). 
 The conditions on man's part of entering this new kingdom 
 appear to be stated in such passages as xviii. and xxxiii. The 
 object of the prophet here is scarcely to vindicate the strict 
 retributive righteousness of God or to shew how this righteous- 
 ness operates at all times. The passages refer more to the 
 future than to the present, more to how God is about to deal 
 with men than to how he has dealt with them; and there is 
 a certain ideal element in the delineation, as there is in all 
 
1 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 prophetic references to the coming kingdom of the Lord. Of 
 course the general principle is sometimes stated that the 
 righteous will be spared and the wicked perish (ix.), though 
 in other places the judgment is represented as sweeping away 
 all indiscriminately (xx. 45 seq.)\ and ch. xiv. 12 seq. depends 
 on Jer. xv. i seq.^ and is meant to shew that the wicked will 
 no longer be spared for the sake of the righteous rather than 
 to exemplify the strict retributive righteousness of God. 
 
 That the reference in these chapters is to the future, a future 
 somewhat indefinite and ideal, is probable both from the 
 parallel passage in Jeremiah and from the prophet's own lan- 
 guage. It is in the ideal times of Israel restored that the 
 proverb, "The fathers ate sour grapes and the children's teeth 
 are set on edge," shall no more have currency (Jer. xxxi. 27 
 seq.)\ and Ezekiel's language is similar, "As I live, saith the 
 Lord, it shall no longer be permitted to you to use this proverb 
 in Israel" (xviii. 3). The prophet stands before a new age, and 
 it is its principles that he reveals. His purpose is practical, 
 to meet the conditions of the people's mind, and to awaken 
 them to a new moral activity, in preparation for the sifting 
 and crisis that shall try every individual mind (xxxiii. i — 6). 
 His principles but form the background to his exhortation to 
 repentance. He attaches them to two expressions which he 
 had heard from the mouths of the people: "The fathers ate 
 sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge" (xviii. 2), 
 and, "Our iniquities be upon us and we pine away in them, 
 how then shall we live ? " (xxxiii. 10). To the one, which means 
 that men are inexorably involved in the sins of their people 
 or forefathers, he opposes the principle that every individual 
 mind stands in immediate relation to God, and none shall 
 perish for the sins of another, the soul that sinneth shall die ; 
 and to the other, which means that the evil past of life is 
 irremediable, he opposes the principle that God has no pleasure 
 in the death of the sinner, there is place for repentance. The 
 last principle is developed with a certain theoretical com- 
 pleteness, which means no more, however, than that man has 
 moral freedom to do good or evil, that he who is righteous 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 may become a sinner, and that the sinner may turn from his 
 evil, and that men will be judged not according to that which 
 they have been but according to that which they are. The 
 real point upon which the prophet's mind is operating is the 
 spiritual relation of the individual mind to God; but like 
 others he may not be able to keep this distinct from the ex- 
 ternal condition of the person, or as he calls it "life" or 
 "death." At the same time the future and ideal time to which 
 he applies his principles exonerates him from the charge of 
 teaching a doctrine false to everyday experience (cf. notes on 
 xviii. and xxxiii.). 
 
 This emancipation of the individual soul, whether from a 
 doom inherited from a former generation or from one entailed 
 on it by its own evil past, was perhaps the greatest contribution 
 made by Ezekiel to the religious life and thought of his time. 
 He probably reached his individualism by reflection on such 
 events as the downfall of the state, leaving now no place for 
 religion except in the individual mind, and on the sentiments 
 which he heard expressed by men around him. His con- 
 temporary Jeremiah reached the same truth from another 
 direction, from his own experience of the i7iwa7'dness of the 
 relation of God to men. The very nature of this relation 
 required that the religious subject should be the individual 
 mind. 
 
 Yet, as in the case of other prophets, Ezekiel no sooner states 
 the conditions on man's part of entering the new kingdom than 
 he seems to desert them. Jeremiah, after demanding of the 
 people a radical reformation (iv. 3), pauses to ask himself. Can 
 the Ethiopian change his skin ? and his hope at last is in a 
 divine operation: "I will write my law in their hearts. ..and 
 their sin will I remember no more" (xxxi. 31 — 34). The transi- 
 tion in Ezekiel from oh. xxxiii. to ch. xxxvi. is similar. It was 
 the hope of the prophets that the fires of the exile would 
 purify the people, and that they would come out as silver tried 
 in the furnace. They are constrained to confess that this hope 
 has been disappointed : Israel will be saved, but only by 
 Jehovah working for his name's sake (Is. xliii. 25, xlviii. 10, 11). 
 
lii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Ezekiel perhaps hardly saw so much of the exile as to reason 
 in this way, but his conclusion in xxxvi. 24 — 29 is the same. 
 This remarkable passage has no parallel in the Old Testament, 
 and reads like a fragment of a PauHne epistle (final note on 
 xxxvi.). The doctrine of the spirit of God receives fuller deve- 
 lopment in it than anywhere else in the Old Testament. Only 
 one thing is wanting to complete this doctrine on its practical 
 side, a statement of the means which the spirit shall use in 
 his operations (John xvi. 14). Of singular beauty are the 
 prophet's references to the eternal impressions which God's 
 goodness in their history will leave on the mind of his people 
 (xxxvi. 31, 32, xvi. 61, 63, XX. 42 — 44, xxxix. 26 seq.). Like that 
 of Hosea and others Ezekiel's eschatology occupies itself chiefly 
 with the destinies of Israel ; the place of the nations in the 
 regenerated world is not dwelt upon. How much is impHed in 
 the oft-repeated words, " They shall know that I am Jehovah," 
 is not clear, Profounder conceptions of the relations of Jeho- 
 vah to the nations are at least touched upon in ch. xvi. (final 
 notes) ; and in one passage it is foretold that the nations will 
 seek refuge under the rule of the Messiah (ch. xvii. 23). 
 
 The final section (xl. seq.) is an ideal picture of the perfection 
 and eternal peace of Israel restored. It has been remarked 
 that in these chapters Ezekiel supplies a programme for the 
 subsequent development of Judaism. It is possible that a 
 subsequent generation imposed his ideal of Israel's final state 
 upon the historical restoration that took place under Zerubbabel 
 and under Ezra. But such a thing was not the prophet's idea, 
 and never came into his mind. In his view Israel's develop- 
 ment reaches its culmination in the restoration itself, and the 
 regeneration of the people accompanying it (cf Is. Ix.). The 
 ritual observances which he enjoins are not the "statutes of 
 life " elsewhere spoken of. These statutes are the moral require- 
 ments of the decalogue, practically carried out so as to exclude 
 idolatry and the impurities often referred to (ch. xxii.); and the 
 fulfilment of these statutes is ensured by the moral regeneration 
 wrought by God upon the people (xi. 18 — 20, xvi. 60 — 63, xxxvi. 
 25 scq. \ cf initial note to xl. seq.). 
 
INTRODUCTION. liii 
 
 The points of contact between Ezekiel and the ritual Law 
 have raised many interesting though complicated questions of 
 criticism, upon which this is not the place to enter. The ques- 
 tions mainly relate to the age of the Law in its present written 
 form as this has to be determined by the antiquity of some 
 of the practices contained in it, e.g. the day of Atonement 
 (Lev. xvi., cf Ez. xlv. i8 — 20), the distinction of Priests and 
 Levites within the tribe of Levi (Ez. xliv., cf. Deut. xviii. i, 6 — 8 ; 
 2 K. xxiii. 8, 9), and the High-priesthood (on xliv. 22). Inferences 
 from comparison of Ezekiel with the Law have to be drawn 
 with caution, for it is evident that the prophet handles with 
 freedom institutions certainly older than his own time. The 
 feast of weeks (Ex. xxiii. 16, xxxiv. 22) forms no element in his 
 calendar ; the law of the offering of the firstlings of the flock 
 is dispensed with by him ; there is no gilding in his Temple, 
 and no wine in his sacrificial libations. His reconstruction of 
 the courts of the Temple is altogether new ; and so is his pro- 
 vision in the " oblation " of land for the maintenance of priests, 
 Levites and prince. On any hypothesis of priority the differ- 
 ences in details between him and the Law may be easiest 
 explained by supposing that, while the sacrifices in general 
 and the ideas which they expressed were fixed and current, the 
 particulars, such as the kind of victims and the number of 
 them, the precise quantity of meal, oil and the like, were held 
 non-essential and alterable when a change would better express 
 the idea. The prince is left to regulate some of these things 
 at his own discretion (xlvi. 7, 11). The affinities of Ezekiel 
 with the small code, Lev. xvii. — xxvi., are remarkable both 
 in subject and in some parts in phraseology (Lev. xxvi.). The 
 differences, however, are too important to admit the view that 
 he is the author of this code ; and the question whether he had 
 some parts of it at least before him in a written form is a very 
 complicated one. 
 
 Of more interest than the question, What amount of the Law 
 was known to Ezekiel in writing? is the other. How much of it 
 was familiar to him in practice? It is evident that the ritual 
 as it appears in his Book had long been a matter of consuc- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tudinary law. He is familiar not only with burnt, peace and 
 meat offerings, but with sin and trespass offerings (xlv. 17). 
 All these are spoken of as things customary and well under- 
 stood (xlii. 13, xliv. 29 — 31); even the praxis of the trespass 
 offering is so much a thing familiar that no rules are laid down 
 in regard to it (xlvi. 20). The sin and trespass offerings are 
 little if at all alluded to in the ancient extra-ritual literature, 
 but the argument from silence is a precarious one, for Ezekiel 
 himself, when not precise, uses the comprehensive phraseology 
 "burnt offerings and peace offerings" (xliii. 27). The people's 
 dues to the priests are also so much customary that no rules 
 are needful to regulate them (xliv. 30). Ezekiel is no more a 
 " legislator " than he is the founder of the Temple. 
 
 The affinities in language between Ezekiel and the ritual law 
 are scarcely literary, they arise from the fact that the writers 
 move among the same class of conceptions, and, in Ezekiel's 
 case at least, from the fact that these conceptions have long ago 
 created for themselves a distinct phraseology. The question 
 of interest is, how ancient the conceptions are. In the literature 
 outside the Law little light is cast on the history of the priest- 
 hood or ritual or on the class of conceptions prevailing in priestly 
 circles. The prophets, while furnishing abundant evidence of 
 the existence of a sumptuous ritual, shew little sympathy for it, 
 and reveal more the popular perversion of priestly conceptions 
 than their legitimate meaning. Sparse as historical allusions 
 are they suffice to shew the antiquity of the conceptions, e.g. the 
 sacredness of blood (i Sam. xiv. 33), the distinctions of clean and 
 unclean (i Sam. xxi, 4), and the atoning virtue of sacrifice (i Sam. 
 iii. 14, xxvi. 19). It is evident that two streams of thought, both 
 issuing from a fountain as high up as the very origin of the 
 nation, ran side by side down the whole history of the people, 
 the prophetic and the priestly. In the one Jehovah is a moral 
 ruler, a righteous king and judge, who punishes iniquity judicially 
 or forgives sins freely of his mercy. In the other he is a person 
 dwelling among his people in a house, a holy being or nature, 
 sensitive to every uncleanness in all that is near him, and re- 
 quiring its removal by lustrations and atonement. Those cherish- 
 
INTRODUCTION. Iv 
 
 ing the latter circle of conceptions might be as zealous for the 
 Lord of hosts as the prophets. And the developments of the 
 national history would extend their conceptions and lead to the 
 amplification of practices embodying them just as they extended 
 the conceptions of the prophets. A growth of priestly ideas is 
 quite as probable as a growth of prophetic ideas. That the 
 streams ran apart is no evidence that they were not equally 
 ancient and always contemporaneous, for we see Jeremiah and 
 Ezekiel both flourishing in one age. At one point in the history 
 the prophetic stream was swelled by an inflow from the priestly, 
 as is seen in Deuteronomy, and from the Restoration downwards 
 both streams appear to coalesce^. 
 
 * Commentaries referred to in the following notes are, Havernick, 
 1843, Hitzig, 1847, Ewald, 1868 (Trans. i88o), Keil, Trans. 1S76, Rcuss, 
 1876, Smend, 1880. Cornill, Das Buck des Proph. Ezechiel, 18S6, a 
 reconstruction of the Text. Schrader, Die Keilinschriften tmd das Alte 
 Test., is referred to as KAT (now translated by Whitehouse). Boett- 
 chex,Proben Alttest. Schrifterklliriing, 1833, 2Sidi Aehrenlese, vol. 2, 1864. 
 Besides the valuable discussions in Driver, Introduction, 1891, and in 
 Kuenen, Onderzoek, ii. 1889, the following are contributions to the 
 exposition of Ezekiel: Cornill, Der Prophet Ezechicl, 1882; Kiihn, 
 EzechieVs Gesicht vom Tempel, 1882; Plumptre, "Ezekiel: an Ideal 
 Biography," Expositor, 1884 ; Valeton, Viertal Voorlezingen (third 
 lecture), 1886; Arndt, Die Stellung EzechiePs, 1886; Meulenbelt, Z>^ 
 Pr^diking van den Profeet Ezcchiel, 1888; Gautier, La Mission du 
 Prophete Ezkhiel, 1891. Horst, Leviticus xvii. — xxvi. und Hezckiel, 
 1881 (critical). Also the Essays of Klostermann, Stud. u. Krit., 1877, 
 and Kuenen, Modern Review, 1884. 
 
N 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET 
 
 E Z E K I E L. 
 
 ow it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth 1 
 mouthy in the fifth day of the month, as I was among 
 
 First Division, Ch. I.— XXIV., Prophecies of the Destruc- 
 tion OF the Kingdom. 
 First Section. Ch. I.— III. ix. 
 
 The section consists of two divisions: First, Ch. I. inaugural vision of 
 Jehovah; second, Ch. II. — III. 21, the various steps by which Jehovah, 
 thus seen, initiated the prophet into his work. 
 
 The inaugural vision Ch. i. has two parts; (i) vv. r — 3, definition of 
 the time and place of the appearance of the vision of God; and (2) w. 4 
 — 28, description of the vision itself, with its influence upon the prophet. 
 I — 3, The manifestation of Jehovah was made to the prophet in the 
 thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, and 
 in the midst of the captives by the river Chebar {v. i); or, it was 
 on the fifth of the month, in the fifth year of the captivity of king 
 Jehoiachin, and in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar {vv. 2, 
 3). Vv. I — 3 appear to contain two superscriptions, one in v. i, in 
 which the prophet speaks in the first person, and which is syntactically 
 connected with v. 4 seq. ; and one in vv. 2, 3, in which the prophet is 
 spoken of, his name and descent and priestly rank stated, and the 
 thirtieth year of v. i identified with the fifth year of the captivity of 
 Jehoiachin. The language in v. i is precisely similar to almost all the 
 other specifications of time in the Book, e.g. viii. i, xx. i, xxiv. i, 
 xxvi. I, xxix. I, 17, xxx. 20, xxxi. i, xxxii. i, 17, xxxiii. 21, xl. i. In 
 two cases the phrase "and it came to pass" is not used (xxix. i, xl. i). 
 If the verse stood alone the natural inference from the other dates would 
 be that the year was the thirtieth of Jehoiachin's captivity, as in other 
 cases, or as it is put in two instances "our captivity" (xxxiii. 21, xl. i). 
 The latest date mentioned in the Book is the 27th year of the captivity 
 (xxix. 17), and it has been conjectured that v. I refers to another 
 prophecy or vision three years later, and that vv. 2, 3 form the real 
 heading. Against this, however, is (i) that the specification of circum- 
 stances and place in v. i is natural in an introductory statement, but 
 not to be expected in any other. In point of fact it nowhere occurs after 
 EZEKIEL I 
 
EZEKIEL, I. [v. 2. 
 
 the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were 
 
 a opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the 
 
 month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's cap- 
 
 the introductory visions by which the prophet received his commission, 
 except in references to these visions (x. 15, 20, 22, xliii. 3). And (2) 
 the words "which was the fifth year" v. 1 evidently refer to some year 
 already mentioned, which is now said to coincide with the fifth of 
 Jehoiachin's captivity. The two parts of the superscription are 
 awkwardly connected, but neither of them can be wanted, though it is 
 quite possible that they do not appear in their original form. 
 
 The thirtieth year might refer to some event or era from which 
 Ezekiel reckoned, (i) As such an event the discovery of the Book of the 
 Law and Josiah's consequent reformation of worship (621 B.C.) already 
 occurred to the Chaldee translator. Between this date and 592, the 
 fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity there is a period of 29 years. There 
 is, however, no other instance of such a kind of reckoning, nor any 
 evidence that the discovery in Josiah's eighteenth year was ever regarded 
 as an era. (2) That the prophet should refer to a Babylonian era is quite 
 possible, seeing he lived in Babylonia. But no such era has been 
 discovered. The beginning of the reign of Nabopolassar, when Babylon 
 became independent of Assyria, is usually dated in 625 ; and the fifth 
 year of Jehoiachin's captivity would be the thirty-third year of such an 
 era. (3) It is possible that the prophet might refer to the year of his 
 own age. The conjecture that Ezekiel, being a priest, would have 
 entered upon office in his thirtieth year, and that his prophetic call 
 coincided with this date, has little to support it, as the age at which 
 priests might undertake office is nowhere fixed in the Law; and the 
 reference to the year of the prophet's age in v. i would be extremely un- 
 natural. Neither is there much probability in the suggestion (Kloster- 
 mann, Shid. u. Krit. 1877) that v. \ \% z. fragment of a longer passage 
 in which the prophet's history before his call was narrated. In such a 
 case reference to the thirtieth year of his age would certainly lose its 
 strangeness, but such a history would be without example, as a prophet's 
 life always opens with his call. 
 
 the river of Chebar'] Not to be identified with the Chabor (2 Kings 
 xvii. 6) which falls into the Euphrates at Circesium. More probably 
 the Chebar was some stream much further south in Babylonia proper 
 (2 Kings xxiv. 15; Jer. xxix. 15, 20). 
 
 heavens were opetied] In his trance the prophet saw the heavens 
 opened {v. 3). 
 
 visions of God] Might be visions given by God, or visions in which 
 God was seen. The expression is probably to be taken somewhat 
 generally, as meaning heavenly or divine visions (viii. 3). 
 
 2. fifth year... Jthoiachin] Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim and grand- 
 son of Josiah, reigned only three months and ten days. He is also 
 styled Jeconiah or Coniah, Jer. xxii. 24 seq., xxiv. i, xxvii. 20; 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 8. His captivity dates B.C. 597, and Ezekiel's call 592, six years 
 before the fall of Jerusalem. 
 
vv. 3, 4.] EZEKIEL, I. 
 
 tivity, the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the 3 
 priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the 
 river Chebarj and the hand of the Lord was there upon 
 him. 
 
 And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the 4 
 north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a bright- 
 
 3. ca77ie expressly\ Omit expressly. The name Ezekiel probably 
 means "God is strong." Nothing further is known of Ezekiel or of his 
 father Buzi. The designation "priest" appears to apply to Ezekiel, 
 not to his father. As the prophet excludes all Levites from priestly 
 office except the "sons of Zadok" (xl. 46, xliii. 19, xliv. 15, 16), it 
 may be inferred that he belonged himself to this family. It appears 
 from Jer. xxix. i seq. that among the captives carried away with Jehoia- 
 chin were both priests and prophets. 
 
 ha7id of the Lord'\ the prophetic ecstasy. 
 
 4—28. The theophany, or, vision of God. 
 
 This is described first generally, as a whirlwind and great cloud 
 coming from the North, with a luminous splendour around it, due to a 
 fire sending out continuous flashes within it {v. 4). 
 
 Secondly, more particularly that is described which appeared within 
 the storm-cloud {vv. 5 — 28). This was the chariot of God, in which he 
 rode, descending to the earth and moving from one place to another 
 (cf. ch. x.). This chariot is represented as foursided. On each of the 
 four sides was a living creature of human shape, with outstretched 
 wings. Also on each of the four sides, beside each of the living crea- 
 tures there was a wheel. The living creatures are not represented as 
 having any platform or basement under them on which they stand; the 
 wheels are usually said to be "beside" them, in ch. x. 2 "under" tliem. 
 The wheels are to be conceived as at right angles to each of the four 
 sides of the chariot, presenting their rims to the four points of the com- 
 pass. 
 
 Above the heads of the four living creatures, or over their wings when 
 horizontally expanded, was a firmament of crystal. Above the firma- 
 ment was the appearance of a throne. And upon the throne the 
 appearance of one like fire, encircled with a glory which was like the 
 rainbow in the day of rain. 
 
 4. God appears in cloud and storm : clouds and darkness are round 
 about him, Ex. ix. 24; i Kings xix. 11 ; Job xxxviii. r ; Ps. 1. 3. 
 
 out of the north'] In Ps. xxix. the theophany also comes from the 
 north, and passes southward to the desert. The idea of the prophet can 
 hardly be that the " place " or abode of God, from which he now comes, 
 is situated in the northern part of the earth, for he saw "the heavens 
 opened" {v. i). In other places he refers to Eden, the garden of God 
 (xxviii. 13, xxxi. 8, 9) for which he appears also to use the name 
 "mount of God" (ch. xxviii. 14, 16), though without indicating any 
 locality for it, but it would be very precarious to bring these passages 
 
 I 2 
 
EZEKIEL, I. [v. 5. 
 
 ness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour 
 5 of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the 
 
 into any connexion with the present one. When Jehovah leaves the 
 city (ch. xi. 23) his glory passes out by the East gate and stands over the 
 " mountain which is on the East side of the city," the mount of Olives ; 
 and when he returns to the new temple he enters by the same east gate, 
 which therefore is to remain for ever shut (xliii. 2, xliv. 2). In Is. xiv. 
 13 the king of Babylon resolves to seat himself in the mount of assembly, 
 in the recesses of the north, above the stars of God ; but whatever this 
 passage means it has no reference to the God of Israel. On the other 
 hand the idea that the theophany appears to come from the north 
 because the north was the region from which the enemies of Israel, the 
 instruments of God's vengeance, were to advance, is altogether to be 
 rejected. The theophany here is not a manifestation of God specially 
 in the character of an avenger or judge ; he does not appear to the 
 prophet as inflamed with anger. The theophany no doubt expresses the 
 prophet's conception of God, but it is his conception of God as he is in 
 himself and in his nature, not as he is in preparation for any signal act of 
 judgment. This is conclusively shewn by the fact that the theophany 
 here, and that when Jehovah appears for the destruction of Jerusalem (ch. 
 viii. — xi.), and when he again appears to enter the new Jerusalem and 
 make his abode in the new temple (ch. xliii.) are all identical, according 
 to the statement of the prophet : "and the appearance was like the vision 
 which I saw when I ( ? he) came to destroy the city, and like the vision 
 that I saw by the river Chebar" (xliii. 3). 
 
 a fire infolding itself \ lit. taking hold of itself. The meaning 
 appears to be that the fire incessantly gave out flames or flashes. The 
 expression is suggested by the zigzag, chainlike flash of the thunderbolt. 
 
 brightness was about it], i.e. about the whole phenomenon of storm 
 and cloud; though a great cloud it was illuminated all round by the 
 continuous flashing of fire within it. 
 
 colour of amber] Perhaps looh, glance (Heb. eye) of amber. The word 
 rendered "amber" is of uncertain meaning. LXX. renders elektron^ 
 which probably was some very brilliant metal, usually supposed to be 
 an amalgam of gold and silver. 
 
 out of the 7nidst of the fire] The words seem an explanation of the 
 preceding phrase "out of the midst thereof" But this phrase more 
 naturally refers to the whole phenomenon, as in v. 5. The words are 
 wanting in LXX. and may be a gloss. If genuine they might go along 
 with amber: like amber out of the midst of fire, as Rev. i. 15, "like fine 
 brass burning in a furnace." This is not quite natural, neither is it 
 natural to take "fire" here in a general sense of the great light caused 
 by the fire {v. 13, ch. x. 2, 6). Probably the words are a marginal gloss 
 referring the expression " out of the midst thereof" to the fire, while in 
 fact it refers to the whole whirlwind and cloud. The prophet immedi- 
 ately proceeds to describe in detail the four living creatures, the wheels, 
 the firmament and throne. No one of these can be the thing compared 
 to electrum, because each of them is compared to something else. It 
 
vv. 6, 7-] 
 
 midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And 
 this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 
 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 6 
 And their feet were straight feet ; and the sole of their feet ^ 
 
 seems that the combined effect produced by these, the look of the whole 
 manifestation zuithin the tempestuous cloud, the chariot, living creatures 
 and the like, was a splendour like that of electrum. When the prophet 
 looked more narrowly the general splendour resolved itself into these 
 individual things, living creatures, wheels and so on. 
 
 5—14. The four living creatures. 
 
 These are described as having in general the human form ; they were 
 erect and had apparently two feet {vv. 5, 7); they had four faces, one 
 looking each way : the face of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle {v. 10). 
 The man's face was the front face of each, and met the eye of the 
 beholder who looked at the chariot on any of its four sides, and thus 
 when the chariot moved in any direction the creature on that side had 
 the appearance of an advancing man. The living creatures had each 
 four wings, one pair being used in flight, and the other pair covering the 
 body [vv. 6, ri). The two pairs of wings were probably at right angles 
 to one another, one pair belonging to the front and back sides and the 
 other pair to the two lateral sides, for it is said that they had human 
 hands under their wings on their four sides {v. 8). They had thus four 
 hands or arms like those of men. Their feet, that is, their limbs were 
 straight like those of men, but their feet proper were round like those of 
 a calf {v. 7). When in motion each creature expanded one pair of 
 wings, that is the wings on the right and left of the front face ; the 
 expanded wings of the four thus formed a square, the tips of the wings 
 of each creature touching those of two of its fellows on the right and on 
 the left (v. 11). When the living creatures stood still their wings 
 dropped {v. 24). 
 
 5. oui of the tnidst thereof] Most naturally, out of the midst of the 
 whole phenomenon of the tempestuous fiery cloud, though it might be 
 out of that splendour which was like electrum. Four " living creatures," 
 as Rev. iv., there unfortunately rendered "beasts." 
 
 6. had four faces] These were a man's in front of each, an eagle's 
 opposite to this at the back of each ; a lion's on the right hand of each, 
 and the face of an ox on the left of each. Thus four different faces 
 were presented in each direction, so that in whatever direction the whole 
 moved, while a man's face was presented first, those of a lion, an ox and 
 an eagle were also encountered. In this view the four living creatures 
 made up one creature, and each of the four was in small that which the 
 four were combined. 
 
 7. straight feet] " Feet " here means limbs. These appear to have 
 been two in number, though this is not expressly stated. The foot 
 itself was round, or as much so as that of a calf. The word "straight" 
 applied to the limbs means strictly "even," i.e. probably without pro- 
 
EZEKIEL, I. [vv. 8— II. 
 
 was like the sole of a calf's foot : and they sparkled like the 
 
 8 colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a 
 man under their wings on their four sides; and they four 
 
 9 had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined 
 one to another ; they turned not when they went ; they went 
 
 10 every one straight forward. As for the Hkeness of their 
 faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a 
 lion, on the right side : and they four had the face of an ox 
 on the left side ; they four also had the face of an eagle. 
 
 11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched up- 
 
 tuberance or knot such as a knee-joint would be. The living creature 
 did not need to turn, and its leg was without joints. 
 
 they sparkled... burnished brass\ that is, the limbs of the creature, not 
 the living creature itself, Dan. x. 6, "his arms and his feet like in colour 
 to burnished brass" (Rev. i. 15), "Colour" (lit. eye) is probably 
 ** glance" (z/. 4). 
 
 8. Each living creature appears to have had four hands or arms, cf. 
 ch. X. 21. The last words of v. 8 must be joined with v. 9: "and their 
 faces and their wings, of them four — their wings were joined one to 
 another ; they turned not when they went, they went every one straight- 
 forward." The meaning is that as each creature with his outstretched 
 wings formed one side of the square his wings touched or were joined to 
 those of two other creatures, one on his right and another on his left. 
 The words "they turned not" refer to the faces. The above sentence 
 is very awkward, and the whole is given by LXX. in a much shorter 
 form : v. 8 and the faces of them four v. 9 turned not when they went, 
 they went every one straightforward. The clauses in v. 9 (Heb.) corre- 
 spond respectively to vv. ir, 12. 
 
 10. Read as R. V., aitd as for the likeness of their faces : they had the 
 face of a man ; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side, &c. 
 
 The right side is that of the living creature, not of the beholder. 
 
 11. Thus were their faces'] This rendering is perhaps just possible, 
 particularly if present text in xlvii. 17, 18, 19 be accepted (which most 
 scholars, however, alter according to v. 20). The words are rather to 
 be omitted (with LXX.); or "inwards" (penlmah) is to be read for 
 "their faces" (penehem) with Wellh. and attached to v. 10 — the face 
 of an eagle inwards, i. e. towards the centre of the chariot. The same 
 change is required ch. xl. 22, 26. 
 
 wings were stretched upward] Or, and their wings were outstretched 
 above. This was their appearance when in flight ; each creature stretch- 
 ed out one pair of wings above, while the other pair covered its body. 
 The wings being expanded horizontally would be nearly on a level with 
 the head of the living creature, hence the "firmament" is said to be 
 over the heads of the living creatures or over their expanded wangs (vv. 22, 
 23). The next clause reads literally: everyone (of the living creatures) 
 had two wings joining everyone (of the living creatures to the others). 
 
I4.J EZEKIEL, I. 
 
 ward ; two wings of every one were joined one to another, 
 and two covered their bodies. And they went every one 12 
 straight forward : whither the spirit was to go, they went ; 
 a?id they turned not when they went. As for the likeness 13 
 of the Hving creatures, their appearance was Hlce burning 
 coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps : it went up 
 and down among the living creatures; and the fire was 
 bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the ^^ 
 living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a 
 flash of lightning. 
 
 If the text be correct it states somewhat elliptically what is said with 
 more precision in v. ■zs (cf. v. 9), viz. that the tips of the expanded 
 wings of one creature touched the tips of the wings of two other 
 creatures, on his right and on his left. 
 
 12. zvent strai^^ht forward\ i.e. in the direction to which the living crea- 
 ture's face was turned. The chariot had four sides facing the four 
 quarters of the heavens ; on each side of the chariot was a living crea- 
 ture whose principal face, the human, looked in the same direction as 
 the side of the chariot on which it stood. Thus the whole, the chariot 
 and living creatures, pi'esented exactly the same front to each of the 
 four directions, and there was no need to " turn." See what is said of 
 the wheels, v. 15 seq. 
 
 whither the spirit was to g6\ The "spirit" is the directing impulse. 
 It did not belong to the individual living creatures but to the whole 
 manifestation composed of living creatures, wheels, and the like. 
 
 13. A slight correction of the text after LXX. is necessary in this 
 verse, which should read as R.V. marg., and in the midst of the 
 living creatures was an appearance like burning coals of fire, like 
 the appearance of torches. The description of the living creatures 
 themselves was finished in v. 12; in this verse the prophet refers to the 
 fire that was between them (ch. x. 2, 6 seq.). The whole phenomenon 
 represents not only a chariot on which Jehovah rides, but also a throne 
 on which he sits and a place where he abides. Hence as in Is. vi. 
 there is an altar with fire. With the idea of Isaiah, however, the 
 prophet has combined the other that coals of fire accompany the mani- 
 festation of Jehovah (Ps. xviii. 13), and the altar fire gives out flashes 
 like the lightning. This again has suggested the combinations in Rev, 
 vi. 9, viii. 3—5. 
 
 14. Jerome testifies that this verse was not found in LXX. The 
 verse both in regard to terminology and construction is untranslateable. 
 The word rendered "ran" has no existence, and that translated "flash 
 of lightning" is equally unknown. Attempts have been made to 
 amend the verse by substituting for "ran" a real word, "went out" 
 (ya90 for ra9o), and the ordinary word "lightning" for the unknown 
 term so rendered (barak for bazak). But such a movement to and fro 
 
EZEKIEL, I. [vv. 15, 16. 
 
 15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel 
 upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 
 
 16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto 
 the colour of a beryl : and they four had one likeness : and 
 their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in 
 
 or backwards and forwards of the living creatures is not suggested by 
 anything said of them hitherto or afterwards ; they could not move 
 without a movement of the whole chariot, and such a darting about 
 like lightning offends against that which is becoming in the divine 
 manifestation. The verse is probably a marginal amplification oiv. 13, 
 due to the error which had already crept into that verse, making it 
 apply to the living creatures instead of to the fire between them. 
 
 15 — 21. The Four Wheels. 
 
 The prophet saw four wheels beside the four living creatures, one 
 wheel beside each creature. The wheels touched the ground, and were 
 all alike, having the appearance of tarshish-stone. The construction 
 of each appeared as if a wheel were within a wheel, that is, each of the 
 four wheels looked like two wheels, cutting each other at right angles. 
 In this w^ay each of the four wheels had a rim or circumference facing 
 each of the four directions, just as the living creature had a face looking 
 in each direction, so that toward whatever quarter the chariot moved 
 four wheels seemed to be running in that direction. Their felloes were 
 full of eyes. The movements of the wheels corresponded entirely with 
 those of the living creatures, they went, rose, or stood still according as 
 the living creatures did. The wheels were not inanimate, but part of 
 the living chariot of God; the "spirit" of the living creature was also 
 in the wheels. 
 
 15. beheld the living creatures] lit. and I saw the living creatures 
 and behold. LXX. reads, and I saw and behold — precisely as ch. viii. 2, 
 X. I, 9. 
 
 by the living creatures] beside, as R.V. 
 
 with his four faces] lit. according to, or, at his four faces. LXX. reads, 
 to these four, as v. 10, which is simpler. In the present text the " four 
 faces " must be those of each one of the living creatures. The general 
 sense appears to be that for each face of the individual living creature 
 there was a wheel. The appearance would be so if the wheel really 
 seemed two wheels cutting one another transversely. The position of 
 the living creature was above the wheel, though the rim of the wheel 
 might be higher than his feet (x. 2). 
 
 16. the colour of a beryl] Heb. tarshish-stone., so named from Tar- 
 tessus in Spain, in which country it was found. It is the chrysolite of 
 the ancients, the topaz of the moderns, a stone of a golden colour. 
 Colour is "glance." The words "and their work" in first clause, 
 and "and their appearance" in second clause are wanting in LXX. 
 
 %vheel in the middle of a wheel] This was their work or construction; 
 each of the four wheels (ch. x. 10) had this appearance. "What seems 
 
[7—21.] EZEKIEL, I. 
 
 the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon 17 
 their four sides : a7id they turned not when they went. As iS 
 for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful ; 
 and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And 19 
 when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them : 
 and when the living creatures were lift up from the earth, 
 the wheels were lift up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, 20 
 they went, thither was their spirit to go ; and the wheels 
 were lifted up over against them : for the spirit of the living 
 creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went ; 21 
 
 meant is that the wheels had such a construction that they could run 
 not only, say, east and west, as an ordinary wheel, but also (without 
 turning) north and south. This could be in no other way than by each 
 wheel being double, consisting of two wheels cutting one another in 
 planes at right angles. Thus in whatever direction the chariot moved 
 four wheels appeared to be running in that direction. 
 
 17. they turned 7iot when they went] Of course they ran round on 
 their axle, but each wheel was of such a kind that it had a rim facing 
 all four directions, and could run in any direction. On their four sides 
 should rather be, toward. 
 
 18. so high that they were dreadfut] lit. as for their rings, there tvas 
 height to them and there zvas fear to them; R.V. they were high and 
 dreadful. The word "fear," however, nowhere means terribleness but 
 always terror. Ps. xc. 11, "thy fear" is the fear due to thee, or, the 
 fear inspired by thee. The statement also that the rings or felloes 
 were high has little meaning, as in any case the living creatures were 
 higher, and is strangely expressed. The text is possibly in some dis- 
 order. The main point of the verse is that the rings or felloes were full 
 of eyes round about. 
 
 full of eyes] as R.V. they four had their rings full of eyes round 
 about. The eye is the expression of life and intelligence (ch. x. 12). 
 
 19 — 21. The movement of the wheels corresponded with that of the 
 living creatures. They were animated by the same spirit as the crea- 
 tures, and were part of the whole living phenomenon. In the Book of 
 Enoch "wheels" (Ophannim) are a class of angels, named along with 
 Seraphim and Cherubim, ch. Ixi. 10; Ixx. 7. 
 
 20. thither was their spirit to go] Rather, the spirit, i.e. the general 
 spirit moving the whole manifestation. The words are wanting in 
 LXX., and are possibly an accidenial repetition of those in the beginning 
 of the verse; or they are a somewhat loose and elliptical repetition 
 attached to " they went," in which case they should rather be rendered, 
 whither the spirit was to go. 
 
 spirit of the living creature] The marg. "spirit of life" is to be 
 deleted. The "living creature" is hardly the complex being formed 
 by the four living creatures; the four were exactly alike, and the term 
 is used generically {v. 22, ch. x. 20) to express the kind of creature. 
 
lo EZEKIEL, I. [vv. 22, 23. 
 
 and when those stood, these stood; and when those were 
 lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over 
 against them : for the spirit of the living creature was in the 
 
 22 wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads 
 of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible 
 
 23 crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under 
 the firmament ivere their wings straight, the one toward the 
 other : every one had two, which covered on this side, and 
 every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 
 
 22—28. The Firmament, and Throne, and Glory 
 OF God. 
 
 Over the heads and outstretched wings of the four living creatures 
 there appeared a firmament like crystal {vv. 22 — 25); and above the 
 firmament an appearance as of a throne, like a sapphire stone; and 
 upon the throne the appearance of a man {v. 26). From his loins 
 upwards he had the appearance of glancing amber (electrum), and from 
 his loins downwards of fire; and there was a splendour around him 
 like that of the rainbow in the day of rain {vv. 25 — 28). 
 
 22. And the likeness of the firmament] Rather : and there was a 
 likeness over the heads of the living creature (of) a firmament. 
 The term " firmament "has come from the LXX. (stereoma) through the 
 Vulgate. The verb is used of the creation of the earth, Is. xlii. 5 ; 
 xliv. 24; Ps. cxxxvi. 6, and once, Job xxxvii. 18, of the creation of the 
 heavens ; and the noun is always used of the heavens. In the above 
 passages LXX. renders "make strong," and the noun "firmament." 
 The word "firmament " occurs only in Gen. i. ; Ezek. i., x. i ; Ps. xix. 
 I, cl. I ; Dan. xii. 3. 
 
 the terrible crystal] Cf. Ex. xxiv. 10, " and they saw the God of 
 Israel, and there was under his feet as it were a pavework of sapphire 
 stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness." In Rev. iv., which 
 is largely indebted to Ezek. i., the crystal firmament here becomes "a 
 sea of glass like unto crystal" {v. 6). The word " terrible" is wanting 
 in LXX., which reads also as a firmament in the first clause. 
 
 23. were their wings straight] "straight" is even, level, and the 
 reference appears to be to the upper side of the wings stretched out 
 horizontally under the firmament. It is not meant that the firmament 
 rested on the wings or heads of the living creatures, it was over them. 
 
 the one toward the other] A repetition of the statement that the 
 outspread wings of one creature touched those of the other creatures; 
 see vv. 9, 1 1 . 
 
 on this side...<?« that side] In these rather obscure words "this side," 
 "that side" do not refer to the "sides" of the individual creature, but 
 to the positions of the different creatures, and might be rendered, "here... 
 there," or, " respectively... respectively. " It is doubtful, however, if 
 the words can have this meaning. Probably the rendering should 
 be : every one had two covering them, and every one had two covering 
 
vv. 24— 26.J EZEKIEL, I. II 
 
 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, hke 24 
 the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the 
 voice of speech, as the noise of a host : when they stood, 
 they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the 25 
 firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, a?id 
 had let down their wings. 
 
 And above the firmament that was over their heads was 26 
 
 them^ even their bodies — the words "their bodies" giving a more exact 
 definition of "covering them." Cf. Is. xi. 9. The statement is repeated 
 in order to distribute it over each of the creatures, although the and 
 before the repetition is less usual (ch. iv. 6, xlvi. 21). LXX. reads 
 simply : every one had two, covering their bodies. 
 
 24. The sound of the wings of the living creatures when in flight 
 was as the noise of many waters, as the thunder, or, as the roar of a 
 host. 
 
 voice of the Almighty] that is, the thunder, Ps. xxix. 3 ; Job xxxvii. 4. 
 The comparison to waters occurs again, ch. xliii. 2, and that to the 
 voice of the Almighty, ch. x. 5 (God Almighty). The name Almighty 
 (Heb. shaddai, of uncertain derivation) occurs alone chiefly in poetical 
 pieces, e.g. about thirty times in Job, a few times in prophecy (Is. xiii. 
 6=j£)el i. 15; Ezek. i. 24) and in the idyl of Ruth (i. 20, 21); but in 
 prose has the word "God" (El) prefixed to it (Gen. xvii. i). 
 
 the voice of speech] Rather: noise of tumult, as Jer. xi. 16, where 
 the word appears to occur again. The rendering "speech," though that 
 of the ancient versions, assumes a different pronunciation. As to noise 
 of a "host" cf. Is. xvii. 12, Joel ii. 5. LXX. omits all the com- 
 parisons except the first, as in ch. xliii. 2, unless Jerome is to be 
 followed, who vindicates here for LXX. what is usually ascribed to 
 Theodotion. 
 
 25. from the firmament] Rather : above the firmament, as R.V. 
 The voice must be that of him who sat above the firmament. This 
 voice might be supposed to command the movement or halting of the 
 chariot, though such a voice seems nowhere else referred to. The verse 
 repeats the last words of the preceding verse and otherwise is almost 
 identical in words with the following one, and possibly it may not be 
 original. 
 
 they stood, and had let doivn] Render as v. 24, wheti they stood, they 
 let down their wings. The last words might be rendered : their wings 
 dropped; so v. 24. 
 
 26 — 28. The throne and glory of Him who sat on it. 
 
 Above the firmament was the appearance of a throne, like a sapphire 
 stone; and on the throne the appearance of one sitting, from his loins 
 upwards like amber, and from his loins downwards like fire. And 
 round about him was a glory like the rainbow in the day of rain. 
 
 26. The rendering of LXX. makes the sapphire stone different from 
 
12 EZEKIEL, I. [vv. 27, 28. 
 
 the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire 
 stone : and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness 
 
 27 as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as 
 the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about 
 within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and 
 from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it 
 were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round 
 
 28 about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud 
 in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness 
 round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of 
 the glory of the Lord. And when I saw //, I fell upon my 
 face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. 
 
 the throne, the former being the ground on which the throne was 
 placed. A special pavement, however, above the firmament, on w^hich 
 the throne was set is scarcely to be expected and is hardly the 
 meaning of Ex. xxiv. 10. Comp. Ez. x. i. 
 
 27. the colour of amber] the glance (lit. eye). See v. 4. 
 
 Jire round about zvithin it] This is the natural sense, but "round about " 
 and "within it " seem to contradict one another. The rendering "fire that 
 is enclosed round about," and therefore brighter by contrast with what 
 surrounds it (Hitz.), expresses a thought more ingenious than probable, 
 and assumes an unlikely construction. The clause is wanting in LXX. 
 
 it had brightness round about] Rather : and a brightness round 
 about him, viz. him who sat on the throne {v. 28). 
 
 28. The prophet speaks with great reverence. What he saw was 
 the "appearance " of a throne and of one sitting on it and of a rainbow; 
 he does not venture to say that he saw these things themselves. The 
 rainbow is an element borrowed from the theophany in the storm cloud. 
 It expresses the glory surrounding the throne of God. The traditional 
 idea that the rainbow is the token of covenant grace has little to sup- 
 port it. The rainbow in the cloud was a memorial of God's covenant 
 with nature that he would not again destroy the world with a flood, it 
 had no relation to any covenant of redemption. 
 
 the glory of the Lord] probably refers to the particular glory of the 
 appearance sitting on the throne and the rainbow colours around him, 
 not to the whole manifestation embracing the cherubim and wheels. 
 The "glory of the Lord" is described as leaving the cherubim and 
 standing elsewhere, e.g. ch. ix. 3, x. 4. At the sight of this glory the 
 prophet fell upon his face. 
 
 That which ch. i. presents is a theophany, a manifestation of God to 
 the prophet. It is not a vision of the cherubim nor of anything else, 
 but of God. The cherubim, wheels, firmament and throne are all sub- 
 ordinate, they have no meaning in themselves, they merely help to 
 suggest what God is M^ho thus manifests himself. 
 
 The vision is a composite one, made up of a number of elements 
 drawn from several sources. There is first the idea that God moves 
 
EZEKIEL, I. 13 
 
 and descends to the earth upon the cherubim (Ps. xviii. 10, civ. 3); 
 he is borne upon them. It is possible that the storm-cloud on which 
 Jehovah rode and in which his presence was enshrouded became per- 
 sonified into a being, which bore him on its wings. Cf. Is. xix. i. But 
 if this was the origin of the idea of the cherub, the conception of 
 the cherubim as "living creatures" had become established long 
 before the time of this prophet, as appears from Gen. iii. 24. The 
 cherubim being thus the means of Jehovah's manifesting himself, that 
 on which he was borne and moved, wherever they were seen Jehovah 
 was known to be present. They were the means and the tokens of his 
 manifestation. Hence two great cherubims were placed by Solomon in 
 the Debir, or innermost shrine of the temple. On these Jehovah was 
 enthroned: he dwelt or sat upon the cherubim (Ps. xcix. i, Ixxx. i). 
 
 Again in Isaiah's vision of "the King, the Lord of hosts" (ch. vi.) 
 there is naturally a palace and a throne. The palace, though the 
 heavenly one, is the counterpart of the earthly one or temple, and has 
 a hearth or altar fire. Both the fire and the throne reappear in Ezekiel's 
 vision in an amplified form. The fire is no more a mere hearth from 
 which a hot coal might be taken, it shoots forth flames and thunderbolts. 
 This is a combination of the phenomena of the theophany in the thunder- 
 storm with the representation of Isaiah. Similarly Isaiah's idea of 
 Jehovah's throne being in the heavenly temple has been amplified 
 by Ezekiel with various details. There was seen by him the appear- 
 ance of a firmament like crystal, and above the firmament the appear- 
 ance of a throne like a sapphire stone. Jehovah in his manifestation 
 carries heaven, the place of his abode with him. Further his throne is 
 surrounded by the glories of the rainbow, another element borrowed 
 from the theophany in nature. In this way there is in the vision a com- 
 bination of the theophany in nature with Jehovah's self-manifestation 
 to men among his people in redemption. 
 
 And finally according to his manner the prophet has descended to 
 elaborate details in describing the various elements of the manifestation, 
 the cherubim, the wheels and the like. In all the prophet's symbols 
 throughout his Book the idea is first and the symbol but the expression 
 of it. In the present case, however, the whole phenomenon is a vision 
 of God, and the ideas which the symbols express are ideas in regard to 
 God. This is evident so far as the wheels, the firmament, the throne 
 and the like are concerned. But the same is true of the cherubim. 
 These are hardly yet independent beings, with a significance belonging to 
 themselves. They are still half in the region of symbol, and what 
 meaning they have has to be transferred to God, whose movements they 
 mediate, just as much as that of the wheels or the flashing fire. At a 
 later time the "wheels" were represented as beings and in the Book of 
 Enoch are a class of angels. 
 
 It may be assumed that in the prophet's mind each detail of the 
 symbolism expressed some idea, though it may not be possible now to 
 interpret the details with certainty. The firmament and throne repre- 
 sent Jehovah as God of heaven, God alone over all, the omnipotent. 
 The fourfold character of the living creatures, their wings, and the 
 wheels which moved in all directions, and presented the same face to 
 
14 EZEKIEL, I. 
 
 every quarter, suggest the power of Jehovah to be everywhere present. 
 The wheels, called whirl or whirling thing (ch. x. 13), may have been 
 suggested by the sweeping whirlwind and tempest in which Jehovah 
 moves. The conception of velocity which they express does not differ 
 greatly from that of ubiquity expressed by their number. The eyes of 
 which they and the living creature were full are symbols of life and 
 intelligence. That the faces of each creature are four is but part of the 
 larger general conception that the creatures are four in nur-ber. The 
 four faces, that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle or vulture are the 
 highest types of animal life. It is possible that to the prophet's mind 
 these types represented four different attributes. Probably the cherubim 
 in the temple had the human face, though this is not expressly stated. 
 The prophet represents those carved on the walls of the new temple as 
 having two faces, those of a man and a young lion (ch. xli. 18). Jehovah 
 is frequently compared to a lion. He is also called by a name which 
 may be an epithet of the ox. The symbol of the ox was a familiar one, 
 I Kings vii. 25, 29, 36, x. 19. Ezekiel may have been familiar with the 
 mixed animal forms seen in the Assyrian temples, though it is scarcely 
 necessary to suppose him influenced by these. The multiplication of 
 details in his symbols is so characteristic of him that he may be credited 
 with the creation of the four faces himself, just as of the four hands and 
 four wings of the cherub. Cf. Is. vi. 2. The derivation and meaning 
 of the word cherub is uncertain. It has been supposed that the word 
 has been found in Assyrian, but this also is not quite certain. See 
 Schrader KA T on Gen. iii. 24. Cf. the art. in Encyc. Brit. (Cheyne) ; 
 Riehm in his Bible Dictionary, and Stud. u. Krit.^ 1871, also his paper, 
 "De Natura &c. Cheruborum," 1864. And, Die Lehre des A. Test, 
 iiber die Cherubim ^ von J. Nikel, Bres. 1890. 
 
 Ch. II. I — III. 21. The steps of the prophet's initiation into 
 
 HIS MISSION BY JeHOVAH WHO HAD THUS APPEARED TO HIM. 
 
 The points touched upon are the character of those to whom he is 
 sent, and the position he is to take in regard to them ; and his depend- 
 ence upon Jehovah for all that he is to speak and in all that he is to do. 
 The passage has these divisions : — 
 
 (i) Ch. ii. 1 — 7. The character of those to whom the prophet is 
 sent. They are the rebellious house of Israel, who have rebelled against 
 Jehovah, they and their fathers unto this day. The prophet is not to 
 fear them but speak Jehovah's words unto them. 
 
 (2) Ch. ii. 8 — iii. 3. Symbolical representation of the communication 
 of Jehovah's words to the prophet. He is commanded to eat the roll 
 of a book presented to him in Jehovah's hand. 
 
 (3) Ch. iii. 4 — 9. Thus furnished with the words of the Lord, the 
 prophet is commissioned to go to the house of Israel. He is not sent 
 to foreign nations, which would not understand him, but to the house 
 of Israel. They will understand but will not listen. 
 
 (4) Ch. iii, 10 — 16. Particularly he is sent to them of the captivity 
 of Tel-abib. 
 
 (5) Ch. iii. 16 — 21. Now among the exiles there is brought home to 
 
vv. 1—4.] EZEKIEL, 11. 15 
 
 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, 2 
 and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me 2 
 when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I 
 heard him that spake unto me. And he said unto me, Son 3 
 of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious 
 nation that hath rebelled against me : they and their fathers 
 have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For 4 
 they are impudent children and stiff hearted. I do send thee 
 
 his mind the precise nature of the office he is to fill ; he is to be a 
 "watchman," warning everyone — the sinner that he may turn from his 
 sin, and the righteous lest he fall from his righteousness. 
 
 1 — 7. The rebellious people to whom the prophet is sent. 
 
 1. Son of man] Better, child of man. The phrase is used over 
 ninety times, and expresses the contrast between the prophet, as one of 
 mankind, and the majesty of God, whose glory he had just seen. 
 
 s^and tipon thy feet\ At the sight of the great glory of God the pro- 
 phet had fallen to the ground (ch. i. -28). He is bidden stand on his 
 feet. Not paralysis before him is desired by God, but reasonable 
 service. The prophet's falling down was natural, yet a condition unfit 
 for God's purposes, and not desired by him to continue. Those whom 
 he calls to his service are his fellow-workers, who may look upon his 
 face. It is man erect, man in his manhood, with whom God will have 
 fellowship and with whom he will speak — stand upon thy feet "that I 
 may speak with thee." 
 
 2. And the spirit] Perhaps, and spirit. It is not said directly to be 
 the spirit of God, though in a sense this is meant. Spirit is strength, 
 or, rather the source of strength and life; a power or energy entered into 
 the prophet and set him on his feet. But this power was external to 
 him and came from God. While God desires man to stand erect before 
 him and be man, it is only spirit from God that enables man to take this 
 right place. 
 
 3. to a rebellious nation] Rather, nations. First the people are 
 called the children of Israel, then described more particularly as "na- 
 tions," the reference being either to the two houses of Israel, the north 
 and south, or to the people as a whole considered as consisting of larger 
 divisions (Ps. cvi. 5) as "peoples" is used elsewhere (Hos. x. 14; Deut. 
 xxxiii. 19). There hardly lies in "nations" any suggestion that they 
 were as the "heathen." The general character of the people is 
 described as "rebellious;" and they had "rebelled" continuously 
 throughout all their history, they and their fathers; cf. ch. xvi. 23. 
 Israel is a moral person, with an unbroken identity all through its 
 history ; and its disposition has been uniformly disobedient — it is a 
 rebellious house. 
 
 4. for they are impudent children] Rather, and the children are 
 Impudent and stififliearted, to whom I send thee. The "children" 
 
i6 EZEKIEL, 11. £vv. 5, 6. 
 
 unto them ; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the 
 
 5 Lord God. And they, whether they will hear, or whether 
 they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall 
 
 6 know that there hath been a prophet among them. And 
 thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of 
 their words, though briars and thorns be with thee, and thou 
 dost dwell among scorpions : be not afraid of their words, 
 nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious 
 
 are the present generation, who are like their fathers. Outwardly they 
 are "impudent," lit. hard in face, resolute and whose eyes do not quail 
 before one that opposes them ; and within they are strong of heart, 
 unyielding and stubborn in will and feeling. The word here used of 
 the face is said of the heart, eh. iii. 7, and the term applied to the 
 heart is said of the face and forehead, ch. iii. 8. More often the term 
 used of the face is appHed to the neck, "stififnecked" (Ex. xxxiii. 3). 
 For the idea comp. Is. xlviii. 4, "I knew that thou art obstinate, and 
 thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass." 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God\ lit. the Lord Jehovah. The word "Jeho- 
 vah" was pronounced Adonai, "Lord," and when Adonai, Lord, actu- 
 ally stood in the text, Jehovah was pronounced God, Elohim. In A. V. 
 "God" is then printed in small capitals. This is what the prophet 
 shall say on his part : " Thus saith the Lord Jehovah ; " he shall announce 
 himself a prophet from Jehovah, bearing his M'ord. And the people shall 
 eventually know that a prophet has been among them {v. 5). By 
 various omissions LXX. reads vv. 3, 4 in a shorter form: Son of man I 
 send thee to the house of Israel, who provoke me; who have provoked 
 me they and their fathers unto this day, v. 4 and thou shalt say unto 
 them, &c. This reading certainly reflects a more natural Hebrew sen- 
 tence than our present text. 
 
 5. for they are a rebellious house'\ Whether they hear or whether 
 they forbear — and they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house — 
 yet shall they know that a prophet has been among them. The future 
 shall bring this home to them. They shall see the prophet's words 
 come to pass, and shall know that a true messenger from the Lord 
 spoke to them. The true prophet, the man who has anything to an- 
 nounce from God, may assure himself that, however he be received 
 when he speaks, in the long run he shall receive his due and be recog- 
 nized for what he was. 
 
 6. Thorns and briars, that pierce and wound, and scorpions, that 
 strike and sting, are figures for intractable and injurious men. The 
 prophet must understand their character and not fear them. 
 
 though they be a rebellious'] Rather : for they are. Stubborn oppo- 
 sition and injurious words may be expected of them ; such conduct has 
 always characterized them, for they are a rebellious house. Be not 
 deceived by them nor dismayed before them, as if they were in the right 
 and not thou ; thou art in the right, and thou shalt speak my words to 
 them {v. 7). 
 
vv. 7, 8.] EZEKIEL, II. 
 
 house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether ^ 
 they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are 
 most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what 1 say 8 
 unto thee ; Be not thou rebellious like M«/ rebellious house: 
 open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. 
 
 8.— III. 3. The prophet's inspiration. 
 
 Being commanded to speak God's words to the people, the prophet 
 is next assured by a symbol, a book given him to eat, that God's words 
 shall be given him. 
 
 8. be not rebellious] In addition to the positive command, " hear 
 what I say unto thee," the prophet is warned not to refuse and be 
 rebellious like the house of Israel. There was need for this double 
 peremptoriness of the command. The instinctive act of men before any 
 great undertaking of the kind set before the prophet is to shrink from it. 
 Jonah fled that he might escape from the task laid on him ; Moses and 
 Jeremiah both entreated that they might be relieved of it. The work 
 was both arduous and painful : painful because it was against his own 
 people that the prophet had to speak ; and arduous because leading to 
 opposition and persecution. There is no easy situation in God's service. 
 Had the prophet refused the great commission he would have rebelled 
 like Israel. And no doubt Israel's rebellion was also from an arduous 
 and painful commission, whether we regard its task to have been to 
 walk before God as his people, or to be the prophet of Jehovah to the 
 nations, being entrusted as Ezekiel was with his word. In both Israel 
 may be said to all appearance to have failed. Yet not wholly : the 
 Servant of the Lord, the true Israel of God, existing all throughout the 
 history of the outward Israel, could say, " the Lord opened mine ear, 
 and I was not rebellious, nor turned away back " (Is. 1. 5). 
 
 The command to hear and not be rebellious is hardly to be confined 
 to the act of eating the Book, but refers rather to the whole ministry of 
 the prophet, although, considering that the Book was a symbol of all 
 God's words to him, and his eating it a symbol of his receiving them, 
 the sense in either case is the same (cf. v. 10). 
 
 The passage suggests : (i) the divine source of that which the prophet 
 was to say and has said — "eat that I give thee" (z>. 8), "a hand 
 stretched out and in it a book" (e/. 9), "he made me eat that roll of 
 a book " (iii. 2). (2) The definiteness of it : it was a roll of a book (ii. 9), 
 although its contents were large, the roll being written both in front of 
 the page and on the back. This was unusual, rolls being generally 
 written only on one side. The idea is reproduced, Rev. v. i. (3) The 
 nature of the contents — "lamentation and mourning and woe" (ii. 10). 
 The prophet was made well aware of the nature of the contents as well 
 as of their extent, "he spread the roll before me" (ii. 10). (4) The 
 prophet made the Book his own, he "did eat it," and it "filled" him 
 (iii. 3). And having eaten it it was in his mouth as honey for sweetness. 
 The sweetness was not due to this, that, though the Book contained 
 bitter things at the first, at the end it was filled with promises which 
 EZEKIEL 2 
 
EZEKIEL, III. [vv. 9; 1—5. 
 
 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me ; 
 
 10 and lo, a roll of a book was therein ; and he spread it before 
 me \ and it was written within and without : and there was 
 
 3 written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. More- 
 over he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest ; eat 
 
 2 this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I 
 
 3 opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And 
 he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill 
 thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat 
 it ; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 
 
 4 And he said unto me. Son of man, go, get thee unto the 
 
 5 house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For 
 
 were sweet, for there was written thereon lamentation and woe ; it was 
 due rather to this that the things written were from God, whose bitter 
 word is sweet. "Thy words were found and I did. eat them ; and thy 
 word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart, for I am called 
 by thy name (am thine and thy servant) Jehovah, God of hosts," Jer. 
 XV. 16. Cf. Ps. xix. 10; Rev. x. 8 — 11. 
 
 The prophet's idea of what we call his inspiration is perhaps more 
 precise and stringent than that of Isaiah. In the inaugural vision of the 
 latter prophet (ch. vi.), "there flew one of the seraphim having a live 
 coal in his hand,... and he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this hath 
 touched thy lips and thine iniquity is taken away." Immediately on 
 this an impulse seized the prophet to enter upon the service of God : I 
 said, Here am I, send me. The forgiveness of sin and moral purity, 
 carrying with it sympathy with the great King and the ministering 
 spirits around him, and elevating the man into that exalted sphere of 
 life, seemed enough to Isaiah to constitute him a prophet. There was 
 in him a strength and power of character which needed only the removal 
 of the moral hindrance to set them free. But both Jeremiah and Ezekiel 
 were weaker men. Ezekiel as is usual with him makes Jeremiah his 
 model, and he can hardly be said to go beyond that prophet : ' ' The 
 Lord said unto me, whatsoever I command thee that shalt thou speak. 
 Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the 
 Lord said unto me, Behold I have put my words in thy mouth," Jer. i. 
 7 — 9. Both the later prophets represent themselves as receiving not 
 merely the " word " but the " words " of Jehovah. 
 
 4 — 9. The prophet shall be strengthened to perform his 
 hard task. 
 
 Having taken in the " words " of the Lord {v. 4) there opens up before 
 the prophet a general view of the mission he is sent upon. It is an 
 arduous one. The difficulties are not of a superficial kind. He is not 
 sent to foreign nations, who would not understand his words, but to 
 Israel. They can well understand, but they will not listen. Their 
 
■lo.] EZEKIEL, III. 
 
 thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a 
 hard language, but to the house of Israel ; not to many 6 
 people of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose 
 words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee 
 to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the 7 
 house of Israel will not hearken unto thee ; for they will not 
 hearken unto me : for all the house of Israel are impudent 
 and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong 8 
 against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their fore- 
 heads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy 9 
 forehead : fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, 
 though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto 10 
 
 refusal to listen unto him is but an example of their life-long refusal to 
 listen unto God. They are resohite and obstinate in their disobedience, 
 but the prophet shall be made more resolute than they. 
 
 5. a strange speec/i] lit. deep of lip (or speech) a7id heavy of tongue. 
 The former expression perhaps refers to the inarticulateness with which, 
 to one unacquainted with their language, foreigners appear to speak ; 
 and the other to the thickness of their utterance. The first half of the 
 expression occurs again Is. xxxiii. 19, a people of deep speech, so that 
 thou canst not perceive; and the second halfis said of Moses, Ex. iv. 10. 
 
 6. tnajiy people} Rather: peoples, i.e. different foreign nations. 
 Surely, had I sent thee] More exactly : surely if I sent thee... they 
 
 ■would hearken. There is some difficulty about the construction, but 
 the sense is sufficiently clear. The heathen have a greater susceptibility 
 for the truth than Israel, which has acted more wickedly than the 
 nations (ch. v. 6, 7, xvi. 48, 51. Cf. Jer. ii. 10, 11). Others would 
 render : but I send thee to them (Israel), they will understand thee. 
 The last words, however, cannot mean "understand thee;'' they mean 
 " hearken unto thee," as v. 7, where the phrase is the same. 
 
 7. impudent and hardhearted] See on ch. ii. 4. 
 
 9. hai'der than flint] Cf. Jer. v. 3, "they have made their faces 
 harder than a rock ; they have refused to return." 
 
 though they be a rebellious] Rather: for they are. See ch. ii. 6. 
 What gave the prophet invincible courage in the face of the opposition 
 of the people was in the main the assurance that he was sent of God, 
 that God was with him, and that his word was given him to speak. 
 Comp. Is. 1. 7, " For the Lord Jehovah will help me, therefore shall I 
 not be confounded ; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know 
 that I shall not be ashamed." 
 
 10 — 15. The Prophet's Particular Mission to the 
 Exiles at Tel Abib. 
 
 Though Ezekiel's mission, like that of all the prophets, was to the 
 houseof Israel as a whole {v. 5), yet immediately his work lay among the 
 
20 
 
 EZEKIEL, III. [vv. II, 12. 
 
 me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee 
 " receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. And go, 
 get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy 
 people, and speak unto them, and tell them. Thus saith the 
 Lord God ; whether they will hear, or whether they will for- 
 12 bear. Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me 
 a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the 
 
 captives in the midst of whom he lived. It is remarkable, however, 
 how little reference is made in his prophecies to the particular circum- 
 stances of the exiles. The attention of the prophet, as well as those 
 around him in captivity, seems to have been engrossed by the events 
 occurring in Palestine, and especially in the capital. And the truths 
 spoken by him, though uttered in the ears of the exiles, bear reference 
 to all Israel. Though he occasionally draws a distinction between 
 those left in the land and the exiles carried away with Jehoiachin, of 
 whom he was one (ch. xi. 15), in general he regards the exiles as 
 representatives of Israel, and feels when addressing them that he is 
 speaking to the whole house of Israel. In the gradual defining of his 
 task more clearly these exiles are now referred to. He is bidden go 
 to them of the captivity {v. 11), and he came to them of the captivity 
 to Tel Abib. And now that he is entering upon his ministry there 
 comes to him: (i) the command anew to hear and receive into his heart 
 the words that God shall speak to him {v. 10). (2) next the command 
 to announce himself as a prophet of the Lord : thus saith the Lord 
 {v. 11). And (3) with this command comes the sense of the divine 
 impulse carrying him forward to his service : then the spirit lifted me 
 up... and I came to them of the captivity {tjv. 12, 14, 15). 
 
 12. the spirit took ??ie up] See on ii. 2. This "lifting up" by the 
 spirit must be interpreted according to ch. viii. i — 3, it was part of the 
 trance. The great theophany or vision of God in ch. i. was not an ex- 
 ternal phenomenon which the prophet beheld with his actual eyes, it was 
 a vision which he saw, being in a trance. The same is true of all the 
 words heard by him, and all the actions done in ch. ii., iii., they took 
 place in the spirit, not outwardly. See after v. 21. 
 
 I heard behind me] The prophet had been in the presence of the 
 theophany (ch. i.) during all that has hitherto been narrated (ch. ii. i — 
 iii. 12), and thus when he was lifted up and carried away it seemed to 
 him that he left the theophany behind him. 
 
 a great rushing] The word is used of an earthquake, and of the roar 
 of battle (Is. ix. 5, confused noise); also of the rattling of chariots (Jer. 
 xlvii. 3; Nah. iii. 2). In ch. xxxvii. 7 it is said of the sound of the 
 coming together of the dry bones, but it appears nowhere employed of 
 the noise caused by voices speaking. 
 
 Blessed be the glory of the Lord] According to the present text these 
 words were uttered with a sound like "a great rushing," though no 
 intimation is given who they were who uttered the words. But (i) the 
 
w. 13—15.] EZEKIEL, III. 
 
 Lord from his place. / heard also the noise of the wings 13 
 of the living creatures that touched one another, and the 
 noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great 
 rushing. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and 14 
 I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand 
 of the Lord was strong upon me. 
 
 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that 15 
 dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and 
 
 phrase "blessed be the glory of the Lord" has no parallel; and it is 
 hardly admissible to take the "glory of the Lord" as equivalent to 
 "the Lord " or " the name of the Lord " or even his " glorious name " 
 (Ps. Ixxii. 19). Even the fact that the "glory" is distinct from the 
 divine chariot, which it may leave (ch. ix. 3), and that a voice may come 
 from where it is (xliii. 6) is hardly sufficient to justify such an expres- 
 sion. (2) It is natural to take the "great rushing " of this verse to be 
 the same as that in v. 13, where it is the roar of the wings of the living 
 creatures and the wheels when the chariot is in motion. (3) With the 
 present text the exclamation " Blessed," &c., might come from the che- 
 rubim. There is no other passage in the prophet where the cherubim 
 are represented as praising God, although the seraphim do so in Is. vi., 
 and the living creatures in Rev, iv., and this might possibly be the mean- 
 ing, particularly as the reading "Blessed," &c., is the only one known 
 to the versions. Luzzatto, and independently of him Hitzig, proposed 
 to read : when the glory of the Lord rose up from its place ; cf. ch. x. 5, 
 19, xi. 22, 23. The reading implies a change of only one letter. 
 
 13. \\i&2^cCi also the noise'\ More fairly: and the noise. The words 
 seem to state the cause of the great rushing sound in v. 12, it came 
 from the wings of the living creatures touching one another when they 
 flew, and from the wheels. Cf. ch. i. 9, 11, 23. 
 
 14. in bitterness'] i. e. indignation, or anger, Judg. xviii. 25 (angry 
 fellows), 2 Sam. xvii. 8. Similarly "heat of spirit" is fury or wrath. 
 The prophet was lifted up into sympathy with God and shared his 
 righteous indignation against Israel. Again Jeremiah is his model : 
 "Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord ; I am weary with holding 
 in : Pour it out upon the children in the street and upon the assembly of 
 young men together," Jer. vi. it. LXX. omits "bitterness." 
 
 but the hajtd] Rather: and (or, for) the hand. See on ch. i. 3, Cf. 
 Jer. XV. 17, "I sat not in the assembly of them that make merry, nor 
 rejoiced ; I sat alone because of thy hand ; for thou hast filled me with 
 indignation." 
 
 15. The name Tel-abib means possibly. Hill of corn-ears, or shortly, 
 Cornhill ; but see against this Frd. Del. Heb. Lang. p. 16. Names 
 compounded with the word Tel, hill, are very common. The place is 
 not otherwise known. 
 
 and I sat where they sat\ This is the Heb. marg. (Kri) ; the text is as 
 R.V., "and to where they dwelt." The passage is almost certainly cor- 
 
EZEKIEL, III. [v. i6. 
 
 i6 remained there astonished among them seven days. And 
 it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of 
 
 rupt. Most probably the words: " that dwelt by the river Chebar, and" 
 should be omitted : then I came to them of the captivity to Tel-abib 
 Wliere they dwelt ; and I sat there astonied among them seven days. 
 
 astonished ajuong thefnl R. V. astonied, i.e. dumb and motionless. 
 Ezr. ix. 3,4, " And when I heard this word I rent my garment and ray 
 mantle, and sat down astonied," Dan. ix. 27, xi. 31. There was enough 
 in the prophet's circumstances to produce a conflict of feelings in. his 
 mind — the sin of Israel, who were yet his own people ; the task before 
 which he stood, and his close and awful communications with heaven. 
 The simple feeling of bitterness and indignation which filled his mind 
 when he newly left the presence of God became broken into a tumult 
 of feelings when he saw the face of men. Zeal for God becomes tem- 
 pered and humanized in actual service. Ezekiel felt himself a prophet 
 a moment ago, now he feels himself a watchman \v. 17 seq.). Comp. 
 the pathetic story of Samuel and Saul, i Sam. xv. 25 — 31. 
 
 seven days] Job's friends "sat down with him upon the ground seven 
 days and seven nights ; and none spake a word unto him ; for they saw 
 that the affliction was very great." The week was the first large division 
 of time, and the long period of motionless silence expresses the strength 
 of the prophet's emotions. Ezra sat in stupor only until the evening. 
 
 16—21. More precise definition of the prophet's appoint- 
 ment: HE IS SET to be A WATCHMAN. 
 
 So soon as the prophet is face to face with the exiles, and is able to 
 see the sphere and materials of his work, he receives a more precise 
 account of his position — he is appointed a watchman or sentinel. The 
 watchman stands on his watch-tower to observe, and his office therefore 
 is to warn, should danger be seen approaching. Is. xxi. 6, "Thus 
 saith the Lord, Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth." 
 Jer. vi. 17, "Also I set watchmen over you and said. Hearken to the 
 sound of the trumpet, but they said. We will not hearken;" Hab. ii. i ; 
 comp. 2 Kings ix. 1 7 — 20. The appointment of Ezekiel as watchman was 
 not a change upon his original appointm.ent as "prophet" (ch. ii. 5), it is 
 only a more precise definition of it. The term, which had already been 
 used by Jer. (vi. 17), expresses the duties and part of a prophet of this 
 age. Ezekiel entered on his prophetic career with his ideas as to the. 
 course of events to come fixed and m.atured. The fall of Jerusalem was 
 a certainty. And his true place was in the midst of a people whom this 
 great calamity had overtaken. The destruction of the state was not the 
 end of Israel or of the kingdom of God. Israel would be gathered 
 again, and the kingdom of God reconstituted. But it would be on new 
 principles. God would no more deal with men in the lump and as 
 a state, he would deal separately with each individual soul (ch. xviii.). 
 The destruction of the former state, however, was not the final judgment. 
 Before the new kingdom of God arose men would have to pass through 
 a new crisis, and to pass through it as individual persons, and the issue 
 
w. 17—20.] EZEKIEL, III. 23 
 
 the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made 17 
 thee a watchman unto the house of Israel : therefore hear 
 the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 
 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and 18 
 thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the 
 wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same 
 wicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I 
 require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he 19 
 turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he 
 shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 
 Again, When a righteous inan doth turn from his righteous- 20 
 ness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block 
 
 of this crisis would be "life" or "death" to them. It is in this full 
 sense that Ezekiel speaks of the wicked dying and the righteous living. 
 To "live" is to be preserved and enter the new kingdom of God, to 
 "die" is to perish in the crisis and be excluded from it. The idea of 
 a "watchman" implies danger imminent (ch. xxxiii. i — 6), and the 
 coming crisis is the ideal danger before the prophet's mind. Hence the 
 part of the watchman is to warn men in regard to this coming sifting of 
 individual souls, and to prepare them for it. The idea is part of the 
 prophet's individualism, his teaching regarding the freedom and re- 
 sponsibility to God of the individual mind (ch. xviii., xxxiii.). Hence 
 the watchman warns all classes of men, the wicked that he may turn 
 from his evil lest he "die," and the righteous that he may be confirmed 
 in his righteousness and "live." The watchman's place is behind the 
 destruction of the old state and in front of the new and final kingdom of 
 God, for the reconstruction of which he labours. This place is given 
 him in ch. xxxiii. 
 
 18. When I say unto the •w{cked'\ The watchman spies danger ap- 
 proaching, so the prophet receives intimation from the Lord (z/. 17). 
 This intimation given to the prophet is represented as a threat spoken 
 directly to the wicked. If the prophet as a watchman perceive this 
 danger of death to the wicked and fails to warn him, the wicked shall 
 die for his own sin indeed, but his blood will be upon the watchman. 
 He that fails to save life kills; and blood will be required of him, of 
 every man's hand the blood of his brother. Prov, xxiv. 11, 12, 
 "Deliver them that are carried away unto death. .Tf thou sayest. Be- 
 hold, we knew not this. Doth not he that weigheth the hearts consider 
 It?" 
 
 in his ijiiqjiity] Perhaps : through his iniquity. It is of the nature 
 of sin that it is made the instrument of its own punishment, Job viii. 4. 
 "Warning" will naturally be of many kinds, suitable to those warned; 
 some may be deterred and others allured from their evil. 
 
 20. / lay a stiunbling-block'\ i.e. something over which he shall fall 
 and perish ; Lev. xix, 14, "Nor put a stumbling-block before the blind." 
 When God prepares such a stumbling-block for the righteous who has 
 
24 EZEKIEL, III. [v. 21. 
 
 before him, he shall die t because thou hast not given him 
 warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which 
 he hath done shall not be remembered ; but his blood will 
 I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the 
 righteous ?;ian, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not 
 sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou 
 hast delivered thy soul. 
 
 sinned, unless he is warned he will fall and be broken, and his blood 
 will be on the prophet. 
 
 21. The case of the righteous is even more complex and perilous for 
 the watchman than that of the wicked, though it might not be thought 
 so. The wicked has to be warned to turn from his evil, and so has the 
 righteous if he sins. But the righteous has also to be warned, in ways 
 that are suitable, lest he fall into evil. Only when the righteous is seen 
 maintaining his righteousness unto the end can the watchman feel that 
 he has delivered his own soul in regard to him. Like a ship laden with 
 a precious freight he has to be anxiously piloted into the haven. 
 
 This passage, ch. i. i — iii. -21, is not quite easy to estimate. There 
 ai^e two questions suggested by it, viz., first, how does the prophet repre- 
 sent the occurrences? and secondly, how is his representation to be 
 interpreted? In answer to the first question, it is evident that all 
 narrated from ch. i. i to iii. 12 or iii. 15 belongs to the prophet's trance. 
 The vision of God in ch. i. and his inspiration under the symbol of 
 eating a book, as also his commission generally, all belong to the sphere 
 of ecstatic experience. This is manifest so far as the great Theophany 
 of ch. i. is concerned; but all that follows, ch. ii. i — iii. 12, was trans- 
 acted in the presence of this Theophany, and like it must be regarded 
 as part of the trance or ecstasy. In iii. 12, however, it is said that the 
 vision of God went up from him, and if this were to be interpreted as 
 ch. xi. 24, 25, where the same vision of God departed from him and he 
 reported all he had seen during it to them of the captivity, we might 
 suppose that the ecstasy was over. In ch. iii. 15, it is said that he came 
 to them of the captivity. It is added, however, that the spirit took him 
 up and carried him there, that he sat among the captives dumb seven 
 days, and that the hand of the Lord was strong upon him. All these 
 expressions are usual to describe prophetic ecstasy, e.g. viii. 3, xxxvii. 
 I, xl. 2. In the passage ch. xxxiii. 22, "the hand of the Lord" might 
 describe something less than the full ecstasy, though this is not certain. 
 After the prophet's statement that he came to them of the captivity to 
 Tel-abib, we might have expected some account of his ministry among 
 them, but nothing of this is given ; what follows is a more precise 
 definition of his office, which is to be that of a watchman. The repre- 
 sentation appears to be that the place by the river Chebar where the 
 vision of God was seen by him was at some distance from Tel-abib, 
 and that when the vision went up from him he "came" to the captives 
 at that place. This "coming," however, is described as being taken 
 up and carried by the spirit, terms usual to describe prophetic ecstasy, 
 
EZEKIEL, III. 25 
 
 and it almost seems that the prophet does not strictly distinguish 
 between what he did in the spirit, in vision, and what he did bodily 
 and in reality. 
 
 If the last remark be true, it may suggest how the prophet's repre- 
 sentation is to be interpreted. On the one hand the extent and variety 
 of the incidents represented as occurring in the trance, the things seen 
 and heard, the prophet's emotions and the like, hardly form any argu- 
 ment against the literal reality of the account. The rapidity of the 
 mind's operation in such conditions is well known. Naturally the thoughts 
 of God and of the people and of himself and all the general ideas 
 described as presenting themselves in the vision are not to be regarded 
 as absolutely new to the prophet's mind. They had many times before 
 occurred to him, at least separately and in fragments. But now in a more 
 exalted frame of mind than usual they are reproduced in connexion 
 with one another and with a power to influence the mind to action 
 which they had not before possessed. This is how the inaugural vision 
 of all the prophets, Isaiah (vi.) and Jeremiah (i.) as well as Ezekiel are 
 to be understood. It is probable that the prophet was subject to 
 trances, for the vision is but a higher form of the mental condition 
 which clothes its thoughts in symbols, and this symbolism is characteristic 
 of the whole Book. 
 
 On the other hand the presumption is that the various incidents 
 described did not occur precisely as represented. It is probable that 
 these three chapters cover the earliest part of the prophet's ministry, 
 extending over a considerable period. But in the first place he has 
 condensed the events and experiences of this period, the thoughts and 
 feelings which he had in his intercourse with the exiles and the reception 
 he met with at their hands, into the present brief statement. And 
 secondly, he has thrown the experiences of this period into a symbolical 
 form; the thought of God, of the divine majesty and greatness, which 
 filled his mind at first and constantly, is presented under the form of the 
 Theophany (ch. i.) always present with him. The feeling that he was a 
 true prophet of God, commissioned to declare his will, and that the 
 divine presence was always with him is symbolised in the other actions 
 which follow (ii. iii.). At a later time looking back over this early 
 period, recalling his vivid sense of God, of his presence with him direct- 
 ing all he did and inspiring all his words, he has presented the religious 
 meaning of the period under the symbol of a trance in which he was in 
 the immediate presence of God (cf. viii. — xi.). 
 
 Second Section. Ch. III. 22 — VII. 27. 
 
 The second section of the Book contains these parts : 
 
 (i) Ch. iii. 22 — 27. A preface in which the prophet is commanded 
 
 to confine himself to his own house, and abandon for a time his public 
 
 ministry. 
 
 (2) Ch. iv. I — V. 4. A series of symbols representing the siege of 
 
 Jerusalem, the scarcity during it, the pollution of the people in exile 
 
 among the nations, and the terrible fate of the inhabitants on the capture 
 
 of the city. 
 
26 EZEKIEL, III. [v. 22. 
 
 22 And the hand of the Lord was there upon me ; and he 
 
 (3) Ch. V. 5 — 17. Exposition of these symbols. 
 
 (4) Ch. vi. Prophecy against the mountains of Israel, the seats of 
 Idolatry. 
 
 (5) Ch. vii. Dirge over the downfall of the state. 
 
 Ch. III. 22—27. The prophet abandons public exercise of 
 
 HIS MINISTRY. 
 
 The verses form the preface to ch. iv. — xxiv., all the prophecies that 
 bear upon the fate of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, up to its fall. The 
 prophet under the "hand" of God goes out into the "valley," and the 
 same Theophany appears to him as at the first by the river Chebar. He 
 is in communication with the same great God, and all his actions are 
 determined by his commands. According to the interpretation put upon 
 ch. i. I — iii. 21 above, he had exercised his office of watchman among 
 the people, speaking to them publicly in the name of the Lord, for 
 some time. Possibly the time was not very long, for this passage comes 
 in under the same general date as all that preceded it. His ministry 
 had met with resistance, the people would not hear, as he had antici- 
 pated. A public ministry among them was fruitless; the burden of his 
 preaching to them was distasteful. He warned them against their idola- 
 tries, from which they would not turn ; and foretold the downfall of 
 their city and country, a thing which they heard with an incredulous ear 
 and would have none of. Therefore the prophet feels instructed of God 
 to cease to be a public ** reprover" {v. 26) for a time. The people 
 refuse to believe his words when he speaks of the downfall of their 
 beloved city, they will be constrained to believe events when they 
 happen ; and then the prophet, his word being confirmed, will speak 
 with boldness, his mouth will be opened, and he will be able to impress 
 upon more ready listeners the lessons of God's righteous providence. 
 His silence meantime is not an absolute one, it is only a change of 
 method ; but this so-called silence continues till the actual destruction of 
 the city. In ch. xxiv. 27, it is said, "in that day (when tidings come of 
 the city's fall) shall thy mouth be opened and thou shalt speak and be 
 no more dumb, and they shall know that I am the Lord ; " and in ch. 
 xxxiii. 21 set/., when those that escaped came bringing tidings, saying, 
 the city is fallen, it is said : " then my mouth was opened, and I was 
 no more dumb." No motive is assigned for the change in his prophetic 
 method, beyond the unwillingness of the people to listen, " for they are 
 a rebellious house" {v. 26). At the same time as a prophet of the 
 restoration with its new principles (ch. xviii., xxxiii.), a watchman ap- 
 pointed to speak no more to the state but to individual men, his ministry 
 proper could not commence till the state had fallen. See note on ch. 
 iii. 17. 
 
 22. f/ie hand of the Lord\ A trance or ecstasy from the Lord. It is 
 probable that the prophet's retiring to the "valley" was merely trans- 
 acted in vision. He felt himself transported away from the presence of 
 
vv. 23-27.] EZEKIEL, III. 27 
 
 said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there 
 talk with thee. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain : 23 
 and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory 
 which I saw by the river of Chebar : and I fell on my face. 
 Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, 24 
 and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself 
 within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they 25 
 shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, 
 and thou shalt not go out among them : and I will make 26 
 thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt 
 be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover : for they are 
 a rebelHous house. But when I speak with thee, I will open 27 
 thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith the 
 Lord God ; He that heareth, let him hear ; and he that for- 
 beareth, let him forbear : for they are a rebelhous house. 
 
 men to some lonely retreat, and there the glory of the Lord seemed 
 again to stand before him (cf. ch. viii. i — 3). 
 
 hito the plain\ R.V. marg. the valley. This is scarcely a general 
 term, meaning the plain country in opposition to Tel-Abib, where the 
 exiles dwelt; some particular place in the neighbourhood called the 
 "valley" is meant. According to v. 23 the place was not identical 
 with the other by the river Chebar, where the Vision of God first ap- 
 peared to the prophet. Cf. ch. xxxvii. r seq. 
 
 24. shtit thyself within thy house'\ The words are not to be pressed 
 to mean more than abstention from the exercise of his ministry in public, 
 Cf. ch. viii. I, xi. 25, xiv. i &c. 
 
 25. they shall put bands upon thee"] that is, the exiles, as the words 
 "thou shalt not go out among them" imply. The expression can 
 hardly be merely equivalent to ^e pass., "cords shall be put upon thee" 
 (Sep. Vulg.). The language is a figure for the restraint of opposition 
 (ch. iv. 8). 
 
 26. / will make thy tongue cleave"] The restraint imposed by the 
 opposition of the people is acquiesced in by God, it is part of his 
 purpose. His providence will meantime be the best teacher of the 
 people. The prophet's "dumbness," however, is compatible with much 
 speaking at least by signs to those who will hear. He is "dumb" in 
 the sense of the Psalmist, " I was dumb, not opening my mouth, be- 
 cause thou didst it" (Ps. xxxix. 9; Is. liii. 7; cf. Ezek. xxiv. 27, xxxiii. 
 22). 
 
 27. Eventually the prophet's mouth will be opened, his word will be 
 confirmed, and he will no more have to speak to incredulous ears. 
 (Comp. ch. xxix. 21). During the existence of the kingdom all the 
 prophets from Amos downward had stood in opposition to the mass of 
 the people. Their teaching whether on religion or on policy ran counter 
 to the inclinations of the multitude. The fall of the state, however, 
 
28 EZEKIEL, IV. 
 
 which they had so unanimously predicted gave them consideration in the 
 eyes of the people, and led even the unthinking masses to feel that they 
 were true interpreters of the mind of God and of his government. 
 Passages like ch. xxxiii. lo, "Our transgressions and our sins are upon 
 us, and we pine away in them; how then should we live?" shew the 
 change taking place in the people's thoughts, and how they were coming 
 round to take that view of their history which this prophet, as well as 
 his predecessors, had so persistently inculcated. It is not easy to form 
 any clear conception of the prophet's ministry during the years preceding 
 the fall of the state, but such passages as the above suggest the kind of 
 thoughts which he expresses under the symbols of "dumbness" and 
 "opening of the mouth." It is unnecessary to say that the "binding" 
 of the prophet here {v. 25), which continues till the fall of Jerusalem, is 
 quite different from the binding in ch. iv. 8, which lasts only for a period 
 of days, and is a symbol of Israel bearing its iniquity in exile. 
 
 Ch. IV. I — v. 4. Symbolical actions representing the siege 
 
 AND CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM, AND THE FATE OF THE INHABIT- 
 ANTS — THEIR SLAUGHTER AROUND THE CITY A'ND DISPERSION 
 AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 (i) Ch. iv. I — 3. Symbol of the siege of Jerusalem. 
 
 (2) Ch. iv. 4 — 8. Symbol of the people's bearing their iniquity in 
 the siege and exile. 
 
 (3) Ch. iv. 9—17. Symbol of scarcity during the siege, and pollu- 
 tion among the nations. 
 
 (4) Ch. V. I — 4. Symbol of the slaughter of the inhabitants around 
 the city on its capture, and their dispersion over the world. 
 
 The following symbols seem as much designed for the prophet him- 
 self as for the people. He is commanded of God to perform them. 
 They represent the thoughts which under the inspiration of God filled 
 his mind at this time, regarding the fate of the city and the state. His 
 thoughts as well as those of the captives around him are occupied with 
 Jerusalem, for Jerusalem is almost Isrdel. Being far from it and from 
 its inhabitants his imagination is fertile in devising means to bring it 
 before him. Sometimes he portrays a picture of it on a brick, and 
 sometimes he is carried by a lock of his head through the air and set 
 down in the midst of it, in order to behold its iniquities (ch. viii, i). 
 Though some of the symbols here might have been actually represented, 
 others could not, such as lying on his side immoveable for many days 
 (iv. 4 — 8), and probably none of them were actually performed. The 
 prophet no more drew a sketch of Jerusalem upon a brick than he was 
 carried by the hair of his head from the Chebar to Palestine. At the 
 same time there is more than mere literary artifice. The symbols stood 
 actually before his imagination, and the narration of them to the people 
 would convey the same instruction as the actual representation of them 
 (v. 3, cf. ch. xi. 25). The three symbolical actions (ch. iv.) must go on 
 simultaneously, viz. the siege, the lying on his side or bearing iniquity, 
 and eating bread by measure and in pollution. For the three are the 
 same thing under different aspects; first the actual siege, then the mean- 
 
vv. 1—3.] EZEKIEL, IV. 29 
 
 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before 4 
 thee, and pourtray upon it the city, eveti Jerusalem : and 2 
 lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a 
 mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set 
 battering rams against it round about. Moreover take thou 3 
 
 ing of this, God's judgment for sin, and finally some of the ways in 
 which this judgment is felt, straitness of food and water, and dispersion 
 and defilement among the nations. 
 
 Ch. IV. 1 — 3. Symbolical siege of Jerusalem. 
 
 The prophet is commanded to take a brick (it is to be supposed stiU 
 soft) and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem. Around the city he is 
 to draw representations of siege operations, towers, a mound, camps 
 and battering-rams. Between him and the city he is to set an iron 
 plate to represent an iron wall. The determination of the besiegers is 
 shewn by his attitude, he sets his face against the city. All this is 
 symbol of a hard siege, carried on with great determination and appa- 
 ratus against a lofty city. 
 
 1. take thee a tile} or, brick. The brick would be such as those 
 found in the ruins of the cities of Mesopotamia, covered with figures and 
 inscriptions, engraved on them when still moist. Libraries of such bricks 
 have been found by explorers in this region, and deciphered. For the 
 city read a city. 
 
 2. a fort against if} The word is always used in the sing., though 
 sometimes rightly rendered _/27r/j (2 Kings xxv. i), as the term is the 
 name of a class of offensive siege works. The work was probably a 
 species of tower, of which a number might be erected "round about" 
 the walls (2 Kings xxv. i), and was used as a station for archers, or to 
 discharge projectiles from (cf. LXX. ch. xvii. 17). Towers of this kind, 
 manned by archers are seen on the Assyrian bas-reliefs. Layard, Nin. 
 and Bab. p. 149. 
 
 cast a jnotint} The "mount" or mound was an embankment raised 
 till the besiegers standing on it were on a level with the top of the wall 
 and able to command the streets of the city, cf. Lam. iv. 18. See Is. 
 xxxvii. 33; Jer. vi. 6, xxxii. 24. 
 
 set the camp] set camps, detachments of soldiery. 
 
 battering rams'] These were beams of wood with a head of iron, 
 suspended by chains or ropes from a cross plank, and swung with great 
 force by a number of men against the walls to batter them down. The 
 term "round about" indicates that they were applied to different parts 
 of the wall, perhaps where it might be thought weakest. It is not 
 probable that the siege works were also engraved upon the brick. The 
 latter rather by its elevation above the ground represented the city, and 
 the siege works would be upon the ground, if we are to suppose them 
 anywhere. But as the whole is a creation of the imagination it may be 
 doubtful if the prophet was so precise or consistent as to put to himself 
 the question where the siege works were placed. 
 
30 EZEKIEL, IV. [v. 4. 
 
 unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between 
 thee and the city : and set thy face against it, and it shall be 
 besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be 
 a sign to the house of Israel. 
 4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of 
 
 3. an iron pan'\ As marg. plate, i.e. griddle on which cakes were 
 fired (Lev. ii. 5). This common article the prophet is to set up between 
 him and the city to represent an iron wall. As the plate is said to be 
 an iron wall between him and the city it is most natural to interpret it 
 of the powerful fortifications of Jerusalem (Ew.). It might, however, 
 be a symbol of the implacable and iron severity of the siege, which 
 itself but shews the inexorable grasp which the judgment of God has 
 taken of the city. The word it in the end of the verse refers to the 
 city ; and the prophet plays the role of besieger. 
 
 All this is a sign to the house of Israel of what shall come to pass. 
 Comp. ch. xii. 11. 
 
 4 — 6. Symbol of the people's bearing their iniquity. 
 
 In the former symbol the prophet carried on the siege, representing 
 the besiegers; here he changes his part and represents the besieged. 
 This symbol is shewn contemporaneously with the former, of which it 
 is but the inner side. He is commanded to lie first on his left side for 
 a great number of days; thus he bears the iniquity of the Northern 
 Kingdom. To bear the iniquity means to endure the punishment due to 
 it. When the prophet is said to bear the iniquity of Israel, the mean- 
 ing is that in his action he is a sign or symbol of the house of Israel 
 bearing its iniquity. Lying on his side, held down as with cords (z/. 8) 
 and unable to turn he represents Israel pressed down and held in the 
 grasp of the punishment of its iniquity. The left side represents the 
 Kingdom of Israel, which lay to the left or north. The number of 
 days during which the prophet lies on his side corresponds to the num- 
 ber of years during which Israel shall be bound under the weight of its 
 iniquity (z/. 5). Secondly, having finished the days for the Northern 
 Kingdom the prophet has to lie on his right side forty days to represent 
 Judah also bearing its iniquity for forty years. The right side is suit- 
 able to Judah, which lay on the south or right. The prophet being 
 unable to lie on both sides at once has to lie first on one and then on 
 the other. It is obvious, however, that the symbolism here is not quite 
 exact. Israel and Judah bear the penalty of their iniquity for part of 
 the time simultaneously. The period of bearing iniquity ends for both 
 at the same moment, when both are restored together as the prophet 
 hopes. Consequently Judah's forty years are concurrent with the last 
 forty years of Israel's cliastisement. The whole period is not 390 + 40= 
 430, but 390 in all for Israel and the last 40 of that period for Judah. 
 See on v. 6. 
 
 4. lay the iniquity... upon it] The meaning seems to be that as 
 when one lies on his side it bears his weight, so this laying of the 
 prophet's weight upon his side is a symbol of the weight of punishment 
 
vv. 5, 6.] EZEKIEL, IV. 31 
 
 the house of Israel upon it : according to the number of the 
 days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. 
 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, accord- s 
 ing to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety 
 days : so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 
 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy 6 
 right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of 
 Judah forty days : I have appointed thee each day for a 
 
 which shall be laid on Israel for its iniquity. Others propose to alter 
 the pointing and read: and I will lay the iniquity of the house of 
 Israel tipon thee. The alteration is unnecessary. 
 
 ihoti shalt bear their iniqtdiy\ To "bear iniquity" is a standing ex- 
 pression meaning to bear the punishment of iniquity. Possibly the 
 word actually means "punishment of iniquity" in such phrases. The 
 prophet does not bear the iniquity of Israel instead of Israel, as the 
 servant of the Lord in Is. liii., his act is entirely symbolical, representing 
 how Israel shall bear its iniquity. 
 
 5. Read with R.V. , for I have appointed tlie years of their iniquity 
 to be unto thee a number of days, even 390 days. The number of 
 years during which the people shall bear their iniquity is symbolized by 
 the number of days during which Ezekiel lies on his side, as is said ex- 
 plicitly VlXV. 6 "a day for a year." 
 
 6. In V. 5 the number of days for Israel is stated to be 390, and in 
 V. 6 the number for Judah 40. The number 390 creates a difficulty. 
 Several things have to be borne in mind. i. To bear iniquity means to 
 bear the penalty of it. The period of bearing iniquity, therefore, does 
 not refer to the time of sinning but to the time of being punished for 
 sin. Consequently any allusion to the period of the duration of the 
 Northern Kingdom is excluded. 2. The representation in this prophet, 
 as in all the prophets, is that the overthrow of the state is due to the 
 sin of the people, and this overthrow with the continued state of the 
 Exile and its hardships is the punishment of the people's sin. To be 
 subdued by the heathen and driven into exile is for the people to have 
 to bear their iniquity. Hence restoration is impossible until the iniquity 
 of the people is paid off, or atoned in suffering (Is. xl. 2). Israel's 
 bearing of iniquity comes to an end with the Restoration: "Cry unto 
 her that her warfare is accomplished, her iniquity pardoned." 3. It is 
 the view of all the prophets, Ezekiel included, that the Restoration will 
 embrace all the existing captives both of the North and South, every 
 one called by Jehovah's name (Is. xliii. 6, 7; cf Is. xi. 12 set/.; Jer. iii. 
 12, 18; Ezek. xxxvii. i6seq. &c. ). And this restoration is final. 4. It 
 follows from all this that the periods during which Israel and Judah 
 bear their iniquity terminate simultaneously. Israel bears iniquity longer 
 than Judah because it began to bear earlier. It is evident (cf. v. 9) that 
 the whole period of bearing iniquity in exile is 390 years, not 390 + 40 
 or 430, but 350 + 40, the 40 years of Judah running parallel to the last 
 40 of Israel. The period of 40 years for Judah's exile is confirmed by 
 
32 E2EKIEL, IV. [vv. 7, 8. 
 
 7 year. Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of 
 Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt 
 
 8 prophesy against it. And behold, I will lay bands upon 
 thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, 
 till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. 
 
 ch. xxix. II — 14, where it is said that Egypt shall be carried into cap- 
 tivity 40 years by Nebuchadnezzar, and at the end of that period 
 restored, though not to its former greatness. Forty years is the period 
 of Chaldean supremacy; at the end of that period Babylon shall fall, a 
 new world arise, and the captive nations shall be restored. Now the 
 prophet cannot possibly have supposed that Israel went into exile 
 350 years before Judah. From the fall of Samaria (7'22) to the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem (586) is only 136 years. In v. 5 LXX. reads 190 
 (so V. 9); in V. 4 the reading is 150, which probably is an addition 
 (Field's Hex.). The number 190 is probably the original one. It 
 is not quite certain from what point the prophet computed, whether 
 from the fall of Samaria (722), which is most natural, or from the de- 
 portation of the Northern tribes by Tiglath Pileser twelve years earlier; 
 as he spoke also before the fall of Jerusalem even this point may be 
 somewhat indefinite. Most probably he used general and round numbers, 
 computing the time which Israel had already passed in captivity at 
 150 years, to which, if the 40 years still to be undergone in common 
 with Judah be added, the whole period is 190 years. 
 
 Verses 7, 8 recapitulate vv. i — 6 : v. 7, vv. i — 3, and v. 8, vv. 4 — 6. 
 Verses i — 6 form one passage describing first the siege {tjv. i — 3), and 
 secondly the rigours of the siege, which are prolonged into exile 
 {;vv. 4 — 6). While enduring these hardships in siege and exile the 
 people are bearing their iniquity. The apparent incongruity of the 
 prophet's playing two roles, that of besieger {vv. i — 3), and that of 
 being besieged (vv. 4 — 6), could hardly be avoided if both things were 
 to be represented. 
 
 7. Therefore thou shalt set] With R.V., and thou shalt set... with 
 thine arm uncovered. In this verse the prophet resumes vv. i — 3, 
 representing the besiegers; he sets his face towards the siege, presses 
 it steadily and with determination; his arm is bare — the instrument 
 with which he works unentangled and effective (Is. lii. 10) ; and he 
 prophesies against the city, for all that is done to Jerusalem is but the 
 irresistible word of the Lord against it taking effect. 
 
 8. /rom one side to another] lit. fro77i thy side to thy side. Here the 
 prophet represents those pressed by the rigours of the siege, as in 
 vv. 4 — 6. The "days of thy siege" most naturally means the days of 
 thy suffering siege (ch. v. 2). 
 
 9 — 17. Symbol of scarcity during the siege and pollution 
 
 IN THE dispersion FROM HAVING TO EAT UNCLEAN THINGS 
 AMONG THE GeNTILES. 
 
 The passage continues v. 8. The prophet is commanded (while 
 lying immovably on his side in siege) to take of all kinds of grain. 
 
vv. 9— 12.] EZEKIEL, IV. 33 
 
 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, 9 
 and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one 
 vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number 
 of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred 
 and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. And thy meat 10 
 which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a 
 day : from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink n 
 also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin : from time to 
 time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley 12 
 cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of 
 
 coarse as well as fine, of everything that will still hunger, and cast them 
 into one vessel. These are to be baked into cakes and fired with hot 
 ashes of men's dung, though on the prophet's entreaty a relaxation of 
 this repulsive condition is granted and he is allowed to substitute the dung 
 of cows. These cakes are to be eaten sparingly in small quantity from 
 time to time, and water drunk with them sparingly. And this use of the 
 cakes so prepared is to continue all the time that the prophet lies on his 
 side. These actions symbolize first, great scarcity and straitness during 
 the siege (yv. 16, 17); and secondly, pollution from eating unclean 
 things in the exile among the nations {v. 13). 
 
 9. mid fitches\ So Vulg. viciavi, vetches. Others spelt, as marg. 
 and R.V. Bread was usually made of wheat, the addition of the other 
 coarser materials and their mixture indicate the straits to which men 
 will be reduced in the siege and perhaps after the fall of the city; 
 cf. Lam. V. 6, 10, "We gave the hand to the Egyptians and to the 
 Assyrians to be satisfied with bread... Our skin was black like an oven 
 because of the terrible famine," It is not certain that a mixture of 
 various kinds of grain was regarded as a thing unclean, though the Law 
 forbade sowing a field with divers sorts of seed, Lev. xix. 19; cf. Deut. 
 xxii. 9. 
 
 thj-ee hundred and ninety] Probably 190 should be read as in v. 5. 
 The language here shews that the 190 (or, 390) was the whole number, 
 and that the 40 for Judah were not additional but included. 
 
 10. twenty shekels a day] Twenty shekels might be eight or nine 
 ounces. In this country two pounds of bread is held an ordinary 
 allowance. 
 
 11. sixth part of a hin\ The hin was rather less than a gallon, 
 and the sixth part under a quart. Both the bread and water were to be 
 consumed from time to time, always in unsatisfying quantities. 
 
 12. It was customary in the East to use the dung of animals when 
 perfectly dried as fuel. The hot ashes remaining from it are perfectly 
 clean, and retaining their glow for a considerable time were used for 
 firing cakes upon or under. See Wetzstein in Del. Job, p. 261 (Trans, i. 
 p. 377). Whether the Hebrews would have considered such fuel un- 
 clean is not certain (cf. Lev. v. 3, vii. i\ ; Deut. xxiii. 13); the material 
 for firing which the prophet is commanded to use would certainly be 
 
 EZKKIEL 3 
 
34 EZEKIEL, IV. [vv. 13—16. 
 
 13 man, in their sight. And the Lord said, Even thus shall 
 the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the 
 
 14 Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord 
 God, behold, my soul hath not beeii polluted : for from my 
 youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth 
 of itself, or is torn in pieces ; neither came there abominable 
 
 15 flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have 
 given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt pre- 
 
 16 pare thy bread therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son 
 of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem : 
 
 unclean (Deut. xxiii. 13) as well as loathsome. The command is ex- 
 plained in V. 13. 
 
 13. eat their defiled dread] Rather : eat their bread unclean. This 
 is the meaning of the symbol: the food which the people shall eat 
 among the nations will be miclean. In a pathetic passage of Hosea it 
 is said : "they shall not dwell in the Lord's land; but Ephraim shall eat 
 unclean food in Assyria. They shall not pour out wine offerings to the 
 Lord, neither shall their sacrifices be pleasing unto him; their bread 
 shall be unto them as the bread of mourners, all that eat thereof shall 
 be polluted ; for their bread shall be for their appetite ; it shall not come 
 into the house of the Lord" (ch. ix. 3, 4 R.V. marg.). A foreign land 
 was in itself unclean (Am. vii. 17), no presence of Jehovah sanctified it; 
 all food eaten in it was also common for it was not hallowed by part of 
 it being brought into the house of the Lord and offered to him. Food 
 eaten among the heathen was as the bread of mourners in Israel, all 
 who partook of it were polluted. But as the words of the prophet 
 suggest {v. 14) in addition to this general uncleanness the people were 
 forced in their straits or induced to eat many things actually prohi- 
 bited by the Law, such as that which died of itself or was torn by wild 
 beasts (ch. xliv. 31; Lev. xvii. 15; Deut. xiv. 21. Comp. Is. Ixv. 4). 
 And it is natural that in the sore famine during the siege such unclean 
 food was eaten, as indeed more terrible practices prevailed (ch. v. 10). 
 Verse 13 appears in a shorter form in LXX., but there is no reason to 
 regard the whole verse as a gloss. 
 
 14. abominable flesh\ This word "abomination" is applied to the 
 sacrificial flesh kept over till the third day (Lev. vii. 18, xix. 7), and 
 in Is. Ixv. 4 broth of "abominations" is coupled with swine's flesh. 
 The meaning seems to be "carrion." The word occurs only these four 
 times. 
 
 16, 17. Explanation of the symbol of eating bread by measure {vv. 
 10, 11). 
 
 16. the staff of bread?^ i.e. the staff which bread is; a common figure, 
 ch. V. 16; Lev. xxvi. 26; Is. iii. i ; Ps. cv. 16. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that the symbolical actions of this 
 chapter were not actually performed. They naturally passed through 
 the mind of the prophet as described, but so far as others were con- 
 
V. i;.] E2EKIEL, IV. 3$ 
 
 and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care ; and they 
 shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: that '7 
 they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with 
 another, and consume away for their iniquity. 
 
 cerned they were merely narrated. The truth expressed by the symbo- 
 lical action was as plain when the action was merely described as it 
 would have been had the action been performed and seen. It is evident 
 that the actions referred to here could not have been performed because 
 they are represented as being done simultaneously. It is while he 
 presses the siege with arm uncovered that the prophet also lies on his 
 side held down by bands, bearing the sin of the people {vv. 5, 7, 8), and 
 it is while lying immoveable in this condition that he prepares cakes 
 upon the coals and eats them {vv. 8, 9). The prophet's symbols merely 
 express an idea; it is only when supposed to be actually performed that 
 inconsistencies appear. 
 
 The siege and the hardships of it prolonged into the exile — the 
 people's bearing their sin — are the two chief ideas of the chapter. These 
 are of course contemporaneous with one another so far, but they are 
 spoken of separately in vv. i — 6, the siege in vv. i — 3, and the hardships 
 of it and the exile in vv. 4 — 6. But from v. 7 onwards they are some- 
 what mixed together. Cornill reconstructs the chapter in a very drastic 
 way with the view of keeping the two things, the siege and the exile, 
 distinct throughout. He groups the verses as follows : first, bearing the 
 sin of the people, i.e. the exile with its uncleanness, vv. 4 — 6, 8 (7 is a 
 gloss), 9, 12 — 15; and secondly, the siege with its scarcity, vv. 1 — 3, 
 10, II, 16, 17. This reconstruction of the text is too violent to have 
 any probability. A different suggestion was made by Well. {Hist. p. 
 273, note), to the effect that in v. 9, 390 is the right reading (though 
 erroneously transferred also to v. 5 for 190), and that the reference 
 is exclusively to the siege, which the prophet calculated would last so 
 long. Further, the prophet's lying on his side and being bound with 
 bands, v. 8, is a different thing from his lying on his side, v.^ 5. In e/. 5 
 he represented the bondage of the exile, in v. 8 seq. the straitness of the 
 siege. This view requires that v. 13, which interprets v. 8 scq. of eating 
 unclean food in the dispersion, should be struck out as a gloss. The 
 verse certainly appears in a shorter form in LXX. , though there seems 
 no ground for considering it wholly interpolated. And it is more 
 natural that the repulsive symbol oi v. 12 should refer to the fact that 
 all food eaten in exile was unclean rather than to uncleanness due to 
 scarcity of fuel during the siege. The introduction too of a literal 
 number of 390 days among other numbers of days which are symbolical 
 is scarcely probable. 
 Ch. V. 1 — 4. Symbol shewing the fate of the population 
 
 DURING the siege AND AFTER IT, AND THEIR DISPERSION 
 AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 The prophet is commanded to take a sharp sword and use it as a 
 barber's razor. With this he is to shave off the hair of his head and 
 
36 EZEKIEL, V. [vv. 1—3. 
 
 5 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee 
 a barber's rasor, and cause // to pass upon thine head and 
 upon thy beard : then take thee balances to weigh, and 
 
 2 divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in 
 the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are ful- 
 filled : and thou shalt take a third part^ and smite about it 
 with a knife : and a third part thou shalt scatter in the 
 
 3 wind ; and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt 
 also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy 
 
 beard. He is then to take balances in order accurately to weigh the 
 hair into three parts. One third is to be burned in the fire within the 
 city ; a second third to be cut to pieces with the sword round about the 
 city ; and the last third is to be strewn to all the winds, and pursued by 
 the sword. Of these last a few were to be taken and bound in the skirts 
 of the prophet's garment ; though of these again some were to be thrown 
 into the fire and consumed. The sense of the symbol is clear ; a third 
 part of the population shall be consumed by pestilence and famine 
 within the city {v. 12); a third shall fall by the sword round about the 
 cit}', on its capture ; and a third shall be scattered among all nations, 
 pursued by the sword. Of these a few shall meantime escape, but shall 
 be subjected anew to consuming judgments. 
 
 1. a sharp knife] lit. sword. The term may suggest the devouring 
 divine sword, ch. xxi. 8 seq. 
 
 take thee a barber's rasor] With R.V., as a barber's razor shalt 
 thou take it unto thee. Two weapons are not to be taken, the sword 
 is to be used as a razor. Isaiah (ch. vii. 20) had already said : " In that 
 day shall the Lord shave with the razor that is hired, even with the king 
 of Assyria, the beard and the hair of the feet." The land is likened to 
 a man ; the enemy sweeps off the population clean as the razor does the 
 hair of the body. 
 
 balances to zveigh] The divine justice is accurate, assigning to each 
 part its destined chastisement; Jer.xv.2, " Such as are for death to death ; 
 and such as are for the sword to the sword ; and such as are for the 
 famine to the famine ; and such as are for the captivity to the captivity." 
 
 2. third part in the niidst of the city] If we could suppose that the 
 prophet were strict in his symbolism the " city " here would be that 
 graven upon the brick (ch. iv. i). There is no reason to suppose that 
 he has this in his mind. 
 
 smite about it with a knife] Rather : and smite it with the sword 
 round about it, i.e. around the city (z/. 12). This is the fate of many 
 of those who seek to escape before and after the capture of the city. 
 
 draw out a sivord] Comp. Jer. ix. 16, "I will scatter them among 
 the heathen. ..and will send the sword after them." Lam. i. 3, "Judah 
 dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest ; all her pursuers over- 
 took her between the straits." The phrase again Lev. xxvi. 33. 
 
 3. few in number] Or, "by number," — accurately numbering them. 
 (Is. xl. 26.) Of those dispersed a few shall meantime be preserved. 
 
vv. 4— 6.] EZEKIEL, V. 37 
 
 skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the 4 
 midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire ; for thereof shall 
 a fire come forth into all the house of Israel. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; This is Jerusalem : I have set 5 
 it in the midst of the nations and countries tJiat are round 
 about her. And she hath changed my judgments into 6 
 wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more 
 
 4. Yet of those preserved some shall be cast into the fire and con- 
 sumed. 
 
 thereof shall a fire\ therefrom, i.e. from that remnant which is sub- 
 jected to new consumption in the fire. The " fire " that goes out from 
 this remnant must be destructive, not purifying, as in xix. 14 (cf. Jud. ix. 
 15; Ezek. XV. 5, XXX, 9, xxxix. 6), but the meaning is not quite clear. 
 It is the prophet's belief that those left in the city after the captivity of 
 Jehoiachin were more debased and wicked than those already carried 
 away (ch. ix. 9, xi. 15). When the city is destroyed and its inhabitants 
 come as captives among the former exiles, these when they see their 
 wickedness will be comforted over the fall of Jerusalem, acknowledg- 
 ing that it was inevitable (ch. xiv. 22). Further Jehovah expresses his 
 determination that he shall yet subdue Israel unto him and rule over 
 them, though this implies purging out from among them the rebels, as 
 of old in the wilderness of the Exodus (ch. xx. 33 — 38). And the pro- 
 phet feels himself a watchman (ch. iii. 17); an approaching judgment 
 looms before him, which all the people, each one for himself, will have 
 to pass through. And the idea may be that the judgment, beginning 
 with the inhabitants of Jerusalem, shall spread from them over the whole 
 house of Israel. 
 
 5—17. Explanation of the four preceding symbols. 
 
 Jerusalem, set in the midst of the nations and favoured of God above 
 them all, has even exceeded them in wickedness {vv. 5, 6). Therefore 
 God's judgments upon her shall be unparalleled in severity, first in the 
 horrors of the siege, and secondly in the terrible miseries of pestilence, 
 famine and blood that shall follow it {w. 7 — 17). 
 
 5. This is Jericsalem'] Or, this Jerusalem — I set it! (Ex. xxxii. i ; 
 Ezek. xl. 45). Jerusalem is placed emphatically at the head of the sen- 
 tence; the thoughts which the name suggests are then developed in the 
 succeeding clauses. 
 
 countries that are round\ Rather : nations ; and countries are round 
 about her. The geographical position of Jerusalem in the midst of the 
 nations, distinct from them all, was but the external side of the exclusive 
 favours bestowed on her by God. She should have been distinguished 
 al)Ovethe nations in righteousness, but her corruption was become deeper 
 than theirs. Comp. on the idea of the central position of Jerusalem 
 and Canaan, ch. xxxviii. 12 — "the navel of the earth." 
 
 6. Read: And she hath rebelled against my judgments to do 
 wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes. " Jndg- 
 
EZEKIEL, V. [vv. 7—9. 
 
 than the countries that are round about her : for they have 
 refused my judgments, and my statutes, they have not 
 
 7 walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are 
 round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, 
 neither have kept my judgments, neither have done ac- 
 cording to the judgments of the nations that are round 
 
 8 about you ; therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, 
 I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments 
 
 9 in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And 
 I will do in thee that which I have not done, and 
 whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all 
 
 ments" is ordinances; and " they" refers to the people, who compose 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 7 — 17. Because she has surpassed the nations in evil, her chastise- 
 ments shall be without example in severity. 
 
 Because ye multiplied] R.V. because ye are turbulent. Both render- 
 ings assume an otherwise unknown verb, supposed to be derived from 
 the noun " multitude," "tumult," &c. The existence of such a verb is 
 improbable. The suggestion of Boett. followed by Corn, because ye 
 rebelled (hamroth) is perhaps best, as v. 6 is then resumed. The sense 
 of R.V. could be got by a very slight change (hamoth), cf. xxii. 5, last 
 words ; Am. iii. 9. 
 
 neither .. .according to the pcdgments'] that is, the ordinances and 
 practices of the nations. Others with Syr. would omit the neg. : 
 but have done according to.... The charge of the prophet, however, is 
 that Israel had exceeded the nations in wickedness ; cf. xvi. 47, 48; 
 Jer. ii. 10, 11, "Hath a nation changed their gods, which yet are no 
 gods?" 
 
 8. in the sight of the stations'] The nations saw Israel's wickedness, 
 and they shall also see her judgments, and they shall know that Jehovah 
 is God alone. 
 
 9. that which I have not done"] This is no mere rhetorical threat. 
 It is possible that the miseries of the siege and exile were no greater 
 than those endured by other nations in those days, but the same miseries 
 may be felt more acutely. Israel was a nation fervidly patriotic, and 
 patriotism was inspired by the glow of religion ; it was also for that 
 time a nation highly cultured ; and moreover its calamities were felt to 
 come from the hand of its own God. The feelings of the godly Israelite 
 after the fall of the city corresponded to the prophet's words here before 
 its fall: "Ho ! all ye that pass by, behold and see if there be any sorrow 
 like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath 
 afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger" (Lam. i. 12). "See O Lord 
 and behold, To whom hast thou done thus ?" (Lam. ii. 10). " For the 
 punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment 
 
vv. 10—13.] EZEKIEL, V. 39 
 
 thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the 
 sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; 
 and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole rem- 
 1 nant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as 
 I live, saith the Lord God ; Surely, because thou hast de- 
 filed my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with 
 all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish t/iee ; 
 neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. 
 A third /^7r/ of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with 
 famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee : and a 
 third /ar/ shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I 
 will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw 
 out a sword after them. Thus shall mine anger be accom- 
 plished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I 
 will be comforted : and they shall know that I the Lord 
 have spoken // in my zeal, when I have accomplished my 
 
 of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were laid 
 on her " (Lam. iv. 6). 
 
 10. Ike fathers shall eat the sons'] Neither is this, as it might be, 
 a generality merely to suggest severe straitness. Lam. iv. 10, "The 
 hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children, they Avere 
 their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people." See 
 the story 2 Kings vi. 24 — 29; cf. Lev. xxvi. 29; Deut. xxviii. 53; Jer. 
 xix. 9; Lam. ii. 20. 
 
 11. defiled my sanctuary] The commentary on this is supplied by 
 ch, viii. 
 
 will I also diminish thee] The word is so rendered ch. xvi. 27, 
 where, however, an object follows the verb. The balance of clauses 
 here : I also will — and mine eye shall not spare : I also will not pity, 
 appears to shew that the word expresses one idea along with the 
 words "mine eye shall not spare." This can hardly be expressed 
 otherwise than : I also will withdraw mine eye and it shall not spare ; 
 I also will have no pity. For the phrase "withdraw the eye" cf. 
 Job xxxvi. 7. In ch. xxiv. 14 a similar word occurs, but there with 
 the negative. Targ. Vulg. render "hew down," but this kind of 
 reading {d for r) is too familiar to be of any value. Perhaps the 
 reading might be : I also am against thee and mine eye shall not spare, 
 (form of "against thee" as xxi. 8, cf. here v. 8). Cf. ch. viii. 18. 
 
 12. Explanation of the symbol z^e;. i — 4. 
 
 13. my ftiry to rest npon them] Rather : will quiet (assuage, or, 
 appease) my fury. Zech. vi. 8, "have quieted my spirit in the North 
 country." The phrase again, ch. xvi. 42, xxi. 17, xxiv. 13. 
 
 / will be comforted] i.e. appeased by the vengeance taken on the 
 people's sins, cf. Is. i. 24 (the word is for hithnehamti). 
 
 i7i my zeal] The word, usually rendered "jealousy," expresses the 
 
40 EZEKIEL, V. [vv. 14—17. 
 
 14 fury in them. Moreover I will make thee waste, and a 
 reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in 
 
 15 the sight of all that pass by. So it shall be a reproach and 
 a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations 
 that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments 
 in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the 
 
 1 5 Lord have spoken //. When I shall send upon them the 
 evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, 
 and which I will send to destroy you : and I will increase 
 
 ,17 the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread : so 
 will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall 
 bereave thee ; and pestilence and blood shall pass through 
 thee ; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord 
 have spoken it. 
 
 heat of any passion, here resentment, ch. xvi. 38, 42, xxiii. 25, xxxvi. 
 5, 6, xxxviii. 19. Cf. ch. ii. 5, vi. 10, xxiv. 22. 
 
 14. reproach among the nations\ Lam. ii. 15, 16, "All that pass 
 by clap their hands at thee, they hiss and wag their head at the 
 daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that they called the 
 perfection of beauty ? " 
 
 15. So it shall be'\ So shall she be, i.e. Jerusalem. The ancient 
 versions, however, give : and thou shalt be. 
 
 an instruction'\ i.e. a lesson of warning, cf, ch. xxiii. 48, "that all 
 women may be taught (take warning) not to do after your lewdness." 
 Cf. Deut. xxix. 23 seq. 
 
 16. arruws offa/?iine'\ Cf. Deut. xxxii. 23, 24. 
 
 shall be for their destruction'] as R.V., that are for destruction. 
 / will increase] lit. add, i.e. send famine upon famine upon you. 
 On "staff of bread" cf. ch. iv. 14. 
 
 17. evil beasts'] The three great plagues often specified are, famine, 
 pestilence and sword (ch. xiv. 13, 17, 19), to which a fourth is some- 
 times added, evil beasts (ch. xiv. 15, 21, xxxiii. 27, xxxiv. 25; Lev. 
 xxvi. 22; Deut. xxxii. 24). 
 
 In the above verses the cumulative expressions are often wanting 
 in LXX. e.g. v. it the words "and with all thine abominations." 
 Differences of this kind do not affect the sense, and it is unnecessary 
 to notice them in detail. 
 
 Ch. VI. Prophecy against the mountains of Israel, the 
 
 SEATS OF HER IDOLATRY. 
 
 Ch. iv. V. were directed chiefly against Jerusalem, because she had 
 rebelled against the statutes of the Lord (ch. v. 6) and because she 
 had polluted his sanctuary with her abominations (ch. v. 11). There- 
 fore the arrows of Jehovah's judgments shall come upon her, famine, 
 pestilence and sword. For the same reason his judgments must over- 
 
vv. 1—4.] EZEKIEL, VI. 41 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 6 
 man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel, and ^ 
 prophesy against them, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, 3 
 hear the word of the Lord God ; Thus saith the Lord God 
 to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the 
 valleys ; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and 
 I will destroy your high places. And your altars shall be 4 
 
 take the land, especially the mountains, on which the high places were 
 situated, where the idolatries and false worship were practised. 
 
 (1) w. I — 7. The high places, altars and sun-images shall be utterly 
 destroyed; the carcases of the worshippers shall fall before the idols, 
 and their iDones be scattered about them. 
 
 (2) vv. 8 — 10. A remnant shall escape and shall remember the 
 Lord among the nations whither they are scattered, and shall loathe 
 themselves for all the evils which they have done; and they shall 
 know that he who spake to them was Jehovah, God alone. 
 
 (3) vv, II — 14. Renewal of the threat of destruction with every 
 expression of scorn and hatred on the prophet's part for the people's 
 doings. They shall know when their slain fall down and lie around 
 their altars that Jehovah has done it. 
 
 2. Son of man] See on ch. ii. i. 
 
 7?i02iutaijis 0/ Israel] i.e. the mountain-land of Israel, but with special 
 reference to the mountains as the seats of idolatrous worship. 
 
 3. to the rivers] the ravines ; the gorges where there were streams 
 and thick trees, and where idolatrous worship was practised (ch. xxxv. 
 8, xxxvi. 4, 6), cf. Is. Ivii. 5, "that slay the children in the valleys 
 (a different word) under the clefts of the rocks; among the smooth 
 stones of the valley is thy portion; they, they are thy lot; even to 
 them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered an oblation" 
 (Jer. ii. 23). 
 
 yotir high places] The word properly means a height or hill (ch. 
 xxxvi. 2), then a sanctuary situated on such a height (i Sam. ix, 13), 
 and finally any sanctuary (Is. xvi. 12, and so in Moabitish, Moab- 
 stone, 1. 3), particularly in Israel the rural sanctuaries. These sanc- 
 tuaries had probably been mainly Canaanitish (Deut. xii. 2 ; Lev. 
 xxvi. 30), but had been adopted by Israel and devoted to the sei-vice 
 of Jehovah (ch. xx. 28). Along with the sanctuaries themselves no 
 doubt much of the native religious practice was also adopted. After 
 a long struggle these rural high places were abolished by Josiah, and 
 public service of Jehovah confined to the temple at Jerusalem, 
 though they grew up again under Manasseh. Even the worship 
 of Jehovah at such sanctuaries would be very corrupt, and in the 
 last years of the kingdom the worship of other deities was no doubt 
 also practised. This prophet condemns all worship at the high places 
 as "abominations." This does not appear to be with him a question 
 of mere locality or number of sanctuaries; he considers tlie high places 
 to be Canaanitish and the service at them no worship of Jehovah, 
 
42 EZEKIEL, VI. [vv. 5-7. 
 
 desolate, and your images shall be broken : and I will cast 
 
 5 down your slain ;;/<?// before your idols. And I will lay the 
 dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols ; 
 
 6 and I will scatter your bones round about your altars. In 
 all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and 
 the high places shall be desolate ; that your altars may be 
 laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken 
 and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your 
 
 7 works may be abolished. And the slain shall fall in the 
 midst of you, and ye shall know that I a7n the Lord. 
 
 4. your images] As marg., sun-images, i.e. symbols of the sun- 
 god, probably in the shape of a pyramid or obelisk. They stood 
 beside the altars. So again v. 6. 
 
 your idols] The term used is an opprobrious or contemptuous 
 epithet, applied to idols, though its precise meaning is doubtful. Most 
 probably it means block-gods; though others connect it with the word 
 dung (ch. iv. 12) and render dung-gods, which is less probable. The 
 term occurs in Ez. nearly 40 times, otherwise Lev. xxvi. 30; Deut. 
 xxix. 17; Jer. 1. 2; i Kings xv. 12, xxi. 26; 2 Kings xvii. 12, xxi. 11, 
 21, xxiii. 24. These idols were probably of Jehovah for the most 
 part. 
 
 5. The same had already been threatened by Jer. viii. i, 2. 
 
 6. your works] the works of your hands, the idols. All the cumu- 
 lative phrases in the verse are wanting in LXX. viz. "and made 
 desolate," "and cease," "and your works may be abolished." The 
 term "abolished" is lit. "blotted out." The rendering "made deso- 
 late" is probably right, though as spelled the word might mean " suffer" 
 or "be punished," R.V. marg., "bear their guilt." The apparatus of 
 worship in the prophet's time comprehended (i) the high place, the 
 general name for the sanctuary, which might be a building of various 
 degrees of simplicity or splendour, or perhaps a mere tent; (2) the 
 altar, an essential of course of every high place; (3) the obelisk or 
 sun-pillar, and (4) the idol, with which probably most of the rural 
 high places were provided, as Is. ii. 8 says. Their land also is full of 
 idols; they worship the work of their own hands. Cf. Jer. ii. 27, 28, 
 who complains that their gods (which he describes as "stocks" and 
 "stones") were as numerous as their cities. With this religious in- 
 ventory may be compared that given by Hosea iii. 5. Ezekiel does 
 not mention the Ashera, except in the form of the "evergreen tree" 
 (ch. vi. 13). 
 
 7. / am the Lord] The term Jehovah is used in the later prophets 
 to mean the true and only God. In this prophet the purpose and the 
 effect of all the judgments on Israel is that they may know that he 
 who inflicts them is Jehovah — God alone. The same is the purpose 
 and effect of his judgments on the heathen — these learn also the same 
 truth. But further, the redemption of Israel reveals this truth to the 
 
vv. 8— II.] EZEKIEL, VI. 43 
 
 Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that 8 
 shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be 
 scattered through the countries. And they that escape of 9 
 you shall remember me among the nations whither they 
 shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their 
 whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their 
 eyes, which go a whoring after their idols : and they shall 
 lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in 
 all their abominations. And they shall know that I mn the 10 
 Lord, and that I have not said in vain that / would do this 
 evil unto them. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Smite with thine hand, and n 
 
 heathen fully. When the idols were cut down to the ground and the 
 bones of their worshippers lay scattered around them, the futility of 
 serving them could not but be perceived; Jer. ii. 28, "where are thy 
 gods that thou hast made? let them arise if they can save thee in the 
 time of thy trouble." Cf. Hos. ii. 7; Is. Ivii. 12, 13. 
 
 8 — 10. A REMNANT SHALL BE PRESERVED, AND SHALL REMEMBER 
 
 THE Lord among the nations whither they are scattered. 
 
 8. that ye may have] R.V. in that ye shall have some is better. 
 The original reads very awkwardly, and in LXX. the words: "yet 
 will I leave a remnant " are wanting. V. 9 seems the apodosis of v. 8, 
 and 7vhen ye shall have them that escape the sword... ^ then shall they 
 that escape of yoii retJiember. 
 
 9. because I a?n broken'] R.V. ho7v that I have been broken with 
 their whorish heart. Such a sense as "been broken with " is altogether 
 impossible ; and the middle sense "break for myself" is equally to be 
 rejected. The natural sense is : they shall remember (think of) me. . .when 
 I have broken. Their idolatrous heart shall be broken with their cala- 
 mities, and then shall they return unto the Lord ; Hos. ii. 7, " I will 
 return unto my first husband, for then was it better with me than now." 
 The present reading has probably arisen from the similar word "carried 
 captive " being in the copyist's mind. 
 
 and with their eyes] Read : when I have broken their whorish 
 heart. . .and their eyes. The harshness of the zeugma, " and their eyes," 
 is relieved by the distance from *' break " and the metaphorical nature of 
 the expression. Cf the phrase "lifted up his eyes towards the idols," 
 ch. xviii. 6, 12, 15, xx. 24, xxxiii. 25. 
 
 lothe themselves] \A\.. their faces ; a use of "face" for self, not un- 
 common in the later language, ch. xx. 43, xxxvi. 31 ; Job xxiii. 17. 
 
 11 — 17. Renewal of the threat of destruction because of 
 idolatry. 
 11. Smite with thine hand] Ch. xxv. 6, " Because thou (Amnion) 
 hast clapped thine hands and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced with 
 
44 EZEKIEL, VI. [vv. 12-14. 
 
 stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abomina- 
 tions of the house of Israel : for they shall fall by the sword, 
 
 12 by the famine, and by the pestilence. He that is far off 
 shall die of the pestilence ; and he that is near shall fall by 
 the sword ; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die 
 by the famine : thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. 
 
 13 Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain 
 men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon 
 every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under 
 every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where 
 
 14 they did offer sweet savour to all their idols. So will I 
 stretch out mine hand upon them, and make the land deso- 
 late, yea, more desolate than the wilderness towards Diblath, 
 in all their habitations : and they shall know that I am the 
 Lord. 
 
 all the despite of thy soul against the land of Israel." The gestures are 
 those of scorn and ill-will, and of rejoicing over another's misfortune; 
 ch. xxii. 13 ; Job xxvii. 23. In ch. xxi. 17 the same gesture is attributed 
 to Jehovah. 
 
 Alas for all] Rather: Ha ! for all. The interjection seems a shorter 
 form of that used elsewhere, as ch. xxv. 3, "Because thou (Ammon) 
 saidst, Aha ! for my sanctuary, when it was destroyed, and for the land 
 of Israel, when it was desolate." The prophet hates and scorns the 
 evil practices of Israel so deeply, that he rejoices at the vengeance about 
 to overtake them. The grammatical anomaly in " evil abominations of" 
 is obviated in LXX. by omission of "evil." 
 
 12. and is besieged] and lie that is besieged. In LXX. the pre- 
 vious "he that remaineth" is wanting. With this omission "he that is 
 besieged" might stand, cf. ch. vii. 15, "he that is in the city, famine 
 shall devour him." Otherwise the sense seems rather as in R.V. marg. 
 preserved, as Is. xlix. 6. 
 
 13. Comp. V. 7 on the effect of these judgments on the minds of the 
 people. On "idols," cf. v. 4. The cumulative phrases "in all the tops 
 of the mountains," and " under every thick oak " are wanting in LXX. ; 
 and so "he that remaineth" v. 12. For oak rather terebinth. 
 
 swee^ savour] Is said of the smoke or steam of the sacrificial fat burnt 
 upon the altar, ch. xvi. 19, xx. 28, 41, and often in the ritual laws 
 of the Pentateuch. 
 
 14. desolate^ yea, more desolate] Rather: desolate and waste (ch. 
 xxxiii. 28, 29, xxxv. 3) more than the wilderness of Diblah. The com- 
 parative "more than," however, is not probable. Moreover a wilder- 
 ness of Diblah is unknown ; Diblathaim besides being in Moab could 
 not be called desert. The construction is difficult, but probably the 
 reading should be : from the wilderness to Riblah, i.e. from south to 
 north. Riblah was situated on the northern border of the country 
 
vv. 1—4.] EZEKIEL, Vll. 45 
 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 7 
 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the 2 
 land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four 
 corners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I 3 
 will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee accord- 
 ing to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine 
 abominations. And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither 4 
 will I have pity : but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, 
 and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee : and 
 ye shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 (Numb, xxxiv. 11) ; it is said to be in "the land of Haniath," Jer. Hi. 9, 
 ■27 (where by the converse substitution of d for r, LXX. reads Diblah). 
 A few MSS. read Riblah. It must be acknowledged that this way of 
 designating the whole extent of the land from S. to N. is nowhere else 
 employed, the northern limit being usually expressed by "the entering 
 in of Hamath." 
 
 Ch. VII. Dirge over the downfall of the kingdom of 
 
 JUDAH. 
 
 The passage is probably in some confusion ; vv. 8, q are virtually a 
 repetition of vv. 3, 4. In LXX. vv, 3, 4 stand immediately after vv. 8, 
 9, and have the appearance of being a duplicate. In other respects the 
 text is very difficult, and in several places no longer presents the original 
 reading. The chapter appears to have two divisions : — 
 
 First, vv. I — 13, announcement that the end of the state is come, in a 
 series of interjectional sentences, and 
 
 Secondly, vv. 14 — 27, a picture of its dissolution, in language some- 
 what calmer and more connected. 
 
 First, announcement of the end, in three short strophes : 
 
 (i) vv. I — 4. The end is come upon the four corners of the land. 
 
 (2) vv. 5 — 9. The end is come upon the inhabitants of the land. 
 
 (3) vv. 10—13. The ruin is common and universal. Persons and 
 possessions alike perish. 
 
 1 — 4. The end is come upon the whole land, unsparing 
 destruction from the Lord. 
 
 This destniction is the fruit of the abominations of the people, their 
 idolatries and crimes {v. 23). They shall know when it overtakes them 
 that he who inflicts it is Jehovah, God alone. 
 
 2. V. 1 might read : unto the land of Israel an end ! the end is come 
 upon, &c. Cf. Am. viii. 2. 
 
 3. send f?ime anger] Is an unusual form of expression. 
 
 will recompense'] Bring or put. Chastisement is but sin assuming 
 another form, a form which it inevitably takes, 
 
 4. mine eye shall Jiot spare] So v. 9, ch. v. 11, viii. 18, ix. 10. 
 From their calamities the people shall learn not only that he that 
 
46 EZEKIEL, VII. [vv. 5- 
 
 5 Thus saith the Lord God ; An evil, an only evil, behold, 
 
 6 is come. An end is come, the end is come : it watcheth 
 
 7 for thee ; behold, it is come. The morning is come unto 
 thee, O thou that dwellest in the land : the time is come, 
 the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of 
 
 8 the mountains. Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon 
 thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee : and I will 
 judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee 
 
 inflicts them is their God, whom they called Jehovah (a thing which 
 they were slow to learn, Am. iii. 2, v. 18), but also what the nature of 
 that God is — that he is Jehovah, the true and righteous God (a thing 
 which they were even slower to learn), cf. v. 27, ch. vi. 7, xii. 20, &c. 
 
 5 — 7. The dirge takes a fresh turn, announcing in nearly 
 the same words that the end is come upon the inhabit- 
 ants of the land. 
 
 5. an only evil^ Lit. one evil, scarcely a "unique" evil, to which 
 there is nothing like, but an evil which is " one " and final, i Sam. xxvi. 
 8 ; Hagg. ii. 6, " Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the 
 heavens and the earth " (Heb. xii. 26). 
 
 6. it watchetli] Rather: it awaketh for thee. The word forms an 
 alliteration with "end" (Keg, heki<?), and suggests that the vengeance 
 slumbering long is now ready to fall on them. A similar paronomasia 
 in Am. viii. 2, between "end" and "summer fruit," and in Jer. i. 11, 
 between "almond tree " and " be wakeful." 
 
 7. The morning is come] The sense "morning" is that which a 
 similar word has in Aramaic ; but the dawn or morning is always used 
 of the breaking in of felicity not of calamity (cf. Is. viii. 20). The term 
 occurs in Is. xxviii. 5 in the sense of crown or chaplet, probably from 
 the idea of encircling, going a round or circuit (Judg. vii. 3, R.V.marg.), 
 and it has been conjectured that the word may have the sense of "turn" 
 (vicem), naturally with the meaning "calamitous turn," misfortune or 
 fate (as da'irah in Arab.). So Abulwalid followed by most moderns 
 (R.V. doo7ti). Dukes quotes a Chaldee proverb of Sirach in which another 
 form of the word has the sense of times (a hundred times, Blumenlese^ 
 p. 80). LXX. does not recognise the word either here or in v. 10. 
 
 the day of trouble] Rather : the day is near, even tumult, and 
 not Joyful shouting upon the mountains, as R.V. This rendering 
 assumes that the word translated "joyful shouting" is another form of 
 the term rendered "shouting" (vintage shouting) Is. xvi. 9, 10; Jer. 
 xlviii. 33 — "the shouting is no vintage shouting" but tumult of invasion 
 (Lam. ii. 22). 
 
 8. 9. Verses 8, 9 are virtually vv. 3, 4 repeated, except that v. 9 ends 
 with the words : that I am Jehovah that smiteth. Theorder of t/z/. i — 9 
 in LXX. differs from the Heb. thus : vv. i, 2, 6 the end is come, 7 unto 
 thee O inhabitant of the land, &c., 8, 9, 3, 4. This order is certainly 
 not original, because vv. 3, 4, being virtually the same as 8, 9 cannot 
 
vv. 9— 12.] EZEKIEL, VII. 47 
 
 for all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare, 9 
 neither will I have pity : I will recompense thee according 
 to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of 
 thee ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth. 
 Behold the day, behold, it is come : the morning is gone ic 
 forth ; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. Vio- n 
 lence is risen up into a rod of wickedness : none of them 
 shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs : 
 neither shall there be wailing for them. The time is come, 12 
 
 have followed these verses immediately. It is probable that 3, 4 and 
 8, 9 are duplicates and that they should stand only once. On the other 
 hand they might be regarded as a kind of refrain, first to the judgment 
 on the land {^ov. 3, 4) and then to the judgment on the inhabitants {^uv. 8, 
 9) ; if so the pronouns in 8, 9 should possibly be read in the masadine, 
 
 10 — 13. The ruin is universal, overtaking all classes. 
 
 10. morning is gone for th^ Rather: is come forth, — the figure of a 
 plant springing up ; Job xiv. 2, "man cometh forth like a flower." On 
 " morning " see v. 7 ; R.V. dooin as there. 
 
 rod hath blossomed'^ i.e. sprouted and grown so as to become a rod. 
 The general scope of the passage seems to imply that the " rod " here is 
 that by which Israel shall be chastised. In Jer. 1. 31 Babylon is named 
 "pride" (R.V. marg.), and the words "pride has budded" may serve 
 to explain " the rod has blossomed." If the pride were that which the 
 rod was to humble the words would better be attached to the next verse. 
 
 11. " Violence " must be that in Israel, not that of the enemy. This 
 violence has risen up s*o as to be, or to bring down a rod of wickedness, 
 i.e. a rod due to wickedness or in chastisement of it {v. 23). All this, 
 however, is language very unnatural. 
 
 The rest oi v. 11 is very obscure, and the text certainly corrupt. The 
 general sense conveyed when the words shall remain (A.V.) are inserted 
 is that Israel and her multitude and her possessions shall be wholly 
 swept away. 
 
 nor of any ofiheirs'] Ges. conjectured : nor of their zvealth, so R.V. 
 
 •wailing for them'] Ges. conjectured: magnificence, so R.V. neither 
 shall there be ejninency 2imong them. Both words rendered "wealth" 
 and " eminency " are entirely unknown ; the former is probably no word 
 at all but a false repetition of the previous expression "none of them ;" 
 if it be a word the natural rendering is that of Ew., moaning or sighing 
 {v. 16 of doves), or unquietness. For the word "eminency " recourse is 
 had to the Arab., generally a precarious proceeding. LXX. renders no 
 account of either of the words. In his reconstruction of the text Corn, 
 follows LXX. generally to the end of z^. 9 ; w. 10, 11 he emends thus: 
 " Behold the crown (as Is. xxviii. 5) is come forth, the sceptre l)los- 
 soms; but the crown shall wither 11 and the sceptre fade; what are 
 
48 EZEKIEL, VII. [v. 13. 
 
 the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the 
 seller mourn : for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. 
 13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although 
 they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole 
 multitude thereof, which shall not return ; neither shall any 
 strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. 
 
 they, and what their multitude ? " The crown and sceptre are those of 
 Israel. The emendation may be left to itself. 
 
 12. The inhabitants shall be overwhelmed in a common ruin, in 
 which all social relations shall be forgotten — the buyer shall not rejoice 
 nor the seller sorrow. A universal "wrath" shall be on all classes, 
 involving them in a common destruction. Cf. Is. xxiv. 2, "It shall be 
 as with the buyer so with the seller, as with the lender so with the 
 borrower," &c. 
 
 13. return to that which is sold] Sales, particularly of real property, 
 were usually temporary, the subjects sold being redeemable. When 
 they were redeemed the seller would "return to that which was sold." 
 By the LaM^ real property returned to the original owner at the year of 
 freedom. This hope is vain : the coming calamity shall obliterate 
 all titles. Others conjecture that the prophet has before his mind the 
 case of the captives carried away with Jehoiachin, who were compelled 
 to make forced sales of their property before going into exile, and who 
 longed to return to claim what was theirs. 
 
 although they were yet alive'\ Or, while they are ; i.e. never, so long 
 as they live. 
 
 for the vision] Instead of " vision " wrath should be read : for wrath 
 is upon all the multitude thereof," as vv. 12, 14. Probably the clause : 
 "for the vision (wrath)... not return " should be omitted as accidental 
 repetition of previous words. 
 
 strengthen himself... his life] Perhaps: neither shall any one keep 
 hold of his life (maintain his life) in his iniquity. Those driven out 
 shall not return, and those remaining shall die in their sins. Or if there 
 be no reference to those two classes the statements are. general : none 
 shall return to his possessions, and none shall live in his iniquity. 
 
 14 — 27. Picture of the dissolution of the state. 
 
 (i) vv. 14 — 18. The trumpet shall sound the alarm, but none shall pre- 
 pare himself for the battle. The sword shall devour without and famine 
 consume within. A paralysing terror shall seize upon all. 
 
 (2) vv. 19 — 22. They shall cast their gold and silver into the streets, 
 for it cannot buy wherewith to appease their hunger. Their wealth 
 which was their pride and which they used to further their abominations 
 shall become the prey of the invader. 
 
 (3) vv. 23 — 27. The city is full of violence therefore it shall be given 
 over to the worst of the heathen. Perplexity and stupefaction shall 
 seize king and people, priest and prophet alike. They shall know 
 Jehovah when his judgments overtake them. 
 
vv. 14—19.] EZEKIEL, VII. 49 
 
 They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready ; h 
 but none goeth to the battle : for my wrath is upon all the 
 multitude thereof. The sword is without, and the pestilence is 
 and the famine within : he that is in the field shall die with 
 the sword ; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence 
 shall devour him. But they that escape of them shall 16 
 escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the 
 valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. 
 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as 17 
 water. They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and «8 
 horror shall cover them ; and shame shall be upon all faces, 
 and baldness upon all their heads. They shall cast their 19 
 
 14—18. Fruitlessness of the defence. 
 
 14. Preparations for the defence are made but there is no courage to 
 face the enemy, for the wrath of God upon them predetermines their 
 defeat. 
 
 even to make all ready] Rather : and have made (inf. abs.). 
 
 15. Comp. Lam. i. 20. 
 
 16. Read : and when (if) they that escape of them shall escape, 
 they shall be upon the mountains. 
 
 mourning] This refers to the doves: the fugitives shall be on the 
 mountains (seeking refuge) like doves of the valleys, all of which mourn. 
 Is. lix. II, We moan all like bears, and mourn sore like doves ; xxxviii. 
 14, Like a swallow so did I chatter, I did mourn as a dove. The 
 Arabic poets often refer to the mourning of the dove or ring-dove 
 (Kumrl) as being like their own. See the citations of Ahlwardt, Chalef 
 el Ahmar, p. 102 seq. Similarly in the Babylonian Penitential Psalms 
 (Zimmern), Ps. i, 10, Like doves do I mourn; on sighs I feed myself; 
 Ps. vi. 4, vii. 10. 
 
 for his iniquity] Or, in ; in the consciousness of it and its conse- 
 quences. 
 
 17. The description returns from the condition of the fugitives to 
 that of the besieged. Prostration and despair seizes them. The figures 
 of the hands "hanging down," and the knees becoming "water" are 
 expressive of complete paralysis of strength. LXX. Hitz. interpret the 
 latter phrase literally. Cf ch. xxi. 7 ; Is. xiii. 7 ; Jer. vi. 24. 
 
 18. horror shall cover them] Or, trembling", terror, Job xxi. 6. It 
 shall take such hold of them that it shall be all over them, like a gar- 
 ment covering them. Cf. Is. lix. 17, he was clad with zeal as a cloke; 
 Ps. Iv. 6. 
 
 baldness] A sign of mourning : Is. xv. 2, On all heads shall be bald- 
 ness ; Mic. i. 16, Enlarge thy baldness like the vulture. This tonsure in 
 token of mourning, common among many nations of antiquity, was con- 
 fined among the Hebrews to shaving the front part of the head (Deut. 
 xiv. i), and was forbidden by the Law in the case of priests (Lev. xxi. 5, 
 EZEKIEL 4 
 
50 EZEKIEL, VII. [vv. 20—22. 
 
 silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed : their 
 silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the 
 day of the wrath of the Lord : they shall not satisfy their 
 souls, neither fill their bowels : because it is the stumbling- 
 block of their iniquity. 
 
 20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty : 
 but they made the images of their abominations and of their 
 detestable things therein : therefore have I set it far from 
 
 21 them. And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for 
 a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil ; and they 
 
 22 shall pollute it. My face will I turn also from them, and 
 they shall pollute my secret place : for the robbers shall enter 
 
 cf. Ezek. xliv. -20), and of the whole people (Deut. xiv. i), cf. Am. viii. 
 10 ; Jer. xvi. 6 ; Lev. xix. 27. 
 
 19. Amidst the famine they cast their silver and gold away in the 
 streets, it cannot procure them food. On the horrors of famine during 
 the siege of Jerusalem, comp. Lam. iv. 4, 8 — 10, ii. ir, I'Z, 19, 20, i. 11. 
 
 gold shall be removed^ Rather: shall be a thing unclean, lit. un- 
 cleanness. The term refers properly to female impurity, and is the 
 strongest expression for " object of abhorrence ; " cf. ch. xxxvi. 17, where 
 the people's idolatries are in Jehovah's eyes as a woman's impurity. Lev. 
 XX. 21. 
 
 is the shimblingblockl hath been. Their gold and silver has been 
 to them something on which they have stumbled and fallen, i.e. a 
 cause of their sinning ; cf. ch. xiv. 3, xliv. 12. 
 
 20. Read: and the beauty of their ornament they turned into 
 pride, and they made the images... thereof; therefore will I make 
 it unto them a thing unclean. The thing spoken of is still their 
 silver and gold; this they not only turned into pride, but made also 
 images of it. Hos. ii. 8, I multiplied unto her silver and gold, which 
 they used for Baal; viii. 4, Of their silver and gold have they made 
 them idols, that they might be cut off. Cf. ch. xvi. 1 1 ; 2 Sam. i. 24 ; 
 Jer. iv. 30. 
 
 21. Because of this abuse of their silver and gold in making it into 
 idols it shall become the prey of the Chaldeans, who shall profane 
 it, turning it from a sacred to a common use. In a certain sense all 
 that was in Israel was sacred, and the mere fact of the heathen taking 
 possession of it profaned it. Hos. x. 6, It (the calf) shall be carried 
 unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb ; cf. Is. xlvi. 1,2; Mic. i. 7. 
 
 22. The enemy shall penetrate into the temple and profane it. 
 tum...fro7n iheni] This most naturally refers to Israel, from whom 
 
 the Lord will turn his face in anger, cf. v. 11. It might refer to the 
 invader, whom the Lord will not behold but permit to work his will, 
 cf. Lam. ii. 3. 
 
 secret place] Is probably the temple (Lam. ii. i); less natural 
 would be the city. The word "secret," however, is not to be referred 
 
vv. 23— 27.] EZEKIEL, VII. 51 
 
 into it, and defile it. Make a chain : for the land is full ^23 
 bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence. Wherefore I 24 
 will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess 
 their houses : I will also make the pomp of the strong to 
 cease; and their holy places shall be defiled. Destruction 25 
 Cometh ; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. 
 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be 2G 
 upon rumour ; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet ; 
 but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from 
 the ancients. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be 27 
 clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the 
 
 to the arcanum of the Most Holy place; the meaning is "my precious 
 thing." 
 
 for the robbers] and robbers; the Chaldean pillagers. The words 
 "pollute" and "defile" are the same; better, profane. 
 
 23. Make a chain] the chain. The chain could only be for binding 
 the captives to carry them into exile. In Is. xl. 19 a similar word 
 is used for the silver chains with which the idols were fastened to the 
 wall lest they should totter or fall; and in Nah. iii. 10 the verb is 
 rendered "were bound" with chains (another word, Jer. xl. i). If 
 the reading be correct the sense is not doubtful. It must be confessed, 
 however, that nothing in the text suggests any reference to chains. 
 LXX. connects with the preceding (so Syr,) and reads: and they shall 
 work disorder (defilement). Corn, suggests two inf. abs. (after xxiii. 
 46), viz. raze and empty out! (cf. Ps. cxxxvii. 7; Is. xxiv. i). Curiously 
 neither of the words is used by Ezekiel. The present reading is scarcely 
 original. 
 
 24. worst of the heathen] Cf xxviii. 7, xxx. 11, the terrible of the 
 nations. Jer. vi. 23; Hab. i. 7. 
 
 the pomp of the strong] Or, pride. In xxiv. 21 the pride of their 
 strength, and so LXX. here. Cf. xxxiii. 28; Lev. xxvi. 19. The 
 spelling of "sanctuaries" is an Aramaism. 
 
 25. Destruction comcth] Or, anguisli. 
 
 26. Mischief .. .upon mischief] i.e. calamity upon calamity; and 
 "rumour" of misfortune upon rumour. Jer. iv. 20; Is. xxviii. 19. 
 
 but the taw] and the law. It is implied in seeking a vision from 
 the prophet that no vision is granted; and the law, i.e. decision or 
 judgment, sought from the priest, ceases; neither can the elders give 
 any counsel. The same three classes of advisers, viz. prophets, priests, 
 and elders or wise men are spoken of Jer. xviii. 18. All sources of 
 revelation are dumb. Cf. Lam. ii. 9, The law is no more, her prophets 
 also find no vision from the Lord. Ps. Ixxiv. 9 ; Mic. iii. 6. 
 
 27. king shall mourn] 2 Sam. xix. i. The "prince" is Ezekiel's 
 usual term for the chief civil ruler, and princes for those of the royal 
 house. The clause "the king shall mourn" is wanting in LXX. On 
 "clothed with desolation," i.e. utterly appalled, cf. v. 18, xxvi. r6. 
 
 4 — 2 
 
52 EZEKIEL, VII. [v. 27. 
 
 land shall be troubled : I will do unto them after their way, 
 and according to their deserts will I judge them ; and they 
 shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 according to their deserts'] lit. judgments, i. e. practices and deeds, as 
 ch. V. 7, xi. 12 (manners). All that should defend and save the state, 
 from the king to the people of the land, shall be paralysed and helpless. 
 The Lord will judge them according to their doings and they shall 
 know that he is Jehovah. 
 
 Third Section. Ch. VIII. — XI. New visions of Jehovah's 
 
 WITHDRAWAL FROM HIS HOUSE, AND THE APPROACHING DE- 
 STRUCTION OF Jerusalem. 
 
 On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of the Cap- 
 tivity of Jehoiachin (b.c. 591) the prophet sat in his house and the 
 elders of the exile sat before him. Moved by their words or by their 
 presence he fell into a trance and was transported by the spirit to 
 Jerusalem, where a series of events passed before his view. 
 
 First, ch. viii. , a vision of the idolatries practised by all classes in 
 the house of the Lord. 
 
 Secondly, ch. ix., a vision of the messengers of divine vengeance, 
 and the slaughter of the inhabitants of the city. 
 
 Thirdly, ch. x. , a vision of the destruction of the city itself by fire 
 from God, with a new description of the cherubim. 
 
 Fourthly, ch. xi., a vision of the internal condition of the city, the 
 counsels and thoughts of the leaders. Then the departure of Jehovah 
 from the city, and renewal of the threat of destruction, but with a 
 promise of restoration to those already in exile. 
 
 Finally, awaking out of his trance, the prophet narrates the proceeding 
 revelations to the exiles (ch. xi. 25). 
 
 Ch. viii. The manifold idolatries of Israel, whereby 
 they profane the house of the Lord, causing him to 
 withdraw from it. 
 
 Four idolatrous scenes pass before the prophet's view, 
 (i) vv. I — 6. He is shewn an image, called the image of jealousy, 
 situated apparently in the outer court, but near the gateway leading 
 to the inner court. 
 
 (2) vv. 7 — II, the secret idolatries practised by the elders in the 
 chambers of the gateway. 
 
 (3) vv. 12 — 13, the lamentation for Tammuz or Adonis engaged in 
 by the M^omen. 
 
 (4) w. 15 — 18, sun-worship practised in front of the temple in the 
 inner court. 
 
 1 — 3. The trance in presence of the elders. The prophet, abiding 
 in his house (ch. iii. 25), was visited by the elders of the captivity among 
 whom he dwelt. They probably came to consult him regarding the 
 affairs at home and the prospects of the city. Thrown into a state of 
 
vv. I, 2.] EZEKIEL, VIII. 53 
 
 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth ?no/it/i, 8 
 in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and 
 the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord 
 God fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo, a likeness 2 
 as the appearance of fire : from the appearance of his loins 
 even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as 
 
 excitation by their words or by their presence he fell into a trance. The 
 vision of the God of Israel again appeared to him, for this thought of 
 Jehovah chiefly occupied his mind and led to all his other thoughts, and 
 he was carried away in the spirit to Jerusalem ; and there the manifold 
 idolatries of the people were shewn him. Two chief thoughts appear 
 expressed by the symbolism ; first, by making the "glory" of Jehovah 
 appear in Jerusalem the prophet points the contrast between the glorious 
 God whom the people had abandoned and the debased forms of worship 
 to which they had addicted themselves, and also implies that this 
 worship was done in the face of Jehovah, " to provoke the eyes of his 
 glory" (Is. iii. 8); and secondly, when Jehovah himself shews the 
 idolatrous practices of the people, we see, what is characteristic of the 
 prophet, the effort to throw himself into the consciousness, so to speak, 
 of Jehovah, and look out at things from his mind, he being who he is. 
 It would be a mistake to regard the details here given as due entirely to 
 literary artifice ; there is no doubt a foundation of reality under them, 
 though when in after years the prophet reflected on the facts and re- 
 corded them he gave them great expansion and embellishment. 
 
 1. the sixth month] The first vision of the prophet was in the fifth 
 year of Jehoiachin's captivity and in the fourth month (i, i) ; the present 
 one a year and two months later. LXX. reads Jifth month, and many 
 modern scholars accept this reading, arguing that the Heb. date is due 
 to some copyist or reader who wished to leave room for the number of 
 days during which the prophet had to lie on his side (ch. iv. 5, 9). The 
 copyist must have been an indiff"erent arithmetician, for 7 (iii. 15) + 390 
 + 40 (ch. iv. 5, 6) = 437, while a lunar year and two months, 354 + 59 
 = 413 days. The discrepancies between the Heb. and LXX. dates are 
 not easy to explain. 
 
 ciders of Judah'l Ch. xiv. i, "Certain of the elders of Israel." 
 The meaning appears from ch. xi. 25, "So I spake to them of the cap- 
 tivity all the things which the Lord had shewed me." The community 
 at Tel Abib were probably permitted to have a certain internal govern- 
 ment of their own. In the "elders" before him the prophet sees repre- 
 sented not so much the captivity as the whole "house of Israel." On 
 "hand of the Lord," cf. ch. i. 3. 
 
 2. as the appearance of fire\ More naturally, the appearance of a 
 man, as LXX., cf. ch. i. 26, 27, " the appearance of a man " (a diflcrent 
 word, however), where the description is the same, viz. fire from the 
 loins downwards and amber from the loins upwards. The prophet 
 speaks with reverential vagueness of God — "a likeness as the appear- 
 ance of a man," and "he put forth the likeness of a hand." 
 
54 EZEKIEL, VIII. [v. 3. 
 
 3 the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And 
 he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of 
 mine head ; and the spirit lift me up between the earth and 
 the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusa- 
 lem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the 
 north ; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which 
 
 3. He does not even say that it was the divine hand that carried 
 him ; spirit carried him, the form of the divine hand was merely sym- 
 bolical. 
 
 the visions of God'\ i.e. shewn him by God, ch. i. i. 
 
 door of the inner gate'\ Rather : door of the gate of the inner court 
 looking toward the north, i.e. the northern gate of the inner court. The 
 word " inner " is wanting in LXX. The general opinion has been that 
 the prophet was set down in the inner court, at the inner door of the 
 northern gateway into that court. The term " door, " however, seems in 
 usage to mean the outside entrance ; and if the prophet had stood in the 
 inner court he would have had to look northward through the gate- 
 way in order to see the image of jealousy, which was certainly not in 
 the inner court. It is more natural to suppose him set down in the 
 outer court, in front of the gateway leading into the inner court. In 
 front of this gateway, in the outer court, stood the image of jealousy, 
 near the entrance. Having seen this the prophet is next brought into 
 the gateway {v. 7), where he enters the chamber of imagery, someone ot 
 the cells in the gateway building. From there he is carried outside the 
 sacred enclosure altogether to the north door of the outer court (z^. 14), 
 where he finds the women bewailing Tammuz. And finally he is trans- 
 ported into the inner court where he beholds the sun-worship practised 
 in front of the temple-house itself. Previous to this he had not been in 
 the inner court, for when being shewn the idolatries he is always taken 
 to the precise place where they are practised. 
 
 image of jealousy] Not an image of "jealousy " itself, considered as a 
 deity, but an image which because it provoked to jealousy was named image 
 of jealousy. The "jealousy" of God is a violent emotion or resentment 
 arising from the feeling of being injured (Deut. xxxii. 21). It is uncer- 
 tain what this image was. The word occurs again, Deut. iv. 16, in the 
 sense of similitude or "figure," and in Phenician with the meaning of 
 "statue," e.g. in an inscription from Idalion {Corp. Ins. Sent., vol. i. 
 88, 3, 7, &c.). According to 2 Kings xxi. 7 Manasseh put a graven 
 image of Ashera in the house of the Lord, which Josiah brought out 
 and burnt (2 K. xxiii. 6; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 7, 15). In earlier times the 
 Ashera (A.V. grove) was a tree or pole planted beside an altar. It is 
 not quite certain whether the pole or stock was a substitute for the 
 evergreen tree, when this could not be had, or whether like the sun- 
 image it was the symbol of a goddess. In later times the term seems 
 used as the name of a goddess. The expression " in the house of the 
 Lord" is hardly to be pressed so far as to imply that Manasseh placed 
 the Ashera in the temple proper, "house" is used of the whole temple 
 
vv. 4-7] EZEKIEL, VIII. 55 
 
 provoketh to jealousy. And behold, the glory of the God of 4 
 Israel ivas there, according to the vision that I saw in the 
 plain. 
 
 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now 5 
 the way towards the north. So I lift up mine eyes the way 
 toward the north, and behold, northward at the gate of the 
 altar this image of jealousy in the entry. He said further- 6 
 more unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do ? ei>en 
 the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth 
 here, that / should go far off from my sanctuary ? but turn 
 thee yet again, a7id thou shalt see greater abominations. 
 And he brought me to the door of the court ; and when I 7 
 
 buildings, including the courts. The image here may be this Ashera, 
 whether we are to suppose it replaced after Josiah had burnt it, or 
 whether the prophet be here taking a comprehensive view of the idolatries 
 of Israel, including the time of Manasseh. In 2 Kings xxiii. 11 refer- 
 ence is made to the horses of the sun placed " at the entering in of the 
 house of the Lord," but these would scarcely be called an '* image." 
 
 4. The glory of the Lord was that seen by the prophet at the Chebar 
 (ch. i.). This glory expressed the prophet's conception of Jehovah. 
 And this Jehovali is here, in contrast with the deities worshipped by the 
 people, and beholding their worship. 
 
 5. gate of the a/tar] Is probably the northern inner gate. The north- 
 ern entrance was the most frequented, partly because the royal palace 
 and buildings lay to the south and east, and the west was closed by the 
 buildings of the temple itself. In Lev. i. 4 the sacrificial victims are 
 commanded to be slaughtered on the north side of the altar. 
 
 in the entry\ The image was situated on the north of the altar gate, 
 and the words in or at the entry are to be taken somewhat generally. 
 The words are wanting in LXX. 
 
 6. \ should go far off^ i.e. withdraw. These abominations defiled 
 Jehovah's sanctuary, the place of his abode, causing him to abandon 
 it. His withdrawal is symbolized ch. xi. i, 22, 23. 
 
 turn thee... again... sce\ Rather: thou shalt again see greater abomi- 
 nations; so vv. 13, 15. 
 
 7 — 12. The secret idolatry of the Elders. 
 
 7. the door of the court] i.e. the outside entrance of the gateway 
 into the inner court. Placed at first near the entrance the prophet 
 is now brought to the gateway itself, either unto some chamber within 
 it or some building attached to it, cf. xl. 44. In the wall of this 
 building he observed a hole, through whicli he dug and entered a 
 chamber, on the walls of which were portrayed all manner of creatures, 
 and in the chamber were seventy ciders ofiering incense to the imagery 
 on the walls. 
 
56 EZEKIEL, VIII. [w. 8—10. 
 
 8 looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, 
 Son of man, dig now in the wall : and when I had digged in 
 
 9 the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and 
 10 behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I 
 
 went in and saw ; and behold every form of creeping things, 
 and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of 
 
 behold a hole] The symbolism is not very clear. The "hole" is 
 meant to suggest that entrance into the chamber was obtained secretly 
 by those who practised their rites there. The words are wanting in 
 LXX. 
 
 8. The words *'in the wall" are wanting both times in LXX. 
 
 9. The word "wicked " is wanting in LXX. 
 
 10. The construction is difficult : lit. "and behold every likeness [v, 3 ; 
 Deut. iv. 17, 18) of creeping things and beasts (cattle), abomination, 
 and all," &c., the term "abomination" being descriptive both of creeping 
 things and beasts. The term "beasts" is employed of the larger 
 domestic animals, though also of the beasts of prey ; it seems nowhere 
 used of the smaller vermin. On the other hand the word "abomina- 
 tion" is chiefly used in regard to the smaller creatures that swarm, 
 whether in the waters or on the land, in the latter case winged and 
 creeping things being included (Lev. xi.), and nowhere of the animals 
 called "beasts." LXX. omits "likeness of creeping things and beasts," 
 and it is possible that these words are a marginal gloss explanatory 
 of "abomination." It has usually been supposed that the reference 
 is to the debased forms of Egyptian superstition. This is possible, for 
 the other practices mentioned, the lamentation for Tammuz and the 
 sun-worship came from abroad. Israel appears to have fallen into 
 the idolatries of the nations about her when she came under their 
 influence, particularly when they became paramount over her, and 
 their gods were thought to be stronger than her own God. The 
 Egyptian influence had been powerful from the days of Isaiah down- 
 wards, and even after the battle of Carchemish (b.c. 604) the hope 
 of Egyptian support induced Jehoiakim in his last years and Zedekiah 
 toward the close of his reign to renounce their allegiance to Babylon. 
 On the other hand the practices here mentioned may be rather a 
 revival of ancient superstitions which, during the prosperity of the 
 kingdom and amidst the vigour of the national religion, had fallen 
 into disuse or maintained themselves only as a secret cult, but which, 
 amidst the disasters of the time, when Jehovah appeared to have 
 forsaken the land and men looked to every quarter for aid, again 
 became prevalent (see W. R. Smith, Religion of the Semites, p. 338). 
 If the LXX. reading be followed the passage may have less sig- 
 nificance than has been attributed to it. 
 
 and all the idols] the block-gods, see ch. vi. 4. The fact that the 
 "idols," which according to ch. vi. {vv. 4, 6, 9, 13) are to be found 
 over all the mountains of Israel, are represented as portrayed upon 
 the wall is peculiar, and suggests that the whole is symbolical. In 
 
vv. II— 14.] EZEKIEL, VIII. ' 57 
 
 Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And there 11 
 stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house 
 of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son 
 of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand ; and a 
 thick cloud of incense went up. Then said he unto me, 12 
 Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house 
 of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his 
 imagery ? for they say. The Lord seeth us not ; the Lord 
 hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee 13 
 yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they 
 do. 
 
 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's 14 
 house which was towards the north ; and behold, there sat 
 
 ch. xxiii. 14 Jemsalem sees images of the Chaldeans portrayed upon 
 the wall and falls in love with them, but such portraits can hardly 
 have been a reality. 
 
 11. seventy men of the aJicients] i.e. of the ciders. The seventy 
 were not any court such as the later Sanhedrim, but merely seventy 
 men representing the elders of Israel (Ex. xxiv. i; Numb. xi. 16, 24, 
 25). The elders were the leaders of the people, and probably here 
 represent them. Prominent among these elders was Jaazaniah the 
 son of Shaphan. There is no reason to suppose the name fictitious. 
 Shaphan the scribe was the person who read the Book of the Law 
 found in the temple to king Josiah {2 Kings xxii. 10). A son of 
 his son Ahikam acted along with him and was a protector of Jeremiah 
 (Jer. xxxix. 14), and another son is mentioned (Jer. xxxvi. 10) as having 
 a chamber in the upper court where Baruch read Jeremiah's roll 
 in the ears of the people. If Jaazaniah was a son of this Shaphan 
 he pursued a different course from his father and brothers. 
 
 12. the chambers of his ijnageryX Or, Ms chambers of imagery. 
 The language implies that there were many chambers of imagery, and 
 again suggests that the scene was symbolical. For "ancients" elders. 
 On 'imagery" Lev. xxvi. r ; Numb, xxxiii. 52. 
 
 forsaken the earth"] Rather: the land. The multiplied calamities 
 of later years suggested that Jehovah no more protected the country 
 (ch. ix. 9). This was possibly the feeling of the elders and people in 
 some moods, but in other moods they spoke differently. In ch. xi. 15 
 they say to those already in exile, "Get you far from the Lord! unto 
 us is this land given in possession." 
 
 13. Turn thee yet again] See v. 6. 
 
 14. The women bewailing Tammuz. 
 
 14. gate of the Lord'S house] i.e. outside the whole temple buildings 
 to the north gate of the outer court; cf. ch. x. 19, xi. i. The term 
 "house" embraces all the temple buildings (Jer. xxxv. 4). The 
 
58 EZEKIEL, VIII. [vv. 15, 16. 
 
 15 women weeping for Tammuz. Then said he unto me, Hast 
 thou seen this^ O son of man ? turn thee yet again, and thou 
 
 16 shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought 
 me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and behold, at 
 the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and 
 the altar, zvn-e about five and twenty men, with their backs 
 toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces towards the 
 
 women may have been seen sitting outside the gate, or they may have 
 been in some of the chambers of the outer gateway. Of course the 
 temple building in Ezekiel's time did not quite correspond to his ideal 
 sketch in ch. xl. seq., but there were no doubt chambers at that 
 time connected with both gateways (Jer. xxxv. 2, 4, xxxvi. 10, 12, 20, 
 21, cf xxvi. 10; 2 Kings xxiii. 11). Tammuz is identical with Adonis. 
 The latter name, Adon, " Lord," is not a proper name, being applicable 
 to any great god, but when the myth found its way to Greece, the 
 word became a proper name. The name Tammuz is Babylonian 
 Dumu-zi, Duzi, said to signify *'son of life," and to indicate the 
 eternal youth of the sun-god (cf. Fried. Del. in Baer's Ezek. ; Schrader, 
 KAT. on Ezek. viii. 14; Sayce, Hibbert Led. iv.). The story of the 
 death of Tammuz is said to be a solar myth, having reference to the 
 death of the sun-god. The explanations given by Assyrian scholars 
 are not very clear. Sometimes the death is said to be that which he 
 undergoes each night, sometimes that which he undergoes when he 
 expires before the touch of winter, and sometimes the death is that of 
 the lusty, life-giving vernal god, who perishes along with all life on 
 earth amidst the summer fires which he himself has kindled. The town 
 of Gebal or Byblos, eight miles north of Beirut, was the great seat of 
 the Adonis worship in Phenicia. It is possible that the cult passed 
 westward from Babylonia, but it may be that in Syria the rites had 
 an independent origin and a different meaning, and that it was not 
 till later that they were interpreted in the sense of the Babylonian 
 myth (W. R. Smith, Religion of the Semites, index under Adonis). 
 It was probably from Phenicia that the worship entered Judsea. Milton's 
 interpretation of the rites may not quite exhaust their meaning : 
 
 the love tale 
 Infected Zion's daughters with like heat; 
 Whose wanton passions in the sacred porch 
 Ezekiel saw. 
 Such myths may originally be only beautiful nature poetry, but 
 we are so allied to nature that we see our feelings reflected in her, 
 as on the other hand her moods repeat themselves in us. Particularly 
 in times of decay and loss the sadder aspects of nature intensify our 
 own feeling by presenting to our minds a universal decay in which 
 we and all things are involved. It is only the sorrowful side of the 
 Tammuz rite that the prophet refers to. 
 15. turn thee yet again] See v. 6 end. 
 
vv. 17, i8.] EZEKIEL, VIII. 59 
 
 east; and they worshipped the sun towards the east. Then i 
 he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man ? Is it 
 a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the 
 abominations which they commit here ? for they have filled 
 the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to 
 anger : and lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore ^ 
 will I also deal in fury : mine eye shall not spare, neither 
 will I have pity : and though they cry in mine ears with a 
 loud voice, yet will I not hear them. 
 
 16. The sun-worshippers in the inner court. 
 
 16. alumt five and iwenty\ LXX., about twenty. These men were 
 seen adoring the sun with their faces to the east, and their backs to the 
 temple house. Their position between the temple and the altar seems 
 to imply that they were priests (Joel ii. 17), and it is not decisive 
 against this view that they are called "elders" in ch. ix. 6, for Jer. 
 xix. I refers to "the elders of the priests." They may be supposed 
 representatives of the priesthood. 
 
 zvorshipped the stin'\ The worship of the sun, the queen of heaven, 
 and the host of heaven, was adopted by Israel from their eastern con- 
 querors: cf. 2 Kings xxiii. 5, 11; Jer. xliv. 17; Job xxxi. •26; Deut. 
 iv. 19. (The Heb. is to be read mishtahavim.) 
 
 17. Is it a light thing] Probably: is it too light a thing for the 
 house of Judah to commit. ..that they have filled: cf Is. xlix. 6; ch. 
 ix. 9. 
 
 the branch to their fzose] This is supposed to be part of the ceremo- 
 nies of their sun-worship. It is said that the Persian sun-worshippers 
 held before them a branch or bunch of date, pomegranate or tamarisk 
 tree, or according to some of the Homa tree, probably that their 
 breath might not contaminate the glory of the rising deity. The word 
 "nose" might mean face (Gen. iii. 19), but why not "mouth?" And 
 this distinctively Persian rite is hardly probable at so early a date in 
 Israel. Also the reference to idolatry seemed concluded, for it is 
 asked whether these idolatries were not enough, that they had also 
 filled the land with blood. LXX. has given a general sense, "and 
 behold these are as mockers," probably regarding the words as a pro- 
 verbial phrase. 
 
 18. These abominations will assuredly bring down the unsparing 
 chastisements of heaven. The phrase "shall not spare nor pity" is 
 common in the prophet, ch. v. ri, vii. 4, 9, ix. 5, 10. 
 
 crj'...with a loud voice] Comp. ch. xi. 13, and for the general idea 
 of vain appeal to heaven. Is. i. 15; Jer. xi. 11 ; Prov. i. 28. 
 
 This passage contains much that is difficult to estimate. The fact 
 that the things described were seen in the "visions of God," the sym- 
 bolical form in which Jehovah appeared, and the analogy of chh. ix, x, 
 lead to the conclusion that there is at least an ideal and symbolical 
 element in the representation of the idolatries practised in the temple. 
 
6o 
 
 The view of Hitz., Kuen. {Onderz. ii. 278) that the idolatrous practices 
 are to be taken literally but referred to the time of Manasseh is not 
 natural. The prophet would hardly be shewn things once but no 
 longer in existence, though of course he might take a continuous view 
 of Israel's practice, as he often does. The tense in z/. 17 *' which they 
 have committed here" is scarcely evidence for a former generation. It 
 is not easy to say how far the representation that the idolatrous usages 
 were practised in the temple is to be taken literally. Such practices 
 are not referred to by Jeremiah nor other prophets of the time. It is 
 possible that the chambers and cells about the gateways, which appear 
 in some cases to have belonged to private persons, may have been 
 used for illegitimate purposes, but that sun-worship was actually prac- 
 tised between the temple and the altar has little probability. And the 
 scene in the chamber of imagery is obviously ideal. The prophet cer- 
 tainly desires to shew that idolatry both public and in private was 
 practised by all classes, the elders representing the nation, the women, 
 and perhaps also the priests ; and that these idolatries were not only 
 the old native ones of Israel, but new imports at this period from all 
 the nations around. The representation, however, that such things 
 were done in the temple may rather be ideal. The temple was the 
 dwelling-place of Jehovah, and every impurity done not only there but 
 in the land and in the houses of the people was felt in the place of his 
 abode, which it defiled, causing him to withdraw from it (z/. 6, cf. Lev. 
 XV. 31, XX. 3; Num. xix. 13, 20; and the elaborate precautions to 
 guard against defilement adopted in ch. xl. — xlviii). On the other 
 hand those privileged to dwell in the land or have access to the 
 temple are spoken of as dwelling in the house, Ps. xxiii. 6, xxvii. 4, 
 Ixxxiv. 5 &c. See preliminary remarks to the chapter. 
 
 Ch. IX. First act of the divine judgment, slaughter of 
 
 THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITY. 
 
 Ch. viii. presented a picture of the enormities practised by the inhab- 
 itants of the land and of the city, their religious debasement in contrast 
 with the glory of Jehovah. The description was meant to lead up to 
 the conclusion expressed in the end of the chapter, "Therefore will I 
 deal in fury, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity" (ch. 
 viii. 18). Now is shewn the first act of the execution of this threat. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 3. A loud cry proceeded from the glory of the Lord, 
 Bring hither the executioners of the city ! and forthwith are seen 
 approaching from the northern gate of the temple six men, each with 
 his weapon of destruction in his hand, and a seventh clad in linen gar- 
 ments, with a writer's inkhorn at his girdle. The seven take up their 
 position between the house and the brazen altar. 
 
 (2) vv. 4—6. Ere this the glory of the Lord which was over the 
 chembim had risen, or now rose, and stood over the threshold of the 
 temple. From there a cry came to the man clothed in linen to go 
 forth into the city and put a mark upon the foreheads of those who 
 mourned over the evils done in the midst of it, and to the six others to 
 follow him and slay indiscriminately all not so sealed, and to begin at 
 the house of the Lord. 
 
vv. I, 2.] EZEKIEL, IX. 6i 
 
 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, 9 
 Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, 
 even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. 
 And behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, 2 
 
 (3) ^^- 7 — lO' Immediately the work of slaughter commences, 
 beginning with the elders before the house (ch. viii. 16). From there 
 the destroying angels move outwards, polluting the courts with dead, 
 and pass into the city. The prophet is left alone, conscious only of the 
 work going on without. This work fills his mind with such a concep- 
 tion of the wrath of God that it seems to him the whole remnant of 
 Israel must perish before it. He falls on his face and intercedes for 
 them, but is answered that the sin is great, and must be unsparingly 
 chastised. 
 
 (4) V. II. While his intercession is repelled, the man clad in linen 
 garments returns, announcing the fulfilment of the commands given to 
 him and his fellows. 
 
 1. that have charge over the city] Lit. either the "oversights" 
 (overseers), or the "visitations" (visitants) of the city. The latter is 
 most natural, "visitations" being said for "those who visit," that is, the 
 executioners (Jer. lii. 11). Cf. Is. Ix. 17 (officers). The verb may be 
 rendered as A.V. Bring near, or Draw near (ch. xxxvi. 8 ; Job xxxi. 
 37). The. per/., the executioners are at hand, is less suitable to the 
 loud cry, and the immediate appearance of the seven men seems in 
 response to the summons. 
 
 2. six men] The symbolism represents the judgment of God as exe- 
 cuted by supernatural agents, immediately under his command. These 
 agents are called "men," having the human form to the eyes of the pro- 
 phet (cf. ch. xl. 3, xliii. 6). Six of the men had instruments of destruction 
 in their hands, and the seventh was clothed in linen garments with an 
 inkhorn at his girdle. The inkhom consisted of a case for holding the 
 reed pens, with an inkholder attached near the mouth of the case. 
 These inkhorns are carried in the girdle, and those worn by high 
 officials are often of silver, richly chased and ornamented. The purpose 
 of the inkhorn appears in v. 4. The linen garments mark the man's 
 divine sanctity and eminence, not priestly rank (Ew.) ; the high angel, 
 Dan. X. 5, xii. 6, was so clothed, as were the seven angels having the 
 vials of wrath, the last plagues of judgment upon the world. Rev. xv. 6. 
 The seven men entering the inner court proceeded until they stood be- 
 side the brazen altar, in front of the house, whither the glory of the 
 Lord had moved from the cherubim {v. 3). 
 
 the higher gate] Or, upper. What this gate was is not quite clear. 
 It is usually held to be the same gate of the inner court already men- 
 tioned, ch. viii. 3, 5. In Ezekiel's new temple the inner court is 
 higher than the outer, and a flight of steps leads to the gate from the 
 level of the outer court, but probably in the old temple the courts were 
 much on a level. In 2 Kings xv. 35, Jotham is said to have built the 
 "upper gate" of the house of the Lord. This gate seems identical 
 with the upper Benjamin gate, Jer. xx. 2, probably also with the "new 
 
62 EZEKIEL, IX. [vv. 3, 4. 
 
 which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter 
 weapon in his hand ; and one man among them was clothed 
 with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side : and they went 
 
 3 in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the 
 God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he 
 was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the 
 man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by 
 
 4 his side ; and the Lord said unto him, Go through the 
 midst of the city through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a 
 mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry 
 for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 
 
 gate," Jer. xxvi. 10, xxxvi. 10. In the last passage this new gate is 
 said to be in the "upper court," which can hardly be the inner court, 
 but rather a small court which lay at the northern extremity of the 
 outer court, and was elevated some feet above the latter. (See plan in 
 Encycl. Brit., Art. Temple.) At all events the "men" came from the 
 north side of the house into the inner court. The abominations of the 
 people are represented as practised on the north side (ch. viii.), and the 
 instruments of God's vengeance approach from the same quarter. 
 
 the brasen altar'] This is again obscure. It is said in i Kings viii. 
 64 that the brazen altar was too small to receive the burnt-ofiferings and 
 the fat of Solomon's holocausts, and that the king consecrated the 
 middle of the court, and there burnt his offerings. Ahaz caused his 
 priest Uriah to "build" an altar after the pattern of the altar which he 
 saw in Damascus. This new altar must have been of stone, termi- 
 nating at the top in a platform or hearth for burning the fat and sacri- 
 fices upon ; and somewhat after this model the altar in Ezekiel's new 
 temple is to be constructed (ch. xliii. 13 — 17). The altar of Ahaz 
 appears to have been placed in the middle of the court, further from the 
 house than the original position of the brazen altar ; and it is added 
 that Ahaz removed the brazen altar from its former place, and set it on 
 the north side of his new altar (2 Kings xvi. 14). This sense is given 
 both by the Heb. and LXX., though the texts differ in some points. The 
 Heb. reading is not quite natural, and as construed by some it says 
 nothing of a removal of the brazen altar from its former place. (See 
 W. R. Smith, Rel. of Setn., p. 466 seq.) The seven men took up 
 their position either in the middle of the court in the vicinity of the 
 altar place, or considerably nearer the house than the altar of burnt- 
 offering. 
 
 3. from the cherub'] See at the end of ch. x. 
 
 4 — 7. Command to seal those to be spared, and to slay 
 without distinction all others. 
 
 4. set a mark] The word is Tav, the last letter of the alphabet, the 
 old form of which was a cross. The term is used here as in Job xxxi. 
 35, of a mark in general, though perhaps the Tav or cross was the sim- 
 
vv. 5—8.] EZEKIEL, IX. 63 
 
 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him 5 
 through the city, and smite : let not your eye spare, neither 
 have ye pity : slay utterly old and young, both maids, and 6 
 little children, and women : but come not near any man 
 upon whom is the mark ; and begin at my sanctuary. Then 
 they began at the ancient men which were before the house. 
 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts 7 
 with the slain : go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew 
 in the city. 
 
 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I 8 
 was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said. Ah 
 Lord God, wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy 
 
 plest form the mark could take. The passage is imitated, Rev. vii., 
 though the mark there is the name of God. All who mourned over the 
 abominations done in Jerusalem were to be thus sealed and spared. 
 
 5. The other executioners were to follow the footsteps of the seventh 
 man, and slay without discrimination all not marked by him. 
 
 6. begin at my sancttiary\ Judgment begins at the house of God. 
 The Lord had returned for a moment to the place of his abode in the 
 temple, and from there the judgment went forth ; Am. i. 2, "The Lord 
 shall roar out of Zion and give forth his voice from Jerusalem." There 
 he was most present, there most fully known, there if possible most 
 forgotten and provoked, and there his holiness and godhead will assert 
 themselves with most terribleness against the sins of men. 
 
 the ancieftt f/ien] the elders, those mentioned, ch. viii. 16. 
 
 7. Defile the ho7ise'\ The "house" embraces the temple house and 
 its precincts, including the courts. The presence of dead in the courts 
 defiled the whole. 
 
 V. 8 — 10. Intercession of the Prophet. 
 
 a7id I was left^ The executioners passed out of the inner court, 
 leaving only dead behind them, and the prophet was left alone (Is. xlix. 
 21. The anomalous form is to be read impf.). The terrible outbreak of 
 the Divine wrath seemed to forebode the extinction of all the remnant 
 of Israel, and the prophet fell on his face, appealing to the Lord on 
 their behalf. The "residue" suggests the many calamities that had 
 already befallen the people, wearing them down to only a few men 
 (Is. xli. 14, comp. the prophet's own figure of the half-burnt brand, ch. 
 XV.), and the threat of a fire going out upon all the house of Israel 
 seemed about to be realized (ch. v. 4), The prophet passes from one 
 state of feeling to another. Sometimes he is in sympathy with the 
 divine resentment, and is himself full of fury against the sinful people 
 (ch. iii. 14), and of a scorn that rejoices at their coming chastisements 
 (ch. vi. 11), but when the judgments of God are abroad before his eyes 
 he is appalled at their severity, and his pity for men overcomes his re- 
 ligious zeal (ch. xi. 13). 
 
64 EZEKIEL, IX. [vv. 9— ii. 
 
 9 pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem ? Then said he 
 unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is 
 exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city 
 full of perverseness : for they say, The Lord hath forsaken 
 
 10 the earth, and the Lord seeth not. And as for me also, 
 mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will 
 
 11 recompense their way upon their head. And behold, the 
 man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, 
 reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast com- 
 manded me. 
 
 9. full oi pervn'senessX As ra^ixg., wresting of judgment, or turning 
 the innocent out of the way (Am. ii. 7). The Divine answer is inexor- 
 able. Two evils are stated, and the deeper cause of them : violence 
 unto bloodshed, and the perversion of justice, the cause of both being 
 the feeling that Jehovah had forsaken the land. The language shews 
 the strange length to which the hard fate of Israel had brought men — 
 Jehovah had abandoned his land. Possibly these persons concluded 
 that he had retired, being overcome by deities stronger than himself ; 
 even the godly were driven to conclude that he had ceased to interest 
 himself in his people (Is. xl. 27, xlix. 14). And with the departure of 
 Jehovah, the righteous God, all moral restraints were relaxed. The 
 persons who here speak had probably been obstinate opponents of the 
 prophets, but the passage shews that the prophetic preaching of Jeho- 
 vah's righteousness, even when to appearance unheeded, had lodged 
 itself in the consciences of men. 
 
 10. Cf. ch. v. II, vii. 4, viii. 18. 
 
 11. The man clad in linen returns, announcing the execution of 
 Jehovah's commands. 
 
 Ch. X. Second act of the divine judgment, the scattering 
 
 OF FIRE FROM GOD UPON THE CITY. 
 
 The connexion between this chapter and the last is not quite close, 
 otherwise ch. x. 1 would have stood at the beginning. Unobserved by 
 the prophet or at least unmentioned by him the glory had returned from 
 the threshold of the house (ch. ix. 3), and the Lord again sat upon the 
 throne above the cherubim (ch. i. 26). 
 
 (i) vv. I — 3. From his place above the cherubim the Lord com- 
 manded the man clothed with linen garments to approach the fire 
 within the wheelwork and take coals from it to scatter over the city — a 
 symbol of the divine judgment on Jerusalem, on which fire from God 
 would fall as on Sodom. The man advanced towards the cherubim. 
 
 (2) w. 4—8. Meanwhile the glory of the Lord again left the che- 
 rubim, and stood over the threshold of the house, the cloud filling the 
 temple and the brilliancy lighting up the inner court. The chief angel 
 had approached the chariot and the cherub took coals from between the 
 wheelwork, putting them into the hands of the angel, who went forth. 
 
— 5.j EZEKIEL, X. 65 
 
 Then I looked, and behold, in the firmament that was 10 
 above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them 
 as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness 
 of a throne. And he spake unto the man clothed with 2 
 linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, eve7i under the 
 cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between 
 the cherubims, and scatter tJmn over the city. And he went 
 in in my sight. Now the cherubims stood on the right side 3 
 of the house, when the man went in ; and the cloud filled 
 the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from 4 
 the cherub, a7id stood over the threshold of the house ; and 
 the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full 
 of the brightness of the Lord's glory. And the sound of 5 
 the cherubims' wings was heard even to the utter court, as 
 
 The actual strewing of the fire upon the city, though assumed, is not 
 described. 
 
 (3) vv. 9 — 17. Renewed description of the cherubim. 
 
 (4) vv. 18 — 22. Return of the divine glory from the threshold of the 
 house to the cherubim, and movement of the whole manifestation from 
 the inner court to the outside of the eastern gate of the outer court 
 (z^. 18 — 19). Finally the prophet lays stress upon the identity of the 
 cherubim seen here with those which he saw by the river Chebar 
 {tjv. 20 — 22). 
 
 1. in the fir7)iament\ upon or above. V. 4 assumes that the glory 
 of the Lord had returned from the threshold of the house, where it 
 stood (ch. ix. 3), and again appeared above the cherubim. The fact 
 was either unremarked by the prophet or at least has not been men- 
 tioned by him. On the firmament and throne, cf. ch. i. 26 seq. 
 
 2. between the u^heels\ The word is singular and occurs again v. 13, 
 being used as a collective to describe the whole wheel-work. There 
 were four wheels (a different word) which are called here collectively 
 wheelwork, lit. whirling. The word is used of the whirlwind or tempest 
 (Ps. Ixxvii. 18), but also of chariot wheels (Is. v. 28; Ezek. xxiii. 24, 
 xxvi. 10). 
 
 3. the right side of the honse'\ i.e. on the south of the temple proper. 
 It is difficult to see any significance in the position of the cherubim, 
 except that the south side of the house was more in the direction of the 
 city than either the north or east side, and the west side was closed by 
 buildings. 
 
 4. Then the glory went up] This can hardly be rendered, dind...had 
 gone up; consequently the implication in v. i that the glory had 
 returned to the cherubim from the threshold is confirmed. 
 
 6. sound of the cherubiTfis' goings'] It is to be supposed that some 
 movement of the living creatures' wings accompanied the rising of the 
 divine glory from above them, as it is said that when they stood their 
 
 EZEKIEL C 
 
66 EZEKIEL, X. [w. 6— ii. 
 
 6 the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. And it 
 came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed 
 with linen, saying. Take fire from between the wheels, from 
 between the cherubims ; then he went in, and stood beside 
 
 7 the wheels. And 07ie cherub stretched forth his hand from 
 between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the 
 cherubims, and took thereof^ and put // into the hands of 
 him that was clothed with linen : who took //, and went out. 
 
 8 And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's 
 
 9 hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the 
 four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, 
 and another wheel by another cherub : and the appearance 
 
 10 of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as 
 for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a 
 
 11 wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. When they went, 
 they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they 
 went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed 
 
 wings dropped (i. 24). The language oi v. 18 (cf. ix. 3) excludes the 
 supposition that the cherubim as well as the glory moved towards the 
 threshold (Ew.). Jehovah's "speaking" is the thunder (ch. i. 24), but 
 the statement that the sound was heard in the outer court is strange, as 
 the distance was not great. In Ezekiel's day, however, the outer court 
 had not the symmetry which he gives it in his final vision but extended 
 to a considerable distance from the house, and may have been regarded 
 as including the royal buildings (see the plans Ency. Brit., and Stade's 
 Hisi., vol. I.). 
 
 6. On the fire between the cherubim, cf. i. 13. 
 
 7. arid one cherub'] lit. the cherub ; the one on the side approached 
 by the man. The cherubim interposed to hand the fire to the man in 
 linen garments, who received it and went forth (Job i. 12, ii. 7). The 
 symbolism is suggested by Is. vi. 6. 
 
 8. On the " hands " of the cherubim, cf. ch. i. 8. 
 
 Instead of depicting the conflagration of the city, which would have 
 been impossible, the prophet's attention is anew drawn to the cherubim, 
 and a fresh description of the living creatures and of the divine chariot 
 follows. 
 
 9. the four wheels'] Omit : the. The description is somewhat more 
 exact than that given ch. i. 15. A "beryl stone," i.e. Tarshishstone, 
 ch. i. 16. 
 
 10. Cf. ch. i. 16. 
 
 11. Ch. i. 17. 
 
 the head looked] i.e. the front of the chariot. The word is hardly to 
 be rendered the principal, or foremost, referring to the wheels. Cf. ch. 
 i. 12, 17. 
 
vv. 12—14.] E2EKIEL, X. (i^ 
 
 it ; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, 
 and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the 
 wheels, ^£/^/'<? full ^ eyes round about, even the wheels that 
 they four had. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in 
 my hearing, O wheel. And every one had four faces : the 
 first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was 
 the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the 
 
 12. their whole body\ Lit. fiesh, a strange term to be used of the 
 living creatures. LXX. omits. The word "backs" is used of the 
 felloes of the wheels in ch. i. 18, and in this verse the living creatures 
 and the wheels are confused together. 
 
 wheels that they four had] More naturally : even their four wheels, 
 lit. even they four, their wheels, where "they" anticipates " wheels." 
 
 13. in 77iy hearing, O wheel] Rather as mar., They were called 
 in my hearing Wheel, R. V. , whirling loheels. Cf. vv. 2, 6 where the 
 word (galgal) is used by the divine speaker. 
 
 14. The verse, which LXX. omits, is difficult. The words rendered 
 " first face " might have that sense or the sense "one face " at a pinch, 
 but mean naturally "face of the first;" and those rendered "the second 
 face " can hardly mean anything but " the face of the second," for it is 
 precarious to extend constructions like Jer. xlvi. 2 "the year of the 
 fourth" (year) = the fourth year, to other words than "year." The 
 easiest course would be to omit the word "face" before "first" and 
 " second," as in fact it does not stand before "third" and "fourth;" or 
 perhaps it might be enough to omit it before "second " and assume that 
 the anomalous constr. "one face" (Lev. xxiv. 22; 2 Kings xii. 10) had 
 led to the insertion of "face" before "the second." 
 
 face of a cherub] Of the cherub. As the other faces were those of 
 a man, a lion, and an eagle, this face must be that of the ox (ch. i. lo). 
 Why should this be called the face of the cherub ? It is said that the 
 wipged bulls at the portals of Assyrian temples are called cherubs in 
 Assyrian (Fried. Del. Faradies, p. 153, Lenormant, Les origines de 
 Vhistoire^ p. 118), but these winged bulls have not the face of an ox 
 but that of a man, and there is no probability that in Israel the 
 cherubs in the temple were ox-faced. 
 
 It seems possible to explain the verse only by making some suppo- 
 sitions which may appear rather artificial, viz. first that the prophet 
 looking at the phenomenon of the chariot and four creatures as a 
 whole saw four faces presented to him, one (and a different one) by 
 each of the creatures, and that he named the faces which were thus 
 presented to him. We should then translate "the face of the first," 
 " the face of the second" &c., though this seems opposed to the mean- 
 ing of the first words of the verse. And secondly, that he assumes the 
 side of the chariot presented to him not to be the front, but regards the 
 side looking in another direction as the front or head. His view of 
 the chariot is taken when it rose and proceeded eastward {v. 19); and 
 he regards the side of the chariot turned to the east as the front, and 
 
 5-2 
 
68 EZEKIEL, X. [w. 15—21. 
 
 15 fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubims were lifted 
 up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of 
 
 16 Chebar. And when the cherubims went, the wheels went 
 by them : and when the cherubims lift up their wings to 
 mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not 
 
 17 from beside them. When they stood, these stood ; and 
 when they were lifted up, these lift up themselves also : for 
 the spirit of the Hving creature was in them. 
 
 18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the thresh- 
 
 19 old of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the 
 cherubims lift up their wings, and mounted up from the earth 
 in my sight : when they went out, the wheels also were 
 besides them, and every one stood at the door of the east 
 gate of the Lord's house; and the glory of the God of 
 
 20 Israel was over them above. This is the living creature 
 that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar ; 
 
 21 and I knew that they were the cherubims. Every one had 
 
 he calls the cherub which led the movement to the east the cherub. 
 Further at this moment the chariot and cherubim were standing on the 
 south side of the house (v. 3), and the prophet's position was probably 
 near the house and thus to the north or left of the phenomenon. Now 
 the ox-face of all "the cherubs was on their left (ch. i. 10), that is, in 
 the case of a cherub leading the movement eastward, toward the north 
 M^here the prophet presumably was standing. Thus he would see the 
 ox-face of the first cherub (whose human face was eastward, leading 
 the whole chariot). He would also see the man's face of the cherub on 
 the side of the chariot facing himself, the lion's face of the cherub who 
 stood on the west side of the chariot, and the eagle's face of the cherub 
 on the south side of the chariot, for all the eagle-faces looked inward 
 to the centre of the chariot. This is the order followed in the verse. 
 
 15. were lifted up] The prophet identifies the manifestation with 
 that seen at the Chebar when he perceives its movement. The verse is 
 resumed in v. 19. 
 
 16. 17. Cf. ch. i. 19. 
 
 17. lift tip themselves] Were lifted up with them. 
 
 18. The glory of the Lord returns from the threshold of the house 
 to the cherubim, and these mount up and remove outside the precincts 
 of the temple altogether, and stand within the city at the eastern gate- 
 way of the outward court. 
 
 19. every one stood at the door] Rather : they stood y lit. it, viz. the 
 whole manifestation. 
 
 20. were the chertdmns] Were cherubim. The remark that he 
 knew that the living creatures w^ere cherubim is of very great difficulty. 
 It would scarcely be in the sense of the prophet to suppose that he 
 learned that the living creatures were cherubim from hearing them so 
 
V. 22.] EZEKIEL, X. 69 
 
 four faces apiece, and every one four wings ; and the like- 
 ness of the hands of a man was under their wings. And the 22 
 likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by 
 the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves : they 
 went every one straight forward. 
 
 called by the divine speaker {vv. 1, 6) because previous to this he 
 himself has so called them (ch. ix. 3). The meaning is rather that this 
 third vision of them (ch. i. and ch. iii. 23) with its details and move- 
 ments revealed to him that the creatures v^^ere cherubim. But admit- 
 ting that the prophet had visions we can hardly escape the conclusion 
 that the details of the phenomenon of the cherubim repose upon reflec- 
 tion. This reflection may have preceded the visions and been repro- 
 duced in them, but where did he find the elements that entered into his 
 combination? Were they not derived from the temple largely, though 
 also from the storm-cloud? Could he be unaware of the source 
 whence he derived them ? It is possible that in the excitation of the 
 vision he did not recall the processes of his own reflection. Or may it 
 be that we are straining the word "knew" when we understand it in 
 the sense of learned, came to know? This is the natural sense to put 
 upon it in this Book, and up to this time the prophet has not used the 
 name cherubim. 
 
 The derivation of the word cherub is obscure. If Assyrian scholars 
 are right the name is Babylonian, and is found given to the colossal 
 winged bulls (called at other times shidu, Heb. shed) which guard the 
 portals of palaces and temples in Babylonia. The word (Kirubu) is 
 said to have the sense of "great" (Schrader, ICA T. on Gen. iii. 24, Del. 
 Paradies, p. 150 seq.). But though the name be common to Babylo- 
 nian and Hebrew, and though originally the idea expressed by the 
 name may have been the same in both, the usage as known from Baby- 
 lonian literature marks the end of a long development, and that in 
 Hebrew marks the end of another long and independent development, 
 and any attempt to control or explain the one by the other must be 
 made with caution. 
 
 The narrative and essential part of Ch. x. lies in vv. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 18, 
 19; the rest is annotation suggested by points in the narrative, in 
 which ch. i. is repeated without anything essential being added to it. 
 A second description of the cherubim after ch. i. looks unnecessary, 
 and Cornill would excide w. 8 — 17 entirely. There may be occasional 
 glosses in these verses, but no reason exists for cutting them out which 
 does not equally apply to vv. 20 — 22. The whole description of the 
 divine chariot has an appearance of artificiality to us now, but in Eze- 
 kiel we have a peculiar mind, and it is safer to content ourselves with 
 saying that we do not altogether understand the importance which he 
 attaches to the phenomenon of the chariot and the living creatures. 
 
70 EZEKIEL, XI. [v. i. 
 
 11 Moreover the spirit lift me up, and brought me unto the 
 
 Ch. XI. Threat of destruction against the people, es- 
 pecially THE war party IN JERUSALEM, WITH PROMISE OF 
 restoration to THE EXILES. 
 
 Though the symbolism in ch. ix. x., shewing the slaughter of the 
 inhabitants and the burning of the city, might have seemed exhaustive, 
 there were thoughts in men's minds which had to be met, and issues 
 to which reference had to be made. The city was thought impregnably 
 strong, and Jehovah's presence would protect it. The prophet sym- 
 bolizes the departure of Jehovah from it, and warns those who trust 
 to its strength that their trust is vain. Yet the fall of the city is not 
 the last act in Israel's history; the "house of Israel" is wider than 
 the population of Jerusalem, and towards the larger Israel Jehovah 
 has purposes of mercy. He will restore them to their ancient heritage, 
 where they shall serve him in a land purified from all its uncleanness. 
 
 In ch. X. 1 8 it was stated that the glory of the Lord left the threshold 
 of the house and returned to the cherubims, and in ch. x. 19 that the 
 whole manifestation removed from the inner court and stood at the 
 eastern entrance to the outer court of the temple. The prophet also 
 is transported to the same place (ch. xi. i). At the entrance to the 
 gateway he sees twenty-five men, among them two who are named, 
 princes of the people. The twenty-five represent the rulers of the 
 city and the leaders of the inhabitants. 
 
 (i) vv. 2 — 1 2. These men are represented as plotting evil enter- 
 prizes, that is, of rebellion against the king of Babylon. They are 
 not unaware of the danger they incur, but are confident in the pro- 
 tection which the well fortified city will afford them — it is the pot 
 and they are the flesh, which the fire cannot reach. The prophet 
 receives command to prophesy against them, and declare that their 
 confidence is vain. The city shall not protect them; they shall be 
 dragged out of it and slain on the borders of the land, far away from it. 
 
 (2) vv. 13 — 21. While the prophet was delivering this threat one 
 of the two princes named died. Filled with terror at the certainty 
 with which the word of God takes effect, the prophet fell down to 
 intercede that the remnant of Israel might not be destroyed. He is 
 reminded that though Jerusalem fall his fellow exiles remain and all 
 the house of Israel. These exiles were despised by the people of 
 Jerusalem and denied any share in the inheritance of the land; but 
 though the Lord had scattered them he would yet bring them to their 
 ancient home, giving them a new heart to serve him. 
 
 (3) vv. 22 — 25. Finally the divine manifestation rose from the 
 city and stood over the Mount of Olives. The prophet was carried 
 back to Chaldaea; the hand of the Lord was lifted from him, and he 
 awoke out of his vision, the contents of which he narrated to them of 
 the captivity. 
 
 1 — 12. The MEN THAT plot EVIL. 
 
 1. The gate referred to is the outer eastern gate ; the position taken 
 up by the cherubim and glory was outside the temple precincts wholly. 
 
vv. 2, 3.] EZEKIEL, XI. 71 
 
 east gate of the Lord's house, which looketh eastward : and 
 behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men ; among 
 whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the 
 son of Benaiah, princes of the people. Then said he unto 3 
 me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, 
 and give wicked counsel in this city : which say, It is not 3 
 near ; let us build houses : this city is the caldron, and we 
 
 Jaazaniah and Pelatiah are named "princes of the people." Possibly 
 they were more prominent members of the ruling party. It is the 
 manner of the prophet to introduce elements of reality into his sym- 
 bolical pictures (cf. ch. xxiv. 16 seq.), and it is unnecessary to regard 
 these two personages as fictitious or seek for some symbolical meaning 
 in their names. A different Jaazaniah was mentioned in ch. viii. 11. 
 The twenty-five men here are not to be identified with those in ch. 
 viii. 16; they are rulers and leaders of the people {v. 2). 
 
 2. give wicked counsel] lit. who counsel evil counsel. The evil counsel 
 probably refers to the revolutionary enterprizes of these men against 
 the authority of Babylon, which the prophet severely condemns (ch. 
 xvii.). The city was divided into factions, one part holding with 
 Babylon and another with Egypt, while some were for peace on any 
 terms. The consequence of these divisions was much bloodshed within 
 the city {v. 6). It is probable that the schemes of these plotters were 
 only being hatched (^v. 5); it was not till some time later that the 
 steps now meditated were actually taken. 
 
 3. It is 7iot near; let us biiild\ Rather as R.V. The time to 
 build houses is not near, lit. the building of houses is not near. The 
 phrase "to build houses" is to be taken as in ch. xxviii. 26, "And 
 they shall dwell with confidence therein, and shall build houses and 
 plant vineyards and shall dwell with confidence." To build houses 
 is a sign and a consequence of a time of peace and security (Is. Ixv. 
 ■21; Jer. xxix. 5, 28). These agitators desire to turn men's minds 
 away from peaceful occupations, and make them contemplate other 
 measures, assuring them that when war comes the strong city will 
 be their salvation — it is the pot which will protect the flesh from the 
 fire around it. Others, e.g. Ew., take the phrase interrogatively: Is 
 not the building of houses near? This, however, hardly corresponds 
 to the situation, which is not one of war which it is hoped will speedily 
 pass over, but one of contemplated rebellion. LXX. renders : Have 
 not the houses been recently built? it is the pot &c. ; so Corn. This 
 gives a closer connexion to the two halves of the verse, but "houses" 
 could hardly have the sense of fortifications, nor does the phrase 
 naturally express the meaning that the damage done to the city when 
 last captured (under Jehoiachin) had been fully repaired. 
 
 this city is the caldroti'] lit. it is the caldron or pot. The phrase 
 implies two things, the danger of fire around, and that the strong 
 city will prove a protection to those within it. These revolutionary 
 spirits are aware of the risks they run, but with a certain grimness 
 
72 EZEKIEL, XL [vv. 4—12. 
 
 4 be the flesh. Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O 
 
 5 son of man. And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and 
 said unto me, Speak ; Thus saith the Lord ; Thus have ye 
 said, O house of Israel : for I know the things that come 
 
 6 into your mind, every one ^them. Ye have multiplied your 
 slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with 
 
 7 the slain. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Your slain 
 whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and 
 this city is the caldron : but / will bring you forth out of the 
 
 8 midst of it. Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a 
 
 9 sword upon you, saith the Lord God. And I will bring you 
 out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of 
 
 10 strangers, and will execute judgments among you. Ye shall 
 fall by the sword ; I will judge you in the border of Israel ; 
 
 11 and ye shall know that I arji the Lord. This city shall not 
 be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst 
 
 12 thereof ; hut I will judge you in the border of Israel : and 
 ye shall know that I ain the Lord : for ye have not walked 
 
 of humour they make light of them. The figure here is somewhat 
 different from that of the boiling pot for war common in the Arabic 
 poets. 
 
 4. The prophet felt called to prophesy against these men — and all 
 this is part of the vision. See on ch. iii. 21. 
 
 5. things that come into your mind] i.e. your projects. Apparently ' 
 as yet the rebellion was no more than a plan which was being hatched. 
 
 6. Comp. ch, xxii. 25, vii. 23. Those opposed to the schemes of 
 the ruling party, or suspected of opposition, were openly or on various 
 pretexts cut off. 
 
 7. Those slain in the midst of Jerusalem will be the only "flesh" 
 that will remain in the pot. The living conspirators who think they 
 shall be safe shall be dragged forth and judged far away from the pro- 
 tecting city, on the borders of Israel. The figure of the pot and flesh is 
 used differently in ch. xxiv. (The Heb. is probably to be spelled so as 
 to give the meaning "I will bring you forth.") 
 
 8. have feared] Ye fear. The language of the ruling class, in spite 
 of its recklessness {v. 3), betrays the consciousness of the risks they 
 incur ; and their fears shall be more than verified. 
 
 9. hands of strangers] i.e. foreign conquerors, the Babylonians. 
 
 10. in the border of Israel] far away from the city, which they hoped 
 would protect them. Cf. Jer. Iii. 26, "So Nebuzaradan, the captain 
 of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon to 
 Riblah ; and he smote them and put them to death in Riblah, in the 
 land of Hamath." 2 Kings xxv. 18 seq. 
 
 11. 12. vv. 11,12 are wanting in LXX. 
 
vv. 13—15.] EZEKIEL, XI. 73 
 
 in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have 
 done after the manners of the heathen that are round about 
 you. 
 
 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah 13 
 the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, 
 and cried wit/i a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord God, wiU 
 thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel ? Again the m 
 word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, thy 15 
 brethren, eve/i thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all 
 the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabit- 
 
 13. While Ezekiel was uttering this prophecy Pelatiah fell down 
 dead, and the prophet seemed to see in the event the coming destruction 
 of all the remnant of Israel before the wrath of God, and fell on his face 
 to intercede for them. This incident is exceedingly difficult to estimate. 
 The prophet tells us that all the occurrences in ch. viii. — xi. were done 
 in vision. Unfortunately this does not justify us in assuming that the 
 death of Pelatiah was a mere symbolical death, and no reality. For 
 the "vision" is in great measure a mere scheina under which the prophet 
 groups much that had reality, such as his own thoughts, his discourses 
 to the people, and probably actual events happening in Jerusalem. But 
 in grouping the events under the schema of the vision he idealises them, 
 making them expressive of general conceptions and principles, and it is 
 impossible to distinguish between things which were actual but are 
 idealised, and things which are purely creations of the symbolizing 
 imagination. It is possible that Ezekiel prophesied against these 
 princes in Jerusalem (ch. xi. 4), as Jeremiah did against the false pro- 
 phets in Babylon, whom a horrible fate overtook (Jer. xxix. 21), and 
 against Hananiah (Jer. xxviii. 15 seq.), and it is possible that soon 
 afterwards Pelatiah suddenly died, and that these real occurrences have 
 been drawn by the prophet under his schema of the vision. On the 
 other hand the death of Pelatiah may be merely symbolical, to shew 
 with what certainty the word of God takes effect, the symbol being 
 modelled on Jeremiah's prophecy against Hananiah. 
 
 afttll end] See on ch. ix. 8. 
 
 14 seg. The answer of the Lord to the prophet's intercession. The 
 destruction of the inhabitants of Jerusalem is not the end of Israel. The 
 Israel in exile is the Israel whom the Lord regards and will yet restore. 
 
 15. the 7ne7i of thy kindred] Lit. the mefi of thy redemption. This 
 could only mean, the men to be redeemed, or delivered, by thy interces- 
 sion — the men for whom thou shouldst pray. Such a sense is difficult 
 to draw from the words. In usage the term has not the meaning of 
 ' ' kindred . " Probably the word should be so read as to mean " exile " — 
 the men of thy exile, i.e. thy fellow captives. 
 
 are they unto 7vhom] It is better to regard the first words in the 
 verse down to "wholly" as exclamations: "thy brethren, thy brethren, 
 thy fellow exiles, and all the house of Israel, all of it ! they unto whom..." 
 
74 EZEKIEL, XI. [w. i6, 17. 
 
 ants of Jerusalem have said, Get ye far from the Lord : 
 
 16 unto us is this land given in possession. Therefore say, 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Although I have cast them far 
 off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them 
 among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanc- 
 
 17 tuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore 
 say, Thus saith the Lord God ; I will even gather you from 
 the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye 
 
 The sentence is not strictly grammatical, but the exclamations give an 
 answer to the prophet's anxious question, '*wilt thou make a full end of 
 the remnant of Israel?" {v. 13). The destruction of them of Jerusalem 
 is no full end ; the fellow-exiles of the prophet and all the house of 
 Israel scattered abroad (ch. iv. 4, xxxvi. 16) remain. The second half 
 of the verse is loosely attached to the first — ^Aey to whom, &c. 
 
 Get ye far from the Lord] A slight alteration in a point would give 
 the sense: of whom... have said (say), They are far from the Lord. 
 The change is hardly necessary. Those left were in possession of the 
 temple, the abode of Jehovah, and had the assurance of his presence, in 
 which those gone forth had no part, for to go into a foreign land was to 
 come under the dominion of other gods, according to the words of 
 David, "For they have driven me out this day from having part in the 
 inheritance of the Lord, saying. Go serve other gods " (i Sam. xxvi. 19, 
 cf. Deut. iv. 28, xxviii. 36, 64; Jer. xvi. 13; Hos. ix. 3). See ch. viii. 
 12, ix. 9, for the expression of a different mood of feeling. 
 
 is this land given\ is the land. Comp. the expression of similar pre- 
 tensions, ch. xxxiii. 24. 
 
 16 seq. Answer of Jehovah. It is true he has scattered the exiles 
 among the nations ; but he will again gather them. 
 
 16. yet will I be to them] Rather : and have been to them for a 
 sanctuary but little in the countries where they are come. The expres- 
 sion " for a sanctuary but little " refers to the taunt of the dwellers in 
 Jerusalem that the exiles were far from the sanctuary and had no part in 
 Jehovah, It is true that he had not been to the exiles in great measure 
 that which a " sanctuary " is, viz. a presence of Jehovah, a sanctification, 
 and a religious joy. It is doubtful if "sanctuary " has anywhere (even 
 Is. viii. 14) the meaning of asylum, protection; the sanctuary is the 
 abode of Jehovah, and his presence there sanctifies those in the midst of 
 whom he dwells. The exiles longed to be near the sanctuary and 
 mourned their distance from it (Ps. Ixxxiv,, cxxxvii.); while those left 
 in the land boasted of the possession of it and looked on the exiles as 
 outcasts. 
 
 17 — 20. But this time of privation for the exiles shall come to an 
 end. They shall be gathered out of the countries, and the land of 
 Israel given to them ; from which they shall remove all its abominations. 
 They shall receive a new heart to walk in the Lord's commandments ; 
 and he shall be their God and they his people. 
 
vv. 18—21.] EZEKIEL, XI. 75 
 
 have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 
 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all i8 
 the detestable things thereof and all the abominations there- 
 of from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will 19 
 put a new spirit within you ; and I will take the stony heart 
 out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh : that 20 
 they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, 
 and do them : and they shall be my people, and I will be 
 their God. But as for the??i whose heart walketh after the 21 
 heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I 
 will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 give y 01 1 the land of Isracl'\ Those left in the country said : The land 
 is given unto us. They shall be cast out and the land again given to 
 those now in exile. The flower of the nation had been carried away in 
 the captivity of Jehoiachin. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel regard the 
 exiles as the hope of the nation and speak bitterly against the popula- 
 tion remaining at home ; comp. the former's parable of the very naughty 
 figs (ch. xxiv.), and the latter's scornful questions, ch. xxxiii. 24 — 26. 
 Cp. ch. xxviii. 25, xxxiv. 13, xxxvi. 24. 
 
 18. shall take away\'\.t.. xQ.x^ovQ.. Cf. ch. xxxvii. 22, 23. The "de- 
 testable things" are the false gods (i K. xi. 5, 7 ; 2 K. xxiii. 13), and 
 all the accompaniments of the debased worship (cf. ch. xxxiii. 25, 26). 
 
 19. give them one heart'] Cf. Jer. xxxii. 38, " And they shall be my 
 people and I will be their God, and I will give them one heart and one 
 way, that they may fear me for ever." LXX. "another" heart (rfor d). 
 Some MSS., Targ. and Syr. read neia, which is the prophet's own 
 term, ch. xxxvi. 26. Both "another" and "new" form a better anti- 
 thesis to "stony heart" than "one" does. The old stony heart, unim- 
 pressible and obstinate, shall be taken avi^ay, and a heart of " flesh," 
 sensitive and responsive to the touch of Jehovah, shall be given them. 
 
 20. shall be my people] Then shall the covenant between the Lord 
 and Israel be fully realized, for this is the idea of the covenant, that he 
 should be their God and they his people, ch. xxxvi. 28, xxxvii. 27 ; 
 Jer. xxxi. 33. 
 
 21. But those who cleave to their abominations shall receive the 
 recompense of their ways — there is no peace saith the Lord to the 
 wicked (Is. xlviii. 22). 
 
 The language " whose heart walketh after the heart of Xhoix detestable 
 things " is without parallel or meaning ; elsewhere it is : whose heart 
 walketh after their idols (ch. xx. 16, xxxiii. 31, after their covetousness). 
 A different class of persons is referred to from those spoken of in w. 
 17 — 20, either the population in Jerusalem or more naturally those in 
 general who follow idols. The text requires some amendment : but as 
 for those whose heart goeth after their detestable things... their way 
 will I recompense. 
 
76 EZEKIEL, XL [vv. 22—25. 
 
 22 Then did the cherubims hft up their wings, and the wheels 
 besides them ; and the glory of the God of Israel was over 
 
 23 them above. And the glory of the Lord went up from the 
 midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on 
 
 24 the east side of the city. Afterwards the spirit took me up, 
 and brought me in vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, 
 to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen 
 
 25 went up from me. Then I spake unto them of the captivity 
 all the things that the Lord had shewed me. 
 
 •vv. 22 — 25. The manifestation of Jehovah rises from over the city 
 and moves eastward to the Mount of Olives. The city is abandoned 
 by Jehovah (Hos. v, 15). The prophet does not pursue the movement 
 further. The glory passes out by the eastern gate, by which also it 
 returns into the new temple (ch. xliii. i — 4). The prophet is carried 
 back by the spirit to the captivity ; to which he narrates all he had seen. 
 
 Fourth Section, Ch. XII. — XIX. The necessity of Israel's 
 
 DESTRUCTION. 
 
 The preceding symbols, such as those in ch, iv. — xii. and ch. viii. — 
 xi., had foreshewn the certainty of the nation's fall, a new series of 
 discourses demonstrate the necessity of it. Many thoughts and con- 
 siderations occurred to men's minds which invalidated the force of the 
 prophet's threats and disinclined them to receive them, or at least left 
 them in hesitation. They had been for long familiar with threats of 
 judgment, but the threatened storm had passed over. There were 
 also men who saw into the future as well as Ezekiel, who, however, 
 discerned no signs of approaching calamity, but foretold peace and 
 security. And further, was not Israel the people of Jehovah, whom 
 he could not cast away? In a new series of discourses the prophet 
 disposes of such considerations, adding also positive reasons which 
 demonstrate the moral necessity of the nation's removal. The section 
 has these divisions — 
 
 (i) ch. xii. I — 20. Symbol of the king's secret flight and capture. 
 
 (■2) ch. xii. 21 — 28. The popular delusion that prophecies of evil 
 failed to come true, or referred to the distant future, shall receive a 
 speedy and terrible refutation. 
 
 (3) ch. xiii., xiv. The prophets who foster such delusions and 
 preach peace, prophesy out of their own heart and lie. The deceivers 
 and those deceived by them shall perish together. 
 
 (4) ch. XV. Will the Lord destroy the nation of Israel, his own 
 people? — Israel among the nations is like the vinebranch among the 
 trees: what was it ever good for? Particularly, what is it good for 
 now when half-burnt in the fire ? Only to be flung again into the fire 
 and wholly consumed. 
 
 (5) ch. xvi. Let the history of Jerusalem be judged and estimated | 
 
vv. 1—3.] EZEKIEL, XII. ^-j 
 
 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, Son of 12 
 man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which ^ 
 have eyes to see, and see not ; they have ears to hear, and 
 hear not : for they are a rebellious house. Therefore thou 3 
 
 Has it not been a persistent course of ingratitude and unfaithfulness ? 
 Can the issue of it be anything but destruction ? 
 
 (6) ch. xvii. And the perfidy of Zedekiah against the king of 
 Babylon, must it not be chastised ? 
 
 (7) ch. xviii. The principles of the divine government. 
 
 (8) ch. xix. Dirge over Judah and her royal house. 
 
 Ch. XII. Symbol of the flight and capture of the king. 
 
 The passage is without date, but the signs were subsequent to those 
 already described. The first part, vv. i — 20, is rather of the nature of 
 a preface, repeating the certainty of the downfall of the city and nation, 
 while all that follows up to ch. xix. supports this certainty by shewing 
 the moral necessity of Israel's destruction. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 2. An introduction characterizing the house of Israel as 
 blind and unable to discern the signs of the times, and therefore in 
 need of new proofs to convince them. 
 
 (2) vv. 3 — 7. A symbolical action, prefiguring the fate of the king 
 and people on the capture of the city. 
 
 (3) vv. 8 — 16. Exposition of the symbol: the failure of Zedekiah 's 
 attempt at resistance, his flight and capture, exile and death in Babylon, 
 with the dispersion of the people into all lands. 
 
 (4) vv. 17 — 20. A new symbol of the life of anguish and terror 
 which the people shall lead under the foreign invaders. 
 
 (5) 7)v. 21 — 25. Warning against a proverb current in Israel to the 
 effect that "visions," that is, prophecies of evil, did not come true. 
 
 (6) vv. 26 — 28. Warning against a less blameable form of unbelief, 
 the idea that prophecies, such as those now given, referred to a distant 
 time, and that it would be long ere they were fulfilled. 
 
 2. The people of Israel among whom the prophet dwells is a 
 rebellious house (ch. ii. 3, 6, 7, 8, iii. 26, 27). His former signs meet 
 with no belief from them. They have eyes but see not : they behold 
 events and history with their bodily eyes, but fail to discern the moral 
 meaning in them. Events are just events to them, the nature of the 
 God who animates the events remains undiscovered by them (Is. vi. 9, 
 xlii. 20; Jer. v. 21 ; Mark viii. 18). And the signs and words of the 
 prophet make no impression on them ; they say, " Doth he not speak 
 parables?" (ch. xx. 49). Therefore new signs must be given them {v. 4). 
 
 3 — 7. Symbolical action, prefiguring the escape and capture 
 of the fugitives. 
 
 The details of the symbol seem to l^e as follows : First, the prophet 
 prepares "stuff for removing" — such articles as one meaning to escape 
 would carry with him. These things being prepared, he brings them 
 
yB EZEKIEL, XII. [vv. 4—6. 
 
 son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by 
 day in their sight ; and thou shalt remove from thy place to 
 another place in their sight : it may be they will consider, 
 
 4 though they de a rebellious house. Then shalt thou bring 
 forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: 
 and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that 
 
 5 go forth into captivity. Dig thou through the wall in their 
 
 6 sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear 
 
 out. It is not said where he deposits them ; it would be in some place 
 convenient to make his escape from, in the vicinity of the wall of the 
 city. These things he does before the eyes of the people during 
 daylight. His action represents the conduct of persons in a besieged 
 city, whose movements are free within the city ; hence this part of the 
 action is done openly {vv. 3, 4). Secondly, these preparations having 
 been made by day, the prophet himself goes out in the even, in the 
 darkness, and digs through the wall, making his escape at the opening, 
 and carrying on his shoulder the articles which he had prepared to 
 take with him in his flight. Besides doing this in the darkness he 
 covers his face. In doing all this he is a "sign" to the house of 
 Israel : in this way shall the king and those with him seek to escape 
 into exile from the enemy when the city is about to fall into their 
 hands [vv. 4 — 7). 
 
 3. stuff for removing\ Lit. articles of exile, i.e. such articles as one 
 carries with him when going as a fugitive into exile. 
 
 ajtd remove by day\ Lit. remove as into exile. The word is wanting 
 in LXX., which reads: prepare for thyself articles of exile by day in 
 their sight. This is more natural. 
 
 remove from thy place"] The words seem to describe generally the 
 whole symbolical action which the prophet is to perform. 
 
 though they be a rebellious] for they are. 
 
 4. Then shall thou bring] And thou shalt. The prophet is to 
 bring forth the articles which he had prepared, depositing them in some 
 convenient place in readiness to carry with him when he escapes. 
 
 and thou shalt go forth] Possibly : and thou shalt go forth thyself, 
 as R.V. The second half of v. 4 is to be connected with v. 5, de- 
 scribing the prophet's action so far as it symbolizes what refers to the 
 persons of the fugitives. 
 
 5. Dig through the wall] Naturally the "wall" is not the wall of 
 his house, but the city wall. He brought out his articles of flight by 
 day, making them ready for the night-time when he was to escape 
 through the wall. It is absurd to suppose, as is usually done, that he 
 carried his things back into the house, and digged through the wall of 
 his house in the evening. This would mar the action and be ridiculous. 
 The "wall" is the city wall. The question whether Tel Abib was a 
 walled place is of no importance, because the actions were probably not 
 actually performed. 
 
 6. The verse refers to the prophet's going out through the city wall, 
 
vv. 7— lo.] EZEKIEL, XIl. 79 
 
 // upon thy shoulders, and carry // forth in the twilight: 
 thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for 
 I have set thee/^r a sign unto the house of Israel. And I 7 
 did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by 
 day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through 
 the wall with mine hand ; I brought // forth in the twilight, 
 a7id I bare it upon 77iy shoulder in their sight. 
 
 And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, 8 
 saying, Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the re- 9 
 bellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou ? Say thou 10 
 unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden con- 
 cerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel 
 
 bearing on his shoulder the bundle of articles he carried with him in 
 his flight. 
 
 in the twilight] in the darkness. So v. 7. The word again only 
 Gen. XV. 17. 
 
 covei- thy face] This might be to disguise himself, but the next words 
 "thou shalt not see the land" (ground) seem to require a different sense. 
 Cf. vv. 12, 13. 
 
 a sign tmto... Israel] A typical sign, as explained v. 11, "As I have 
 done so shall it be done unto them." Comp. ch. xxiv. •24, 27 ; Is. viii. 
 18 ; XX. 3 ; Zech. iii. 8. 
 
 7. with mine hand] lit. with hand, i.e. by force, Is. xxviii. 2. LXX. 
 omits. 
 
 in the tzuilight] the darkness, as v. 6, so t^. 12. 
 
 z>v. 8 — 16. Exposition of the symbol. 
 
 The action of the prophet is a representation of what shall happen in 
 the last days of the siege. The king and those about him shall prepare 
 for flight; they shall go out secretly through the M'alls, but shall be 
 captured and brought to Babylon. 
 
 8, 9. in the mornitisi] This circumstance might seem to imply that 
 the prophet really performed the actions described. But though in 
 this case performance of the action was not an impossibility it was pro- 
 bably only narrated (see on ch, iv,). The natural sequel of the action 
 (supposing it done), the curiosity of the people, is described, just as the 
 action itself was, as if it had literally been shewn. 
 
 10, 11. The general meaning of these verses is clear enough — the 
 prophet's action is a representation of what shall happen in lerusalem 
 in the case of prince and people, but v. 10 is very obscure, and probably 
 not in its original form. 
 
 This burden concerneth the prince] lit. the prince (is) this burden in 
 Jerusalem. The term "burden" has also the sense of "oracle," but 
 Ez. does not use it in this sense and there is no reason to find any play 
 upon the word as Jer. xxiii. 33. The allusion can only be to the last 
 words of 7/. 7 — I ba7-e it upon my shoulder ; and the meaning would be: 
 this bearing or loading has reference to the prince {v. 12). With this 
 
8o EZEKIEL, XII. [vv. ii— 13. 
 
 Tx that are among them. Say, I am your sign : Uke as I have 
 done, so shall it be done unto them : they shall remove and 
 
 12 go into captivity. And the prince that is among them shall 
 bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth : 
 they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby : he 
 shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes. 
 
 «3 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken 
 in my snare : and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of 
 the Chaldeans ; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die 
 
 sense the following words must run : and all the house of Israel which are 
 in the midst of it (Jerusalem — with a change of one letter). The objec- 
 tion to this that if the relative were subject the pronoun would not be 
 expressed after it (Hitz., Keil) is worthless. But there are other objec- 
 tions more valid : "all the house of Israel" could hardly be used of the 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem, the phrase usually refers to the larger Israel, 
 existing in all places. R.V. "this burden coucerneth the prince. ..and 
 all the house of Israel among whom they are ;" but concerneth is said of 
 the "prince" and of "all the house of Israel" in different senses. 
 Notwithstanding the objections to it the easiest course is to read: in 
 the midst of ii (Jerusalem) as above. Corn, omits the verse as a gloss. 
 
 11. / am your sign] i.e. a sign to you — the exiles, to whom he is 
 speaking; while done "to them" refers to the inhabitants of Jerusa- 
 lem. Cf. V. 6. 
 
 12. shoidder in the twilight^ and shall] The balance of clauses 
 requires : shall bear upon his shoulder ; in the darkness shall he go 
 forth (or, carry forth — a slight change of reading, which obviates the 
 unnatural a?:d). 
 
 that he see not the ground] Rather as R.V., because he shall not 
 see the land. 
 
 ■with his eyes] Lit. by eyesight himself. The language is unnatural. 
 LXX. " that he may not be seen by eye, and he himself shall not see the 
 land." Whether original or not this rendering combines the two ideas 
 expressed by "covering the face," viz. that of disguise (Job xxiv. 15), 
 and that of inability to see (Job ix. 24). The prophet clearly foresaw 
 the fall of the city and the captivity of the king, and he may have 
 threatened the king with a chastisement for his rebellion which, though 
 barbarous, was not unusual in that age. If he did so it is still probable 
 that afterwards when composing his Book he made the references to 
 the putting out of the king's eyes more distinct {v. 13). 
 
 13. The king's flight shall be unavailing ; he shall be captured and 
 brought blinded to Babylon, where he shall die. As the Lord fought 
 against Jerusalem in the siege, so it is he that ensures the capture of 
 the king. It is in his net that he is ensnared and taken ; Hos. vii. 12, 
 " when they go, I will spread my net upon them ; I will bring them 
 down as the fowls of heaven." Cf. Ez. xvii. 20; xxxii. 3. 
 
 yet shall he not see it] The eyes of Zedekiah were put out by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar at Riblah. 2 Kings xxv. 5 seq.-, Jer. lii. 8, 11. 
 
vv. 14—22.] EZEKIEL, XII. 81 
 
 there. And I will scatter toward every wind all that are 14 
 about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw 
 out the sword after them. And they shall know that I am 15 
 the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and 
 disperse them in the countries. But I will leave a few men 16 
 of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the 
 pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations 
 among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know 
 that I am the Lord. 
 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son 's 
 of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water 
 with trembling and with carefulness; and say unto the ^9 
 people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God, of the inhabit- 
 ants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel ; They shall eat 
 their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with 
 astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is 
 therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell 
 therein. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid 20 
 waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know 
 that I am the Lord. 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of ^2 
 
 14 — 16. All the armies and aids of the king shall be dispersed and 
 pursued with the sword. They shall be scattered among the nations, 
 and their history shall bring to their knowledge what Jehovah, their 
 God, truly is. A remnant of them shall be spared among the nations 
 that they make known to them their abominations, and these also 
 shall learn what the God of Israel is. Jerusalem and Israel is set in 
 the midst of the nations round about (eh. v. 5), its history is a drama 
 enacted before the eyes of mankind, and the drama when finished will 
 reveal, not only to Israel but the nations of the world, Jehovah in his 
 fulness. Cf. ch. xiv. 22, 23, xvii. 24, xx. 9, xxxviii. 23, xxxix. 23; 
 Is. v. 16; Jer. xxii. 8. 
 
 17 — 20. A new symbol of the terror and violence and desolation 
 about to come upon the land. 
 
 18. It is obvious that this symbol could not have been actually 
 performed. Cf. ch. iv. i6. 
 
 19. Jerusalem and of the land] Rather: Jerusalem in (lit. upon) 
 the land. 
 
 because of the violence'] The punishment of violence is violence. 
 The internal wrong and oppression shall be avenged by a cnishing 
 violence and destruction from without. Am. iii. 9 — 11. The phrase 
 "desolate from all that is therein," \\i. from its fulness., means desolate 
 and emptied of its fulness. 
 
 EZEKIEL 6 
 
82 EZEKIEL, XII. [vv. 23, 24. 
 
 man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, 
 saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? 
 
 23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God ; I will make 
 this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a 
 proverb in Israel ; but say unto them, The days are at hand, 
 
 24 and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more 
 
 21 — 28. Warning against despising of prophecy. 
 
 The prophet felt that such threats as those just uttered {vv. i — 20) 
 were neglected and little thought of. People disposed of such pro- 
 phecies by saying that they did not come true; or, if they did not go so 
 far, by saying that they referred to the distant future. Ezekiel warns 
 them that Jehovah's threatenings bear upon the present time, and 
 that they shall be fulfilled. 
 
 22. The days are prolonged^ i.e. time passes and becomes long. 
 The words are a generalization upon the fact that prophecies of judg- 
 ment are not fulfilled; time goes on and "every vision faileth," remains 
 a dead threat. LXX. omits "every," giving even a more comprehensive 
 sense. The reference is specially to prophecies of judgment, and there 
 was room for misapprehension in regard to these, because being drawn 
 forth by moral evils existing when they were uttered, they were of 
 the nature of threats, the object of which was to bring the people to 
 repentance, and thus prevent their own fulfilment. For the same 
 reason they were often of a general character, and thus when their 
 fulfilment was postponed or when they were not literally fulfilled, 
 men judged that they were merely uttered in the air. The moral 
 purpose and consequently the contingent character of prophecy is 
 expressly taught in Jer. xviii., and was well understood by intelligent 
 persons in Israel, as appears from the reasoning of the princes in 
 regard to the prophecy of Micah, Jer. xxvi. 17 — 19. 
 
 23. Judgment had been so often threatened and so often deferred 
 that the failure of prophecy to realize itself became a proverb. Too 
 superficial to apprehend the meaning of its postponement these scoffers 
 made light of the threatened judgment (2 Pet, iii. 3, 9). Now they 
 shall be undeceived. For similar popular sentiments, cf. Jer. v. 13, 14, 
 xvii. 15. 
 
 the effect of every vision] Lit. the word — the contents, of every 
 vision. 
 
 24. Another thing which robbed the word of the true prophets, 
 who threatened judgment, of its force was the fact that there were 
 other prophets who spoke in a contrary sense, preaching peace and 
 security. Prophets, though alike speaking in the name of Jehovah, 
 contradicted one another, and the people, even if anxious to know the 
 truth, had no criterion whereby to judge between them. The scene 
 between Jeremiah and Hananiah (Jer. xxviii.) is very instructive as to 
 the condition in which the people were left. There was nothing in 
 Jeremiah to shew him to be a true prophet, and nothing in Hananiah 
 
vv. 25—28.] EZEKIEL, XII. 83 
 
 any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of 
 Israel. For I am the Lord : I will speak, and the word 25 
 that I shall speak shall come to pass ; it shall be no more 
 prolonged : for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say 
 the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of ^^ 
 man, behold, they ^/the house of Israel say, The vision that 
 he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the 
 times thai are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith 23 
 
 to prove him false. Truth and falsehood could be distinguished in those 
 days in no other way than now : he who has to distinguish must find 
 the criterion in himself — he that is of the truth heareth my voice. The 
 people believed that Jehovah spoke by prophets, but by which prophets, 
 whether Jeremiah or his opponents, they had to decide out of their own 
 hearts, and not unnaturally (Mic. ii. 11) they despised Jeremiah as a 
 false prophet and held to his opponents (Jer. xviii. 18). 
 
 no more... flattering divination'] These false prophecies of peace 
 shall cease, for the same judgment which confirms the true prophecy 
 shall annihilate the false. The term "divination" was employed of 
 the methods of reaching the mind of the deity used by the native popu- 
 lations of Canaan (Deut. xviii. 10; i Sam. vi. 2). They were such 
 appliances as lots, arrows, and other methods of augury (Ezek. xxi. 
 21). Possibly these methods had in some degree passed into use in 
 Israel, and were employed by a low prophecy. In true prophecy these 
 mechanical arts were discarded : Jehovah spoke to the mind of the 
 prophet in his mind. Here, however, the word "divination" is used 
 of the oracles of the prophets who were false, even though not em- 
 ploying any external arts of augury. Their prophecy is called " flatter- 
 ing," lit. smooth, because it promised immunity from trouble and 
 disaster. Cf. Jer. xiv. 14. 
 
 25. for I d,m the Lord] Rather: for I the Lord will speak. Lit. 
 for I the Lord will speak what word I shall speak, and it shall come 
 to pass. The sense is given by A.V. The word which the Lord 
 speaks to this generation shall be fulfilled before it pass away. 
 
 26 — 28. If others did not go so far as to disregard prophecy al- 
 together, they concluded that the prophecies bore reference to the 
 future, and that the judgments threatened would not come in their 
 day (Is. xxxix. 8). This also was an inference not unnatural. The 
 prophecies of the true prophets were moral and designed even when 
 threatening to turn men away from their sins, and thus in a manner 
 to frustrate their own fulfilment. They were not absolute predictions, 
 but conditional threats, which might be averted on repentance and 
 amendment (Jonah; Jer. xviii.; Joel ii. 14). And in point of fact the 
 most terrible threatenings of judgment were connected with the "day 
 of the Lord," which might be supposed not very near (Is. v. 18, 19). 
 Cf. on V. 22; I lab. ii. ^ 
 
 6 — 2 
 
84 EZEKIEL, XIII. [vv. 1—3. 
 
 the Lord God ; There shall none of my words be prolonged 
 
 any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, 
 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 13 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 
 
 ^ man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, 
 
 and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own 
 
 3 hearts. Hear ye the word of the Lord ; thus saith the Lord 
 
 28. word which I have spoken] which I shall speak, lit. vi'hat word 
 I shall speak. Cf. for construction, Jer. xiv. i, xlvi. i ; Am. v. i. 
 
 Ch. XIII. Against the false prophets and prophetesses. 
 
 The passage is an expansion of ch. xii. 24, and has three main parts : 
 first, vv. I — 9 denunciation of the prophets as persons who help forward 
 the downfall of the state, as foxes among the ruins only undermine that 
 which is still standing. Secondly, vv. 10 — 16 denunciation of them 
 under another graphic figure — they are persons who whitewash the 
 tottering wall which the people build. Thirdly, vv. 17 — 23 denuncia- 
 tion of the prophetesses who ensnare souls. 
 
 1 — 9. The lying prophets are like foxes among the ruins. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 3. The inspiration of these prophets is not from the spirit 
 of God but from their own heart. 
 
 (2) vv. 4, 5. Consequently so far as the state was concerned they 
 were like foxes among the ruins ; they burrowed among these and only 
 helped to bring down what might still be standing. 
 
 (3) 7JV. 6, 7. They deceived the people, and were self- deceived. 
 They prophesied lies, and looked that God would establish their lies. 
 
 (4) VV. 8, 9. Therefore destruction shall overtake them. The people 
 of the Lord, when the day of chastisement has passed, shall be again a 
 people in their own land, but the names of these prophets shall not be 
 found among them. 
 
 2. prophets of Israel thai prophesy] There seems a kind of sarcasm 
 on " prophets of Israel," — those whom Israel accepts and delights to 
 regard as prophets (Mic. ii. 11); and a similar sarcasm in "that pro- 
 phesy." They prophesied and that without limit : their mouths were always 
 full of "thus saith the Lord" [v. 6). LXX., however, reads rather dif- 
 ferently. Jer. xviii. 18 shews how the people regarded their prophets ; they 
 had faith in them and believed that Jehovah spoke by them, while such 
 men as Jeremiah they judged to be false prophets : Come, let us devise 
 devices against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, 
 nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Cf. Jer. 
 xliii. 2. 
 
 their ozun hearts'] The inspiration of these prophets came from their 
 own hearts or minds — their own thoughts and hopes, and judgment upon 
 the situation in which they were placed. They had nothing higher 
 than human wisdom, while the inspiration of the true prophet came 
 from the spirit of God. 
 
V. 3] EZEKIEL, XIII. 85 
 
 God ; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own 
 
 3. foolish prophet s\ The word, not used again by Ezekiel, is rather 
 a moral term, meaning destitute of that wisdom the beginning of which 
 is the fear of the Lord (Ps. xiii. i). Jeremiah charges the prophets of 
 his day with shameful vices, "They commit adultery with their neigh- 
 bours' wives" (Jer. xxix. 23, cf. xxiii. 14, and pass.)-, but, without 
 supposing that all the "false" prophets were so bad, it characterized 
 them in general that they were superficial men in a moral sense. Their 
 notions of religion and life were not high or strict, and hence they saw 
 nothing in the condition of the people or the state calling for the judg- 
 ment of God, and prophesied "peace." This was what distinguished 
 them from Jeremiah and other prophets whom we call "true." Micah 
 says in opposition to them : "I am full of power by the spirit of the 
 Lord to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin" 
 (ch. iii. 8) ; and Jeremiah goes so far as to declare it to be the mark 
 of a true prophet that he threatens judgment upon the nation (Jer. 
 xxviii. 8, 9). A true prophet is one by whom the Lord speaks, and 
 a "false" prophet (the expression is not used in the Old Testament, 
 though the prophets are said to speak "falsely") is one by whom 
 he does not speak. This is true: but the converse has also its 
 truth — the Lord did not speak by these prophets because they were 
 "false" (i Kings xxii. 6 seq.). There is a spirit of false prophecy 
 as well as a spirit of true prophecy. The spirit of true prophecy 
 is the spirit of the theocracy and of the religion of Jehovah, the 
 spirit that comprehends its principles, sympathises with its lofty 
 morality, understands its aims, and therefore can perceive the true 
 means to be used for fulfilling them. The spii'it of false prophecy is 
 the untheocratic spirit, which, even when speaking in the name of 
 Jehovah, has not entered with any profoundness into the nature and 
 aims of his kingdom, and consequently misapprehends the means 
 needful to further it. In his encounters with the prophets of his day 
 Jeremiah opposes them in three spheres : that of policy ; that of morals; 
 and that of personal experience. In policy the genuine prophets had 
 some fixed principles, all arising out of the idea that the kingdom of the 
 Lord was not a kingdom of this world. Hence they opposed military 
 preparation (Ps. xx. 7), riding on horses and building of fenced cities 
 (Hos. xiv. 3; Mic. v. 10, 11; Is. xxxi. i), and counselled trust in Je- 
 hovah (Is. vii. 9, x. 20, 21, xvii. 7, xxx. 15). These prophets were 
 moving forward (often unconsciously) towards that conception of the 
 kingdom of God which has been realized in the "Church;" and exter- 
 nal providence was shaping the history of the nation on lines parallel to 
 this conception, which eventually received form by the destruction of the 
 state and the reduction of the people to be a mere religious community. 
 The false prophets, on the other hand, desired their country to be a 
 military power among the powers around, they advocated alliances with 
 the Eastern empires and with Egypt, and relied on their national strength 
 (Am. vi. 13). Again, the true prophets had a stringent personal and 
 state morality (see above). In their view the true cause of the destruc- 
 tion of the state was its immoralities. But the false prophets had no 
 
86 EZEKIEL, XIII. [vv. 4, 5. 
 
 4 spirit, and have seen nothing ! O Israel, thy prophets are 
 
 5 Uke the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the 
 gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to 
 
 such deep moral convictions, and seeing nothing unwonted or alarming 
 in the condition of things, prophesied of "peace." They were not 
 necessarily irreligious men, but their religion had no truer insight into 
 the nature of the God of Israel than that of the common people (Am. v. 
 18); hence they pointed to the Temple as the house of the Lord, which 
 he must protect; while Jeremiah told them that they had made it " a 
 cave of robbers," in which they thought themselves safe after committing 
 their crimes, and threatened it with the fate of Shiloh (Jer. vii., xxvi.). 
 And finally Jeremiah expresses his conviction that the prophets whom 
 he opposed did not stand in the same relation to the Lord as lie did ; 
 they had not his experiences of the word of the Lord, into whose counsel 
 (Am. iii. 7) they had not been admitted, and they were without that 
 fellowship of mind with the mind of Jehovah which was the true source 
 of prophecy (Jer. xxiii. pass.). Hence he satirizes their pretended 
 supernatural "dreams," and charges them from conscious want of any 
 true prophetic word with "stealing" words from one another. Cf. vv. 
 6, 7 and ch. xiv. 
 
 their own spirit\ The term is used in opposition to the " spirit" of 
 the Lord which inspired the true prophet, who is called "a man of the 
 spirit" (Hos. ix. 7). As distinct from heart "spirit" is rather the force 
 or power moving the prophet. In early times the prophets were the 
 subjects of considerable excitation ; and looking on them thus power- 
 fully affected men recognised the influence of the spirit of God upon 
 them. 
 
 and have seen nothing] Rather : and (go after) that wMch they have 
 not seen. They did not see, though no doubt they thought they saw. 
 They were self deceived. 
 
 4. foxes in the deserts'] in the waste places, i.e. ruins. The pro- 
 phets are like foxes ; ruins are congenial to them; a condition of decay 
 is their proper sphere ; there they can burrow as their instincts prompt 
 them. The main idea, however, is that their operations only increase 
 the devastation and undermine and bring down anything that may yet be 
 standing. In a declining and disastrous time the minds of men are 
 excited and feed on the wildest schemes, and feeling themselves helpless 
 they readily turn to those who pretend to speak to them in God's name. 
 And it only adds to their ruin when those to whom they turn have no 
 higher wisdom than themselves. 
 
 5. gone up into the gaps] Or, breaches. Ezekiel turning to the 
 prophets themselves uses "ye" — a frequent change of person in 
 animated speech. 
 
 made up the hedge] Or, fence, R.V. If they had been true prophets 
 they would have done two things : stood in the breach, and made a 
 wall of defence for Israel. Without figure : these prophets knew 
 neither what measures to adopt to stop the way of the invading 
 dangers, nor what protective methods to recommend that the state 
 
vv. 6— 8.] EZEKIEL, XIII. 87 
 
 stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen 6 
 vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith, and the 
 Lord hath not sent them : and they have made others to 
 hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen ^ 
 a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, 
 whereas ye say. The Lord saith //; albeit I have not 
 spoken ? Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because ye 8 
 have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore behold, I am 
 
 might be successfully defended. They are hardly charged with want 
 of personal courage when it is said they go not up into the breach ; 
 rather they wanted wisdom and insight, they had no measures to 
 suggest which would repair or protect the fortunes of the people. 
 Another prophet with more pathos describes the incompetence of 
 Israel's leaders in the day of her distress : "there was none to guide 
 her among all the sons which she had brought forth ; neither was there 
 any to take her by the hand of all the sons that she had brought up " 
 (Is. li. 18). No doubt the one measure to adopt was repentance and 
 trust in the Lord ; Am. v. 14, " Seek good, and not evil... and so the 
 Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say." 
 
 6, 7. Their prophecies are false : they are self-deceived. 
 
 6. have made others to hope'] Rather : they have hoped for the 
 confirmation of the word. The usual sense of the verb is to "hope ; " 
 only in a single passage (Ps. cxix. 49) does it appear to mean to "cause 
 to hope." The false prophets looked for the confirmation (in fulfil- 
 ment) of their prophecies and visions — they were self-deceived, not 
 consciously false. Prophecy being an inward thing, a speaking by 
 the spirit in the mind and to the mind, there was no external criterion, 
 and while the true prophet had the witness in himself that he was 
 true, the false prophet might not be aware that he was false (Jer. xxiii. 
 21, 31). It is an interesting question what kind of mental experience 
 the true prophet had, which verified to him his own genuineness. 
 
 vv. 8, 9. Chastisement from Jehovah upon these prophets. 
 
 Because these prophets speak falsely Jehovah is against them, for 
 he is the living and the true {v. 8) ; but that which God is against must 
 speedily feel the effects of his opposition — his hand will be upon them 
 {v. 9). There is no inert, inoperative opposition on God's part. The 
 sweep of his operation is so vast that its movement may be unperceived, 
 as the earth appears to stand still, though moving with inconceivable 
 rapidity, but its effect will become apparent. 
 
 9. The punishment is described in three steps, which form a climax. 
 At present these prophets possess influence, they are counsellors and 
 leaders ; when Israel is a nation again upon her own land they shall 
 have no place in the council of the people — read council for assembly 
 as niarg. Now they occupy a high place in the roll of citizens, and 
 have nameb distinguished ; then their names shall not be written in 
 the writing (i.e. the book or register-roll) of the house of Israel ; 
 
88 EZEKIEL, XIII. [vv. 9— ii. 
 
 9 against you, saith the Lord God. And mine hand shall be 
 upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine Hes : they 
 shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they 
 be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall 
 they enter into the land of Israel ; and ye shall know that I 
 
 10 ain the Lord God. Because, even because they have 
 seduced my people, saying, Peace \ and there was no peace ; 
 and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with un- 
 
 11 tempered f?iorter : say unto them which daub it with untem- 
 pered morter, that it shall fall : there shall be an overflowing 
 shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy 
 
 cf. Ezr. ii. 62 ; Is. iv. 3. And finally, they shall not have a place in 
 the land at all — Israel shall return, while they shall perish. Jeremiah 
 had already used the same language in regard to Shemaiah, a prophet 
 who misled the exiles, Jer. xxix. 32. 
 
 10—16. The prophets whitewash the tottering wall which 
 
 THE people build. 
 
 10. Because^ even becausel A solemn and emphatic introduction of 
 the offence of the prophets ; ch. xxxvi. 3 ; Lev. xxvi. 43. 
 
 seduced] Or, led astray. 
 
 peace ; and there was no peace] " Peace " includes security and pros- 
 perity ; cf. Mic. iii. 5 ; Jer. vi. 14, viii. 11, xxiii. 17. 
 
 and one built up a %valt\ Rather : and it (the people) buildetli up 
 a wall, and behold they (the prophets) daub it with whitewash, or 
 plaster. The word for "wall" (occurring only here) is not the usual 
 one, though similar to the one common in Arab. ; in usage it may 
 have meant "a slight wall," as marg., or a partition. The figure 
 incisively describes the futile projects of the people, and the feeble 
 flattery and approval of the prophets. When a weak man cannot 
 originate anything himself, he acquires a certain credit (at least in his 
 own eyes) by strong approval of the schemes of others, saying. Right ! 
 1 give it my cordial approval, and indeed would have suggested it. 
 What made the prophets whitewash the wall which the people built 
 was partly the feeling that from the place they occupied they must do 
 something, and maintain their credit as leaders even when being led ; 
 and partly perhaps that having no higher wisdom than the mass they 
 quite honestly approved their policy. Being sharers with them in the 
 spirit of the time they readily acquiesced in their enterprises. 
 
 1 1 seq. Threat of destruction under the figure of a hailstorm, 
 which shall sweep away the wall and those who daub it with whited 
 plaster. 
 
 11. and ye, great hailstones] The apostrophe to the hailstones is 
 rather unnatural. A different pointing gives the sense, aizd I will 
 cause great hailstones to fall, but the construction is altogether impro- 
 bable. Jer. viii. 13, is not in point. 
 
vv. 12—18.] EZEKIEL, XIII. 89 
 
 wind shall rent it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not 12 
 be said unto you, Where is the daubing where7£////^ ye have 
 daubed itl Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will 13 
 even rent // with a stormy wind in my fury ; and there shall 
 be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones 
 in 7ny fury to consume //. So will 1 break down the wall 14 
 that ye have daubed ivith untempered morter, and bring it 
 down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be 
 discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the 
 midst thereof: and ye shall know that I a?n the Lord. Thus 15 
 will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them 
 that have daubed it with untempered mortcr, and will say 
 unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it ; 
 to wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning 16 
 Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there 
 is no peace, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Likewise thou son of man, set thy face against the 17 
 daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own 
 heart ; and prophesy thou against them, and say. Thus saith 18 
 
 wind shall rent it] Or, a strong wind shall break forth. 
 
 12. Confusion of the false prophets. 
 
 13. rent it with a stormy wmd'\ Rather : cause d, stormy wind to 
 break forth. 
 
 14. shall be discovered^ i.e. uncovered, laid bare. The prophets 
 shall be destroyed in the ruins of the wall (Am. ix. i). The figure 
 tends in these words to be replaced by the reality, namely, Jerusalem 
 and its downfall. 
 
 16. to wit, the prophets'] This construction puts "the prophets" in 
 apposition with the last words oi v. 15 "they that daubed it." The 
 words may be taken as an address : Ye prophets of Israel &c. 
 
 17 — 23. Denunciation of the false prophetesses. 
 
 Female prophets were not unknown in Israel whether in earlier or 
 later times, as Deborah (Judg. iv. 3) and Huldah (2 Kings xxii. 14). 
 The prophetesses referred to here were like the prophets, prophesying 
 out of their own heart {v. 17). Their prophesying was by some species 
 of divination, which they used in order to obtain oracles. The me- 
 thods of divination practised are somewhat obscure : they bound fillets 
 upon the joints and threw cloths or veils over the heads of those who 
 consulted them. By these means they "hunted" souls; they saved 
 souls alive that should not live and slew souls that should not die 
 {v. 19), or as expressed otherwise, they made the heart of the righteous 
 sad and strengthened the hands of the wicked {v. 22). In other words 
 
90 EZEKIEL, XIII. [v. 19. 
 
 the Lord God ; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all 
 armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature 
 to hunt souls ! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will 
 19 ye save the souls alive that come unto you ? And will ye 
 pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for 
 pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to 
 save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my 
 
 like the false prophets they misled the people, promising life to the 
 ungodly and prophesying disaster to those who were righteous. 
 
 18. pillows to all at'mholes] Probably : fillets or bands to all 
 joints of the hand. Heb. appears to read "my hands," which is no 
 doubt an error of transcription ; none of the ancient versions repro- 
 duces the reading. The term rendered "kerchiefs" probably means 
 veils or coverings to the head, which fell down over the whole body, 
 and were adapted in size to the person to be covered, whether young or 
 old. The language is to be understood literally, and not as a metaphor, 
 with the meaning, to lull into ease and security. Ephrem Syrus 
 already considered the reference to be to amulets worn on the arms, 
 from which responses were brought forth, and the translation cited in 
 the Hexapla as the "Hebrew" renders "phylacteries." Fried. Del. 
 (Baer's Ezek., pp. xii., xiii.) quotes a Babylonian formula of incanta- 
 tion in which reference is made to such fillets and cloths. 
 
 soids alive that come unto yoii] Lit., save souls alive for yourselves, 
 i.e. to your advantage or profit. R.V. marg., souls that are yours, may 
 represent a sense not unusually put upon the words ; your own souls — 
 by the earnings of false prophecy. 
 
 19. and will ye pollute'] Rather, directly : and ye profane me. 
 To "profane" the Lord is to bring him down from the high sphere of 
 purity or truth or power, where men's thoughts should place him, into 
 the region of the impure, the false or unworthy — the sphere of the 
 common (ch. xx. 39). To "profane" is the opposite of to "sanctify." 
 
 for handfuls of barley] may signify, for mean and trifling hire. 
 Others think that the offerings may be described which were presented 
 in order to obtain the oracular response. In this case the rendering 
 would be : zvith handfuls of barley (see W. R. Smith, fournal of Phi- 
 lology, vol. XIII.). But comp. I Sam. ii. 36; 2 Kings xxiii. 9 with 
 I Sam. ix. 8; i Kings xiv. 3; 2 Kings iv. 42 ; Mic. iii. 5. In Jer. xliv. 
 15 the women are represented as baking cakes to be offered to the 
 queen of heaven. 
 
 the souls that shotild not die] The righteous ; cf. v. 22, ye have 
 made the heart of the righteous sad. The meaning appears to be that 
 the tendency and direction of their prophecies, like those of the false 
 prophets, was in support of the wicked and adverse to those like- 
 minded with the true prophets. They "slay" by their prophetic word 
 (Hos. vi. 5 ; Jer. i. to, I have set thee to pluck up &c.) when they 
 threaten evil ; and so they make the heart sad (faint and despondent) 
 of those whom the Lord hath not made sad. 
 
vv. 20— 23.J EZEKIEL, XIII. 91 
 
 people that hear your lies ? Wherefore thus saith the Lord 20 
 God ; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherercvV/^ ye there 
 hunt the souls to make //lem fly, and I will tear them from 
 your arms, and will let the souls go, ewn the souls that ye 
 hunt to make f/iem fly. Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and 21 
 deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no 
 more in your hand to be hunted ; and ye shall know that I 
 a?/i the Lord. Because 7C'i//i lies ye have made the heart of 22 
 the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad ; and strength- 
 ened the hands of the wicked, that /le should not return from 
 his wicked way, by promising him life : therefore ye shall 23 
 see no more vanity, nor divine divinations : for I will deliver 
 my people out of your hand : and ye shall know that I am 
 the Lord. 
 
 vv. 20 — 23. Chastisement of the prophetesses. 
 
 w/;^;-^with }'e there hunt\ Or, 7vhere (or, wherein) ye hunt. A 
 shght change of reading gives, wherewith ye hunt (Targ. Syr.). 
 
 to make thcm_/7y] Or, as R.V. marg. like birds (Ew.). LXX. omits. 
 
 For "pillows" as ^howejillets. The expression "from your arms" is 
 not to be forced so as to imply that the bands or fillets were bound 
 upon the arms of the prophetesses themselves (cf. v. 18). 
 
 even the souls that ye htint\ The reading here is no doubt corrupt. 
 The easiest change is to read : I will let the souls go, whose life (naph- 
 sham) ye hunt as birds ; cf. Prov. vi. 26 "the adulteress hunteth for the 
 precious life." Cornill makes the excellent suggestion: " I will let the 
 souls go free [reading othan hophshim] that ye hunt." 
 
 22. hea?-t of the righteous saJ'] Or, discourage the heart of the 
 righteous — opposed to "strengthen the hands" of the wicked. The 
 word rendered "made sad" or pained in the end of the clause might 
 have been expected. 
 
 by promising him life'X Rather: and be saved alive ; lit. so as to 
 save him alive. The agent is not expressed. 
 
 23. The judgment of God is at hand which shall make an end of 
 all false prophecy and divination. Ch. xii. 24; Mic. iii. 6, 7; Am. 
 viii. ir. The issue of these judgments shall be that Jehovah shall be 
 known in truth. 
 
 Ch. XIV. Answer to idolaters who inquire of the Lord. 
 
 In ch. xiii. Ezekiel had denounced the false prophets who led the 
 people astray, and had threatened them with extirpation from the 
 community of the Lord. But the question of false prophecy is not 
 yet exhausted. It has another side. It is true that false prophets 
 mislead the people, but it is ecjually true that it is to a wrong-minded 
 people that the existence of false prophets is due. The strong current 
 of perverse inclination in the people sweeps the propliet away before 
 
92 EZEKIEL, XIV. [vv. 1—3. 
 
 14 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and 
 
 2 sat before me. And the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 
 3 saying. Son of man, these men have set up their idols in 
 their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity 
 before their face : should I be inquired of at all by them ? 
 
 it; he is enticed, and entering into the mind of the people, gives such 
 prophecies as coincide with their desires. The evil of false prophecy 
 is due to a deeper and more pervasive evil than itself; it is indeed 
 a judgment from God upon the fundamental sin of the people, their 
 idolatry (tj. 9). Therefore the true prophet has only one answer to 
 give to the people who consult him — Put away your idolatries. The 
 chapter has two parts : 
 
 First, w. I — II. There shall no answer be given by the prophet 
 to idolaters who inquire through him but the answer, "Put away your 
 idolatries or look for the judgment of God." If a prophet lets himself 
 be enticed to answer the people after their mind, he and they shall 
 perish together. 
 
 Secondly, vv. 12 — 23. The principle of the Divine judgment. The 
 presence of righteous men among a sinful people shall not save the 
 sinners; the righteous shall deliver only their own souls. 
 
 1 — 11. Answer to idolaters who inquire of the Lord. 
 
 1. elders of Israel] That is, in point of fact, elders of the exiles ; 
 but in them the prophet sees representatives of the house of Israel 
 both at home and abroad {vv. 4, 7), and when addressing them he feels 
 himself speaking to his people in all places. Cf. ch. viii. i, xx. i. 
 These elders came and sat before him. It is scarcely probable that 
 their presence was due to the prophet's words in ch. xiii., denouncing 
 their false prophets. It might no doubt be supposed that they were 
 perplexed by these denunciations, and, not knowing whom to believe, 
 waited on the prophet for some further enlightenment. It is more 
 likely that their thoughts were occupied about Jerusalem and the future 
 of their country, and that they hoped to hear something more from 
 Ezekiel on these subjects. 
 
 3. set up their idols in] Lit. have laid their idols upon their hearty 
 which appears to mean, laid them on their minds, busied their thoughts 
 and filled their affections with them. 
 
 stumblingblock of their iniquity] The reference is still to the idols. 
 Stumblingblock of iniquity is that over which one falls and commits 
 iniquity, see on ch. vii. 19. 
 
 before their face] i.e. have placed them in their view, or, so as to 
 follow them; cf. v. 6 "turn away your faces from all your abomi- 
 nations ;" Ps. xvi. 8, ci. 3. The language is figurative, and does not 
 imply literal setting-up of idols. 
 
 should I be inquired of] Or, shall I let myself be inquired of? 
 that is, shall I give an answer (through the prophet)? cf. Is. Ixv. i, 
 where "inquired of" is parallel to "was found." 
 
vv. 4— 8.] EZEKIEL, XIV. 93 
 
 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith 4 
 the Lord God ; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth 
 up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of 
 his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet ; I 
 the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the 
 multitude of his idols ; that / may take the house of Israel 5 
 in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me 
 through their idols. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, 6 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Repent, and turn yourselves from 
 your idols ; and turn away your faces from all your abomi- 
 nations. For every one of the house of Israel, or of the 7 
 stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself 
 from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth 
 the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and 
 cometh to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me ; I the 
 Lord will answer him by myself; and I will set my face s 
 
 4. The Lord will answer such men directly through himself, by 
 involving them in the consequences of their own idolatries and de- 
 stroying them. 
 
 setteth tip his idols'\ Cf. v. 3. 
 
 will a?iswer him that cometh'\ If this reading be adopted, the ren- 
 dering must be, I the Lord will answer him; he cometh in the 
 multitude — a meaning which has no probability. The present text 
 reads, I will answer him according to it, (i.e. the iniquity, or the 
 stumbling-block) (even) according to the multitude, &c. In v. 7, where 
 the same expression occurs, the reading is, "I will answer him by 
 myself;'''' and the present passage had better be assimilated to v. 7. 
 What is meant by the Lord's answering "through himself" is stated 
 V. 8, "I will set my face against that man." The answer will be 
 given in acts of judgment. 
 
 according to the multitude'] The divine chastisement will be heavy, 
 proportionate to the gross idolatry. 
 
 5. take... in their own heart'] The sinner's sin is like a snare in 
 which he is captured and destroyed; sin carries its own retribution 
 in itself (Job viii. 4). The phrase "take them in their own heart" 
 is explained by the words that follow, "because they are all estranged 
 from me through their idols." Their "heart" is the idolatrous direction 
 of their thoughts and affections; in this they shall be taken {w. 3, 4, 7). 
 
 6. The prophet is not permitted to give an answer to any inquiries 
 of such men. Jehovah will answer them through himself (z/. 7); the 
 message which the prophet has to deliver is, repentance or destruction ! 
 
 7. every one... sojourneth in Israel] Comp. Lev. xvii. 8, 10, 13, 
 XX. ■2, and remark on v. i above. On "setteth up" cf v. 3. 
 
 answer him by myself] Or, through myself, directly in deeds. 
 
94 EZEKIEL, XIV. [vv. 9, 10. 
 
 against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, 
 and I will cut him off from the midst of my people ; and ye 
 
 9 shall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet be 
 deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have de- 
 ceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon 
 him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people 
 
 10 Israel. And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity : 
 the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punish- 
 
 8. Jehovah's answer to the idolatrous inquirer : he will make him 
 a sign and a proverb, and cut him off from his people. 
 
 make him a sigii] This is the traditional reading (Baer's Ezek. — 
 hiph. of shuy of. xxi. 16; Job iv. 20). R.V. follows a different text. 
 On "sign" &c. cf Numb. xxvi. 10; Deut. xxviii. 37. 
 
 9—11. Fate of the prophet who gives an answer to 
 idolatrous inquirers : he and they shall perish to- 
 GETHER. 
 
 9. be deceived zvhen he hath spokenl Rather, be deceived (or, en- 
 ticed) and speak a word, i.e. a prophetic word, ch. xii. 25 seq. The 
 meaning appears to be: if the prophet, entering into the "heart" 
 of the idolaters, the circle and direction of their thoughts, and the 
 general spirit which animates them, gives them a prophetic oracle 
 which coincides with the line of their thoughts, and thus helps to 
 foster their delusions, that prophet himself has been seduced or en- 
 ticed; and it is the Lord who has enticed him. The passage has 
 a resemblance to i Kings xxii. 20. There a lying spirit came forth 
 from the Lord and entered into the prophets of Ahab and deceived 
 them, so that they entered into the designs of the wicked king and 
 gave an answer favourable to him. Here it is the Lord himself who 
 entices the prophet. In both cases this enticement or deception was 
 in punishment for previous sin. Ezekiel does not appear to reflect 
 upon the point whether the prophet before being deceived was true 
 or false. The "prophet" became false when deceived, when he 
 entered into the spirit and purposes of the idolaters, and spoke a word 
 to them in the line of their sinful conduct and hopes. And this word 
 merely hardened them in their mind and was a step towards taking 
 them in their own heart {v. 5). 
 
 10. Both the people and prophet shall perish together ; the punish- 
 ment of the one shall be as that of the other. Already Jer. xiv. 15, 16, 
 xxvii. 15. 
 
 The passage rests on such general assumptions as these: i. That the 
 principles of the constitution of Israel are known, and the fundamental 
 one is, thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Probably Ezekiel 
 interpreted this first principle as Hosea did, including among "other 
 gods" not only gods different from Jehovah, but images or representa- 
 tions of Jehovah himself (Hos. viii. 6). Men's first duty was to be true 
 to this principle ; cf the summary proceeding advocated in Deut. xiii. 2. 
 
vv. II— 13.] EZEKIEL, XIV. 95 
 
 ment of him that seeketh wito him; that the house of Israel " 
 may go no more astray from me, neither be poUuted any 
 more with all their transgressions ; but that they may be my 
 people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God. 
 
 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, Son of '^ 
 
 To those who sin against this fundamental article of religion all other 
 religious offices and ordinances, so far from being beneficial, are made 
 by God a means of destruction. The preaching of the true prophets 
 only hardens (Is. vi.); or prophecy may be turned into false prophecy. 
 The man who wittingly commits sin had better keep clear of religious 
 ordinances and performances. And the "prophet" (even the modern 
 one) had better keep clear of wicked men, lest he should be used as the 
 instrument of their punishment and perish with them. See on iii. 20. 
 
 11. Yet all these judgments of God have a far-off merciful end in 
 view. They are a blast of fire and of judgment to consume the sin of 
 the people (Is. iv. 4), and when the tempest is overpast the sky rises 
 clear behind — that the house of Israel go no more astray... but that 
 they may be My people and I may be their God. 
 
 12—23. The presence of righteous men among a sinful people 
 
 WILL not save the SINNERS. 
 
 The passage may be in answer to thoughts which the prophet felt 
 might rise in the minds of those to whom he spoke. He threatened 
 destruction to people and prophets alike, a destruction indiscriminate 
 and universal. Were not these threats exaggerations? Were they in 
 harmony with God's former ways of dealing with his people? Would 
 he slay the righteous with the wicked? would he not rather spare the 
 wicked on the intercession of the righteous and for their sake, as often 
 in former times? (Gen. xviii. 23; Num. xiv. 15). To this the prophet 
 replies after Jer. xv. that righteous men among the people shall not 
 avert God's judgment, they shall only save their own souls. 
 
 (r) vv. 12 — 20. A supposition is put that God brings any one of his 
 four great judgments, famine, evil beasts, sword or pestilence, upon a 
 land to destroy it. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job 
 were in that land, they should by their righteousness save neither sons 
 nor daughters, only their own souls. 
 
 (2) vv. 21 — 23. Application to Jerusalem. Much less shall the 
 righteous save the wicked when the Lord shall bring all his four sore 
 judgments together upon Jerusalem. And if a remnant be spared and 
 carried into all lands, this apparent exception will only confirm and 
 impress the principle by shewing to all how inevitable the utter destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem was on account of its wickedness, and that God in his 
 righteousness could deal in no other way with it. And thus the exiles 
 when they see the way and doings of those that escape from Jerusalem 
 will be comforted for its fall, and their minds will be lifted up into a 
 higher sympathy with God in his acts of righteousness. 
 
 On the prophet's own sympathy, cf ch. iii. 14. 
 
 vv. 12 — 14. Famine. 
 
96 EZEKIEL, XIV. [vv. 14—17. 
 
 man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing griev- 
 ously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will 
 break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine 
 
 14 upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: though 
 these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they 
 should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, 
 
 [5 saith the Lord God. If I cause noisome beasts to pass 
 through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that 
 
 16 no man may pass through because of the beasts : though 
 these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, 
 they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only 
 
 17 shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. Or if I 
 
 13. wheji the /and] Rather: a land. The whole of z/. 13 is suppo- 
 sition: when a land sinneth. ..and I stretch. ..and break. ..and send... 
 and cut off. 
 
 14. t/iese three men] By Jeremiah the Lord had already said: 
 " though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be 
 toward this people "(Jer.xv. 1). The history of Noah had been written, 
 and was well known long before the time of Ezekiel. He is referred to 
 by other prophets, e.g. Is. liv. 9, **This is as the waters of Noah unto 
 me." It is scarcely probable, however, that the prophet owed his 
 knowledge of Daniel and Job to the books which now exist under their 
 names. They are more likely great traditional names, familiar to the 
 prophet and his people, which the authors of our present books appro- 
 priated and used for their own purposes of edification. It is scarcely 
 natural that the prophet should name Daniel if he was a contemporary 
 of his own living at the court of Babylon. He refers here to his piety, 
 and in ch. xxviii. 3 to his wisdom. These references are quite suitable 
 to the Daniel known to us from the book of that name, but of course 
 the picture of Daniel drawn in the book may contain traits taken from 
 tradition, or even from Ezekiel. In all probability the Book of Job is 
 posterior to the time of Ezekiel. On "staff of bread," cf. ch. iv. 16, v. 
 16; Lev. xxvi. 26. 
 
 vv. 15, 16. Noisome, i.e. hurtful, beasts. Lev. xxvi. 22. 
 
 16. neither sons nor daughters] There is no support in the words for 
 the idea of Havernick that the three names, Noah, Daniel and Job form 
 a climax, inasmuch as Noah saved his children, Daniel only his three 
 fellow-exiles, while Job could deliver neither son nor daughter, though 
 every week he interceded and made atonement for them. This idea is 
 false to the sense of the Book of Job, for Job's children are nowhere 
 represented by the author of the book as having been cut off for their 
 sins, though naturally Job's "friends" put this construction upon their 
 death (ch. viii. 4). The prophet does not appear to have in view any 
 historical details in the lives of these three men ; he refers to the men 
 themselves as great saints famous in the traditions of his people. 
 
 vv. 17, 18. Sword and war. Lev. xxvi. 25. 
 
vv. 18—22.] EZEKIEL, XIV. 97 
 
 bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through 
 the land ; so that I cut off man and beast from it : though 18 
 these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, 
 they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only 
 shall be delivered themselves. Ox if \ send a pestilence 19 
 into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to 
 cut off from it man and beast : though Noah, Daniel, and 20 
 Job, ivere in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall 
 deliver neither son nor daughter ; they shall but deliver their 
 own souls by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord 21 
 God ; How much more when I send my four sore judgements 
 upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome 
 beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast .? 
 Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be 22 
 brought forth, both sons and daughters : behold, they shall 
 
 17. say, Sword, go through'] This rendering assumes a grammatical 
 anomaly. Rather, the sword shall go through. 
 
 vv. 19, 20. The pestilence. 
 
 19. my fury upon it in blood] The term "blood" is almost a synonym 
 for " death ; " of. Ps. xxx. 9, "What profit is there in my blood, in my 
 going down to the pit?" Ch. v. 17. On the Babylonian idea of "four" 
 plagues, of. Del. Farad, p. 146. 
 
 vv. 21 — 23. Application to Jerusalem. 
 
 21. Ho7v much more] If when a single judgment is sent upon a land 
 the wicked shall not be spared for the sake of the righteous, how much 
 more shall this not happen when the wickedness of the land is so great 
 that God's four sore judgments together fall upon it, as they shall fall 
 upon Jerusalem? Ch. v. 17, xxxiii. 27, 22. Yet the history of Jerusa- 
 lem may seem an exception. It is an exception for a wider purpose. 
 
 22. behold, therein shall be left] Rather : and behold, shoiQd there 
 be left therein a remnant. After "behold" the verb is hypothetical, as 
 often, e.g. ch. xiii. 12, xv. 4. If some of the wicked in Jerusalem 
 escape it is with a special design, viz. that those spared should reveal 
 their great wickedness to the earlier exiles, among whom they shall 
 come, and thus shew how inevitable the destmction of the city was. 
 
 that shall be brought forth] The ancient versions read the active 
 (hiph. ) participle here : that shall bring forth sons and daughters. In 
 vv. 18, 20 it is said that the three great saints named should save neither 
 sons nor daughters ; and here some would bespoken of who brought out 
 sons and daughters. It is very doubtful if this pointed antithesis was in 
 the mind of the prophet. His point is that if some in Jerusalem, men 
 and women, escape, notwithstanding the principle that the righteous 
 shall not save the wicked, it is for a special purpose, viz. to shew to the 
 earlier exiles the great wickedness of Jerusalem, and thus comfort them 
 over its fall. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel regard the exiles carried away 
 
 EZEKIEL 7 
 
98 EZEKIEL, XIV. [v. 23. 
 
 come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their 
 doings : and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that 
 I have brought upon Jerusalem, eve7i concerning all that I 
 23 have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when 
 ye see their ways and their doings : and ye shall know that 
 I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 under Jelioiachin as the flower of the nation (Jer. xxiv.), and those left 
 behind as the dregs of the people. Of course it was the persons of rank 
 and influence that were carried captive, while those left behind were 
 the meanest, least educated and probably most idolatrous (Jer. xxiv. 
 8 — 10, xxix. 16 — 20). 
 
 their way and their doings'] Their evil "way" of life, and their 
 gross idolatries. 
 
 comforted concerning the evil] The exiles of the days of Jehoiachin 
 and those of earlier times, whose thoughts were keenly occupied with 
 Jerusalem and its fate (ch. xxiv. 25), shall be comforted for its destruc- 
 tion when they see the way and doings of the new exiles. So corrupt 
 and gross in their iniquities shall these appear to them that they will 
 feel that no other fate than that which has befallen it was possible for 
 Jerusalem; and that " not without cause " has Jehovah overthrown it 
 (z/. 22). Cf. on "comforted" ch. xxxii. 31. 
 
 In the passage vv. 12 — 23 questions are not raised what " land" it is 
 that Jehovah will bring his plagues of famine, sword and the like upon, 
 nor when he will bring them. The cases supposed are merely illus- 
 trations of the principle that the righteous shall not save the wicked. 
 And the application to Jerusalem is what the prophet has in view. See 
 on ch. xviii. 
 
 Ch. XV. The vine tree among the other trees of the 
 
 FOREST. 
 
 The chapter pursues the same general line of thought as ch. xiv. 
 12 — 23, and ch. xvi. In ch. xiv. 12 — 23 the prophet had replied to a 
 feeling that might arise in men's minds that Jehovah would spare the 
 sinners of the people for the sake of the righteous. Here he replies to 
 another thought — were these predictions of wholesale destruction upon 
 Israel, the people of the Lord, and Jerusalem where he had placed his 
 name, probable? Other nations might perish, but Israel was the 
 Lord's heritage, the vine of his planting. The prophet accepts the 
 idea of the vine and replies to it. 
 
 Like Isaiah's song of the vineyard (Is. v.) the passage has two parts, 
 first, the similitude of the vine, vv. i — 5 ; and secondly, the applica- 
 tion to Israel, vv. 6 — 8. 
 
 Founding on old similitudes the prophet assumes that Israel is the 
 vine, and compares it as a tree or as wood with the other trees of the 
 forest. It is as wood that it is put in comparison with the trees. He 
 
vv. 1—6.] EZEKIEL, XV. 99 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 15 
 man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a ^ 
 branch which is among the trees of the forest ? Shall wood 3 
 be taken thereof to do any work ? or will men take a pin of 
 it to hang any vessel thereon ? Behold, it is cast into the 4 
 fire for fuel ; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the 
 midst of it is burnt. Is it meet for any work? Behold, 5 
 when it was whole, it was meet for no work : how much less 
 shall it be meet yet for atiy work, when the fire hath de- 
 voured it, and it is burned ? Therefore thus saith the Lord 6 
 God ; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which 
 
 is studiously silent in regard to the fruit of the vine. This, which gave 
 the vine its preeminence (Judg. ix. 13), cannot be touched upon, for it 
 does not exist. It is the wood of the vine only that can be compared 
 with the other trees of the forest, the feeble, creeping plant with the 
 lofty trees around it. Judah never had any pretensions to be a power- 
 ful state, or to enter into competition in wealth or military resources 
 with the kingdoms round about. As a tree among the trees, a state 
 among the states, what was it good for ? And especially now what is 
 it good for, when it has already been in the fire, its ends consumed and 
 its heart charred ? What is it fit for, or need it expect, but to be flung 
 again into the fire and wholly consumed ? 
 
 2. or than a branch] Perhaps : the vine-branch which is, — the 
 words taking up "the vine tree" of previous clause. Owing to the 
 verb the natural sense is : zuhat shall be made of the wood of the vine 
 among all ivood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest ? 
 Cf. V. 3. With the comparative sense the accents should be dis- 
 regarded: xvhat is the zvood of the vine more than any wood of the braiich 
 which is &c. On Israel as the vine cf. Gen. xlix. 22; Is. v. i ; Deut. 
 xxxii. 32; Jer. ii. 21; Ezek. xvii. 5, xix. 10; Ps. Ixxx. ; Hos. x. i. 
 
 3. Uselessness of the wood of the vine. 
 
 to do any work] i.e. use for any work or purpose. The words may 
 mean, to make it into any work or article of workmanship. It has 
 too little firmness even to be made into a pin to hang any article upon. 
 
 4. A hypothetical sentence : Behold, when it hath been cast into the 
 fire for fuel, when the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the 
 midst of it is charred, will it be meet for any work? This part of the 
 similitude is borrowed from the actual instance of Israel. As it is 
 Jerusalem, including Judah, that is compared to the vine, the burning 
 of the ends and scorching of the middle probably refers to the calami- 
 ties sustained by that kingdom, such as the captivity under Jehoiachin 
 and other severe reverses. 
 
 5. ?ncet for no work] Lit., it could not be made into, or, used for 
 any work ; how much less, when the fire hath devoured it and it is 
 charred, shall it be any more used for, or made into any work. 
 
 7 — 2 
 
EZEKIEL, XV. [vv. 7, 8. 
 
 I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the rnhabit- 
 
 7 ants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them ; 
 they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour 
 them ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set 
 
 8 my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, 
 because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord 
 God. 
 
 6 — 8. Application of the figure to Jerusalem. 
 
 6. which I have giveit'] The reference is to the supposition in v. 4. 
 It is nowhere said in the passage that the vinewood is fit only for fuel, 
 nor that it has been appointed (when created by God) to be burnt; 
 z/. 4 is a supposition that in a particular case it has been flung into the 
 fire for fuel, and its ends burnt, and the inference is drawn that, good 
 for little when whole, much less will it be good for anything in that 
 condition. The use of the first person "I have given" is peculiar. 
 Cornill suggests "it has been given," considering "I have given" 
 which follows immediately to have been the source of the error. 
 
 so will I give] Lit., so have I given. The comparison is not be- 
 tween Jerusalem and a vine when whole, but between Jerusalem and a 
 vine with its two ends burnt. Naturally the supposition is made that 
 the vinewood flung into the fire has been plucked out after having 
 been burnt and charred, and the question is asked, Is it good for any- 
 thing now? This is the condition of Jerusalem : it has been given into 
 the fire for fuel, plucked out of it, as it were, half-burnt ; is it good 
 for anything ? 
 
 7. go otUfrom one Jire] Rather: they have come out of the fire, 
 but the fire shall devour them. They are in the condition of a brand 
 that has been plucked for a moment from the fire {vv. 4, 5), but they 
 shall be plunged again into it to be burnt. Only scathed and charred as 
 yet, they shall be wholly consumed. 
 
 /am the Lord] The object of these chastisements is that they may 
 know that he who inflicts them is Jehovah, and what Jehovah is; and 
 this shall be the result of them. 
 
 8. The figure of "burning" in the fire is expressed in literal lan- 
 guage: the land shall be made a desolation. Like his predecessor 
 Jeremiah, the prophet sets little store by the existence of Israel as a state 
 or kingdom among other states. Isx-ael's mission is religious, not politi- 
 cal. See on ch. xiii. 3. 
 
 Ch. XVI. The foundling child who became the faithless 
 
 wife. 
 
 The prophet continues to pursue his demonstration of the inevitable- 
 ness of Jerusalem's destruction. In ch. xiii. xiv. he swept away the 
 delusive hopes with which the prophets of Israel filled her imagination } 
 and in ch. xv. he shewed how little the fact that Israel was the people of 
 the Lord was fitted to inspire confidence, as other prophets had shewed 
 before him (Am. iii. 2). In the present passage it is the positive proof 
 
vv. 1—3.] EZEKIEL, XVI. loi 
 
 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son 16 
 of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, 3 
 Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and 
 thy nativity is of the land of Canaan ; thy father 7vas an 
 
 of the necessity of Israel's destruction that he exhibits — her persistent 
 unfaithfulness to Jehovah through all her history, and her forgetfulness 
 of his goodness. He has to "shew to Jerusalem all her abominations" 
 (v. 2). This is done in the allegory of the foundling child who became 
 the faithless wife of her benefactor. Though marked by a breadth with 
 which modern taste is unfamiliar the allegory is powerful. And when 
 the details are forgotten and only the general conception remains in the 
 mind, the prophet's creation is felt to be artistically beautiful as well as 
 true. An outcast infant exposed in the open field and weltering in its 
 blood was seen by the pitying eye of a passer by. Rescued and 
 nourished she grew up to the fairest womanhood, and became the wife 
 of her benefactor, who lavished on her all that could delight and elevate. 
 But the ways into which-he led her were too lofty to be understood, and 
 the atmosphere around her too pure for her to breathe ; the old inborn 
 nature (her father was the Amorite and her mother a Hittite) was still 
 there beneath all the refinements for which it had no taste, and at last it 
 asserted itself in shameless depravity and insatiable lewdness. 
 
 This moral history of Israel has these divisions : 
 
 (i) vv. I — 7. The exposed infant adopted and reared to womanhood. 
 
 (2) vv. 8 — 14. The foundling, now grown up to be a fair woman, 
 taken in marriage by her benefactor. 
 
 (3) vv. 15 — 34. Her numerous infidelities. 
 
 (4) vv. 35 — 58. Punishment of the adulterous wife. 
 
 (5) ^^' 59 — 63. Her receiving again. 
 
 1 — 7. The exposed child rescued and adopted by Jehovah — 
 his taking to himself the family of israel in the early 
 patriarchal times. 
 
 2. cause jfertisalem to kno%v\ The object of the chapter is to impress 
 on Israel the necessity of the Divine judgment because of her persistent 
 idolatry through all her history (ch. xx. 4, xxii. 2, xxiii. 36). Jerusalem, 
 which is spoken to throughout, represents the kingdom of Judah, and 
 even the whole family of Israel in its early history. 
 
 3, Thy hirtJL...land of Canaan'\ of the Canaanite. "Birth" is 
 origin (ch. xxi. 30, xxix. 14), the figure being taken from a mine or a 
 quarry, cf. Is. li. i, "Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to 
 the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." When Jerusalem's origin is 
 said to be from the land of the Canaanite several references seem com- 
 bined, e.g. the fact that Jerusalem was a Canaanite city; that Israel 
 first became a family in Canaan {v. 4) ; and that having originated there 
 its moral character corresponded to its Canaanite origin and had cleaved 
 to it all through its history. 
 
EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 4—7. 
 
 4 Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite. And as for thy nativity, 
 in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither 
 wast thou washed in water to supple thee ; thou wast not 
 
 5 salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to 
 do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; 
 but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of 
 thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 
 
 6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in 
 thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy 
 blood. Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy 
 
 7 blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of 
 
 an Amorite'\ the Amorite. The Amorites and Hittites are named 
 as the two chief Canaanitish peoples, the whole population being some- 
 times called the Amorites (Gen. xv. 16; Am. ii. 9), and at other times 
 the Hittites (Josh. i. 4). Jerusalem has the one for father, and the other 
 for mother (jy. 45). 
 
 4. as for thy nativity] The circumstances of thy birth were these, 
 as follows. The family of Israel, represented by Jerusalem, is compared 
 to an exposed infant, for whom the things absolutely necessary to pre- 
 serve its life were not done. The reference is to the history of the 
 family in Canaan, and in its descent to Egypt, when it was feeble, 
 unprotected and in danger of perishing. 
 
 to supple thee] The word is otherwise unknown. Targ. "for purifi- 
 cation," probably guessed, but some such sense is required. Fried. Del. 
 refers to an Assyrian root signifying to wash. 
 
 wast not salted at all] An ancient custom was to rub the newborn 
 infant with salt — "tenera infantium corpora,.. sol entab obstetricibus sale 
 contingi ut sicciora sint et restringantur, " Jerome. The ceremony was 
 probably partly religious as well as healthful. 
 
 5. None of the offices necessary to preserve the life of the child were 
 performed ; no pitying eye looked on it, no affectionate hand did aught 
 for it; it was even thrown out in the open field. It was too common a 
 custom among ancient nations to expose children ; among the Arabs 
 female children were buried alive {Kor. 81. 8). 
 
 to the lothing of thy persoti] Rather, because of the utter loathing 
 of thee; lit. the loathing of thy soul. Cf. v. 45. 
 
 6. Ayid when I passed] More pathetic in the Heb. order: and I 
 passed by thee and saw thee. 
 
 polluted] weltering ; wallowing or struggling. 
 
 when thou wast m thy blood] The meaning may be : "I said unto 
 thee, In thy blood live ! " i.e. in spite of thy blood ; although unclean and 
 loathsome, live ! Jehovah's pitying eye looked through that which might 
 repel, and saved. The repetition (which LXX., however, omits) may 
 emphasise the great act of Jehovah's pity. 
 
 7. have caused... t?niltiply] Lit. as marg. ?>iade thee a my Had. This 
 idea of multiplication in number deserts the figure, introducing the notion 
 
V. 8.] EZEKIEL, XVI. 103 
 
 the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou 
 art come to excellent ornaments : thy breasts are fashioned, 
 and thine hair is grown, whereas thou ivast naked and bare. 
 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, 
 thy time ivas the time of love; and I spread my skirt over 
 thee, and covered thy nakedness : yea, I sware unto thee, 
 
 of the numerical increase of the people (Ex. i. 7 ; Deut. x. 22, xxxiii. 17). 
 The rest of the verse, however, continues the figure of the child growing 
 up to womanhood. For "myriad" LXX. has "dothougrow" (imper.). 
 This is not natural, but probably some word signifying " growth " should 
 be read, "I gave thee growth like the herb of the field ; and thou didst 
 grow and wax great." 
 
 thou art CO 7ne... ornament s\ Thou didst come to excellent ornament, 
 lit. ornament of ornaments. The connexion requires that "ornament" 
 should mean graces and beauties of the person. The word has nowhere 
 else this sense, being always employed of such ornaments as jewelry 
 which are worn {v. ii). The rendering "beauty of cheeks" (Hitz.) 
 rests upon the supposed sense of Ps. xxxii. 9, ciii. 5. In Is. Ixiv. 6 a 
 word somewhat similar occurs: filthy (i.e. menstruous) garment, and 
 several scholars (J. D. Michaelis, Cornill) assume this sense here. This 
 requires considerable alteration of the text, which already lay before 
 LXX. (though r was read for d, as often). Neither \s>v. 22 in favour 
 of it. 
 
 are fashioned^ Better past tenses : were fashioned... was grown, but 
 thou wast. 
 
 The passage is an allegorical description of the early history of the 
 family of Israel, their struggles for existence in Canaan, their descent 
 into Egypt, the oppressions suffered there, and the Lord's care and pro- 
 tection of them (Ex. iii. 7, 9; Ps. cv. 12 seq.). The unattractive charac- 
 ter of the early patriarchal history as written in Genesis is plain enough 
 (Gen. xxix. — xxxi., xxxviii.). This unattractive character is set forth in 
 the blood and pollution of the new-born infant, and the Lord's care of 
 them in their dependent and defenceless condition under the figure of 
 his pity and adoption of the outcast child. The truth conveyed in the 
 allegory is more delicately expressed by another writer : "The Lord did 
 not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number 
 than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples; but because the 
 Lord loved you " (Deut. vii. 7, 8). 
 
 8—14. The child, now an adult virgin, taken to Himself in 
 
 MARRIAGE BY JeHOVAH : — THE REDEMPTION OF THE PEOPLE FROM 
 
 Egypt, and covenant with them at Sinai to be their God. 
 
 8. Now tvhen I passed] Better in continuance of the historical nar- 
 rative, and I passed by. 
 the time of love] The outcast child was now a marriageable woman. 
 spread viy skirt] Cf. Ruth iii. 9 — a figure for marriage. 
 
I04 EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 9- 
 
 and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, 
 9 and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water ; 
 
 yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and 
 10 I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broi- 
 
 dered work, and shod thee with badgers' skifi^ and I girded 
 " thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee 7vith silk. I 
 
 decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon 
 
 12 thine hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel 
 on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful 
 
 13 crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold 
 
 a covenant with thee] The marriage relation is a covenant, Prov. ii. 
 17; Mai. ii. 14. On the "oath," cf. v. 59. 
 thou becamest mine] She became his wife, Ruth iv. 13; Hos. iii. 3. 
 
 9. Purifications before marriage. Whether "blood" be used some- 
 what generally to indicate the uncleanness of her infancy still cleaving 
 to her, or in a more specific sense, may be uncertain {v. 7). Ruth iii. 
 3; Esth. ii. 12. 
 
 10. The costly clothing. 
 
 broidered work] Ps. xlv. 14; Judg. v. 30. The word might mean 
 work of various colours (Ex. xxvi. 36). So vv. 13, 18. 
 
 badgers' skin] According to most, skin of the sea-cow or manati, an 
 animal allied to the dolphin, and found in the Red Sea. The name is 
 found in Assyrian ; the Assyrian kings crossed the Euphrates in ships 
 made of the skin of this animal, and Salmaneser pursued his foes on lake 
 Van in such ships. These facts suggest that the skins were readily pro- 
 cured not only in Mesopotamia but even in Armenia, and that some 
 land animal must have furnished them. On these grounds Fried. Del. 
 {Prolegomena, p. 78) decides for the wether. See Dill, on Ex. xxv. 5. 
 
 fine linen] i.e. byssus. It is not certain whether the byssus was 
 cotton or linen, or both. It was worn by the priests (Ex. xxxix. 27), 
 and by persons of rank (Gen. xli. 42). The "girding" or binding here 
 can hardly refer to the headdress (Ex. xxix. 9), because in z/. 13 the 
 "clothing" is said to be of fine linen (cf. v. 12 for headdress). 
 
 covered thee with silk] The word again only in v. 13. It may be 
 doubtful if silk was worn as early as the time of the prophet. The LXX. 
 and ancients thought of some very thin and delicate material. The kind 
 of garment was probably some large wrapper or veil covering the whole 
 person. 
 
 vv. II, 12. Her ornaments. 
 
 11. On bracelets, cf. Gen. xxiv. 22, 47. On chain or necklace, Gen. 
 xli. 42 ; Prov. i. 9, iii. 3. 
 
 12. on thy forehead] Rather : a ring on thy nose, Is. iii. 2 1. The nose- 
 ring was a jewel placed on the outside of the nostril. Cf. Judg. viii. 24 
 (where read, nose-rings). Gen. xxiv. 47. On earrings. Numb. xxxi. 50. 
 
 a beautiful crown] so ch. xxiii. 42; in Is. Ixii. 3 rendered "a crown 
 of glory." The word does not suggest royalty (xxiii. 42). 
 
 13. Her delicate fare and beauty. 
 
14.] EZEKIEL, XVI. 105 
 
 and silver ; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and 
 broidered work ; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and 
 oil : and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst 
 prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among 
 the heathen for thy beauty : for it was perfect through my 
 comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Jineflour\ This was used in offerings at the altar (z^. 19), and was 
 probably the food of persons of refinement and rank. Cf. Ps. Ixxxi. 
 16, "I should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat, and 
 with honey out of the rock should I satisfy thee;" Ps. cxlvii. 14; 
 Deut. xxxii. 13, 14. 
 
 exceeding beautiful] The beauty is less that of the mere city (Ps. 
 xlviii. 2) than of the personified state or people {v. 14). 
 
 prosper into a kingdoni] Or, attain to royal estate. The reference 
 is not to the mere historical fact that a monarchy arose in Israel under 
 Saul or more permanently under David. It was Israel herself, per- 
 sonified as a woman, that attained to royalty, that is, to be an inde- 
 pendent state among the states around, a queen among other queens. 
 The words are wanting in LXX. 
 
 14. Her renown spread among the nations because of her beauty. 
 In this is included partly the prosperity and success of the state, not 
 without reference perhaps to the beauty of the city (Lam. ii. 15, the 
 perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth, Ps. 1. 2), and of the 
 land, which is often celebrated (ch. xx. 6, 15 the glory of all lands, 
 cf. Dan. viii. 9, xi. 16, 41; Zech. vii. 14); and partly also the glory 
 of a higher kind conferred on her by Jehovah and his presence, in 
 the sense of Deut. iv. 6 — 8. 
 
 ?ny comeliness'] Or, my adornment; that given by me (vv. 10 — 13); 
 hardly in the sense of Is. Ix. i, that Jerusalem's beauty was only a 
 reflection of the glory of Jehovah, who was in the midst of her. 
 
 These verses allegorically set forth the second period of Israel's 
 history: her redemption by Jehovah from Egypt, his covenant with 
 her to be her God, his leading her into the promised land, and making 
 her the paramount power there, and loading her with all the riches of 
 that good land. Other prophets with more simplicity have celebrated 
 this early time, "I remember of thee the kindness of thy youth, the 
 love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, 
 in a land not sown" (Jer. ii. 2); "I found Israel like grapes in the 
 wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe on the fig tree at her 
 first season" (Hos. ix. 10; cf. Deut. xxxii. 10). 
 
 15—34. The wife's infidelities— Israel's idolatries and 
 idolatrous alliances with foreign nations. 
 
 The idolatries of Israel are represented figuratively as a wife's 
 infidelities against her husband, as had been common in the prophets 
 since Hosea, particularly in Jeremiah (in Isaiah only the single passage 
 ch. i. 21). These idolatries seem presented in two stages: vv. 15 — 22, 
 
io6 EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 15—17. 
 
 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst 
 the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy forni- 
 
 16 cations on every one that passed by ; his it was. And of 
 thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places 
 with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon : the 
 
 17 like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. Thou hast 
 also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which 
 I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, 
 
 her addicting herself to the worship and religious customs of the Ca- 
 naanites among whom she dwelt; and vv. 23 — 34, her alliances with 
 foreign peoples and adoption of their religions. 
 
 15 — 22. All the gifts of Jehovah to her she took and bestowed 
 on idols: her raiment [;vv. 16, 18), her gold and silver (^. 17), and 
 her delicate fare {v. 19). And as if this were a small matter, she sacri- 
 ficed also the children which were Jehovah's to her idols {vv. 20, 21). 
 
 15. because of thy renown'] In the consciousness of it. The con- 
 sciousness of her beauty and renown removed from her mind the sense 
 of dependence and responsibility, and she became vain in her own 
 imaginations. Another prophet has expressed the same idea in regard 
 to Babylon: "Thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever, so that thou 
 didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst consider the 
 issue of them... thou hast said, None seeth me." (Is. xlvii. 7, 10). 
 Havern. quotes Ovid, Fasti, i. 419, Fastus inest pidchris, sequiturque 
 superb ia for77ia77i . 
 
 every one that passed by] A figure taken from the habit of harlots 
 sitting by the wayside, Gen. xxxviii. 14; Jer. iii. 2, "By the ways 
 thou hast sat for them as an Arab in the desert." 
 
 his it was] The prostitution was indiscriminate, Jer. iii. 2; cf. 
 ch. xxiii. 40. The idea expressed is the ineradicable tendency of the 
 people to adopt the religious customs of the nations with which age 
 after age they came into connexion {v. 23 seq.). The phrase is pe- 
 culiar and wanting in LXX. 
 
 16. She took of her "garments," the flax and the wool which 
 Jehovah had given her to cover herself withal (Hos. ii. 9), and made 
 tents upon the high places for the idols which she there worshipped. 
 For "high places" cf. ch. vi. 3. The "high places decked with 
 divers colours" (R. V.) might be tents, or the reference might be to 
 hangings or carpets. In 2 Kings xxiii. 7 reference is made to women 
 "who wove tents for Ashera;" cf. i Kings xiii. 32 ; 2 Kings xvii. 29. 
 
 like things shall fiot come] Or, should 7iot come. An exclamation 
 of dislike and abhorrence of the shameful practices just referred to. 
 The rendering given can hardly be extracted from the words, which 
 are probably corrupt in some way, though already read by LXX. 
 (with a different vocalization). Comp. perhaps ch. xx. 29. 
 
 17. Cf. Hos. ii. 8, I multiplied unto her silver and gold, which 
 they used for Baal. 
 
 images of men] Jerusalem being an unfaithful wife the idols are 
 
vv. i8— 20.J EZEKIEL, XVI. 107 
 
 and didst commit whoredom with them, and tookest thy 18 
 broidered garments, and coveredst them : and thou hast set 
 mine oil and mine incense before them. My meat also 19 
 which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, whereivith 
 I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet 
 savour : and thus it was, saith the Lord God. Moreover 20 
 thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou 
 hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto 
 
 "men." The images were of gods; and this prophet probably saw 
 little distinction between an image of Jehovah and that of any other 
 deity. It is likely that, apart from the calf-images, the symbols of 
 Jehovah as well as of the other gods were of the human form ; cf. as 
 to the Teraphim, i Sam. xix. 13. The supposition hazarded by some 
 that the "male images" (marg.) were representations of the Phallus 
 has little to support it. It is true that Jerome considers the "gruesome 
 object" set up by Maacah the mother of Asa to be sij?iulacrum Priapi 
 (2 Chron. xv. 16, cf. i Kings xv. 13), but this is mere conjecture; 
 and the passage Is. Ivii. 8 is too obscure to be depended upon (cf. Prof. 
 W. R. Smith, Rel. of Se?n. p. 437). 
 
 broidered .. .coveredst them'] Cf. v. 10, 13. The practice of clothing 
 the idols is illustrated by Jer. x. 9, "There is silver beaten into plates 
 ...blue and purple for their clothing; they are all the work of cunning 
 men." 
 
 hast set mine oil] didst set. The ref. is to the offerings made to 
 the idols. The Lord calls it "mine" because due to him, or rather 
 because given by him to Israel, Hos. ii. 8, "she did not know that 
 I gave her corn and wine and oil... I will take back my corn in the 
 time thereof." 
 
 19. a siveet savour] See on ch. vi. 13. The words ^^and thus 
 it was^' emphasize what was done, with a tone of reprobation. 
 
 20 seg. The sacrifice of children. 
 
 Jehovah is the husband of the idealized community, and the indi- 
 vidual members are his children. Human sacrifices, though rare, were 
 *not altogether unknown in early Israel, as the instance of Jephthah 
 proves (Judg. xi.). They were probably more common among the 
 Canaanites and neighbouring peoples, though perhaps even among 
 them resorted to only on occasions of great trial, in the hope of 
 appeasing the anger or securing the favour of the deity (cf. the tragic 
 i|^ story of the king of Moab, 2 Kings iii. 27). Instances of human 
 %i sacrifices do not occur in the early history of Israel, for neither the 
 ^'slaughter of Agag (i Sam. xv. 33) nor the hanging of seven descendants 
 -^f Saul (2 Sam. xxi, ) comes strictly under the idea of a sacrifice; but 
 iiVhaz king of Judah is said to have passed his son through the fire 
 (2 Kings xvi. 3), and the practice introduced by him was followed by 
 Manasseh (2 Kings xxi. 6), and must have spread among the people 
 
io8 EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 21—24. 
 
 them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small 
 
 21 matter, that thou hast slain my children, and deHvered 
 them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? 
 
 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou 
 hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou 
 
 23 wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. And 
 it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto 
 
 24 thee ! saith the Lord God ;) that thou hast also built unto 
 thee an eminent place, and hast made thee a high place in 
 
 (Jer. vii. 31, xix. 5, xxxii. 35). The phrase "to pass through the 
 fire" might be taken to mean merely a lustration or purification by 
 fire, not implying the death of the child. This cannot, however, 
 have been the case, for this prophet uses the words sacrifice {v. 20) 
 and slaughter {^v. 21), and Jeremiah says the people built high places 
 "to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal" (ch. 
 xix. 5). The child, of course, was not burnt alive, but slain like other 
 sacrifices, and offered as a burnt offering. The practice was a wide- 
 spread one in the East, 1 Kings xvii. 31. See further on ch. xx. 25 seq. 
 
 20. to be devoured] Namely, in the fire. 
 
 21. hast... delivered theni] Or, didst deliver them up, in causing 
 them, as R.V. The child passed into the possession of the deity when 
 consumed in the fire. 
 
 22. So absorbed was Jerusalem in her infidelities that she remem- 
 bered nothing of her early history, "the shame of her youth," nor the 
 compassion shewed her by Jehovah. On " polluted" cf. v. 6. 
 
 23 — 34. Her infidelities with strangers from abroad, i.e. her 
 alliances with idolatrous nations and adoption of their religious rites: 
 Egypt {vv. 23 — 27), Assyria {v. 28), and Chaldea (z/. 29 j-^^.). Hosea 
 already stigmatized foreign alliances as whoredoms ; it is not, however, 
 so much the political aspect of these alliances as their religious conse- 
 quences that Ezekiel reprobates. Such alliances were followed by the 
 fashions and worship of the nations with which they were formed 
 (Is. ii. 5 seq.). Naturally also when Israel became subject to the 
 great eastern empires, the overwhelming influence of these states, 
 with their customs and religions, was widely felt. The gods which 
 had given them universal empire were introduced and worshipped. 
 There appears to have been a great invasion of foreign idolatry in 
 Judah in the declining years of the state, and the kingdom sank to 
 a level in this respect to which the North had never fallen. 
 
 23. after all thy wickedness'] The wickedness described in preced- 
 ing verses as idolatries of Canaan ; after this followed foreign idolatry. 
 LXX. omits the words "woe, woe unto thee." 
 
 24. an eminent place] The term is used of the "back," the "boss" 
 of a buckler, and the like, and means something elevated to some 
 extent and probably arched; R.V. marg. vaulted cJiainber. It appears 
 to be the same thing which is called a "high place" or rather: height, 
 or elevated place, in this verse and v. 25 (a different word from that 
 
vv. 25—28.] EZEKIEL, XVI. 109 
 
 every street. Thou hast built thy high place at every head 25 
 of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and 
 hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and 
 multiplied thy whoredoms. Thou hast also committed for- 26 
 nication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh ; 
 and hast iacreased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. 
 Behold therefore, I have stretched out my hand over thee, 27 
 and have diminished thine ordinary food^ and deHvered 
 thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of 
 the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. Thou 23 
 
 usually rendered "high place"). Small shrines must be meant, as 
 they were put in every street, and at every head of the way. If the 
 places were arches or vaults there is no reason to suppose that they 
 were used for literal prostitution, as A.V. marg. suggests. The lan- 
 guage is figurative for idolatry, Jer. ii. 20, iii. 2. 
 
 25. thy high place] See v. 24. 
 
 made... to be abhorred] This sense is doubtful; the word means to 
 abominate, hence dishonour or disregard, or as we might say "pros- 
 titute thy beauty." 
 
 26. Egyptian idolatry. 
 
 hast also committed] and thou didst commit. The narrative tense 
 should be used throughout. 
 
 great of flesh] In an obscene sense. Cf. ch. xxiii. 20. The ex- 
 pression is chosen probably to represent the brutality of the Egyptian 
 idolatries, which in some ways were baser than those of any people. 
 
 27. / have stretched] I stretched... and diminished... them that 
 hated... were ashamed. The reference appears to be to the distant 
 times of the Philistine supremacy in the last days of the Judges. 
 
 thitie ordinary food] Or, allotted portion, Ex. xxi. 10. The measure 
 is one to which an offended husband might have recourse. Hos. ii. 
 9, "therefore will I take back my corn in the time thereof, and my wine 
 in the season thereof." 
 
 daughters of the Philistines] i.e. the cities or small Philistine lord- 
 ships. The clause might explain the phrase "diminished thy portion" 
 — her territoiy was seized by her enemies. 
 
 which are ashamed] were ashamed. Cf. Am. iii. 9, " Publish ye in 
 the palaces of Ashdod and say, Assemble ye on the mountains of 
 Samaria, and behold what oppressions are in the midst thereof." 
 Whether the prophet speaks of Egyptian idolatry in the early times 
 of Israel's life from historical sources may be uncertain. Such idolatry 
 at this period seems nowhere else spoken of; comp. the list Judg. x. 6. 
 Possibly as he charges the people with idolatry in Egypt (ch. xx. 7; 
 xxiii. 3, 8, 19, 2x) they may not have shaken themselves clear of it 
 feVen in' the period of the Judges. The connexion of the country 
 i^th Egypt was at all times very close. 
 ^^8. Infidelity with Assyria. 
 
 The historical tense "didst play" is better. Already Am. v. 26 
 
no EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 29—32. 
 
 hast played the whore also with the Assyiians, because 
 thou wast unsatiable ; yea, thou hast played the harlot with 
 
 29 them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. Thou hast more- 
 over multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto 
 
 30 Chaldea ; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. How 
 weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest 
 all these things^ the work of an imperious whorish woman ; 
 
 31 in that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of 
 every way, and makest thine high place in every street; 
 and hast not been as a harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 
 
 32 but as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh 
 
 appears to mention the names of Assyrian gods, for the passage can 
 hardly refer to any time but his own. Jer. ii. 1 8, 36. 
 
 29. Infidelities with the Chaldeans. Past tense is better : didst 
 multiply. 
 
 in the land of Canaan'\ Rather : with (lit. unto) the merchants' 
 land, even Chaldea. Again ch. xvii. 4, the land of traffic. With similar 
 contempt Hosea (xii. 7) uses the term of Israel. Cf. Prov. xxxi. 24; 
 Is. xlvii. 15. 
 
 30. How weak is thine heart'] i.e. how passion-sick, consumed by 
 desire. The term "heart" {fern.) occurs nowhere else, and the plur. 
 (Ps. vii. 10; Prov. xv. 11) is hardly evidence for it (Ges.). LXX. 
 renders: how shall I deal with thy daughter (exactly as Hos. xi. 9 how 
 shall I deal with thee, Ephraim). Our present text lay before the trans- 
 lator: "with thy daughter" is "thy heart" with different points; and 
 "weak" was probably read as part of verb "to fill" (spelled as Job viii. 
 21) and rendered freely. The text, however, may be faulty. 
 
 imperious .. .woman] Not positive: domineering; but negative: 
 subject to no control, unbridled. 
 
 31. Recapitulation of the acts done in her unbridled licentiousness, 
 with the addition of a trait shewing that her dissoluteness was without 
 parallel — other harlots take hire, she gives it. 
 
 in that thou scornest hire] Rather : hast not been as an harlot, that 
 scoffeth at her hire (R.V. marg.), lit. in scoffing at hire. The words 
 describe a characteristic of harlots, not one of Jerusalem in which she is 
 unlike them. On scoff or "mock at," cf ch. xxii. 5; 1 Kings ii. 23; 
 Hab. i. 10; Ps. xliv. 14; Jer. xx. 8, &c. The harlot mocks at her hire 
 in order to augment it ; Jerusalem does not desire hire, she rather offers 
 it {v. 33). 
 
 32. Seems to break the connexion and has been regarded as a gloss. 
 The words "instead of her husband" should be "under her husband," 
 though her husband's (cf. xxiii. 5, when she was mine; Numb. v. 19). 
 The clauses are probably exclamatory : A wife that committeth adultery ! 
 though her husband's (though married) she taketh strangers! It is also 
 possible to take the language as an apostrophe: O adulterous wife, &c. 
 LXX. read differently, and the verse is not without suspicion. 
 
vv. 33— 38.] EZEKIEL, XVI. in 
 
 strangers instead of her husband. They give gifts to all 33 
 whores : but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and 
 hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side 
 for thy whoredom. And the contrary is in thee from other 34 
 women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to 
 commit whoredoms : and in that thou givest a reward, and 
 no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary. 
 
 AVherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord : thus ^| 
 saith the Lord God ; Because thy filthiness was poured out, 
 and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with 
 thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and 
 by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto 
 them ; behold therefore, I will gather all thy lovers, with 37 
 whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all thet?i that thou hast 
 loved, with all the?n that thou hast hated ; I will even 
 gather them round about against thee, and will discover 
 thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy naked- 
 ness. And I will judge thee, as wo?nen that break wedlock 38 
 and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in 
 
 34. from other zvomen'] Point thus: "from other women: in that 
 thou committest whoredom, and none goeth a whoring after thee; and in 
 that thou givest hire, and no hire is given unto thee ; therefore thou art 
 contrary." Hos. viii. 9, Ephraim hireth lovers; Jer. ii. 23 — 25, iii. i, 2. 
 
 35 — 43. Punishment of the adulterous wife, and child- 
 murderer. 
 
 This punishment is described in somewhat mixed figures: first, w. 
 36 — 39, in a figure which tends to pass into a Hteral account of the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem; and secondly, w. 40 — 43, in a figure suggested 
 by the punishment of the ordinary adulteress. 
 
 36. thy filthiness] The parallehsm '"'nakedness "requires some such 
 sense; and so the Jewish tradition. The Heb. is the ordinary word 
 for "brass," but any reference to "hire" or money here is out of the 
 question. Cf. Dukes, Spr. d. Mischnah, p. 37. Geiger, Urschrift, p. 
 392. Somewhat differently Fried. Del. in Baer, Ezck., p.^xiv. 
 
 37. all thy lovers'] The heathen nations whose alliance she sought, 
 Hos. ii. 10. 
 
 taken pleasure] Lit. to whom thou hast been pleasing or sweet — with 
 a sensual reference. 
 
 that thou hast hated] The nations with whom no alliances were 
 formed, such as the Philistines. 
 
 38. shed blood] Reference to child murder, w, 20, 36. Cf. ch. 
 xxiii. 45; Lev. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22. 
 
 give "thee blood in fury] Lit. make thee the blood of fury, i.e. bring 
 
112 EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 39— 43. 
 
 39 fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into their 
 hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and 
 shall break down thy high places : they shall strip thee also 
 of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee 
 
 40 naked and bare. They shall also bring up a company 
 against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and 
 
 41 thrust thee through with their swords. And they shall 
 burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon 
 thee in the sight of many women : and I will cause thee to 
 cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no 
 
 42 hire any more. So will I make my fury towards thee to 
 rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be 
 
 43 quiet, and will be no more angry. Because thou hast not 
 remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in 
 all these things ; behold therefore, I also will recompense 
 thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God : and thou 
 shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abomina- 
 tions. 
 
 on thee the bloody death which fury and jealousy executes. On cons, 
 cf. ch. xxvi. 21, XXXV. 6. 
 
 39. On "eminent place" and "high places," see v. 24. 
 
 strip thee. ..of thy clothes] Reference is probably to a barbarous prac- 
 tice of publicly exposing the adulteress, v. 37. Ch. xxiii. 26; Hos. 
 ii. 10. 
 
 40. a company against thee"] A congregation or public assembly of 
 the people, at which the adulteress shall be tried and then executed ; 
 Lev. XX. 2; Deut. xxii. 21 (cf. i Kings xxi. 9 — 15), Prov. v. 8 — 14, I 
 was almost in all evil (danger of death) in the midst of the congregation 
 and assembly. The death of the adulteress was by stoning ; Lev. xx. 
 10; Deut. xxii. 22; John viii. 5. 
 
 41. thine houses tvith fii'e] A summary method of punishment often 
 adopted, as by the Philistines on Samson's father-in-law (Judg. xv. 6) ; 
 threatened by Ephraim on Jephthah (Judg. xii. i). Comp. also the 
 summary act of Absalom against Joab for his inattention to the prince's 
 messages (2 Sam. xiv. 30), cf. Josh. vii. 25. 
 
 sight of niany women] The neighbouring states. There may be 
 reference to a custom of making women witness the fate of the adulteress, 
 that they might take warning. 
 
 42. make my fnty...to rest] i.e. satisfy and appease it. Cf. ch. v. 13. 
 
 43. The verse concludes the whole passage w. 35 — 43, summing up 
 its meaning compendiously, cf. v. 22. 
 
 thon shalt not commit] The tense '\?, pcrf.^ which can hardly be taken 
 as fut. perf., though the prophet does use the perf. in an uncommon 
 way (ch. xiii. 11, xxiv. 5). The sentence can hardly be read interro- 
 gatively, without altering the text. LXX. read and thus for " and not " ; 
 
vv. 44-46.] EZEKIEL, XVI. 113 
 
 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this 44 
 proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her 
 daughter. Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth 45 
 her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of 
 thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children : 
 your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite. 
 And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters 46 
 
 and thus hast thou committed lewdness. The term "lewdness" is used 
 by Ezekiel of sexual enormity, applied figuratively to idolatry {v. 27). 
 "Lewdness" and "abominations" would not differ, except that the 
 former was the quality characterizing the acts called abominations. In 
 this case the clause must read : and thus hast thou committed lewdness 
 in (amidst) all thine abominations ; and the words would be a final 
 summary of the preceding verses. " Lewdness," however, is used liter- 
 ally (ch. xxii. q), and v. 45 seems to speak of literal unchastity. The 
 clause might thus be attached to v. 44, and "lewdness" being distin- 
 guished from "abominations," we might read: lewdness in addition to 
 all thine abominations. This distinction, however, is not natural. The 
 proposal to read first person, and put the words into the mouth of 
 Jehovah (Keil) : I have not committed wickedness in all thine abomina- 
 tions (i.e. by winking at them and leaving them unpunished, Lev. xix. 
 29) is singularly inept. 
 
 44. A taunting proverb in regard to Jerusalem, the adulteress and 
 child-murderer: she is the true daughter of her mother the Canaanite. 
 The proverb or saying is probably to be restricted to the words : "As 
 is her mother, so is her daughter." In v. 45 seq. the prophet speaks 
 and addresses Jerusalem. 
 
 45. that lotheth her husband\ In the sense of the allegory "lothing 
 her husband " should mean changing her god for another; and in the 
 case of Jerusalem and Samaria the charge is intelligible, Jehovah being 
 the husband (ch. xxiii.). But such a charge could hardly be made 
 against the Canaanites, the Hittite mother and Sodom (Jer. ii. 11). 
 The prophet appears to desert the allegory, introducing real features 
 into his description, and referring to actual adultery and unfaithfulness, 
 which were characteristic of the Canaanite nations. Another interpreta- 
 tion, as old as Theodoret, considers Jehovah to be the "husband" even 
 of the Hittite mother, heathen idolatries being infidelity to the true God. 
 Such a reflexion is not natural to a prophet of this age, though a similar 
 idea occurred to St Paul (Rom. i.). At the same time this prophet 
 predicts the restoration of Sodom and its union to the people of the 
 Lord. Cornill, considering the difficulties of interpretation as insuper- 
 able, strikes out the words as a gloss. 
 
 sister of thy sisters] The sisters of Jerusalem were Samaria and Sodom, 
 and she had a genuine family likeness to them. 
 yozir mother] Your (plur.) refers to the three sisters. 
 
 46. elder sister] *' elder " is lit. greater, and the reference is to the 
 greater political importance and wider territory of Samaria ; as on 
 
 EZEKIEL 8 
 
114 EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 47— 51. 
 
 that dwell at thy left hand : and thy younger sister, that 
 dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 
 
 47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after 
 their abominations : but, as if that were a very little things 
 
 48 thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. As 
 I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, 
 she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy 
 
 49 daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister 
 Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness 
 was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen 
 
 50 the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, 
 and committed abomination before me : therefore I took 
 
 51 them away as I saw good. Neither hath Samaria committed 
 half of thy sins ; but thou hast multipUed thine abomina- 
 tions more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all 
 
 the other hand Sodom was smaller than Judah. In estimating the 
 quarters of the heavens the beholder faced the east, having the north on 
 his left, &c. 
 
 her daughters] i. e. subordinate towns. 
 
 47 — 61. The depravity of Jerusalem exceeded that of either of her 
 sisters: Sodom {v. 48—50), Samaria {v. 51). 
 
 47. as if that were a very little thing] Or temporally : but a little 
 while, and then, i.e. speedily thou wast corrupted; though there seems 
 no reference to any actual period of righteousness, such as the times 
 of David. (The strange word kdt is utterly unknown ; any connexion 
 with Ar. kat only, or with an Assyr. word "a little," Fried. Del. 
 p. xvi. is little probable. If the word be anything but an echo of 
 preceding sounds it may be a fragment of the word "little," of. Is. 
 xvi. 14, xxix. 17.) Cf. ch. v. 6, 7. 
 
 48. Cf. Matt. X. 15, xi. 24. 
 
 49. abundance of idlenessi prosperous ease, as R.V., lit. prosperity 
 of quiet. Sodom lived in security and suffered no calamities, as Jer. 
 xlviii. 1 1 says of Moab, * ' Moab has been at ease from his youth, and 
 he hath settled on his lees; he hath not been emptied from vessel 
 to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity." On "fulness of bread" 
 and consequent pride and forgetfulness of God cf. Deut. xxxii. 15; 
 Hos. xiii. 6; Prov. xxx. 7. 
 
 strengthen the hand] Or, take hold Of the hand, i.e. to help or 
 rescue. Prosperity led to pride and inhumanity and then to abomi- 
 nations {v. 50). 
 
 50. as I saw good] Or, "When I saw it. Gen. xviii. 11, 1 "will 
 go down and see whether they have done according to the cry which 
 is come up unto me." 
 
 61. hast justified] Jer. iii. 11, "Backsliding Israel hath justified 
 
vv. 52-55-] EZEKIEL, XVI. 115 
 
 thine abominations which thou hast done. Thou also, 52 
 which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for 
 thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than 
 they : they are more righteous than thou : yea, be thou 
 confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast 
 justified thy sisters. 
 
 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of 53 
 Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria 
 and her daughters, then ivill I brifig agai?i the captivity of 
 thy captives in the midst of them : that thou mayest bear 54 
 thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that 
 thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. 
 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return 55 
 
 herself more thaii treacherous Judah." The abominations of Judah 
 set Samaria and Sodom in a comparatively righteous light. 
 
 62. Point thus: "and thou also, which hast (in that thou hast) given 
 judgment for (in behalf of) thy sisters, bear thy shame; through thy 
 sins which thou hast committed more abominable than they, they are 
 more righteous than thou." Jerusalem has "given judgment" or inter- 
 posed (i Sam. ii. 25) in behalf of her sisters in being more wicked 
 than they — she has made them comparatively righteous. The phrase 
 "bear thy shame" might mean "suffer in destruction the consequences 
 of thy wickedness;" vv. 54, 61, 63, however, shew that the ref. is to 
 the feeling of shame due to the fact that by the grossness of her abomi- 
 nations she has shewn her sisters to be more righteous than she (cf. 
 xxxix. 26). The prophet assumes the exile and looks forward to the 
 time of restoration. Sodom also and Samaria shall be restored as 
 well as Jerusalem, and it is this that shall bring shame to her, for she 
 shall feel that they whom she did not deign to mention because of 
 their evil fame {v. 56) were not worse but better than herself. 
 
 53. Sodom and Samaria shall be restored, and Jerusalem along 
 with them. 
 
 When I shall britig again] Rather; and I will bring again. The 
 phrase "turn the captivity" probably means: turn the fortunes (lit. 
 the turning) of one. 
 
 captivity of thy captives] Most modems by a slight change of 
 reading after LXX. render : and I will bring again thy captivity in the 
 midst of them. Cf. Is. xix. 24, " In that day shall Israel be a third 
 with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth." 
 
 64. Read: "that thou mayest bear thy shame, and be ashamed 
 because of all that thou hast done in comforting them." Jerusalem 
 "comforted" Samaria and Sodom in surpassing them in wickedness, 
 and causing them to feel less their own guilt, as also in causing their 
 restoration. 
 
 66. When thy sisters] Better: and thy sisters... and thou and thy 
 daughters. In this idea of the restoration of Israel's heathen neighbours 
 
 8—2 
 
ii6 EZEKIEL, XVI. [vv. 56—60. 
 
 to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall 
 return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters 
 
 56 shall return to your former estate. For thy sister Sodom 
 was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, 
 
 57 before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy 
 reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round 
 about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise 
 
 58 thee round about. Thou hast borne thy lewdness and 
 
 59 thine abominations, saith the Lord. For thus saith the 
 Lord God ; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, 
 which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. 
 
 60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in 
 
 to their own land after being plucked up out of it Ezekiel as usual 
 follows Jeremiah; cf. in general, Jer. xii. 14 — 17; Moab, ch. xlviii. 
 47, Ammon, xlix. 6, and Elam, xlix. 39. 
 
 56. Jerusalem did not deign to refer to Sodom on account of the 
 wickedness and evil repute of the latter. Others interrogatively: Was 
 not Sodom a report (a moral byword) in thy mouth? But the in- 
 terrogative form is precarious. 
 
 57. was discover ed^'x.Q. n\2,xi\iQ.'s,\.t^. According to modes of thinking 
 then prevalent calamity was the accepted proof of wickedness. Jeru- 
 salem's wickedness was laid bare when her great calamities fell upon 
 her, Lam. i. 8, 9. 
 
 the time of thy reproach^ Better, with R. V. as at the time of the 
 reproach of the daughters of Syria — which is that which they cast 
 upon Jerusalem, not conversely as A.V. The "time" must be the 
 present, not any previous time, and the language expresses this 
 awkwardly. LXX. read: as now thou art the reproach ("now" for 
 "time," and either finding or inserting the pron. "thou"). The 
 rendering : before thy wickedness was discovered as (it is) now, a reproach 
 &c. (Hitz. Corn.), is scarcely a Heb. construction. It would be easiest 
 to change "time" into "thou" (cf. the opposite change "which" 
 into "ten" ch. xl. 49): as thou art the reproach. 
 
 Syria, and... round about her\ The mention of Syria (Heb. Aram) 
 is strange when the reference is to the downfall of Jerusalem. For 
 Aram Syriac gives Edom {d. for r, cf. ch. xxvii. 16) which is more 
 natural (cf. ch. xxxv. 12 seq., xxv. 5, 12, 15). Vulg. reads, round 
 about thee, while Syr. wants the whole phrase. The ref. is to Jerusalem 
 in any case. Ezekiel nowhere else brings Syria into connexion with 
 Israel. 
 
 which despise thee'] Or, do despite unto thee; cf. ch. xxv. 15. 
 
 68. This and the preceding verses assume the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem, of which the prophet was fully assured. 
 
 59. The fall of Jerusalem, prophetically assumed in v. 58, is now 
 directly threatened. On the "oath" cf. Deut. xxix. 12, 14. 
 
 60. The Lord will substitute for the old covenant which was broken 
 
vv. 61—63.] EZEKIEL, XVI. 117 
 
 the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an 
 everlasting covenant. Then thou shalt remember thy ways, 61 
 and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine 
 elder and thy younger : and I will give them unto thee for 
 daughters, but not by thy covenant. And I will establish 62 
 my covenant with thee ; and thou shalt know that I a7n the 
 Lord : that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, 63 
 and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, 
 when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 an "evedasting" covenant, cf. ch. xxxvii. 26; Is. liv. 9, 10, Iv. 3; 
 Jer. xxxi. 35, 36, xxxii. 40, xxxiii. 20 — 22. The covenant will be 
 everlasting because he will forgive their sins (Jer. xxxi. 34), and write 
 his law {v. 33), and put his fear (xxxii. 40) in their hearts; giving them 
 a new heart and putting his spirit within them, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. On 
 "days of thy youth" cf. Jer. ii. 2, and Is. liv. 6. 
 
 61. Sodom and Samaria, the sisters of Jerusalem, shall be restored 
 also with her and given her for daughters. This restoration of her sin- 
 ful sisters and her receiving them for daughters shall bring the sense of 
 her own sin home to Jerusalem, and she shall be ashamed of all she has 
 done. 
 
 not by thy covenanf] This glory of receiving Samaria and Sodom and 
 her other sister cities and nationalities for daughters shall not accrue to 
 Jerusalem as the result of her former covenant with Jehovah, for that 
 covenant of his she broke. It shall be like the new covenant itself, 
 something altogether additional, an act of God's goodness in no way 
 depending on former relations (z/. 62). 
 
 62. I will establis/i] "/" is emphatic, in opposition to " not by thy 
 covenant." The new covenant will shew that which Jehovah is better 
 than all his chastisements. 
 
 63. zvhen I am pacijied] Better active : when I forgive thee. The 
 word is the technical sacrificial word to "atone" or make atonement 
 for. It probably means to "cover," though it is no more used in the 
 physical sense but only in reference to sins or guilt. Hence when God 
 is the agent this covering of sin is pardon, Jer. xviii. 23 ; Deut. xxi. 8 
 (be merciful to) ; 2 Chron. xxx. 18. The important point is to retain 
 the active sense of the word. An act of God is described, not an effect 
 produced upon his mind. 
 
 The great grace of Jehovah in restoring Jerusalem will humble and 
 ashame her, when she remembers her past evil. What all chastisements 
 could accomplish but indifferently, goodness will accomplish fully. Je- 
 rusalem will no more "open her mouth," but sit in abashed though 
 glad silence before God. His goodness and her own sin will so fill her 
 mind that the thoughts will be too deep for words. Formerly she ac- 
 cused God's providence, thinking she suffered for the iniquities of gene- 
 rations before her; formerly she boasted of her place before Jehovah, 
 
Ii8 EZEKIEL, XVI. 
 
 and her sister Sodom was not in her mouth. Now her mind will muse 
 on other things. 
 
 Though the language and conceptions of Ezekiel are less familiar 
 and natural to western minds than those of some of the other writers of 
 Scripture, his thoughts are very elevated. 
 
 (i) The figure of the adulterous wife expresses the conviction, felt 
 by him very strongly, that all through her history Israel had sinned 
 against Jehovah, especially in the matter of his service. "While former 
 prophets like Amos and Hosea condemn the ritual and the manner of 
 the worship because this implies a false conception of Jehovah, a con- 
 ception so false as to correspond in no sense to Jehovah as he really is, 
 Ezekiel condemns the worship at the high places as in itself false. He 
 regards the high places as Canaanite shrines, and the service there is no 
 service of Jehovah. And when he says that Jerusalem was unfaithful 
 with Egypt, Assyria and Babylon, besides expressing his belief that the 
 kingdom of Jehovah is not as one among the other kingdoms, he assails 
 the strange infatuation which the people displayed in adopting the gods 
 and rites of the nations with which in successive ages they entered into 
 relation. What took place in regard to the worship of the Canaanites 
 when Israel entered upon possession of that land, took place all down 
 the history as they successively came under the influence of the great 
 states around. 
 
 (2) When the prophet charges Jerusalem with outbidding Samaria 
 and Sodom in wickedness, his judgment agrees with that of Jeremiah, and 
 is founded partly on the fact that Jerusalem had fuller knowledge of 
 Jehovah from her more extended history, and consequently her sin was 
 greater than that of Samaria. The judgment, however, may also be 
 partly based on objective grounds. So far as appears from the prophets 
 Amos and Hosea idolatry in the strict sense was not greatly prevalent 
 in the North. What prevailed was mainly a sensuous worship of Je- 
 hovah, due to false conceptions of his nature, which probably had arisen 
 from a long syncretism with the idea and service of the Baals. But in 
 the later history of Judah idolatry in the sense of the worship of gods 
 different from Jehovah greatly prevailed. Neither does the cruel rite of 
 child-sacrifice appear to have invaded the Northern Kingdom. 
 
 (3) It is, however, when the prophet brings the sin of Jerusalem 
 into connexion with that of Samaria and Sodom, which it exceeded, and 
 lifts that strange fact up into the region of divine thoughts and provi- 
 dential operations, that his ideas become most profound. The sin of 
 Jerusalem, so great amidst all God's love and favour, reveals to himself 
 the nature of sin and its power over men, and he remembers with com- 
 passion those heathen peoples, like Sodom, on whom his former judg- 
 ments had so unsparingly fallen. His own people's fall causes him to 
 take to his heart the Gentile world. The Apostle Paul touches the 
 same or a kindred idea when he says : By their fall salvation is come 
 unto the Gentiles ; the casting away of them is the reconciling of the 
 world (Rom. xi. 11, 12). 
 
 Again when the prophet says that Jerusalem "shall be ashamed in 
 that she has justified her sisters," the thought is similar to that expressed 
 by St Paul, "Salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them 
 
vv. I, 2.] EZEKIEL, XVII. 119 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son ■'•' 
 
 (Israel) to jealousy.' Cf. Deut. xxxii. 21. The sight of other peoples 
 received by her God awakens Israel to the meaning of her own past, 
 and to recollections of her former relations to God. Finally the re- 
 ceiving again of Israel and the incoming of the Gentile peoples like 
 Sodom illustrate the manner of salvation, shewing it to be of grace, a 
 grace that is stronger to overcome sin and awaken sorrow for it than all 
 judgments — he hath shut up all into disobedience that he might have 
 mercy upon all. Neither the prophet nor the apostle moves in the 
 region of second causes ; they lift up the whole movement of salvation 
 into the region of the divine thoughts and compassions. 
 
 (4) The prophet predicts the restoration of Jerusalem, Samaria and 
 Sodom, and that Jerusalem, though like a sister to them in wickedness, 
 shall receive all these greater and smaller sisters as daughters. There 
 shall then in the new kingdom of Jehovah be only one mother city, all 
 other cities or peoples shall be her children. To the prophet's mind 
 the identity of Samaria and Sodom remains even when they are de- 
 stroyed, and they shall remember and turn to the Lord. There is in 
 such passages, what is not unusual in Ezekiel, a struggle between the 
 spiritual conception or fact and the external form in which he still feels 
 it must be embodied. It is the spiritual conception of the conversion to 
 Jehovah even of peoples like Sodom that fills his mind; but he is 
 unable to give this expression in any other way than by saying that 
 Sodom shall return to her former estate. 
 
 Ch. XVII. The treacherous vineplant — King Zedekiah's 
 
 DISLOYALTY TO THE KiNG OF BaBYLON. 
 
 The chapter is without date. Nebuchadnezzar appeared in Palestine 
 in the ninth year of Zedekiah to punish his disloyalty and intrigues with 
 Egypt. The present passage assumes this disloyalty and may be dated 
 a year or two earlier (c. 590). 
 
 The chapter contains these divisions: 
 
 First, vv. I — 10. The riddle of the great eagle. 
 
 Secondly, z-z;. 11 — 21. Explanation of the riddle. 
 
 Thirdly, vv. 22 — 24. Promise that Jehovah will set up in Israel a 
 kingdom that shall be universal. 
 
 1 — 10. The riddle of the great eagle. 
 
 (i) 7JV. I — 4 introduction. The great, broadwinged, speckled eagle 
 came to Lebanon, and broke off the top of the cedar, carrying it to the 
 merchant-land, Babylon — the captivity of Jehoiachin by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar. 
 
 (2) vv. 5,6. He took also of the seed of the land and planted it 
 beside the waters that it might be a spreading vine, and might turn its 
 branches towards him who had planted it — the elevation to the throne 
 by Nebuchadnezzar of Zedekiah as a feudatory monarch. 
 
 (3) ^^* 7> 8. There was another great eagle, and the vine bent its 
 
120 EZEKIEL, XVII. [vv. z—y. 
 
 of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the 
 
 3 house of Israel ; and say. Thus saith the Lord God ; A 
 great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, 
 which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took 
 
 4 the highest branch of the cedar : he cropt off the top of his 
 young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick ; he set 
 
 5 it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the 
 land, and planted it in a fruitful field ; he placed it by great 
 
 6 waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and 
 became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches 
 turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him : 
 so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot 
 
 7 forth sprigs. There was also another great eagle with great 
 
 roots and sent out its branches towards him — Zedekiah sought the 
 alliance and protection of the king of Egypt. 
 
 (4) vv. 9, 10. Denunciation of the vine for its treachery. The east 
 wind shall blow on it and it shall wither. 
 
 2. a riddle] As requiring interpretation ; the passage is also called a 
 "parable," as containing a similitude or comparison. The eagle is 
 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Conquerors are often compared to 
 the eagle, Deut. xxviii. 49; Is. xlvi. 11; Jer. iv. 13, xlviii. 40; Hos. viii. 
 i; Lam. iv. 19. 
 
 3. longwinged] With long pinions. The eagle was also of " divers 
 colours" or speckled, with reference possibly to the very diverse nation- 
 alities included in the Babylonian empire. 
 
 came unto Lebanon] The figure of the eagle coming to Lebanon and 
 cropping off the highest branch and top of the young twigs {v. 4) repre- 
 sents the carrying off of those highest in the land of Israel. Lebanon as 
 opposed to Babylon is the mountain of Palestine ; the cedar, the tree of 
 Lebanon, appears to represent the royal Davidic house {vv. 12, 22), and 
 its highest branches king Jehoiachin and the princes who were carried 
 away to Babylon (v. 12). On "land of traffic" {v. 4), cf. ch. xvi. 29. 
 
 5. Nebuchadnezzar then took Mattaniah, son of Josiah, and made 
 him king under the name of Zedekiah. The " seed of the land " is the 
 native royal house. 
 
 he placed it] The unknown form so rendered might be a verb, cf. 
 Hos. xi. 3. LXX, omits; Ew. conjectures slip, or cutting. The com- 
 parison to the willow (the sense is not certain, the word not occurring 
 again) is suggested by theplace where it was planted, beside great waters. 
 '* Water" is the requisite of every tree in the East, and "great waters" 
 are the favourable conditions granted to Zedekiah. " They that drink 
 water" is a name for trees, ch. xxxi. 16. 
 
 6. of low statnre] This refers to the dependent nature of Zedekiah's 
 kingdom, as tributary to the lord superior. Cf. Is. xvi. 8: Hos. x. i. 
 
 whose branches turned:] Or, that its branches might turn... and 
 the roots thereof be. 
 
w. 8— 12.] EZEKIEL, XVII. 
 
 121 
 
 wings and many feathers : and behold, this vine did bend 
 her roots towards him, and shot forth her branches toward 
 him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. 
 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that // might s 
 bring forth branches, and that // might bear fruit, that // 
 might be a goodly vine. Say thou, Thus saith the Lord 9 
 God; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots 
 thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither ? it shall 
 wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great 
 power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof 
 Yea behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not 10 
 utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall 
 wither in the furrows where it grew. 
 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, n 
 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these 12 
 things 7tiean ? tell thefn, Behold, the king of Babylon is 
 
 7. The other great eagle, which however is not described with such 
 imposing epithets as the former, is the king of Egypt. The vine bent 
 its roots toward him — sought to draw nourishment from him. 
 
 by the furrows'] Rather : from ttie beds of its plantation — i.e. where 
 it was planted. The words are connected with "did bend her roots." 
 The comparative sense : to water it more than the beds, has less pro- 
 babiUty ; though it would express the uneasiness of Zedekiah and his 
 vain political dreams. 
 
 8. The happy condition of Zedekiah's monarchy under the king of 
 Babylon, had he been content with his subordinate role as a feudatory 
 prince. 
 
 9. Threat of punishment because of his treachery. The vine shall be 
 pulled up and utterly withered — Zedekiah's monarchy shall be taken 
 away before the king of Babylon. 
 
 shall he not pull up] The subject is most naturally the king of Baby- 
 lon, who planted it ; the words might be used in the sense of the pass. : 
 shall it not be pulled up? 
 
 it shall 7vither... her sprmg\ As R.V., all her fresh springing leaves 
 shall wither. 
 
 rven without great power] It will be a light thing for the king of 
 Babylon to pluck up this vine by the roots. Both the words and con- 
 struction are peculiar; cf. v. 17. 
 
 10. Destruction under another figure, that of the east wind, before 
 which vegetation crumbles into dust. Cf. ch. xix. 12; Hos. xiii. 15; 
 Is. xxvii. 8, xl. 7 ; Job xxvii. 21. 
 
 11 — 21. Interpretation of the riddle. 
 
 12. the rebellious house] i.e. Israel, ch. ii. 5. 
 
 king 0/ Babylon is come] Better past tenses throughout: came... and 
 
122 EZEKIEL, XVII. [vv. 13—17. 
 
 come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and 
 the princes tliereof, and led them with him to Babylon ; 
 
 13 and hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant 
 with him, and hath taken an oath of him : he hath also 
 
 14 taken the mighty of the land : that the kingdom might be 
 base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of 
 
 15 his covenant it might stand. But he rebelled against him 
 in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give 
 him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he 
 escape that doeth such things 1 or shall he break the cove- 
 
 16 nant, and be delivered 1 As \ hve, saith the Lord God, 
 surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him 
 king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he 
 brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 
 
 17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great 
 
 took; so V. 13 and took. On the captivity of Jehoiachin, cf. i Kings 
 xxiv. II seq.\ Jer. xxiv. i, xxix. i. 
 
 13. the king's seed\ the royal seed, lit. seed of the kingdom. See 
 on z'. 5 ; cf. 2 Kings xxiv. 17 ; Jer. xxxvii. i. 
 
 an oath of him'\ Cf. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 13. 
 
 he hath also taken'] he took also. On " mighty of the land," cf. v. 12. 
 Probably the more influential classes are included, those who if left 
 might be uneasy under the yoke and likely to stir up revolt ; cf. 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 14, 15; Jer. xxix. i, 2. 
 
 14. might be base] i.e. humble, and without pretension ; cf. ch. xxix. 
 14. It was with this purpose that Nebuchadnezzar carried away the 
 mighty of the land. He also hoped that the kingdom would "stand;" 
 it was no doubt his policy to have a dependent, friendly state on the 
 frontier of Egypt. The word "stand," however, may refer to the 
 covenant: to keep his covenant, that it might stand. 
 
 15. Cf. 2 Kings xxiv. 20. The king of Egypt referred to was 
 Pharaoh Hophra, Jer. xliv. 30, xxxvii. 5 sei^. The indignation of 
 Ezekiel against Zedekiah arises greatly from his regarding the subjection 
 of Jerusalem to Babylon as a thing determined by Jehovah. Hence the 
 covenant broken by Zedekiah is not merely the covenant of the king of 
 Babylon but that of Jehovah [v. 19). The prophet follows Jeremiah. 
 He had possibly read the words of the latter spoken in the beginning of 
 the reign of Zedekiah, ch. xxvii. 9 — 17, "sei-ve the king of Babylon 
 and live;" and probably he had heard his words to the same effect 
 spoken in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, ch. xxv. His advice to the 
 exiles also was no doubt known to him, ch. xxix. 4. 
 
 16. Zedekiah, being carried to Babylon, shall die there. 
 
 17. The aid of Pharaoh shall be in vain; cf. Jer. xxxvii. 5, and the 
 pathetic references to the hopes and disappointments of the besieged 
 during the last days of Jerusalem in Lam. iv. 1 7. 
 
vv. 18—22.] EZEKIEL, XVII. 123 
 
 company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, 
 and building forts, to cut off many persons : seeing he iB 
 despised the oath ]3y breaking the covenant, when lo, he 
 had given his hand, and hath done all these thmgs, he shall 
 not escape. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; As l^o 
 live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my cove- 
 nant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon 
 his own head. And I will spread my net upon him, and 20 
 he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to 
 Babylon, and will plead with him there y^r his trespass that 
 he hath trespassed against me. And all his fugitives with 21 
 all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain 
 shall be scattered towards all winds : and ye shall know 
 that I the Lord have spoken //. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; I will also take of the highest 22 
 branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off 
 from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will 
 
 On "mounts," &c., cf. ch. iv. 2. 
 
 20. spread tny net] Cf. ch. xii. 13; Hos. vii. 12. 
 
 p/ead with him] i.e. there subject him to the consequences of his 
 treachery, bringing it thereby to his knowledge that he is suffering the 
 penalty of it, cf. xx. 35, 36, xxxviii. 22; Jer. ii. 35. 
 
 21. all his fugitives] The form of word does not otherwise occur, 
 but has been so understood by some ancient versions. Others as Targ., 
 Syr., assume a transposition of two letters and render: his choice men; 
 and so many moderns (cf. ch. xxiii. 7 ; Dan. xi. 15). This last reading is 
 found in a number of MSS. Cf. ch. v. 2, 12, vi. 10, 13, xii. 12 seq. 
 
 22 — 24. Promise of a new and universal Messianic kingdom 
 IN Israel. 
 
 The attempt of the king of Babylon to set up a kingdom in Israel 
 miscarried; he who set up the kingdom took it away. The shoot 
 planted by him was smitten by the east wind and withered. But Je- 
 hovah himself will plant a shoot of the high cedar, the Davidic house, 
 on a high mountain that all nations may see it (Is. ii. 2, xi. 10), even 
 on the height of the mountain land of Israel, and it shall become a great 
 cedar, so that all the fowls of heaven shall lodge in the branches of it. 
 This kingdom shall be imposing and universal, and all peoples shall find 
 protection under it. And then shall it be known that Jehovah is king 
 among the nations, that kingdoms are in his hand, to set one up and 
 pull another down ; that he can make the green tree wither and the dry 
 tree blossom and bear fruit. 
 
 22. I ivill also take] I will take — " I " emphatic. The figure refers 
 to the house of David, cf. w. 2, 3; Is. liii. 2. 
 
124 EZEKIEL, XVII. [w. 23, 24. 
 
 23 plant it upon a high mountain and eminent : in the moun- 
 tain of the height of Israel will I plant it : and it shall 
 bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar : 
 and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the 
 
 24 shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all 
 the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have 
 brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have 
 dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to 
 flourish : I the Lord have spoken and have done //. 
 
 high mountain\ This belongs partly to the figure of the cedar, but 
 indicates also the conspicuousness to the eyes of the nations of this 
 great cedar; Is. ii. 2. 
 
 23. mountain of the height^ Cf. ch. xx. 40, xl. 2. 
 
 fowl of every wing] As fowls flock to a great tree so all peoples will 
 put their trust in the shadow of this great monarchy in the land of 
 Israel; ch. xxxi. 6; Dan. iv. 12 ; Matt. xiii. 32. 
 
 24. As this kingdom is compared to a cedar other kingdoms are 
 likewise called trees; cf. ch. xxxi. 5, 8, 14, 16, 18. Kings and king- 
 doms are hardly distinguished, the kingdom is but the expression of the 
 king. Then all shall know that this great result is the work of Jehovah, 
 who worketh contrary to men's expectations ; who overturneth till he 
 come whose right it is to rule. Cf. i Sam ii. 4 — 8; Luk. i. 51 — 53. 
 
 Ch. XVIII. The moral freedom and responsibility of the 
 
 INDIVIDUAL MAN BEFORE GOD. 
 
 This great idea is expressed in two parts : 
 
 First, vv. I — 20. The individual man is not involved in the sins 
 and fate of his people or of his forefathers. 
 
 Secondly, vv. 2[ — 32. Neither does he lie under the ban of his 
 own previous life. His moral freedom raises him above both. 
 
 The prophet as usual attaches himself to the ideas of Jeremiah, 
 who had prophesied that in the ideal days to come, those of the New 
 Covenant, the perfect future that was about to dawn upon men, they 
 should no more say, "The fathers ate sour grapes and the children's 
 teeth are set on edge," but every one should die for his own iniquity 
 (ch. xxxi. 29, 30). The outlook of Ezekiel is also in some measure 
 ideal, and the principles which he enunciates must be judged in this 
 light (ch. xxxiii.). His purpose is in the main practical. He desires 
 to lay a basis for his exhortation "Turn yourselves from all your 
 transgressions" {vv. 30 — 32). His exhortations are addressed to the 
 individuals of the people, for he contemplates the end of the state 
 and only individuals remain, and he has to face and settle questions 
 that from the circumstances of the time had begun to exercise and 
 perplex men's minds. The strokes that had fallen one after another 
 upon the state might be deserved, when the state was considered a 
 moral person that had sinned all through her history (ch. xvi.); but 
 
V. I.] EZEKIEL, XVIII. 125 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 18 
 
 the calamities that were deserved by the general mass fell with a 
 crushing weight on many who had not been partakers in the sins 
 that brought them down. The captives carried away under Jehoiachin 
 were more righteous than those still left to inherit the mountains of 
 Israel; and compared with the dark days of Manasseh even the gene- 
 ration subject to Zedekiah might think themselves better men. Such 
 reflections made the people feel themselves involved as by a kind of 
 fate in the deeds of their forefathers, a feeling which found expression 
 in the proverb, "The fathers ate sour grapes, and the children's teeth 
 are set on edge." This proverb might express various feelings as 
 it came from different mouths. It might be uttered by some in self- 
 exculpation, and in a satisfied, self-righteous tone; or it might be 
 the expression of a perplexed condition of mind, which found God's 
 providence dark, and went so far as well nigh to arraign the divine 
 rectitude; or finally it might express the feeling of lying under a 
 hopeless fate inherited from the past — a feeling which crushed out 
 individual life and paralysed all personal effort after righteousness, 
 and delivered over the mind to an inactivity of despair (ch. xxxiii. 10). 
 These difficulties could not fail themselves to suggest their own solution. 
 They were partly due to the consciousness, which circumstances were 
 everywhere creating, of the worth of the individual soul; and their 
 solution lay in pursuing this idea further and giving it clearer ex- 
 pression. 
 
 The prophet meets the state of the people's mind with two great 
 principles from the mouth of the Lord: (r) "All souls are mine; as 
 the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine." Each 
 soul is the Lord's, his relation to each is direct and immediate (v. 4). 
 And (2) "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth," saith the 
 Lord {vv. ■23, 32). 
 
 And two conclusions follow from these principles: (i) "Each soul 
 being immediately related to God, its destiny depends on this relation — 
 the soul that sinneth shall die;" and (2) "Wherefore, turn yourselves 
 and live" {v. 32). The emancipation of the individual soul is complete. 
 
 First, w. I — 20. The individual soul shall not be involved in the 
 sins and fate of its people or forefathers. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 5. Introduction. The current proverb that the children 
 suffer the consequences of the sins of their fathers {w, i, 2). Answer 
 of Jehovah : All souls are mine. None shall answer for the sins of 
 another — the soul that sinneth shall die {vv. 3 — 5). 
 
 (2) vv. 6 — 20. Developement of this principle in three instances : 
 first, a man who is upright, doing truth and righteousness— this man 
 shall live {vv. 5 — 9). Secondly, if this righteous man beget a wicked 
 son who doeth evil, this wicked son of a righteous father shall die 
 {vv. 10 — 13). Thirdly, but if this wicked son of a righteous father 
 himself beget a son who, seeing the evil of his father, avoids it and 
 acts righteously, this righteous son of an evil father shall live {vv. 
 14 — 18). To restate the principle: the righteous shall live in his 
 righteousness, and the wicked shall die in his own evil {zn'. 19, 20). 
 
126 EZEKIEL, XVIII. [vv. 2—5. 
 
 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the 
 land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, 
 
 3 and the children's teeth are set on edge ? As 1 live, saith 
 the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use 
 
 4 this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine ; as the 
 soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine : the 
 soul that sinneth, it shall die. 
 
 5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and 
 
 2. concerning the land] Rather, in the land, lit. upon : cf. v. 3 
 "in Israel." 
 
 fathers have eaten"] Or, the fathers eat; the proverb being thrown 
 into a general form. The proverb, already noticed by Jeremiah (ch. 
 xxxi. 29, 30) means that the children suffer the consequences of the 
 sins of their fathers. Sour or unripe grapes are occasionally eaten, 
 and naturally the effect upon the eater's teeth is immediate — his teeth 
 are set on edge, lit. blunted, the edge of them turned. Here, however, 
 the effect is first felt by the children. Such feelings could not but 
 arise in the troubled times of the fall of the state, when the righteous 
 suffered with the wicked, and the most righteous were carried into exile, 
 and just because they still clave to their own faith in the midst of 
 heathenism endured severer sufferings than others who accommodated 
 themselves to their circumstances. Soon after the fall of Jerusalem we 
 hear the same complaint in literal terms: "The fathers sinned and 
 are not, and we have borne their iniquities" (Lam. v. 7). 
 
 3. ye shall not have occasion] Or, it shall not be permitted you. 
 
 4. all souls are mifie] i.e. every individual soul stands in immediate 
 relation to God; Numb. xvi. 22, *'0 God, God of the spirits of all 
 flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the con- 
 gregation?" All souls alike belong to God, and this "alike" guarantees 
 the treatment of each by itself, the soul of the son no less than the 
 soul of the father. According to former modes of thought the son had 
 not personal independence, he belonged to the father, and was involved 
 in the destiny of the father. 
 
 sinnethy it shall die] It and not another because of its sin. "Live" 
 and " die" are used by the prophet of literal life and death, continuance 
 in the world and removal from it. They have, however, a pregnant 
 meaning arising from the other conceptions of the prophet. He feels 
 himself and the people standing immediately before that perfect king- 
 dom of the Lord which is about to come (ch. xxxiii., xxxvii), and 
 "Uve" implies entering into the glory of this kingdom, while "die" 
 implies deprivation of its blessedness; for of course, like all the Old 
 Testament writers, Ezekiel considers the kingdom, even in its perfect 
 condition, an earthly one. 
 
 5 — 20. Developement of the principle in three instances, 
 chosen so as to exhibit it in its most paradoxical form. 
 
 6—9. The man that is righteous shall live. First, his righteousness 
 
vv. 6— 9] EZEKIEL, XVIII. 127 
 
 right, a7id hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath 6 
 lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither 
 hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to 
 a menstruous woman, and hath not oppressed any, but hath 7 
 restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by 
 violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath 
 covered the naked with a garment ; he that hath not given 8 
 forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath 
 withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judg- 
 ment between man and man, hath walked in my statutes, 9 
 
 is defined generally as doing judgment or right and justice, v, 5. Then 
 it is analysed into: (i) religious duties, v. 6; (2) duties relating to 
 marriage and the relations of men and women, v. 6 ; (3) duties to 
 one's neighbour, w. 'j, S; and (4) finally all these duties are brought 
 under the conception of obedience to the commands of God, v. 9. 
 
 6. eaien upon the mountains\ that is, sacrificed on the high places 
 and partaken of the sacrificial meal following, token of fellowship 
 as a guest with the idols there worshipped. The phrase occurs again 
 w. II, 15, xxii. 9. In xxxiii. 25 the reading is, eaten with the blood ; cf. 
 Lev. xvii. 17, xix. 26; i Sam. xiv. 33. Sept. renders Lev. xix. 26, 
 eaten tipoyi the mountains, and it is possible that the same error of 
 reading occurs here, and that xviii. 6, 11, 15, xxii. 9, should be assimi- 
 lated to xxxiii. 25 (W. R. Smith, Kinship, p. 310). 
 
 lift up his eyes'\ In prayer to the idols, or trust in them, or perhaps 
 generally, in acknowledgment of them. Ps. cxxi. i, cxxiii. i; Job 
 xxxi. 26. 
 
 his neighbour's wife"] Adultery is not seldom charged against the 
 people by the prophets, especially Jeremiah, e.g. Jer. v. 8, ix. 2, xxix. 
 23; cf. Lev. XX. 10; Deut. xxii. 22. Note Job's claims for himself, ch. 
 xxxi. 9. On the other impurity forbidden cf. Lev. xv. 24, xviii. 19. 
 
 7, 8. Duties to one's neighbour. 
 
 7. hath not oppressed'^ In v. 12 the opposite course reads: hath op- 
 pressed the poor and needy. Occasion of oppression would arise when 
 the poor was in debt (Am. ii. 6, 7) ; or being unprotected he might 
 be defrauded of his hire, Mai. iii. 5 (James v. 4). Cf. the claim made 
 by Job, xxxi. 13. 
 
 to the debtor his pledge] This refers to the duty of returning to the 
 debtor any pledge whch was an article necessary to his existence or 
 comfort, as a garment which was his cover by night. Ex. xxii. 26; 
 Deut. xxiv. 6; cf Job xxii. 6; Am. ii. 8. On the positive duties of 
 feeding the hungry and clothing the naked cf. again the claims of Job, 
 xxxi. 17 — 20. 
 
 8. On usury cf. the humane law, Lev. xxv. 35 — 37. The case 
 supposed is that of lending to the poor, Ex. xxii. 25 ; Deut. xxiii. 20. 
 
 executed true judgment] When acting as judge, or as umpire between 
 man and man. 
 
128 EZEKIEL, XVIII. [w. lo, ii. 
 
 and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly ; he is just, he 
 
 shall surely live, saith the Lord God. 
 :o If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, 
 II and that doeth the like to a?zy one of these things ^ and 
 
 9. The man who acts thus (vv. 5 — 8) hath walked in God's statutes 
 and he shall live. For **to deal truly," LXX. reads: to do thei7i^ by 
 transposition of two letters, which is more natural. 
 
 With the ideal of a righteous man here given may be compared these 
 others: Job's, ch. xxxi., perhaps the most inward in the Old Testament, 
 Ps. XV. ; Is. Iviii. 5 — 7. Such ideals differ from ours principally in that 
 they seem to consist of conduct exclusively external, while we express 
 our ideal in terms of the thought and feelings. But first, when these 
 external actions are enumerated it is always assumed that they proceed 
 from a right condition of mind, of which they are the natural fruit. 
 Hence the prophet says, "Make you a new heart, and a new spirit" 
 (z'. 31). The same assumption is made when God is spoken of as 
 making men righteous by forgiveness, or by bestowing on them pro- 
 sperity, the sign of righteousness. The mental state corresponding to 
 this right relation to God is always regarded as present. And in point 
 of fact the righteousness of God himself consists in righteous acts, just 
 as the righteousness of man. The ancient mind fastened on the outward 
 acts as revealing the inward state, while the modern mind goes directly 
 to the internal condition. And secondly, moral conduct was never 
 thought of as the result of a happy or pure disposition, or as the fruit of 
 prevalent social custom, or obedience to laws called moral or natural ; 
 it was always regarded as obedience to divine commandment. Morals 
 was part of religion. Every moral law was fulfilled in obedience to 
 God; hence Jehovah says of this moral man, "he hath walked in my 
 statutes, he shall live " (z/. 9). 
 
 10—13. Second link in the chain : this righteous man is 
 the father of a violent son who sheds blood and does 
 evil; the wicked son shall not live because of the 
 righteousness of his father, he shall die in his own sin. 
 
 10. a robber] a. man of violence. 
 
 and that doetA the like] The text is difficult. LXX. reads : shedding 
 blood, and co?n?nitting sins, 11 who hath not walked in the way of his 
 righteous father^ but hath even eaten, &c. This text gives the general 
 meaning of the Heb., of which it looks like a paraphrase. It is difficult 
 to decide whether the last clause oiv, 10 refers to the father or the son. 
 The words in the place where they stand should refer to the wicked son, 
 and so A.V., R.V., but if so they cannot be reconciled with v. 11. 
 The words rendered "these things" {v. 10) and "those duties" {v. 11) 
 are the same, viz. the things w. 6 — 9, and cannot be regarded as things 
 forbidden {v. 10) and things commanded {v. 11) at once. The unknown 
 word ach occurring here (cf. v. 18, xxi. 20) is supposed to be the same 
 as "only" (akh), but is probably a fragment of the word "one" due to 
 an error of the copyist and should be neglected. 
 
nrv. 12— 18.] EZEKIEL, XVIII. 129 
 
 that doeth not any of those duties^ but even hath eaten 
 \upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife, hath « 
 oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, 
 hath not restored the pledge, and hath lift up his eyes to 
 the idols, hath committed abomination, hath given forth 13 
 upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? 
 he shall not live : he hath done all these abominations; he 
 shall surely die ; his blood shall be upon him. 
 
 Now lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins 14 
 which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such 
 like, that hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath 15 
 lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not 
 defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath oppressed any, hath ifi 
 not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, 
 hut hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered 
 the naked with a garment, tJiat hath taken off his hand from 17 
 the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath 
 executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes ; he 
 shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely 
 live. As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled is 
 his brother by violence, and did that which is not good 
 among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 
 
 11. and that doeth not] Fairer : and he hath not done any of these 
 thhigs, but even hath eaten, &c. The things which he hath not done 
 are those in w. 6 — 9 regarded as positive commandments. The words 
 naturally refer to the wicked son. They are incompatible with those in 
 the end of z*. 10, if these be said of the son. Syr., feeling the incompa- 
 tibility, omits. It is easier, however, to omit the words in v. 10, as a 
 gloss from Lev. iv. 1, because the words "but even hath eaten" require 
 a negative clause before them. 
 
 13. shall surely die] The formula common in the law, "shall surely 
 be put to death," Lev. xx. 11 ; Ex. xxi. 15, xxii. 18. 
 
 his blood... upon him] He shall suffer the death due to his own deeds, 
 ch. xxxiii. 4; Lev. xx. 9; 2 Sam. i. 16. 
 
 w. 14 — 20. Third link in the chain of illustration: this unrighteous 
 man on the other hand begets a son who, seeing his father's iniquities, is 
 deterred by them and lives righteously. This son shall not die for the 
 sins of his father, but live because of his own righteousness. 
 
 14. and considcnih] Lit. even seeth, so v. 28. \Vith a different 
 punctuation the word would mean : andfeareth, as R.V. 
 
 16. zvithholden the pledi^c] taken aught to pledge, as R.V. 
 
 17. taken off his hand] withdrawn his hand — so as not to injure or 
 oppress — the poor. LXX. reads: from iniquity, but cf. ch. xx. 22. 
 
 18. spoilrd his brother] LXX. omits "brother;" the word is that 
 
 EZKKIKL o 
 
I30 EZEKIEL, XVIII. [vv. 19—23. 
 
 19 Yet say ye, Why ? doth not the son bear the iniquity of 
 the father ? When the son hath done that which is lawful 
 and right, ajid hath kept all my statutes, and hath done 
 
 20 them, he shall surely hve. The soul that sinneth, it shall 
 die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, 
 neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son : the 
 righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the 
 
 21 wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the 
 wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, 
 and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, 
 
 22 he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions 
 that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto 
 him : in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 
 
 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? 
 saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from 
 his ways, and live ? 
 
 referred to z'. 10. Here "brother" might stand, though "neighbour" 
 is the term elsewhere used (tjv. 6, 11). The word "violence" or robbery 
 has a different form w. 7, 12. 
 
 19. Yet say ye, Why?'\ Rather : and ye say, wherefore doth not 
 the son bear. . .? The prophet refers to the current view, and supposes it 
 quoted as an objection to his principle. So long as the idea prevailed 
 that the son was, so to speak, part of the father, it was natural to sup- 
 pose that he should be included in the father's punishment ; hence the 
 people ask, Why doth the son not bear, \\\.. bear part of, share in bearing 
 (so V. 20), the iniquity of the father? In opposition to this idea the 
 prophet states his principle on both its sides, vv. 19, 20. 
 
 Secondly, vv. 21 — 32. As men shall not be involved in the sins of 
 their people or their fathers, so the individual soul shall not lie under 
 the ban of its own past. 
 
 The sinner who turneth from his evil and doeth righteousness shall 
 live in his righteousness, vv. 21 — 23. And on the other hand, the 
 righteous man who turneth away from his righteousness and doeth evil 
 shall die in his evil, v. 24. 
 
 22. mentioned unto kij?i] Or, remembered in regard to him. 
 
 23. The verse meets a feeling of despair both in regard to themselves 
 and in regard to God which was beginning to take possession of the 
 minds of some, perhaps many, among the people. The despair in re- 
 gard to themselves is seen in ch. xxxiii. 10, 11, "We pine away in our 
 iniquities, how should we live?" and the despair in regard to God, which 
 is but another side of that in regard to themselves, is expressed in such 
 passages as Lam. iii. 42 — 44, " We have rebelled and thou hast not 
 pardoned... Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer 
 should not pass through." The Lord had brought the evil on them 
 which he had purposed (Lam. ii. 8, 17), and it was final (Lam. ii. 9). 
 
vv. 24—28.] EZEKIEL, XVIII. 131 
 
 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, 24 
 and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abo- 
 minations that the wicked ina7i doeth, shall he live ? All his 
 righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned : in 
 his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that 
 he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say. The way 25 
 of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel ; Is 
 not my way equal ? are not your ways unequal ? When a 26 
 righteous ma7i turneth away from his righteousness, and 
 committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity 
 that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked 27 
 ina7i turneth away from his wickedness that he hath com- 
 mitted, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall 
 save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth 28 
 
 The same despondency, though softened in some measure by the lapse 
 of time, appears in another prophet, Is. xl. 27 — 31, xlix. 14, "Zion hath 
 said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." 
 So long as the state existed the covenant might also be thought to 
 remain, and the prophets could sustain the hearts of men by i-eminding 
 them that the Lord was their God ; but when the state fell and Israel 
 was no more to appearance the people of Jehovah, they had to go 
 behind the covenant and fall back on that unchanging nature of Jehovah 
 which originated the covenant — that mercy which endureth for ever. 
 The prevailing disposition of the mind of Jehovah was towards the 
 salvation of men. 
 
 24. Although it would have sufficed for the prophet's purpose to 
 assure the repentant sinner of God's forgiveness, he has a certain theo- 
 retical interest in the principle which he is insisting on which makes 
 him develop it on the other side also. 
 
 25. Yet ye say. The way...eqiial^ And ye say. The "way" of the 
 Lord is the principle on which he acts, or his action on it, Is. Iv. 8, 
 cf. ch. xxxiii. 17, 20. The objection of the people may really have been 
 expressed (cf. v. 19). The prophet's principle of the freedom of the 
 individual and his independence was a novelty running counter to 
 cherished notions of that age, notions corroborated by much that is 
 seen in history and life. The instance of Korah, whose children perish- 
 ed with him for his sin, the case of Achan, whose transgression was 
 imputed to the whole camp, the history of Jonathan, and no doubt 
 multitudes of instances were familiar to the people where men were 
 treated as bodies and the individuals shared the fate of the mass though 
 personally innocent. To us now the prophet's princii)le is self-evident. 
 Still even to us it is only a theoretical principle, and can be maiiilainod 
 against facts only by drawing a distinction, which the people in Israel 
 had not yet learned to draw, between the spiritual relation of the mind 
 to God and the external history of the individual. See end of chapter. 
 
 9 — 2 
 
132 EZEKIEL, XVIII. [vv. 29-32. 
 
 away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he 
 
 29 shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of 
 Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, 
 are not my ways equal ? are not your ways unequal ? 
 
 30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one 
 according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and 
 turn yourselves from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall 
 
 31 not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgres- 
 sions, whereby ye have transgressed ; and make you a new 
 heart and a new spirit : for why will ye die, O house of 
 
 32 Israel ? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that 
 dieth, saith the Lord God : wherefore turn yourselves^ and 
 live ye. 
 
 30 — 32. Exhortation to repentance founded on the principle that 
 God will deal with every man according to the condition in which he is 
 found. 
 
 30. iniquity .. .yotir ruin'] More naturally: that it (your trans- 
 gressing) be not a stumbling block of iniquity to you. The trans- 
 gressions which they are called on to renounce are specially their 
 idolatries, cf. ch. xiv. 3, vii. 19, xliv. 12. 
 
 31. a new heari\ Cf ch. xi. 19, xxxvi. 26; Jer. iv. 4, xxiv. 7; Ps. 
 li. 7. The words are those of practical exhortation; to charge the 
 prophet with assigning to man a power greater than that which Scripture 
 in general allows to him is to distort his language. Cf. what he says 
 on the other side regarding the divine operation on man, ch. xxxvi. 
 
 25—27. xi- 19- 
 
 32. The appeal to turn from evil sustained by reference to the 
 prevailing nature of God. He is the God of salvation; his will is 
 that men should live. The A.V. marg. to "turn yourselves (cf. v. 30) 
 or others''' is altogether false. The active form "turn" is either used 
 intransitively, or yourselves (lit. your faces) is understood, cf. ch. 
 xiv. 6. 
 
 ( 1 ) The place of the present chapter may be explained by connecting 
 it with the Messianic prophecy immediately preceding (ch. xvii. 22 
 — 24) ; the passage enunciates the principles and conditions of entering 
 the perfect kingdom. The same principles are stated in two other 
 passages, ch. iii. 16 — 21, and ch. xxxiii. i — 20. They are properly 
 in place in the last passage. The prophet feels himself, however, 
 essentially a prophet of the new age, and writing his Book after the 
 fall of Jerusalem he may have expanded principles less fully developed 
 at an earlier time. The age before which he stands is an ideal one, 
 and principles realized but imperfectly now shall then have full preva- 
 lence (ch. xii. 16, xiv. 22). 
 
 (2) The principle which the prophet insists upon is not the strict 
 retributive righteousness of God, but the moral freedom and inde- 
 pendence of the individual person. The individual is not involved 
 
EZEKIEL, XVIII. 133 
 
 in the destiny of his fathers or of his people; neither does he lie under 
 an irrevocable doom pronounced over him by his past life. The im- 
 mediate relation of eveiy spirit to God and its moral freedom to l:)reak 
 with its own past raises it above both these dooms. What Ezekiel 
 teaches regarding God is that he hath no pleasure that the wicked 
 should die. The prophet's whole purpose is practical, to strike off 
 from the people the shackles of a despair that was settling upon them, 
 whether they looked to themselves or to God. What he says of men 
 is that each stands in immediate relation to God and shall live or die 
 according as he repents or continues in his sin ; and what he teaches 
 of God is that in spite of the dark clouds of judgment behind which 
 he seems now hidden his prevailing will is that men should live. 
 
 (3) The conception of the prophet is a complex or double one, 
 having an internal and an external side. The inward element in the 
 conception is the spiritual relation of the individual person to God; 
 the outward element is the form "life" and "death" in which this 
 internal relation is made manifest, rewarded or punished in God's 
 treatment of the individual person. We perceive a cleavage taking 
 place between these two elements. The principles enunciated by the 
 prophet refer to the spiritual relation of the individual to God, and 
 are true when limited to this. The individual shall not, in this sense, 
 suffer for the sins of his people, nor the child for the sins of his father; 
 and even his own past life does not weave an inexorable fate around 
 him from which there is no escape. In all cases consequences evil 
 enough may descend upon the son from the father, or upon himself 
 from his own past life, but not this particular consequence. His 
 moral freedom and independence raises him above these consequences, 
 and brings him as an independent person into direct relation with 
 God, over against others and even over against his former self. And 
 this is really all that the prophet is teaching of new truth here. It is 
 truth which the New Testament teaches, and which is the foundation 
 of all morals. To charge the prophet with cutting up the individual 
 human life into sections which have no moral relation to one another, 
 or with teaching that a man shall live or die according to the condition 
 in which he shall be found "lor the moment" when the judgment 
 overtakes him, is grossly to distort his language. 
 
 It may be true that the prophet has not yet been able fully to 
 analyse his own complex conception and separate completely the 
 spiritual relation of the mind to God from the person's external con- 
 ditions. No Old Testament writer probably has been able to do 
 this consciously and formally, although it is often done in principle 
 and in moments of spiritual elevation (Ps. Ixxiii. 23 seq., xvii. 14, 15). 
 But the ideal character of the age which the prophet feels to be about 
 to dawn, and to which he applies his principles, marks an api)roach 
 towards completing the distinction. This future though imminent 
 ideal time, the time of the perfect kingdom of God, is that which 
 corresponds to our idea of heaven, or another future world, in which 
 external condition will perfectly correspond to spiritual state. The 
 prophet's ideal world, in which spiritual relation would be perfectly 
 bodied out externally, was still the earth. "Life" and "death," in 
 
134 EZEKIEL, XIX. [vv. i, 2. 
 
 19 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of 
 
 2 Israel, and say, What is thy mother ? A lioness : she lay 
 
 down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young 
 
 the ordinary : ise of these words, were the only means by which 
 inward spiritual relations could find proper outward expression. 
 
 ( 
 Ch. XIX. Dirge over the princes of Judah. ' 
 
 The elegy represents the princes of Judah as young lions, reared 
 among lions by the mother lioness, but caught in pits by the nations 
 and carried away. The mother lioness cannot of course be the natural 
 mother of the princes, but rather the people, Judah itself. Two 
 princes are lamented, one captured and carried to Egypt, viz. Jehoahaz, 
 son and successor of Josiah [vv. i — 4) ; and another carried to Babylon, 
 who must be Jehoiachin {vv. 5 — 9). The elegy does not appear to 
 extend further. Verses 10 — 14 refer to Zedekiah, and are prophetic. 
 They are connected in general idea with vv. i — 9, but the figure for 
 the mother is now the vine. 
 The following table may be useful here. 
 
 Josiah falls at Megiddo, B.C. 608. 
 
 Jehoahaz his son reigned three months. 
 
 Jehoiakim (son of Josiah), 608 — 597. 
 
 Jehoiachin (his son) reigned 3 months. 
 
 Zedekiah (son of Josiah), 597 — 586. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, 588. 
 
 Fall of Jerusalem, 586. 
 The elegiac measure is maintained in vv. 1 — 8; it is somewhat dis- 
 turbed \n V. 9; while vv. 10 — 14 seem in the ordinary measure. The 
 elegiac verse (which may be half or even third of a full verse) is divided 
 by the cesura into two members of unequal length, the second being 
 shorter, and falling with a mournful cadence. 
 
 1 — 4. Captivity of Jehoahaz in Egypt. 
 
 2. How was thy mother a lioness! — among the lions; 
 
 In the midst of young lions she couched — she reared her whelps. 
 
 3. And she brought up one of her whelps — he grew a young lion ; 
 And he learned to catch the prey — he devoured men. 
 
 4. And the nations heard regarding him — he ^^'as taken in their 
 
 pit; 
 And they brought him with hooks — unto the land of Egypt. 
 
 1. princes of Israel] Probably with LXX. prince, as required by 
 the pron. Mjj' mother {v. 2). The "prince" is a general term for the 
 king, applicable to one king after another. The lamentation is for 
 the "king" of Judah, represented by one person after another. On 
 "lament" cf. Jer. vii. -29. 
 
 2. What is thy mother?] Rather to be taken as an exclamation, 
 as rendered above. The mother is the people Israel, a lioness among 
 other lions — kings or states with royalty. 
 
vv. 3-6.] EZEKIEL, XIX. 135 
 
 lions. And she brought up one of her whelps : it became a 3 
 young lion, and it learned to catch the prey ; it devoured 
 men. The nations also heard of him ; he was taken in their 4 
 pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of 
 Egypt. Now when she saw that she had waited, tz//^ her hope 5 
 'vas lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made 
 him a young lion. And he went up and down among the 6 
 
 3. The first young lion is Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, carried to Egyj)t 
 by Pharaoh Necho after the defeat of his father at Megiddo, 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 31 — 35. Cf. the touching reference to him Jer. xxii. 10 — 12. 
 He also bore the name of Shallum. Coming to the throne at the age 
 of 23 he reigned only 3 months, and died in Egypt. Cf. Jer. v. 26. 
 
 4. heard of hifft\ This might better be read : raised a cry against 
 him, in the sense of Is. xxxi. 4; Jer. 1. 29. 
 
 with chains'\ hooks (or, rings) as ch. xxix. 4, xxxviii. 4; cf. 2 Kings 
 xix. 28. 
 
 5—8. Jehoiachin carried captive to Babylon. 
 
 The second young lion is Jehoiachin. The intermediate prince Je- 
 hoiakim could not be included in an elegy, because he died in peace. 
 It is the princes of Israel whom foreign nations captured that are 
 lamented. What is touched upon is more the humiliation and sorrow 
 of Israel, the mother lioness, in her young lions being captured, than 
 the fate of the two persons. The elegy is a national one, cf. on z/. i. 
 
 5. And she saw that she had waited — her hope was lost ; 
 
 And she took another of her whelps — she made him a young 
 lion. 
 
 6. And he walked among the lions — he grew a young lion, 
 And he learned to catch the prey — he devoured men. 
 
 7. And he broke down their palaces — he wasted their cities; 
 
 And the land and its fulness was desolate — at the noise of his 
 roaring. 
 
 8. Then the nations set themselves against him — on eveiy side from 
 
 the countries. 
 And they spread their net over him — he was taken in their pit. 
 
 5. that she had wait cd'\ If "she" be subject some such sense as 
 deceived, "disappointed" (Ew.) would be suitable, though to reach this 
 sense by adding "in vain" to waited is hardly permissible. The subject 
 might be "her hope," and waited might mean tarried, delayed. There 
 might be reference to hope of the return of Jehoahaz, which appears 
 to have been cherished, as Jeremiah takes occasion altogether to cut 
 it off (Jer. xxii. 10 — 12). Corn, proposes "acted foolishly," but the 
 word suggested is too strong (Num. xii. 11; Is. xix. 13; Jer. v. 4, 1. 36). 
 
 6. Jehoiachin ascended the throne on the death of his father at 
 the age of i<S. He reigned only 3 months, when Nebuchadnezzar 
 carried him away to Babylon, 2 Kings xxiv. 8 scq. 
 
136 EZEKIEL, XIX. [w. 7— lo. 
 
 lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the 
 
 7 prey, a7id devoured men. And he knew their desolate 
 palaces, and he laid waste their cities ; and the land was 
 desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. 
 
 8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the 
 provinces, and spread their net over him : he was taken in 
 
 9 their pit. And they put him in ward in chains, and brought 
 him to the king of Babylon : they brought him into holds,, 
 that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains 
 of Israel. 
 
 10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the 
 
 7. knew their desolate palaces] R.V. k7tezv their palaces. The word 
 is usually "widows" as marg., but "palaces," Is. xiii. 22. Neither 
 translation gives any sense. Better : he broke down their palaces, 
 (change of r for cf); or cf. Jer. ii. 15, 16 (marg. fed on), a passage very 
 similar. If "widows" be read the verb would need to be altered 
 to "multiplied," ch. xxii. 25, an important passage (Jer, xv. 8). Corn, 
 (partly Hitz.): and he lay down in his den, he wasted the forests. This 
 keeps up the figure, but requires serious alteration of the reading. 
 Jer. ii. 15 shews that "young lions" may burn cities, and feed on 
 the crown of the head. 
 
 8. in their pit] A well-known method of capturing dangerous 
 beasts. The object to "set" may be voice or shout, v. 4, Jer. xii. 8. 
 
 9. in chains] See v. 4. The elegiac measure is not maintained in 
 this verse. Possibly the original form of the verse has not been pre- 
 served. If the words "they brought him into holds" were omitted, am 
 elegiac verse, though less regular, would be restored. 
 
 10 — 14. The fate of Zedekiah and his country, on which 
 he has brought ruin. 
 
 Israel was once a spreading vine by great waters ; her branches rose 
 into the clouds, and her rods were iiilers' sceptres — a powerful race of 
 kings rose out of her. Now she is torn up and thrown do\vn, carried 
 into the wilderness, and planted in a diy and barren soil. A fire also' 
 has gone out from one of her strong rods which has consumed her. 
 Her last prince, Zedekiah, has finally broken the state to pieces (cf. ch, 
 xvii.). 
 
 10. is like a vine] was like, in contrast to "but now she is planted in 
 the wilderness" (v. 13). The "prince" of Israel is addressed, not any 
 individual prince, but the kingship or royalty by whomsoever repre- 
 sented. The mother, as before, is the people or nationality of Israel. 
 
 in thy blood] R.V. marg. refers to ch. xvi. 6, not wisely. LXX. 
 read *'on a pomegranate" {brjun for bdmk). Ew. suggests: "a vine of 
 Carmel," Ges. "a vine of thy vineyard ; " Corn, as usual "zu streichen." 
 Others: "in thy likeness" "in thy thought," "in thy rest" — all without 
 sense. More tolerable: "in her licight" (runiah), v. 11. 
 
w. II — 14.J EZEKIEL, XIX. 137 
 
 waters : she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of 
 many waters. And she had strong rods for the sceptres of 
 them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the 
 thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the 
 multitude of her branches. But she was plucked up in fury, 
 she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried 
 up her fruit : her strong rods were broken and withered ; 
 the fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the 
 wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. And the fire is 
 gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her 
 fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. 
 This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. 
 
 11. sceptres... bare rute] Or, for rulers' sceptres, i.e. royal sceptres. 
 Out of Israel this vine there rose powerful native kings. 
 
 among the thick branches} Or, into the clouds, cf. xxxi. 3, 10, 14. 
 The phrase is designedly hyperbolical, to express the power of Israel in 
 earlier times. Jer. xi. 16, 17. 
 
 appeared in her heighf} Lit, was seen — conspicuously and from afar. 
 
 12. Destruction of the vine, the nationality of Israel. The figures 
 employed are usual, ch. xvii. 9, 10, xxxi. 12; Am. ix. 15. 
 
 13. The deportation of the people from their own land into condi- 
 tions where national life cannot thrive. 
 
 14. The fire that consumed the vine went out from her own rods. 
 The royal house brought destruction on the nation as well as on itself. 
 Reference is to the rebellion of Zedekiah. 
 
 gone out of a rod\ Possibly collective: out of the rods. The refer- 
 ence to Zedekiah is expressed generally in terms of the royal house. 
 
 shall be for a latnentation'\ Lit. and is become a lamentation. Sad 
 enough is the history, ch. xxxii. 16. It is not necessary, however, to 
 infer from this that the lamentation was written after the exile. The 
 passage w. 10 — 14 is prophetic, cf. Is. xlvii.; Jer. ix. 16 — 21. In the 
 Book of Kings both Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin are said to have "done 
 evil." A three months' reign afforded little scope for much mischief. 
 Ezekiel's treatment of the young lions is ideal, and in the case of Jehoia- 
 chin the reference is rather to the evils which his attitude brought upon 
 the country, than to any ravages which he wrought personally. 
 
 Ch. XX. — XXIV. Further predictions regarding the kall of 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 These chapters pursue the same subject as occupied the prophet in 
 previous chapters, the destruction of the state, though they appear to 
 look at it from another point of view, and suggest another motive for 
 it — Jehovah's regard to his own name. 
 
 First, ch. xx. Review of Israel's past history and emphasising of the 
 principle which has given Israel a history and saved her from destruction, 
 viz. Jehovah's regard to his own name. 
 
138 EZEKIEL, XX. [vv. 1—5. 
 
 20 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth 
 month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders 
 of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. 
 
 3 Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying, Son of 
 man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them. 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Are ye come to inquire of me ? 
 As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by 
 
 4 you. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge 
 them ? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers : 
 
 5 and say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; In the day 
 
 Second, ch. xxi. But this same principle — regard to his name — re- 
 quires Israel's dispersion now. Therefore the sword of the Lord is 
 whetted against her. 
 
 Third, ch. xxii., xxiii. New exhibition of the sins of Israel. 
 
 Fourth, ch. xxiv. Final judgment on Jerusalem, under the figure of 
 a rusted caldron set upon the fire to cleanse it. 
 
 ch. XX. has two divisions: 
 
 (i) vv. I — 29. The principle that has saved Israel from destruction 
 and given her a history — ^Jehovah's respect to his own name. 
 
 (2) vv. 30 — 44. The same principle will rule what of Israel's history 
 still lies in the future. 
 
 1 — 4. Introductory. Certain elders came to the prophet to enquire 
 of the Lord, in the seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin and 
 tenth day of the fifth month — Aug. 590 B.C., four years before Jerusalem 
 fell. 
 
 3. will not be inqtdred oj~\ The proposed enquiries of the elders 
 probably related to something in the present ; to such men no answer 
 will be given except to read the lesson of Israel's history to them. For 
 the history concerns them. They are one in spirit and conduct with 
 Israel of the past, and the principles which have ruled the former 
 history will rule also the history to come. 
 
 4. ivilt thou judge\ The intern seems to have the sense of an im- 
 patient imperative, and the repetition gives stronger expression to the 
 imperative, cf. ch. xxii. 2, xxiii. 36. "Judge" is explained by "cause 
 them to know the abominations of their fathers." To rehearse the 
 history of the fathers is to hold the mirror up to themselves. 
 
 5 — 29. Review of the history of the fathers. 
 
 The principle that has ruled this history is that all through it Jehovah 
 has acted for his name's sake. It is this principle that has given Israel 
 a history, otherwise their sins would have cut them ofif. For his name's 
 sake he spared the people in Egypt (z^. 9), again in the wilderness {v. 14), 
 and again the second generation there (j). 22). The history is reviewed 
 in these divisions: vv. 5 — 10 Israel in Egypt; vv. 11 — 17 the people 
 led out into the wilderness; vv. 18 — 26 the children of those who fell in 
 the wilderness; and vv. 27 — 29 the people that entered Canaan. 
 
vv. 6— 8.] EZEKIEL, XX. 139 
 
 when I chose Israel, and Hfted up mine hand unto the seed 
 of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them 
 in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, 
 saying, I ai?i the Lord your God ; in the day that I lifted 6 
 up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of 
 Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with 
 milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands : then said I 7 
 unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his 
 eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: 
 I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me, s 
 and would not hearken unto me : they did not every man 
 cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they 
 forsake the idols of Egypt : then I said, /will pour out my 
 
 6. when I chose Israeli The choice or election of Israel is referred 
 to only here in Ez., and also once in Jeremiah, xxxiii. 24, The idea is 
 much insisted on in Is. xl. — Ixvi. Already, however, Deut. vii. 6. 
 
 lifted up ffiine hand^ i.e. sware, Ex. vi. 8 ; Numb. xiv. 30. The thing 
 sworn is stated v. 6. 
 
 made myself known\ Cf. Ex. iii. 6 scq.^ vi. 3. He made himself 
 known as Jehovah their God, whose nature his acts revealed, Ps. ciii. 7. 
 
 6. the day that I lifted} On that day I lifted...; and I said unto 
 them. On "milk and honey" cf. Ex. iii, 8; and on the idea of 
 Canaan as the "glory" of all lands, a frequent judgment in late writings, 
 cf. Jer. iii. 19; Dan. viii. 9; Ps. xlviii. 2. 
 
 7. abominations of his eyes} Those to which his eyes and desires 
 were directed, the idols, cf. xviii. 6; Num. xv. 39. The prophet 
 charges Israel with idolatry in Egypt (ch. xxiii. 3). Though history 
 as we have it says little of such a thing, it may be assumed as certain, 
 considering the people's receptivity to the worship of their neighbours 
 throughout their history. The same view, Josh. xxiv. 14; cf. Lev. 
 xviii. 3. 
 
 The question how far Jehovah was known and worshipped in Egypt 
 is an obscure one. The name could not have been altogether unknown 
 or the people could not have been rallied by Moses to his service nor 
 induced to put themselves under his protection. That his worship, 
 however, was mixed with impurities may be assumed. How far the 
 people partook in the worship of Egyptian deities cannot be ascertained. 
 
 8. The history in Exodus narrates only the conflict of Israel with the 
 Egyptians, being silent on internal struggles in Israel itself. The work 
 of Aloses in delivering his people must have extended over a period of 
 time. His efforts in educating the people are entirely passed over in 
 the history. The announcement, however, that Jehovah was the Clod 
 of Israel implied casting away all other gods, and this principle, often 
 expressed in his intercourse with the people, probably met with but 
 slack acceptance. Ps. cvi. follows Ezek. closely, cf. v. 7. 
 
I40 EZEKIEL, XX. [w. 9-12. 
 
 fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the 
 9 midst of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for my name's 
 sake, that // should not be polluted before the heathen, 
 among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself 
 known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of 
 
 10 Egypt. Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the 
 
 11 land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And 
 I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, 
 
 12 which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover 
 
 9. for my natfie^s sake] This idea, very common in this prophet, 
 also in Is. xl. — Ixvi., does not appear in the earlier prophets, except Is. 
 xxxvii. 35. Cf. however, Deut. ix. 28, 29; Jer. xiv. 7, 21; Is. xliii. 
 25, xlviii. 9, II. Jehovah's name expresses that which he is, or has 
 revealed himself to be, and the phrase does not differ from "for my own 
 sake," cf. ch. xxxvi. 22, 32. 
 
 should not be polluted] Rather: profaned. The words explain, "for 
 my name's sake," viz. lest it should be profaned among the nations. 
 Deut. ix. 28, 29 suggests one way in which the name of Jehovah might 
 be profaned among the nations. To "profane" is the opposite of to 
 "sanctify." The one is to cherish any thoughts of Jehovah or to attri- 
 bute any deed to him inconsistent with his being the one true God, or 
 derogatory to him who is so. To "sanctify " him is to recognise him in 
 thought and in act, particularly in worship, to be the one true God ; to 
 assign to him attributes and operations befitting his nature, and to live 
 in such a way as those who are the people of Jehovah ought to live, for 
 the manner of the people is reflected on the character of their God (Am. 
 ii. 7). This is the way, at least, in which Ezek., with the conception of 
 Jehovah which in his age he had reached, uses the terms "profane" and 
 "sanctify." 
 
 11 — 17. The people delivered from Egypt and brought into the 
 wilderness. There also Jehovah wrought for his name's sake. 
 
 10. First half of the verse is wanting in LXX. 
 
 11. gave them... statutes] Reference is to the Sinaitic legislation. 
 The fact of the legislation is confirmed by the prophet, but his lan- 
 guage "statutes and judgments" does not enable us to form an opinion 
 how extensive it was, nor what particulars it embraced besides the law of 
 the sabbath {v. 12), and of course the law that Jehovah was God alone 
 of Israel, because he uses the phrase "statutes and judgments" very 
 generally, for example of the conduct and principles of the people in 
 the wilderness themselves {v. 18). 
 
 shall even live in them] Or, shall live by them. Obedience to 
 them will issue in "life," the word being used in its natural sense, Deut. 
 iv. 40, "thou shalt keep his statutes... that thou mayest prolong thy 
 days upon the land," Deut. v. 16 (fifth commandment). The precepts 
 of Jehovah given to the people were such that obedience to them would 
 ensure prosperity and life, while disobedience would cause calamity and 
 death, and this not only in the mere government of them by their God, 
 
vv. 13—16.] EZEKIEL, XX. 141 
 
 also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and 
 them, that they might know that I atn the Lord that sanctify 
 them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the 13 
 wilderness : they walked not in my statutes, and they de- 
 spised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live 
 in them ; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted : then I 
 said, /would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, 
 to consume them. But I wrought for my name's sake, that 14 
 // should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight 
 I brought them out. Yet also I lifted up my hand unto 15 
 them in the wilderness, that / would not bring them into 
 the land which I had given thetn^ flowing with milk and 
 honey, which is the glory of all lands ; because they despised 16 
 
 but because the statutes were in themselves "good," cf. v. 25; Am. v. 
 14; Hos. viii. 3; Mic. iii. 2, vi. 8. 
 
 12. 7ny sabbaths'] The plural refers to the stated recurrence of the 
 day; other festivals are not included. 
 
 to be a sign] The prophet does not speak of the Sabbath as an older 
 institution than the exodus, though his language does not decide the 
 point, as he refers merely to the connexion into which the day was 
 brought with Israel's redemption (as Deut. v. 15) and made a "sign" 
 to them of their relation to Jehovah. The people were commanded to 
 "sanctify" the Sabbath, i.e. to dedicate it and keep it to the Lord. 
 This dedication of a part of their time or life to Jehovah had a similar 
 significance to the dedication of the first-fruits of the ground and the 
 firstlings of their cattle; it was an acknowledgment that they were the 
 Lord's. It was the response on their side to the operation of Jehovah 
 on his side in "sanctifying" them, or making them his own possession 
 (end oi V.) Thus the Sabbath was a "sign" or visible token that he 
 was their God and they his people [v. 20) ; Ex. xxxi. 13, 14; Is. Ivi. 2, 
 4. This meaning of the Sabbath as a symbol of the religion of Jehovah 
 explains the importance attached to keeping it particularly in the exile; 
 its observance sustained the feeling of the people among the heathen 
 that they were the people of Jehovah, Is. Ivi. 2 seq., Iviii. 13; Neh. xiii. 
 19, cf. Jer. xvii. 21 ; Lev. xix. 3, xxvi. 2. 
 
 13. Provocation of the people in the wilderness. They rejected the 
 statutes of Jehovah and "polluted," better: profaned, his sabbaths, i.e. 
 failed to dedicate and keep them to Jehovah. The profanation is to be 
 taken in a wider sense than the special instances of neglect, Ex. xvi. 27 ; 
 Numb. XV. 32. This profanation of the Sabbath was oblivion of the 
 covenant, cf. Am. viii. 5. 
 
 four out tuy fury] Cf. Ex. xxxii. 10 seq. ; Num. xiv. 11, 12, 29. 
 
 14. 15. For his name's sake Jehovah did not make a clean end of 
 the people, nevertheless he sware that the generation that came out of 
 Egypt should not enter into the land of promise, Num. xiv. 22, 23, 29; 
 Dcut. i. 35 ; Ps. xcv. 1 1. 
 
142 EZEKIEL, XX. [vv. 17—23. 
 
 my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted 
 
 17 my sabbaths : for their heart went after their idols. Never- 
 theless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither 
 
 18 did I make an end of them in the wilderness. But I said 
 unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the 
 statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, 
 
 19 nor defile yourselves with their idols : I ai7i the Lord your 
 God ; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do 
 
 20 them ; and hallow my sabbaths ; and they shall be a sign 
 between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord 
 
 21 your God. Notwithstanding the children rebelled against 
 me : they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judg- 
 ments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in 
 them ; they polluted my sabbaths : then I said, / would pour 
 out my fury upon them, to accompHsh my anger against 
 
 22 them in the wilderness. Nevertheless I withdrew mine 
 hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be 
 polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought 
 
 23 them forth. I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the 
 wilderness, that / would scatter them among the heathen, 
 
 16. polluted my sabbaths] profaned. 
 
 went afte7' their idols] Ex. xxxii.; Num. xxv. ; Hos. ix. 10. Am. v. 
 25 cannot be appealed to here. 
 
 17. Another motive besides regard for his own name moved Jehovah 
 to spare Israel — pity for the sinners; cf. Ps. Ixxviii. 38, " But he being 
 full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not ; yea 
 many a time he turned his anger away". Num. xiv. 20. 
 
 18 — 26. The second generation in the wilderness. These only imi- 
 tated the sins of their fathers, Num. xxv. i, 2j Deut. ix. 23, 24, xxxi. 
 27. 
 
 21. polluted my sabbaths] profaned. 
 
 22. withdrexv mine hand] Lit. turned, or turned back his hand, 
 outstretched to smite. The words are wanting in LXX., and in the 
 other verses {w. 9, 14) the phrase "I wrought for my name's sake" 
 begins the verse. For be polluted, profaned. 
 
 23 — 26. Yet though he wrought for his name's sake not to destroy 
 them their sins could not be altogether passed by. In two ways they 
 were marked: Jehovah laid a heavy threat upon the people of dispersion 
 among all nations, vv. 23, 24; and he gave them laws that were not 
 good, that by following them they might be destroyed, vv. 25, 26. 
 
 23. I lifted up... also] Moreover I lifted up, lit. And I on my part, 
 so V, 25. 
 
 scatter...among the heathen] The people entered Canaan laden with 
 this heavy threat for their sins in the wilderness. Such threats were 
 
vv. 24, 25.] EZEKIEL, XX. 143 
 
 and disperse them through the countries ; because they had 24 
 not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, 
 and had poUuted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after 
 their fathers' idols. Wherefore I gave them also statutes 25 
 that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not 
 
 always conditional, Jer. xviii., Jonah. This conditional character is 
 expressed in other passages where a similar idea occurs, Lev. xxvi. 33; 
 Deut. xxviii. 64. The prophet hardly means that the exile was due to 
 the people's sins in the wilderness, except in so far as the moral charac- 
 ter of the people remained the same throughout down to the generation 
 then living. But cf. Ex. xxxii. 34. 
 
 25. Wherefore I gave .. .also] Moreover also I gave, see v. 23. 
 
 statutes... not good] These statutes are of a kind contrary to those 
 given before {v. 11) which were good. These points seem plain: 1. 
 The practice referred to is that of passing the firstborn male children 
 through the fire as a burnt-offering to the deity. 2. The law in Israel 
 was that all the male firstborn of men and the male firstlings of beasts 
 were the Lord's. The firstborn of men were to be redeemed, as also the 
 firstlings of unclean animals, but the firstlings of clean animals were 
 to be offered in sacrifice to Jehovah (Ex. xiii. 2, 12, 13, xxii. 
 29, cf Num. iii. 46, 47, xviii. 15, 16). The law requiring the 
 sacrifice of the firstborn had become extended, so as to include 
 children. The practice was one prevailing among the peoples around 
 Israel, and probably it first crept into use in Israel and was then 
 justified by the law or custom relating to cattle, of which it might seem 
 a natural extension; but in Jeremiah vii. 31, xix. 5 Jehovah vehemently 
 protests that to command it never came into his mind. The question to 
 whom the children were offered, lit. passed over in the fire, is not quite 
 easy to decide. In passages where the practice is condemned it is 
 represented as a sacrifice to "the Molech," Lev. xviii. 21 ; Deut. xii. 31, 
 xviii. 10, or to the Baal, Jer. vii. 31, or generally, to the idols, Ezek. 
 xvi. 21; Ps. cvi. 38 (idols of Canaan). Though the spelling of the 
 name Molech is peculiar, the word probably means "the king" origin- 
 ally, just as the Baal means "the lord," both names being descriptive of 
 the same deity. In Is. Ivii. 9 "the king" has the ordinary spelling. 
 Though borrowing the practice from the Canaanites it is probable that 
 in Israel the sacrifice was offered to Jehovah, particularly as the law 
 under which it was made was considered given by him. On the other 
 hand Jer., though repudiating this popular inference, speaks of the 
 offering as being made to Baal. The name "Baal," however, from 
 Ilosea downwards is used somewhat laxly, including the images of 
 Jehovah, and all heathenish ceremonies in his service are called worship 
 of Baal. 3. This law is described as not good, one by which men 
 could not live. The effect of it was that men were polluted in their 
 gifts {v. 26), and the purpose of it was to destroy them. This evil law, 
 entailing this conse(juence, was a judicial punishment of them for their 
 former sins, just as the "deception" of the false prophets was, ch. xiv. 
 9. Whether the people, familiar with the Bial worship, drew the 
 
144 EZEKIEL, XX. [vv. 26—28. 
 
 26 live ; and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they 
 caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, 
 that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, 
 and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Yet i7i this 
 your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have com- 
 
 28 mitted a trespass against me. For when I had brought 
 them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to 
 
 false inference from the law of the firstborn, or whether false teachers 
 set the idea before them, is uncertain (Jer. viii. 8 appears to refer to 
 written perversions of the law). The sacrifice of children was a practice 
 that gained ground in the disastrous times before the exile (Hos. xiii. 2 
 has another meaning : men who sacrifice kiss calves ; it is the irration- 
 ality of men kissing calves that the prophet mocks, not the enormity of 
 human sacrifices). Ezekiel appears to regard the practice as ancient, as 
 he connects it with the second generation in the wilderness. The 
 instances noted in early history are transjordanic (Jephthah and king of 
 Moab), and possibly, though the practice became aggravated only 
 at a later period, the prophet may have considered that the people 
 became acquainted with it on the other side of the Jordan. 
 
 26. might make them desolate'] Or, destroy them; less probably: 
 horrify them (ch. xxxii. 10). The train of thought is the same as that 
 expressed in ch. xiv. 9. The penalty of sin is further delusion and 
 worse sin, the end of which is death. The last clause "to the end... 
 Lord" is wanting in LXX. 
 
 27 — 29. The people on their entry and in their abode in Canaan. 
 
 27. Yet in this] i.e. the following act, v. 28, cf. xxiii. 38. 
 
 have blasphemed] Past tense: blasphemed... they committed. The 
 blasphemy is not in words, but in high-handed disregard of his com- 
 mands, Num. XV. 30. 
 
 28. The prophet regards the worship on the high-places and under 
 the evergreen trees as a Canaanitish usage adopted by Israel, as Deut. 
 xii. At the same time Israel usually employed the altars or chapels 
 which they found for the service of Jehovah ; but naturally many cor- 
 ruptions would creep into such service, and it might become little 
 different from a service of Baal. In the oldest prophets, Amos and 
 Hosea, it is the kind of worship at the high-places that is condemned, 
 the revelry and heathenish merrymaking (Hos. ix. i), the sensuousness 
 (Hos. viii. 13; Am. v. 21), and the false conception of deity implied in 
 it (Hos, vi. 6). The mere localities or multitude of altars do not seem 
 assailed, except that the more there were of them the more sin was 
 committed, because the whole worship was sinful (Hos. viii. 1 1 ; Am. iv. 
 4). Later this impure worship was perceived to be inseparable from 
 the high-places and these themselves came under condemnation. 
 Ezekiel does not go further in his condemnation of the high hills and 
 green trees than his predecessor Jeremiah (Jer. ii. 20, iii. 6). 
 
vv. 29, 30.J EZEKIEL, XX. 145 
 
 give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the 
 thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there 
 they presented the provocation of their offering : there 
 also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there 
 their drink offerings. Then I said unto them. What is the 29 
 high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is 
 called Bamah unto this day. Wherefore say unto the 30 
 
 all the thick trees] Evergreen and umbrageous trees appear to have 
 been regarded as abodes of deity. 
 
 offa-ed. . .their sacrifices] Four words are employed : offerings of flesh, 
 particularly the peace or thank-offerings; what is called their "offering" 
 or oblation, a general word used of bloodless sacrifices as well as of 
 others, possibly first-fruits and the like; their "sweet savour," usually 
 said of the odour of the flesh or fat burnt upon the altar, but also of the 
 odour of meal-offerings (ch. xvi. 19); and finally, drink-offerings. The 
 clause "and there... provocation of their offering" is wanting in LXX. 
 The term "offering" (Korban), found only in Lev., Numb., again in 
 Ez. xl. 43 (see there). 
 
 29. The word bamah, "high-place," has no certain etymology, 
 though often used and at an early period, e.g. in David's elegy on Saul 
 (2 Sam. i. 19), and in Moabite (Mesha's inscrip.). The prophet here 
 introduces a punning and contemptuous derivationof the word. Jehovah 
 asks "what {mah) is the high place whereunto ye go (/^<^)," and the pro- 
 phet seems to consider the word composed of these two syllables. Some 
 liave supposed that "go" has the sense of "go in," and that the allusion 
 is to the immoralities practised on the high places (Am. ii. 7 ; Hos. iv. 
 r3, 14). This idea does not seem expressed in the words; neither is 
 there much probability in the conjecture that the words are borrowed by 
 Ezek. from some older prophet (Ew.). 
 
 The prophet's view of the generation of the exodus differs from that 
 of earher prophets, e.g. Hos. ix. 10; Jer. ii. 2. The generation in the 
 wilderness was probably not a homogeneous one, and the narratives 
 which we possess represent its conduct as various at different times. 
 Two views might be taken of it, and Ezek. as his manner is takes the 
 severer view. 
 
 30—44. Jehovah's regard to his own name will fashion the 
 
 HISTORY OF the PEOPLE TO COME AS IT HAS FASHIONED THE 
 PAST. 
 
 Having reviewed the past and shewn the elders their own picture in 
 the doings of their fathers, and how the thing which has fashioned the 
 history in the past has been Jehovah's regard for his own name, the 
 prophet now comes to read to them the history of the future as the 
 same regard of Jehovah to his name will model it. 
 
 First, w. 30—34. The Lord will not give any answer to such 
 enquirers who follow the ways of their fathers. But they may be assured 
 that their resolution to assimilate themselves to the heathen and become 
 EZEKIEL 10 
 
146 EZEKIEL, XX. [w. 31— 33. 
 
 house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God ; Are ye polluted 
 after the manner of your fathers ? and commit ye whoredom 
 
 31 after their abominations ? For when ye offer your gifts, 
 when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute 
 yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day : and shall 
 I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As \ live, 
 saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. 
 
 32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at 
 all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families 
 
 33 of the countries, to serve wood and stone. As I Hve, saith 
 
 like them worshippers of wood and stone shall not be permitted to have 
 effect. Jehovah will assert his sovereignty over them, and will dis- 
 entangle them out from among the heathen as he gathered their fathers 
 from among the Egyptians. 
 
 Secondly, vv. 35 — 40. He will bring them out from the nations into 
 the wilderness of the peoples, as he brought their fathers into the wil- 
 derness of Egypt, and will plead with them anew as he pleaded with 
 their fathers in days long ago — and with the same result that the rebels 
 among them shall fall in the wilderness, but the remnant shall again in 
 the mountain height of Israel serve the Lord, who will accept them. 
 
 Thirdly, vv. 41 — 44. And from this restoration these things shall 
 follow: I. Jehovah shall be sanctified, seen to be God and acknow- 
 ledged by the nations {v. 41). 2. Israel shall know what Jehovah is, 
 when he fulfils his ancient promise to the fathers to give them this land 
 {v. 42). 3. They shall then lay to heart their past doings and lothe 
 themselves {v. 43). And 4. they shall see that not according to their 
 evil has Jehovah dealt with them all through their history and in their 
 restoration, but has wrought for his name's sake {v. 44). 
 
 30, 31. The Lord will not give himself to be enquired of by such 
 men. What they desire to know about others or themselves they shall 
 be left in ignorance of; but he has something to tell them regarding 
 himself. 
 
 30. Are ye polluted'] do ye pollute yourselves ? 
 
 31. For luhen .. ye pollute] Interrogatively: and when... do ye pollute 
 yourselves unto this day? 
 
 32. The prophet regards the worship on the high-places as Canaan- 
 itish heathenism ; but probably many of the exiles to whom he spoke 
 were drifting into complete conformity with the nations among whom 
 they were. Their minds were losing hold of their distinctiveness as the 
 people of Jehovah. This practical assimilation to the heathen the pro- 
 phet represents as a deliberate one, which in many cases it may have 
 been — cf. the answer of the exiles in Egypt to Jeremiah, xliv. 15 — 19, 
 also Jer. ii. 25. 
 
 to serve wood and stone] The service of the heathen is a service of 
 wood and stone, Deut. iv. 28, xxviii. 36; Is. xxxvii. 19. The images 
 were often of wood, plated with some precious metal (Is. xl. 20; Jer. x. 
 
vv. 34—37-] EZEKIEL, XX. 147 
 
 the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a 
 stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule 
 over you : and I will bring you out from the people, and 34 
 will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, 
 with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with 
 fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness 35 
 of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. 
 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the 36 
 land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord 
 God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I 37 
 
 3; Is. XXX. 12), or of stone; often, however, of baser metal overlaid 
 with gold or silver. It is the dead matter in opposition to Jehovah, the 
 living God, that gives point to the antithesis. On "cometh into your 
 mind " cf. xi. 5; Jer. vii. 31, xix. 5; Is. x. 7. 
 
 33. This resolution of the people to sink themselves among the 
 heathen shall not stand ; Jehovah 7ui/I assert his sovereignty over them, 
 amidst terrible manifestations of his power and anger. 
 
 rule over }'ozi\ be or, become king over you. The mighty hand (Ex. 
 xiii. 9; Deut. V. i5)and thestretchedoutarm(Ex.vi.6; Deut. vii. 19, xi.'?, 
 &c. ), were turned at the exodus against their enemies, here partly at 
 least they are directed upon the disobedient people themselves [v. 35). 
 
 34. the people\ peoples. Though Israel was in captivity in the 
 Babylonian empire, this empire embraced many peoples, the world as it 
 was then known (cf. ch. xvii.) Formerly Israel was entangled among 
 the Egyptians, now it is entangled among all nations; it shall now be 
 gathered out as it was in the former age. 
 
 35. of the people^ peoples. This wilderness of the peoples is the 
 Syro-Babylonian wilderness, adjoining the peoples among whom they 
 were dispersed ; as that into which their fathers were brought was the 
 wilderness of Egypt, i.e. adjoining Egypt. Is. xl. i — 11 also repre- 
 sents Jehovah as marching at the head of his people, redeemed from 
 exile, through the wilderness from Babylon to Jemsalem. Ezek. may 
 follow Hos. ii. 14, 15, but cf Jer. xxxi. 2 seq. 
 
 plead. . .face to facc\ With no intermediaries, no heathen people on 
 whose fellowship they could stay themselves, absolutely cut off from men 
 and alone with their God (Hos. ii. 14). Jehovah's" pleading "or litigating 
 is sometimes in terrible deeds (ch. xvii. ■zo), sometimes in words of 
 reason (Is. i. 18; Mic. vi. 2 seq.). Gathered out from the nations and 
 far from their seductive influences Israel will respond to the discipline 
 of her God as in former days (Hos, ii. 15). 
 
 37. to pass tinder the rod\ According to the usage of the language 
 (Lev. xxvii. 32, cf. Jer. xxxiii. 13) the rod or staff here is that of the 
 shepherd, which he uses in counting his flock. "The shepherds carried 
 a staff (Ps. xxiii. 4; Mic. vii. 14; Zech. xi. 7) and used it in counting 
 when they brought the beasts forth from the place where they were kept 
 or made them go into it. It was customary to count the beasts every 
 
 10 — 2 
 
14S EZEKIEL, XX. [vv. 38-41. 
 
 38 will bring you into the bond of the covenant : and I will 
 purge out from among you the rebels, and them that trans- 
 gress against me : I will bring them forth out of the country 
 where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land 
 
 39 of Israel : and ye shall know that I am the Lord. As 
 for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go 
 ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also^ if ye 
 will not hearken unto me : but pollute ye my holy name 
 
 40 no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in mine 
 holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, 
 saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all 
 of them in the land, serve me : there will I accept them, 
 and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits 
 
 41 of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept 
 you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the 
 
 day 0er. xxxiii. 13), usually at evening when they came home (Theocr. 
 VIII. 16; Virg. Geoi'g.iY. 436), sometimes twice, morning and evening 
 (Virg. Ed. III. 34)," Dillm. on Lev. xxvii. 32. 
 
 botid of the covenant] The word "bond" is otherwise unknown. 
 LXX. reads: and I will cause you to go in by number, i.e. probably 
 in special or precise tale (Is. xl. 26; i Chr. ix. 28; Ezr. viii. 34). 
 This carries on the figure of passing under the staff, and is amplified in 
 v. 38. The word "covenant" is possibly a duplicate of the next word 
 "purge" {v. 38). The expression ^'by or, in niaiiber'''' hardly of itself 
 means y^(cf. ch. v. 3), neither is the idea of fewness suitable here. 
 Cf. Jer. iii. 14. 
 
 38. Describes the other side of the process from v. 37, the separating 
 of the unworthy from among the people, ch. xxxiv. 17, 20. 
 
 and they shall not e7iter] But they. They shall be brought out but 
 shall fall in the wilderness of the peoples as the rebellious generation 
 aforetime fell in the wilderness of Egypt. 
 
 39. The present text must read : Go, serve ye every one his idols ; 
 but hereafter surely ye shall hearken unto me, and no more profane my 
 holy name with your gifts (cf. v. 26), cf. xxiii. 38, 39. The ironical 
 advice or concession refers to vv. 32, 33, cf. Am. iv. 4. 
 
 40. Resumes vv. 34 — 38, and carries these verses a step further— to 
 the restoration [v. 41). 
 
 your offerings] Always rendered oblations in Ezek., except ch. xlviii. 
 8. The idea expressed by the word appears in ch. xlv. and xlviii., 
 where it is used of the portion of the land devoted to special and sacred 
 uses. "Firstfruits," marg. chief, i.e. the best of your offerings. 
 
 41. you with your sivect savour] Lit. amidst, or, in sweet savour 
 (i.e. when I smell it) I will accept you. The expression is used literally 
 of the sweet smoke of sacrifice, hardly figuratively of Jehovah's com- 
 plaisance. R.V., as a sweet savour, is wholly improbable. 
 
vv. 42—45.] EZEKIEL, XX. 149 
 
 people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye 
 have been scattered ; and I will be sanctified in you before 
 the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, 4= 
 when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the 
 country y^r the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to 
 your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and 43 
 all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled ; and ye shall 
 lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that 
 ye have committed. And ye shall know that I a7n the 44 
 Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, 
 not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your 
 corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God. 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 45 
 
 be sanctified in you^ Lit. get me sanctifying in (through) you in the 
 sight of the heathen (or, shew myself holy). On the idea of "sanctify" 
 of. V. 9 — be recognised as God. The dispersion of Jehovah's people 
 derogated in the eyes of the heathen from his power (ch. xxxvi. iq)\ 
 when they see his people restored the heathen will know that it was for 
 their iniquity that they were cast out (ch. xxxix. 23), particularly when 
 after restoration and purification they see them protected against the 
 countless hosts of Gog by Jehovah's arm. Thus Jehovah will ' ' through " 
 his people, by his dealing with them in their restoration, approve him- 
 self as God — that which God is — in the sight of the heathen. 
 
 43. The goodness of Jehovah in restoring them shall fill their hearts 
 with abhorrence of their own past doings, cf. xvi. 61. 
 
 lothe... in your oivn sight'] Omit in your own sight, ch. vi. 9. 
 
 44. And the final issue of all shall be that the people will know that 
 he is Jehovah. Jew and Gentile shall alike know that the God of 
 Israel is God alone. Cf. Is. xl. 5 "the glory of the Lord shall be re- 
 vealed and all flesh shall see it together," Ps. cii. 15, 16, 22. 
 
 vv. 45 — 49 belong to ch. xxi. 
 
 On the prophet's philosophy of history, his idea that history is Je- 
 hovah operating for "his name's sake," cf. Introduction. 
 
 Ch. XX. 45 — XXI. 32. The avenging sword of the Lord. 
 
 The passage xx. 45 — 49 belongs to ch. xxi. (as in Heb.). The time 
 to which the chapter is to be assigned is the early period of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar's movements westwards. The prophet foresees the coming 
 desolation of Israel by the conqueror, which he expresses under the 
 figure of a devouring fire, consuming all indiscriminately. The pas- 
 saoje has two divisions, ch. xx. 45 — xxi. 27, and xxi. 28 — 32. 
 
 First division, xx. 45 — xxi. 27. 
 
 (i) xx. 45 — 49. A conflagration shall be lighted in the forest of the 
 south, which shall consume all, the green tree and the dry. 
 
 (2) xxi. I — 5. Explanation: the sword of the Lord shall be on Jcru- 
 
I50 EZEKIEL, XX. [w. 46-49. 
 
 46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy 
 word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of 
 
 47 the south field ; and say to the forest of the south, Hear 
 the word of the Lord ; Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, 
 I wi/l kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every 
 green tree in thee, and every dry tree : the flaming flame 
 shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the 
 
 48 north shall be burnt therein. And all flesh shall see that 
 I the Lord have kindled it : it shall not be quenched. 
 
 49 Then said I, Ah Lord God, they say of me, Doth he not 
 speak parables ? 
 
 salem and her sanctuaries, and on the land of Israel. Righteous and 
 wicked shall perish ; and men shall know that the Lord hath drawn 
 his sword. 
 
 (3) vv. 6, 7. Agitation of the prophet at the thought of the coming 
 desolation : so shall all men be agitated and confounded. 
 
 (4) vv. 8 — 17. Song of the sword — the sword of the Lord whetted 
 and furbished against Jerusalem. 
 
 (5) vv. 18 — 27. He who is the sword or wields it, the king of Baby- 
 lon. The prophet returning to the point from which he started repre- 
 sents the king of Babylon hesitating whether to march against Ammon 
 or Jerusalem. He consults the oracle and the lot comes out "Jeru- 
 salem. " 
 
 XX. 45 — 49. Figure of a forest in which a great conflagration is kin- 
 dled. The fire is unquenchable {vv. 47, 48), it devours all alike, the 
 green tree and the dry (z^. 47) ; all faces from north to south shall be 
 scorched by it {v. 47) ; and all flesh shall see that it is the hand of the 
 Lord which has kindled so great a flame {v. 48). 
 
 46. the soulh^ Though the reference is to Judah and Jerusalem 
 (xxi. I — 5), the term "south" hardly means the south of Palestine; 
 rather the whole land of Palestine from the point of view of the prophet 
 residing in the north. The "forest of the field" hardly refers to Leba- 
 non, but belongs to the figure, which, however, Lebanon may have 
 suggested (xvii. 3 ; Jer. xxii. 23). The "scorching" of all faces from 
 north to south {v. 47) is also part of the figure, though powerfully 
 expressing the effect on all who behold the great judgments on Israel. 
 There may be, however, a certain mixture of figures, those whose faces 
 are scorched being no other than those who, regarded as trees, are 
 consumed — viz. all flesh from the south to the north in Israel (xxi. 
 
 3» 4)- 
 
 the south fields the field in the south, the land of Israel (xxi. 3). 
 
 49. speak parables'] or, similitudes — with the suggested idea that 
 there lies no reality behind them (xii. 21 — 28). The prophet, indeed, 
 cannot utter a statement plainly, he must throw it first into a figure; 
 the same is true also of Isaiah, though the figures of the latter prophet 
 are brief and pointed, while those of Ezek. are overloaded with details. 
 
vv. I— 9.J EZEKIEL, XXI. 151 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son 21 
 of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy ivord - 
 toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of 
 Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord ; 3 
 Behold, I a7n against thee, and will draw forth my sword 
 out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous 
 and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee 4 
 the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go 
 forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to 
 the north : that all flesh may know that I the Lord have s 
 drawn forth my sword out of his sheath : it shall not return 
 any more. Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the ^ 
 breaking of thy loins ; and with bitterness sigh before their 
 eyes. And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore 7 
 sighest thou ? that thou shalt answer. For the tidings ; 
 because it cometh : and every heart shall melt, and all 
 hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all 
 knees shall be weak as water ; behold, it cometh, and shall 
 be brought to pass, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son 9 
 
 The words shew how the people took notice of the prophet's peculiari- 
 ties, and how he himself was conscious of the impression his manner 
 made. Cf xxiv. 18. 
 
 XXI. I — 5. These verses, though still figurative, are plainer than the 
 preceding, of which they furnish the explanation. The sword of the 
 Lord is drawn finally from its sheath, to which it shall not return 
 (z/. 5) ; it is drawn against Jerusalem and its sanctuaries (z/. 2) ; it shall 
 slay indiscriminately righteous and wicked {v. 3, cf. xx. 47), and all 
 flesh shall know that it is the sword of the Lord, and that it is his 
 hand that wields it {v. 5). — Even to-day the study of Israel's hi.story 
 occupies men, and its lessons are not yet exhausted. 
 
 2. the holy places\ Or, sanctuaries. These are not the rural sanc- 
 tuaries or high places, but the holy buildings in Jerusalem (vii. 24 ; 
 Lam. ii. 6). 
 
 6, 7. Agitation of the prophet at the tidings of the coming cala- 
 mity. This agitation of his is only a symbol of the dismay and paralysis 
 that shall overtake all when the calamity comes. On the figures in 
 V. 7 cf. vii. 17. 
 
 7. it cotn£tK\ i.e. the overwhelming disaster. The words, "and... 
 to pass" are wanting in LXX. 
 
 8 — 17. The destroying sword of the Lord. The violent agitation ol 
 the prophet at the thought of the coming destruction finds expression in 
 a wild and irregular ode upon the sword of the Lord. The general 
 sense of the poem is discernilile, but as in ch. vii. the text is in several 
 
152 EZEKIEL, XXI. [v. lo. 
 
 of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord ; Say, A 
 
 lo sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished : it is 
 
 sharpened to make a sore slaughter; // is furbished that 
 
 it may glitter : should we then make mirth ? it contemneth 
 
 places very obscure (e.g. w. lo, 13). There appear to be four divi- 
 sions : — 
 
 w. 9 — II. A sword is furbished that it may glitter terribly in the 
 eyes of men (cf. xxxii. 10) ; it is sharpened for the slaughter — furbished 
 and sharpened to give it into the hand of the slayer. 
 
 w. 12, 13. The prophet must cry and howl and smite in wild ex- 
 citement on his thigh, for the princes of Israel and the people are 
 delivered over to the sword. His agitation is but the reflexion of the 
 carnage which shall be witnessed. 
 
 vv. 14, 15. The sword is doubled and tripled; universal shall be 
 the carnage. 
 
 w. 16, 17. Wild apostrophe to the sword to execute its task in all 
 directions. Sympathy of Jehovah with the terrible work. 
 
 10. should we then make mirth^ lit., or shall we make mirth? 
 These words with the rest to the end of the verse appear to have little 
 meaning in the connexion. R.V. renders the whole: "shall we then 
 make mirth? the rod of my son, it contemneth every tree." This is a 
 literal rendering, the last words meaning probably that the rod (the 
 sword of Babylon) with which Jehovah now chastises his son (the 
 prince, or, people) contemneth (exceeds in severity) every tree, or, all 
 wood, i.e. dl rods of chastisement which are mere wood, for it is glit- 
 tering steel. Some ingenuity is needed to extract the meaning, which, 
 however, when extracted is difficult to harmonise with v. 13. The 
 words "shall we then make mirth?" still appear meaningless. For 
 **or" or "then" Frd. Del. would find some cohortative particle after 
 the Assyr. , — ha ! let us make mirth ! the words being those of God (cf. 
 V. 17), and the following words "contemneth every tree" meaning that 
 in comparison with the rod he now uses all other rods of chastisement 
 are only despicable, and useless for their purpose {Zeit. f. Keilschrift- 
 forschung, ii. 4 p. 385). The text appears to be in disorder, and 
 though many emendations have been proposed none of them is satis- 
 factory. Ges., ..."glitter, against the prince of the tribe of my son 
 (Judah), which despiseth all wood" — prince for "should we rejoice" 
 (nasi' for nasis), and the idea being expressed that as Judah has 
 hitherto despised all ordinary chastisements with the rod of wood the 
 sword shall now be drawn against the prince. Ew., "no weak rod of my 
 son, the softest of all wood " — the words " rod of my son " being a phrase 
 from the mouth of fathers and meaning a gentle rod. Apart from the 
 unnatural constructions and the strong Aramaisms assumed, the sense 
 is feeble and improbable. Smend, "woe O prince! thou hast despised 
 the rod, contemned every tree (all wood)" — rod and wood being used of 
 chastening as before. LXX. reads: "ready ( = furbished) for paralysing 
 (enfeebling); slay, despise, set at nought every tree"! The imperatives 
 are addressed to the sword. The words "for paralysing" may be a 
 
vv. II— 13.] EZEKIEL, XXI. 153 
 
 the rod of my son, ^?^ every tree. And he hath given " 
 it to be furbished, that // may be handled : this sword is 
 sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of 
 the slayer. Cry and howl, son of man : for it shall be 12 
 upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel : 
 terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people : 
 smite therefore upon thy thigh. Because // is a trial, and 13 
 
 rendering of present Heb. read with Aramean sense; but "for" is 
 read for "or." It is by no means certain that LXX./^««^ imperatives, 
 because it renders v. 9 also in the imperative. Partly following Sep. 
 Corn., "for men who slay and plunder (lit. men of slaughter and plunder- 
 ing) who despise every stronghold" — viz. the Chaldeans, into whose 
 hand the sword of the Lord is to be given. (Cf. Is. xxxiii. 8 ; Hab. 
 i. 10.) This really gives a meaning, though it is gained at consider- 
 able cost, for some of the words assumed do not occur, the construc- 
 tions are far from probable, and the changes of the text are serious. 
 Further, in all the passage it is the sword itself that is dwelt upon 
 and those whom it shall slay ; those who are to wield it are only 
 alluded to. 
 
 Scholars almost unanimously assume that there is ref. in the clause 
 to former chastisement, hence "rod" and "all wood" are read in 
 that sense. But such an idea seems little in place in the connexion ; 
 and the word rendered "rod" may mean sceptre or almost ruler 
 (xix. II, 14), and "every tree" may be taken of other sceptres. The 
 assumption that "contemneth every tree" (all wood) means : exceeds in 
 severity of punishment every rod, or looks down on every other chas- 
 tening rod, feeling its own superiority as an instrument of punishment, 
 is a very far-fetched one. It is certainly possible that the word 
 "prince" (princes) lurks in the strange "shall we then rejoice?" 
 (Ges. Sm.). The prince and royal house are alluded to repeatedly in 
 the chapter, e.g. vv. 14, 25 — 27, 29. The rendering: "against the 
 prince (princes), the sceptre of my son (that) despiseth all wood" 
 (i.e. other sceptres, or royal powers, xix. 11, 14), is not very natural. 
 The expression "my son," whether applied to the king or the people, 
 has something unexpected about it in Ezek., though " my people is 
 used in the passage also {v. 12), and an undertone of pity, or at least a 
 deep feeling of the terribleness of the coming calamity, runs through 
 the passage. The words "shall we then make mirth?" can hardly 
 stand in any case, even in this form : " or shall we make mirth 
 (saying). The sceptre of my son contemneth all wood !" i.e. defies 
 every other sceptre or royal power {La Bible Annotee). Any reference 
 in the passage to Gen. xlix. 9 or 2 Sam. vii. 14 is without probability. 
 
 12. terrors... the sword] With R. V. they (the princes) axe deli- 
 vered over to the sword with my people. 
 
 smite upon thy thigh] A gesture implying despair or the sense of a 
 terrible and irreparable evil happening, Jer. xxxi. 19. 
 
 13. Because it is a trial] Or, for there is a trial. So accented the 
 
154 EZEKIEL, XXI. [vv. 14, 15. 
 
 what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no 
 14 rnore^ saith the Lord God. Thou therefore, son of man, 
 prophesy, and smite tJwie hands together, and let the sword 
 be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain : it is the 
 sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into 
 '5 their privy chambers. I have set the point of the sword 
 against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their 
 ruins be multiplied : ah, // is made bright, it is wrapt up for 
 
 word occurs again Is. xxviii. 16, a stone of trial (tried stone). The 
 word might be read as a verb : for trial has been made. In any case 
 reference is not to the *'swoid" nor the Babylonian conqueror who 
 wields it, as if the meaning were : trial has been made of what it or he 
 can do ! Such a sense has no probability. The word must refer to 
 those on whom the calamity is to fall. 
 
 and what if... be no more] The same difficulties recur here as in 
 V. 10, and the translation will follow that adopted there. Ew., "for it 
 has been tried — and what? is it also a soft rod? — that will not be, 
 saith" &c. ; i.e. the rod (the sword) has been tried, and it will be found 
 no soft one. This is wholly improbable. Boett., "for (as to) trial, 
 what (is to be effected) with that, when thou hast even contemned the 
 rod?" (Aehrenleseyii. Y>- '^lA-) Others (Hitz., Corn.) point the word 
 "trial" differently, and read: for with kindness what (should I accom- 
 plish)? &c. — which is quite destitute of probability. In spite of the 
 grammatical harshness (cf. however v. 2 7) the constmction followed in 
 R.V. is perhaps the most probable: "for trial hath been made, and what 
 if the sceptre (R.V. rod) that contemneth should be no more!" — 
 reference being to the royal house of Judah which shall perish, cf. w. 
 25—27, 29? 
 
 14. doubled the third time\ The reading must mean : let the sword 
 be doubled, tripled! lit. unto a third (sword), i.e. till it be three-fold. 
 Of course there were not to be three swords or even two; what is called 
 for is a double and triple intensity and operation of the one sword (cf. v. 
 16). 
 
 great men that are slain\ Rather : the great one that is slain, i.e. 
 doomed to be slain — ref. being to king Zedekiah, cf. v. 25. A different 
 division of letters gives : the great sword of the slain (collective) — which 
 is less probable as "slain" vs, plur. immediately before. 
 
 entereth . . .privy chamber s\ Rather : whlcli compasseth them about — 
 still descriptive of the sword. 
 
 15. the point of the sword] Or, the glitter, lit. whirl or swing. 
 Others by changing a letter would read "slaughter," which Frd. Del. 
 (Baer, Ezek.) by comparison of Assyr. considers the word to mean as it 
 stands. 
 
 ruins be multiplied] Or, stumbling-blocks, Jer. vi. 21. Or, by a 
 slight change in pointing: those overthi-own may be multiplied; Jer. 
 xviii. 23, cf. xlvi. 16. 
 
 •wrapt up] sharpened, as marg. 
 
vv. 16—21.] EZEKIEL, XXI. 155 
 
 the slaughter. Go thee one way or other, cither on the ^6 
 right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. I 17 
 will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my 
 fury to rest : I the Lord have said //. 
 
 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, Also, jg 
 thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of 
 the king of Babylon may come : both twain shall come forth 
 out of one land : and choose thou a place, choose //, at the 
 head of the way to the city. Appoint a way, that the sword 20 
 may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in 
 Jerusalem the defenced. For the king of Babylon stood at 2r 
 
 16. Perhaps with R.V., "gather thee together, go to the right; set 
 thyself in array, go to the left !" The sword is addressed by the Lord 
 and bidden concentrate its force to smite on the right, and set itself on 
 to slaughter on the left. Others by changes in the text find a command 
 to the sword to smite in all the four directions (Boett.), which is more 
 artificial. 
 
 thy face IS. set] Or, thine edge is appointed. Cf. same word "ap- 
 pointed" used of the sword, Jer. xlvii. 7, of the rod, Mic. vi. 9. 
 
 17. smite mine hands] The strong anthropomorphism suggests a 
 tumult of emotion in the Divine mind, and sympathy with the terri])le 
 work. 
 
 cause my fury to rest] Appease, or, assuage my fury. Cf. ch. 
 V. 13. 
 
 18 — 27. He who is, or who wields, the sword, the king of Babylon. 
 The verses furnish the interpretation of the preceding passage. 
 
 18 — 27. The prophet is commanded to represent a way which parts 
 into two ways. At the parting of the ways he is to set up two guide- 
 posts, the one pointing to Rabbath Amnion, the other to Jerusalem. 
 The king of Babylon, coming to the parting of the ways, hesitates which 
 he shall take. He consults the oracle, draws lots by means of the 
 arrows, and the arrow that he draws out in his right hand is the one 
 inscribed "Jerusalem." 
 
 19. appoint thee two u<ays] Or, 77iake thee. The proi)het is to make 
 a representation of a way branching into two ways, i.e. the way from 
 Babylon, which at a certain point parts into two, there being two possi- 
 bilities before the king, either Kabbah or Jerusalem. Naturally the 
 action was not performed in reality by the prophet. 
 
 choose thou a place] and grave a hand, at the head of the way to 
 the (each) city grave it. The "hand" is the pointer or sign-post indi- 
 cating direction. LXX. reads somewhat differently. 
 
 20. On Kabbah cf. xxv. 5. 
 
 /;/ Jerusalem] unto Jerus. For " the defenced " LXX. reads : " in the 
 midst of it," i.e. of Judah. 
 
 21. for the king ..stood] standeth. All the verbs had better be put 
 in the present. 
 
156 EZEKIEL, XXI. [w. 22, 23. 
 
 the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use 
 divination; he made his arrows bright, he consulted with 
 
 22 images, he looked in the liver. At his right hand was the 
 divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the 
 mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, 
 to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, 
 
 23 and to build a fort. And it shall be unto them as a false 
 divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths : 
 
 made his arrotvs bright] he shaketh the arrows, he consulteth the 
 teraphim, he looketh in the liver. These ceremonies explain the 
 phrase "to use divination." The process has several parts: a sacrifice 
 was offered to the deity or image, the liver of the animal apparently 
 being inspected to see what intimations it suggested. Then arrows 
 (among the Arabs they were pointless and unfeathered), inscribed with 
 the names or things between which a decision was sought from the god 
 (here Rabbah and Jerusalem), were cast into a vessel or bag; these were 
 shaken and brought before the god from whom the decision was sought ; 
 one was then drawn, and the inscription it bore was the answer of the 
 god to the alternative propounded for his settlement; in the present 
 case the king's right hand drew out the arrow inscribed "Jerusalem." 
 This method of divination by arrows was common among the Arabs (cf. 
 Wellhausen, Skizzen, ill. p. 127), and apparently also in Chaldea (Le- 
 normant, La Divination c/iez les Chaldeens, ch. II. IV., Sayce, Trans. 
 Soc. Bib. Archeology, vol. III. 145). It is related of the poet Imru'ulkais 
 that he used this method of divination to ascertain whether he should 
 avenge his father's death or no, and the answer always coming out "no," 
 he became enraged and breaking the arrows flung them in the god's 
 face, telling him that if the case had been that of his own father he 
 would not have given such a decision, and (in Arab fashion) applying 
 many foul epithets to the god's mother. — The teraphim are the deities 
 which Nebuchadnezzar carried with him, who gave the oracle. The 
 plur. does not imply the use of more than one image. 
 
 22. at his right hand] in Ms right hand is the lot (or, oracle) "Je- 
 rusalem," to set battering rams, to open the mouth with a cry. 
 Though "battering rams" occurs again in the verse the word can have 
 no other sense, such as "captains." The word "cry" seems required 
 by the parallel "shouting;" the letters have probably been transposed. 
 On the apparatus of siege, cf. ch. iv. 2. 
 
 23. to them...sivorn oaths] The words are obscure and wanting 
 in LXX., and possibly are not original. Whether a gloss or no their 
 purpose appears to be to explain why Israel considered this divination 
 of the king's to be false, i.e. believed that he would not besiege or at 
 least capture Jerusalem. The natural sense is: they have those who 
 have sworn oaths (to them), i.e. allies, viz. the Egyptians, &c., who will 
 frustrate and falsify Nebuchadnezzar's divination. Others: inasmuch 
 as they (Israel) have sworn oaths to them (the Chaldeans). The con- 
 struction is unnatural, and the sense without relevancy, because Israel 
 
vv. 24—27.] EZEKIEL, XXI. 157 
 
 but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they 
 may be taken. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Be- ^4 
 cause ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in 
 that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your 
 doings your sins do appear ; because, / say, that ye are 
 come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. 
 
 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is 25 
 come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord 26 
 God ; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown : this 
 shall not be the same : exalt him that is low, and abase him 
 that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it : and it 27 
 shall be no more^ until he come whose right it is ; and I will 
 give it him. 
 
 had just broken its oath, a thing which Neb. came up to punish (ch. 
 xvii.). Others still would change the pointing: they have weeks of 
 weeks, i.e. weeks upon weeks — abundance of time to prepare for the 
 siege, a sense feeble in the extreme. 
 
 he xvill call to remembrance\ Or, calleth. The subject is most na- 
 turally Nebuchadnezzar, whose presence is an accusation before God of 
 the king and people because of their breaking their allegiance to him 
 (cf. ch. xvii.). The consequence of this accusation or bringing guilt to 
 remembrance is that they shall be taken, i.e. captured, the city and 
 people, by the foe. It is certainly possible that the clause "sworn 
 oaths" may have been thrown in to explain this idea. 
 
 24. so that in. ..appear] Or, so that your sins do appear, even all 
 your evil doings. Cf. xxix. 16. 
 
 25. profane zvicked prince'] Or, and thou wicked one, who art to 
 be slain, prince of Israel. The sense "profane" is not quite certain, 
 ci.Jetn., Lev. xxi. 7, 14. 
 
 when iniquity... a7i end] in the time of the iniquity of the end, i.e. 
 when iniquity shall receive its final chastisement — in the downfall of the 
 state and captivity of the king. Cf. xxxv. 5. 
 
 26. The term "diadem" is used of the mitre of the high-priest, Ex. 
 xxviii. 4. There can be no reference to the high-priest here, the passage 
 refers exclusively to the royal house, which shall be discrowned. 
 
 this... the same] The somewhat enigmatical words mean probably: 
 this is not that, i.e. the present royal house and regime is not that which 
 shall be (the Messianic), as v. 27 explains. Or, this shall not remain 
 this, i.e. what it is, it shall be removed and give place to something 
 higher to come, v. 27. 
 
 6ua//...that is hi<;-h] let that be exalted which is low, and that which 
 is high be abased. The words "overturn," isic, v. 27 oxi)lain the 
 idea. The present order shall disappear, the high shall be abased and 
 at last that which is humble shall be exalted, cf. xvii. 24. 
 
 27. and it shall be no more] Or, yea this — it shall not be (or, it is 
 gone!). "This" does not refer to the condition introduced by the 
 
158 EZEKIEL, XXI. [vv. 28, 29. 
 
 28 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say. Thus saith the 
 Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their 
 reproach ; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn : 
 for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the 
 
 29 glittering : whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they 
 divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them 
 
 overturning, but goes back and resumes the present condition of things, 
 which shall be overturned till he comes who hath the right, the Messiah. 
 On verb, cf. Is. xv. 6; Job vi. 21. 
 
 tmtil he come., give it him] Rather: and I will give it him. He 
 whose right it is, or, he who hath the right, is the Messiah. Reference 
 is possibly to Gen. xlix. 10, where Ezek. read shelloh (whose), not as now 
 Shiloh. 
 
 Appendix. 28—32. Threatening prophecy against Ammon. 
 
 The passage is obscure, but several things seem evident, i. In spite 
 of the similarities between the language of v. 28 and that in vv. 9, 10, 
 the sword here is that of Ammon. This is certain from the words v. 30 
 *• return it to its sheath." 2. It is against Israel, not against the Chal- 
 deans, that the Ammonites furbish and draw their sword. This appears 
 from the words "concerning Ammon, and concerning their reproach" 
 v. 28. Deceived by false prophecies they cherish purposes of conquest 
 outside their own borders, which shall be far from being realized ; on 
 the contrary they shall be assailed in their own home and there annihi- 
 lated {v. 25, cf. XXV. 4). History does not enable us to follow the pro- 
 gress of events. It is possible that simultaneously with Judah all the 
 neighbouring peoples threw off the yoke of Babylon, so that it might be 
 doubtful which of them Nebuchadnezzar would attack first [^w. 20, 21), 
 but that in the course of events Ammon, true to its instincts, assumed 
 an attitude hostile to Judah (cf 2 Kings xxiv. 2). The date of the pre- 
 sent passage is no doubt later than that of the rest of the chapter, and 
 may owe some of its colour to events subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem. 
 Cf. XXV. I — 7. 
 
 28. the sword... is drazvn] Rather with disregard of the accents: 
 a sword, a sword is drawn for slaughter ; it is furbished to the utter- 
 most in order that it may glitter. 
 
 to consume] Rather : to the uttermost, lit. as far as it can hold or 
 receive. Corn, amends: to flash (hahel for hakil). 
 
 29. they s^^e vanity unto thee] i.e. Ammon's soothsayers falsely hold 
 out the prospect to it of victory and conquest. 
 
 bring thee upon the necks'] The sense is doubtful, the phrase "bring, 
 or, put, upon the necks" not occurring again. The "wicked, whose 
 day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end," can hardly be any 
 other than the princes and people of Jerusalem, v. 25. i. The clause 
 "to bring thee," &c. , might express the contents of the lying prophecy: 
 they divine a lie and bring thee — they promise that thou shalt fall 
 upon Israel, and conquer them. 3. The clause may express the issue 
 
vv. 30— 32; I.] EZEKIEL, XXI. 159 
 
 that are slain of the wicked, whose day is come, when their 
 iniquity shall have an end. Shall I cause // to return into 30 
 his sheath ? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast 
 created, in the land of thy nativity. And I will pour out 31 
 mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the 
 fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish 
 men, ajid skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the 32 
 fire ; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land ; thou shalt 
 be no more remembered : for I the Lord have spoken it. 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 22 
 
 of the lying divination, the eventual issue of it in God's hand. These 
 lying prophecies lead the Ammonites to enterprises or to purpose enter- 
 prizes the issue of which in God's hand (or, his judgment because of 
 which) will be that they shall have a common fate with the princes and 
 people of Jerusalem, upon whose necks (bodies) they shall be flung 
 slain. 3. Others (Hitz. Corn.) would alter the text reading // (the sword) 
 for thee, and connecting closely with v. '28 : that it may glitter (whiles 
 they divine a lie unto thee, &c.), in order to bring it (the sword) upon 
 the necks, &c., i.e. assail and slay them with it. This is simpler, 
 though against LXX. 
 
 iipon the necks .. .wicked] More plainly: upon the necks of the wicked 
 that are (to be) slain, i.e. the princes, &c. in Jerusalem, v. 25. 
 
 7uhen their iniquity ...end] At the time of the iniquity (or, punish- 
 ment) of the end, cf. v. 25. 
 
 30. Shall I... ret urn] Return it into its sheath 1 Amnion is com- 
 manded to put back his sword to its sheath; his dreams of conquests 
 abroad are vain, he shall be visited and desti-oyed in his own land. On 
 "nativity" cf. xvi. 3. 
 
 31. brutish 7nen'] i.e. wild and savage men. So in xxv. 4 it is the 
 "men of the east," the children of the desert, who are to execute the 
 judgment on Ammon. 
 
 sidlful to destroy] lit. the smiths or forgers of destruction. Ewald's 
 "smiths of hell," i.e. demons who forge in hell, is fanciful. 
 
 32. Cf. xxv. 10. Ammon shall perish in his own land. 
 
 Ch. XXn. New indictment of Jerusalem. 
 
 The passage has three divisions: 
 
 First, w. I — 12. The sins of Jerusalem, especially 1 er two crj^ing 
 ones, idolatiy and bloodshed {vv. i — 5); along with the dark catalogue 
 of other offences (z/. 6 — 12). 
 
 Secondly, vv. 13 — 22. Necessity and certainty of her judgment, 
 which is stated first directly {vv. 13 — 16), and secondly under the figure 
 of a smelting furnace (yv. 17 — 22). 
 
 Thirdly, vv. 23 — 31. Renewal of the indictment against all classes 
 of the nation, from the prince to the people of the land. 
 
i6o EZEKIEL, XXII. [vv. 2—9. 
 
 2 Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the 
 bloody city ? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. 
 
 3 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth 
 blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and 
 
 4 maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art 
 become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed ; and hast 
 defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made ; and 
 thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even 
 unto thy years : therefore have I made thee a reproach unto 
 
 5 the heathen, and a mocking to all countries. Those that be 
 near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, ivhich 
 
 6 art infamous and much vexed. Behold, the princes of 
 Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. 
 
 7 In thee have they set light by father and mother : in the 
 midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the 
 stranger : in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the 
 
 8 widow. Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast 
 
 9 profaned my sabbaths. In thee are men that carry tales to 
 
 2. wilt thoujtidge] See on ch. xx. 4, cf. xxiii. 36. 
 
 yea, thou shalt shew] Rather: then thou shalt cause her to know... 
 V. 3 and thou shalt say. 
 
 3. the city sheddeth] Rather as address: city that sheddeth! ch. 
 xxiv. 6, 9. Her "time" is that of her chastisement, cf. xxx. 3 "the 
 time of the heathen," Jer. xxvii. 7. So v. 4, "days" and "years," i.e. 
 full number of thy years. 
 
 against herself] Rather : unto herself, parallel to ' * in the midst of 
 it." 
 
 4. The "blood" is not only that of her children sacrificed to the 
 idols, but judicial and other murders, cf. vv. 6, 9. Cf. xxiii. 37, xxiv. 6, 
 
 9- 
 
 therefore have I made] prophetic perf., cf. "shall mock" v. 5. 
 6. much vexed] full of tumults, Am. iii. 9, and on ch. v. 7. 
 
 6—12. Particular enumeration of Jerusalem's sins. 
 
 6. The "princes" are those of the royal house. 
 
 lucre... to their power] have been high-handed in thee, to shed. The 
 meaning is not that they shed blood to the utmost of their power, but 
 that they were arbitrary; their power, lit. arvt, was the only law. 
 
 7. "They" no more refers to the princes, but is said generally. On 
 "father and mother" Ex. xx. 12; Deut. v. 16, xxvii. 16. On "stran- 
 ger" ch. xviii. 18; Ex. xxii. ai. On "fatherless," Ex. xxii. 22. 
 
 8. Thott hast despised] Jerusalem or the community is addressed, cf. 
 V. 26, ch. XX. 13, 16, &c. 
 
 9. Informers and false witnesses, Jer. ix. 3; Ex. xxiii. ij Lev. xix. 
 16. Cf. ch. xviii. 6, 11. 
 
vv. 10—15.] EZEKIEL, XXII. 161 
 
 shed blood : and in thee they eat upon the mountains : in 
 the midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee have they 10 
 discovered their father's nakedness : in thee have they 
 humbled her that was set apart for pollution. And one " 
 hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife ; and 
 another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and 
 another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. 
 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood ; thou hast taken 12 
 usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy 
 neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the 
 Lord God. Behold therefore, I have smitten mine hand at 13 
 thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood 
 which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart 14 
 endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I 
 shall deal with thee ? I the Lord have spoken //, and will 
 do //. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and 15 
 disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthi- 
 
 comviit lewdness] This clause should probably introduce the vices in 
 V. 10. Idolatry is metaphorically "lewdness," but here it is not the 
 community but individuals who are spoken of, cf. v. 11. 
 
 10. Lev. xviii. 7, xx. 11, — defiled their father's wife, i.e. their step- 
 mother, or some of their fatlaer's concubines; cf. 2 Sam. xvi. 22. 
 
 set apart for pollution'] unclean from her impurity, ch. xviii. 6; Lev. 
 xviii. 19, XX. 18. 
 
 11. Lev. xviii. 20, xx. 10. Lev. xviii. 15, xx. 12. Lev. xviii. 9, 
 XX. 17. 
 
 12. taken gifts'] i.e. bribes, said of judges, Ex. xxiii. 8; Is. i. 23; 
 Mic. iii. II. — Cf. ch. xviii. 13, xxiii. 35. 
 
 by extortion] oppression, or violence, as v. 7. The vices here enu- 
 merated follow one another without any strict connexion, i. The 
 despotic conduct of the princes, whose power is their god (Ilab. i. 11), 
 V. 6. 2. Irreverence to parents, and want of compassion for the unpro- 
 tected and helpless, v. 7. 3. Irreligion, tjv. 8, 9. 4. Immoralities and 
 incest, w. 10, 11. And finally, greed of gain that overreaches and 
 oppresses, v. 12. The picture is dark enough, and is unmistakeably 
 that of a people whose decline is incurable, and its time at hand {v. 3), 
 cf. Jer. v. 7, vi. 13, vii. 5, 6, xxii. 3; Hos. vii. 7; Mic. vi. 10. 
 
 13—22. The judgment on these vices. 
 
 13. smitten mine hand] clapped ?ny hands, cf. xxi. 14, 17, vi. 11. 
 The gesture is expressive of violent agitation, though the agitation may 
 be due to different emotions — here disdain and dislike. 
 
 14. Cf. xxi. 7, "every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble." 
 16. Cf. ch. xxiii. 27, 28, xxxvi. 25, 29. 
 
 EZEKIEL 1 1 
 
i62 EZEKIEL, XXII. [vv. 16—22. 
 
 16 ness out of thee. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in 
 thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know 
 that I am the Lord. 
 
 J7 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 
 man, the house of Israel is to me become dross : all they 
 are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the 
 
 19 furnace ; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus 
 saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, 
 behold therefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jeru- 
 
 20 salem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, 
 and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon 
 it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my 
 
 21 fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will 
 gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and 
 
 22 ye shall be melted in the midst thereof As silver is melted 
 in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the 
 
 16. take thine inheritance'\ According to the points : and thou shalt 
 be profaned in (through) thyself. The idea that Jehovah " profanes " 
 his people by casting them out of their land is not uncommon, Is. xliii. 
 28, xlvii. 6, cf. Ezek. xxiv. 21 (xxviii. 16). It is doubtful if it be any- 
 where said that this casting out of the people is a profanation of them 
 "in the sight of the heathen." On the other hand that phrase is often 
 used when Jehovah himself, or his name, is spoken of as being profaned, 
 ch. XX. 9, 14, 22. Particularly it is said that Israel's dispersion among 
 the nations profaned Jehovah's name, ch. xxxvi. 20 — 23, and in xxxix. 
 7 Jehovah says, I will not pollute (let be polluted) my name any more 
 (by the humiliation of his people). A slight change of reading gives : 
 
 and I will be profaned in thee in the sight The whole passage speaks 
 
 of the chastisement of Israel, not of the purging away their uncleanness 
 [p. 15), which is mentioned incidentally (cf. v. 22). This chastisement 
 is dispersion among the nations, by which Jehovah is profaned and by 
 which Israel learns to know that he who disperses them is the Lord. 
 Corn, suggests : by which (uncleanness) I have been profaned in thee. 
 Does the idea appear in the prophet that Jehovah was profaned in the 
 eyes of the nations by Israel's idolatries? 
 
 17 — 22. Judgment on Israel under the figure of a smelting furnace. 
 Israel is dross and base metal, which must be flung into the furnace. 
 
 18. dross of silver] In construction "silver" is in apposition with 
 dross. For the figure cf. Is. i. 22, xlviii. 10; Jer. vi. 28 — 30; Mai. iii. 
 
 2, 3- 
 
 19. midst of Jerusalem] Cf. ch. xxiv. 
 
 22. The figure of the furnace expresses mainly the idea of the terrible 
 trials approaching; it is not intimated that pure silver was obtained 
 from the process. In a prophet toward the end of the exile Jehovah 
 
vv. 23— 28. EZEKIEL, XXII. 163 
 
 midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have 
 poured out my fury upon you. 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of ^J 
 man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, 
 nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a con- 25 
 spiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring 
 lion ravening the prey ; they have devoured souls ; they have 
 taken the treasure and precious things; they have made 
 her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests have ^6 
 violated my law, and have profaned mine holy thi?igs : they 
 have put no difference between the holy and profane, 
 neither have they shewed difference between the unclean 
 and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, 
 and I am profaned among them. Her princes in the midst 27 
 thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, 
 and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her 2s 
 
 complains that his casting Israel into the furnace had been barren of 
 result, Is. xlviii. 10. 
 
 w. 23 — 31. New indictment of all classes of the nation: the royal 
 house, V. 25; the priests, v. 26; the princes, v. 27; the prophets, z/. 28, 
 and the people of the land, v. 29. Among all the people not one is 
 found to stand in the breach, therefore his wrath must be poured out 
 upon them to the uttermost. 
 
 24. the land... not cleansed'] A land. The words "not cleansed" 
 are parallel to "not rained upon." In the east, however, raining upon 
 is not a figure for cleansing, but for removing tlie curse and judgment, 
 and blessing with fertility (Jer. iii. 3). LXX. has "not wetted by rain" 
 here, which most moderns accept, cf. ch. xxxiv. 26; Lev. xxvi. 4; Deut. 
 xi. 14; I Kings viii. 35, 36. 
 
 25. conspiracy of her prophets'] More probably with LXX., whose 
 princes In the midst of her are like... The prophets are spoken of 
 V. 28. The "princes" are those of the royal house, ch. xix. i, xxi. 12, 
 xxii. 6, xlv. 8, 9; those called "princes" in v. 27 are the chiefs or 
 heads of the people. 
 
 have taken the treasure] i.e. by violence from others, Jer. xx. 5. 
 her many 7vido7vs] her widows many. Corn, their palaces, cf. ch. 
 xix. 7, Jer. xxii. 13 — 17. The change is unnecessary, Jer. xv. 8. 
 
 26. The great influence possessed by the priests in this age appears 
 from the place they occupy next the royal house. Jer. ii. 8, 26, iv. 9, 
 viii. r, xiii. 13, xxvi. 11. 
 
 between the holy and profane] ch. xliv. 23; Jer. xv. 19; Lev. x. 10. 
 
 27. Her princes] The "princes" here are the chiefs or leaders of 
 the people, cf. Jer. xxvi. 10, xxxvi. 12. 
 
 get dishonest gain] Cf. Jer. vi. 13, viii. 10. The term is used pretty 
 generally, of selfish advantage. 
 
i64 EZEKIEL, XXII. [w. 29— 31. 
 
 prophets have daubed them with untempered i?iorter, seeing 
 vanity, and divining Hes unto them, saying, Thus saith the 
 
 29 Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. The people 
 of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, 
 and have vexed the poor and needy : yea, they have op- 
 
 30 pressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man 
 among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in 
 the gap before me for the land, that / should not destroy it : 
 
 31 but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine 
 indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the 
 fire of my wrath : their own way have I recompensed upon 
 their heads, saith the Lord Gud. 
 
 28. have daubed theni] daubed for them, seconding them. The 
 persons called "princes" may be referred to, but not exckisively. Cf. 
 eh. xiii. 10, and xiii. 6, 7. 
 
 29. people of the land] The phrase for the common people al- 
 ready, Jer. xxxvii. 2, and common in Ezek., vii, 27, xii. 19, &c. 
 The "people of the land" is certainly subject here, cf. v. 7, ch. xviii. 
 12 ; Jer. xxiii. 34, xxvi. 7. 
 
 30. All classes {v. 25 — 29) are alike corrupt; a man to stand in the 
 breach in behalf of the people is looked for in vain, cf. Jer. v. i. 
 
 For "hedge" better fence, cf. on xiii. 5. A "man" here is not a 
 man to intercede, but a man to interpose, to stem the tide of ruin and 
 turn the fortunes of the people. The moral energies of the nation were 
 wholly exhausted; it could no more put forth out of itself a saviour 
 to retrieve its fortunes. Cf. Is. lix. 16, "and he saw that there was 
 no man, and wondered that there was none to interpose" (Is. Ixiii. 5). 
 
 31. have I poured] Prophetic perfect; the end is as good as 
 come, w. 3, 4. The result of this moral paralysis of the people must 
 be its destruction. In the passages cited from Isaiah, written later 
 and at a different juncture, the Lord himself interposes as saviour, 
 there being none else. 
 
 Ch. XXIII. History of the two adulterous women, Oholah 
 AND Oholibah — Samaria and Jerusalem. 
 
 The alliances and intrigues of Samaria and Jerusalem with foreign 
 nations had been represented as infidelity to Jehovah since Hosea. 
 These foreign alliances naturally carried foreign manners and worship 
 in their train (Is. ii. 6). In Judah at least a great flood of idolatry 
 from the east overflowed the country in the decHning days of the 
 kingdom, and to some extent this had been true of Israel also (Am. 
 v. 26, 27). But apart from this from the earliest times the prophets 
 conceive the kingdom of the Lord as something different in kind from 
 the kingdoms of the nations : its essence consisted in fidelity to Je- 
 hovah, and its defence should have been left to him. Therefore when 
 
vv. 1—4. EZEKIEL, XXIII. 165 
 
 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son ^^ 
 of man, there were two women, the daughters of one "" 
 mother : and they committed whoredoms in Egypt ; they 3 
 committed whoredoms in their youth : there were their 
 breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their 
 virginity. And the names of them were Aholah the elder, 4 
 and AhoUbah her sister : and they were mine, and they bare 
 sons and daughters. Thus ivere their names; Samaria is 
 Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. 
 
 the community of Jehovah sought alliances abroad for protection the 
 prophets detected in this alienation of mind from Jehovah, distrust 
 of his power and dissatisfaction with his rule. Already the conception 
 was taking possession of the prophetic mind that the kingdom of God 
 was not a state but what we now call a church. 
 
 The chapter reviews the history of Israel and Judah from the 
 beginning, and has these divisions: — 
 
 First, w. I — 10. Infidelities of Samaria with Assyria and Egypt, 
 and the disastrous issue of them. 
 
 Secondly, vv. 11 — 21. Infidelitiesof Jerusalem with Assyria (11 — 13), 
 Babylon (14 — 18), and Egypt (19 — 21) successively. 
 
 Thirdly, vv. 22 — 25. Therefore her fate shall be like that of Samaria, 
 she shall drink to the dregs the cup which her sister drank. 
 
 Fourthly, vv. 36 — 49. A new description of the immoralities of 
 Oholah and Oholihah, with a fresh threat of punishment. 
 
 2. The two kingdoms are already called sisters, Jer. iii. 7. Cf 
 Ez. xvi. 46. 
 
 3. The two kingdoms are represented ideally as already existing 
 in Egypt. This is not so far from the truth. The great tribes of 
 Judah and Ephraim from the first stood apart, and in their attitude 
 there lay already the germs of the two kingdoms, as appears in the 
 song of Deborah. On the idea of the prophet that idolatry was prac- 
 tised in Egypt, cf ch. xx. 8, xvi. 26. 
 
 4. The name Oholah may mean "her tent," though not so pointed, 
 and Oholibah "my tent in her." Possibly the words mean "tent" 
 (or, tents) and "tent in her;" and the reference may be to the worship 
 practised on the high places in both kingdoms, cf. xvi. 16. It is 
 doubtful if the prophet means that Samaria had "her tent," i.e. a 
 sanctuary or worship of her own devising, while Jerusalem had Je- 
 hovah's tent or true sanctuary in her, Cf. the names llephzi-bah. Is. 
 Ixii. 4, and Oholibamah (high-place tent), (icn. xxxvi. 2. It was 
 common in the east to give sisters or brotliers names almost the same, 
 as Hasan and Husein (little Hasan), the two sons of 'Ali, the son-in- 
 law of Muhammed. 
 
 they 7vcre niine\ became mine, my wives, cf. xvi. 8, 20. It is curious 
 that Jehovah is represented as the husband of two sisters, a thing which 
 the law disallows, Lev. xviii. 18. 
 
i66 KZEKIEL, XXIII. [w. 5—10. 
 
 5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine ; and 
 she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, 
 
 6 which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of 
 them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. 
 
 7 Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all 
 them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on 
 whom she doted : with all their idols she defiled herself. 
 
 8 Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt : for in 
 her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of 
 
 9 her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her. Where- 
 fore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into 
 
 10 the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. These 
 discovered her nakedness : they took her sons and her 
 daughters, and slew her with the sword : and she became 
 famous among women; for they had executed judgment 
 upon her. 
 
 6—10. The intrigues of Samaria with Assyria. 
 
 5. xvhen she was mine] though my wife, lit. under me. 
 Assyrians her neighhonrs'] In xvi. 26 the Egyptians are called 
 
 Israel's "neighbours," but the Assyrians could hardly be so called, 
 and indeed in v. 40 are referred to as "far off." The word may mean 
 "warriors" (the similar word "war" or "battle" 2 Sam. xvii. 11 and 
 often). Corn, suggests, "famous," the term used in v. 23. The verse 
 should be connected with v. 6, as appears from v. 12 — even on the 
 Assyrians, warriors clothed with blue. 
 
 6. captains and rulers} Or, governors and satraps, cf. Neh. iv. 14, 
 V. 15. 
 
 7. with all their idols'] The alliance with Assyria brought in 
 Assyrian idolatry, cf. 2 Kings xxiii. 11, where horses and chariots of 
 the sun are mentioned, and also the altars on the roofs, where incense 
 was burnt to the host of heaven, v. 12, Jer. xix. 13. 
 
 8. Samaria intrigued with Assyria and Egypt alternately, or dif- 
 ferent parties simultaneously. Hos. vii. 11, "Ephraim is like a silly 
 dove, without understanding; they call unto Egypt, they go unto 
 Assyria." 
 
 9. / have delivered] I delivered. The Assyrians overthrew Samaria 
 in 722 B.C. Menahem was supported on the throne by Assyria (2 Kings 
 XV. 19); and Hoshea, the last king, was dethroned on account of his 
 intrigues with Egypt (2 Kings xvii. 4). 
 
 10. famous among 7C'omen] lit. a name to women, i.e. a notorious 
 example to women to lake warning from, v. 48, xxxvi. 3, xvi. 41. 
 
vv. II — 15.] EZEKIEL, XXIII. 167 
 
 And when her sister Aholibah saw this^ she was more " 
 corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whore- 
 doms more than her sister in her whoredoms. She doted 12 
 upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers 
 clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all 
 of them desirable young men. Then I saw that she was 13 
 defiled, that they took both one way, and that she increased 14 
 her whoredoms : for when she saw men pourtrayed upon 
 the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with ver- 
 milion, girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in 15 
 dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look 
 to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the 
 
 11 — 21. The infidelities of Judah with Assyria, Babylon 
 AND Egypt. 
 
 11. On the greater excesses of Judah cf. xvi. 47, 51; Jer. iii. 
 8, II. 
 
 12. her neig/ibotirs] The order is: the Assyrians, governors and 
 satraps, warriors clothed, ..See on v. 5. The intervention of Assyria 
 in the affairs of Judah was caused by the appeal of Ahaz for help 
 against Syria and Ephraim, 2 Kings xvi. 7. On the disastrous con- 
 sequences of Ahaz's folly cf Is. vii. 17 — 25. 
 
 14. and that she innrasect] Rather : And she added to her whore- 
 doms, with full stop at v. 13. It was certainly the custom in Baby- 
 lonia to draw figures of men and the like upon the walls ; it is not 
 probable, however, that such figures of Chaldean warriors had actually 
 been seen in Jerusalem. The prophet combines the Babylonian custom 
 with the reports of Chaldean military splendour current in Judah. 
 Even when Babylon was still a vassal state of Assyria Hezekiah entered 
 into intrigues with it, Is. xxxix. In later times it was the rivaliy be- 
 tween Babylon and Egypt that drew Judah into the whirl of imperial 
 politics, and left her from the time of the battle of Carchemish and the 
 defeat of Egypt subject to Babylon (B.C. 604). 
 
 15. girded loith girdles] The "girdles" were properly not belts or 
 sashes, but articles of clothing, tunics or waist-cloths (Is. xi. 5). "It 
 appears, however, from the monuments that the Assyrians used what 
 was originally the waist-cloth as an ornamental sash" (note from Prof. 
 W. R. Smith). 
 
 exceeding in dyed attire] The word "exceeding in" means redund- 
 ant; it is used of the curtains that "hung over" the sides of the taber- 
 nacle (Ex. xxvi. 12, 13), and possibly "dyed attire" may mean "tur- 
 bans," from ])eing 7vound {Vy(\. Del. Baer Ez. p. xii.). The idea would 
 be that the high turbans folded back and hung down. 
 
 all of them princes] Or, heroes. The term is used of the choice 
 warriors in chariots, Ex. xiv. 7; xv. 4, but also more generally. 
 
 after the manner of] Perhaps: the likeness of i\\Q Babylonians. It 
 
i68 EZEKIEL, XXIII. [w. 16—22. 
 
 16 land of their nativity : and as soon as she saw them with 
 her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto 
 
 17 them into Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into 
 the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, 
 and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated 
 
 18 from them. So she discovered her whoredoms, and dis- 
 covered her nakedness : then my mind was alienated from 
 
 19 her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. Yet 
 she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance 
 the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in 
 
 20 the land of Egypt. For she doted upon their paramours, 
 whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like 
 
 21 the issue of horses. Thus thou calledst to remembrance 
 the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the 
 Egyptians for the paps of thy youth. 
 
 22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, 
 I -will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind 
 is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every 
 
 is doubtful if the word "likeness" can ever be rendered "in the 
 manner of" or "like" (Is. xiii. 4). Here "likeness" resumes 
 "images" v. 14. 
 
 16. Read : and she doted upon tliem after the sight of her eyes — 
 i.e. with delight and desire (Is. xi. 3). 
 
 17. alienated fj'om iheni] The figure lies in the revulsion of sated 
 passion ; the thing in the weariness of the Babylonian alliance and 
 yoke, of. ch. xvii. 
 
 18. "Discovered" is uncovered, revealed. 
 
 19. Judah being situated between the two gi-eat empires of Baby- 
 lon and Egypt and coveted by both, was naturally a hotbed of 
 intrigue by partizans on both sides. The influence of the Egyptian 
 party was great even in the Assyrian age (Is. xxx. — xxxi.), and the 
 imposing and pretentious power of the Nile valley continued to delude 
 the politicians of Judah throughout the period of Chaldean supremacy 
 (ch. xxix. — xxxii. ; Jer. ii. 18, xxxvii. 5 seq. ; Lam. iv. 17). 
 
 21. calledst to rcmembrance'\ didst recall, i.e. renew, cf. xxxviii. 8. 
 for the paps] By a slight change of reading {k for «^, when thy 
 
 teats were bruised by them of Egypt, when the breasts of thy 
 youth were pressed {v. 3). 
 
 22 — 35. Chastisement of the adulteress. 
 
 22. thy lovers'] the nations once in alliance with her, v. 9 ; ch. xvi. 
 37 ; Jer. xxx. 14 ; Lam. i. 19. InHos. ii. the " lovers" are the Baals. 
 
 23. On these peoples cf. Del. Farad., pp. 182, 236, 240. Accord- 
 ing to this writer the names appear in the inscriptions as Pukudu, 
 
vv. 23— 29.] EZEKIEL, XXIII. 169 
 
 side; the Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and 21 
 Shoa, and Koa, all the Assyrians with them : all of them 
 desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and 
 renowned, all of them riding upon horses. And they shall 24 
 come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and 
 with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee 
 buckler and shield and helmet round about : and I will 
 set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee accord- 
 ing to their judgments. And I will set my jealousy against 25 
 thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee : they shall 
 take away thy nose and thine ears ; and thy remnant shall 
 fall by the sword : they shall take thy sons and thy 
 daughters ; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. 
 They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away 26 
 thy fair jewels. Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease =7 
 from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of 
 Egypt : so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, 
 nor remember Egypt any more. For thus saith the Lord -s 
 God ; Behold, I ivill deliver thee into the hand of thcni 
 whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy 
 mind is alienated : and they shall deal with thee hatefully, ■^y 
 
 Sulu or Su and Kutu or Ku, and are names of peoples lying east of the 
 Tigris and on the confines of Elam or Persia. 
 
 "Captains and rulers," governors and satraps, vv. 6, 12. "Great 
 lords," heroes, 7j. 15. 
 
 and renowned] Perhaps: chiefs. The word is parallel to "princes" 
 Numb. i. 16, lit. "called men," cf. Am. vi. i. 
 
 24. with chariots'] The term is entirely unknown; 'L'K'K. from the 
 north. Boettcher suggested the word "multitude" (xxvi. 10), a sense 
 which Frd. Del. (Baer, Ez. p. xi.) thinks can be reached through the 
 Assyr., the present word remaining unchanged. For people peoples. 
 
 set judgment] i.e. commit it unto tliem, Deut. xi. 26; i Kings 
 viii. 46. 
 
 according to their judgments] lit. tvith their judgments, which are 
 cruel and savage, v. 2^. 
 
 25. "Jealousy" differs little from fury, ch. xvi, ,:^8. 
 
 take azaay thy nose] Reference is either to the ancient practice (as 
 in Egypt) of mutilating the adulteress, or to the habit of disfiguring the 
 captives, cf. xii. 13; xvi. 40. 
 
 26. Cf. xvi. 39. 
 
 27. \>xo\\\^i from... Egypt] i.e. continued since the time they were 
 in the land of Egypt, cf. xvi. 41; xxii. 15. 
 
 29. deal... hatefully] in hatred. "Labour" is wealth, the fruit of 
 labour. " Discovered" is exposeil. 
 
I70 EZEKIEL, XXIII. [vv. 30-35. 
 
 and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee 
 naked and bare : and the nakedness of thy whoredoms 
 shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms. 
 
 30 / will do these thmgs unto thee, because thou hast gone a 
 whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted 
 
 31 with their idols. Thou hast walked in the way of thy 
 
 32 sister ; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand. Thus 
 saith the I^ord God ; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup 
 deep and large : thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in 
 
 33 derision ; it containeth much. Thou shalt be filled ivith 
 drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and 
 
 34 desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria. Thou shalt 
 even drink it and suck // out, and thou shalt break the 
 sheards thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts : for I 
 
 35 have spoken //, saith the Lord God. Therefore thus saith 
 the Lord God ; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast 
 me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness 
 and thy whoredoms. 
 
 31. her cup] That which she drank, Is. li. 22, 23 ; Jer. xxv. 
 15. 16. 
 
 32. sister's cup deep] i.e. which is deep. The words "thou shalt... 
 derision" are parenthetical; LXX. omits. 
 
 33. and sorrow] Or, affliction. 
 
 34. Cf. Ps. Ixxv. 8; Is. li. 17. 
 
 break the sheards] gnaw the sherds. The act of phicking out her 
 own breasts is that of one intoxicated to madness, Jer. xxv. 16. The 
 words are wanting in LXX. Beating the breasts and tearing the cheeks 
 was a sign of excessive grief {Ha>nasa, p. 373). "The women rent 
 the breast of their dress, went half-naked, tore their faces, and beat 
 their skin till it was lacerated with shoes [Aghani, xiv. loi, 28; xv. 
 139, 6; Hudh. 139, 3)," Well., Skizzen, iii. p. 160. 
 
 35. bear thou.. .lewdness] Here "bear" means endure tlie punish- 
 ment of it, V. 49. 
 
 36 — 49. New exposure of the immoralities of Oholah and 
 Oholibah {vv. 36 — 44), and threat of their punishment 
 {vv. 45—49)- 
 
 The passage is not a continuation of v. i — 35, but an independent 
 description, parallel to these verses. 
 
 (i) vv. 36, 37. The adulteries, that is, idolatries, and bloodshed 
 of which the two women are guilty. 
 
 (2) vv. 38, 39. Their profaning the house of Jehovah, and break- 
 ing his Sabbaths — the former particularly in their entering his house 
 fresh from the sacrifice of their children. 
 
vv. 36— 40.J EZEKIEL, XXIII. 171 
 
 The Lord said moreover unto me ; Son of man, wilt 3^ 
 thou judge Ahoiah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them 
 their abominations ; that they have committed adultery, 37 
 and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they 
 committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom 
 they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to 
 devour them. Moreover this they have done unto me : 38 
 they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have 
 profaned my sabbaths. For when they had slain their 39 
 children to their idols, then they came the same day into 
 my sanctuary to profane it ; and lo, thus have they done in 
 the midst of mine house. And furthermore, that ye have 40 
 sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger 
 was sent ; and lo, they came : for whom thou didst wash 
 thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with orna- 
 
 (3) w. 40 — 44. Their alliances with idolatrous nations and receiv- 
 ing their gods, under the figure of a harlot receiving and entertaining 
 men. 
 
 (4) "w. 45 — 49, Their punishment with the death of an adulteress 
 at the hands of righteous men. — The text in some passages is extremely 
 difficult. 
 
 36. yea, declare] then declare. 
 
 37. that they have committed] for they have. The blood on their 
 hands is that of their children whom they sacrifice. See xvi. 20, 21. 
 
 38. the same day] The phrase is more fully explained in v. 39. 
 LXX. omits in both places. 
 
 39. The particular profanation of the Lord's house lay in this that 
 those who had sacrificed their children entered it. The children were 
 no doubt offered to Jehovah, under whatever conception or name, and 
 the worshippers felt no incongruity in entering his house. Jer. vii. 
 9 scq. 
 
 midst of mine house] It is not meant that children were sacrificed in 
 the house ; their sacrifice was combined with other service in the house. 
 
 40 — 44. These verses hardly refer to political alliances merely; 
 V. 4 1 suggests idolatrous worship. As the foreign gods came in, how- 
 ever, through intercourse with the nations which served them they are 
 spoken of as being sent for by messengers (cf. v. 16). The whole is 
 presented under the figure of an harlot receiving men from all quarters. 
 The passage has great resemblance to Is. Ivii. 9 scq. 
 
 40. that ye have scfit] Perhaps : and furthermore they sent. The 
 change of person occurs later. The word "they sent" is wanting 
 in LXX. 
 
 ivash thyself] i.e. bathe thyself. 
 
 paintedst thy eyes] This refers to the practice of colouring the 
 edges of the eyelids with a dark powder (stibium), which made the eye 
 
172 EZEKIEL, XXIII. [vv. 41—43. 
 
 4^ merits, and satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared 
 before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine 
 
 42 oil. And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with 
 her : and with the men of the common sort were brought 
 Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon 
 
 43 their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads. Then 
 said I unto her that was old (71 adulteries. Will they now 
 
 itself appear large and brilliant, 1 K. ix. 30 ; Jer. iv. 30. The word 
 kahal is Arab., and the root of Alcohol; the Heb. ii pilch (Is. liv. 11); 
 Job's daughter bore the name Keren-hap-puch, horn of paint. 
 
 41. a table prepared^ i.e. spread. 
 
 hast set mine incense] didst set. The words indicate that service of 
 other gods is referred to under the figure of the harlot's entertainment. 
 
 42. being at ease] If the reading be correct "at ease" must 
 refer to careless living, a sense which the word has not elsewhere. 
 LXX. renders : and a sound of music they raised ; but though the 
 word "multitude" may mean sound or noise when joined to songs 
 (xxvi. 13; Am. V. 2^), it can hardly of itself mean music. LXX. may 
 have read "they sang" for "at ease:" "and with a loud noise (Dan. 
 X. 6) they sang" — a sense not suitable seeing the musicians must have 
 been the harlots themselves. Is. xxiii. 15, 16. For the idea of multi- 
 tude cf. Jer. v. 7 end. If music vi^ere referred to the words would be 
 better attached to the previous verse. 
 
 was 7vith her] Rather : therein or therewith. LXX. om. 
 
 and with the men... Sabeans] and with men. For Sabeans Heb. 
 text reads "drunkards," as 7narg., and from the nature of the passage, 
 which speaks of a general practice, reference to any particular nation 
 is less probable. Read as R.V. "and with (in addition to) men... were 
 brought drunkards from the wilderness; and they put bracelets" &c. 
 Even for these vulgar guests the harlots, so indiscriminate was their 
 whoredom, put bracelets on their hands and decked themselves. The 
 idea that it was "men of the common sort" who adorned the harlots 
 with bracelets as their hire (A.V. &c.) has little to recommend it, cf. 
 xvi. 31 seq. (the verb "they put" is mas. because y^;;^. is not in use, 
 Esth. i. 20). Even in Muhammed's days the Arabs were addicted to 
 drunkenness. LXX. om. "drunkards," which might be a duplicate of 
 "brought," and certainly the mention of tzvo classes here is rather im- 
 probable, the common sort and those brought from the wilderness 
 might rather be the same, viz. the vulgar and petty peoples in contrast 
 to the larger and nobler such as Babylon. The omission makes the 
 clause difficult to construe. Corn, reconstructs the clause after Prov. 
 vii. 16, making it a description of the "bed of love" [v. 17), but with 
 little probability. If the adulterous act be anywhere referred to it is 
 in V. 43. 
 
 43. unto hex... old in adulteries] Old is worn out, e.g. of clothes, 
 Josh. ix. 4, 5, and the verb of the body, in the decay of nature (Gen. 
 xviii. 12, of Sarah). The construction of A.V. is unusual; the words 
 
vv. 44— 49- EZEKIEL, XXIII. 173 
 
 commit whoredoms with her, and she with them ? Yet 44 
 they went in unto her, as t/iey go in unto a woman that 
 playeth the harlot : so went they in unto Aholah and unto 
 Ahohbah, the lewd women. 
 
 And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the 45 
 manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of ivomen that 
 shed blood ; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in 
 their hands. For thus saith the Lord God ; / will bring 46 
 up a company upon them, and will give them to be 
 removed and spoiled. And the company shall stone them 47 
 with stones, and dispatch them with their swords ; they 
 shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their 
 houses with fire. Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out 48 
 of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after 
 your lewdness. And they shall recompense your lewdness 49 
 upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols : and ye 
 shall know that I a7?i the Lord God. 
 
 might be read as an exclamation : She that is aged committeth adulte- 
 ries ! or, With her that is aged shall they commit adulteries ! Evv., 
 reading "aged" as a noun, To perdition with adulteries! None of 
 these senses is very natural. LXX., as in some other places, appears 
 to assume a contraction, which it expands, Do they not commit adul- 
 tery with these ? 
 
 The meaning put by A.V., R.V. upon the rest of the verse can 
 hardly be drawn from the words, which are extremely obscure. The 
 natural sense is: "now shall her whoredom commit whoredom even 
 itself" (Hitz.); but the idea that what the faded harlot can no more do 
 herself her vicious propensity continues to do, though true in itself, is 
 scarcely to be expected here. LXX., which had nearly our present 
 text before it, disposes the letters differently : And she too has gone a 
 whoring after the manner (with the doings) of a harlot. So Syr., And 
 according to the doings of harlots have they committed whoredom. 
 
 44. Yet they went] and they. The verse sums up all that precedes. 
 the le%vd 7vomen] The form oi plur. "women" does not occur 
 
 again, though the usual one in Assyr. LXX., to tvork lewdness. 
 
 45 — 49. Judgment on the adulterous women. 
 
 45. the righteous] righteous men. The prophet carries on the 
 figure of the punishment of adulteresses. They are judged by righte- 
 ous men. He has not in his mind the nations, the actual executors of 
 judgment in the case of Israel. The word " righteous" throws no light 
 on Is. xlix. -24. 
 
 46. Cf. xvi. 40, 
 
 to be removed] maltreated. 
 
 48. be taught] take warning (the form nithpa., cf. Dcut. xxi. 8). 
 
174 EZEKIEL, XXIV. [vv. 1—5. 
 
 24 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth 
 day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 
 2 saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of 
 this same day : the king of Babylon set himself against 
 
 3 Jerusalem this same day. And utter a parable unto the 
 rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord 
 God ; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into 
 
 4 it : gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, 
 the thigh, and the shoulder; fill // with the choice bones. 
 
 s Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under 
 
 Ch. XXIV. The rusted caldron set upon the coals. 
 
 The passage, of date Jan. 587, is the prophet's last oracle against Je- 
 rusalem. It consists of two parts : 
 
 First, w. I — 14. A parable of a rusted caldron set upon the fire — 
 the siege and capture of the city. 
 
 Second, vv. 15 — 27. On the death of his wife the prophet abstains 
 from all mourning — a sign of the silent stupefaction which the news of 
 the city's fall will occasion. 
 
 1 — 14. The rusted caldron set on the fire. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 5. A caldron is to be set on the fire, filled with water, 
 pieces of flesh cast into it and fuel piled under it that it may boil furi- 
 ously. The caldron is Jerusalem; the pieces of flesh the inhabitants; 
 the fire and boiling the siege with its terrible severities. The pieces of 
 flesh shall be pulled out of the caldron indiscriminately, symbol of the 
 universal dispersion when the siege is over, 
 
 (2) w. 6 — 8. Explanation: these sufferings are judgments for the 
 sins of the city, its bloodshed and uncleanness, which are public and 
 open. This blood and filthiness cleaves to it like rust to a caldron. 
 
 (3) w. 9 — 14. Rising anew into tones of menace the divine voice 
 commands that the caldron be set empty upon the coals that its rust and 
 foulness may be molten and consumed. This must signify the ruin in 
 which the city shall long lie, and the dispersion in which her inhabitants 
 shall pine away, till her warfare be accomplished and her iniquity par- 
 doned. 
 
 1. The same date of the commencement of the siege is given 2 K. 
 XXV. I ; Jer. lii. 4. In later times the day was kept as a fast, Zech. viii. 
 19. 
 
 3. Se^ on a pot'] the caldron. 
 
 4. the pieces thereof] those belonging to the caldron, which are to be 
 boiled in it. 
 
 5. burn also the bones] a pile also of wood under it. If "pile" 
 could be read as a verb, and pile also wood, the construction would be 
 easier. In spite of the versions 7vood must be substituted for "bones." 
 
vv. 6— II.] EZEKIEL, XXIV. 175 
 
 it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of 
 it therein. 
 
 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God ; Woe to the bloody 6 
 city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is 
 not gone out of it ! bring it out piece by piece ; let no lot 
 fall upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set 7 
 it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the 
 ground, to cover it with dust ; that // might cause fury to 8 
 come up to take vengeance ; I have set her blood upon the 
 top of a rock, that // should not be covered. Therefore 9 
 thus saith the Lord God ; Woe to the bloody city ! I will 
 even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle 10 
 the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the 
 bones be burnt. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, i' 
 that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the 
 filthiness of it may be molten in it, tliat the scum of it 
 
 make it boil zuell'\ Lit. make boil its boilings. The word "boilings" 
 does not occur again; possibly by changing a letter "boil its pieces," 
 parallel to its bones in next clause. 
 
 let them seethe] let the bones thereof be seethed. Naturally here 
 and V. 4 "bones" include the flesh upon them. They are those of such 
 parts as leg and shoulder. 
 
 6. Explanation : the caldron is Jerusalem, the bloody city. 
 whose scu?^] rust. 
 
 bring it out] i.e. the caldron as having contents. 
 
 let no lot fall] The contents (the inhabitants) shall be pulled out in- 
 discriminately. The dispersion is alluded to. 
 
 7. top of a rock] a bare rock. Job xvi. 18, "O earth cover not my 
 blood." Blood uncovered cries for vengeance. Cf. Lev, xvii. 13; Deut. 
 xii. 16. On the idea of the openness of Jerusalem's sin cf. Is. iii. 9, 
 "They declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not." 
 
 8. / have set her blood] In v. 7 it was Jerusalem herself who left 
 her bloodshed uncovered ; here, as usual in the prophet, this is an ap- 
 pointment of God, that he may bring up judgment because of it. 
 
 9 — 14. Rising anew into tones of threatening the divine voice com- 
 mands fuel to be heaped under the caldron, and to set it empty upon 
 the coals, that its brass may glow in the fire and its rust be consumed. 
 
 9. I will even] I too will make. LXX. wants the clause "woe... 
 city," cf. V. 6. 
 
 10. consume the flesh] boil (or, do) well, as R.V. 
 spice it well] Probably : make thick (stew) the broth. 
 
 bones be burnt] Either "burnt" is used inexactly of the powerful 
 action of the heat in boiling, or, less naturally, the contents of the pot 
 are supposed to suffer directly from the fire. LXX. omits. 
 
 11. scum of it] Rust. When the contents of the caldron have been 
 
176 EZEKIEL, XXIV. [vv. 12—17. 
 
 12 may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with lies, and 
 her great scum went not forth out of her : her scum shall be 
 
 13 in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness : because I have 
 purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not 
 be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused 
 
 14 my fury to rest upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it : it 
 shall come to pass, and I will do it ; I will not go back, 
 neither will I spare, neither will I repent j according to thy 
 ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 Jl Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Son of 
 man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes 
 with a stroke : yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, 
 
 J 7 neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no 
 mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon 
 
 seethed and emptied out of it — the siege and dispersion — the caldron 
 itself shall be set empty upon the coals that its filth and rust may be 
 molten and consumed — a figure for the purifying judgments continued 
 long after the destruction of the city. 
 
 12. As the words stand they seem to read : she hath wearied my 
 labours, and her great rust goeth not out from her ; let her rust be in the 
 
 fire! Previous efforts to purify Jerusalem have been in vain, her un- 
 cleanness will go out only by fire (?7. 13); cf. Is. xliii. 24. LXX. omits 
 first clause, which might be a duplicate of words immediately preceding. 
 
 13. In thy . . .lewdness'\ Or, because of thy lewd filthiness, cf. xvi. 27, 
 thy lewd way. 
 
 shalt not be purged... more'] i.e. shalt never be purged, till, &c., or 
 purged so as to be again clean, till, &c. 
 
 caused. ..to rest] appeased, v. 13, viii. 18, xvi. 42. 
 
 14. shall they judge] Cf xxiii. 49. LXX. and the versions, / will 
 judge, which LXX. then amplified into an additional verse, somewhat 
 in terms of xxii. 5. The words, though found by the translator in his 
 MS., are hardly original. 
 
 15 — 27. The prophet's abstention from mourning on the 
 death of his wife — a symbol of the stupefaction of the 
 people at the news of the fall of the city. 
 
 16. with a stroke] The word need not be pressed to mean a sudden 
 unexpected death, apart from all previous sickness. 
 
 thy tears run down] wanting in LXX. 
 
 17. Forbear to cry] sigh in silence; lit. sigh, be silent. 
 mourning for the dead] Another order was to be expected; two 
 
 accus. must be assumed. 
 
 the tire of thine head] The "tire" is not necessarily the priestly 
 
vv. 18—25.] EZEKIEL, XXIV. 177 
 
 thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy 
 hps, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the 18 
 people in the morning : and at even my wife died ; and I 
 did in the morning as I was commanded. 
 
 And the people said unto me. Wilt thou not tell us what 19 
 these things are to us, that thou doest so ? Then I answered 20 
 them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Speak 21 
 unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, 
 I 7ciill profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, 
 the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth ; 
 and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall 
 fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done : ye 22 
 shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And 23 
 your tires sha/l be upon your heads, and your shoes upon 
 your feet : ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine 
 away for your iniquities, and mourn one towards another. 
 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign : according to all that he 24 
 hath done shall ye do : and when this cometh, ye shall 
 know that I a?n the Lord God. 
 
 Also, thou son of man, sha/l it not be in the day when 25 
 
 tiara, but the ordinary headdress {v. 23), which would probably be 
 white. Putting off the shoes was a sign of calamity, 1 Sam. xv. 31, and 
 also covering the lower part of the face up to the upper lip. Mic. iii. 
 7; Lev. xiii. 45. 
 
 t/ie bread of //leii] Jer. xvi. 7, "Neither shall men break bread for 
 them to comfort them for the dead, neither shall men give them the cup 
 of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother." 
 
 18. The death of the prophet's wife was no doubt an actual occur- 
 rence. And there is nothing improbable in his demeanour after it, with 
 the view of attracting the attention of his fellow-captives. At the same 
 time his tendency to idealize occurrences precludes absolute certainty. 
 
 21. excellency of your strengt/i] i.e. your proud boast, or, your 
 boasted stronghold [v. 25). The temple is referred to. 
 
 that which... pitietli] Or, sparcth, i.e. holds dear, xxxvi. 21; Job xx. 
 
 23. pine away for^ in your iniquities ; xxxiii. 10; Lev. xxvi. 39. 
 mourn one toivardi\ moan. The unparalleled severity of the stroke 
 
 will paralyse grief and prevent it expressing itself. 
 
 24. is...asign'\ shall be. 
 
 25 — 27. When tidings come of the city's fall, verifying the prophet's 
 predictions and giving confirmation to all the principles which he had 
 long declared, his mouth will be opened, he will have confidence to 
 speak and more willing listeners before him. 
 
 EZEKIEL 12 
 
178 EZEKIEL, XXIV. [vv. 26, 27. 
 
 I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the 
 desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their 
 
 26 minds, their sons and their daughters, f/ia/ he that escapeth 
 in that day shall come unto thee, to cause f/iee to hear // 
 
 27 with ^/line ears ? In that day shall thy mouth be opened to 
 him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more 
 dumb : and thou shalt be a sign unto them ; and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 25. t/ieir strength'] i.e. stronghold; the thing in which they placed 
 confidence. 
 
 joy of their glory] the glorious (or beautiful) thing in which they 
 delighted. Both expressions allude to the temple, &c. 
 
 set their minds] their hearts, — that which is the object of their desire, 
 Ps. xxiv. 4. 
 
 26. that escapeth in that day] on that day he that is escaped shall 
 come. The phrase "on that day" is used with considerable latitude, to 
 indicate the period marked by any great event and following it. 
 
 cause thee... thine ears] Perhaps more general: to cause it to be 
 heard with the ears — not the prophet's only but also those of the exiles. 
 
 27. opened to him] Or, with him, i.e. when he comes. Cf. iii. 26, 
 27, xxxiii. 22. The last words of this verse recur to the prophet's 
 demeanour z^z'. 16 — 18. 
 
 Second Division. Ch. XXV.— XLVIII. Prophecies of the 
 Restitution of the Kingdom. 
 
 First Section. Ch. XXV. — XXXII. Prophecies against the 
 Nations. 
 
 The prophecies of Ezekiel against the nations form a single collection 
 in the Book precisely as the similar oracles of Jeremiah (ch. xlvi. — li.) 
 and of Isaiah (ch. xiii. — xxvii.). In the Book of Ezekiel they occupy 
 the proper ideal place, being an introduction to the positive prophecies 
 of Israel's restoration (ch. xxiii. — xxxix.). Israel occupies a place of 
 universal significance in the history of the world, for it is the people of 
 Jehovah, who is God alone. He who is God alone has become God 
 of Israel, and it is through Israel that he is known to the nations, and 
 through Israel and her history that he will fully reveal himself to the 
 peoples of the world. This perfect manifestation of himself will be 
 seen in Israel's restoration, when his glory shall be revealed and all 
 flesh shall see it together (Is. xl. 5). But this restoration of Israel 
 cannot be without great judgments on the nations who have hitherto 
 harassed her or seduced her. These judgments will awaken the nations 
 to the knowledge who the God of Israel is — they shall know that he 
 is Jehovah; and they will ensure that in the future his people shall 
 not be troulDled or led astray. All the prophets have the presentiment 
 of a general judgment upon the world immediately preceding the in- 
 coming of the perfect kingdom of the Lord. The idea is shared by 
 
EZEKIEL, XXV. 179 
 
 Ezekiel, though, as usual, he develops it into much further details than 
 his predecessors had occasion to do. 
 
 The place of these prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel is important, 
 because it suggests the place which the judgments on the nations had 
 in his scheme of thought, and his construction of the history of re- 
 demption. So far as the prophecies themselves are concerned they 
 belong either to the last years of Israel's existence as a nation, or to 
 the period immediately following the downfall of the state. The 
 prophecies are seven in number, being against (i) Amnion, (2) Moab, 
 (3) Edom, (4) the Philistines (ch. xxv.), (5) Tyre (ch. xxvi. — xxviii.), 
 (6) Sidon (xxviii. 10 — 26), (7) Egypt (xxix. — xxxii.). Those against 
 the first six countries seem immediately posterior to the destruction 
 of Jerusalem; those against Egypt belong to the time from the loth 
 to the 1 2th year of Jehoiachin's captivity, that is, the year before 
 the capture of the city, the year in which it was taken, and the year 
 after, with the exception of the passage ch. xxix. 17 — 21, belonging 
 to the 27th year of Jehoiachin's captivity, which is probably a later 
 insertion. 
 
 Chastisement overtakes the nations for two sins. First, because of 
 their demeanour towards Israel, the people of Jehovah. Either they 
 had taken part in Jerusalem's destruction (Edom, xxv. t2, the Philis- 
 tines, xxv. 15), or had rejoiced over it, whether out of malice (Amnion, 
 xxv. 3), jealousy (Moab, xxv. 8), or for selfish reasons (Tyre, xxvi. 2); 
 or else they had been a snare to Israel, inspiring false trust and seducing 
 her from the true God (Egypt, xxix. 6). And secondly, because of 
 their ungodly pride and self-deification (Tyre, ch. xxviii., Egypt, xxix. 
 3). This conduct of the nations and these feelings bring them into 
 relation with Jehovah, either mediately through Israel the people 
 of the true God, whom they injured or despised or seduced; or 
 immediately and in a wider way in their not recognising him as 
 God, — him who was God alone. Hence in all cases his judgments 
 upon them have this purpose and result — they shall know that I am 
 Jehovah. 
 
 The prophet has a very lofty consciousness of God, which he ex- 
 presses by the word "Jehovah." To be Jehovah is to be God alone, 
 and all which he who is God alone is. It is from this conception 
 of the God of Israel that the prophet speaks. But he estimates the 
 conduct and feelings of the nations as if they also had or should have 
 the same consciousness of Jehovah, as if they knew him as the prophet 
 himself does. Other prophets speak in the same way, e.g. Is. x. 6, 7. 
 His way of thinking arises from the fact that the one true God was 
 God of Israel. He whom the nations knew as Jehovah, the God of 
 Israel, was the one living God. And when they did despite to his 
 people, it was not a nationality among other nationalities that they 
 injured, nor a mere tribal god whom they scorned, they were moving 
 in a far higher plane than this, they were doing despite to the people 
 of him who was God alone, and were injurious to the one living God. 
 Again, Jehovah being God over all, pride of heart in the nations or 
 their rulers, and self-deification, as when the prince of Tyre said, 
 I am God (xxviii. 2), or when the Pharaoh said. My river is mine, 
 
 12 2 
 
i8o EZEKIEL, XXV. [vv. i, 2. 
 
 25 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son 
 2 of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy 
 
 I have made it (xxix. 3), was blasphemy against him. This self- 
 exaltation detracted from him who is alone exalted (Is. ii. 11). This 
 is the prophet's conception. In a certain way his manner of thinking 
 may do an injustice to the nations, who might not know that Jehovah, 
 God of Israel, was God alone. The question is not quite simple. 
 For this pride and self-deification of rulers and nations was a sin against 
 God, it was on the part of man a lifting-up of himself against what 
 the human mind feels to be above it. And it is not just quite clear 
 that Israel's neighbours were altogether guiltless in not knowing Je- 
 hovah to be God alone. He was in the world, though the world 
 knew him not. The Light had appeared. How far men everywhere 
 are responsible for not coming to the Light when it has anywhere 
 appeared is a question not to be settled just offhand (John xviii. 37, 
 38). The prophet appears to intimate that the neighbouring nations 
 were not unaware of Israel's pretensions to be different from themselves 
 (xxv. 8). The superiority claimed by Israel was a religious one (Deut. 
 xxxii. 31), and when the prophet represents the nations as aware of 
 it, he is not to be thought as speaking merely from his own point of 
 view (Numb, xxiii. 21 — 23; Lam. iv. 12). 
 
 Ch. xxv. contains prophecies directed against four peoples: vv. 1—7, 
 Amnion; vv. 8 — 11, Moab; vv. 12 — 14, Edom; and vv. 15 — 17, the 
 Philistines. 
 
 1 — 7. Prophecy against Ammon. 
 
 The name of this people is usually the children of Ammon (Beni 
 Ammon). This is the name both of the people and the country (in 
 the latter case construed as fcm. vv. 3, 10). Ammon was recognised 
 by Israel as a distant meml^er of the same family with themselves 
 (Gen. xix. 38). At an early period the people was settled on the 
 E. of the Jordan, between the Anion and the Jabbok (Judg. xi. 13), 
 but before the Exodus they had been dispossessed of this territory 
 by Amorites from the W. of the Jordan, and pushed eastward towards 
 the desert (Numb. xxi. 21), though they could not forget their ancient 
 claims to their former seat, even when Israel had wrested it from the 
 Amorites (Judg. xi. 19 ; cf. Josh. xiii. 25). The relations of Amnion 
 to Israel were for the most part unfriendly. In the times of the 
 Judges they harassed the tribes E. of the Jordan, and were crushed by 
 Jeplithah (Judg. x. — xi.). Saul signalised his early reign by defeating 
 their king, who had laid siege to Jabesh in Gilead (r Sam. xi.). Owing 
 to the affront offered to his ambassadors David invaded the country 
 and took cruel vengeance on the inhabitants (2 Sam. x. i, xi. 14, 
 xii. 26). The Ammonites continued when opportunity offered to carry 
 on a savage warfare with the tribes across the Jordan (Am. i. 13); and 
 when these were carried away by the Assyrians they naturally in 
 company with Moab seized the depopulated country (Jer. xlix. 1 ; 
 Zeph. ii. 8). During the struggle of Judah with Babylon they shewed 
 
vv. 3—7.] EZEKIEL, XXV. 181 
 
 against them ; and say unto the Ammonites, Hear the 3 
 word of the Lord God ; Thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 cause thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was 
 profaned ; and against the land of Israel, when it was deso- 
 late ; and against the house of Judah, when they went into 
 captivity ; behold therefore, I will deliver thee to the men 4 
 of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces 
 in thee, and make their dwellings in thee : they shall eat thy 
 fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. And I will make Rabbah 5 
 a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for 
 flocks : and ye shall know that I am the Lord. For thus 6 
 saith the Lord God ; Because thou hast clapped thi7ie hands, 
 and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy 
 despite against the land of Israel ; behold therefore, I will 7 
 stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a 
 spoil to the heathen ; and I will cut thee off from the people, 
 and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries : I will 
 destroy thee ; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. 
 
 the old mischievous animosity (2 Kings xxiv. 2), and after the fall 
 of the city the treacherous murder of Gedaliah the Babylonian governor 
 by Ishmael was instigated by their king (Jer. xl. 14). After the Return 
 Ammonites are again found obstructing the pious aspirations of the 
 restored community (Neh. iv. 3; cf. ii. 10, 19), and true to their old 
 instincts they appear on the side of the Syrians in the Maccabean war 
 of independence (i Mace. v. 6). 
 
 3. when it was desolate] i.e. desolated. For the demeanour of the 
 nations on the destruction of Jerusalem, cf. Ez. xxi. 28, xxxv. 13, 
 xxxvi. 20; Obad. 12; Lam. ii. 15, 16. 
 
 4. men of the east] lit. children of the east, the nomad tribes of the 
 Arabian desert, Jud. vi. 3. 
 
 set their palaces] their encampments, Judg. vi. i — 6. 
 drink thy milk] Amnion, lying toward the desert, was a pastoral 
 country. 
 
 5. Rabbah a stable] Rabbah, "great city," was the capital (Am. 
 i. 14); in later times it bore the name of Philadelphia, and its site 
 is probably marked by the ruins called Amman. The word "stable" 
 is usually rendered habitation, but sheepcote, 2 Sam. vii. 8. It may 
 mean a place where animals are housed or where they pasture, cf. Is. 
 V. 17, xxxii. £4 ; Jer. xxxiii. 12; Zeph. ii. 14, 15. 
 
 6. clapped thine hands] A gesture of malicious delight, Lam. ii. 15. 
 
 7. a spoil to the heathen] the nations (the reading baz to be adopted), 
 cf. xxvi. 5, vii. 21, xxiii. 46. For people peoples. 
 
 kn&io that /am the Lord] The statement is hardly to the eflect that 
 the Ammonites shall be converted to the worship of the true God, 
 
i82 EZEKIEL, XXV. [vv. 8, 9. 
 
 8 Thus saith the Lord God ; Because that Moab and Seir 
 do say, Behold, the house of Judah is Uke unto all the 
 
 9 heathen ; therefore behold, I will open the side of Moab 
 
 They shall recognise that there is one Most high, ruling in the kingdom 
 of men (Dan. iv. 17), and that it is he who is shaping their history; 
 possibly also that this God is Jehovah, God of Israel. The prophet 
 does not pursue the destinies of the nations beyond this recognition, nor 
 state what it implies. It is to be observed, however, that Israel re- 
 stored, though occupying only the land west of the Jordan, enjoys pro- 
 found peace on all sides. The nations that swell the army of Gog (ch. 
 xxxviii.) are not Israel's historical neighbours, but peoples from the 
 uttermost parts of the earth. 
 
 8 — 11. Prophecy against Moab. 
 
 The Moabites, like the Ammonites, were recognised by Israel as a 
 kindred people (Gen. xix. 30). Technically the border of Moab on the 
 N. was the Arnon, but they had pretensions to the district lying beyond 
 this stream at least as far as the head of the Dead Sea, and these pre- 
 tensions they often asserted. Practically the tribes of Reuben and Gad 
 seem to have been unable to make good their claim to this territory by 
 dispossessing the Moabites. The peoples appear to have mixed together, 
 and frequently Moab is found in possession of the fertile district and the 
 numerous cities which covered it (Mesha's Inscrip.). The country was 
 subdued by David, and on the division of the kingdom fell as a depen- 
 dency to northern Israel, to which it paid a yearly tribute of 200,000 
 fleeces of wool (2 Kings iii. 4), though making frequent struggles for 
 independence (2 Kings i. i, iii. 5, xiii. 20). Unlike the Ammonites, who 
 continued a half-nomad people, the Moabites became more a settled 
 nation, and appear to have attained to a considerable degree of civiliza- 
 tion. Their language was closely allied to Hebrew, and the art of 
 writing appears familiar as early as the beginning of the 9th century 
 (Mesha's Inscrip.). After the intervention of the Assyrians in western 
 Asia Moab with the neighbouring peoples became tributary to that 
 power. Hostilities between Israel and Moab were too frequent, and 
 along with Ammon they helped towards the downfall of Judah at the 
 hands of the Chaldeans (2 Kings xxiv. 2; Zeph. ii. 8). Their warfare 
 was characterized by inhuman excesses (Am. ii. i), and the people are 
 stigmatised as proud and boastful (Is. xv. xvi. ; Zeph. ii. 8 — 10). Moab 
 is referred to after the return (Ezr. ix. i ; Neh. xiii. i ; the ref. Is. xxv. 
 10 is of uncertain date and meaning), and as late as Dan. xi. 41. 
 
 8. Moab and Seir] 'LX.'^. oxaiis and Seir. Ezek. elsewhere always 
 says "mount Seir" (xxxv. 2, 3, 7, 15), and Edom, with which mount 
 Seir is joined (xxxv. 15), has a special prophecy directed against it {z>v. 
 12 — 14). The phrase "like unto all the nations" implies knowledge of 
 some claim to preeminence on the part of Judah. Moab rejoices that 
 these pretensions have received a signal refutation. 
 
 9. open the side] Lit. the shoulder of Moab, i.e. the border or 
 territory of Moab conceived as looking towards other countries, as 
 
vv. lo— 12.] EZEKIEL, XXV. 183 
 
 from the cities, from his cities wJiich are on his frontiers, the 
 glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiria- 
 thaim, unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and 10 
 will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not 
 be remembered among the nations. And I will execute " 
 judgments upon Moab ; and they shall know that I am 
 the Lord. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Because that Edom hath dealt " 
 
 "shoulder" has hardly reference to the shape of the Moabite territory 
 (Is. xi. 14). To open the side is to give invaders access to the country 
 (Nah. iii. 13). 
 
 from the cities... frontiers^ Perhaps: at the cities, at his cities in 
 every quarter. The prep./r^w seems to indicate position, by or on the 
 cities, i.e. where they are. Others take it in a privative sense : stript of 
 the cities. The three towns named are given as examples of the glory 
 of -Moab. Beth-Jeshimoth lay at the N.E. of the head of the Dead 
 Sea, Numb, xxxiii. 49; Josh. xii. 3, xiii. 20; it is supposed to be Su- 
 weimeh, at the mouth of the Jordan. Baal-meon, Num. xxxii. 3, 38, 
 more fully Beth baal-meon (Josh. xiii. 17), and in another form, Beth- 
 meon (Jer. xlviii. 23), lay further inland, a little S. of Heshbon; sup- 
 posed to be Ma'in. Kirjathaim lay somewhat further south (Num. 
 xxxii. 37; Josh. xiii. 19; Jer. xlviii. i, 23); supposed to be El Kureyat. 
 
 10. Read, with full stop at v. 9: Unto tlie children of the East 
 will I give it for possession together with the children of Ammon 
 (z/. 4). Moab and Amnion alike shall become a possession of the wan- 
 dering Bedawin. The name of Ammon shall disappear from among 
 the nations, and Moab shall be visited with severe judgments, 
 
 12—14. Prophecy against Edom. 
 
 The relations of Edom to Israel were changeful. Subdued by David 
 it shook off the yoke under Jehoram (2 Kings viii. 20). Reconquered 
 by Amaziah and Uzziah (2 Kings xiv. 7, 22), it rebelled under Ahaz 
 (2 Kings xvi. 6; 2 Chr. xxviii. 17), and from this time was probably in- 
 dependent. Edomites seem to have taken part in the capture of Jeru- 
 salem by the Chaldeans, or at least to have been active in cutting off 
 the fugitives (Ob. v. 10 — 14), and for their part in this they incurred the 
 lasting hatred of Israel (Obad., Lam. iv. 21 ; Is. xxxiv. 5 J^^., Ixiii. i — 6; 
 Joel iii. 19; Ps. cxxxvii. 7; Mai. i. 2. Cf. Jer. xlix. 7 seq.). During 
 the exile the Edomites took possession of part of the land of Israel 
 (xxxv. 10); and in the time of the Maccabean war of independence, 
 like the Ammonites, they shewed their hereditary enmity to Israel (i 
 Mace. v. 3, 35). John Hyrcanus finally subdued them and incorporated 
 them in the state of Israel. Ultimately, like Moab and Ammon, the 
 name of Edom disappears from history, all the three peoples being 
 known by the general name of i\j:abs, — Children of the East — as Ezek, 
 had prophesied. 
 
i84 EZEKIEL, XXV. [w. 13—17. 
 
 against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath 
 i3 greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them ; therefore 
 thus saith the Lord God ; I will also stretch out mine hand 
 upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it ; and I 
 will make it desolate from Teman ; and they of Dedan shall 
 
 14 fall by the sword. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom 
 by the hand of my people Israel : and they shall do in Edom 
 according to mine anger and according to my fury; and 
 they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God. 
 
 15 Thus saith the Lord God; Because the PhiHstines have 
 dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despite- 
 
 16 ful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred ; therefore thus 
 saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand 
 upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and 
 
 17 destroy the remnant of the sea coast. And I will execute 
 
 12. hath greatly offended"] Israel as the people of the true God was 
 inviolable (Jer. ii. 3), except when Jehovah employed the nations to 
 chastise it. Too often the nations exceeded their commission, cherish- 
 ing purposes of their own (Is. x. 6 seq.), and themselves incurred guilt 
 by their excess (Is. xlvii. 6; Zech. i. 15). 
 
 13. they of Dedan shall fall] and unto (as far as) Dedan shall they 
 fall. Teman in the N. of Edom (Gen. xxxvi. 11 ; Am. i. 11 ; Jer. xlix. 
 7, Ob. 9), and Dedan to the south; the latter probably only bordered 
 on Edom (Gen. x. 7; Is. xxi. 13; Jer. xxv. 23). 
 
 14. the hand of 77iy people] Cf. Ob. 18, "the house of Jacob shall 
 be a fire... and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn 
 among them and devour them." Is. xi. 14; Zeph. ii. 9. 
 
 know my vengeance] that it is I who take vengeance upon them {v. 4) ; 
 Is. xxxiv. 8. 
 
 15 — 17. Prophecy against the Philistines. 
 
 15. with a despiteful heart] Lit. with despite in soul, as v. 6, i.e. 
 the deepest despite of heart, chaps, xvi. 57, xxxvi. 5. 
 
 destroy it for the old hatred] Rather : to destroy with perpetual 
 hatred, cf. xxxv. 5; Am. i. 11. The power of the Philistines was con- 
 clusively broken by David, but references to their rancour and injurious- 
 ness when opportunity occurred run through all the literature of Israel, 
 Am. i. 6 seq. ; Is. ix. 12; Zeph. ii. 5; Ob. 19; Joel iii. 4; Zech. ix. 5. 
 
 16. the Cherethims] the Cherethites. The name was given to the 
 inhabitants of the Philistine coast, Zeph. ii. 5, "woe to the inhabitants 
 of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites. ..the land of the Philis- 
 tines." Cf. I Sam. xxx. 14; 2 Sam. viii. 18; Jer. xlvii. 4. 
 
 the remnant] Cf. Am. i. 8 ; Is. xiv. 30 ; Zeph. i. 4. 
 
vv.i7;i, 2.] EZEKIEL, XXVI. 185 
 
 great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes, and they 
 shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my 
 vengeance upon them. 
 
 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day 26 
 of the month, thai the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying, Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against 2 
 Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the 
 
 17. with fmious relnikes\ Wanting in LXX. No agents are men- 
 tioned as the destroyers of the Philistines. 
 
 Ch. XXVI.— XXVIII. Prophecy against Tyre. 
 
 The three chapters xxvi. — xxviii. are occupied with Tyre, containing 
 threats of her destruction in various forms. 
 
 First, ch. xxvi. Literal prophecy of Tyre's destruction at the hands 
 of Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Secondly, ch. xxvii. Dirge over the downfall of Tyre under the 
 figure of a gallant ship steered into dangerous waters and suffering ship- 
 wreck. 
 
 Thirdly, ch. xxviii. The pride and fall of the prince of Tyre. 
 
 Ch. xxvi. PRorHECY of Tyre's destruction. 
 
 The prophecy has these divisions : 
 
 (1) w. I — 6. The sin of Tyre, and therefore her downfall. 
 
 (2) w. 7 — 14. The instrument of her destruction, Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 (3) vv. 15 — 18. Dismay of the princes at the news of her ruin. 
 Their sorrow and lament over her. 
 
 (4) vv. 19 — 21. Repetition and confirmation of the threat against 
 her. She shall be plunged into eternal darkness, with those dead of 
 old, never more to rise among the living. 
 
 1. first ^:vj of the inonth\ The nth year of Jehoiachin's captivity 
 was that in which Jerusalem was taken. On the 9th day of the 4th 
 month of this year the city was stormed, and on the loth day of the 
 5th month it was destroyed (Jer. lii. 6, 12). The present prophecy 
 assumes the destruction of the city {v. 2). The month is not stated. 
 If the nth year be read in xxxiii. 21 (see there), fugitives announcing 
 the fall of the city reached the prophet on the 5th of the loth month of 
 that year. The prophecy is probably later than this date, and the 
 month may be the i ith or 12th. 
 
 2. The sin of Tyre : her rejoicing over the calamity of Judah, in the 
 hopes that it will further her interests. 
 
 Aha, she is brokoil Rather: aha! the gate (door) of the peoples is 
 broken, it is turned unto me. ("Door" is plur. having leaves, or by 
 attraction of peoples.) The idea appears to be that Jerusalem or Judah 
 was a door barring the entrance to Tyre, which being broken and turned 
 or opened towards Tyre the nations would stream with their conimerce 
 towards her. The kingdom of Judah lay across the great commercial 
 
i86 EZEKIEL, XXVI. [vv. 3—7. 
 
 people : she is turned unto me : I shall be replenished, now 
 
 3 she is laid waste : therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 hold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many 
 nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his 
 
 4 waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of 
 Tyrus, and break down her towers : I will also scrape her 
 
 5 dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It 
 shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the 
 sea : for I have spoken //, saith the Lord God : and it shall 
 
 6 become a spoil to the nations. And her daughters which 
 are in the field shall be slain by the sword ; and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 7 For thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I tvill bring upon 
 Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, 
 
 routes from the south, and no doubt intercepted much of the merchan- 
 dise that otherwise would have reached Tyre, and probably exacted 
 custom on that which was allowed to pass. The natural sense of "door 
 of the nations" would be door into the nations (Nah. iii. 13; Zech. xi. 
 i), and the idea would be that the door was now opened for Tyre to 
 enter. The sense remains the same : that which stood between Tyre 
 and the nations is removed. 
 
 3. The punishment of Tyre. Many nations shall be brought up 
 against her {v. 3) ; her dust shall be scraped from her into the sea, leaving 
 her a naked rock, a place for drying nets (vv. 4, 5), and her dependent 
 cities on the mainland shall be laid waste {v. 6). 
 
 3. the sea causeth his waves'] The comparison is powerful. It is 
 not the succession, but the multitude and overwhelming power of the 
 waves that is referred to. 
 
 4. like the top of a rock] like a naked rock, ch. xxiv. 7. Tyre 
 stood upon a small island of rock separated from the mainland by a 
 narrow strait. She shall be swept from her place, and her dust 
 scraped into the sea, leaving her island site a bare rock, of. v, 12. 
 
 5. The threat is repeated v. 14. 
 
 6. daughters. . .in the field] i. e. her dependent towns on the mainland, 
 ch. xvi. 46, XXX. 18. Tyre at this time was at the head of the Phoe- 
 nician confederation of cities, cf. xxvii. 8 — 11. 
 
 7 — 14. Jehovah's instrument in Tyre's destruction, 
 Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 The description is graphic : the advance of the assailant with his 
 great army {v. 7); the siege with the powerful train of engines (8, g) ; 
 the assault, and capture and sack of the city (lo — 12), which is left a 
 joyless ruin, a naked rock in the midst of the sea, never again to be 
 built (13, 14). 
 
 7. The correct spelling, Nebuchadrezzar (xxix. 18, xxx. 10), the 
 
vv. 8-12.] EZEKIEL, XXVI. 187 
 
 from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with 
 horsemen, and companies, and much people. He shall slay s 
 with the sword thy daughters in the field : and he shall make 
 a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and Hft 
 up the buckler against thee. And he shall set engines of 9 
 war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down 
 thy towers. By reason of the abundance of his horses their ic 
 dust shall cover thee : thy walls shall shake at the noise of 
 the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when 
 he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city where- 
 in is made a breach. With the hoofs of his horses shall he ^ 
 tread down all thy streets : he shall slay thy people by the 
 sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. 
 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey i'^ 
 of thy merchandise : and they shall break down thy walls, and 
 
 name being Nabu-Kudurri-usur, " Nebo protect the crown !" Schra- 
 der KAT, p. 361 (on i K. xxiv. i). 
 
 a king of kings] the king. Ezr. vii. 12; Dan, ii. 37. Already the 
 king of Assyria had said, "Are not my princes altogether kings?" Is. 
 X. 8, xxxvi. 4. 
 
 a7ul companies, and] and a company, and. LXX. reads: company 
 of much people (very many nations), which may be the meaning of 
 the Heb. 
 
 8. The cities and villages, dependencies of Tyre in the mainland, 
 naturally are the first to suffer. Then the siege of the insular city 
 itself is taken in hand. The order is precise: first the "fort" or 
 moveable tower from which the archers shot so as to counteract the 
 defensive efforts of the besieged (cf. iv. 2); then the "mount" or 
 embankment, which in this case was a dam thrown across the narrow 
 strait, in order to gain access to the walls; then the "buckler" or 
 shield, i.e. probably the testudo or roof of shields under cover of 
 which the besiegers operated, and finally (z/. 9) the battering engines. 
 
 9. engi?ies of war\ or, engines of assault, i.e. battering engines. 
 "Axes" is lit. swords, i.e. irons. 
 
 )o seq. The assault and capture and sack of the city. The 
 description is graphic in the extreme. When the conqueror enters the 
 dust following the march of his cavalry shall cover the city; the walls 
 shall shake at the rushing of his chariots in the streets; and the city 
 shall be given up to slaughter and plunder. 
 
 11. thy strong garrisons] thy strong (or, proud) pillars. The 
 word is almost always used of a pillar ha\ing religious meaning, parti- 
 cularly the obelisk dedicated to Baal (2 Kings x. 26). The rendering 
 "pillars of thy strength," those in which Tyre confided and thought 
 her strength to lie (Ges.), is rather out of the way here ; more natu- 
 rally, her proud or majestic pillars, cf. xxiv. 21, 25. 
 
l88 EZEKIEL, XXVJ. [vv. 13—18. 
 
 destroy thy pleasant houses : and they shall lay thy stones 
 
 13 and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. And 
 I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease ; and the sound 
 
 14 of thy harps shall be no more heard. And I will make thee 
 like the top of a rock : thou shalt be a place to spread nets 
 upon ; thou shalt be built no more : for I the Lord have 
 spoken it^ saith the Lord God. 
 
 15 Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles 
 shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when 
 
 16 the slaughter is made in the midst of thee ? Then all the 
 princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and 
 lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments : 
 they shall clothe themselves with trembUng; they shall sit 
 upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and 
 
 17 be astonished at thee. And they shall take up a lamenta- 
 tion for thee, and say to thee. How art thou destroyed, that 
 wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which 
 was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause 
 
 18 their terror to be on all that haunt it. Now shall the isles 
 
 14. the top of a rock'] a naked rock, v. 4. 
 
 15 — 18. Commotion among the princes of the sea caused 
 by her fall ; they mourn and take up a lament over 
 Tyre (17, 18). 
 
 15. the isles shake] the coast-lands, the island-like countries on the 
 seaboard. 
 
 the sound of thy fall] might mean "at the report of thy fall," but 
 here by a strong hyperbole the prophet appears to represent the crash 
 of the city's fall and the cries of the wounded as being heard in the 
 neighbouring coasts, ch. xxvii. 28, xxxi. 16; cf. Jer. xlix. 21. 
 
 16. In token of mourning the princes of the sea, the rulers of the 
 principalities and cities on all sea-coasts, shall descend from their 
 thrones, lay aside their royal robes and sit on the ground (Lam. 
 ii. 10). 
 
 clothe themselves] Or, be clothed, i.e. be enveloped in, be wholly 
 tremblings; cf. vii. 27. 
 
 17. 18. Lament of the princes over Tyre. 
 
 17. of seafaring tnen] lit. inhabited //vw ///^ i'mx. 
 
 catise their terror] Rather: caused. A.V. " all that haunt it " has 
 taken the ref. to be to the sea, which is almost necessary, though the 
 present text is literally all her inhabitants, referring to the city. The 
 phrase "caused their terror to be" occurs several times in ch. xxxii. 17 
 seq. with a different construction {b for /), but the sense here can 
 hardly be different, viz., made their terror felt. To say, however, 
 
vv. 19, 20.] EZEKIEL, XXVI. 189 
 
 tremble /;/ the day of thy fall ; yea, the isles that arc in the 
 sea shall be troubled at thy departure. For thus saith the '9 
 Lord God ; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like 
 the cities that are not inhabited ; when / shall bring up the -.^o 
 deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee ; when I 
 shall brmg thee down with them that descend into the pit, 
 with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low 
 
 that Tyre and her inhabitants made their terror felt by all her inhabit- 
 ants is very unnatural. The pronoun must refer to the "seas." The 
 phrase "inhabited from the seas" is also peculiar; " inhabited" means 
 having inhabitants, not, drawing inhabitants. 
 
 18. the isles\ See on v. 15. The form of plur. nowhere else 
 occurs, and appears to be adopted in order to gain a parallelism to 
 "isles" (ordinary form) in the next clause. The phrase "at thy 
 departure," lit. outgoing is strange ; but might have a parallel Ps. 
 cxliv. 14. 
 
 The elegy seems confined to v. 17, but probably through explana- 
 tory amplifications that have crept into the text, v. 18 has also been 
 drawn into it. LXX. reads in a shorter form : 
 
 17. How art thou destroyed from the sea — the renowned city! 
 She that brought her terror — on all her inhabitants. 
 
 18. And the isles shall be terrified — at the day of thy fall. 
 
 V. 18 can hardly refer to the memory of Tyre's fall, but to the fall 
 itself, xxvii. 27 (xxxii. 10), which being represented as future, is 
 unsuitable to the dirge in the mouth of the princes. The verse hardly 
 belongs to the dirge but forms the transition to the next strophe, vv. 
 19 — 21. In the phrase " all her inhabitants" it seems necessary with 
 A.V. (Ew.) to refer "her" to the sea, or with Corn, to alter the pro- 
 noun in order to gain this sense. 
 
 19. Tyre shall be overwhelmed in the great waters, and brought 
 down to the pit, with them dead from of old ; she shall never be 
 inhabited nor found any more. 
 
 20. ivhen I shall bring'\ Rather in connexion with v. 19 : when I 
 shall make thee a desolate city... then I shall bring thee down. The 
 prophet regards Tyre's sinking beneath the waters as her entrance upon 
 the descent into the pit, the place of the dead, just as frequently else- 
 where (ch. xxxii.) he makes the grave the entrance into the underworld 
 of the dead. Cf. Is. xiv. 11, 19. 
 
 that descend into the pit\ Rather : them that are gone down into 
 the pit, unto the people. The common phrase " they that go down to 
 the pit" should be rendered: that are gone do7U)i (past). Ezek. 
 always says ivith them that are gone down, xxviii. 8, xxxi. 14: cf. 
 Is. xiv. 19, xxxviii. 18. 
 
 The "people of old time" are those dead from of old, xxxii. 27; 
 Lam. iii. 6; Ps. cxliii. 3; hardly with more definite ref. to the Flood, 
 Job xxii. 15. 
 
 loio parts of the earth] the nether parts, i.e. in the underworld of 
 
190 EZEKIEL, XXVI. [v. 21. 
 
 parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that 
 go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited ; and I shall 
 21 set glory in the land of the living ; I will make thee a terror, 
 and thou shalt be no more : though thou be sought for, yet 
 shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God. 
 
 the dead (xxxi. 14, xxxii. 18 — 24; Lam. iii. 55; Ps. Ixiii. 9), which 
 was held to be situated in the bowels of the earth or under the earth. 
 
 in places desolate of old] According to the textual tradition (Baer, 
 Ezek.) the true reading is like places..., so LXX., Vulg. The prophet 
 gives Tyre a personality ; when buried under the sea she goes down 
 into the abode of the dead, and possibly he regards the "places deso- 
 late of old" as also gone down and gathered in the underworld. For 
 '*that go down," that are gone down. 
 
 and I shall set glory'] Such an antithesis is entirely unnatural; 
 something further must be said of Tyre in continuation of "thou shalt 
 not be inhabited." Either: nor set (thy) glory, (reading 2 fern., with 
 final J otiose), a phrase, however, nowhere else occurring ; or else the 
 reading presumably before LXX. must be accepted : nor arise (stand 
 forth) in the land of the living (tithyac9ebi). 
 
 21. make thee a terror] lit., terrors or destructions — I will utterly 
 destroy thee, xxvii. 36, xxviii. 19; cf. Ps. Ixxiii. 19. On "make" cf. 
 xvi. 38. 
 
 The passage xxix. 17 — 21 states that Nebuchadnezzar received no 
 adequate reward for the sei-vice against Tyre which he served for Jeho- 
 vah. History records his thirteen years' siege of Tyre, but is silent as 
 to the issue of it. It is not known (i) whether he took the city, or (2) 
 whether it capitulated, or (3) whether he retired from it. On the 
 whole the second supposition may be most probable. At any rate 
 neither the king nor his army received wages for his service. The 
 prophecy was not literally fulfilled. Now 
 
 I. All prophecy is moral, is based on moral considerations. What 
 the prophet aims his threats against is not the prosperity of Tyre, but 
 its pride of heart, which was rebellion against Jehovah, God over all. 
 The humiliation of Tyre was morally as good as its ruin, in so far as it 
 shewed that there were higher forces in the world than itself. 
 
 1. Prophecy is always ideal in its delineations. Its threats and 
 promises are alike hyperbolical whether they concern Israel or the 
 nations. And in regard to fulfilment the same general principles must 
 be applied to all prophecies, those of redemption and those of cala- 
 mity alike. The former are not fulfilled at once, nor at all literally, 
 neither need we expect immediate or literal fulfilment of the latter. 
 At the same time in regard to both it must be maintained that the 
 prophets imagined the fulfilment as they describe it. This, however, is 
 part of their idealism ; the moral element is always the main thing in 
 their prophecies. What they predict is the exhibition of Jehovah's 
 moral rule of the world ; the form in which they clothe this exhibition 
 may not be quite that given in history. 
 
vv. 1—5.] EZEKIEL, XXVIl. 191 
 
 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Now, 27 
 thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus ; and say ^ 
 unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, 
 ivhich art a merchant of the people for many isles. Thus 
 saith the Lord God ; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of 
 perfect beauty. Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, 4 
 thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They have made 5 
 all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir : they have taken 
 
 Ch. XXVIL Dirge over the downfall of Tyre. 
 
 The lament represents Tyre under the figure of a gallant, richly- 
 laden ship, steered by her pilots into dangerous waters and suffering 
 shipwreck. The passage has three main divisions: 
 
 (i) vv. I — II. The ship, her timbers, furnishings and manning. 
 
 (2) vv. 12 — 25. The wares and merchandise with which the na- 
 tions lade her. 
 
 (3) 7)v. 26 — 36. Her shipwreck : consternation of seafaring men 
 (e't/. 26 — 31); their lament over her (i<v. 32 — 36). 
 
 vv. 1—11. Tyre as a gallant ship. 
 
 2. For the phrase "take up a lamentation" cf. xix. i, xxvi. 17, 
 xxviii. 12, xxxii. 2. The word is technical for the dirge. 
 
 3. entry of the sea] lit. entries, reference possibly being to the two 
 harbours of Tyre, one of which was to the N.-E. of the island, called 
 the Sidonian harbour, because looking towards Sidon ; and the other 
 on the S. or S.-E. of the island, the exact position of which is uncer- 
 tain owing to the silting which has taken place. See plate in Rawlin- 
 son, F/ia-nicia, p. 71. 
 
 people for matiy isles'\ peoples unto many coasts, or, countries, cf. 
 w. 3, 6, 15. Her traffic with the peoples extended to many and dis- 
 tant coastlands. 
 
 4. borders... midst of the seas] lit. heart of the seas, a phrase which 
 appears to mean not "far out at sea," but, in the deep waters of the 
 sea, ch. xxviii. 2, 8; Ex. xv. 8; Jon. ii. 3; Ps. xlvi. 2. The term 
 "borders" seems to mean station, moorings {v. 25). The proud ship 
 was conscious of her beauty. The ship is a figure for the maritime 
 city, the mistress of trade, built upon an ocean rock, as if moored in 
 the sea. The city was without doubt beautiful (ch. xxviii. 12); a simi- 
 lar phrase is used of Jerusalem, Ps. 1. 2 (Ps. xlviii. 2); Lam. ii. 15. 
 
 vv. 5, 6 the ship's timbers, 
 
 made thy ship boards] built thy planks. The word is duaU referring 
 to the two ribs of the ship, corresponding to one another. 
 
 fir trees of Senir] Or, cypresses. The tree is mentioned as furnish- 
 ing, along with the cedar, the principal material for building the 
 Temple, i Kings v. 8. Senir was the Amorite name of Hermon, which 
 the Sidonians called Sirion (Deut. iii. 9). According to Schrader 
 {/CAT. on Deut. iii. 9 ; i Kings v. 13) both names were used by the 
 
192 EZEKIEL, XXVII. [vv. 6— 8. 
 
 6 cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. Of the oaks 
 of Bashan have they made thine oars ; the company of the 
 Ashurites have made thy benches ^ ivory, brought out of the 
 
 7 isles of Chittim. Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt 
 was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue 
 and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered 
 
 8 thee. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy 
 mariners : thy wise tfien^ O Tyrus, that were in thee, were 
 
 Assyrians. The name Hermon possibly signifies " sacred " mountain, 
 being due to its ancient sanctuary. Senir, and Sirion, is supposed to 
 mean "coat of mail." 
 
 On "mast" cf. Is. xxxiii. 23. Whether an actual cedar was ever 
 used to be the mast of "some great ammiral" may be uncertain; the 
 prophet, though more exact than most prophets, is also a poet. 
 
 6. The oars of the great ship were made of oaks of Bashan ; cf. 
 Is. ii. 13; Zech. xi. 2. The term "oars" occurs in another form, 
 z;. 27, but probably with no difference of meaning. The rest of v. 6 
 should read : thy deck they made of ivory (inlaid) in sherbin wood 
 from the isles of Chittim (the words bath teasshur should no doubt be 
 read bitheass/mr, in theasshur). This tree is mentioned as growing in 
 Lebanon, Is. xli. 19, Ix. 13; it is usually considered to be the tree 
 called in Arabic sherbin, a species of cedar. Others contend for box 
 or larch. The term "deck" is literally "board," e.g. of the boards of 
 the sanctuary, Ex. xxvi. 15 seq. Chittim is Cyprus, called after the 
 town Kition (Larnaka), but probably the name embraced the coasts of 
 Asia Minor and Greece or perhaps even of Italy (Dan. xi. 30; i Mace. 
 i. I, viii. 5). 
 
 7. The rigging and furnishing of the ship. Her sail (ancient ships 
 usually had but one) was embroidered byssus, fine linen, out of Egypt 
 (xvi. 10). Render : broidered byssus of Egypt was thy sail, to serve 
 to thee for a pennon. The flag proper seems not to have been used 
 in ancient navigation, its purpose was served by the sail, as for example 
 at the battle of Actium the ship of Antony was distinguished by its 
 purple sail. The word seems to mean sail. Is. xxxiii. 23. On 
 "broidered" cf. ch. xvi. 10, 13, 18. 
 
 that ivhich covered thee\ lit. thy cover-ing (in Is. xiv. 1 1 a coverlet, cf. 
 Is. xxiii. 18), either an awning, or more probably a cabin, the sides and 
 roof of which were of the fine stuffs named. 
 
 the isles of E/ishah] In Gen. x. 4 Elishah is one of the sons of Javan, 
 i.e. Ionia or Grecian Asia. The Targ. renders "country of Italy." 
 Ges. combines the name with Elis, and understands the Peloponnesus in 
 general, which was certainly noted for the dyes referred to in the verse. 
 
 8 seq. The manning of the ship. The inhabitants of Sidon and 
 Arvad were her rowers, and her own wise men her steersmen. 
 
 thy mariners^ rowers. Sidon lay to the N. of Tyre, about half way 
 between it and Beirut, and was probably the oldest Phoenician town, 
 Tyre being a colony. Sidon is the firstborn of Canaan (Gen. x. 15), and 
 
vv. 9, lo.] EZEKIEL, XXVII. 193 
 
 thy pilots. The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof 9 
 were in thee thy calkers : all the ships of the sea with their 
 mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. They la 
 of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy 
 men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; 
 
 is called Great Sidon in Josh. xix. 28. It is frequently referred to in 
 Homer (e.g. //. 7. 290), who does not mention Tyre. At a later time 
 Tyre eclipsed her mother in power and wealth. Arvad (Aradus) lay 
 greatly more to the N. It was built on a small island, over two miles 
 from the mainland, and, being without natural harbours, piers were 
 laboriously constructed of huge blocks of stone, 16 feet long by 7 broad, 
 quarried on the island. It was dependent for water upon the mainland, 
 but when its supply was cut off recourse was had to a powerful spring of 
 fresh water which was known to rise under the sea in the channel 
 between the town and the mainland. This spring was isolated and the 
 water brought by a tube to the surface. The spring is said still to exist. 
 Arvad, now Ruwad, or, Ruweideh, is often mentioned in the Assyrian 
 Annals. Tiglath-pileser I. (c. iioo) embarked on ships of Arvad and 
 sailed out into "the great sea," Del., Pai-ad. p. 281 (the same expression 
 is used by another king of himself, Schrader, KAT. p. 184, on 1 K. v. 13, 
 cf. p. 104). See chart of Arvad, Raul., Phocn. p. 74. 
 
 9. ancients of Gebal] The elders, a title of honour or office, the 
 magistrates. Probably also the "wise men thereof" is a semi-official 
 title (cf. V. 8). The power of Tyre was exerted over all her dependen- 
 cies (xxvi. 17), in which men of the highest position entered all ranks of 
 her service. Gebal (the classical Byblos, now Jubeil) is situated not far 
 from the river Adonis (Ibrahim) somewhat over 20 miles N. of Beirut 
 (Josh. xiii. 5; I Kings v. 18, R.V.). The town was devoted to the 
 worship of Eeltis (Astarte) and Adonis, cf. on ch. viii. 14. The name 
 appears in the Assyrian inscriptions, Del., Farad, p. 283. 
 
 thy calke}-s] Marg. stoppers of chinks, carpenters. 
 
 to occupy thy merchatidise] to handle thy waxes. The representation 
 is that the great ship was attended on by all the ships of the sea with 
 their sailors, who served her and delivered her wares to her, or were 
 occupied about them [v. 27). 
 
 10. Her men of war. 
 
 Her mercenaries were drawn from all quarters of the world. The 
 people called here "they of Persia" appears along with Cush and Phut, 
 African peoples, in the army of Gog, ch. xxxviii. 5, in which, however, 
 northern nations as Gomer and Togarmah are also mustered. The host 
 of Gog includes the nations lying on the outskirts of the known world, 
 and Persia might be named among them, though the first certain men- 
 tion of that country is in Ezr. iv. 5, ix. 9, &c. Others have thought 
 here of some African people. Lud is named, ch. xxx. 5, along with 
 Cush and Phut, as allies of Egypt (Jer. xlvi. 9) ; and in Gen. x. 13 
 Ludim is the firstborn of Mizraim (Egypt). In Is. Ixvi. 19 Lud is 
 named after Tarshish, and probably some people lying on the African 
 coast, W. of Egypt, is referred to. Phut (Gen. x. 6) is son of Ham, 
 
194 EZEKIEL, XXVII. [v. ii. 
 
 II they set forth thy comeliness. The men of Arvad with thine 
 army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims 
 were in thy towers; they hanged their shields upon thy 
 walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. 
 
 and brother of Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt) and Canaan (Phoenicia). 
 In Ez. XXX. 5 (Jer. xlvi. 9; Nah. iii. 9) the people is an ally of Egypt. 
 LXX. renders Lybians. The inhabitants of western Egypt, or those on 
 its western border may be referred to. 
 
 they hanged the shield] The great ship is still spoken of. A figure of a 
 ship so adorned and dressed with weapons hung on its sides is given in 
 Layard, Nineveh, 11. p. 388. The practice of hanging weapons on 
 buildings was not unknown in Israel, Song iv. 4 (i Mace. iv. 57). 
 
 11. with thine army] It is scarcely possible to render: fuen of 
 Arvad, they were thine army. Some proper name seems required: the 
 men of Arvad and of . . Cornill conjectures Hethlon (xlvii. 15, xlviii. i), 
 others, Cilicia. 
 
 the Gammadims] A proper name is certainly to be expected, but no 
 place, Gammad, is known. Some have suggested "they of Gomer," 
 but an adj. is not formed from Gomer; Corn., Zemarites, Gen. x. 18. 
 Others take the word as an appellative: brave warriors. 
 
 12 — 25. The market of Tyre. 
 
 Several things are to be observed in this passage : i . The representa- 
 tion is not that Tyre is traded with by the nations, though this is the 
 fact lying under the figures employed. The nations are not customers 
 of Tyre. Tyre neither buys nor sells, nor does she exchange one article 
 for another. The nations are her merchants, who bring to her wares 
 from every land ; or they are her dependents, and the merchandise which 
 they bring is a tribute which they render her {v. 15). They are her 
 subjects, ministering to her luxury, bringing wares to her, and enriching 
 her. The counterpart to this idea is that she enriches many peoples by 
 bestowing her wealth upon them {v. 33). 2. The passage is artistic. 
 Two words are employed for "to trade," "to be a merchant." The 
 words have little difference of sense and are generally used alternately, 
 e.g. one word in w. 12, 15, 16, 18, 21, the other in vv. 13, 15, 17, 20, 22 
 seq. Two words also are used in the sense of wares or goods, though 
 hardly differing in meaning. These also are used alternately so as to 
 diversify the phraseology, e.g. the one in w. 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, the 
 other in vv. 13 (15), 17, 19, with other variants of the same sense. 
 Gesen. attributed various senses to these words, as : i, traffic, trading, 2, 
 fair, market-place, and 3, gain, wealth. The words do not appear to 
 differ in meaning, and neither of the two probably has any other sense 
 than the general one of wares. 3. Again, the language is diversified by 
 the adoption of a variety of constructions. The word "give," which 
 receives an extraordinary extension of usage in Ez. and in later Heb. in 
 general (cf. its use in the Apocalypse), is employed in the sense of put, 
 bring, render, &c. That it ever means to "sell" (Ges.) is without evi- 
 dence. The various constructions employed are seen in w. 12, 22 (ace. 
 
vv. 12—14.] EZEKIEL, XXVII. 195 
 
 Tarshish zvas thy merchant by reason of the mullitude of all 12 
 kind of riches ; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded 
 in thy fairs. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they ivere thy 13 
 merchants : they traded the persons of men and vessels of 
 brass in thy market. They of the house of Togarmah 14 
 
 and prep, b, cf. vv. 13, 17); in vv. 16, 18 (double prep, b), and in v. 14 
 (double accus.). These different constructions probably all express the 
 same general meaning. 
 
 There is much uncertainty in the text, e.g. for "sons of Dedan," v. 15, 
 LXX. reads, sons of the Rhodians, and for Aram (Syria) v. 16, Syriac 
 reads Edom (so LXX. "man"), in both cases by interchange of the 
 similar letters d/and r. V. 19 is certainly out of order, and v. 24 ex- 
 ceedingly obscure. Owing to these obscurities the precise order followed 
 in the enumeration of the nations is involved in some uncertainty, i. 
 vv. 12 — 14, the prophet names the nations lying in the widest circle 
 around Tyre, beginning with the furthest west, Tarshish (Spain), and 
 pursuing a line along the north, Javan (Ionia), Tubal (N.of Asia Minor), 
 and Togarmah (Armenia). 2. If Rhodians be read in v. 15, a narrower 
 circle of the Mediterranean coasts would be described. 3. vv. 16 — 19, 
 if Edom be read for Aram, the line traced is from S. to N., along the 
 eastern trade route, Edom, Judah, Damascus. 4. In e^. 19 Uzal seems 
 certainly to be the name of a place (A.V. "going to and fro") in the S. 
 of Arabia, the other names are Arabian, Dedan, Kedar, Sheba and 
 Raamah. 5. The names in v. 23 seq.. are more obscure, and it is not 
 certain whether this be the previous line carried further N. or a new line. 
 
 12. The name Tarshish (Tartessus) was given to the district of 
 country lying outside the Straits of Gibraltar on the lower Baetis, the 
 Guadalquiver (Wadi el Keblr, great river). 
 
 with silver. ..in thy fairs] Rather apparently: silver... they brought 
 as thy wares. There is no evidence that the word means "fairs;" in 
 w. 27, 34 the things so named fall into the waters of the sea. The 
 representation is that all things brought to Tyre were hers, the nations 
 offered them to her as tribute {v. 15). Spain was famous for the metals 
 mentioned; cf. for silver, Jer. x. 9. Probably Tarshish served as an 
 entrepot for such products found further north, as in the Cassiterides 
 (Scilly Islands) and Cornwall. 
 
 13. These three countries, Javan, Tubal and Meshech are usually 
 named together, Gen. x. 2 ; Ezek. xxxii. 26, xxxviii, 2, xxxix, r ; Is. Ixvi. 
 19. The first is the lonians, the Greeks of Asia Minor, and the two 
 last have usually been identified with the Moschi and Tibareni, lying to 
 the S. and S.E. of the Black Sea. Copper and "souls of men" i.e. 
 slaves, form the contribution of these countries. That Javan traded in 
 slaves appears from Joel iv. 6 ; cf. Am. i. 6, 9. 
 
 they traded... in thy market] they brought as thy wares souls of 
 men, &c. The nations are the servants of Tyre, and what they bring is 
 her wares. 
 
 14. house of Toi^armah] Usually supposed to be Armenia or \>-xx\. 
 of it. Togarmah lay in the extreme N. of the world known to ihe 
 
 13—2 
 
196 EZEKIEL, XXVII. [w. 15, 16. 
 
 traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. 
 
 15 The men of Dedan were thy merchants ; many isles were 
 the merchandise of thine hand : they brought thee for a 
 
 16 present horns of ivory and ebeny. Syria was thy merchant 
 by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making : they 
 
 prophet, and the people appears in the army of Gog with other nations 
 from the ends of the earth (ch. xxxviii. 6; cf. Gen. x. ^). Others think 
 of Phrygia or Cappadocia. All these countries were noted for breeding 
 horses. 
 
 traded in thy fairs with horses] brought as thy wares, or, com- 
 modities, horses, &c. Horsemen can hardly have been an article of 
 traffic; if the word be original war horses may be intended; 1 Sam. 
 i. 6. The ancients did not use the horse for labour. LXX. omits 
 mules, a somewhat similar word, and possibly (as Com. conjectures) 
 only two words should be read : horses and mules. 
 
 15. men of Dedan] lit. sons of Dedan ; LXX. sons of the Rhodians 
 (r being read for d, as often). Dedan occurs again v. 20, in connexion 
 with Arabian tribes, and in xxv. 13 it appears to be placed S. of 
 Edom, being either part of that country or bordering on it (cf. Jer. 
 xlix. 8, xxv. 23; Is. xxi. 13). Here, however, Dedan is connected 
 with coast lands and must be another. Hence it has usually been 
 placed on the Persian Gulf. Ivory and ebony, the articles in which 
 it traded, might be Indian products. On the other hand the Phoenicians 
 certainly had colonies in Rhodes ; and if Rhodians were the true reading 
 the "isles" would be the coasts of the Mediterranean. 
 
 nierchandise of thitte hand] If "merchandise" be the right reading 
 the abstract term is used for "merchants." The phrase " of thy hand" 
 means under thee, doing thy service, cf. v. 2 1. 
 
 horns of ivory] Tusks of elephants, so called from their resemblance 
 to horns. Ebony, the other article referred to, was brought from India 
 and Ethiopia. The African ebony was most esteemed. If Rhodians 
 be read reference would be to the traffic between Phoenicia and the 
 interior of Africa, the intermediaries of which were Rhodes and the 
 sea-coasts of the Mediterranean. Rawlin. {Phcenicia, p. 287) mentions 
 that many objects in ivory have been found in Cyprus. 
 
 brought thee for a present. Rather: horns of ivory... they rendered 
 to thee as tribute, lit. rendered as thy tribute. Tyre is the mistress 
 to whom the nations are subject, and the merchandise they bring is 
 a tribute which they render to her. 
 
 16. For Syria (Aram) the Syr. reads Edom, and so in effect LXX. 
 (interchange of ^ and r as v. 15). If Edom be read the line pursued 
 would be from S. to N., Edom, v. 16, Judah, v, 17, Damascus, v. 18. 
 The verse is otherwise peculiar in beginning with a precious stone, 
 then passing on to stuffs and ending with precious stones. 
 
 wares of thy making] Rather; by reason of the multitude of thy 
 works, i.e. not those wrought by Tyre, but those which the nations 
 wi ought and brought to her, all of which are considered hers. 
 
19 
 
 vv. 17—19-] EZEKIEL, XXVII. 197 
 
 occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered 
 work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. Judah, and the 17 
 land of Israel, they ivere thy merchants : they traded in thy 
 market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, 
 and balm. Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude is 
 of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches ; 
 in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. Dan also and 
 Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs : bright iron, 
 
 occupied in thy fairs\ Rather: emeralds... they brought as thy 
 wares. The "emerald" according to others is the carbuncle. "Coral" 
 may be "pearls." The two things may have been confused; both 
 were fished in the Persian Gulf. The "agate" may be the ruby. The 
 precious stones might seem in favour of Edom, but the fine linen 
 is more naturally the Syrian byssus. LXX. omits all the textile fabrics 
 with the exception of broidered work; and the text must be held 
 uncertain. 
 
 17. Judah and the land of Israel furnished Tyre with wheat, honey, 
 oil and balsam. 
 
 traded in thy market ivheat'\ they brought as thy wares wheat. 
 Minnith is supposed to be the Ammonitish place of that name (Judg. 
 xi. 33). There is something unnatural, however, in Judah and Israel 
 bringing an Ammonitish product to Tyre. It is their own productions 
 that the nations bring, or at least the articles are assumed to be their 
 own. LXX. renders "ointments;" and Corn, conjectures "spices" 
 (Gen. xliii. 11; Is. xxxix. 2; 1 Kings xx. 13). The term "pannag" 
 is otherwise unknown; R.V. marg. suggests a kind of confection 
 (Targ.), while Corn, conjectures "wax" (donag). The "honey" re- 
 ferred to is no doubt that of bees, not grape honey. The "balm" 
 mentioned, a product of Gilead Qer. viii. 22), and of Palestine (Gen. 
 xliii. 11), was not the genuine balm, which was peculiar to Arabia, 
 but an odoriferous resin (LXX. Vulg.) exuding from the mastix tree 
 (Pistaccia lentiscus). 
 
 18. wares of thy making\ the multitude of thy works, i.e. the 
 works done for Tyre, all of which are hers. 
 
 multitude of all riches^ or, because of every kind of riches. 
 
 wine of Helbon^ This is repeatedly mentioned as a choice wine 
 in the Assyrian inscriptions (Schrad. KAT. p. 425). The Persian kings 
 also preferred it on their table. Cf. Hos. xiv. 7, Song viii. 11. Tiie 
 place is identified with Chalbun, N.E. of Damascus. 
 
 white zoool] Possibly, wool of Zachar, though a place of this name 
 is unknown. 
 
 19. Dan also and favan'] This is certainly incorrect ; none of the 
 verses begins with and or also, and any reference to Dan is out of 
 the question. The word rendered "going to and fro" was translated 
 by Ges. "spun," i.e. yar7t (and so R.V.): IVedan and jfavan brought 
 as thy wares yarn. The word is more probably a proper name and 
 to be rendered from Uzal. Uzal (Gen. x. 27) is supposed to be 
 
198 EZEKIEL, XXVII. [vv. 20—23. 
 
 20 cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. Dedan was thy 
 
 21 merchant in precious clothes for chariots. Arabia, and all 
 the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and 
 
 22 rams, and goats : in these inere they thy merchants. The 
 merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they wefe thy merchants : 
 they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with 
 
 23 all precious stones, and gold. Haran, and Canneh, and 
 
 identical with San'aa, the capital of Yemen in S. Arabia. LXX. 
 omits wedan and for Javan reads "wine" (a similar word). The 
 text is probably in disorder. In all other cases the phrase "brought 
 as thy wares " ends the verse, and possibly the first words oi v. 19 
 should be attached to v. 18. So LXX. which reads v, 19, "from Uzal 
 (Azel) came wrought-iron " &c. Corn, follows LXX., supplying all 
 the words after Helbon out of the Assyrian wine lists : wine of Helbon 
 and Zimin and Arnaban they brought to thy market. From Uzal 
 came wrought iron &c. As the verse stands it may read : "Wedan and 
 Javan of Uzal furnished thy wares; bright iron, cassia and calamus 
 were among thy goods" — though the most serious objections occur to 
 the rendering. The "bright iron" may refer to sword blades, for 
 which Yemen was famous. The calamus or sweet cane (Jer. vi. 20; 
 Is. xliii. 24) supplied one of the ingredients of the holy oil for anointing 
 the priests (Ex. xxx. 23, 24), and so did the cassia. 
 
 20. On Dedan cf. v. 15; Gen. xxv. 3; Ezek. xxv. 13. 
 precious clothes for chariots'\ Or, saddle cloths for riding. 
 
 21. occupied ivith thee'X Lit. were the merchants of thy hand, i.e. 
 serving thee. Cf. Is. Ix. 7, " all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered 
 unto thee." The Arab nomads were rich in flocks. Kedar (Gen. 
 xxv. 13, second son of Ishmael) was an important people toward the 
 N. of Arabia. In Is. Ix. 7 they are named along with the Naba- 
 theans; in Jer. xlix. 28 they are threatened with destruction by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, as they were threatened at an earlier time with an 
 attack from the Assyrians (Is. xxi. 16). Outside of scripture they are 
 mentioned first in the inscriptions of Assurbanipal (667 — 626 B.C.), 
 where they are represented as dwelling between the gulf of Akaba 
 and Babylon. Cf. the ref. Jer. ii. 10. 
 
 22. merchants of Sheba'] The abode of this people was in the S.W. 
 of Arabia, the ruins of their capital Marib still remain, six days' journey 
 E. of San'aa, the capital of Yemen. Their caravans (Job vi. 19) traded 
 to Syria and other countries with gold, precious stones and aromatics 
 (i Kings X. 2, 10; Is. Ix. 6; Jer. vi. 20; Ps. Ixxii. 10, 15). 
 
 occupied in thy fairs'] they brought chief of all spices... as thy 
 wares. Raamah was son of Cush and father of Sheba and Dedan 
 (Gen. X. 7). Raamah probably lay on the Persian Gulf. 
 
 23. The places named may be regarded as an extension of the 
 line from S. to N, in vv. 19 — 22, though the names are given rather 
 in the order W. to E. Harran in Mesopotamia, two days' journey 
 S.E. of Edessa, on a branch of the Euphrates, was a sacred city and 
 
V. 24.] EZEKIEL, XXVII. 199 
 
 Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were 
 thy merchants. These were thy merchants in all sorts of 24 
 things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests 
 of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar. 
 
 place of pilgrimage, and also an emporium of trade. The defeat of 
 Crassus by the Parthians took place there. Canneh may be Calneh 
 (Gen. X. 10; Am. vi. 2), otherwise Calno (Is. x. 9), a city in Babylonia. 
 Its site has not been identified. Von Gutschmidt {Ency. Brit., art. 
 Phoenicia) identifies Canneh with Csense. F^den, spelled somewhat 
 differently from the Eden of Paradise, is elsewhere named in connexion 
 with Haran, Is. xxxvii. 12 (2 Kings xix. 12), and said to be in 
 Telassar (Tel Asshur). 
 
 the merchants of Sheba] It is strange that these should be men- 
 tioned again {v. 22). For "Eden... Sheba" LXX. reads: these were 
 thy tnerchants, i.e. Haran and Canneh. It has been supposed that 
 the merchants of Sheba frequented the fairs of Haran and thence 
 made their way westward along the trade route to Phenicia. 
 
 Asshur and Chibnad] LXX. reads and between the words. Asshur 
 if taken in its usual sense would be Assyria. Others think of Sura, or 
 Essurieh, on the Euphrates. G. Smith conjectured that Chilmad was 
 Kalwadha near Bagdad. LXX. renders Charman, which suggests 
 Caramania. The rendering: "Asshur was as thine apprentice in traffic" 
 (Hitz. Corn.), besides being a conceit, misses the whole idea of the 
 chapter. 
 
 24. The first half of the verse may read : These were thy merchants 
 with splendid apparel, cloaks of purple and broidered work. 
 The second half is obscure owing to the occurrence of some words not 
 found elsewhere. 
 
 in chests of rich apparel] The term rendered " chests" occurs Esth. 
 iii. 9, iv. 7 in the sense of "treasures," from root to hide, lay up, a 
 sense common to all the dialects. In Eth. it means to wind in grave- 
 clothes for purposes of burial, but has no special reference to clothing 
 or textile fabrics. The sense "chests" is without evidence. A tenn 
 virtually the same as that rendered "rich apparel" occurs in Assyrian 
 of stuffs for clothing (Schr. KAT. pp. 213 — 16); and a similar word 
 is used of the night heavens, according to Jensen {Babylonian Cosmog. 
 p. 6 seq.) from the mixed colour, blue-gray. It appears used of fabrics 
 woven of differently coloured materials. 
 
 bound with cords] This would refer to the " chests," but this is not 
 probable. More likely: with cords twined and durable, the "cords" 
 themselves being the article of commerce. "Cords" can hardly be 
 thread. The rendering "made of cedar " is altogether unlikely, some 
 sense like strong, firm or durable is more probable. The cords were 
 probably of wool as well as of flax, of divers colours, and used for 
 fastening hangings or other purposes. Est. i. 6. The Babylonian weav- 
 ing was very celebrated, cf. xvi. 10, xxiii. 6, also the "Babylonish 
 garment," Josh. vii. 21. 
 
200 EZEKIEL, XXVII. [vv. 25—28: 
 
 25 among thy merchandise. The ships of Tarshish did sing of 
 thee in thy market : and thou wast replenished, and made 
 
 26 very glorious in the midst of the seas. Thy rowers have 
 brought thee into great waters : the east wind hath broken 
 
 27 thee in the midst of the seas. Thy riches, and thy fairs, 
 thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, 
 and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of 
 war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the 
 midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day 
 
 28 of thy ruin. The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the 
 
 25. The "ships of Tarshish" here are deep-sea ships, great ships 
 trading to the most distant coasts, Is. ii. 16; Ps. xlviii. 7. 
 
 did sing of thee] For this Ges. suggested "were thy caravans" from 
 a verb signifying to travel (Is. Ivii. 9). The camel has been called the 
 ship of the desert, but conversely to call an east indiaman a caravan is 
 too brilliant for the prophet. Probably by a slight change of reading : 
 the ships of Tarshish did serve thee with (in) thy wares {^v. 13, 17 &c.), 
 of. Is. Ix. 9, 10, and above v. 9. So Aquila (Field). 
 
 made very glorious'] Rather : and "wast heavily laden. The figure 
 of a mistress served by all nations, who bring wares and riches to her 
 from all lands, passes here again into the idea of the vessel deeply 
 laden with cargo, and therefore more easily shipwrecked and broken in 
 dangerous waters. 
 
 26 — 31. The vessel steered by her pilots into dangerous 
 waters, is shipwrecked and her cargo and crew cast 
 
 INTO THE SEA (vv. 26, 27). DiSMAY AND LAMENTATION OF 
 ALL SEAFARING MEN {vv. 28 — 31). 
 
 26. The allegory does not need interpretation. How far her states- 
 men precipitated the fall of Tyre is unknown ; it was the east-wind 
 that broke her in the heart of the sea — a force above that of men (Ps. 
 xlviii. 7). 
 
 27. and thy fairs] thy wares. The verse is interesting for the enu- 
 meration which it gives both of the crew and cargo. The cargo is de- 
 scribed in three words : riches, wares and merchandise — the last two 
 words meaning the same thing virtually, though differing in shade of 
 idea. The verse shews that any such rendering as "fair," "market" 
 for these terms cannot be sustained, the things are here said to fall into 
 the heart of the seas, cf. vv. 33, 34. The crew consists of (i) sailors, 
 (2) pilots, (3) calkers (carpenters), (4) handlers of the wares, and (5) 
 men of war. 
 
 and in all thy company] even all thy. 
 
 28. the suburbs] According to tradition (Baer, Ezek.) the term 
 here is differently pointed from that rendered "suburbs," e.g. ch. xlv. 2. 
 The latter term means the free space surrounding a city or building. 
 If the sense of the present word were the same reference would be to 
 
vv. 29—36. EZEKIEL, XXVII. 201 
 
 cry of thy pilots. And all that handle the oar, the mariners, 29 
 and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their 
 ships, they shall stand upon the land ; and shall cause their 30 
 voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and 
 shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow them- 
 selves in the ashes : and they shall make themselves utterly 31 
 bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall 
 weep for thee with bitterness of heart a?id bitter wailing. 
 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for 32 
 thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, 
 like the destroyed in the midst of the sea ? When thy wares 33 
 went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people ; thou 
 didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy 
 riches and of thy merchandise. I?i the time when thou shalt 34 
 be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy 
 merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee 
 shall fall. All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished 35 
 at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be 
 troubled i7i their countenance. The merchants among the 36 
 
 the lands or coasts in the vicinity of Tyre, a sense far from natural. 
 Jerome conjectured "fleets" (Ew.). In Is. Ivii. 20 the verb describes 
 the violent action of the waters of the sea (Am. viii. 8), and A. V. 
 marg. suggests waves here — the waves shall quake at the cry of thy 
 pilots. 
 
 29. All seafaring men raise a lamentation over the shipwreck of the 
 gallant vessel. 
 
 30. heard against thec\ over thee. On first sign of sorrow cf. Job 
 ii. 12, and on second Jer. vi. 26; Mic. i. 10; Est. iv. i. 
 
 31. For these signs of grief cf. ch. vii. 18; Is. xv. 2, xxii. 12 ; Jer. 
 xvi. 16, xlvii. 5 ; Mic. i. 16. 
 
 32 — 36. Lament over Tyre. 
 
 The lament appears to be in elegiac metre. The word "wailing" 
 is a contracted form (ni — nehi). 
 
 What city] Rather : who is like Tyre. 
 
 like the destroyed^ The form is very obscure, but nothing better has 
 been proposed. 
 
 33. thy wares went forth] i.e. when they were landed from the sea 
 on many shores many peoples were filled, cf. Is. xxiii. 3 (R.V.). 
 
 34. the time whe7i thou shalt be] Rather : what time thou art 
 broken ; or with further change of points : now art thou broken from 
 the seas. ..thy merchandise. ..are fallen. The reading "time" is diffi- 
 cult, though cf. Jer. ii. 17. 
 
 36. among the people] peoples. "Hiss" here is hardly the expres- 
 
202 EZEKIEL, XXVIII. [vv. i, 2. 
 
 people shall hiss at thee ; thou shalt be a terror, and never 
 shalt be any more. 
 28 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son 
 ^ of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord 
 God ; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I 
 am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas ; 
 
 sion of malicious joy, rather of astonishment and dismay, or other vivid 
 emotion, i Kings ix. 8. 
 
 shalt be a terror] lit. terrors, i.e. destructions — thou shalt be utterly 
 destroyed, cf. xxvi. 21. 
 
 Ch. XXVIII. The fall of the prince of Tyre. 
 
 The chapter has three parts : 
 
 ([) vv. I — 10. The sinful pride of the prince of Tyre and his 
 destruction. 
 
 (2) vv. II — 19. Lament over his fall and expulsion from the 
 garden of God. 
 
 (3) vv. 20 — 26. To this is added a prophecy against Sidon. 
 
 1 — 10. The sin of the prince of Tyre {vv. i — 5), and his 
 
 DESTRUCTION {vv. 6 — lo). 
 
 The prince of Tyre of the time M^as probably Ithobal II. It is not, 
 however, any individual prince that the prophet threatens, but the 
 ruler of Tyre, who is the embodiment of the spirit of the proud com- 
 mercial city. The sin with which the prophet charges the prince is 
 pride of heart and self-deification. The prince — who is but the im- 
 personation of the spirit of the community — was very wise, wiser than 
 Daniel [v. 3). His wisdom expressed itself and found scope in his 
 commerce and manufactures and in his arts. These produced wealth 
 and splendour, which led to ungodly arrogance [vv. 4, 5) : the prince 
 said, I am God, I dwell in the abode of God {v. 2). For this deifying 
 of himself in his own mind he shall be brought down. Strangers, the 
 most terrible of the nations, shall assail him, and he shall die the death 
 of the uncircumcised — those whose bodies are unburied or unhonoured 
 in their burial. 
 
 2. am a God] I am God. Ezekiel speaks from his own point of 
 view, which recognizes but one God, not from that of polytheism. The 
 prince set his heart as the heart of God ; he felt and acted as if divine. 
 There is not the slightest allusion, of course, to actual worship being 
 paid to the prince ; it is his own feeling alone, his pride and self- 
 exaltation, that is referred to. 
 
 / sit in the scat of God] Naturally the prince speaks of his own 
 abode, Tyre ; but he regards it as divine. He is God and it is the 
 seat of God. There is no doubt allusion to the idea that there was a 
 seat of God or the gods; the prince identified Tyre with it. The 
 beauty and splendour of the place, its richness and renown, possibly 
 
vv. 3— 9] EZEKIEL, XXVIII. 203 
 
 yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine 
 heart as the heart of God : behold, thou art wiser than 3 
 Daniel ; there is no secret that they can hide from thee : 
 with thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast \ 
 gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy 
 treasures : by thy great wisdom a7id by thy traffick hast thou 5 
 increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of 
 thy riches : therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because 6 
 thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; behold there- 7 
 fore, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the 
 nations : and they shall draw their swords against the beauty 
 of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They 8 
 shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the 
 deaths of them that a7'e slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt 9 
 thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but 
 
 also its isolation, make it something not of the earth. In Is. xiv. the 
 king of Babylon affects to seat himself beside the Most High, here the 
 prince of Tyre identifies himself with God. 
 
 3. wiser than Daniel^ Cf. on ch. xiv. 14. The language appears 
 ironical. It does not follow from the allusion that the story of Daniel 
 was known in Tyre. 
 
 no secret.. .hide] Or, no secret is hidden. In xxxi. 8 the word seems 
 to mean " be equal to," "come up to." This sense would require a 
 personal subject, which might be got if the term " no secret," lit. no 
 closed, could be taken as Numb. xxiv. 3, 5 closed of eyes, i.e. inspired. 
 The versions differ widely from one another. 
 
 V. 4 seq. The wisdom of the prince, who is but the incarnation of 
 the spirit of the city, displayed itself in his commercial enterprise, in 
 his skill in arts and manufactures, for which the Tyrians were famous, 
 and thus he amassed such riches and surrounded himself with such 
 splendour that he deemed himself God {v. 6). Already Homer calls 
 the S\dor\\din?> poludaidaloi {II. 23. 743). 
 
 V. 7 seq. His chastisement because of his self-deification. As Nebu- 
 chadnezzar affected to set himself in the sides of the North but was 
 brought down to the sides of the pit, the prince of Tyre shall die an 
 ignominious death. The "terrible" i.e. most terrible of the nations are 
 the Chaldeans, cf. the prophet's contemporary Hab. i. 6 — 10. See ch. 
 vii. 21, 24, XXX. II, xxxi. 12, xxxii. 12. 
 
 the beauty of thy wisdojn'] The beauty is not regarded as the product 
 of his wisdom, but rather as the expression of it, that in which it clothes 
 itself. Cf. V. 12. 
 
 defile thy briifhtfiess] profane, cf. v. 17. The term "profane "is used 
 on account of tlie prince's assumption of divinity. 
 
 8. deaths 0/... slain] The death. 
 
204 EZEKIEL, XXVIII. [v. lo. 
 
 thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that 
 lo slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised 
 
 9. but thou shalt be] Rather : whilst thou art man, and not God. 
 
 The last clause "in the hand," &c. is wanting in LXX. 
 
 10. deaths of the tincirciimcised\ the death. The term uncircum- 
 cised is employed by the prophet not in its usual sense but in reference 
 to the dead, who suffer death from the sword, and whose bodies either 
 lie unburied and dishonoured or are flung indiscriminately into the 
 earth with no funeral honours. Deprivation of burial did not hinder 
 the dead persons from descending into Sheol, the place of the dead, but 
 the dishonour done them here followed them there, and they were sub- 
 ject to repi'oach. Cf. the same representation Is. xiv. 19, 20, where it 
 is an entire misconception to consider " stones of the pit " to refer to a 
 paved mausoleum, and thus a sumptuous burial. The stones of the pit 
 are the lowest pit. 
 
 12—19. Lament over the fall of the prince of Tyre. 
 
 The passage is of extreme difficulty partly from the obscurity of several 
 expressions in it, which do not occur again, and partly from allusions 
 not now intelligible. The general drift of the passage is plain, (i) vv. 
 12 — 15. The prince of Tyre is represented as a glorious being placed 
 in Eden the garden of God. He was the perfection of beauty, was set 
 on the mountain of God, and was perfect in his ways from the day he 
 was created till iniquity was found in him. {2) vv. 16 — 19. He fell 
 from his high place through pride because of the multitude of his 
 riches, and was therefore expelled from the garden of God. — Towards 
 the end of the passage the allegory of a being in paradise is departed 
 from and the actual circumstances of the prince and his city are more 
 literally referred to. The text of LXX. diverges in important particu- 
 lars from the Heb. 
 
 Particular difficulties, however, are numerous, i. The expression 
 "sealest up the sum," v. \i is very obscure. For the participle "seal- 
 est " the ancient versions read signet or ring. That there is reference to 
 a ring seems plain from v. 13. 2. Again the cherub is referred to. 
 There can be no doubt that the prophet has in his mind the story of 
 Paradise (Gen. ii. iii.). The cherub naturally belongs to the Paradise of 
 God. In the Heb. text, as at present pointed (though the pointing is 
 very anomalous) the prince is compared to the cherub, or said to be or 
 have been the cherub. The text, however, permits the reading tvith 
 or beside the cherub (z^. 14, so LXX.). The prince sinned and was 
 expelled from the garden of God where he was placed. The idea of the 
 prophet is that pride and self-deification was the sin of the prince and 
 caused his expulsion. This, however, in Ezek. is the sin of all the 
 foreign princes or nations, Egypt no less than Tyre, and cannot be held 
 part of a tradition of the Fall, or of paradise. That the prophet does 
 refer to a fall and expulsion from paradise or destruction of the trans- 
 gressor seems plain \vv. 16, 17). But any fall of the cherub is not 
 hinted at anywhere in the Old Test.; on the contrary the cherubs are 
 
vv. II— 13.] EZEKIEL, XXVIII. 205 
 
 by the hand of strangers : for I have spoken //, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, „ 
 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, 12 
 and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God ; Thou sealest 
 up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou 13 
 hast been in Eden the garden of God ; every precious stone 
 
 represented as watchers and protectors of the garden of God against 
 men (Gen. iii. 24). There are references in the Old Test, to the 
 sin of higher beings (eg. Gen. vi. i; Is. xxiv. 21), but the prophet's 
 allusions to the cherubs in other places make it very improbable 
 that he should think of them as sinning. 3. It is probable, therefore, 
 that it is the history of the first man that floats before his mind. The 
 term "created" applied to the prince would hardly be used of the 
 cherub. It is not unlikely, however, that Ezek. is in possession of tra- 
 ditions regarding Paradise more ample than those in Gen. or different 
 from them. At the same time the divergences may be due to his own 
 tendency to idealize. The prince of Tyre is represented as wiser than 
 all men, even than Daniel ; and in Job xv. 7, 8 the first man born is 
 spoken of as possessing supernatural wisdom. The prophet might have 
 before his mind that Wisdom which was the first of God's works of old 
 (Prov. viii.), and his architect in creation, and who realized herself in 
 the symmetry of the universe. 
 
 12. king of Tyrtts\ The prophet appears to use the terms king and 
 prince (nagid, or nasi') indifferently. LXX. of Ezek. reserves the term 
 "king" for the rulers of Babylon and Egypt, except in general expres- 
 sions like "kings of the earth," or, of the nations (xxvii. 33, 35, xxxii. 
 10). 
 
 sealest tip the simi] The term "sum" only again ch. xliii. 10 of the 
 construction or idea of the temple, there rendered "pattern." The verb 
 is used of the work of God in ordering creation by weight and measure, 
 Job xxviii. 25; Is. xl. 12, 13. The phrase "thou sealest" is pointed as 
 part, art the sealer of, but some MSS. and the ancient Versions read 
 art the sealriJig of. To "seal" has always the natural sense, or means 
 to close up, fasten up ; it seems nowhere to mean to round off, com- 
 plete or consummate. LXX. omits "full of wisdom," and the first 
 words are in parallelism to "the perfection of beauty." This would 
 suggest that the first words describe what the prince is or was, not what 
 he did. The term rendered "sum" may mean symmetry (perfection), 
 and the whole : thou wast the sealring of syfumetry (perfection), and the 
 perfection of beauty. In this case the prince is compared to a seal- 
 ring of exquisite workmanship. On the other hand if part, be read, 
 " thou wast the sealer of symmetry," the conception of something im- 
 pressing symmetry (upon all things) seems expressed. There might 
 then be an allusion to the Wisdom ; cf. the comparison of light to a seal 
 Job xxxviii. 14. 
 
 13. Thou hast been] thou wast in Eden. The term rendered "cover- 
 
2o6 EZEKIEL, XXVIII. [v. 14. 
 
 was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the 
 beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, 
 and the carbuncle, and gold : the workmanship of thy 
 tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that 
 14 thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that 
 covereth j and I have set thee so : thou wast upon the holy 
 
 ing" does not occur again. Possibly "emerald" and ** carbuncle" 
 should be transposed. These precious stones are mentioned in sets of 
 three, being nine in number, to which LXX. adds three more, the 
 ligure, the agate and the amethyst, as in the high-priest's breastplate 
 (Ex. xxviii. 19), while Syr. reduces the number to eight. Possibly the 
 original number may have been very much smaller. 
 
 iky tabrets and of thy pipes'] It is obvious that timbrels and pipes 
 are out of place here. It is also probable that the preceding words 
 and gold ^ov\di be disjoined from the list of precious stones. Render: 
 and of gold was the workmanship of thy sockets and grooves. Refer- 
 ence is unmistakeably to the setting of precious stones, and while possi- 
 bly a person might be supposed to be covered or clothed with the jewels 
 mentioned, the phrase "thy sockets" seems to recall the figure of the 
 ring. The phrase "was prepared" is wanting in LXX. and the last 
 words "in the day that thou wast created" should probably go to the 
 next verse. 
 
 14. Thou art the anointed] The word "thou" is pointed here ano- 
 malously as Num. xi. 15; Deut. v. 24. It may more naturally be read 
 zvith or beside. The terms rendered "anointed" and "that covereth" 
 are wanting in LXX. (also in v. 16). No meaning can be attached to 
 anointed cherub, probably: cherub with spreading wings. The other 
 phrase " that covereth" is used to describe the chei-ubim over the mercy- 
 seat whose wings covered it and (at least in the temple of Solomon) 
 extended from wall to wall of the most holy place (Ex. xxv. 20, xxxvii. 
 9; I Chr. xxviii. 18). In these passages LXX. renders the word rightly 
 " overshadowing." 
 
 / have set thee] I set thee. 
 
 holy mountain of God] Different representations of the abode of God 
 were current ; it was sometimes spoken of as a mountain and sometimes 
 as a garden. The mountain here is the same as the garden oiv. 13, cf. 
 V. 16. It is the abode of God, where the cherub was and where the 
 prince was placed on the day when he was created. The allusion to the 
 mount of assembly in Is. xiv. 13 is obscure. The combinations of Del. 
 (Farad.) and Jeremias [Bab. Assyr. Vorstellnngen vom Leben nach de?n 
 Tode) are controverted by Jensen, who makes it probable that Aralu, 
 the " mountain of the countries," is not a special mountain on the earth, 
 but the earth itself conceived as a mountain, under which lay the pri- 
 mary ocean. Neither is there the slightest foundation for the supposi- 
 tion that the prophet compares the prince of Tyre to a Gryph guarding 
 treasure upon the mountain of God. 
 
vv. 15—17.] EZEKIEL, XXVIII. 207 
 
 mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the 
 midst of the stones of fire. Thou zvast perfect in thy ways 15 
 from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found 
 in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have 16 
 filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned : 
 therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of 
 God : and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the 
 midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up be- 17 
 
 hast walked up and dozvn] didst walk in the midst of (the) stones of 
 fire. The "stones of fire" might be flashing precious stones (Assyr. 
 adan ishdti, precious stone, Frd. Del., Par. p. 118); more probal)ly there 
 is some reference to the phenomena attending the divine presence and 
 manifestation, ch. i. 15, x. 6, cf. Is. vi. 6; Ps. xviii. 14. Among the 
 Muhammedans the shooting stars are held to be thunderbolts hurled at 
 the eavesdropping demons who pry into the divine secrets. 
 
 15. The sin and fall of the prince. The terms " the day when thou 
 wast created" are very unsuitable if applied to the cherub. The sons of 
 God existed before creation. Job xxxviii. 7. 
 
 16. By the tmiltitude] Or, in the multitude. 
 
 they have filled'] Or, thy midst (heart) was iilled with wrong, and 
 thou didst sin. LXX., thou didst fill. 
 
 therefore I will cast] therefore have I cast. The destruction of the 
 prince is described as completed, lit. therefore have I profaned thee 
 (casting thee) out of the mountain. 
 
 and I will destroy thee] More probably: and the (covering) cherub 
 hath destroyed thee (driving thee) from the midst of the stones of fire. 
 The construction as ist pers. I have destroyed is possible, but quite im- 
 probable. The cherub is rather regarded as active in the expulsion from 
 Paradise; in Gen. iii. 24, he is represented as barring the return of 
 those whom God had expelled. 
 
 With the words wanting in LXX. put in square brackets the verses 
 would read : " Thou art the (a) seal of symmetry, [full of wisdom], and 
 the perfection of beauty. 13 Thou wast in Eden the garden of God; 
 every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz and the 
 diamond, the beryl, the onyx and the jaspar, the sapphire, the carbuncle 
 and the emerald ; and gold was the workmanship of thy sockets and 
 grooves in thee in the day that thou wast created" [they were prepared]. 
 Or, drawing the last words to the beginning of v. 14. — 14 "In the day 
 that thou wast created I set thee M'ith the [outspread, the covering] 
 cherub, thou wast in the holy mountain of God, in the midst of the 
 stones of fire [thou didst walk]. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from 
 the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 In 
 the multitude of thy traffic thy midst was filled with wrong [LXX. thou 
 didst fill], and thou didst sin : tlierefore I have profaned thee (and cast 
 thee) from the mountain of God ; and the [covering] cherub hath de- 
 stroyed thee (driving thee) from the midst of the stones of fire." 
 
 17. The prince's sin was self-exaltation because of his beauty and 
 
2o8 EZEKIEL, XXVIII. [vv. i8, 19. 
 
 cause of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by 
 reason of thy brightness : I will cast thee to the ground, I 
 
 18 will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou 
 hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine ini- 
 quities, by the iniquity of thy traffick ; therefore will I bring 
 forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and 
 I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all 
 
 19 them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the 
 people shall be astonished at thee : thou shalt be a terror, 
 and never shalt thou be any more. 
 
 wisdom. The prince is but the representative of the city and its 
 inhabitants ; the beauty of the one (xxvii. 3) and the wisdom of the 
 other (xxvii. 8, 9) are attributed to him. The prophet's own deep 
 humility before Jehovah makes him recoil from the self-exaltation of 
 men elsewhere. 
 
 corrupted thy wisdom^ i.e. lost thy wisdom over, or amidst, thy 
 splendour. The tenses "I will cast" &c. are all perfects, the threat 
 taking the form of an accomplished judgment. 
 
 that they may behold theel i.e. as a spectacle to feast their eyes upon. 
 
 18. defiled thy sanctuaries^ profaned. The phrase occurs ch. vii. 
 24; here, however, where the prince is spoken of, "sanctity" or per- 
 sonal sacredness rather than "sanctuary" seems the sense required. 
 It is doubtful if the word can bear this meaning. LXX. reads : be- 
 cause of the multitude of thine iniquities in the wrong of thy traffic 
 / have profaned thy sanctuaries, and I have brought forth a fire. The 
 tenses are all in the perfect of threatening, and the threats here pass 
 away from the prince and apply more to the city. On "fire" cf. ch. 
 xix. I4. 
 
 bring thee to ashes'\ have brought, perf. of threatening. Any refer- 
 ence to the Phenix, consumed in a self-kindled fire, has little probabi- 
 lity. The idea of the city, of the spirit and activity of which the king 
 is the embodiment, tends more and more to take the place of the idea 
 of the king. This is evident from the closing words v, 19, which are 
 identical with those referring to the city, ch. xxvii. 36. For people 
 read peoples as usual. 
 
 19. shalt be a terror] Cf. xxvi. 21, xxvii. 36. 
 
 20—26. Prophecy against Si don. 
 
 See on ch. xxv. i . The passage has three parts : 
 
 (i) w. 20 — 23. The Lord shall send great judgments on Zidon, by 
 which means he shall get his greatness and holiness recognised, and 
 they shall know that he is God. (2) v. 24. Thus shall all that vex 
 Israel round about come to an end and cease. (3) vv. 25, 26. Israel 
 when restored shall thus dwell securely, all that were hostile to her 
 having been removed ; and she shall know Jehovah her God to be 
 God alone. These words suggest the explanation both of the judg- 
 
vv. 20— 26.] EZEKIEL, XXVIII. 209 
 
 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son 1° 
 of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, 
 and say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against 22 
 thee, O Zidon ; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee : 
 and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have 
 executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. 
 For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her 23 
 streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of 
 her by the sword upon her on every side ; and they shall 
 know that I a^n the Lord. And there shall be no more a 24 
 pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving 
 thorn of all f/ia^ are round about them, that despised them ; 
 and they shall know that I a7n the Lord God. Thus saith 25 
 the Lord God ; When I shall have gathered the house of 
 Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and 
 shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then 
 shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant 
 Jacob. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build 26 
 houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with con- 
 
 ments upon the nations and of the position which they occupy in the 
 prophet's Book. See introd. to ch. xxv. 
 
 21. In Gen. x. 15 Zidon is the firstborn of Canaan, and it was pro- 
 bably the parent city of Tyre, which lies twenty miles further south. 
 The modern town bears the name Saida. See chart of Sidon in Rawl. 
 Phenic. p. 66. 
 
 22. be glorified] Or, get me glory (honour). So for " be sanc- 
 tified"' get me sanctifying, or shew myself holy. To get sanctifying 
 for himself is to get recognition as God alone, and that which God 
 alone is. To " get glory" is a part of to get sanctifying. 
 
 23. woimded.,, be Judged] Rather: shall fall, or, fall thick, if the 
 word be read as an intensive. The judgments on Zidon shall bring 
 home to her that there is a great God and that He has sent them. 
 This God is Jehovah God of Israel, God alone. The prophet speaks 
 from his own belief. 
 
 24. "Brier" is "thorn" ch. ii. 6 (slightly different form). The 
 term "pricking" is used of the leprosy (Lev. xiii. 51, fretting). 
 
 25. Read peoples for people. 
 
 sanctified in them] i.e. through them, in their restoration. Jehovah 
 is sanctified through the chastisement of the nations who distress His 
 people, and He is sanctified through His people's restoration. On 
 "sanctify" cf. v. 22. 
 
 viy servant Jacob] Cf. ch. xxxvii. 25 ; the phrase already in Jcr. 
 XXX. 10, and frequently in Is. xl. — Ixvi. 
 
 26. dwell safely] Or, with confidence, feeling secure, Jer. xxiii. 6 i 
 EZEKIEL 14 
 
2IO EZEKIEL, XXVIII. [v. 26. 
 
 fidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those 
 that despise them round about them ; and they shall know 
 that I am the Lord their God. 
 
 Am. ix. 14; Is. Ixv. 21; Ezek. xxxiv. 27, xxxviii. 8, xxxix. 26. An 
 illustration of the promise is seen in ch. xxxviii. — ix. 
 
 know that I am the Lord] This oft-repeated phrase is not a mere 
 formula. The prophet's idea is that Jehovah does all, brings all cala- 
 mities, causes all catastrophes and revolutions in states, and guides 
 the fortunes of Israel in the sight of the nations, with one great 
 design in view — to make himself, the true and only God, known to all 
 mankind. 
 
 Ch. XXIX.— XXXII. Prophecy against Egypt. 
 
 With the exception of the passage ch. xxix. 17 — 21 the prophecies 
 against Egypt belong to a time shortly anterior to the fall of Jerusalem 
 or shortly after it. Ch. xxix. is dated about seven months before the 
 capture of the city; ch. xxx. 20 seq. about four months, and ch. xxxi. 
 about two months before that event, while ch. xxxii. falls somewhat 
 more than a year and a half later than the destruction. The active 
 participation of Egypt in the affairs of Israel all this time, the hopes 
 reposed in her by the people (Lam. iv. 17), and the disappointments 
 caused by her, explain the large space devoted by the prophet to her 
 character and her destinies in the purposes of Jehovah. 
 
 The general thought prevailing in the prophecy is the same as that 
 in other parts of Ezekiel's book, viz. that Jehovah, God of Israel, is 
 the one true God, and that all the movements among the nations, the 
 overthrow of some and the triumphs of others, are his operations, and 
 that they are but parts of a general rule and direction of the world, the 
 design of which is to make himself known to all the nations as the one 
 living and true God. The two sins for which Egypt, represented by 
 Pharaoh, is chastised are, first, pride of heart which recognizes no God 
 above it, which says, My River is mine, I have made it (xxix. 3) ; and 
 second, the deceptive fascination which the imposing and pretentious 
 power of the Nile valley exerted on the people of God, seducing them 
 away from trust in Jehovah alone (cf. Is. xxx. i — 5, xxxi. i — 3), and 
 proving always a delusive support (xxix. 6, 7). This reed which, 
 so far from supporting, pierced the hand that leant on it, must be 
 broken for ever, that in the future (the new age about to dawn) the 
 people of Jehovah may no more be tempted to trust in it. 
 
 Egypt, however, is a different kind of power both from the petty 
 peoples like Edom and Moab, and from Tyre the great commercial 
 mart of the nations. The smaller nations suffer because of their 
 despite against Israel, and in suffering they learn what Jehovah is. 
 Tyre did not affect to be a conqueror. She was the lady at whose feet 
 the nations laid their tribute of precious ores and jewels, rich cloths 
 and sweet perfumes. The prince of Tyre prided himself upon his 
 wisdom, his skill in seamanship and commerce, his brilliant ingenuity 
 in the arts, and on his beauty and splendour. The sin of Tyre was 
 
EZEKIEL, XXVIII. 
 
 this ungodly pride of mind, and this wholly secular devotion to trade. 
 But Egypt is a world power. It rules nations (xxix. 15), It is a 
 great cedar, envied by the trees in the garden of God (xxxi. 9), in the 
 branches of which all the fowls of heaven nest, and under the shadow 
 of which all the beasts of the field bring forth (xxxi. 6). It aspires 
 to universal dominion. Hence in treating of it the prophet's mind 
 takes a wider sweep. He thinks of Jehovah as God over all, and of 
 his operations as embracing the world. The judgment of Egypt is 
 the day of the Lord (xxx. 3); it is the time of the Gentiles. Hence 
 its overthrow is felt over the world (xxxii. 10). Creation shudders ; 
 the waters stand motionless (xxxi. 15). Jehovah is known to the ends 
 of the earth (xxx. 19, 26). 
 
 Each of the four chapters is formed in the main upon the same 
 model, containing first, a general threat of destruction upon Egypt, 
 represented by the Pharaoh, under some allegorical designation (e.g. 
 the crocodile) ; secondly, a more particular detail of the instrument 
 whom Jehovah shall use (the king of Babylon), the destruction of 
 the country and the dispersion of its inhabitants; to which, thirdly, 
 in several of the chapters a description is added of the effect on the 
 nations and all creation which these terrible convulsions shall produce. 
 These events shall be done on the stage of the world, with mankind 
 as spectators ; Jehovah shall brandish his sword in the eyes of the 
 nations, and nature and men will shudder (xxxii. 10). Ch. xxxii. ends 
 with a dirge chanted over the interment of Pharaoh, which is one 
 of the most weird passages in literature. 
 
 Ch. xxix. General threat of Judgment on Pharaoh 
 and his people. 
 
 (i) w. I — 7. Pharaoh is presented under the allegory of a great 
 crocodile inhabiting the waters of the land, and the population as 
 fishes. Jehovah with his hook shall draw him out of his waters, with 
 his fishes cleaving to his scales, and shall cast his carcase upon the 
 desert, where the fowls and the beasts shall batten on him. The causes 
 of this judgment on Pharaoh and his people are, his ungodly pride 
 (z/. 3), and the fact that he has always proved a delusive confidence 
 to Israel, seducing them from their single trust in Jehovah {vv. 6, 7). 
 
 (2) w. 8 — \^. Explanation of the allegory. A great conqueror, 
 stirred up by Jehovah, will overthrow Pharaoh, destroy his people and 
 desolate his land. The inhabitants shall be scattered into all countries, 
 and Egypt shall remain utterly desolate, trodden by the foot neither 
 of man nor beast, for the space of forty years. 
 
 (3) vv. 13 — 16. At the end of forty years Egypt shall be restored, 
 but only to attain the rank of a mean power, meaner than all the 
 kingdoms of the earth. It shall no more rule over nations, and no 
 more from its imposing greatness be a temptation to the people of 
 Jehovah to put their trust in it. The term of forty years is considered 
 by the prophet the time of Chaldean supremacy. At the end of this 
 period the world shall be revolutionised. 
 
 (4) w. 17 — ■21. A passage of date 570 B.C., probably inserted after 
 
 14—2 
 
212 EZEKIEL, XXIX. [vv. 1—5. 
 
 29 In the tenth year, in the tenth months in the twelfth day 
 of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 
 
 2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, 
 
 3 and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt : speak, 
 and say. Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against 
 thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that Heth in 
 the midst of his rivers, which hath said. My river is mine 
 
 4 own, and I have made it for myself. But I will put hooks 
 in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick 
 unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of 
 thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy 
 
 5 scales. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, 
 thee and all the fish of thy rivers : thou shalt fall upon the 
 open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor 
 
 the prophecies against Egypt had been reduced to writing — hardly 
 after the book had been pubhshed — and suggested by the termination 
 of Nebuchadnezzar's thirteen years' siege of Tyre. It consists of a 
 promise to Nebuchadnezzar that Egypt shall be given him as a recom- 
 pense for the service which he served in Jehovah's behalf against Tyre, 
 for which service he failed at Tyre to obtain the adequate reward. 
 
 1 — 7. Pharaoh under the allegory of the crocodile, and the popu- 
 lation as fishes. Jehovah draws him out of the waters with his hook 
 and flings him on the land. 
 
 3. the great dragoti] i.e. the crocodile. Conversely the present 
 Arabs with some humour name the crocodile "Pharaoh." 
 
 ?nidst of his 7'ivers] The Nile arms and canals. 
 
 My river is mine\ The Nile. The prophet is well aware what the 
 Nile is to Egypt, and he represents Pharaoh, who, just like the prince 
 of Tyre, is the impersonation of the spirit and disposition of the people 
 of Egypt, as equally well aware. The Nile is the life and the wealth 
 of the land. And Pharaoh in his pride claims to be the creator, the 
 author of it. To the prophet's profoundly religious mind this is 
 blasphemous arrogance. 
 
 made it for myself] A peculiar construction, but not impossible, 
 of. Zech. vii. 5. 
 
 4. with hooks. This is suggested by the monster inhabiting the 
 waters. Possibly the crocodile was occasionally caught with hooks, 
 as Herodotus affirms (cf. ch. xxxii. 3), although Job xli. i seems to 
 doubt the practicability of it. On "hooks," ch. xxxviii. 4; Is. xxxvii. 
 29. 
 
 fsh of thy rivers'] A figure for the population of the country of 
 rivers; hardly merely for the army of Pharaoh. 
 
 5. 7vill leave thee thrown] I will tlirow thee down upon. 
 brought together] does not differ from "gathered," meaning "buried," 
 
 cf. Jer. viii. 2, xvi. 4, xxv. 33. The great dragon's carcase shall be 
 
vv. 6-IO.] EZEKIEL, XXIX. 213 
 
 gathered : I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the 
 field and to the fowls of the heaven. And all the in- 6 
 habitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because 
 they have been a staiT of reed to the house of Israel. When ^ 
 they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and 
 rent all their shoulder : and when they leaned upon thee, 
 thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will bring a 8 
 sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. 
 And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste ; and 9 
 they shall know that I am the Lord : because he hath said, 
 The river is mine, and I have made it. Behold therefore, I 10 
 am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the 
 land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of 
 
 flung upon the fields, which means death to the water monster; and 
 the fowls and beasts shall feed on it. It is not necessary to allegorize 
 the fowls and beasts, they belong to the figure of the carcase, ch. 
 xxxix. 17 seq.\ Is. xviii. 6; Jer. vii. 33, xxxiv. 20. 
 
 6. The people of Egypt shall learn as of old who it is that sends 
 such judgments upon them. 
 
 staff of reed] A staff or stay which was but a reed, and broke wlien 
 leant upon {v. 7). Cf. Is. xxxvi. 6; 2 Kings xviii. 21. The figure 
 of the reed was natural when speaking of Egypt. 
 
 7. foji hold... by thy hand] Rather: take hold of thee with the 
 hand, as Heb. marg. All the verbs are better put in the present: 
 take hold... dost break., dost rend, &c. 
 
 madest... to be at a stand] Rather: makest all loins to shake (reading 
 him'adta for ha'amadta, Ps. Ixix. 24). 
 
 8 — 12. For this irreligious self-exaltation Egypt shall be made a 
 desolation from Migdol to Syene, even to the border of Ethiopia, 
 
 8. The name of the conqueror of Egypt is not indicated in this 
 preliminary threatening. The sword that comes on Egypt is the sword 
 of the Lord, cf. xiv. 17, xxxii. 11, 12, 13. The land shall be utterly 
 desolated, man and beast swept away. It need not be said that these 
 prophetic threatenings have always an element of the ideal in them. 
 
 9. The ungodly overweening pride of Egypt is chiefly mentioned 
 as the cause of its humiliation. It is a common idea that pride draws 
 forth the judgment of Jehovah, who is alone exalted (Is. ii. iii.). The 
 prophet assumes that this pride is irreligious and an offence against 
 Jehovah. However sedulously devoted the Egyptians might be in 
 serving their own gods, their religion did not prevent this self-dei- 
 fication, which was an offence against him who was God alone. 
 
 10. the toiver of Syene] Rather : from Migdol unto Syene— from 
 Lower Egypt to the southern border of Upper Egypt. Migdol is said 
 to have been situated 12 miles S. of Pelusium, upon the N. border 
 of Lower Egypt (Ex. xiv. 2; Jer. xliv. r, xlvi. 14; Num. xxxiii. 7). 
 
214 EZEKIEL, XXIX. [vv. 11-16. 
 
 11 Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. No foot of man 
 shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, 
 
 12 neither shall it be inhabited forty years. And I will make 
 the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that 
 are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid 
 waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the 
 Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through 
 
 13 the countries. Yet thus saith the Lord God ; At the end of 
 forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people 
 
 14 whither they were scattered : and I will bring again the 
 captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the 
 land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation ; and they 
 
 15 shall be there a base kingdom. It shall be the basest of 
 the kingdoms ; neither shall it exalt itself any more above 
 the nations : for I will diminish them, that they shall no 
 
 16 more rule over the nations. And it shall be no more the 
 confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their 
 
 Syene (ch. xxx. 6), the modern Assouan, on the S. border of Upper 
 Egypt. Cush or Ethiopia lay to the south of Pathros or Upper 
 Egypt ; its capital lay near the 4th Cataract, between Abu Hamed and 
 old Dongola. 
 
 11. No foot of 7nan\ See xxxii. 13, cf. xxxiii. 28, xxxv. 7; Jer. 
 ii. 6. The desolation of Egypt shall continue forty years, the period 
 of Chaldean supremacy (c/. iv. 6). 
 
 12. Cf. xii. 15, xxvi. 19, xxx. 7. 
 
 13. After forty years of desolation Egypt shall be restored, though 
 only to the rank of a humble kingdom. It shall no more rule over 
 the nations {v. 15); and no more be a confidence to the house of 
 Israel, seducing them away from trust in Jehovah alone. 
 
 Yet thus sait/i] For thus. Ezekiel considers forty years — a general 
 expression like Jeremiah's seventy years — to be the period of Baby- 
 lonian supremacy in the world. At the end of this period a change 
 in the aspect of the world shall supervene under Jehovah's guidance; 
 Israel will be restored (ch. iv. 6), and the other nations subject to 
 Babylon shall be reinstated. Egypt shall be restored though only 
 to be a humble state in comparison of her former greatness. For 
 people peoples. 
 
 14. land of Pa/hros] i.e. Upper Egypt or the Thebaid, ch. xxx. 14 ; 
 Is. xi. II ; Jer. xliv. 15. The name is said to mean "south land." 
 
 their habitation] their origin, or birth, cf. xvi. 3. For the phrase 
 ** bring again the captivity" i.e. probably turn the fortunes, cf. xvi. 53. 
 
 a base kingdovi} i.e. a low or humble state, ch. xvii. 6, 14. 
 
 16. the confidence] Cf. Is. xxx. 2, 3, xxxvi. 4, 6. 
 
 bringeth iniquity to remembrance] The phrase occurs again Num. 
 V. 15; I Kings xvii. 18; Ezek. xxi. 23, 24, and appears to mean to 
 
V. 17.] EZEKIEL, XXIX. 215 
 
 iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them : 
 but they shall know that I am the Lord God. 
 
 And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in 
 
 accuse before God. The phrase here is scarcely in apposition to "con- 
 fidence," but is rather parallel to that word and a further description 
 of Egypt — 710 fnore a confidence and a reminder of iniquity. Egypt 
 was a seduction to Israel, leading them to trust in it and distrust Je- 
 hovah; it was an accuser of Israel before Jehovah, calling Israel's 
 iniquity to his mind. The iniquity lay primarily in trusting in Egypt, 
 but it might be wider and more general (i Kings xvii. 18). 
 
 when they shall look] Rather : in their turning after them — in 
 Israel's turning to the Egyptians for help. Cf. xxiii. -27, and on x. 11. 
 In the happy time of Israel's restoration not only shall attack and 
 enmity on the part of the surrounding nations be removed, but all 
 temptation also to look to any for salvation but their God alone. 
 
 they shall know] seems said of Israel. See last note. 
 
 That Ezekiel names a term of forty years as the period of Chaldean 
 supremacy, and looks for the turn of the world's affairs in Jehovah's 
 hand in so short a space of time is in conformity with the manner of 
 representation in all the prophets. To all the day of the Lord is near 
 (Joel ii. I ; Zeph. i. i ; Is. vii. ). In Is. xxiii. seventy years are named 
 as the period of Tyre's humiliation, at the end of which time she shall 
 be remembered and dedicate her hire to the Lord. In Jeremiah this 
 period is the duration of the captivity of Judah. Such numbers as 
 forty, seventy are general. They imply however that the prophets 
 conceived of the time as comparatively short. It is less easy to sug- 
 gest an explanation of this mode of conception. What has been 
 named "perspective" in prophecy offers no explanation, for this 
 so-called perspective is but another name for the thing to be explained. 
 The explanation is to be sought rather on these lines: i. The pro- 
 phets deal with principles, with what might be called absolute con- 
 ceptions. Such conceptions are good and evil, Jehovah and the false 
 gods, true religion and idolatry, the kingdom of Jehovah and the 
 power of the heathen world. What the prophets depict is usually a 
 conflict of these principles, and every conflict which they perceive 
 seems to them the absolute and final one, because it is a conflict of 
 principles. True religion comes out of the struggle victorious — the 
 Kingdom is the Lord's. 2. Moving thus among principles the mind 
 of the prophets either took no note of time, or else as they deal in 
 general with great movements of their own day, these present or 
 imminent movements assume an absolute moral and religious meaning. 
 They appear the embodiment of the principles which fill the prophetic 
 mind. Consequently their issue is the final decision, which therefore 
 appears at hand. When the prophets embody their general concep- 
 tion of the nearness of the final crisis in numbers, these numbers are 
 usually round, and express merely a powerful religious presentiment. 
 
 w. 17 — 21. A later passage of date 570, sixteen years after the 
 fall of Jerusalem, written probably after Nebuchadnezzar's thirteen 
 
2i6 EZEKIEL, XXIX. [vv. 18—21. 
 
 the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of 
 
 18 the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebuchad- 
 rezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great 
 service against Tyrus : every head was made bald, and 
 every shoulder was peeled : yet had he no wages, nor his 
 army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against 
 
 19 it : therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will give 
 the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon ; 
 and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and 
 take her prey ; and it shall be the wages for his army. 
 
 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour where- 
 with he served against it, because they wrought for me, 
 
 21 saith the Lord God. In that day will I cause the horn of 
 the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the 
 
 years* siege of Tyre had come to an end, and inserted among the 
 prophecies relating to Egypt already collected. Nebuchadnezzar had 
 served a great service for Jehovah against Tyre, for which neither he 
 nor his army had received wages. Jehovah will recompense him for 
 his service against Tyre by giving him the land of Egypt. 
 
 18. On spelling of Nebuchadnezzar cf. xxvi. 7, xxx. 10. 
 
 every head made bald'] Not by the length of time but by the hard 
 service, the rubbing of the armour or the burdens borne on head and 
 shoulder, Arabic poets refer to the baldness caused by the head- 
 pieces. The siege of Tyre lasted thirteen years, but while this is well 
 attested history is silent as to the issue of the siege. Whatever the 
 issue was Neb. and his army did not reap adequate reward from it — 
 he had no wages for his service done for Jehovah. 
 
 19. take her inultitude'\ i.e. carry away. Others: her wealth, or 
 abundance, but wrongly, cf. xxx. 4, 10, 15, xxxi. 2, 18. The words 
 rather disturb the vigorous "spoil her spoil" (xxxviii. 12, 13), and are 
 wanting in LXX. 
 
 20. for his labour'\ Rather: as Ms recompense for which he 
 served. 
 
 because they wrought'] Or, for that which they wrought for me. 
 The subject is still Neb. and his army; it was Jehovah's work in which 
 they served against Tyre. 
 
 21. The passage concludes with a promise to Israel. 
 
 In that day] An indefinite term common in all the prophets. The 
 ref. is to the general time when Neb. shall have humbled Egypt. 
 After that shall the time of Israel's prosperity come in. Cf. Is. iv. 2, 
 xi. 10, xix. 18, 19. 
 
 the horn of the house] I will cause a horn to bud forth to the 
 house of Israel. The *'horn" is the symbol of power (La m, iv. g)' /O 
 with the budding of the horn power waxes or is exhibited. The ref. 
 is general, to the restoration of Israel to prosperity and influence, 
 
vv. 1—3.] EZEKIEL, XXX. 217 
 
 opening of the mouth in the midst of them ; and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son 30 
 of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Howl "" 
 ye, Woe worth the day ! For the day is near, even the day 3 
 
 hardly particularly to the raising up of the personal Messiah (Ps. 
 cxxxii. 17). On figure of. i Kings xxii. 11; Am. vi. 13; Jer. xlviii. 
 25; I Sam. ii. i. 
 
 the opening] opening of. The prophet felt his mouth closed by 
 the incredulity of the people, and the improbability, as it seemed to 
 them, of his predictions. His mouth was opened and he had boldness 
 of speech when his anticipations were verified. It is the causing of a 
 horn to bud to Israel that will give the prophet opening of the mouth. 
 All his prophecies since the exile had been prophecies of Israel's 
 restoration, and Israel's restored felicity will fulfil them. The phrase 
 give thee opening of the mouth means little more than give verifica- 
 tion to thy words. The idea of the prophet's own presence when this 
 occurs is hardly to be pressed. 
 
 Ch. XXX. Further prophecies against Egypt. 
 
 Ch. XXX. consists of two prophecies, the first of which, zn). i — 19, 
 in all probability belongs to the same dale as xxix. i — 16, that is, 
 about seven months before the fall of Jerusalem; and the second, vv. 
 20 — 26, is dated four months before the capture of the city. The 
 second prophecy seems to have been suggested by some actual reverse 
 inflicted on Pharaoh, called "breaking his arm" {w. 21, 22), and fur- 
 ther disaster is threatened against him. 
 
 Unlike the petty nations lying around Israel Egypt is a world power. 
 Its influence is felt over all nations, and its history and destinies interest 
 and affect the world. When Jehovah interposes to deal with it man- 
 kind and nature feel his presence. His interposition is the day of the 
 Lord, a day of darkness and terror over all. When Egypt is judged 
 creation wraps herself in a pall. — Like the other prophecies in Ezekiel 
 the chapter is filled up with details within its general frame. The 
 main ideas, however, are these : r. Egypt with her many allied nations, 
 whose troops compose her vast and many-coloured army, shall be 
 overthrown. 2. Her great cities, the centres of her life and restless 
 activity, shall be cast to the ground, and her teeming population 
 scattered among all the nations. 3. Her idols and all her idolatries 
 shall cease, and her native princes (closely connected with her priest- 
 hood and worship) shall be cut off. And Jehovah shall be known. 
 
 2. Howl ye] The day of the Lord is one of terror and lamentation, 
 Am. v. 20 ; Is. xiii. 6; Zeph. i. 7, 14 ; Joel ii. i se</. 
 
 3. the day is tiear] The "day" of the Lord is never in the pro- 
 phets a mere calamity or judgment from God. It is the time of Jeho- 
 vah's final interposition in the world to do judgment, to chastise evil, 
 and give the cruwning victory to his own cause. This day has a 
 
2i8 EZEKIEL, XXX. [vv. 4-6. 
 
 of the Lord is near, a cloudy day ; it shall be the time of 
 
 4 the heathen. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and 
 great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in 
 Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her 
 
 5 foundations shall be broken down. Ethiopia, and Libya, 
 and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the 
 men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by 
 
 6 the sword. Thus saith the Lord ; They also that uphold 
 
 universal bearing: particularly, it falls in terror and calamity upon the 
 heathen, the foes of Jehovah's kingdom, but also upon the sinners in 
 Zion, those who are at ease and settled on their lees (Zeph. i. 12), 
 on the proud and the oppressors of the poor (Is. ii. 12). The pre- 
 sentiment of this day is common to all the prophets, and the know- 
 ledge of it exists among the people (Am. v. 18). The feeling of its 
 nearness, however, was awakened in various ways : either by great 
 convulsions among the nations or calamities, in which Jehovah was 
 so visibly operating that his final interposition seemed at hand (Is. 
 xiii. ; Zeph. i. 7 ; Joel ii. i ) ; or, by a moral condition of the world 
 which it was felt he nmst intervene to chastise and put an end to 
 (Is. ii., iii.). Naturally the convulsions or calamities which awakened 
 the presentiment of the nearness of the day passed over and the day 
 was deferred, but this does not justify the supposition that the prophets 
 mean merely a great calamity or judgment by the day of the Lord. 
 
 the time of the heathen] the nations, the foes of Jehovah's kingdom 
 and people, when Jehovah shall be revealed to them and they shall be 
 judged. Is. ii., iii., xiii. 22; Jer. xxvii. 7; Ezek. vii. 7, xxii. 3. 
 
 4. great pain] anguish, a late word, cf. v. 9. 
 
 her multitude] Ch. xxix. 19; cf. vv. 10, 15, ch. xxxi. 1. Her 
 "foundations" is suggested by the idea of a building overthrown. 
 Reference is hardly to the allies and mercenaries on whom Egypt 
 relied in war, rather to the classes and institutions in which the strength 
 of the state lay. 
 
 5. See on xxvii. 10 ; Heb. is Cush and Phut and Lud. For Cush 
 LXX. reads Persians as xxvii. 10, for Phut Cretans, and for Lud 
 Lydians. 
 
 the mingled people] perhaps foreigners. In Jer. xxv. 24 these so 
 named ("ereb) are represented as having kings and dwelling in the 
 desert (cf. i Kings x. 15), and in v. 20 they are named next to the 
 kings of Uz. On the other hand in Jer. 1. 37 they are spoken of as 
 being in the midst of Babylon. Hence the sense of "mercenaries'" 
 has been suggested. In the present passage some distinct people 
 seems intended. 
 
 the land that is in league] Lit., children of the land of the covenant. 
 Reference can hardly be to the land of Israel, or to refugees from 
 Israel in Egypt. Either some definite country is meant, the name of 
 which would be suggested by the prophet's description, or "land" is 
 used collectively — all allied lands. The name Chub does not occur 
 
vv. 7— 13] EZEKIEL, XXX. 219 
 
 Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come 
 down : from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the 
 sword, saith the Lord God. And they shall be desolate in 7 
 the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities 
 shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. And 8 
 they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a 
 fire in Egypt, and wheti all her helpers shall be destroyed. 
 In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to 9 
 make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall 
 come upon them, as in the day of Egypt : for lo, it cometh. 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; I will also make the multitude 10 
 of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of 
 Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of the n 
 nations, shall be brought to destroy the land : and they shall 
 draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the 
 slain. And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land 12 
 into the hand of the wicked : and I will make the land 
 waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers : I 
 the Lord have spoken //. Thus saith the Lord God ; I 13 
 will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to 
 
 again; LXX. Libyans, and in Nah. iii. 9 the Lubim appear beside 
 Cush, Egypt and Phut. 
 
 6. the toiver of Syene] from Migdol to Syene; cf. xxix. 10. 
 
 7. A frequently recurring expression; cf. xxix. 12. 
 
 8. "Fire" is a frequent figure for war and its desolations, w. 14, 
 16, ch. XV. 5, XX. 47, xxxix. 6. 
 
 9. messengers... i7i ships'] Cf. Is. xviii. 1. The word "ships" 
 again Numb. xxiv. 24; Is. xxxiii. 21. 
 
 go forth from me] This means more than that messengers go in 
 ships from Egypt, where Jehovah is present. He sends them ; his 
 intervention in Egypt is designed to alarm the world, and bring him- 
 self to its knowledge. 
 
 as in the day] in the day (om. as) Is. xxiii. 5. 
 
 10. The instrument whom Jehovah uses is here named for the first 
 time, except in the later passage, ch. xxix. 17 — 21. 
 
 11. terrible of the nations] Cf. ch. xxviii. 7, xxxi. 12, xxxii. 12. 
 
 12. tnake the rivers dry] Cf. Is. xix. 5, 6. The expression is 
 scarcely figurative (Is. xliv. 27); the drying up of her rivers would be 
 the severest calamity that could befall Egypt, as indeed in all her 
 history whenever her canal system has been allowed to fall into dis- 
 repair the country has sunk into wretchedness. 
 
 hand of the wicked] Or, of evil men, ch. vii. 24; Jer. xv. 21; cf. Is. 
 xix. 4 "a cruel lord." 
 
 13. destroy the idols'] On "idols" ch. vi. 5. The clause fails in LXX. 
 
220 EZEKIEL, XXX. [vv. 14—17. 
 
 cease out of Noph ; and there shall be no more a prince of 
 the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of 
 
 14 Egypt. And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire 
 
 15 in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. And I will 
 pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I 
 
 16 will cut off the multitude of No. And I will set fire in 
 Egypt : Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent 
 
 17 asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. The young 
 men of Aven and of Phi-beseth shall fall by the sword : and 
 
 their images to cease] Lit., their not-gods, a favourite term of 
 Isaiah's, e.g. xix. i, 3, though found only here in Ezek. For "not- 
 gods" (elllim) LXX. renders "magnates'' (ehm), which no doubt 
 gives a good parallelism to the next clause; cf. Is, xxxiv. 12. 
 
 ptit a fear] Cf. Is. xix. 16, Egypt "shall fear because of the 
 shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it." 
 Noph (in Hos. ix. 6 Moph) is Memphis, the most important city of 
 lower Egypt, lying on the left bank of the Nile, somewhat south of 
 the modern Cairo. Is. xix. 13; Jer. ii. 16, xliv. i, xlvi. 14. 
 
 14. Pathros is upper Egypt, or its capital, xxix. 14. Zoan, or 
 Tanis, the modern San, on the south shore of lake Menzaleh, accord- 
 ing to Numb. xiii. 22 built seven years after Hebron, cf. Ps. Ixxviii. 
 12, 43. 
 
 15. Sin, called here the "bulwark of Egypt," is usually identified 
 with Pelusium, which lying on the N.-E. frontier of the country might 
 be considered the key to it. 
 
 multitude of No] i.e. No-Amon (Nah. iii. 8) or Thebes, the capital 
 of Upper Egypt, Jer. xlvi. 25. 
 
 16. rent asunder] i.e. broken through by armed assault, cf. xxvi. 
 10 (last words). 
 
 have distresses daily] distresses (or adversaries) in the day-time; 
 cf. Zeph. ii. 4, "they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday" (Jer. xv. 8). 
 The construction is unnatural, and the text may be in some confusion. 
 LXX. reads differently. 
 
 17. young juen of Aven] i.e. On or Heliopolis, "city of the sun," 
 Jer. xliii. 13; cf. Gen. xli. 45. The obelisk known as Cleopatra's 
 Needle belonged to the sun temple in On ; and in the vicinity of the 
 ruins near the village Matariyeh stands the sycamore under which 
 tradition affirms that the Holy Family rested in their flight to Egypt. 
 The modern name is Ain Shems (sun-fountain) a few miles N.-E. 
 of Cairo. 
 
 Phi-beseth shall fall] i.e. Bubastos or Bubastis, Egyptian Pa Bast, 
 house of Bast or Pasht, the goddess to whom the cat was sacred, and 
 who herself was represented under the aspect of the cat. The cat 
 mummies were here preserved. The place lay on the Pelusiac arm of 
 the Nile ; the ruins, bearing the name Tell Basta, are not far from 
 the modern Zagazig. Herod, mentions that at a yearly festival held 
 here as many as 700,000 people would assemble. 
 
vv. i8— 21.] EZEKIEL, XXX. 221 
 
 these cities shall go into captivity. At Tehaphnehes also is 
 the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the 
 yokes of Egypt : and the pomp of her strengtli shall cease in 
 her : as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters 
 shall go into captivity. Thus will I execute judgments in 19 
 Egypt : and they shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first 20 
 //lont/i, in the seventh day of the month, thai the word of 
 the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have broken 21 
 the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt ; and lo, it shall not be 
 
 18. Tehaphnehes, spelled somewhat dififerently Jer. ii. 16. Jer. 
 xliii. 8 speaks of a royal palace there, and xlvi. 14 it is named along 
 with Memphis as a chief city in Egypt. Its site is probably the 
 modern Tell Defenneh (Daphnae), near the Pelusiac arm of the 
 Nile, south of lake Menzaleh, about 30 miles S.-W. of the ancient 
 Pelusium. 
 
 the yokes of Egypf^ must here be those imposed by Egypt, a sense 
 not very suitable to the connexion. A different pointing would give 
 sceptres (LXX.) or staves — but "staves" in the sense of supports is 
 more than doubtful (cf. Is. xiv. 5). 
 
 her daughters^ may be literal (cf. v. 17, young men of On), or said 
 figuratively of her towns. 
 
 19. The purpose of these convulsions among the nations is that 
 Jehovah the true God may be known ; and this purpose will not fail. 
 
 20—26. A NEW PROPHECY AGAINST EGYPT, FOUR MONTHS BEFORE 
 THE FALL OF JERUSALEM. 
 
 Pharaoh seems to have quite recently suffered a defeat {v. 11), and a 
 complete disaster to his power is threatened {v. 22). This idea is 
 expressed in a figure : one of his arms has been irremediabl) broken, 
 it cannot be healed so as again to grasp the sword [v. 21). But both 
 arms shall be broken, the strong one as well as the disabled one, and 
 the sword shall fall out of his hand {z'. 22). But Jehovah will make 
 strong the arms of Nebuchadnezzar, and put his own sword into his 
 hand, which he shall stretch out over Egypt. It is Jehovah's sword 
 that Neb. wields, and Egypt shall be scattered among the nations. 
 
 21. broken the arm] While the Chaldeans were besieging Jeru- 
 salem the army of Pharaoh Hophra (Apries) advanced and compelled 
 them to raise the siege, Jer. xxxvii. 5; cf xxxiv. 71. The Egyptians 
 were repulsed and the siege renewed. It is possible that breaking the 
 arm of Pharaoh refers to this circumstance. At all events the distinc- 
 tion between the two arms, and the threat that both the sound and 
 the fractured one shall be altogether broken, suggest that an actual 
 past occurrence is referred to in the figure o^v. 2\. 
 
222 EZEKIEL, XXX. [vv. 22—26. 
 
 bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it 
 
 22 strong to hold the sword. Therefore thus saith the Lord 
 God; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and 
 will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken ; 
 
 23 and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. And 
 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will 
 
 24 disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen 
 the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword m his 
 hand : but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan 
 before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 
 
 25 But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and 
 the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down ; and they shall know 
 that I am the Lord, when I shall put my sword into the 
 hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out 
 
 26 upon the land of Egypt. And I will scatter the Egyptians 
 among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; 
 and they shall know that I atn the Lord. 
 
 a roller to bind if\ i.e. a bandage. For the word cf. xvi. 4, Job 
 xxxviii. 9. 
 
 23. The consequence of breaking Pharaoh's arms will be the utter 
 defencelessness of the people of Egypt, which shall be scattered into 
 all lands. In v. 26 their dispersion is looked at from the other side, 
 and said to follow from Jehovah's strengthening the arms of the king 
 of Babylon. 
 
 24. groan before htm] Pharaoh shall groan before Nebuchad- 
 nezzar as a wounded man groans. The figure is well pursued. The 
 "arm" sometimes means the "helper," but here the two champions 
 appear as if engaged in a personal combat. Jehovah strikes do\A-n the 
 arms of Pharaoh,' and the sword falls from his grasp; he strengthens 
 the arms of Nebuchadnezzar, putting his own sword into his hand. 
 And thus the king of Egypt, mortally wounded, groans before his 
 adversary from his death-stroke. Cf. xxviii. 9. 
 
 26. See on v. 23. 
 
 Ch. XXXI. Pharaoh under the figure of a great cedar 
 
 CUT DOWN and flung UPON THE GROUND. 
 
 The passage has three parts : 
 
 (i) 7JV. I — 9. Pharaoh, the impersonation of the spirit and might 
 of Egypt, was a lofty cedar, with spreading branches, and its top 
 in the clouds. All the fowls lodged in the branches, and all the 
 beasts brought forth their young under it. Its waters nourished it and 
 made it great. The trees in the garden of God did not equal it; all 
 the trees of Eden envied it. 
 
 (.2) w. 10 — 14. The great tree shall be cut down by the mighty 
 
vv. 1—3.] EZEKIEL, XXXI. 223 
 
 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third 31 
 motith, in the first day of the month, t/iat the word of the 
 Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto 2 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art 
 thou like in thy greatness ? Behold, the Assyrian 7vas a 3 
 
 one of the nations, and thrown upon the ground. Its bulk shall fill 
 the mountains and valleys of the land. All the nations shall depart 
 from under the shadow of it ; and the fowls and beasts of the field 
 shall feed on it. Its heart was lifted up because of its great height, 
 therefore it shall be cut down, that none of the trees lift themselves 
 up and put their head among the clouds. 
 
 (3) w. 15 — 18. Nature shall shudder and put on blackness over 
 the fall of Pharaoh. And the great trees of the garden of God that 
 are gone down to the pit shall be comforted when Pharaoh and his 
 auxiliaries descend among them. 
 
 The allegory is easily read. The mighty cedar, burying its head in 
 the clouds, is the proud king and his powerful state, aspiring to a 
 greatness that belongs to heaven. The fowls and beasts lodging under 
 the shadow of the tree are the nations of the earth seeking his pro- 
 tection and subject to him (Dan. iv. 12). The trees in the garden 
 of God are other mighty states impersonated in their rulers. The 
 universal meaning which was given to the judgment on Egypt by 
 representing it as the day of the Lord in ch. xxx. is suggested here 
 in other ways, by the imposing height of the cedar, unapproachable 
 by other trees in the garden of God; by the fowls and beasts of the 
 field lodging in the tree — all nations seeking the protection of the 
 Pharaoh; and by the shock which all nature receives when the great 
 tree is cut down and flung upon the ground; and finally by the 
 commotion occasioned in Sheol when Pharaoh descends among the 
 dead (ch. xxxii.; Is. xiv.). In some points the allegory has incon- 
 gruities, as was natural. Pharaoh is a great cedar, but it is his waters — 
 the Nile — that nourish him, and give him an altitude to which the 
 trees of Eden cannot aspire. The cedar is in Lebanon, the home of 
 cedars, but also by the great deep, and probably too in Eden {v. 11). 
 The trees, once in Eden, descend into She61 with those that are gone 
 down to the pit. 
 
 1. The date is about two months before Jerusalem fell. 
 
 2. his muliitude] The population of Egypt; hardly merely his 
 army. 
 
 Whom art thou like] The question seems to imply that none can 
 be compared to him; he is unapproached in his greatness; cf. v. 18. 
 
 3. the Assyrian was a cedar] It is evident that the Assyrian has 
 nothing to do here; any comparison of Egypt to Assyria is without 
 motive. Besides v. 3 is repeated in v. 10, and spoken of Egypt (cf. 
 V. 18). The word "asshur" here is the name of a tree, either the 
 same as teasshur (ch. xxvii. 6), or this form should be read. Render: 
 Behold a stately cedar in Lebanon (lit. a teasshur of a cedar) ; or, behold 
 
224 EZEKIEL, XXXI. [vv. 4— 8. 
 
 cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing 
 shiowd, and of a high stature; and his top was among the 
 
 4 thick boughs. The waters made him great, the deep set him 
 up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, 
 and sent out her httle rivers unto all the trees of the field. 
 
 5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the 
 field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches be- 
 came long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot 
 
 6 forth. All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his 
 boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the 
 field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all 
 
 7 great nations. Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the 
 length of his branches : for his root was by great waters. 
 
 8 I'he cedars in the garden of God could not hide him : the 
 fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees 
 
 a sherbin, a cedar in Lebanon — the more general "cedar" being added 
 after the species. 
 
 a shadowing shrowd'\ The "shroud," usually "forest," must refer 
 to the closely interwoven branches, hardly to the underwood. The 
 phrase is wanting in LXX. 
 
 the thick bozighs\ The clouds, so z^. 10, 14; cf. xix. ir. 
 
 4. set him up on high'] i.e. made him grow lofty. There is pro- 
 bably, however, the figure of a parent nourishing his offspring. The 
 words "made great" and "set on high" are rendered "nourished and 
 brought up" children, Is. i. 2; cf. xxiii. 4. The waters rear the tree 
 as their child. The waters are those of Egypt. 
 
 7vith her rivers riinning] The construction is anomalous, and with 
 expresses accompaniment, not instrumentality. It is easiest to read 
 (\\'ith LXX.): she (the deep) made her rivers to run round. ..and sent 
 out. Or possibly: as for her rivers, they ran, (S:c. 
 
 his plants] Rather: her plantation, "her" referring to the "deep," 
 which nourished the plantation, though this is not quite natural. 
 
 her little rivers] Marg. conduits, the small canals for irrigation. 
 The plenteous waters nourished the great tree and the other trees alike. 
 
 5. his boughs were multiplied] Wanting in LXX. 
 
 zvhett he shot forth] When he sent them fortli, i.e. his branches, 
 cf. xvii. 6, 7. Others: when it (the deep) sent them (the waters) 
 forth ; cf v. 4. 
 
 6. The "fowls" and "beasts" are as much figurative as the tree; 
 they are probably interpreted by "nations" in the end of the verse; 
 cf. xvii. 23; Dan. iv. 12, 14. But see Jer. xxvii. 6. 
 
 8. could not hide him] Probably : equal him, compare with him 
 (cf. the common particle "over against" or "alongside of," i, 20, 
 xlviii. 13, &c.). 
 
 chesmit trees] Probably: plane trees, Gen. xxx. 37; cf Ps. civ. 16; 
 
vv. 9—12.] EZEKIEL, XXXI. 225 
 
 were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden 
 of God was like unto him in his beauty. I have made him 9 
 fair by the multitude of his branches : so that all the trees 
 of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 
 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because thou hast 10 
 lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top 
 among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his 
 height ; I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the n 
 mighty one of the heathen ; he shall surely deal with him : 
 I have driven him out for his wickedness. And strangers, 12 
 the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left 
 him : upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches 
 are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the 
 land ; and all the people of the earth are gone down from 
 
 Numb. xxiv. 6. The trees in the garden of God are naturally the 
 most lofty. 
 
 9. have made him fair] I made him fair. But the idea of his 
 beauty being conferred by God is foreign to the connexion. His 
 statehness was due to his great waters, beside which he was planted ; 
 it was tlie fruit of nature, which in this passage is rather contrasted 
 with God. The words are wanting in LXX., and may be a marginal 
 gloss on "beauty," which a reader attributed to God. If the words 
 be omitted, the last clause of v. 8 should probably be closely connected 
 with V. 9: "and no tree in the garden of God was like unto him, 
 because of (in) the multitude of his branches." 
 
 10—14. Because of his pride in his height he shall be cut 
 DOWN. Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty one of the nations, 
 
 SHALL hew him TO THE GROUND, AND THE BEASTS SHALL FEED 
 
 ON HIM. Such judgment must overtake any great tree 
 
 THAT EXALTS ITSELF INTO THE HEAVENS. 
 
 10. the thick boughs] the clouds. 
 
 11. have... delivered] I will deliver. 
 
 viighty one of the heathen] of the nations, Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 for his wickedness] The traditional reading is : according to his. 
 
 On "driven out" cf. Gen. iii. 24. The whole clause, "I have 
 
 wickedness" appears to fail in LXX. 
 
 12. The tenses in vv. 12, 13 are perfects of threatening: the fut. 
 would be plainer in v. 12 as A.V. v. 13. On "terrible" cf. xxviii. 7. 
 
 have left him] cast him down, ch. xxxii. 4; Am. v. 2. His great 
 trunk covers the land and fills the watercourses. The nations who 
 dwelt under his shadow, seeking his protection, have fled away from 
 him (Dan. iv. 11). For people, peoples. 
 
 EZEKIEL iq 
 
226 EZEKIEL, XXXI. [vv. 13—15. 
 
 13 his shadow, and have left him. Upon his ruin shall all the 
 fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field 
 
 14 shall be upon his branches : to the end that none of all the 
 trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither 
 shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their 
 trees stand up in their height, all that drink water : for the 
 are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the eartl 
 in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down 
 to the pit. 
 
 rs Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when he wen 
 down to the grave I caused a mourning : I covered th 
 deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the 
 
 have left /dm'] and (or, for) they have cast him down. The words 
 seem emphatic repetition from the beginning of the verse. 
 
 13. his mini i.e. his fallen trunk and branches, ch. xxxii. 4, xxxi> 
 1 7 ; Is. xviii. 6. 
 
 14. The downfall of Pharaoh is a chastisement for his pride an' 
 a warning. 
 
 for their heighf] Or, in their. It is not merely pride of hea 
 because of the height, it is the height itself, the shooting up the 
 top among the clouds— aspiring to a greatness belonging only t< 
 heaven— that is the sin. 
 
 thick boughs] the clouds. 
 
 neither their trees stand up] Rather : and that their mighty ones 
 (those of the nations) stand not up (or, forward, i.e. display them- 
 selves) in their height. The phrase "all that drink water" is a cir« 
 cumlocution for "trees," fed by water. 
 
 nether parts of the earth] i.e Sheol, the place of the dead, deep 
 down in the earth, or under it. 
 
 the children ofinoi] i.e. men in general, common men. The meaning 
 is hardly that expressed in Ps. xlix. 10, that all die, the wise as well 
 as the fool and the brutish, and that the "mighty ones" have no 
 privilege over common men in this respect ; the death referred to here 
 is rather the violent death, the death of them slain with the sword, 
 attended with no funeral honours. Cf. ch. xxxii. 17 seq. 
 
 them that go doiun] them that are gone down to the pit. So every- 
 where. The allegory of the tree here passes over into the reality. 
 
 16. Creation puts on mourning and is paralysed at Pharaoh's fall. 
 Lebanon is covered with blackness, and all the trees faint. 
 
 dozvji to the grave] to Shebl, the place of the dead. 
 
 caused a mourning] Rather: I caused to mourn, I covered the 
 deep for him. The term "covered" (wanting in LXX.) is used as 
 in xxxii. 7, "cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof black," 
 having the same meaning as "caused to mourn." The "deep" and 
 the "floods" (rivers in v. 4) are those mentioned in v. 4, but though 
 the ref. is to the Nile and the waters of Egypt, a universal magnitude 
 
vv. 16-18.] EZEKIEL, XXXI. 227 
 
 great waters were stayed : and I caused Lebanon to mourn 
 for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I 
 made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I 
 cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit : 
 and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, 
 all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts 
 of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto 
 ihern that be slain with the sword; and tJuy that 7vere his 
 arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the 
 heathen. To whom art thou thus like in glory and in 
 
 is given to these, they are the "deep" absolutely. Tliis deep which 
 had nourished the great cedar is covered with mourning and paralysed 
 by his fall, she is motionless, her waters congeal. 
 
 caused Lebanon to nioio-n] Lit. made Lebanon black, in mourning. 
 -The prophet's representation naturally is not quite consistent. The 
 home of Pharaoh, as a cedar, is Lebanon, but it is the waters of Egypt, 
 
 r, magnified here into the "deep" absolutely, that nourish him. Hence 
 both the deep and Lebanon, with all the trees thereon, mourn and faint 
 
 ,f(Is. li. 20) over his fall. What the language primarily expresses is the 
 •idea of the world-wide importance of the Egyptian power, so that, as 
 the greatest forces of nature minister to its growth, all creation is affect- 
 ed by its fall. Cf. xxxii. 9, 10. 
 
 16. at the sound of his fall^ See on xxvi. 15; cf. xxxii. 10. 
 
 to hell.. .into the pit] to Sliebl with them that are gone down to the 
 pit, ch. xxxii. 18; Is. xiv. 15. The nations living on the earth shake 
 with terror (ch. xxvi. 15) at the noise of his fall; while those already 
 gone down to the pit are "comforted" that one so mighty has fallen as 
 well as themselves, xxxii. 19, 31; Is. xiv. 10. The language does not 
 imply that those comforted were hostile to Pharaoh. 
 
 the trees of Eden"] The figure of "trees" for states, or for the repre- 
 sentatives of states like Pharaoh, is continued. The term Eden is used 
 generally to suggest great trees or the place where trees are found, for 
 the next words describe the trees as the "choice of Lebanon." 
 
 choice and best] An anomalous construction, which is obviated in 
 LXX. by the want of "best." 
 
 drink 7uater] i.e. trees nourished by water, v. 14. 
 
 17. They also... into hell] These also are gone down into She6l, ref. 
 being to the "trees of Eden," v. 16. 
 
 were his arm, that d-cvelt] and his arm, that dwelt. His "arm" is 
 his helpers (xvii. 9). The construction is difficult (read probably cons, 
 plur. of part, for "that dwelt;" om. of rel. improbable); cf. xxxii. 15. 
 LXX. points "his seed" for "his arm," but that "seed" could mean 
 underwood (Corn, ) has no probability. 
 
 18. The question implies that Pharaoh had no peers. Yet though 
 incomparably greater than the other trees his fate shall be the same as 
 theirs — he shall be brought down with them to the nether jxirts of the 
 
 15—2 
 
228 EZEKIEL, XXXII. [vv. i, 2. 
 
 greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be 
 brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts 
 of the earth : thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised 
 with them that be slain with the sword. This is Pharaoh 
 and all his multitude, saith the Lord God. 
 32 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth 
 month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the 
 2 Lord came unto me, saying. Son of man, take up a lamenta- 
 tion for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him. Thou art 
 like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the 
 
 earth. LXX. reads the first half of the verse thus: To whom art thou 
 like? Go down, and be brought down with the trees of Eden to the 
 nether parts of the earth, cf. xxxii. 19. 
 
 midst of the uncircumcised^ The term is applied to those slain with 
 the sword, and buried indiscriminately with no funeral rites, ch. xxviii. 
 10 i cf. xxxii. 19, 21, 24, &:c. 
 
 Ch. xxxii. Final prophecy against Pharaoh. 
 
 The chapter contains two parts : 
 
 First, vv. I — 16. A lament over Pharaoh. 
 
 Second, vv, 17 — 32. A funeral dirge over the interment of him and 
 his multitude. 
 
 The line of thought in w. i — 16 resembles that in the other chapters : 
 
 (i) vv. I — 6. Pharaoh, represented as a dragon in the waters, is 
 dragged out by the net of Jehovah, and flung upon the land, where all 
 fowls and beasts feed on him. His carcase fills the land and his blood 
 the water-courses. 
 
 (2) vv. 7 — 10. Shock of nature and commotion among the nations, 
 even the most distant and unknown to Egypt, over his fall. 
 
 (3) vv. II — 16. The instrument of his destruction is the king of Baby- 
 lon. The overthrow of Pharaoh and his people shall be complete. The 
 land shall be desolate and life shall cease in it; no foot of living creature, 
 man or beast, shall trouble its waters, which shall run smooth and dead. 
 
 1. The prophecy is dated the first of the twelfth month of the twelfth 
 year, nearly a year and seven months after the fall of Jerusalem. Syr. 
 reads eleventh year. 
 
 2. art like a young lion"] Perhaps : 7vast likened to, though the con- 
 struction is exceedingly hard (cf. xxxi. 18). So far as the form ofwords 
 goes the meaning might rather be : O lion of the nations thon art tindone 
 (Is. vi. 5; Hos. x. 15), the root being another. The prophet has a 
 fondness, however, for using the Niph. (Cf. xiv. 4, 7, xix. 5, xxxiii. 30, 
 xxxvi. 3.) The words can hardly mean : thou thoughtest thyself a young 
 lion. Cf. xxxviii. 13. 
 
 and thou art] whereas thou wast as a dragon (monster) in the rivers, 
 lit. seas ; cf. Is. xix. 5, xxvii. 1 ; Job xli. 23. The construction seems 
 to imply an antithesis between this clause and the previous one. 
 
3—7] EZEKIEL, XXXII. 
 
 seas : and ihou earnest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst 
 the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. Thus 3 
 saith the Lord God; I will therefore spread out my net 
 over thee with a company of many people ; and they shall 
 bring thee up in my net. Then will I leave thee upon the 4 
 land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will 
 cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and 
 I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee. And s 
 I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys 
 ivith thy height. I will also water with thy blood the land « 
 wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains ; and the 
 rivers shall be full of thee. And when / shall put thee out, 7 
 I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark ; I 
 will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not 
 
 earnest forth ivithi didst break forth in thy rivers. The term "break 
 forth" is used of coming forth out of the \vomb{Ps. xxii. 9; of. Job xxxviii. 
 8), and also of those in ambush breaking out of their hiding-place (Judg. 
 XX. 33). The term describes not the origin of the monster but his 
 activity; cf. "didst foul." E\v. conjectured for "in thy rivers," untk 
 thy nostrils — thou didst spout (cause spray) with thy nostrils; cf. Job xli. 
 18 — 20. The object of the verb is wanting here, however, and the 
 verb though used of Jordan (Job xl. 23) is employed intransitively. Cf. 
 however, Mic. iv. 10. 
 
 their rivers] Or, streams— those of the waters. The vitality of the 
 monster and his violent activity are suggested by his troubling the waters 
 and fouling the streams. Cf. the opposite idea, zt'. 13, 14. 
 
 3. Jehovah shall drag him out with his net by means of many peoples 
 {vv. ri, I?). On figure, cf. xii. 13, xvii. 20; Hos. vii. 12. For people 
 read peoples. 
 
 4. ivill leave thee\ Will cast thee down; cf. xxix. 5. See xxxi. 13, 
 xxxix. 17 seq. 
 
 5. Cf. xxxi. 12. Other suggestions for "height" have little proba- 
 bility. 
 
 6. laud wherein thou S7vi////nest] Probably: and I will water the 
 earth with the outflow of thy blood, lit. with thy outflow from thy 
 blood. It is possible that "from thy blood" is an explanatory gloss to 
 "with thy outflow." Cf. Is. xxxiv. 3. 
 
 7. />nt thee ont] i.e. extinguish thee. Pharaoh is regarded as a brilli- 
 ant luminary; cf. Is. xiv. 12, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O 
 shining one, morning star!" It is doubtful if there is any rcf. to the 
 constellation of the dragon. The dragon (Job iii. 8, ix. 13, xxvi. 12) is 
 not a constellation but a purely ideal representation of the eclipse or the 
 storm-cloud which swallows up the lights of heaven. The phenomena 
 in the verse are those usually characteristic of the dissolution of nature 
 on the day of the Lord (Is. xiii. 10; Joel ii. 31, iii. 15; Am. viii. 9); 
 
230 EZEKIEL, XXXII. [vv. 8-15. 
 
 8 give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make 
 dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the 
 
 9 Lord God. I will also vex the hearts of many people, when 
 I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the 
 
 10 countries which thou hast not known. Yea, I will make 
 many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be 
 horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword 
 before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, 
 every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. 
 
 11 For thus saith the Lord God ; The sword of the king of 
 
 12 Babylon shall come ttpon thee. By the swords of the mighty 
 will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, 
 all of them : and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and 
 
 13 all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. I will destroy 
 also all the beasts thereof from besides the great waters; 
 neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor 
 
 14 the hoofs of beasts trouble them. Then will I make their 
 waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the 
 
 15 Lord God. When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, 
 
 but here they express rather the shock which creation receives when one 
 so great meets with destruction. 
 
 8. bright lights'] Lit. himinaries of light. 
 
 upon thy /and] Possibly with LXX. : upon the earth. The ex- 
 tinction of the lights in heaven referred to in the previous clause suggests 
 a more general darkness than one over Pharaoh's own land. 
 
 9. vex the hearts] Or, trouble. The precise feeling is not grief, 
 and certainly not anger (A. V. marg.) ; in v. 10 it is dismay, and then 
 terror for themselves. For people peoples. 
 
 bring thy destruction among] Hardly means "bring the news " of thy 
 destruction ; the destruction itself occurs among the nations, they observe 
 it; cf. "brandish my sword before them," v, 10. 
 
 into the countries] unto countries. The effect of Pharaoh's fall shall 
 be felt by nations lying beyond the horizon of his knowledge ; cf. Is. Iv. 5. 
 
 10. Read peoples, as always. Cf. xxvi. 16, xxvii. 35. 
 
 11. It is the king of Babylon who shall execute the Lord's judgment 
 upon Egypt. 
 
 12. terrible of the nations] Cf. on xxviii. 7, xxix. 19. 
 
 13. The desolation of Egypt shall be complete, man and beast swept 
 away; cf. Zeph. i. 3. These pictures both of desolation and felicity are 
 always ideal; cf. xxix. ir. 
 
 14. The waters of Egypt, no more troubled by the foot of man or 
 beast, shall run smooth like oil. 
 
 make their icaters deep] Rather: make to settle, become clear; cf. 
 noun, xxxiv. 18. No more trampled they shall settle and run smooth. 
 
V. i6.] EZEKIEL, XXXII. 231 
 
 and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, 
 when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall 
 they know that I am the Lord. This is the lamentation 
 wherewith they shall lament her : the daughters of the nations 
 shall lament her : they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, 
 and for all her multitude, saith the Lord God. 
 
 15. The end of this desolating judgment shall be that Jehovah sliall 
 be known. This is the purpose and the effect of all his interpositions 
 among the nations. Ex. vii. 5, xiv. 4, 18. 
 
 16. Lit. It is a lamentation and they shall chant it (LXX. thou shalt 
 chant it); the daughters of the nations shall chant it; ovc7- Egypt and 
 over all her multitude shall they chant it. The daughters of the nations, 
 \xiv. 18 the daughters of the famous nations, chant the dirge because 
 professional wallers were chiefly women; cf. Jer. ix. 17, "call for the 
 mourning women... and let them take up a wailing for us." 
 
 17—32. Dirge sung at the interment of Egypt and its 
 multitude. 
 
 Several things are observable in this remarkable passage : 
 
 1. It is a funeral dirge primarily over the multitude or nation of 
 Egypt; and so in the case of the other nations referred to, Asshur, 
 Elam and the rest. These peoples are all gone down to Sheol, uncircum- 
 cised, slain with the sword. There in the world of the dead each 
 people has an abode to itself. Around one chief grave the graves of 
 the general mass are gathered. The chief grave is probably that of the 
 prince, though the prince is considered the genius, the embodiment of 
 the spirit and being of the nation. The prophet regards the nations, 
 even when no more existing on earth, as still having a subsistence in 
 the world of the dead (cf. on Sodom, ch. xvi.). They are beings, 
 who, having once lived, continue throughout all time. Though passed 
 from the stage of history they still subsist in Shcol. This idea of the 
 continued existence, not of individuals only but of nationalities, suggests 
 a conception of the meaning of history upon the earth which is not only 
 weird but almost disturbing. 
 
 2. The prophet uses two words for the world of the dead, *'thc pit" 
 and Sheol. The former name seems suggested by the grave, which is 
 regarded as the entrance to Sheol, and indicates what kind of place Sheol 
 is. It is a vast burying-place, deep in the earth, and full of graves. 
 The nationalities spoken of have, like Egypt, all fallen by the sword, 
 and the scene on earth is transferred to the world below. The nation 
 and its prince are represented as slain on the battle-field, and the graves 
 that crowd the field, the prince or genius of the nation in the midst, 
 and those of the multitude around, are let down so to speak into Sheol 
 beneath, where they abide. This scene of overthrow, the final experi- 
 ence of the nation on earth, expresses the meaning of the nation's history 
 and the verdict of God upon it, and it is consequently transferred to the 
 
232 EZEKIEL, XXXII. 
 
 world of the dead and made eternal. In this respect the idea of the 
 prophet in regard to nations coincides with the general view of the 
 Old Testament regarding individuals ; the judgment of God regarding a 
 man's life becomes manifest at the close of it on earth, and the state of 
 death but perpetuates the manner of the end of life. 
 
 3. For, of course, the prophet desires to express by his representa- 
 tion a moral truth. The nations which he mentions are those that have 
 come into conflict with Israel, although their sin is regarded as more 
 general than this. They are chiefly the contemporary peoples whom 
 Nebuchadnezzar, under commission from Jehovah, was to destroy, 
 though Asshur belongs to an earlier time. Although, therefore, the 
 nations can hardly be supposed to fall under a common judgment, the 
 day of the Lord, the effect is the same. Their fate is the judgment of 
 Jehovah upon them, his verdict in regard to their life as nations. Their 
 common sin is violence: they put their terror in the land of the living. 
 And their fate is but the nemesis of their conduct : taking the sword 
 they perish by it. The history of nations is the judgment of nations. 
 But the nations like individuals continue to subsist, they bear their shame 
 in Sheol for ever. 
 
 4. The text of the passage is in considerable disorder. The LXX. 
 offers a briefer and smoother text, though it is also marked by singular 
 blunders (cf. vv. 29, 30). It can hardly be doubted that the Hebrew 
 is to some extent overgrown with glosses. The meaning too is in 
 some parts obscure. The passage has affinities with Is. xiv., but the 
 representations there are in some respects difTerent, and care must be 
 taken to allow each passage to speak for itself. It is doubtful if any 
 ideas to be called specially Babylonian be found in either of the pro- 
 phets. There are two points in the interpretation of some difficulty: 
 I. There are two names for the world of the dead, "the pit" and 
 Sheol; are they different in meaning? or, do they indicate, if not 
 strictly a difTerent locality in the underworld, a different condition? 
 The usage of other passages appears decidedly against any distinction. 
 The term "pit" is used of what we so call, e.g. of the pit into which 
 Joseph was cast (Gen.xxxvii.24), of the "dungeon" into which Jeremiah 
 was thrown (Jer. xxxviii. 6 seq.), and the like (Jer. xli. 7). The ideas 
 of the people regarding the world of the dead were formed by looking 
 into the grave and from the condition of the body in death. The 
 world of the dead was created by the shuddering imagination out of 
 these things. Apparently the name '*pit" was given to the under- 
 world because the grave was the mouth of it. The "pit" is used in 
 parallelism with Sheol, and in the same sense, e.g. Ps. xxx. 3, Ixxxviii. 
 3, 4. 2. Another question closely connected is this. Certain persons 
 called the mighty ones {vv. 21, 27) are referred to and spoken of 
 as being in Sheol (A.V. hell), and the question is, are these persons, 
 though in Sheol, in a condition in some measure different from those 
 like Pharaoh and his multitude, slain by the sword ? Unfortunately in 
 both verses the Heb. and Greek disagree. In z'. 27 Heb, reads : they 
 (^leshech and Tubal) shall not lie with the mighty ones, while LXX. 
 omits the not^ making their destiny the same. 
 
vv. 17-21.] EZEKIEL, XXXII. ^33 
 
 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth 17 
 day of the month, t/iat the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying, Son of man, w^ail for the muhitude of Egypt, and i3 
 cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous 
 nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that 
 go down into the pit. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go 19 
 down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised. They shall 20 
 fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword : she is 
 delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes. 
 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the 21 
 
 17. The month is not specified, but presumably the same month as 
 that named in v. i is intended, the twelfth. The present passage 
 would in that case date a fortnight later than vv. i — 16. LXX. reads 
 frsi month of twelfth year; if this reading were followed the year in 
 V. I must be read eleventh (with Syr.). 
 
 18. The lament is primarily over the multitude or nationality of 
 Egypt. 
 
 cast them do-m, even hcy'\ Probably: and sink tliem down, thou 
 and the daughters of famous nations. In v. i6 the daughters of the 
 nations were spoken of as chanting the dirge over Pharaoh and his 
 multitude. The prophet (LXX. v. 16) and these daughters together 
 chant the lament. They are said to "sink the multitude down" 
 because in their lament they describe their sinking down. The reading 
 "thou" for "her" implies no change in the consonantal text, and the 
 "daughters of famous nations" cannot be those that are interred, but 
 those who inter. It is Pharaoh and his multitude who are let down 
 into the pit (cf. v. 31). 
 
 them that go do^unl that are gone down, xxvi. 20, xxxi. 16. 
 
 19. Whom. ..pass in beaiity\ i.e. surpass; Ew., pass in fortune. 
 Probably the meaning is very much, To whom art (wast) thou supe- 
 rior? The multitude of Egypt or tlie Pharaoh as the genius of the 
 nation is addressed, hardly his dead body (Sm.). 
 
 go down'] i.e. to the grave, or pit. "Uncircumcised" has in all the 
 passage the sense of dishonoured, profaned in death, and differs little 
 from slain with the sword, vv. 21, 24. The pass, imper. "be thou laid" 
 is very rare, Jer. xlix. 8. 
 
 20. she is delivered to the srcord] Rather : the sword is put forth, 
 lit. given, a peculiar phrase and wanting in LXX. 
 
 draw her] i.e. Egypt down into the pit. The simple "draw" 
 leaves rather much to be understood, and LXX. reads the clause differ- 
 ently: and all his multitude shall lie. 
 
 21. The Pharaoh and his multitude are supposed here to have 
 descended into Shcbl, and the "mighty ones" already there address 
 them (Is. xiv. 8, 10) or speak of them. 
 
 The strong among the mighty] lit. the strong of the mighty, where 
 *'strong" is not a class among the mighty, but identical witla them — 
 
234 EZEKIEL, XXXII. [vv. 22— 24. 
 
 midst of hell with them that help him : they are gone down, 
 
 22 they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Asshur is there 
 and all her company : his graves are about him : all of them 
 
 23 slain, fallen by the sword : whose graves are set in the sides 
 of the pit, and her company is round about her grave : all 
 of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in 
 
 24 the land of the living. There is Elam and all her multitude 
 
 the strong mighty ones (gen. ofappos.). In LXX. ''strong" is want- 
 ing as in V. 27. The word "strong" is that rendered mighty one of 
 the nations, xxxi. 11. It is probably entirely different (though the 
 same in spelling) from the word God, xxviii. 2, and from the phrase 
 "mighty God," Is. ix. 6, x. 21. 
 
 speak to him'] Or, of him. The words that follow seem spoken in 
 regard to Pharaoh — though such a meaning is rather flat. 
 
 that help him] his helpers, auxiliary nations. The meaning must 
 be that the mighty speak to (of) Pharaoh and his helpers, hardly that 
 Pharaoh's helpers already gone down join the mighty in mocking 
 Pharaoh. 
 
 In LXX. these three verses stand in a different order, viz. vv. 20 a, 
 20 b (read differently), 11 a, 19, and the first three words of v. 20 
 again, — "They shall fall with him in the midst of them that are slain 
 with the sword, and all his multitude (strength) shall lie down. And 
 the mighty (lit. giants, v. 27) shall say unto thee: Be thou in the 
 depth of the pit; to whom art thou superior? go down, and lie with 
 the uncircumcised, in the midst of them that are slain with the sword." 
 Probably neither text presents the original, though the general mean- 
 ing of both is the same. It is in favour of Heb. that it begins with 
 the interrogation, and rather against the LXX. that it makes the 
 address rather prolix. The "mighty" who speak are in any case 
 those already in Sheol, and not persons upon the earth such as the 
 Babylonians (Hitz.). 
 
 22, 23. Asshur. 
 
 her company] In ref. to the other peoples "multitude" is used. 
 The term "company" may be used of the many nationalities in the 
 Assyrian empire, cf. xxiii. 24. 
 
 his graves... him] The gender varies as the country (fem.) or king, 
 as representative of the people, is thought of. The ref. here is to the 
 king. LXX. uses the mas. pron. throughout. The text here is 
 shorter in LXX., but no difference of sense arises. 
 
 23, sides of the pit] i.e. the depths or bottom of the pit. 
 
 caused terror] Cf. xxvi. 17, 20. This phrase must mean that 
 Asshur inspired terror into the nations by his might ; to suppose that 
 the meaning is that \.\\e: fate of Asshur by the judgment of God caused 
 terror (Hitz.) is altogether false, cf. tt-. 24, 25, 26, 27, 32. 
 
 24, 25. Elam. 
 
 Elam, said to mean Highlands, lay E. of the Tigris, and touched 
 Assyria and Media on the N,, Media and Persia on the E., and on the 
 
vv. 25— 27.] E2EKIEL, XXXII. 23*; 
 
 round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 
 which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of 
 the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; 
 yet have they borne their shame with them that go down 
 to the pit. They have set her a bed in the midst of the 25 
 slain with all her multitude : her graves are round about 
 him : all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword : though 
 their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have 
 they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit : 
 he is put in the midst of them that be slain. There is 26 
 Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude : her graves are 
 round about him : all of them uncircumcised, slain by the 
 sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the 
 living. And they shall not lie with the mighty that are 27 
 fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell 
 
 S. the Persian Gulf. An eady expedition of Elam into the land of the 
 Jordan is referred to Gen. xiv. i seq. The country was incorporated 
 into the Assyrian empire, in the armies of which it served (Is. xxii. 6, 
 cf. xi. 11), and on the fall of this empire it probably asserted its inde- 
 pendence. It appears independent in the time of Jeremiah, who 
 threatens it with destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 
 xlix. 34, 39). 
 
 yet have they bornc'\ and have borne. Their shame is that which 
 adheres to them as slain with the sword and unhonoured. The con- 
 sequences of their life shewed themselves in the manner of their death, 
 and abode upon them. Cf. xxxvi. 6, 7. 
 
 thcuL that go dozvn] that are gone down. 
 
 25. though their terror] for their terror... and they have borne, Sec. 
 The verse is greatly a repetition of f. 24, and is wanting in LXX., 
 except the words "in the midst of the slain," which are attached to 
 z'. 24. The words "that are gone down to the pit" usually close the 
 verse, z'v. 18, 24, 29, 30; and if the verse be retained the last clause 
 should probably be omitted as an accidental repetition of the first 
 clause, due to the copyist's eye straying from "pit" in 25 to "pit" in 
 24. The three words retained in LXX. cannot stand by themselves. 
 
 26. Meshech and Tubal. wSee on xxvii. 13; cf. xxxviii. 2. 
 her graves... hi ;n] On genders cf. z: 22. 
 
 though they caused] for they caused. 
 
 27. they shaft not tie] LXX. Syr. omit the ncg. : a/id they are laid 
 with the giants. Ew. would retain the neg., reading as an interroga- 
 tion with an affumative sense: and shall they not lie \\itli...?, which 
 is not very natural. 
 
 fallen of the uiuircuniciscd] LXX. fallen of old. This reading has 
 considerable probability, although the other reading miglit stand. 
 Some scholars would also alter "fallen" (nophelim) into Xcphilim 
 
236 EZEKIEL, XXXII. [v. 28. 
 
 with their weapons of war : and they have laid their swords 
 under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their 
 bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land 
 23 of the living. Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the 
 uncircumcised, and shalt lie Avith them that are slain with 
 
 (cf. R. V. Gen. vi. 4); an unnecessary change. For "hell" read 
 Sheol. 
 
 they have laid their swords] they laid (indeterminate subj.) — equiva- 
 lent to the passive : and their s7i>onis were laid. 
 
 hilt their... shall be\ and their iniquities were. The reference is still 
 to the "mighty;" to change the subject spoken of, making the clause 
 refer to Meshech and Tubal, is most unnatural. 
 
 though they were the terror] because the terror of the mighty was in 
 the land. The clause explains the preceding, as for ex. why their 
 iniquities were upon their bones, and would certainly be easier if the 
 reading had been: because the terror of their might was, as the wSyr. 
 reads, precisely as in vv. 29, 30. So Hitz. Corn. (Possibly geburam 
 should be read; cf. Hos. xiii. 2, and often with fern, nouns. ) 
 
 Verse 27 is difficult. The reading "they shall not lie with the mighty" 
 suggests the idea that the mighty who fell of old, and went down to 
 Sheol in full armour, and had their swords laid under their heads, occupy 
 a more honourable place in Sheol than such a rout as Meshech and Tubal, 
 who are counted unworthy to lie beside them. This idea is not pro- 
 bable in itself, and cannot be reconciled with other parts of the verse. 
 The last clause " because the terror of the mighty (or, of their might) 
 was in the land of the living" ascribes the same sin to these mighty as is 
 charged against Asshur and the rest {vv. 23, 24, «S:c.), and for which they 
 bear their shame. Again, the phrase "their iniquities were upon their 
 bones" can have no other meaning than that their evil and violence 
 were interred with their bones, and continued to cleave to them — that 
 they went down unhouselled, disappointed, unaneled, cut off in the 
 blossom of their sin. The conjecture of Corn, "their shields were upon 
 their bones" is altogether destitute of probability. LXX. renders 
 "giants," as it does Gen. vi. 4, and possibly it thought of the antedilu- 
 vian race. The prophet may have had this race in his mind, but more 
 probably his reference is a wider one (cf. xxxii. 12, xxxix. 18, 20). 
 Even if he referred to the giants before the Flood, it is anything but 
 likely, with Gen. vi. before him and with his moral temper, that he 
 would assign an honourable place in Sheol to those violent desperadoes. 
 The weird touch " went down to Sheol in their weapons of war, and had 
 their swords laid under their heads," probably means that the manner 
 of their death and burial was in keeping with the violence and bloodshed 
 which was the occupation of their life. The usages and sentiments of 
 chivalry were not yet known to Ezekiel, The clause should, therefore, 
 probably be read positively. 
 
 28. Yea, thou shalt] thou also shalt. The Pharaoh is addressed. 
 The phrase "shalt be broken" is wanting in LXX.— "thou also shalt 
 
vv. 29—33.] EZEKIEL, XXXII. 237 
 
 the sword. There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, 29 
 which with their might are laid by them that were slain by 
 the sword : they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with 
 them that go down to the pit. There be the princes of the 30 
 north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone 
 down with the slain ; with their terror they are ashamed of 
 their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be 
 slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go 
 down to the pit. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be 31 
 comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his 
 army slain by the sword, saith the Lord God. For I have 32 
 caused my terror in the land of the living : and he shall be 
 
 lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that have been slain 
 with the sword." 
 
 29. Edom. Cf. xxv. 12. 
 
 with their might'\ Possibly, because of--\\iQ words might and mighty 
 being used in a bad sense. Otherwise the words might signify : uot- 
 xoithstandiiig their might. 
 
 are laid by them] i.e. witli, or, beside them. The term "laid," lit. 
 given, means rather put, consigned. 
 
 them that go doivn\ that are gone down. 
 
 30. The princes of the North and the Sidonians. The former are 
 probably those of the Syrian states, and the Sidonians represent the 
 Phoenician principalities in general. 
 
 with their terror'] Rather, in close connexion with the preceding, 
 gone down with the slain, because of (notwithstanding) their terror 
 (coming) from their might (they are) ashamed. The term "ashamed" 
 is wanting in LXX., and it occurs only here. 
 
 31. comforted over all his multitude] The Heb. order is : over all 
 his multitude, slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army, 
 saith, &c. The words "slain with. ..his army" are wanting in LXX. 
 On "comforted," cf. xiv. 22, xxxi. 16. Pharaoh will be "comforted" 
 by the sight of all these nations in the pit, suffering the same humilia- 
 tion as himself and his multitude. 
 
 32. I have caused my terror] So Heb. marg., Heb. text, his terror, 
 as all the versions except Vulg. Throughout the passage "to cause 
 terror" is uniformly employed of the conduct of the various nations when 
 on the stage of history. If used of Jehovah here it would be intended to 
 express a vivid contrast — it is he who ultimately puts his terror on the 
 world when he interposes to overthrow these tyrannical and violent 
 nations; cf. Is. viii. 13. This somewhat sensational antithesis is not 
 natural, and does not harmonise with the next clause. If his terror be 
 read, the power of Pharaoh and the terror he caused would be attributed 
 to Jehovah. But this is an idea out of harmony with the whole repre- 
 sentation, which ascribes the supremacy of the peoples named to their 
 own violence or to the gifts of nature. It is just the point insisted on in 
 
238 EZEKIEL, XXXII. 
 
 laid in the midst of the iincircumcised with them that are 
 slain with the sword, evai Pharaoh and all his multitude, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 all these chapters on the nations that their power was a self-exaltation 
 and rebellion against Jehovah, and for this they perish by the sword and 
 are doomed to eternal dishonour. It seems almost imperative to retain 
 his terror, and alter the verb to the 3rd pers.— yi?;- he caused his terroj-... 
 therefore he shall be laid, &c. So probably Targ., which paraphrases 
 as in vv. 23, 24, 25, 26. Similarly Jer. in his Comm. on Ezek.; and so 
 in copies of the Lat. 
 
 Second Section. Ch. XXXIII.— XXXIX. Prophecies of 
 Israel's Restoration and Eternal Peace. 
 
 Only one date appears in connexion with these prophecies, that in 
 xxxiii. 21. Thougli this date does not stand at the beginning of ch. 
 xxxiii. seq.^ it may be held to indicate the time generally to which the 
 whole seven chapters are to be assigned. There is something suspicious, 
 however, in the date of the arrival of the fugitives — fifth day of tenth 
 month of twelfth year — nearly, a year and a half after the fall of the city. 
 The Syr. read or suggested eleventh year, which would leave about 
 six months for the news of the city's fall to be carried by messengers to 
 the exiles in Babylon, and this date is now very generally accepted. 
 The various chapters may not all belong to the same period. The 
 dates throughout the book are little else than rubrics of a very general 
 kind, under which, in default of more precise details, a number of dis- 
 courses, extending over considerable periods, have been grouped. The 
 occupation of part of the country by Edom (xxxv. 36) would not take 
 place just close upon the fall of the kingdom ; and perhaps the state of 
 despondency of the people and their sense of sinfulness (xxxiii. 10) was 
 one which the fall of the country and the confirmation of the predictions 
 of the prophet took some time to create in their minds. The precise 
 dates are of little consequence, it is the general situation alone that is 
 important. The fall of the city is presupposed (xxxiii. 21), the over- 
 throw of the i-oyal house (xxxiv.), the extinction of the nationality (xxxvii.), 
 the dispersion of the people among all nations (xxxvi. 16 saj.), the occu- 
 pation of part of the country by Edom and the neighbouring tribes 
 (xxxv.; cf. Jer. xli.), and the complete prostration of men's minds under 
 their calamities and the unbearable burden of the sin that had occasioned 
 judgments so unparalleled (Lam. i. 12, ii. 13, 20, &c.). Only the pro- 
 phet stood erect, while all others were overwhelmed in despair. The 
 greatness of the blow had stunned them, and, as the prophet had fore- 
 shewn (xxiv. 23), a stupor had fallen on them. Yet the Lord had not 
 made a full end of Israel. The old era was closed, but a new era was 
 about to open, and a new Israel about to arise. It is of this new era that 
 the prophet has now to speak, and of the hopes of the new Israel and of 
 the conditions of being embraced in it. It is in these chapters that 
 the prophet's contributions to Old Testament theology are chiefly to be 
 found. The passage contains these general conceptions : — 
 
EZEKIEL, XXXIII. 239 
 
 First, ch. xxxiii. The function of the prophet in preparation for the 
 new age. It is to awaken the moral mind, to create the sense of indi- 
 vidual worth and responsibility, and to shew that the conditions of 
 belonging to the new Israel are moral only. This chapter defines the 
 place of the individual human mind, and its duties; the following 
 chapters describe rather the divine operations in bringing in the new 
 and perfect kingdom of the Lord. 
 
 Second, ch. xxxiv. The royal house, the shepherds of the people, 
 had destroyed alike themselves and the flock (xvii., xix. 14). The Lord 
 himself will take in hand the gathering of his scattered sheep together, 
 and the feeding of them henceforth; he will appoint his servant David 
 to lead them. 
 
 Third, ch. xxxv. — vi. The land, the mountains of Israel, usurped by 
 aliens, shall be rescued from their grasp and given again to the people 
 as of old. The reproach of barrenness shall no longer cleave to it; the 
 mountains of Israel shall shoot forth their branches and yield their fruit 
 to the people, and man and beast shall be multiplied. 
 
 Fourth, ch. xxxvii. The nation is dead and its bones bleached, but 
 there shall be a resurrection of the dead people and a restoration of them 
 to their own land. Two kingdoms shall no more exist there, but the 
 Lord's people shall be one, and his servant David shall be prince over 
 them for ever. 
 
 Fifth, ch. xxxviii. — ix. The peace of his people shall be perpetual. 
 The Lord shall be their everlasting defence. When the armies of Gog 
 come up from the uttermost regions of the earth, with all the nations which 
 have not heard Jehovah's fame nor seen his glory, to assail his people, 
 drawn by the hope of boundless j)lunder; they shall be destroyed by fire 
 out of heaven. 
 
 Ch. xxxiii. The function of the PRornET. 
 
 Though the prophet seems the chief figure in the chapter, he is 
 really but the medium through whom the principles of the new kingdom 
 of God and the conditions of entering it are enunciated. These prin- 
 ciples are : ( i ) that God desires that men should live. (2) The new 
 Israel shall be composed of members who enter it individually. (3) 
 The condition of entering on man's part is repentance. (4) Man is 
 free to repent — to do good or do evil. The righteous may fall from his 
 righteousness and sin; and the sinner may turn from his evil and do 
 righteousness. lie that doeth righteousness shall live ; and the soul 
 that sinneth shall die. These principles of the worth and freedom of 
 the individual man, though latent in many parts of the Old Testament, 
 had never been stated so explicitly before. They .are no more than 
 what all men will now allow. If pressed indeed and regarded as 
 exhaustive (as everything in this prophet is pressed to his disadvantage), 
 they might seem to ascribe more power to man than he possesses. 
 But in subsequent chapters the prophet lays sufficient emphasis upon 
 the operation of God in regenerating the individual mind and in 
 founding the new kingdom. It would be a novelty indeed if an Old 
 Testament writer were found ascribing too much to man and too 
 
240 E2EKIEL, XXXIII. [vv. 1—3. 
 
 33 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 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 
 
 3 watchman : ^/"when he seeth the sword come upon the land, 
 
 little to God. There is a certain vagueness in the prophet's delineation. 
 It is evident that he is moving among rehgious principles, and that 
 the enunciation of them is his chief interest ; the time and circumstances 
 in which they shall operate are left indefinite. When he says that the 
 righteous shall live and the sinner die, the question, When? naturally 
 occurs. No precise answer is given. But there floats before his view 
 an approaching crisis. The advent of the new era presents itself as 
 a moment of trial and decision; it is like the approach of war upon 
 a people {vv. 1 — 6). The remarkable passage ch. xx. 33 — 44 may be 
 compared in supplement of the present chapter. 
 
 The chapter contains these parts: 
 
 (i) vv. I — 6. Illustration taken from life — the part of the watchman 
 in war. It is his duty to blow the trumpet when danger is coming. 
 If he does so, the fate of those who hear will lie at their own door. 
 If he fails, the blood of those that perish will be on his head. 
 
 (2) vv. 7 — 9. Such is the place of the prophet: the same his 
 duties and responsibilities. 
 
 (3) vv. 10 — 20. This is the place of the prophet, but the state 
 of the people's mind is such that his warnings may be addressed to 
 deaf ears. Their calamities have stunned and paralysed the people; 
 they feel lying under an irrevocable doom, entailed upon them by 
 their past history — our sins be upon us, we pine away in them ; how, 
 then, shall we live? Nothing is reserved for them but to bear the 
 inexhaustible penalty of their past evil, until, like those in the wil- 
 derness, they fall prostrated beneath it. In answer to this stupor 
 of despair comes the voice from heaven with two consoling words : 
 first, that Jehovah has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but 
 desires that all should turn and live; and secondly, it is not by that 
 which men have been that they shall be judged, but by that which 
 they shall become. The past writes no irrevocable doom over men. 
 
 (4) vv. 2 1 — 29. Fugitives from Judaea arrive among the exiles 
 saying, the city is smitten. This confirmation of all the prophet's 
 past predictions opens his mouth and gives him boldness to address 
 his countrymen. He proceeds to pass judgment on those left in the 
 land, and to state anew that the conditions of inheriting the land are 
 only moral. 
 
 (5) ^^' .SO — 33' The confirmation which the fall of the city gave 
 to the prophet's past predictions awakened the interest of his fellow 
 exiles in him and his words. 
 
 1 — 6. The illustration — duty of the watchman in war. 
 2. c/ their coast s\ of their number, from among them, cf. 2 Kings 
 ix. 17. 
 
vv. 4- lo.] EZEKIEL, XXXIII. 241 
 
 he blow the trumpet, and warn the people ; then whosoever 4 
 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. He heard the sound of the trumpet, 5 
 and took not warning ; his blood shall be upon him. But 
 he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the e 
 watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, 
 and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take 
 ajiy person from among them, he is taken mvay in his 
 iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's 
 hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman 7 
 unto the house of Israel ; therefore thou shalt hear the word 
 at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto 3 
 the wicked, O wicked nia?i, thou shalt surely die; if thou 
 dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that 
 wicked 7nan shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I 
 require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the 9 
 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. 
 
 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of 10 
 Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our 
 
 3. The trumpet was the signal of danger, IIos. viii. i; Am. iii. 6; 
 Jer. vi. I. 
 
 4, 6. He that heareth the trumpet and taketh not warning, his 
 l)lood shall be on his own head; he is responsible for his own death, 
 which shall not be laid at the door of the watchman. 
 
 6. Although in v. 2 Jehovah is said to bring the sword upon the 
 people (xiv. 17), and presumably for their sin, the language of the 
 present verse leads over from the illustration to the thing meant to 
 be illustrated. 
 
 7 — 9. Similar to the part of the watchman is that of the prophet. 
 Cf. ch. iii. 17 set/. The evil, corresponding to the sword in the illus- 
 tration, in regard to which tlie prophet is to warn the people, is left 
 undefined. As in the case of all the prophets, however, the turning 
 point in the fortunes of the exiles appeared to Ezek. of the nature of 
 a divine interposition and judgment, and it is this general idea that 
 colours his language. Except in the two or three passages, xiii. 5, 
 XXX. 3, cf. xxxviii. 19, the day of the Eord is not referred to in Ezek. 
 
 10 — 20. Despondency of the people, making the prophet's appeals 
 to them of none effect. Removal of the despair by two gracious 
 words from the Lord. 
 
 10. If our transgressions^ Better, direct: our transgressions... are 
 EZEKIIiL 1 5 
 
242 EZEKIEL, XXXIII. [w. ii, 12. 
 
 sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we 
 
 11 then live? 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 7'ighteousness in the day that he sinneth. 
 
 upon us. The people had come to regard their calamities as due 
 to their sins and evidence of them. They had come round to the 
 prophet's view of their history, for they saw his predictions ful- 
 filled. But the new view came with a crushing weight upon them. 
 The calamities of their country were unparalleled (Lam. i. 12, ii. 13, 
 20, iii. I, iv. 6, 9), and equally unparalleled must have been their 
 guilt (Lam. i. 9, 14, ii. 14, iv. 13, v. 7). And their calamities seemed 
 final, their sin was expiable only by their complete destruction. 
 
 "cve pine aivay\ Or, waste away. The word expresses not mental 
 but physical wasting away, ending in complete dissolution. See the 
 very similar figures, Is. x. 18, xvii. 4; cf. Ezek. iv. 17, xxiv. 23; 
 Lev. xxvi. 39. 
 
 11. Jehovah's answer to the people's despondency and despair of 
 "life." These verses must be estimated from the point of view of 
 the people's despair of life, to which they are an answer. The passage 
 is not directly an affirmation of the rectitude of God, although this 
 is indirectly affirmed in answer to the people's objection, founded 
 on traditional ways of thinking, that the Lord's ways are not equal. 
 The divine rectitude is not the point of view from which the prophet 
 looks; he speaks in answer to the people's despondency. And his 
 answer is twofold: first, God's desire is that men should live; and 
 secondly, the past is not irrevocable. Not according to what men 
 have been but according to what they shall be or become, will God 
 judge them. 
 
 12. It would have been enough to illustrate the earnest exhortation, 
 Turn ye, why will ye die? {v. 11) by the assurance that if the wicked 
 turns his past sins will not be remembered against him {v. 16). But 
 the prophet states the truth in a more general form. His purpose is 
 to teach also the general truth that the past of one's life does not of 
 necessity determine the future either in itself or in the judgment of 
 God. This, next to the assurance of God's gracious will regarding 
 men {v. n), was the truth most needed to comfort the people and 
 awaken them out of the stupor which lay on them into a moral life 
 and activity again. 
 
 It is merely to distort the prophet's words to say tliat he teaches 
 
vv. 13—15.] EZEKIEL, XXXIII. 243 
 
 AMien I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live ; 13 
 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. Again, 14 
 -when I say unto the wicked. Thou shalt surely die ; if he 
 turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if is 
 the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, 
 walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity ; he 
 
 that a man's past life goes for nothing, and that he will be judged 
 merely according to what he is found doing "at the moment" of the 
 judgment. The prophet is not speaking of moments. He speaks to 
 men overwhelmed by a judgment of God which seemed to leave no 
 hope for the future, and he lays down the principle needful for the 
 moral awakening of the people that the past is not irrevocable, that a 
 future of possibility lies before them. It is too true that the evil of a 
 man's past life prolongs itself into the future and that sin cannot at 
 once be done with. Yet we "believe in the forgiveness of sins;" and 
 this is the truth which the prophet desires to teach his countrymen, 
 overwhelmed with the thought of their own evil past. When he says 
 the righteous shall "live" he means by living the complex thing, 
 having the favour of God and having an external felicity corresponding 
 to this. 
 
 Old Testament prophets and saints were hardly able to conceive 
 the fust of these two things existing apart from the second. And 
 the prophet probably still considers them inseparably connected. 
 And hence, when teaching that the son shall not sufiter for the sins of 
 the father, and that the righteous shall "live" and the wicked "die," 
 he has been charged with inculcating a doctrine more false to reality 
 than the old one which it w'as designed to supersede. But here again 
 a certain injustice is done to the prophet. No doubt M'hen he uses the 
 word "live" he employs it in the pregnant sense, viz, to enjoy the 
 favour of God and to have this favour reflected in outward felicity. 
 But just as Jeremiah relegates the principle that the children shall not 
 suffer for the sins of the father to the new era about to dawn, so Ezck. 
 agrees with him. Neither prophet is laying dowMi a new principle 
 which is to obtain in the world, the world going on as it had done 
 before. Ezek. feels himself, as all the prophets do, on the threshold of 
 a new Epoch, the era of the perfect kingdom of God, and it is in 
 this new era that the principle which he enunciates shall prevail. 
 Sec at the end of ch. xviii. 
 
 13. Cf. iii. 20, xviii. 24. 
 
 14. Cf. iii. 18, xviii. 27. 
 
 that which is lau'fiil\ Lit. as marg., (just) judgment and justice. 
 
 15. Instances of a return to righteousness on the part of the 
 wicked, cf. xviii. 7; Ex. xxii. r, 4; Num. v. 6, 7. 
 
 the statutes of life] By walking in which a man shall live, ch. xiii. 
 21, \x. 11; Lev. xviii. 5. As elsewhere "life" is used in the preg- 
 
 16 — 2 
 
244 - EZEKIEL, XXXin. [vv. i6— 2:i. 
 
 16 shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he 
 hath committed shall be mentioned unto him : he hath done 
 
 17 that which is lawful and right ; he shall surely live. Yet the 
 children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: 
 
 18 but as for them, their way is not equal. When the righteous 
 turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he 
 
 19 shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his 
 wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall 
 
 20 live thereby. 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. 
 
 21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, 
 in the tenth mouthy in the fifth day of the month, that one 
 that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, 
 
 22 The city is smitten. Now the hand of the Lord was upon 
 
 nant sense of enjoyment of the favour of God and the external pros- 
 perity which is the reflection and seal of it. 
 
 16. Cf. xviii. 12. 
 
 shall be ineiitioned'\ Or, remembered against him, as v, 13. 
 
 17. Cf. xviii. 25, 29. 
 
 18. 19. These verses sum up the whole principles of the passage, 
 cf. xviii. 26, 27. On v. 20 cf. xviii. 25, 29. 
 
 21, 22. Fugitives from Judaea arrive among the exiles announcing 
 that the city had fallen. This confirmation of all the prophet's anti- 
 cipations, which the exiles had received with so much incredulity, 
 opened his mouth, gave him confidence to speak before his fellow 
 exiles. And he announces what shall be the fate of those left in the 
 land {tjv. 23 — 29). 
 
 21. The date here given is about a year and a half after the city's 
 fall. Considering the constant intercourse between the mother coun- 
 try and the exiles this period is very long. Some MSS. as well as the 
 Syr. read eleventh year, leaving about six months for the news to travel 
 by messenger. (Eleven and twelve are easily confused in Heb.). 
 
 our captivity'] That of Jehoiachin, cli. i. 2. "One that had 
 escaped," lit. ihQ fugitive, may refer to one or more, cf. xxiv. 26. 
 
 22. Though the date is inserted here, it is probably to be under- 
 stood as applicable to the whole chapter, for vv. i, 2 the prophet is 
 commanded to speak publicly to the children of his people. In the 
 evening he felt tlie hand of the Lord upon him, he fell into an exci- 
 tation. Thoughts such as those in vv. 1 — 20 of the new Israel that God 
 would create and of the conditions of belonging to it filled his mind. 
 He was well aware that the city's fall was inevitable, to him it Avas 
 as good as fallen. And full of the new thoughts of the future he felt 
 himself standing before his fellow exiles with an impulse strong upon 
 him to speak to them of this future in the name of the Lord. In the 
 
vv. 23-25-] EZEKIEL, XXXIII. 245 
 
 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. 
 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. 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. 
 Wherefore say unto tliem, Thus saith the Lord God; Ye 25 
 
 morning the fugitives arrived with the confirmation of all his past 
 predictions. 
 
 until he came to me] should come : against his coming, Ex. vii. 15. 
 
 110 more ciumli] i.e. silent, Ps. xxxix, 2 ; Is. liii. 7. 
 
 23- -29. The confirmation by the fugitives of all his previous pre- 
 dictions gave the prophet boldness to speak anew, and what he says 
 is but a continuation of that which he had said before, and had been 
 so literally confirmed. He had predicted the city's fall because of its 
 sins, and his prophecy had been verified ; those remaining in the 
 land continue in the sins for which the city fell, and its fate shall 
 certainly overtake them. The judgment must be carried out till the 
 offences cease. But the teaching of these verses is the natural sup- 
 plement also to that in vv. i — 20. Those remaining in the land 
 presume that they shall inherit the land Ijecause they are in it, not- 
 withstanding their evil conduct : the inheritance of the land will 
 be given on different conditions (z'V. 1—20, cf. xxxvi. 25 — 38, 
 xxxvii. 23). 
 
 2i. Regarding those remaining in the land even before the fall 
 of the city, cf. xi. 5 — 12, 14 — 21; Jer. xxiv. Those remaining in 
 the land express their confident hopes. Though reduced in numbers 
 they are still many in comparison of the single individual Abraham. 
 Yet he was multiplied in such a way as to take possession of the land ; 
 much more may they hope yet to assert their claims to it. They 
 perhaps hardly argued on mere natural probabilities ; they felt them- 
 selves the heirs of the promises made to Abraham, and in spite of 
 disasters hoped that Jehovah would fulfil them to them. They 
 display the same temper as the people had always shewn ; they have 
 a faith in Jehovah but no knowledge of what Jehovah is (Am. v. 14 ; 
 Hos. iv. i; Jer. iv. 22, v. 2, 4). Another prophet of this age 
 applies the strange history of Abraham and his multiplication to com- 
 fort "the few men of Israel" who followed after righteousness, Is. 
 li. 2. 
 
 inhabit those -ivastesl The ruined cities chiefly, z^. 27 ; but cf. 
 xxxvi. 4. 
 
 the land is given its'] Words of confident anticipation. 
 
 25. The claim of the remnant is repudiated by Ezek. with indig- 
 nation. They persist in the sins for which their country fell, and the 
 same judgment shall overtake them. 
 
246 EZEKIEL, XXXIII. [vv. 26-28. 
 
 eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, 
 
 26 and shed blood : and shall ye possess the land ? 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 //ley that are in the wastes shall fall by the 
 sword, and him that ts in the open field will I give to the 
 beasts to be devoured, and ^/ley that l^e in the forts and in 
 
 23 the caves shall die of the pestilence. 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 
 
 ^>e eat with the l)lood\ i.e. eat flesli slaughtered in such a way that 
 the blood remains in it. According to the law animals had to be 
 slaughtered in such a way as to drain away the blood, which was 
 poured into the ground, where not dashed upon the altar. An ex- 
 ample of a prohibited way of slaughtering was breaking the neck, Is. 
 Ixvi. 3. Cf. Lev. xvii. 10, xix. 26; Deut. xii. 16; i Sam. xiv. 32. See 
 on xviii. 6, 11, 15, xxii. 9. 
 
 lift up your eyes\ See xviii. 6. On "shed blood" xxii. 6, 9. 
 
 26. stand upon your sioord] Hardly means, the footing on which 
 ye deal with men is the sword; but probably, ye occupy yourselves 
 with the sword, cf, xliv. 24. 
 
 7itorh abomination'] The term is mostly applied to religious practices 
 contrary to the pure religion of Jehovah. On the other sin named 
 cf. xviii. 6, xxii. 11. Verses 25, 26 are wanting in LXX. The passage 
 is vigorous and apart from the anomalous form "ye work" (where 
 fern, n is due to following /) altogether unsuspicious. The omission in 
 LXX. may have arisen from the eye of the translator straying from the 
 words "Lord God" v. 25 to the same words v. 27. 
 
 27. The "wastes" are the desolate cities; those that still hover 
 about these ruins shall be slain by the enemy. The "open field" 
 is the country, now depopulated and "the possession of wild beasts;" 
 and the "forts," coupled with caves, are the natural fastnesses of 
 the land. Those taking refuge there shall die of the pestilence, due 
 to crowding and famine. The remnant shall be exterminated from 
 the land. 
 
 28. Cf. vii. 24, xxiv. 21, xxx. 6, 7. The "mountains of Israel" 
 are the mountain land of Israel. 
 
 30—33. Demeanour of the people towards the prophet. 
 
 The confirmation which the fall of the city gave to the prophet's 
 
 past predictions awakened the interest of his fellow exiles in him and 
 
 ' his words. They congregated together in knots under the shadow of 
 
 the walls and in the doors of the houses discussing his sayings. Recent 
 
 events had given him a more prominent place in their thoughts. There 
 
vv. 29-33.] EZEKIEL, XXXIII. 247 
 
 none shall pass through. Then shall they know that I a7n 2; 
 the Lord, when 1 have laid the land most desolate because 
 of all their abominations which they have committed. 
 
 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still 30 
 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. And they come unto thee as 31 
 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. And lo, thou art unto them as a 32 
 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. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it 33 
 will come) then shall they know that a prophet hath been 
 among them. 
 
 was something also in the new truths he was uttering, in his outlook , 
 into the future and in his appeals to the individual mind, causing each 
 to turn his eyes inward upon himself, that touched them and awakened 
 a certain reality of concern. Still it was in the main curiosity rather 
 than genuine seriousness that led them to listen to him. There was 
 a certain charm, more perhaps in the kind of future presented by the 
 prophet than in his manner of presenting it, which was like sweet 
 music; but though they listened the drift of their minds was too 
 steadily set in another direction to be changed. 
 
 30. are talking against ihce\ tlie children of thy people who 
 talk of thee. The construction has a certain inconsequence in it. 
 On "talk" cf. Mai. iii. 16. The "walls" afforded a shade, under 
 which men gathered for conversation, 
 
 one to another] The form "one" is Chaldee rather than Heb. The 
 clause says the same thing as next clause and is wanting in LXX. 
 
 31. On "come unto thee" cf. viii. i, xiv. i, xx. i. 
 
 as my people] The construction is very hard. LXX. omits. 
 
 with their mouth... love] The language is peculiar, but can hardly 
 have any other sense. LXX. Syr. read : for falsehood is in their 
 month and their heart <^e. The term "covetousness" or gain has, 
 especially in later books, the general sense of advantage, self-advance- 
 ment, Is. Ivi. ir. 
 
 32. lovely song of one] lit. a lovely song; one that hath. The 
 comparison "like a lovely song" is as usual inexact; "like" merely 
 indicates the circumstances — as when there is a lovely song. The 
 prophet is compared to the singer as A. V. 
 
 33. 7i'hen this cometh] but when it cometh to pass. The general 
 it (fcm. as usual in general references) is the judgment or crisis, the 
 
248 EZEKIEL, XXXIV. [vv. 1—4. 
 
 3^ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 
 man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, 
 and say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God unto the shep- 
 herds ; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed them- 
 
 3 selves ! should not the shepherds feed the flocks ? Ye eat 
 the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that 
 
 4 are fed : but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye 
 not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was 
 sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, 
 
 idea of which underlies all the prophet's words and is presupposed 
 in them. Cf. ii. 5. 
 
 Ch. XXXIV. The former selfish shepherds of the flock, 
 
 AND THE FUTURE GOOD SHEPHERD. 
 
 The past history of the people and their future is presented under 
 the common allegory of a flock. The shepherds are the rulers. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 10. The evil shepherds of Israel fed themselves and 
 not the flock. And thus the sheep were scattered over all the earth. 
 The Lord will rid his sheep out of the hand of these shepherds. 
 
 (2) vv. II — 16. Jehovah himself will undertake the care of his 
 sheep. He will seek them out and gather them from all the nations, 
 and will bring them again to the mountains of Israel, Avhere they shall 
 feed in plentiful pasture. 
 
 (3) vv, 17 — 22. He will judge also between sheep and sheep, 
 between the strong and the weak. The strong shall no more push 
 with the horn and thrust with the shoulder; neither shall they alone 
 eat the good pasture and drink the clear water. These pushing rams 
 and he-goats are the magnates, whose oppression of the common 
 people is so common a theme in the early prophets. 
 
 (4) vv. 11 — 31. The Lord will raise up a good shepherd to rule 
 his flock, even his servant David. And in those days to come the 
 earth shall be transfigured : showers shall bless the land and the earth 
 shall yield her increase. And the peace of the people shall be per- 
 petual: they shall no more fear the heathen abroad, and no more 
 suffer from scarcity at home. 
 
 2. the shephcrds\ i.e. the rulers. The term is chiefly used in later 
 writings (Jer. ii. 8, iii. 15); it occurs, however, in Zech. ix.— xi., the 
 date of which is disputed. On Zedekiah cf. ch. xvii., and on his 
 immediate predecessors, Jer. xxii. 10 — 30. In general, Jer. xxiii., xxv. 
 32 seq. 
 
 itnto the shepherds] Possibly this is a marginal heading which has 
 crept into the text, cf. Jer. xxiii. 9, and the reading may be, thus 
 saith the Lord God, IVoe be to... For flocks, flock. 
 
 3. Ye eat the fat] LXX. the jnilk (the consonants are the same). 
 Cf. Is. vii. 22; Zech. xi. 16. 
 
 4. Five classes are here mentioned, in v. 16 only four, the "diseased " 
 
vv. 5—13.] EZEKIEL, XXXIV. 249 
 
 neither have ye brought again that which was dri\-en away, 
 neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force 
 and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were 5 
 scattered, because there is no shepherd : and they became 
 meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 
 j\[y sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon e 
 every high hill : yea, my flock was scattered upon all the 
 face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. 
 
 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As \ 
 I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became 
 a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the 
 field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shep- 
 herds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, 
 and fed not my flock ; therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the 9 
 word of the Lord ; Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I 10 
 am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at 
 their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock ; 
 neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more ; for 1 
 will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be 
 meat for them. 
 
 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, eveii I, will both n 
 search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd u 
 seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep 
 that are scattered ; so will I seek out my sheep, and will de- 
 liver them out of all places where they have been scattered 
 in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out 13 
 from the people, and gather them from the countries, and 
 
 being Avanting, and "strengthen" used here of the diseased is said 
 there of the sick. The "broken" is the hurt or bruised; the "lost" 
 that whicli has wandered away of itself, in distinction from that "driven 
 away" by violence. 
 
 5. The allegory is simple enough. Owing to the evil and selfish 
 government of the rulers the people became the prey of all the nations 
 lound about them. The figure of the flock indicates, however, the 
 affection of Jehovah for his people and his compassion over their 
 sufferings. 
 
 11—16. Jehovah himself will undertake the care oe his 
 
 ELOCK. 
 
 11. search my s/hyj>] i.e. search for, or, search out. 
 13. Read peoples as usual. 
 
250 EZEKIEL, XXXIV. [vv. 14—19. 
 
 will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon 
 the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the in- 
 
 14 habited places of the country. I will feed them in a 
 good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall 
 their fold be : there shall they lie in a good fold, and in 
 a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 
 
 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, 
 
 16 saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and 
 bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up 
 that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was 
 sick : but I will destroy the fat and the strong ; I will feed 
 
 17 them with judgment. And as for you, O my flock, thus 
 saith the Lord God ; Behold, I judge between cattle and 
 
 i8 cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it 
 a. small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pas- 
 ture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue 
 of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, 
 
 19 but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for 
 my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your 
 feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your 
 feet. 
 
 14. Jehovah first seeks out his sheep {z>. 11), then he delivers them 
 out of the places where they are scattered (v. 1-2), then he leads them 
 into their own land {v. 13), where he feeds them upon the mountain 
 heights of Israel {vv. 14, 15). 
 
 16. The Lord's treatment of his flock will be in all things the 
 reverse of the treatment given them by the evil shepherds. 
 
 7aifA jiidgment\ i.e. just judgment; in rectitude and justice. Cf. 
 such demands as those in Is. i. 17, iii. 15, v. 8; Mic. ii. i — 2, iii. 
 1—4. 
 
 17. Not only shall the cruel shepherds be removed and the flock 
 delivered out of their hands and fed by the Lord himself, the injuries 
 inflicted by members of the flock on each other shall no more prevail. 
 The strong shall no more push the weak or drive them from the good 
 pasture. 
 
 beiivcen cattle and cattle"] between sheep and slieep, even the rams 
 and the he-goats. The "rams" and "he-goats" explain the second 
 word *' sheep." Jehovah will judge between one class (the poor and 
 weak) and another (the rams). Cf. xxii. 27, 29; Am. ii. 7, iii. 9, 
 iv. I. 
 
 18. The words are addressed to the rams and he-goats — the mag- 
 nates and ruling classes. 
 
 deep 7i>aters] clear (lit. settled) waters, cf. xxxii. 14. 
 
vv. 20—24.] EZEKIEL, XXXIV. 251 
 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them ; Behold, 20 
 I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the 
 lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with 21 
 shoulder, and pusht all the diseased with your horns, till 
 ye have scattered them abroad ; therefore will I save my 22 
 flock, and they shall no more be a prey ; and I will judge 
 between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd 23 
 over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David ; 
 he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I 24 
 the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince 
 
 23—28. Instead of the many worthless shepherds of old there shall 
 in the future be one good shepherd, even David, and Jehovah shall in 
 truth be God of Israel. 
 
 23. my servant David^ The meaning cannot be that David would in 
 person revive and reappear. It is more doubtful whether the prophet 
 means that the line or family of David would again occupy the throne 
 or that a single person would be king. It is possible that this question 
 was not strictly before his mind ; it is the character of the ruler that he 
 thhiks of. The oriental mind hardly distinguishes between an ancient 
 personage and one who appears in his power and spirit ; when it com- 
 pares it identifies. The new prince over the people will be David, the 
 servant of the Lord. Loth the person and the reign of David were 
 idealized. He was not in general terms but in truth the man after 
 God's own heart. His rule was not merely extensive, it was uni- 
 versal. He gave the people victory and secured them peace — he was 
 a leader and commander of the peoples (Is. Iv. 4 ; Ps. xviii. 43). 
 Such shall be the king of the restored community when Jehovah is 
 indeed the God of Israel. For it is to be noted that in Messianic 
 prophecy it is Jehovah who saves the people {v. 22 and preceding 
 verses) ; then he appoints a shepherd over the restored community, 
 who feeds them in righteousness and peace. The Messiah is the 
 king of the saved community, whom he mles in the fear of the Lord 
 with all royal and godly qualities ; and the virtues of his character, 
 fruit of the spirit of the Lord, communicate themselves to those whom 
 he rules (Is. xi.). It is possible that the phrase "one shepherd" is 
 to be interpreted as in xxxvii. 24, with the meaning that the two 
 kingdoms shall be one, and that this is part of the meaning of the 
 term "David," cf. IIos. i. 11, iil. 5; Am. ix. 11. See more fully ch. 
 xxxvii. 
 
 24. / /Ae Lord... their God] This is the goal towards which all 
 movements strive ; when this is reached perfection is attained and 
 the covenant with its aims fully realized, cf. xxxvii. 27; Jer. xxxi. 31; 
 Ex. xxix. 45. The meaning of the words is very profound, implying 
 closer fellowship and deeper feelings accompanying it than can well 
 be expressed. 
 
 David a prince] David is here called " prince"; in xxxvii. 22, 24 he 
 
252 EZEKIEL, XXXIV. [vv. 25—29. 
 
 25 among them ; I the Lord have spoken //. And I will 
 make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the 
 evil beasts to cease out of the land : and they shall dwell 
 
 26 safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I 
 will make them and the places round about my hill a 
 blessing ; and I will cause the shower to come down in his 
 
 27 season ; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of 
 the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her 
 increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall 
 know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands 
 of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those 
 
 28 that served themselves of them. And they shall no more 
 be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land 
 devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall 
 
 S9 make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of 
 renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger 
 in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any 
 
 is named "king" (though LXX. avoids the term). The term 
 "prince" is common in Ezek., and does not imply a dignity inferior 
 to that of royalty. 
 
 25. a covenant of peace] a covenant securing everlasting peace and 
 therefore implying the removal of all that would injure or disturb 
 them. In Hos. ii. 20 the sense is somewhat different : Jehovah 
 makes a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, that they 
 shall not hurt. In Hos. "beasts" is used literally (cf. Is. xi. 6), 
 here figuratively, meaning foes, heathen assailants, though the figure 
 of the flock is still maintained (Lev. xxvi. 6). The "wilderness" is 
 the uncultivated pasture land as distinguished from that under tillage, 
 covered with crops or fruit-trees (Carmel). Even in the "woods," 
 the parts covered with bush, the haunts of wild beasts, the flock shall 
 sleep safely. 
 
 26. make them... a blessing] i.e. altogether blessed. Gen. xii. 2; 
 Is. xix. 24, as the last words of the verse imply. Cf. construction 
 xvi. 38, xxvii. 36, xxviii. 19, xxxiii. 28. The language of the clause is 
 not very natural; LXX. reads: and I will set them round about my 
 hill (the word "blessing" wanting). 
 
 shoivers of blessing] i.e. bringing blessing, not, composed of blessing, 
 V. 27, Joel ii. 23 — 27 ; Lev. xxvi. 4. 
 
 27. bands of their yoke] i.e. the yoke bound upon them, Lev. xxvi. 
 13; Jer. ii. 20, where read "thou hast broken." 
 
 29. a plant of renoivn] a plantation of renown, lit. for a name, i.e. 
 a plantation which shall be (or, so as to be) renowned ; cf. for the 
 phrase xxxix. 13; Is. Iv. 13. The ref. is not to the person of the 
 Messiah, but to the luxuriant fertility and vegetation of the earth in 
 the Messianic age. Comp. Ps. Ixvii., Ixxii. 16; Am. ix. 13; Hos. ii, 
 
vv. 30, 31 ; 1, 2.] EZEKIEL, XXXV. 253 
 
 more. Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God 30 
 am with them, and ///^z/ they, even the house of Israel, are 
 my people, saith the Lord God. And ye my flock, the 31 
 flock of my pasture, are men, a;id I am your God, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 35 
 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy 2 
 
 21; Joel ii. 23 scij. The land of Israel was subject to droughts 
 and famine (xxxvi. 15, 30; i Kings xvii. see/.; Jer. xiv. 1—6, 18; Joel 
 i.). In the regeneration this reproach shall no more fall on it, ch. 
 xxxvi. 3, 6, 15. . , T , 
 
 30. am 7ai//t thcm'\ LXX. omits ivith them, rcadmg: that I the 
 Lord am their God, and they... my people— the usual antithesis. The 
 people's consciousness of salvation shall be, so to speak, a double 
 one, that Jehovah is their God and that they are his people. The 
 two things might seem identical, but the second suggests a feeling 
 regarding themselves which belongs to the perfect enjoyment of salva- 
 tion. 
 
 31. ye my Jlock...-\\Q: men'] Omit "are men" with LXX. and read: 
 and ye are my Jlock.. .pasture , and I am your God. 
 
 Cn. XXXV.— XXXVI. The Land. 
 
 After the review of the dark history of the "shepherds" of the 
 people in the past and the promise of the good shepherd who shall 
 rule the restored community, securing protection and peace to them 
 for ever, there follows a similar oracle in regard to the Land of Israel. 
 The passage has three divisions:— 
 
 First, Ch. xxxv. Negatively, a threat against Edom. Edom had 
 shewn despite to the people all through their history: particularly, 
 lirst, it had expressed malicious joy over the desolation of the country 
 at the time of its great calamity, which it had helped forward [v. 5, 
 11—15); and secondly, it had arrogated to itself the right to take pos- 
 session of the country, though it was Jehovah's abode {vv. 10, 12) 
 Therefore desolation shall overtake the mountain of Seir ; it shall be 
 iTiade desolate when all the earth rejoices {vv. 14, 15). 
 
 Secondly, Ch. xxxvi. i — 15. Positively, an oracle in behalf of the 
 mountain land of Israel. It shall be delivered out of the hand of the 
 heathen who are round about, and they shall bear their shame (w. i — 
 
 Thirdly, vv. 16—38. The redemptive principles illustrated in all 
 this — not for Israel's sake but for his own name's sake it is that Jeho- 
 vah docth all these things for his people. 
 
 Cir. XXXV. Thrkat against EDOif. 
 
 1. On Edonr cf. xxv. i 2 ,v,y. 
 
 2. set thy face against] Cf. ch. vi. 2. 
 
254 EZEKIEL, XXXV. [vv. 3—S. 
 
 3 against it, and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 hold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch 
 out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most 
 
 4 desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be 
 
 5 desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Be- 
 cause thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed f/ie 
 blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in 
 the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity Jiad 
 
 6 an end : therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will 
 prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee : sith 
 thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. 
 
 7 Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off 
 
 8 from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. And 
 I will fill his mountains with his slain vwi : in thy hills, and 
 in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are 
 
 3. stretch out mine hand\ Ch. vi. 14. Edom shall be made a com- 
 plete desolation, and it shall realize whose hand it is that falls so 
 heavily upon it (z'. 4). 
 
 5. The causes of the judgment on Mount Seir. These causes are 
 three: first, its perpetual hatred of Israel, xxv. 15; Am. i. 11; second, 
 its malicious joy over the downfall of Israel and Uie part it took in the 
 destruction of the people in the day of their calamity, when the con- 
 sequences of their guilt fell upon them, Obad. vv. to — 14 ; and third, 
 Edom's invasion of the land and seizure of it as their own, though the 
 Lord dwelt in it {v. 10). 
 
 hast shed... of the sxcord] and didst deliver the children of Israel 
 over into the hands of the sword. Jer. xviii. 21 ; Ps. Ixiii. 10. 
 
 time iniquity had an end'\ Lit. time of the iniquity of the end. The 
 "iniquity of the end" is either, the final punishment of iniquity, or, 
 the iniquity whose punishment was seen in the end (of the state). Cf. 
 ch. vii. The phrase again xxi. 30, The ref. is to the destruction 
 of Jerusalem ; so the "calamity" referred to is the downfall of the 
 city and state, as Ob. v. 13; cf. Ps. cxxxvii. 7, "the day of Jeru- 
 salem." 
 
 6. prepare thee unto blood'[ make thee blood (cf. xvi. 38, and on 
 xxxiv. 26), i.e. all blood — give thee over to universal slaughter. The 
 clause "I will... pursue thee" is wanting in LXX. 
 
 sith thou hast not hated'\ The words might mean : surely thou hast 
 hated (hatest) blood, and blood shall..., a sense not very clear, but 
 probably similar to xi. 8, "Ye fear the sword, and I will bring the 
 sword." LXX. reads: ye have sinned even unto blood (xxii. 4). 
 
 7. passeth out... returneth] A phrase like "shut up and free," 
 used to denote all classes, cf. "the shod and the barefoot" in Arab. 
 LXX. has altered into "man and beast," the usual phrase after "cut 
 off," e.g. xxv. 13. 
 
9—15] EZEKIEL, XXXV. 255 
 
 slain with the sword. I will make thee perpetual desola- 9 
 tions, and thy cities shall not return : and ye shall know 
 that I am the Lord. Because thou hast said, These two to 
 nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will 
 possess itj whereas the Lord was there: therefore, as \ -^^ 
 live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine 
 anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used 
 out of thy hatred against them ; and I will make myself 
 known amongst them, when I have judged thee. And thou 12 
 shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all 
 thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the moun- 
 tains of Israel, saying. They are laid desolate, they are given 
 us to consume. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted 13 
 against me, and have multiplied your words against me : I 
 have heard them. Thus saith the Lord God \ When the h 
 whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. As thou 15 
 didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because 
 
 9. cities shall not return^ Probably, shall not be inhabited (Ileb. 
 text tcshabnah). The pointing "return" possibly reposes on xvi. 55. 
 
 10. In aggravation of their historical bearing towards Israel and 
 their participation in her overthrow, Edom has proceeded to lay hands 
 upon the territory of the two houses of Israel, although it is the place 
 of the Lord's abode and consecrated by his presence. 
 
 These two nations] Judah and Israel. 
 
 whereas the Lord] Or, although the Lord was there. The ref. 
 appears to be to the time when the people were in the land, and the 
 Lord dwelt in it in the midst of them, consecrating it by his presence. 
 This relation of his to the land was unalterable ; and Edom had 
 ''profaned" his holy abode. 
 
 11. Amos i. II also uses the word "anger" of Edom's demeanour. 
 LXX. reads the verse in a shorter form. 
 
 amorigst thein] i.e. Israel, or, those who behold it. LXX. in thee 
 (Edom, changing one letter), which is more pointed, cf. v. 12. For 
 "have judged," better, shall judge. 
 
 12. all thy blasphemies] Or, contumelies, 2 Kings xix. 3. 
 
 14. When the... rejoiceth^ Probably: to the rejoicing of i\\Q whole 
 earth will I make thee desolate. This gives the requisite antithesis 
 to V. 15 : as Edom rejoiced over the destruction of Judah, the whole 
 earth will be overjoyed at her desolation. 
 
 15. The clause "as thou didst... do unto thee" is wanting in LXX. 
 As Edom had been active in the destruction of Judah, their own 
 
 desolation must follow. The author of the Lamentations has a i)rc- 
 sentiment that the next great act of divine judgment will be on Edom 
 (Lam. iv. 22; cf. Is. xxxiv., Ixiii. i — 6). The great empires which 
 brought destruction upon Jerusalem were acting under commission 
 
256 EZEKIEL, XXXV. [v. 15. 
 
 it was desolate, so will I do unto thee : thou shalt be deso- 
 late, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it : and they 
 shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 from Jehovah and the work was according to his will. But in the 
 first place there is a difference between the work itself and the spirit 
 in which it is done. Jehu received commendation for his act in cutting 
 off the seed of Ahab, but later his house was extirpated for the guilt 
 of this same "blood of Jezreel" (Hos. i. 4). The Assyrian was en- 
 trusted with a commission against the ungodly nation ; but he meant 
 not so, it was in his heart to cut off nations not a few (Is. x. 7), and 
 the decree that he should be broken upon the mountains of Israel 
 went out against him (Is. xiv. 25). Nebuchadnezzar was the "servant" 
 of the Lord, but because Babylon laid her yoke heavily on the aged 
 of the people, not considering the issue of such things, bereavement 
 and widowhood shall come upon her in one day (Is. xlvii. 6 — 8). Here 
 the prophet reprobates both the actions and the spirit of Edom, and 
 threatens that Jehovah will recompense it into their bosom. In ancient 
 modes of thought the people and their god were one. The people 
 were but the reflection of the god, they were the people of Chemosh 
 or Milcom or Jehovah. All wars were religious wars, wars against 
 a god who animated and gave strength to his people (Ex. xii. 12). 
 Edom's despite was to some extent in the strict sense directed against 
 Jehovah. In truth they knew Jehovah only as the God of Israel, 
 but it was he whom they knew, though they might not have such 
 knowledge of him as Ezek. had attained to. But it is possible to be 
 guilty of great sins against God, even though they are done unwittingly 
 and without full knowledge of that which he is. 
 
 And in the second place, Edom received no commission from Je- 
 hovah against his people. Their place in history and among the 
 nations of the earth gave them no significance in relation to Israel, 
 or in Jehovah's providence embracing all the world. The contact of 
 Israel with the nations exercising universal empire over the earth, 
 if it did not suggest conceptions of Jehovah's universal power and 
 dominion to the prophets, at least gave them occasion for expressing 
 to the people and to all time such conceptions; and this period of 
 Israel's history lent a breadth and elevation to prophecy to Avhich in 
 political conditions such as existed in eai-lier times it could never 
 have attained. The transportation of colonies of Israelites also into 
 the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, besides purifying the religion 
 of the people from its dependence on ritual observance and making 
 it more inward among those who continued to adhere to it, leavened 
 the populations of these heathen nations with truer conceptions of 
 Deity and religion. The writers of this age often refer to the strangers 
 joining themselves to the covenant of the Lord (Is. xiv. i, 2, Ivi. i — 8), 
 and no doubt the same influence was exerted by Israel, if not to the 
 same extent, in Babylon and the countries of the East, as we are 
 familiar with in later times in Rome and the empire of the West. 
 In such respects Edom had no importance, and hai-dly entered into 
 the larger designs of Jehovah with respect to his people and mankind. 
 
vv. 1—4.] EZEKIEL, XXXVI. 
 
 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of 36 
 Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of 
 the Lord : thus saith the Lord God ; Because the enemy 2 
 hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places 
 are ours in possession : therefore prophesy and say. Thus 3 
 saith the Lord God ; Because they have made you desolate, 
 and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a 
 possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken 
 up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people : 
 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord 4 
 God ; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to 
 the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate 
 
 Ch. XXXVI. Positive prophecy in behalf of the Land. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 7. The mountain land of Israel shall be delivered out 
 of the hand of the heathen round about, who have usurped it. These 
 nations shall bear their shame. 
 
 (2) vv. 8 — 15. The land shall in the age to come l)e luxuriantly 
 fruitful. The reproach that it ate up its inhabitants shall no more 
 fall upon it. 
 
 (3) vv. 16 — 38. The redemptive principles illustrated in these 
 blessings of the future, and in all Israel's history. Not for Israel's 
 sake but for his own name's sake it is that Jehovah will accomplish 
 these things. 
 
 1 seq. Deliverance of the mountains of Israel from the nations who 
 have usurped it. The passage is the reversal of all that which was 
 threatened in ch. vi. 
 
 mountaijis of Israel\ i.e. mountain land of Israel, vi. 2, xvii. 22, 
 xxxiii. 28, &c. 
 
 2. Cf. XXV. 3, xxvi. 2. 
 
 ancient high places] "High places" is not used here in the usual 
 religious sense of rural sanctuaries, but said of the mountain-land of 
 Israel, cf. Deut. xxxii. 13; Mic. iii. 12. On ancient or "eternal" as 
 an epithet of mountains cf. Gen. xlix. 26; Deut. xxxiii. 15; Ps. xxiv. 
 7. For "high places" LXX. reads "wastes," cf. perpetual desolations, 
 xxxv. 9. 
 
 3. Becattse...'] lit. because, because, xiii. 10. The passage throughout 
 betrays passionate feeling on the part of the prophet. His patriotism 
 is aglow as the loved mountains of his native land rise before his 
 mind; cf. the pathetic words in reference to the exiled king, xix. 9. 
 Hence the excitation and solemnity displayed in introducing the pro- 
 phecy, which itself is expressed (z-. 7 seq.) only after four or five com- 
 mands to utter it [vv. 3, 4, 5, 6). For made desolate gaped for might 
 be read, Is. xlii. 14. 
 
 and ye are taken tip\ Or, and are come up upon the lips, Deut. 
 xxviii. 37; Lam. ii. 15; Dan. ix. 16 (niph. not unusual in this verb, 
 Jer, xxxvii. 5). 
 
 EZEKIEL 1 7 
 
258 EZEKIEL, XXXVI. [w. 5— lo. 
 
 wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a 
 prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are 
 
 5 round about ; therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Surely 
 in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue 
 of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have ap- 
 pointed my land into their possession with the joy of all 
 their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. 
 
 6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say 
 unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to 
 the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I have 
 spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have 
 
 7 borne the shame of the heathen : therefore thus saith the 
 Lord God ; I have lifted up mine hand. Surely the heathen 
 that are about you, they shall bear their shame. 
 
 8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your 
 branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel ; for 
 
 9 they are at hand to come. For behold, I am for you, and I 
 10 will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown : and I 
 
 will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, eve7i all 
 of it : and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall 
 
 6. fire of my jcaIonsy'\ "Jealousy" is injured self-consciousness; 
 it is the reaction of Jehovah's sense of himself against the injurious 
 conduct of Edom and the nations in relation to him or that which is 
 his, cf. 7}iy land. 
 
 to cast it out] The expression is difficult both in grammar (as xvii. 
 9) and meaning. To take "cast it (the land) out" in the sense of 
 cast out the inhabitants is not quite natural, though cf. xxiv. 6. The 
 reading may be faulty. 
 
 6. dome the shame of the heathen] The shame cast on them by the 
 heathen, cf. z'. 15, xxxiv. 29. 
 
 7. lifted lip mine hand] The gesture of taking an oath, xx. 5. 
 Strictly the rendering is I lift ?//, so I speak, vv. 5, 6. 
 
 bear their shame] As Israel has borne the shame of the reproaches 
 and taunts of the heathen, so they, when their destruction cometh (as 
 it is near), shall bear the shame of it. 
 
 8—15. Positive promise to the mountain-land of Israel. In the 
 age of the regeneration, which is at the door, it shall be luxuriantly 
 fruitful {vv. 8, 9), and populous {vv. 10 — 12); it shall no more kill 
 its inhabitants with scarcity {vv. 13, 14), nor any more be subject to 
 the reproach of the nations on this account (v. 15). 
 
 8. at hand to come] The presentiment of the prophet is that the 
 restoration of the people and the age to which all these promises which 
 he gives (ch. xxxiii. — xxxvii.) belong is close at hand. 
 
 10. Cf. V. 33; Is. Iviii. 12, Ixi. 4; Zech. viii. 12, 
 
vv. II— IS-] EZEKIEL, XXXVI. 
 
 be builded : and I will multiply upon you man and beast ; n 
 and they shall increase and bring fruit : and I will settle 
 you after your old estates, and will do better tinto you than 
 at your beginnings : and ye shall know that I ain the Lord. 
 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people 12 
 Israel ; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their 
 inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave 
 them of men. Thus saith the Lord God ; Because they 13 
 say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast be- 
 reaved thy nations ; therefore thou shalt devour men no m 
 more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord 
 God. Neither will I cause 7ncn to hear in thee the shame 15 
 of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the re- 
 proach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy 
 nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God. 
 
 11. Jer. xxxi. 27, xxxiii. 12, 13; Hos. ii. 23; Zech. viii. 4, 5. On 
 *'old estates," i.e. former condition, cf. xvi. 55. 
 
 your beginnings'] i.e. early or former estate, Job viii. 7, xlii. 12. 
 The phrase "increase and bring fruit (multiply)," common in some 
 parts of Pent. (Priests' Code), is wanting in LXX. ' 
 
 12. bereave thein of vien] Properly the term means to bereave of 
 children, here it is used generally, to bereave the people, i.e. destroy 
 its members, Jer. xv. 7. 
 
 13. Comp. the report of the spies, Numb. xiii. 32, "the land is 
 a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof." The land whose popu- 
 lation perishes of scarcity is regarded as itself devouring them. It is 
 doubtful if there is any reference to such things as the unhealthy 
 situation of the land (2 Kings ii. 19), or even to the wars by which 
 the country had been decimated. The true meaning is given v. 30. 
 
 bereaved thy nations] thy nation, i.e. population, and so z'z^. 14, 15. 
 The phir. could hardly refer to the two nations, Israel and Judah 
 (xxxv. 10), although it might possibly be used like "peoples" of the 
 nation considered as made up of a number of portions (IIos. x. 14). 
 The land of Israel was subject to droughts (Jer. xiv. i ; i K. xvii. seq., 
 Am. iv. 7), to blasting and mildew (Am. iv. 9), as well as to the 
 scourge of locusts (Joel i.). Comp. the struggles with famine which 
 the returned exiles had, Hag. i. 10, 11, ii. 17. 
 
 15. Read peoples for people, as usual. 
 
 cause thy nations to fall] Rather: bereave thy nation any more. 
 The same word is read v. 14, but corrected in Heb. marg., and the 
 same correction should be made here (shakal = bereave, kashal = fall). 
 The clause is wanting in LXX. 
 
 16—38. Not for Israel's sake but for his own name's sake 
 DOES Jehovah do all this in behalf of his people. 
 
 The passage is remarkable and deserves to be studied almost more 
 
 17-2 
 
26o EZEKIEL, XXXVI. [v. i6. 
 
 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 
 
 than any other part of Ezek. when one is seeking to undersland his 
 general conceptions. It exhibits his philosophy of history (cf. ch. xx.), 
 and also describes with great beauty the principles of Jehovah's 
 redemption of his people, and how step by step this shall be accom- 
 plished. The prophet reviews the history of the people from the 
 beginning, running it out till it is lost in its eternal issues, and shewing 
 how it will read to all the nations of the earth the true lesson of that 
 which Jehovah, the God of Israel, is, and leave ineffaceable impres- 
 sions on the mind of his own people. 
 
 First, vv. i6 — 24. The history with its significance up to Israel's 
 final restoration. — The people defiled the land with their idolatries 
 and bloodshed {^. 17), therefore the fury of Jehovah was kindled and 
 he poured it out upon them, scattering them among the nations 
 {vv. 18, 19). By these disasters which the people brought upon them- 
 selves they "profaned" Jehovah's name among the heathen. The 
 nations, ignorant of the nature of Jehovah, and incapable of divining 
 the moral principles of his rule of the world and of his people, 
 attributed the calamities of Israel to the feebleness of their God, who 
 was unable to defend them, saying, these are the people of Jehovah, 
 and they are gone forth out of his land. Thus the greatness and 
 power of Jehovah, who is God alone, was detracted from, and the 
 knowledge of him by the nations — which he wills in all that he does 
 to convey to them — was delayed or frustrated {v. 20). Therefore for 
 the sake of his holy name he will interpose and turn the fortunes of 
 his people, that he may be sanctified in the eyes of the nations 
 and known by them to be God omnipotent {vv, 21 — 24, cf. vv. 35, 
 36). 
 
 Secondly, vv. 24 — 38. The history of Jehovah's restoration of his 
 people and their full redemption in its successive steps, with the 
 eternal impressions which this history will engrave upon the people's 
 minds. — In the prophet's view Jehovah must vindicate himself in the 
 eyes of the nations by the restoration of Israel, not because he is a 
 mere tribal god who will do something for his people, but because he 
 is God alone, and his manifestation of himself to the nations of the 
 world is the goal towards which all history runs. 
 
 Jehovah "sanctifies" himself in the sight of the nations not only by 
 convincing them of his power, but even more if possible by displaying 
 his moi-al rule of his people (cf. xxxix. 23, 24), and by the spiritual 
 regeneration which he works among them {v. 25 set/.). But though 
 this great thought of Jehovah's revelation of himself in the sight of 
 the nations be attractive to the prophet, having touched upon the 
 redemption of Israel he becomes absorbed in these internal opera- 
 tions of Jehovah among his own people, Avhich he pursues in all 
 their details, and the wider thought of their influence on the heathen is 
 not reverted to till vv. 35, 36. (i) Jehovah will take his people from 
 the nations and bring them again to their own land {v. 24). (2) Then 
 he will sprinkle clean water upon them and wash them from all their 
 past impurities {v. 25). (3) He will also regenerate them, giving them 
 
vv. 17—20.] EZEKIEL, XXXVI. 261 
 
 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own 17 
 land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings : 
 their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed 
 woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the 18 
 blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols 
 zuherewith they had polluted it : and I scattered them among 19 
 the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries : 
 according to their way and according to their doings I 
 judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, 20 
 
 a new heart and a new spirit, putting indeed his own spirit within 
 them {vv. 26, 27). (4) In this spirit they shall walk in his statutes and 
 judgments, and thus shall inherit the land for ever, which the Lord 
 will greatly bless {z'v. 27 — 30). (5) Surrounded thus on all sides by the 
 tokens of Jehovah's goodness, and looking at themselves and at their 
 past doings with the new mind which the I>ord will give them {v. 26), 
 they shall loathe themselves because of all their former impurity and 
 evil, for it is not for what they have been that Jehovah does this to 
 them (vv. 31, 32). (6) Thus when Israel's captivity is brought 
 back the nations shall learn the true meaning of their dispersion, 
 and the nature of Jehovah their God, who disperses and restores {vv. 
 33—36}. 
 
 16—23. Israel's past history and the principles which 
 IT illustrates. 
 
 17. When in their own land the people defiled it with their doings. 
 The land was "holy" being sanctified by Jehovah's presence in it. The 
 sins of the people, idolatry and bloodshed, desecrated it and made 
 it unclean. Holy embraces "clean" under it, as the general does 
 a particular, Jer. ii. 7; Lev. xviii. 25. Ezek,, however, seems to 
 call all sins "uncleanness." This way of speaking and thinking 
 could hardly have arisen except under the influence of a law of cere- 
 monial defilements (which were ;ra/ defilements) and purifications. 
 
 ^inckanness of a removed] the uncleanness of a woman's impurity. 
 Lev. XV. 19. The comparison expresses the extreme of loathing, ch. 
 vii. 20. 
 
 18. The effect of these sins was to awaken the fury of Jehovah. 
 The "blood" may be murder from violence or judicial murder, so 
 often reprobated in the earlier prophets, or it may be the sacrifice of 
 children, xvi. 36, xxiii. 37, 
 
 19. The consequences of Jehovah's wrath — the people were scat- 
 tered by him among all the nations, vii. 3, xviii. 30. 
 
 20. These disasters which the people of Jehovah brought on them- 
 selves led to the desecration of his name among the heathen. The 
 nations judged him weak and unable to protect his people. In the 
 eyes of the nations the interests of the god and his people were one ; 
 if a people was subdued by another it was because its god was too 
 feeble to protect it. Naturally the idea of a god exercising a moral 
 
262 EZEKIEL, XXXVI. [vv. 21— 23. 
 
 whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when 
 they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and 
 
 21 are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine 
 holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among 
 
 22 the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the 
 house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this 
 for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's 
 sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither 
 
 23 ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was 
 profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned 
 in the midst of them ; and the heathen shall know that I 
 am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified 
 
 rule over his own people would not yet occur to them. That Jehovah 
 so rules is the lesson which the history of Israel, its dispersion and 
 restoration, is intended to read to the nations of the earth. This 
 lesson was one which Israel itself was slow to learn, and when Amos 
 (iii. 2) read it to them, it was perhaps as strange to some as it might 
 be to the heathen. 
 
 they profaned^ i.e. Israel. Israel by brhiging their dispersion upon 
 themselves led to the desecration of Jehovah's name by the nations, 
 and hence they are said directly to have profaned his name {v. 21). 
 
 ivhen they said to the>n'\ when it was said of them, These are... 
 and they are gone forth..,, i.e. though the people of Jehovah, they 
 have been driven into exile out of the land — he has not been able to 
 protect them. 
 
 21. Cf. XX. 9, 14. 
 
 22. do not this for your sakes] Not for what Israel has been or 
 deserved. The ref. is to Israel's past history; such a meaning as that 
 it is not for any interest which he has in Israel or in order to benefit 
 them that Jehovah delivers them, but only to magnify his own name, 
 is entirely extraneous to the passage and a distortion of its sense. Cf. 
 Is. xliii. 22 — 28, xlviii. 9 — 11. "Name" is not equivalent to person, 
 but is a reflection or expression of the person ; hence all that is due to 
 the person or can be said of it, is due to the name and can be employed 
 of it. 
 
 23. sanctify my great ita»ie'] To sanctify is the opposite of to pro- 
 fane. As the latter term means to detract from the power, majesty 
 or purity of Jehovah, or from any of those attributes which belong to 
 his godhead, to sanctify is to manifest or make these attributes con- 
 spicuous. Hence the effect of Jehovah's sanctifying his name is that 
 the heathen know him to be Jehovah — God alone and all that which 
 he is who is God alone. In v. 22 "holy name," here "great name"; 
 "greatness" is an element in "holiness." 
 
 be sanctified in yoii\ Or reflexive : shew myself holy — Avhere 
 "holy" embraces the attributes of Deity as a whole. Israel is the 
 
vv. 24—27.] EZEKIEL, XXXVI. 263 
 
 in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among 24 
 the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will 
 bring you into your own land. 
 
 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall 25 
 be clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, 
 will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a 26 
 new spirit will I put within you : and I will take away the 
 stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of 
 flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you 27 
 
 subject through which Jehovah shews himself to be God, i.e. by his 
 operations in Israel in the sight of the nations. 
 
 24 seq. These operations are his restoration and regeneration of 
 Israel. It is certainly possible that the more internal operations of 
 Jehovah on Israel {v. 25 seq.) — his washing them with clean water and 
 putting a new spirit within them that they shall walk in his statutes, 
 are considered part of Jehovah's sanctifying of himself in the sight of 
 the nations. They do express better what Jehovah is than a mere 
 exhibition of power, cf. xxxix. 23, 24 ; Is. Ixi. 3, Ixii. 2. At the 
 same time this more general idea seems to pass from the prophet's 
 mind in the delight with which he dwells on Israel's religious regenera- 
 tion. The wider idea is at any rate returned to in v. 33 seq. 
 
 25. Dogmatically, sprinkling with clean water might seem merely 
 to express the idea of the forgiveness of past sins. The figure is taken 
 from the washings by which ceremonial defilement was removed, and 
 the figure is part of the idea. By their relation to the idols and service 
 of them the people contracted uncleanness. And when the kind of 
 service which this was is considered, the debasing forms which it took, 
 and the immoralities which accompanied it or formed part of it (Hos. 
 iv. 13, 14), the depth of defilement will be understood and the strong 
 figure V. 1 7 will not appear too strong. 
 
 26. A new heart] The "heart" is used here generally of the 
 nature. Formerly their heart was strong, obdurate, unimpressible <ind 
 rebellious (ii. 4, iii. 7); now they shall receive a "heart of flesh," 
 impressible and soft, sensitive to the divine admonitions and will. The 
 phrase shews that in the Old Testament no idea of corrupt inclination 
 aitaches to the term "flesh" (xi. 19). According to usage "spirit" 
 expresses the ruling principle in the mind, the force that gives direction 
 and motion to the current of thought and conduct, or that prevailing 
 current itself. The heart is more passive and receptive and but re- 
 sponds to influences, the spirit is active and regulative. Jer. xxxii. 
 
 37—39- 
 
 27. put my spirit'] This great promise is one which does not appear 
 prominently in the prophets till the exile. In Is. xi. the Messianic 
 king has the spirit of Jehovah in all the manifoldness of his operation, 
 and in xxxii. 15 the hope is expressed that "the spirit shall be poured 
 on us from on high" (though the passage is held by some to be later 
 than Is.) ; but it is in exile and post-exile times that the idea is first 
 
264 EZEKIEL, XXXVI. [vv. 28— 31. 
 
 to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, 
 
 28 and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave 
 to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be 
 
 29 your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses : 
 and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no 
 
 30 famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, 
 and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more 
 
 31 reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye 
 
 expressed with great certainty, e.g. Ezek. xxxvi. 27, xxxvll. 14; Joel 
 ii. 28; Zech. iv. 6 (xii. 10). Jeremiah does not use the expression, 
 though his promise that Jehovah will write his law on men's hearts 
 seems to have much the same sense, or at least it expresses the "new 
 spirit" of Ezek., and in the New Testament this new spirit is the 
 spirit of God. There always attaches to "spirit" the idea of power in 
 operation, the spirit of God is God exerting power. 
 
 to zvalk in viy stattites\ Being endowed with the spirit of God they 
 will walk in his statutes, for these are expressions of his spirit. The 
 spirit of God will appear both as an inward impulse to fulfil God's 
 will, and as a power to do it. In the Old Testament the spirit of God, 
 even the prophetic spirit, is usually a dynamic influence, an elevation 
 of the natural human faculties. The "statutes and judgments" are 
 not the mere external enactments of the law; they embrace all the 
 moral laws to which Ezek. so often refers (e.g. ch. xviii., xxii., xxxiii.), 
 and it is doubtful if the prophet refers specially to written laws at all. 
 
 28. Again, the consequence of walking in Jehovah's statutes will 
 be that they shall inherit the land for ever, cf. xxviii. 25, xxxvii. 25. 
 The promise attached to the fifth commandment — the first command- 
 ment with promise — belongs to the commandments given to Israel as 
 a whole. The keeping of them was the condition of remaining in the 
 land. When the people disregarded them they Avere driven out, and 
 only when their former sins were forgiven could they be restored 
 (Is. xl. 2). It may be a question whether there be now any con- 
 nexion between Israel and the land of Canaan. If there be, the 
 condition of restoration to it is faith and obedience on the part of 
 the people. A restoration of Jews still in unbelief to Canaan, even 
 if it should occur, could have no meaning so far as the redemptive 
 providence of God is concerned, and would not enter into any relation 
 with the Old Testament scriptures. Comp. the order stated v. 33. 
 
 29. save you fi-om...n}iclcajmesscs\ Or, I will save (deliver) you out 
 Of your... The phrase "save out of" is pregnant, meaning "save you 
 by purifying you from"..., hardly, save you from the consequences 
 of... Cf. xxxvii. 23, and reading there. 
 
 call for the coni\ Cf. xxxiv. 27, 29; IIos. ii. 21; Jer. xxxi. 12 
 (cf. 2 kings viii. i). 
 
 30. Cf. xxxiv. 27 scq. 
 
 31. Cf. vi. 9, xvi. 61, 63. Omit the words "in your own sight," 
 ch. XX. 43. 
 
vv. 32—37.] EZEKIEL, XXXVI. 265 
 
 remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were 
 not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for 
 your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your 32 
 sakes do I this^ saith the Lord God, be it known unto you : 
 be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of 
 Israel. Thus saith the Lord God ; In the day that I shall 33 
 have cleansed you from all your iniquities, I will also cause 
 you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 
 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate 34 
 in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This 35 
 land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden ; 
 and the waste and desolate and ruined cities m-e become 
 fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left 3^ 
 round about you shall know that I the Lord build the 
 ruined //^<rd'j", and plant that that was desolate : I the Lord 
 have spoken //, and I will do //. Thus saith the Lord God; 37 
 
 32. The verse is closely connected with the preceding: ye shall 
 remember your former evil, for not for your sakes do I this — not 
 because of your good deserving {v. ■22); on the contrary their own 
 ways when thought upon could only cause them shame. In Lev. 
 xxvi. 45 "for their sakes" means "to their benefit," on their behalf. 
 
 33 — 36. The prophet returns to the lessons which Israel's history, 
 the author of which is their God, will read to the nations of the world. 
 When they behold the desolated land of Israel become like the garden 
 of Eden they shall form another judgment regarding Jehovah, and 
 know that which he is, and the meaning of the history of his people. 
 
 33. The order stated here is of course a necessity: as the sins of 
 the people caused them to be cast out of their land, their forgiveness 
 must precede their restoration to it. In the prophets events are not 
 events merely, they are exhibitions of moral principles. So in Is. 
 xl. — Ixvi. the restoration of Israel to Canaan is preceded by the atone- 
 ment of their sins by the servant of the Lord (Is. xl. ■2). 
 
 36. I...build...plajit\ Perhaps ; have builded... planted. The words 
 hardly express a general characteristic of Jehovah, but refer to the 
 fact that it is he who has restored Israel — comp. last words of the 
 verse. Reflecting on Jehovah's restoration of the people the nations 
 will recognise not merely his power, but also the deeper principles 
 which underlie his government of his people. 
 
 37, 38. A single point in the Lord's restoration of Israel is made 
 prominent, the multiplication of the people. The terrible threats of 
 the diminution of their numbers {v. 12), and of the destruction both 
 of those remaining in the land and those going into exile, were no 
 doubt to a great extent fulfilled (Lam. v.). The scanty population of 
 Jerusalem is referred to by Nehemiah nearly a century after the first 
 exiles returned (vii. 4). The old promise that they should be as the 
 
266 E2EKIEL, XXXVI. [v. 3S. 
 
 I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to 
 do it for them ; I will increase them with men Uke a flock. 
 38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn 
 feasts ; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men : 
 and they shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 sand of the sea is here repeated, cf. vv. 10, 11, 33; Jer. xxxi. 27; 
 Hos. i. 10; Zech. ii. 4. 
 
 37. yet... be inquired of] Almost: 7 "cuitl let myself be inquired of, 
 which embraces not merely the enquiry or request on the part of the 
 people, but the response to it on the part of the Lord. Cf. xiv. 3, 
 XX. 3, 31. As usual "this" refers to what follows — the multiplication 
 of the people. 
 
 38. the holy foc/c] i.e. the sacrificial sheep. The solemn feasts 
 (where solemn has its proper sense of "customary,'^ appointed) may 
 be the three great yearly festivals, though in point of fact Ezek. does 
 not refer to Pentecost, or the feast of weeks, in his concluding chapters. 
 The comparison shews that already in pre-exile times enormous num- 
 bers of sacrificial animals were brought to Jerusalem for offerings at 
 the feasts. 
 
 flocks of i}ien'\ lit. sheep-flocks in men. The word "flock" in Heb. 
 is not generalized so as to express a great number — it means a sheep- 
 flock, and is explained by "men." 
 
 Probably no passage in the Old Testament of the same extent offers 
 so complete a parallel to New Testament doctrine, particularly to that 
 of St Paul. It is doubtful if the Apostle quotes Ezek. anywhere, but 
 his line of thought entirely coincides with his. The same conceptions 
 and in the same order belong to both — forgiveness {v. 25) ; regeneration, 
 a new heart and spirit (v. 26) ; the spirit of God as the ruling power 
 in the new life (;v. 27); the issue of this, the keeping of the requirements 
 of God's law {v. 27; Rom. viii. 4); the effect of being "under grace" 
 in softening the human heart and leading to obedience {v, 31 ; Rom. 
 vi., vii.); and the organic connexion of Israel's history with Jehovah's 
 revelation of himself to the nations (ruv. 33 — 36; Rom. xi.). The 
 prophet's idea of the divine pedagogic is not precisely the same as 
 that of the Apostle, and the present passage has in some particulars 
 to be supplemented from ch. xvi. As put here it is Israel's historical 
 experiences, their dispersion and restoration, with the thoughts which 
 these suggest, that impress the nations and teach them what Jehovah 
 is. 
 
 Ch. XXXVII. The people. 
 
 The last step in the reconstruction of the new Israel is the resurrec- 
 tion of the people. The nation is dead, and its bones scattered and 
 dry. But it shall rise from the dead; the bones shall come together 
 and the spirit of life from Jehovah shall enter into them and they shall 
 live. The passage has two parts: — 
 
vv. 1—3.] EZEKIEL, XXXVII. 267 
 
 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out 37 
 in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of 
 the valley which 7C'as full of bones, and caused me to pass 2 
 by them round about : and behold, there ivere very many in 
 the open valley ; and lo, they were very dry. And he said 3 
 unto me, Son of man, can these bones live ? And I answered, 
 
 First, vv. I — 14 the resurrection of the people Israel from death, 
 and restoration to their own land. 
 
 Second, vv. 15 — 28 the union of the two houses of Israel, Judah 
 and Ephraim, when restored under one head, even David. 
 
 1 — 14. The vision of Israel's resurrection from the dead. 
 
 The vision seems suggested by the saying current among the people, 
 "our bones are dried, our hope is lost; we are wholly cut off." This 
 idea and feeling of the people takes form in the vision which the pro- 
 phet saw in the valley. The language of the people is figurative : they 
 speak of the nationality, which is no more, — it is dead and its bones 
 scattered and dry. And this idea regarding the nationality, figura- 
 tively expressed by the people, is embodied to the prophet in a vision. 
 Hence the passage is not a literal prophecy of the resurrection of indi- 
 vidual persons of the nation, dead or slain ; it is a prophecy of the 
 resurrection of the nation, whose condition is figuratively expressed by 
 the people when they represent its bones as long scattered and dry. 
 Perfect consistency is not maintained by the prophet: in vv. i, 2 the 
 dry bones are represented as lying on the face of the valley, very many 
 and very diy; in v. 12 they are represented as buried and brought up 
 out of their graves. Hosea had already used the figure of resurrection 
 for the resuscitation of the nation (vi. 2, xiii. 14); but, though the 
 language used both here and by Hosea shews familiarity with the idea 
 of the raising again of individuals, this is not what is prophesied. In 
 Is. xx\n. 19; Dan. xii. the actual resurrection of individual members of 
 Israel is predicted, cf. Job xiv. 1 3 seq. 
 
 1. The hand of the Loj-cl] The prophetic ecstasy from the Lord, 
 ch. i. 3. On "spirit" of the Lord cf, iii. 14, viii. 3, xi. 24. The 
 "valley" is probably that mentioned early in the Book, iii. 22. 
 
 2. the open valley'] lit. on the face of the valley. The bones were 
 strewed over the valley in vast numbers, and they appeared bleached 
 and dry. Their great number no doubt was suggested by the actual 
 fact that vast multitudes of the people had been slain with the sword 
 or had otherwise perished; and their "dryness" expresses at least the 
 utter deadness of the nation and the apparent hopelessness of its revi- 
 val, if not that it had been long dead {v. 11). 
 
 3. To the question, Can these bones live ? the prophet, looking at 
 them, could not answer Yea (even to the Apostle attainment unto the - 
 resurrection of the dead was something ineffably lofty, Phil. iii. rr), 
 and yet in the presence of him who put the question he could not 
 answer No (Rom. iv. 17 — 21; Heb. xi. 19). With reverence he 
 answers, Thou knowest (Rev. vii, 14). 
 
268 EZEKIEL, XXXVli. [w. 4-10. 
 
 4 O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, 
 Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry 
 
 5 bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord 
 God unto these bones ; Behold, I will cause breath to enter 
 
 6 into you, and ye shall live : and I will lay sinews upon you, 
 and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, 
 and put breath in you, and ye shall live ; and ye shall know 
 
 7 that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: 
 and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, 
 
 8 and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when 
 I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, 
 and the skin covered them above : but there was no breath 
 
 9 in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, 
 prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind. Thus saith the 
 Lord God ; Come from the four winds, O breath, and 
 
 10 breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied 
 
 w. 4 — 6. The prophet is bidden prophesy to the bones and pro- 
 mise them life from Jehovah. 
 
 5. The act of putting breath within them, being the main and final 
 step of giving them life, is mentioned first as if it embraced all. 
 
 6. Then follow the details of their becoming actual men of flesh 
 and blood. 
 
 vv. 7 — 10. As the prophet spoke there was a great sound and the 
 bones came together, bone to his bone, and they became clothed with 
 flesh ; but as yet there was no breath of life in them. 
 
 7. behold a shaking] The word is rendered "rushing" (iii. 1-2). 
 The noise is that occasioned by the rising and rushing of the bones 
 together. The previous word "noise" is wanting in LXX., which 
 reads simply : and it came to pass as I prophesied that behold a 
 rushing. 
 
 9. The order described in the creation of man (Gen. ii.) is ob- 
 served here : first the body was formed and then the breath of life was 
 breathed into it. 
 
 Proplicsy unto the ivind] Or, breath. In Heb. the same M'ord means 
 w^ind, breath and spirit. The sign of life, the breath, is seen to be 
 identical with the wind or air, and by an intensification of meaning 
 common to many languages tlie "breath" becomes the principle of 
 life, or the living principle itself, the spirit. The poet truly says (ety- 
 mologically) the spirit does but mean the breath; but though the words 
 be identical the ideas are different. The breath needful to be life in 
 the vast multitude now created must be furnished by wind coming 
 from all quarters of the heavens. 
 
 i{pon these slain] Or, into the slain. What is needful to make 
 living men of them is breath in their nostrils. That which God did 
 himself to the individual man when created, even breathe into his nos- 
 
vv. ii~i4.] EZEKIEL, XXXVII. 269 
 
 as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and 
 they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great 
 army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are ■ 
 the whole house of Israel : behold, they say, Our bones are 
 dried, and our hope is lost : we are cut off for our parts. 
 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the 1 
 Lord God ; Behold, O my people, I 7c>/// open your graves, 
 and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you 
 into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the ' 
 Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and 
 brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit ■ 
 in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own 
 land : then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken //, 
 and performed iV, saith the Lord. 
 
 trils the breath of life, is here accomplished by the wind from the 
 four quarters of the heavens at his command breathing into the innu- 
 merable multitude. The wind from the four corners of the heavens is 
 but a symbol of the universal life-giving spirit of God {v. 14). 
 T'v. II — 14. Explanation of the vision. 
 
 11. IVie wJiole house of Israel^ viz. Judah and Ephraim. 
 
 our Jiope is losi\ Those who speak are the living members of the 
 nation, and it is of the nationality that they speak. The destruction 
 and dissolution of the nation appeared to them final. It could no 
 more be revived than the dry bones could be made to live. This 
 feeling often appears in exile writings, e.g. Is. xl. — Ixvi. (xlix. 14 iSic.) 
 cf. the singular struggling against the idea, Lam. iii. 20 scq. 
 
 for our parts\ A rendering of the ethical dat., which merely gives 
 vividness to the words "we are cut off," or expresses the feeling of those 
 who speak by reflecting the action back upon the subject. The 
 term " cut off" (otherwise uncommon) is used also of the servant of the 
 Lord, Is. liii. 8. 
 
 12. The figure is varied here, the people are regarded as dead and 
 buried and their revival is an opening of their graves. The phrase 
 "bring you into the land of Israel" shews, however, that the lan- 
 guage is still used figuratively of the resuscitation of the dead 
 nation and not literally of the resurrection of deceased individuals. 
 
 14. The symbol of the wind breathing into the slain is here ex- 
 plained : it is the spirit of Jehovah that gives life, Ps. civ. 30. The 
 connexion shews that the spirit of the Lord here is merely the life- 
 giving spirit, and not the regenerating spirit, as in xxxvi. 27 — though 
 the distinction is merely part of the figure. The resuscitation of the 
 dead nation could come about only through their moral regeneration, 
 and hence in Is. xl. — Ixvi. this is part of the work of the Servant of 
 the Lord (Is. xlix. 8—12, Ixi. i). 
 
 The passage is of great interest, apart from its own beauty, as 
 casting light upon the condition of the people's mind. The prophet 
 
270 EZEKIEL, XXXVII. [w. 15—18. 
 
 15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 
 
 16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write 
 upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his com- 
 panions : then take another stick, and write upon it, For 
 Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, d.nd for all the house of Israel 
 
 17 his companions : and join them one to another into one 
 i3 stick ; and they shall become one in thine hand. And 
 
 when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, 
 
 is fond of quoting expressions from the mouth of the people (e.g. xi. 3, 
 xii. 22, 27, xvi. 44, xviii. 2, 25, 29, cf. xxxiii. 17, 20, xx. 49, xxxvi. 20 
 &c.), and probably the words here used were actually heard. They 
 shew a state of despondency quite natural and one no doubt greatly 
 prevalent. Indeed in all the prophets of this age the hope that exists 
 is hope only in Jehovah, which believes that in spite of past disasters 
 their God will yet save the people. It is only by giving moral signifi- 
 cance to Israel's calamities on the one hand, and on the other by ani- 
 mating the revolutions and commotions among the nations with Jeho- 
 vah's purpose, that the faith of the prophets themselves is sustained. 
 The prophetic hopes of this period are based on dogmatic presuppo- 
 sitions, e.g. that Jehovah is the true and living God and that there is 
 none else ; that Israel is his people and has his true revelation among 
 them, which is imperishable and which must accomplish the purpose 
 for which it was given and become effectual in making a true people of 
 the Lord (Is. Iv.) ; and that the purpose of the one God must embrace all 
 the nations of the earth, between whom and Jehovah Israel is the link of 
 communication. The prophetic views as to how Jehovah shall use Israel 
 to give the nations the knowledge of himself differ. In Is. xl. se^. 
 Israel becomes the light of the nations — having the true knowledge of 
 God it imparts it to the heathen. In Ezekiel it is their own. observa- 
 tion and reflection on Israel's history that reveals to the nations Jeho- 
 vah's true nature. In all, however, the work of redemption is the 
 work of Jehovah. Here his restoration of Israel is reanimation of the 
 dead through his life-giving spirit. 
 
 15—28. Prophecy of the reunion of the restored Israel 
 
 INTO one kingdom, RULED BY ONE KING, EVEN DaVID. 
 
 (i) vv. 15 — 23. Symbol of the union of Judah and Israel into one 
 kingdom, with its explanation. 
 
 (2) Tjv. 24 — 25. There shall be one king over the new nation, 
 even David. 
 
 (3) vv. 26 — 28. Jehovah's covenant with the people shall be ever- 
 lasting, and his presence will sanctify them. 
 
 y^ 16. ojie stick'] i.e. staff, or rod, equivalent to sceptre, Numb. xvii. 2; 
 <^ so vv. 17, 19, 20. 
 
 children of Israel] After the fall of the northern kingdom the name 
 
 Israel was often used of Judah, the only remaining part of it. Here 
 
 Israel of the north is called Joseph or Ephraim. 
 
vv. 19—23.] EZEKIEL, XXXVII. 271 
 
 saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these ? 
 say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will 19 
 take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, 
 and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with 
 him, e7'e?i with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, 
 and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks where- 20 
 on thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 
 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I zt 
 unil take the children of Israel from among the heathen, 
 whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, 
 and bring them into their own land : and I will make them C2 
 one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; and 
 one king shall be king to them all : and they shall be no 
 more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two 
 kingdoms any more at all : neither shall they defile them- 23 
 selves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable 
 things, nor with any of their transgressions : but I will save 
 them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have 
 sinned, and will cleanse them : so shall they be my people, 
 
 19. Explanation of the symbolical action. 
 put them with him] lit. Join them unto it, even unto the stick of 
 
 Judah. The construction is rather unnatural (for eth, cf. xiv. 22, xliii. 
 17, others would read el). 
 
 in mine hand] Vulg. reads in his hand (so Ew.), i.e. Judah's, and 
 LXX. actually in the hand of Judah. LXX. either read his hand and 
 interpreted it of Judah, or took the final y of my hand as an abbrevia- 
 tion for Yehudah. On the one hand the united staff or sceptre might 
 be given into the hand of Judah as the ruler of the one kingdom was 
 to be David (Am. ix. 11 ; Hos. iii. 5). On the other hand there is no 
 trace in the passage of any preeminence of Judah over Israel of the 
 north. 
 
 20. This symbolical action may have been actually performed, 
 though the supposition is scarcely necessary, cf. xii. 3. 
 
 22. This promise runs throughout all prophecy. The disruption of 
 the state was felt even by Hosea, a native of the north, to have intro- 
 duced a schism into the one kingdom of Jehovah, and to have broken 
 the unity of the consciousness of the community, to which the con- 
 sciousness of the one God corresponded. Hos. i, ir, viii. 3, 4; Is. 
 xi. 13; Jer. iii. 18. The one God, the husband of the community, 
 required that the community should also be one, with a single affection 
 and service, Cf. xxxiv. 23, 24. 
 
 23. Cf. xxxvi. 25. 
 all their dwelling places'] More probably : out of all their back- 
 
 Blldings. So LXX., cf. xxxvi. 29. 
 
272 EZEKIEL, XXXVII. [vv. 24-27. 
 
 24 and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be 
 king over them ; and they all shall have one shepherd : they 
 shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, 
 
 25 and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have 
 given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have 
 dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their 
 children, and their children's children for ever: and my 
 
 26 servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I 
 will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an 
 everlasting covenant with them : and I will place them, and 
 multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of 
 
 27 them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them : 
 
 24. David my seyvant\ Cf. xxxiv. 23, 24. Here the term "king" 
 is applied to the ruler of the future (p. 22); in other places "prince." 
 The words seem used indifferently, cf. xix. i, xxii. 35. Cf. xxxvi. 27. 
 
 25. Cf. xxxvi. 28. 
 
 Jacob my servanf] Jacob is here the patriarch himself, not as in 
 Is. xl. seq. a name for the people. He is referred to as the ancestor cf 
 Israel in Hos. xii. 12, as Abraham in Is. xxix. 22. Cf. ch. xxxiii. 24; 
 Is. xH. 8, li. 2, Ixiii. 16. 
 
 their pr'mce for ever] It is not at all probable that "David my 
 servant" means either the Davidic house or a line of kings. But 
 possibly the point whether the king would be one person living for 
 ever is not before the prophet's mind. It is the quality of the new 
 people and the new ruler that he specially refers to ; the point whether 
 generation after generation of the people shall dwell in the land and 
 prince succeed prince is hardly in his mind. The unity of the people 
 and the unity of the ruler, one such as David; the character of the 
 people {v. 24) and their perpetual possession of the land — these are 
 the elements of the prophet's idea, and further questions are not 
 touched. In xliii. 7, xlv. 8, a succession of princes appears pre- 
 supposed, but the idea hardly belongs to the present passage. 
 
 26. a cevoiant of peace'] Cf. xxxiv. 25; Is. Iv. 3; Jer. xxxii. 40. 
 
 my sanctuary] The name given by the prophet to the temple as 
 the dwelling place of Jehovah {v. 27) and specially sanctified or made 
 holy by his presence. 
 
 27. My tabernacle also] And my dwelling place... and I will be. 
 The words repeat the idea in v. 26. The last words of the Book are, 
 "The Lord is there." The phrase %oith them, i.e. by or beside them 
 (cf. ii. 6), might mean over them, reference being to the situation of 
 the temple, high above the city (xl. 2), but this has little proba- 
 bility. It would be more natural to take over in the ideal sense of 
 a "protection" to them. The sanctuary, however, does not protect, 
 it sanctifies, although being sanctified Jehovah will piotect them (ch. 
 xxxviii. — xxxix.). The expression "I will be their God" varies the idea 
 of his dwelling place being with them, xi. 20, xiv. 11, xxxvi. 20. 
 
 I 
 
V. 28.] EZEKIEL, XXXVII. 273 
 
 yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And 28 
 the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, 
 when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever- 
 more. 
 
 28. The presence of Jehovah makes the house wherein he dwells 
 a sanctuary (holy place), and the presence of his sanctuary (he being 
 there, xlviii. 35) among the people sanctifies them or makes them 
 "holy" — a term -which expresses two things: being the possession of 
 Jehovah, and being in disposition and life all that the people of Je- 
 hovah must be. The idea that Jehovah's presence "sanctifies" the 
 people is common. Jehovah's dwelling-place being among the people 
 for ever the nations shall know that he "sanctifies" them. To sanctify 
 is not to protect, it is to make the people his own and worthy of him, 
 but this implies protection. Jer. ii. 3, "Israel was a holy thing to the 
 Lord, the first fruit of his increase, all that ate him up incurred guilt." 
 The ideas in this verse lead naturally over to the episode of Gog's 
 invasion, the issues of which so remarkably illustrate them. 
 
 The restoration of Israel includes the tribes of the north as well as 
 Judah. All the prophets of this age regard the northern exiles as 
 still existing, cf. Jer. iii. 12 — 15: Is. xlix. 5, 6, and the strong passage 
 Is. xliii. 5 — 7 "everyone called by my name," i.e. every member of 
 the people of the Lord. Cf. the present prophet's disposition of all 
 the tribes in the holy land, ch. xlviii. 
 
 Cii. XXXVIII., XXXIX. Invasion of the Restored Israel 
 
 IN THE LATTER DAYS BY GOG AND ALL THE NATIONS LYING 
 IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE WORLD, AND IsRAEL'S PROTECTION 
 
 BY Jehovah. 
 
 These two chapters are closely connected with ch. xxxviii. 28, "the 
 nations shall know that I Jehovah do sanctify" I-srael. This recalls 
 to the prophet's mind the invasion of Gog, a great and final attack 
 on Israel by the nations, and he introduces the description of it here, 
 as it illustrates so conspicuously what is said in xxxvii. 21 — 28. For 
 the invasion of Gog is an episode out of connexion with the restoration 
 of the people, which has formed the theme of the preceding chapters 
 (xxxiii. — xxxvii). It lies far in the future {v. 8, 16), long after Israel 
 has been restored, and when it has dwelt long in peace in its own 
 land {v. 8, 11). The sedulous care with which the land is purified 
 from the carcases of Gog's host, every bone being carefully collected 
 and the whole buried beyond the Jordan, is sufficient evitlence of the 
 holiness of Israel and the land at the time of Gog's attack (xxxix. 
 II — 16). 
 
 The prophet is not the author of the idea of this invasion. It has 
 been predicted of old by the prophets of Israel, prophesying over long 
 periods (xxxviii. 17, xxxix. 8). Neither is it probable tliat the idea 
 was one read out of certain prophecies merely by Ezckiel. More likely 
 it was an idea widely entertained. The former prophecies on which 
 the belief was founded are not to be supposed to have contained the 
 
 EZEKIEL 18 
 
274 EZEKIEL, XXXVlII. 
 
 name of Gog, any more than the prophecies applied by the author of 
 Is. xl. scq. to the career of Cyrus need have referred to him by name. 
 
 The conception is rather shadowy and vague. The time is indefinite, 
 it is far into the years to come; the nations who chister around the 
 standard of Gog, himself a somewhat nebulous personage, are those 
 lying in the uttermost regions of the world, which had been heard of 
 but never seen. The most distant north and the most distant south 
 send their contingents to swell the innumerable host, and the far-' 
 off commercial peoples Sheba and Dedan and Tarshish follow his 
 I camp {vv. 3, 5, 6, 13). The description seems almost a creation, the 
 embodiment of an idea — the idea of the irreconcilable hostility of the 
 ' nations of the world to the religion of Jehovah, and the presentiment 
 1 that this must yet be manifested on a gi-ander scale than has ever 
 I yet been. Hence the supernatural magnitude of the outlines of the 
 \picture (vv. 9, 16, 20). The main idea of the prophet, however, is 
 fquite perspicuous. With the exception of Ethiopia, a somewhat 
 general name for the most distant south, none of the historical nations 
 appear under Gog's banner. These nations that came into connexion 
 with Israel during her history have already learned to know Jehovah 
 (ch, XXV. — xxxii.). They have not been exterminated, but his glory 
 has been revealed to them and they no more trouble the peace of the 
 restored Israel (xxxvi. 36). But the nations lying in the outskirts of 
 the earth, as another prophet expresses it, "have not heard Jehovah's 
 fame neither have seen his glory" (Is. Ixvi. 19), and he who is God 
 alone must reveal himself to all llesh, for he has sworn by himself that 
 to him every knee shall bow (Is. xlv. 23). Such is the meaning of 
 this last act in the drama of the world's history. As it is Jehovah's 
 final revelation of himself to all the nations of the earth, it is accom- 
 panied by all those terrors and convulsions in nature which in earlier 
 prophets usually signalize the day of the Lord (xxxviii. 19 — 23). This 
 indeed is peculiar in Ezek. that he places Jehovah's great and last 
 revelation of himself after the restoration of his people to peace and 
 .felicity, while in the earlier prophets it precedes or accompanies their 
 t restoration ; as it does even in prophets after him (Is. xl. 5; Ps. cii. 16). 
 I In this order he is followed by the Apocalypse (Rev. xix. 11, xx. 7). 
 Besides the display of Jehovah's might in the overthrow of Gog and 
 in the terrible convulsions of nature, his moral being and rule is also 
 revealed through his people, for his protection of them now that they 
 are holy and true casts light to the nations on his former dispersion of 
 them (xxxix. 23). 
 
 Gog is styled prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, nations lying 
 in the extremities of the north {v. 15). Other nations are joined to 
 these, lying in the furthest south {v. 5). And in the train of these 
 warriors come the hosts of far-off commercial peoples, camp followers 
 intent on gain (z;. 13). It is, therefore, self-evident that the Chaldeans 
 are not represented under the name of Gog. The Chaldeans are Je- 
 hovah's mandatories, commissioned to chastise his people, and humble 
 the ungodly pride of such nations as Egypt and Phenicia, and Ezekiel's 
 prophecies contain no threats against Babylon. Pie intimates indeed 
 that the supremacy of that power is but temporary, naming 40 years 
 
vv. I, 2.] EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. 275 
 
 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 38 
 man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief ^ 
 prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 
 
 ac< the term when a new condition of the world will arise, which 
 pr\^suppo.ses her decline and fall. But the invasion of Gog appears 
 to him to be far away in the indefinite future, long after the promises 
 o^ the Lord to his people have been fulfilled, and this fulfilment must 
 be preceded by the overthrow of the Chaldean power. 
 
 The passage extends to eh. xxxix. 24, where the prophet resumes 
 the point of view occupied in eh. xxxiii. — vii. prior to the Restoration 
 of Israel. 
 
 Cn. XXXVIII. The invasion of Gog, and his destruction. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 9. Gog's enterprise regarded as the purpose and ope- 
 ration of Jehovah. The Lord will bring Gog forth with all his allies. 
 He is commanded to hold himself in readiness to go up against Israel. 
 
 (2) vv. 10 — 13. Gog's enterprise regarded as due to his own evil 
 purposes. Evil thoughts shall come into his mind, and he will resolve 
 to invade Israel, to spoil a spoil and to get him much prey. The 
 merchant nations shall follow his camp intent on gain. 
 
 (3) vv. 14 — 19. Gog's coming up and his bringing up have the 
 same result or purpose eventually: Jehovah shall be "sanctified" in 
 (through) him, and the nations shall know that he is God. 
 
 (4) vv. 17 — 23. Gog's attack had long been predicted by fonner 
 prophets. On that day Jehovah will reveal himself in all his majesty 
 and shake terribly the earth. All creation shall be terror-stricken before 
 him, and all that is lofty on the earth shall be thrown down (Is. ii. iii. ). 
 He will bring destruction on Gog, causing a supernatural panic in his 
 host and turning the sword of the confederates against one another, 
 and overwhelming them in tempests of hail and fire from heaven. 
 Thus will the nations fear his holy name. 
 
 1—6. The great array of Gog which Jehovah shall lead 
 
 FORTH. 
 
 2. sd thy face against Gog'\ Cf. xxxv. 2, 3. The meaning of the 
 word Gog is obscure. Schrader {KA T. on the passage) refers to the 
 name of the Lydian king Gyges, given as Gu-gu in the Assyr. inscrip- 
 tions, on the one hand, and on the other to Gagi, name of the ruler of 
 a country in the east, the situation of which is uncertain. This land 
 apparently lay north of Assyria (Frd. Del. Far. p. 246 — 7). 
 
 Gog, the land of I\Iagog\ i.e. in sense : Gog in (of) the land of Ma- 
 gog. Gog is the prince and Magog his country (xxxix. 6). (In con- 
 struction Magog is ace. of direction or in loose apposition to Gog, 
 hardly ,^-tV/. after the proper name). 
 
 the chief princel More probably : the prince of Rosh, Meshech &€., 
 although a people or country Rosh may be impossible to identify. Of 
 course any connexion between the name and Russian is to be rejected. 
 Frd. Del. [Par. p. 322) refers to the land of Rash (mat Ra-a-shi) of 
 
 18-2 _ . 
 
276 EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. [vv. 3— 8. 
 
 3 and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, 
 
 4 O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal : and I will 
 turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring 
 thee forth, and ail thine army, horses and horsemen, all of 
 them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company 
 with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 
 
 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them ; all of them with 
 
 6 shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of 
 Togarmah 0/ the north quarters, and all his bands : and 
 
 7 many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for 
 thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto 
 
 8 thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days 
 
 the inscriptions, situated on the borders of Elani on the Tigris. The 
 geography of the prophet is no doubt vague and general, but this posi- 
 tion as well as that of Gagi referred to above appears to lie too far 
 east. The rendering "chief prince" would imply an unusual con- 
 struction (chief-priest is different), and it is difficult to guess what 
 chief prince or over-lord could mean. On Meshech, Tubal, of. xxvii. 
 13, xxxii. 26. 
 
 3. chief prince\ Cf. on v, 2. 
 
 4. / ivill turn thee back'] Either : I will turn thee about, or, I will 
 lead thee. The sense entice or "decoy" (Ew.) has scarcely evidence 
 (Is. xlvii. 10). The clause "and I will turn. ..jaws" is wanting in 
 LXX. Putting hooks into the jaws suggests unwillingness and com- 
 pulsion (ch. xxix. 4; 2 Kings xix. 28), whereas Gog comes up of his 
 own accord. This, however, is not quite conclusive, as Jehovah is 
 leading him on to his destruction, 
 
 with all sorts of armour] Rather: clothed gorgeously (cf. xxiii. 12), 
 or, in full armour (R.V.). The host of Gog is probably not exclu- 
 sively cavalry, though these are specially mentioned ; and besides their 
 vast numbers their splendid uniforms and heavy armour are vividly 
 pictured. 
 
 5. Cf. on xxvii. 10, xxx. 5. 
 
 6. Cf. xxvii. 14; Gen. x. 2. His "bands," xii. 14. 
 
 north quarters] lit. sides of the north, i.e. the furthest north, Is. xiv. 
 13. Gomer, Assyr. Gimir, is usually identified in name with the Kim- 
 merians. Schrader {KAT. in loc.) and others imderstand Cappa- 
 docia. 
 
 7—9. Injunction to Gog to be in readiness for the latter 
 DAYS when Jehovah shall lead him forth. 
 
 7. a guard unto them] The term means something to be kept or 
 observed, a rallying point; Gog shall be the leader of the people — 
 though the word hardly means strictly "standard" (Ew.). For "unto 
 them" IvXX. reads "unto me," giving the meaning that Gog shall be 
 kept "in reserve" by Jehovah for his future operations {v. 8). 
 
vv. 9—12.] EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. 277 
 
 thou shalt be visited : in the latter years thou shalt come 
 into the land that is brouglit back from the sword, and is 
 gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, 
 which have been always waste : but it is brought forth out of 
 tlie nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou 9 
 shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a 
 cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many 
 people with thee. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that ic 
 at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou 
 shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say, I will go up n 
 to the land of unwalled villages ; I will go to them that are 
 at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, 
 and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to 12 
 
 8. thou shalt be visited^ Not in the frequent sense of visited with 
 punishment, but in the sense of recalled to mind in order to be em- 
 ployed (of. usage xxiii, 21). Others: niiistercd, ^vhich is not very 
 natural; and the meaning "thou shalt receive orders" (from Jehovah) 
 can hardly be supported from usage. From the position of the pro- 
 phet the invasion of Gog seems to belong to the far-distant future, to a 
 time after the people have been restored and have enjoyed long peace 
 and great felicity. For many people, peoples, and so vv. 9, 15, 22. 
 
 akvays 7vaste\ i.e. long time waste, cf. Is. xlii. 14, Iviii. 12. "Al- 
 ways" is a natural exaggeration for the exile period, which seemed 
 endless, see xxxvi. 2, cf. xxxv. 9. 
 
 dioell safely'] Or, in confidence. The term always expresses the 
 feeling of security. 
 
 9. like a storni] Cf. on the figure Is. xxi. i, xxviii. 2; Jer. iv. 13. 
 The rapidity of the movements of Gog (Hos. viii. i), and their de- 
 structiveness, as well as the infinite masses of his host (Num. xxii. 5 ; 
 Jud. vi. 5) are expressed by the comparison with the storm and cloud. 
 
 10—13. Gog's invasion prompted by his own evil purposes. 
 
 10. // shall also co/ite to pass] Read ; It shall come to pass at that 
 time that things shall come &c. The "also" of A.V. suggests an 
 additional thing to w. i — 9, whereas it is only the same thing from 
 another point of view. Vv, 10 scq. ^xt parallel to vv. i — 9, not a con- 
 sequence e.g. of V. 4. 
 
 shall things come] lit., words, i.e. purposes. Is. viii. 10, "speak a 
 word and it shall not stand." Cf. xiv. 3. 
 
 think an evil thought] As marg. conceive an evil purpose. 
 
 11. Cf. Deut. iii. 5; i Sam. vi. 18; Jud. xviii. 27. "Safely," i.e. 
 in confidence, v. 8. 
 
 12. On "take a spoil" cf. xxix. 19; Is. x. 6. The phrase "turn 
 the hand upon" is always used in a hostile sense (Is. i. 25). Verses 11, 
 
278 EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. [vv. 13—15. 
 
 take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places 
 that are noiv inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered 
 out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that 
 
 13 dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the 
 merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, 
 shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast 
 thou gathered thy company to take a prey ? to carry away 
 silver and gold, to take aivay cattle and goods, to take a 
 
 14 great spoil ? Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto 
 Gog, Thus saith the Lord God ; In that day when my people 
 
 15 of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it^ And thou 
 shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and 
 many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a 
 
 12 give the prophet's idea of the condition of the restored community 
 and of the state of the world in those days which permits it. He does 
 not furnish details, but previous prophecies (ch. xxv. — xxxii.) describe 
 how all the nations formerly hostile to Israel are humbled or taken out 
 of the way. The period of Israel's restoration is a time of universal 
 peace. Only distant nations on the outskirts of the world, that have 
 never entered upon the stage of history, remain unaware of the fame 
 and glory of the God of Israel (Is. Ixvi. 19). The same circle of ideas 
 appears in the passage relating to the period of a thousand years in the 
 Apocalypse : outside the historical world there remain distant nations 
 unaffected by the kingdom of Christ. 
 
 midst of the land'\ of the earth, lit. the navel of the earth, i.e. the 
 mountain-land of Israel, the centre of the earth, cf. v. 5. The prophet 
 speaks of the world as known in his day. 
 
 13. The merchant peoples are roused to excitement by the enter- 
 jDrise of Gog; probably it is the hope of gain by trafficking with him 
 for his spoil that excites them — hardly envy at the rich harvest lying 
 before him. On Sheba xxvii. 22; Dedan xxvii. 20; Tarshish xxvii. 12. 
 
 all the young Uons\ Cf. xix. 3, 5, xxxii. 2. The term might be 
 thought not very suitable to a troop of camp followers intent merely on 
 traffic. The term is probably used generally to describe the eminence 
 of these merchant people — hardly to represent them as thirsting for 
 gain, as lions for prey ! 
 
 14—16. The purpose and issue of Gog's invasion: that the 
 
 NATIONS MAY KNOW JEHOVAH, WHEN HE IS SANCTIFIED IN 
 
 Gog. 
 
 14. shalt thou not /enow it] It is the peaceful and unprotected 
 condition of the people, along with their wealth, that tempts Gog to 
 invade them. LXX., however, reads: shalt thou not sti?- thyself nj>, 
 or, arise, which gives a more vigorous sense (Is. xli. 25 ; Jer. vi. 22), 
 though the Heb. is quite good. " Safely," in confidence. 
 
 15. Cf. z'v, 4, 6, xxxix. 2. For many people, peoples. 
 
vv. i6, t;.] EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. 279 
 
 great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up 16 
 against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land ; 
 it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against 
 my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be 
 sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have 17 
 spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, 
 
 16. Cf. V. 9. 
 
 shall be sanciijied] Or, get me sanctifying, i.e. recognition as , 
 "holy" — "holy" having the meaning of all that which God alone is. 
 The rendering "shew myself holy" is less natural, though the meaning 
 is virtually the same. Jehovah shews his great deeds in the sight of 
 the nations, and thus they recognise his Godhead, cf. v. 23. He gets 
 him sanctifying "in" or through Gog, as the object on whom his great 
 operations of power are manifested. 
 
 In these verses Jehovah is represented on the one hand as bringing 
 up Gog in order that he may be sanctified in him in the sight of the 
 nations ; and on the other hand Gog is represented as coming up of 
 his own will, prompted by evil purposes, by the hope of an easy con- 
 quest and by lust of spoil. The first representation must not be 
 pressed as if this case of Gog were something special, as if Jehovah 
 for no object but to shew his power brought up against his people a 
 leader and nation from the ends of the earth, who otherwise would 
 have remained in peace in their distant abodes. Because such a view 
 of the episode of Gog forgets in the first place the other side of the 
 representation, viz. that Gog comes up of his own will, and with evil 
 intent. It is the hope of an easy conquest and lust of spoil that ani- 
 mates him as well as the merchant peoples Mho follow in his train. 
 This spirit of irreligious traffic on the part of these peoples is repro- 
 bated iDy the prophet and represented as antagonistic to the religion of 
 Jehovah, just as it is in the case of Tyre (xxvi. — xxviii.). And secondly 
 the view forgets the general teaching of the prophet, to the effect that 
 Jehovah is in truth the author of all the great movements in the world, 
 and that his operations have one great end in view, to reveal himself 
 as that which he is to the nations of the world. His raising up Gog 
 M-ith this view is not a special thing, but one among many other 
 similar things. To signalize it as something distinct and lift it out of 
 the general current of the prophet's conceptions creates an untrue im- 
 pression of his teaching. 
 
 17 — 23. This invasion of Gog has l)een long predicted. It shall be 
 the occasion of a final manifestation of himself by Jehovah to creation 
 and the nations, which shall inspire universal awe, and leave in the 
 minds of all mankind the knowledge of Jehovah, and that which he is. 
 
 17. The question gives vividness to the fact of Gog's invasion 
 having been long predicted, and identifies him with the subject of 
 these predictions. These former prophecies had not named Gog; the 
 identification is matter of inference, 
 
28o EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. [w. 18-20. 
 
 which prophesied in those days many years, that / would 
 
 18 bring thee against them ? And it shall come to pass at the 
 same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, 
 saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. 
 
 19 For in my jealousy a?id in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, 
 Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land 
 
 20 of Israel ; so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the 
 heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things 
 that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the 
 
 those days many years'\ The construction is peculiar, but this is 
 probably the sense. Gog, though not by name, had formed the 
 subject of repeated predictions by many prophets. The prophecies 
 referred to are probably such as Zeph. i. (iii. 8), which agrees with 
 Ezek. V. 10 in mentioning the fishes of the sea (again only Hos. iv. 3), 
 and Jer. iii. — vi. (Is. xvii. 12 seq,). The age of Joel may be later 
 than Ezek,, and passages like Joel iii., Zech. xiv., possibly repose 
 rather on him, or at all events shew the continued prevalence of the 
 same ideas, which indeed passed as current conceptions into the Apo- 
 calyptic prophecy dating from this age. The passage Mic. iv. 1 1 seq. 
 is also of uncertain date. It is possible that the invasion of the 
 Scythians may have suggested the prophecies of Zeph. and Jer., 
 though the supposition is less necessary in the case of the latter 
 prophet. It is not likely, however, that Ezekiel's renewal of the 
 prophecy was occasioned by any fresh movements among these northern 
 nations occurring in his time (Sm. Kuen.), because he regards the 
 inroad of Gog as an event to happen in the far distant future. 
 
 18. come to pass at the same timel Rather : come to pass in that 
 day, in the day when Gog &c. 
 
 come tip in my face'] lit. in my nostril. The idea is not that of the 
 inflammation of the face from anger, but that of a fiery breath ap- 
 pearing in the nostrils. Deut. xxxii. 22; Ps. xviii. 8. 
 
 19. have I spoken] \.Q. do I speak ; cf. xxi. 36, xxxvi. 5, xxxix. 25. 
 The word "shaking" is the usual one for earthquake, but the general 
 term is better here, v. 20, cf. Hag. ii. 6, 7. 
 
 20. The terror of creation before the majesty of Jehovah shall be 
 universal, and all that is high shall be brought down. The passage 
 agrees with the nsual prophetic descriptions of the day of the Lord, 
 cf. Zeph. i. I seq. ; Is. ii. — iii. ; Jer. iv. 23 — 26. It describes Jehovah's 
 final manifestation of himself in his fury and jealousy. In the earlier 
 prophets this manifestation of his majesty by Jehovah usually precedes 
 or accompanies the final restoration of his people, here it is postponed 
 until long after they have entered upon the rest of God in their own 
 land. In other words that which earlier writers view as one scene, 
 comprising Jehovah's revelation of himself and the final restoration 
 of his people, is resolved into two, one of which takes place long after 
 the other. The same difference is observable in the New Test, between 
 the representation of the Apocalyptist and that of the other writers. 
 
vv. 21— 23;i.] EZEKIEL, XXXVIII. XXXIX. 281 
 
 face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the moun- 
 tains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, 
 and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for 21 
 a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the 
 Lord God : every man's sword shall be against his brother. 
 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; 22 
 and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon 
 the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and 
 great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify 23 
 myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the 
 eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the 
 Lord. 
 
 Therefore thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and 39 
 
 the steep places] the clefts of the hills. In Song ii. 14 the terra is 
 rendered "stairs," but it is parallel to "clefts of the rock," and has 
 the same general meaning. 
 
 21. eve}y ftiari's s7c>ont] sign of a supernatural panic caused by Je- 
 hovah, Jud. vii, 22; I Sam. xiv, 20. LXX. has read first clause: I 
 will summon against him all terrors (i.e. a panic). 
 
 22. I will plead] i.e. contend. Jehovah's pleadings are often great 
 acts of judgment, Is. Ixvi. 16; Jer. xxv. 31. Cf. Ez. v. 17, xiv. 19; 
 Is. xxix. 6, XXX. 30; Ps. xi. 6, for similar judgments. 
 
 23. Thus will Jehovah magnify himself— manifest his greatness and 
 power; and sanctify himself— shew himself to be "holy," i.e. one who 
 is God, xxxvi. 23. Then shall he be known as that which he is by 
 all the nations of the earth. 
 
 Ch. XXXIX. Resumption of the prophecy against Gog. 
 
 (0 vv. I — 7. Renewal of the prophecy: Gog shall be broken on 
 the mountains of Israel by a divine interposition. 
 
 (2) w. 8 — 15. For seven years the wood of his weapons shall suffice 
 the people for fuel. It will take seven months to bury his dead. His 
 burial-place shall be beyond the Jordan, east of the Dead Sea; and 
 the land shall be carefully purified of every bone of his host. 
 
 (3) vv. 16 — 24. Jehovah invites the fowls of the heaven and the 
 beasts of the earth to a great feast, a sacrificial meal which he shall 
 slay for them. They shall eat the flesh of princes and mighty men, 
 be sated with fat and drunk with blood. And this intcri)osition of 
 Jehovah to protect his restored and now righteous people shall teach 
 the nations that Israel's former expulsion from the land was due to 
 their iniquity. 
 
 (4) vv. 25 — 29. The prophet, abandoning the point of view of 
 Gog's invasion in the future, occupied by him in these two chapters, 
 returns to the position he occupied in predicting Israel's restoration 
 (ch. xxxiii. — xxxvii.), which he prophesies anew. 
 
282 EZEKIEL, XXXIX. [w. 2—7. 
 
 say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against thee, 
 
 2 O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal : and I will 
 turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will 
 cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring 
 
 3 thee upon the mountains of Israel : and I will smite thy 
 bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to 
 
 4 fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the moun- 
 tains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that 
 is with thee : I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of 
 every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 
 
 5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field : for I have spoken 
 
 6 it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, 
 and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles : and they 
 
 7 shall know that I am the Lord. So will I make my holy 
 name known in the midst of my people Israel ; and I will 
 not let them pollute my holy name any more : and the 
 heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in 
 Israel. 
 
 1. Cf. xxxviii. 2, 3. 
 
 chief prince\ prince of Rosh, Meshech, &c., xxxviii. 2. 
 
 2. turn thee back... sixth parti Perhaps : turn thee about and lead 
 thee. The word "lead" does not elsewhere occur. A.V. derived 
 from numeral "six." 
 
 3. The northern w^arriors were bowmen. 
 
 4. Cf. V. 17, xxxviii. 21. 
 
 6. Magog is the name of the country of Gog. 
 
 in the is/es] the countries, i.e. the distant lands of the earth. The 
 annies of Gog and his allies are annihilated on the mountains of Israel, 
 but the judgment extends simultaneously to their distant abodes, that 
 the ends of the earth may know and fear the Lord. 
 
 7. w/7/ not let them pollute^ will not let my holy name be profaned, 
 lit. / will not profane. Jehovah's holy or divine name was profaned, — 
 his majesty and power were detracted from — when Israel his people 
 wei^e subjected by the heathen and dispersed abroad from their own 
 land (xxxvi. 20). Israel's sins constrained Jehovah to cast them out 
 of his land, and thus to profane his holy name. Now they are another 
 people, a new heart has been given them, and his signal protection 
 of them in their defenceless condition (xxxviii. 11) from so extreme a 
 danger (xxxviii. 4 — 6) will reveal both to Israel and the nations what 
 Jehovah is, and what are the principles on which he rules his people 
 {v. 23). Thus shall his name be sanctified — he shall be known to be 
 God alone, all powerful and righteous. — \\'hile Isaiah says "Holy 
 One of Israel," Ezek. says in Israel, a usage which shews that the 
 element "of Israel" forms no part of the conception of "holiness," 
 
vv. 8— II.] EZEKIEL, XXXIX. 283 
 
 - Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God ; 8 
 this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell 9 
 in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and 
 burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the 
 bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, 
 and they shall burn them with fire seven years : so that they ic 
 shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any 
 out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with 
 fire : and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and 
 rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. And it n 
 shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog 
 a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers 
 on the east of the sea : and it shall stop the noses of the 
 
 8. The words vividly bring into the presence of the speaker the 
 great catastrophe. Rev. xvi. 17, xxi. 6. 
 
 9. The wood of the weapons of Gog's warriors shall serve the 
 people of Israel as fuel for seven years, they shall go neither to gather 
 faggots for fire in the fields nor to cut down any Avood out of the 
 forests [v. 10). 
 
 sel on fire and bunt] make fire of tlie weapons and burn them — 
 i.e. they shall use them as fuel. The "handstaves" are probably those 
 with which the animals ridden upon or others were driven. 
 
 bitr)i them with fire'\ make fire of them. 
 
 10. burn the wcap07is\ make fire with the weapons. Such abundance 
 of fuel shall the weapons supply, that firewood shall neither be gathered 
 in the field nor cut down out of the forests. 
 
 11. Gog's burial-place shall be east of the Dead Sea. 
 
 a place there of graves'] a place for a grave, lit. a place where a grave 
 may be. For "there" LXX. reads name — a place of renown (name), 
 a grave in Israel. 
 
 valley of the passengers] In vv. 14, 15 the word is used of those 
 appointed to go through the land in search of the scattered bones. 
 The term cannot have that sense here. Ew. conjectured that it was 
 a term applied to the hosts of Gog, the invaders, from their over- 
 flowing the country (Is. viii. 8). The reading oiv. 14, however, which 
 would be the strongest support of this view, is doubtful. The ex- 
 pression is probably a proper name; the "valley of the passers through" • 
 may have been so named as the usual route of communication between 
 the east and west of the sea. Others by altering the points read "the 
 (or, a) valley of Abarim" (Hitz. Corn.). 
 
 shall stop the noses] it shall stop them that pass through (or, the 
 passengers). The valley shall be filled up with the graves of the innu- 
 merable hosts of Gog, so that the way of passers through shall be barred. 
 A.V, has no probability. Neither LXX. nor Syr, read the words 
 "those that pass through;" the former renders: and they shall build up 
 the mouth of the valley round about. 
 
284 EZEKIEL, XXXIX. [vv. 12—15. 
 
 passengers : and there shall they bury Gog and all his mul- 
 titude : and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. 
 
 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of 
 
 13 them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people 
 of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a 
 renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. 
 
 14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, pass- 
 ing through the land to bury with the passengers those that 
 remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it : after the 
 
 15 end of seven months shall they search. And the passengers 
 that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, 
 then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried 
 
 Hamon-gog\ i.e. Gog's multitude. 
 ^ 12. It shall take all Israel {v. 13) seven months to bury Gog's dead. 
 The bones scattered over the land defiled it, for it was holy to the Lord, 
 and they must be gathered and interred, cf. vv. 14, 16. 
 
 13. a renowfi] Or, a glory (lit. a name), viz. that they have seen 
 their last enemy destroyed by their God. The triumph is theirs, being 
 his, Ps. cxlix. 9, 
 
 the day that .. .glorified^ i.e. on the day (at the time) when I shall be 
 glorified (or, glorify myself). 
 
 14. When the remains that are visible shall all have been buried, 
 men shall be appointed whose continual task it shall be to go through 
 the land to search for any bones that may have been overlooked. When 
 they find a bone they shall set up a sign beside it that the buriers may 
 come and inter it {v. 15). 
 
 of continual employ me tit] lit. continual men (same phrase as "con- 
 tinual" burnt -offering), — men constantly occupied. 
 
 7uith the passengers} The words should probably be omitted with 
 LXX. Read : to bury those that remain, &c. After seven months 
 have been consumed in burying the masses of the dead everywhere 
 visible, occasional bodies or bones may still be left, having escaped 
 notice. These shall be diligently searched for by the "continual men." 
 Those who would retain the words "them that pass through" (passen- 
 gers of A.V.) here read, to bury them that pass through (i.e. the invaders), 
 even those that remain (cf R.V.). The construction is unnatural, and 
 any play of words between two classes of "passers through," viz. in- 
 vaders and searchers, has no probability. In v. 15 "those that pass 
 through," i.e. the searchers, are distinguished from the buriers, and a 
 reader finding "buriers" in the present verse assumed that they were 
 different from the searchers, and added "with those that pass through" 
 (the searchers) on the margin. 
 
 15. Render with R.V., And they that pass through the land (the 
 searchers) shall pass through ; and when any seeth a man's hone, 
 then shall he set up (lit. build) a sign (or pillar), &c. On Hamon- 
 Gog cf. V. 1 1, 
 
vv. 16—20.] KZEKIEL, XXXIX. 285 
 
 it in the valley of Hamon-gog. And also the name of the 16 
 city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land. 
 
 And thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God ; Speak 17 
 unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, 
 Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every 
 side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great 
 sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, 
 and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and 18 
 drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of 
 lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of 
 Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood 19 
 till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed 
 for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses 20 
 
 16. name of the city... Hamonah^ Or, a city. Ilamonah is/tv;/. of -^ 
 Hanion, multitude, and presumably of the same meaning. The words, 
 however, are enigmatical and alien to the connexion. The last clause, 
 "and they shall cleanse the land," suggests the previous mention of some 
 action which has this result. The Versions, however, are in agreement 
 with Heb. text. If the text be correct, the prophet's meaning is that a 
 city shall also be built in commemoration of Gog's overthrow ; naturally 
 this city must be supposed situated near the valley of Ilamon-Gog, be- 
 cause its name Hamonah (multitude), if the city were situated elsewhere, 
 would not of itself suggest any connexion with Gog. 
 
 vv. 17 seq. The great sacrificial feast provided by Jehovah for the 
 fowls of heaven and the beasts of the field. They shall eat the flesh of 
 the mighty and drink the blood of princes of the earth ( 1 7 — 20). And 
 thus shall that which Jehovah is be made known both to Israel and the 
 heathen; and the nations shall understand, from Jehovah's defence of 
 his godly people now, why it was that aforetime he inflicted such evils 
 upon them and cast them out of his land (21 — 24). 
 
 17. to my sacrifice'] The eating of flesh \\-as of rarer occurrence in 
 ancient times than it is now. All slaughtering of animals was a sacri- 
 ficial act. The blood and some parts of the victim were given to 
 Jehovah; and the rest eaten before him by the company. Hence the 
 terminology here : Jehovah's slaughter of his enemies is to afford a sacri- 
 ficial feast. Cf. Zeph. i. 8 ; Is. xxxiv. 6. 
 
 18. The actual victims sacrificed were princes and mighty men; here 
 they are described as rams and goats — the usual animals sacrificed. 
 Jer. li. 40. 
 
 fatlings of Basil a nl Bashan was a pastoral country, producing the 
 fattest and greatest beasts. Cf. Deut. xxxii. 14; Am. iv. i; Is. xxxiv. 
 6, 7 ; Ps. xxii. 12. 
 
 20. my table] It is the Lord that holds the sacrificial feast here 
 {v. 19), and it is his table to which he invites the fowls and beasts. 
 
 /torses and chariots] It is scarcely necessary to point with LXX. 
 horse and rider; "chariot" suggests that those hoxwo. in the chariot are 
 
286 EZEKIEL, XXXIX. [vv. 21-26. 
 
 and chariots, with mighty men^ and ivith all men of war, saith 
 
 21 the Lord God. And I will set my glory among the heathen, 
 and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have 
 
 22 executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the 
 house of Israel shall know that \ ain the Lord their God 
 
 23 from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that 
 the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity : 
 because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face 
 from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies : 
 
 24 so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness 
 and according to their transgressions have I done unto 
 them, and hid my face from them. 
 
 25 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring 
 again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole 
 
 26 house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; after 
 
 intended. The term rendered *' chariot" seems used, however, of 
 "riding-beasts," e.g. the ass and the camel, Is. xxi. 7, 9; and there is 
 no intimation elsewhere that Gog's army rode in chariots : they were 
 horsemen and bowmen. 
 
 21. The great discomfiture of Gog will reveal Jehovah's power to the 
 nations. None but God alone could deal so wonderfully. Cf. xxxviii. 
 16, 23. 
 
 22. And Israel from that day will feel secure in the protection of 
 Jehovah their God ; all misgivings which the past might create will dis- 
 appear, and they shall know that now Jehovah is indeed their God. 
 
 s 23. Jehovah's dealing with his people Israel is the great lesson 
 
 which he reads to the heathen ; it is the history of Israel in the hand of 
 Jehovah their God that reveals to the nations what Jehovah is. For the 
 nations knew Jehovah only as God of Israel, and it was thus only 
 through Israel that he could reveal himself to them. This last great 
 event in the history of Israel, Jehovah's signal defence of them now that 
 they are his people in truth, casts light on his former hiding of his face 
 from them. Deeper elements than mere power enter into his rule of his 
 people ; a conception of God is suggested to the nations unlike any they 
 had hitherto entertained — there is a God who is omnipotent and who 
 rules the nations in righteousness, the God of Israel. 
 
 24. have I done icnio theai] did I do unto ihem, 
 
 vv. 25 seq. The prophet returns to the point of view occupied in 
 ch. xxxiii. — xxxvii., before the restoration of Israel. The transition is 
 suggested by the words I hid my face from them [v. 24). This shall no 
 more be {v. 29) ; they shall be I'estored, and dwell safely in their land 
 {v. 26), and Jehovah shall be their God in truth. 
 
 25. bring again the captivity\ Cf. xvi. 53, xxix. 14. 
 
 jealous for my holy name] little different from "my divine name." 
 The prophet represents Jehovah as acting from the sense of that which 
 
vvr. 27—29.] EZEKIEL, XXXIX. 287 
 
 that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses 
 whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt 
 safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When 27 
 I have brought them again from the people, and gathered 
 them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them 
 in the sight of many nations ; then shall they know that 23 
 I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into 
 captivity among the heathen : but I have gathered them 
 unto their own land, and have left none of them any more 
 there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them : 29 
 for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 he is. The representation is to be explained from the profound sense 
 which the prophet, and other prophets, had of the Godhead of Jehovah, 
 with all that Godhead meant. Cf. xx. g, 14, 2a, 44. 
 
 26. after that... borne] Rather: And tliey shall bear their shame. 
 The phrase "bear shame" is not used in the sense of bearing the out- 
 ward disgrace (xxxii. 24, 25, 30, xxxiv. 29, xxxvi. 7), but in the sense 
 of bearing the in\A-ard feeling of unworthiness, which the undeserved 
 goodness of Jehovah creates (xvi. 52, 54). The word "bear" is written 
 (lefectively and by a change of a "tittle" might mean "forget." While 
 "forget their shame" however might well be said, shame meaning re- 
 proach (Is. liv. 4), "forget their trespasses," implying complete oblitera- 
 tion of the unhappy past, is so powerful an idea that it causes surprise. 
 Either idea is beautiful ; whether the idea be that the redeemed people 
 sit in abashed gladness, the memory of former evil adding depth to the 
 gladness, or wliether it be that the assurance that Jehovah is their God 
 \o. 22) is so exalted that the memory of former sad days is wholly wiped 
 out by it. 
 
 ivhcn they dwelt... afraid] when they dwell with confidence... and 
 none maketh them afraid. Reference is to the time of restoration, 
 
 27. The verse is closely connected with the preceding : none maketh 
 them afraid; when I have brought... and have been sanctified in (or, 
 through) them. Cf xxxvi. 23, 24, xxxviii. 16. For people, peoples. 
 
 28. Read : And they shall know. . .in that I caused them. . .and will 
 gather... and will leave. The words: and I will gather, &c. to the 
 end are wanting in LXX., which also points the first clause differently. 
 
 29. poured out my spirit] This states in brief all the regenerating 
 influences more fully dwelt upon in xxxvi. 25 — 31. Cf. Joel ii. 28; 
 Zech. xii. 10. On first clause, Is. liv. 8 — 10; Jer. xxxi. 3 seq. 
 
 Third Section. Cii. XL.— XLVIII. Final condition of the 
 
 REDEEMED TEOPLE. 
 
 This concluding section of Ezekiel's prophecy is in many ways remark- 
 able, and the main idea expressed l)y it needs to be carefully attended to. 
 
E2EKIEL, XL. 
 
 The passage is separated by an interval of twelve or thirteen years 
 from the latest of the other prophecies (except the brief intercalation, 
 xxix. T7 se(/.). It stands therefore apart from the rest of the Book, with 
 the ideas of which it is not easy in some parts to reconcile it. Some 
 scholars indeed (Stade, I/tsi. Ii. 37) consider that in the interval Ezekiel 
 had broken with his former conceptions. There does seem a discre- 
 pancy between the place assigned to the " Prince" in this passage and the 
 more elevated part which the Lord's "servant David" plays in earlier 
 chapters. 
 
 On the whole, however, the passage can be only miderstood if we 
 keep before our minds all the teaching of the earlier part of the Book, 
 and also suppose that the prophet had it vividly before his own mind. 
 This passage contains no teaching. All that the prophet wished his 
 people to learn regarding the nature of Jehovah and the principles of 
 his rule, his holiness, his wrath against evil and his righteous judgments, 
 has been exhausted (iv. — xxiv.). All that he desired to say about the 
 revelation of Jehovah's glory to the nations, that they may know that 
 "he is Jehovah," and may no more exalt themselves against him in self- 
 deification, and no more disturb or seduce his people, has been said 
 (xxv. — xxxii.). And the great operations of Jehovah's grace in regenera- 
 ting his people, and in restoring them to their own land, have been fully 
 described (xxxiii. — xxxvii,). All this forms the background of the 
 present section. The last words of i. — xxxix. are: "And I will hide 
 my face from them no more ; for I have poured out my Spirit upon the 
 house of Israel, saith the Lord God." The people are washed with 
 pure water, a new heart and spirit is given to them, the spirit of 
 Jehovah rules their life, and they know that Jehovah is their God. 
 
 Therefoie the present section gives a picture of the people in their 
 final condition of redemption and felicity. It does not describe how 
 salvation is to be attained, for the salvation is realized and enjoyed ; it 
 describes the people and their condition and their life now that their 
 redemption has come. This accounts for the strange mixture of ele- 
 ments in the picture — for the fact that there is "so much of earth, so 
 much of heaven" in it. To us who have clearer light the natural and 
 the supernatural seem oddly commingled. But this confusion is com- 
 mon to all the prophetic pictures of the final condition of Israel re- 
 deemed, and must not be allowed to lead us astray. We should go very 
 far astray if on the one hand fastening our attention on the natural 
 elements in the picture such as that men still exist in natural bodies, 
 that they live by the fruits of the earth, that death is not abolished, that 
 the "Prince" has descendants, and much else, we should conclude that 
 the supernatural elements in the picture such as the elevation of Zion 
 above the mountains (cf. Is. ii.), the change in the physical condition 
 of the region of the holy city (cf. Jer. xxxi. 38 ; Zech. xiv. 10), and the 
 issue of the river from the Temple spreading fertility around it and 
 sweetening the waters of the Dead Sea (Zech. xiv, 8, Joel iii. 18), were 
 mere figures or symbols, meaning nothing but a higher spiritual condi- 
 tion after the restoration, and that the restoration described by Ezekiel 
 is no more than that one which might be called natural, and which took 
 place under Zerubbabel and later. Ezekiel of course expects a restora- 
 
EZEKIEL, XL. 289 
 
 tion in the true sense, but it is a restoration which is complete, embrac- 
 ing all the scattered members of Israel, and final, being the entrance of 
 Israel upon its eternal felicity and perfection, and the enjoyment of the 
 full presence of Jehovah in the midst of it. The restoration expected 
 and described by the prophet is no more the restoration that historically 
 took place than the restoration in Is. Ix. is the historical one. Both are 
 religious ideals and constructions of the final state of the people and the 
 world. Among other things which gave rise to what appears to us an 
 incompatible union of natural and supernatural were two fundamental 
 conceptions of the Hebrew writers. They could not conceive of a life 
 of man except such a life as we now lead in the body. This bodily life 
 could be lived nowhere but upon the earth, and it could be supported 
 only by the sustenance natural to man. Ezekiel considers death still to 
 prevail in the final state. In this he is followed by some prophets after 
 him (Is. Ixv. 20), who do not expect immortality but only patriarchal 
 longevity, a life like the ' ' days of a tree, " while others assume that death 
 will be destroyed (Is. xxv. 7, 8). The other conception was that true 
 religious perfection was realized only through Jehovah's personal pre- 
 sence among his people, when the tabernacle of God was with men. 
 The words with which Ezekiel closes his Book are: "And the name of 
 the city from that day shall be. The Lord is there.'^ To us a bodily 
 life of man upon the earth such as we now live, and a personal presence 
 of Jehovah in the most real sense in the midst of men, appear things in- 
 compatible. To the Hebrew mind they were not so, or perhaps in 
 their lofty religious idealism the prophets did not reflect on the possi- 
 bility of their ideals being realized in fact. The temptation, however, 
 to allegorize the prophetic pictures of the final state, and to evaporate 
 from them either the natural or the supernatural elements, must be 
 resisted at all hazards. 
 
 Consequently we should go equally far astray on the other hand if 
 fastening our attention only on the supernatural parts of Ezekiel's 
 picture, such as the personal presence of Jehovah, the stream that issues 
 from the Temple, and other things, we should conclude that the whole 
 is nothing but a gigantic allegory; that the temple with its measure- 
 ments, the courts with their chambers, the priests and Levites with 
 their ministrations — that all this to the prophet's mind was nothing but 
 a lofty syinbolism representing a spiritual perfection to be eventually 
 reached in the Church of God of the Christian age. To put such a 
 meaning on the Temple and its measurements and all the details enu- 
 merated by the prophet is to contradict all reason. The Temple is 
 real, for it is the place of Jehovah's presence upon the earth; the 
 ministers and the ministrations are equally real, for his servants serve 
 him in his Temple. The service of Jehovah by sacrifice and ofilering is 
 considered to continue when Israel is perfect and the kingdom the 
 Lord's even by the greatest prophets (Is. xix. 19, 21, Ix. 7, Ixvi. 20; 
 Jer. xxxiii. 18). 
 
 There can be no question of the literalness and reality of the things 
 in the prophetic programme, whether they be things natural or super- 
 natural, the only question is, What is the main conception expressed 
 by them? It would probably be a mistake to suppose that the picture 
 
 'y 
 
290 EZEKIEL, XL. 
 
 given by the prophet in this section is a picture of the life in all its 
 breadth of Israel redeemed. Many sides of the people's life do not 
 come into consideration here. For the prophet's view regarding these 
 his previous chapters must be consulted. The Temple, the ministrants 
 and their ministrations and also the Prince and people are all here 
 spoken of from one point of view. As already said the section is not a 
 description of the way by which salvation is to be attained, it is a 
 picture of salvation already realized and a people saved. The sacrifices 
 and ministrations are not performed in order to obtain redemption, 
 but at the most to conserve it. They have two aspects: first, they 
 are worship, service of Jehovah ; and secondly, they have a prophy- 
 lactic, conservative purpose, to secure that the condition of salvation be 
 in no way forfeited. The salvation and blessedness of the people 
 consists in the presence of Jehovah in his Temple, among men. His 
 people, though all righteous and led by his spirit, are not free from 
 the infirmities and inadvertencies incidental to human nature. But as 
 on the one hand, the presence of Jehovah sanctifies the Temple in 
 which he dwells, the land which is his, and the people whose God 
 he is, so on the other hand any uncleanness in the people, the land 
 or the Temple, disturbs his Being and must be sedulously guarded 
 against or removed. It was former uncleannesses that caused the 
 Lord to withdraw from his House (viii. — xi.); and it is only when 
 it is sanctified that he returns to it (xliii.). Hence the care taken to 
 guard against all "profaning" of Jehovah, and to keep far from him 
 anything common or unclean. First, the sacred "oblation," the 
 domain of the priests, Levites, prince and city is placed in the centre 
 of the restored tribes, Judah on one side of it and Benjamin on the 
 other (xlv. i — 8, xlviii. 8 seg.). In the midst of this oblation is the 
 portion of the priests, that of the Levites lying on one side, and that 
 of the city on the other. In the middle of the priests' portion stands 
 the Temple. This is a great complex of buildings, around which on 
 all sides lies a free space or suburbs. Then comes a great wall sur- 
 rounding the whole buildings, forming a square of five hundred cubits. 
 Within this wall is an outer court; and within this an inner court, acces- 
 sible only to the priests, even the prince being debarred from setting his 
 foot in it. In this inner court stands the altar, and to the back of it the 
 Temple House. The House has also a graduated series of compartments 
 increasing in sanctity inwards — an outer apartment or porch, an inner 
 or holy place, and an innermost, where the presence of Jehovah abides. 
 Only the priests can serve at Jehovah's table, the altar, and enter the 
 house, and only the Levites can handle the sacred offerings of the 
 people, whether to slay them or boil them for the sacrificial meal. 
 All these arrangements have one object in view, to guard against 
 disturbance to the holiness of Jehovah, who dwells among his people. 
 
 This, however, suggests another point. It has been remarked in 
 disparagement of the prophet that he makes little reference to moral 
 law in this section, occupying himself with mere "ceremonial." The 
 objection forgets two things: first, that the background to this final 
 picture of the people's condition is formed by the whole great passage, 
 ch. xxxiii. — xxxvii. It is a people forgiven and sanctified, and led 
 
V. I.] EZEKIEL, XL. 291 
 
 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the 40 
 beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the 
 
 by the spirit of God which the prophet contemplates in ch. xl. seq. 
 He does not inculcate morality, because he feels that morality is 
 assured (xxxvi. 25 — 29). It is true that the people is not perfect, but 
 they only err from inadvertency. But secondly, these errors of inad- 
 vertency disturb the Divine holiness equally with offences which we 
 call moral. The distinction of moral and ceremonial is unknown to 
 the Law, and if possible more unknown is the idea of a factitious ^ 
 "ceremonial" which has a moral symbolical meaning. The unclean- 
 nesses and the like which we now call "ceremonial" were held real 
 uncleannesses and offensive to God, and the purifications were not 
 symbolical but real purifications. These things which we name cere- 
 monial belong rather to the aesthetic in our view than to the moral, 
 but in Israel they were drawn in under the religions idea equally with 
 what was moral. 
 
 Ch. XL.— XLIII. The new Temple. 
 
 The passage contains these divisions :— 
 
 First, xl. I — 27. Preface {vv. i — 4); description of the gateway 
 into the outer court with its various chambers, and of the outer court 
 itself with its buildings. 
 
 Second, xl. 28 — 47. Description of the gateway into the inner 
 court with its chambers, and of the inner court itself. 
 
 Third, xl. 48 — xli. 26. Description of the House or Temple itself 
 with the annexed buildings. 
 
 Fourth, ch. xlii. Description of the other buildings in the inner 
 court, with the dimensions of the whole. 
 
 Fifth, xliii. i — 12. Entry of Jehovah into the House thus prepared 
 for him, to dwell there for ever. 
 
 Sixth, xliii. 13 — 27. Description of the altar of burnt-offering in 
 the inner court, and of the rites to be performed in order to consecrate 
 the whole edifice. 
 
 Ch. XL. 1—27. The outer gateway and court. 
 
 In the 25th year of Jehoiachin's captivity, which was the 14th year 
 after the fall of the city (b.c. 572), the prophet fell into a prophetic 
 trance (td. i) ; he seemed transported to the land of Israel and set 
 down upon a high mountain, on which was a great building {v. 2). 
 At the gate of the building there stood a man with a line of flax in 
 his hand and a measuring reed {v. 3). The prophet is commanded 
 closely to observe all that is shewn him, and to declare it to the house 
 of Israel. 
 
 1. our captivity] that of Jehoiachin, in which the prophet himself 
 had been carried away (B.C. 597). With the exception of ch. xxix. 
 17 — 21, dating from the 27th year (B.C. 570), these chapters are the 
 latest part of the Book. 
 
 the beginning of the year] In post-biblical Ilcb., the words mean 
 
 19 — 2 
 
292 E2EKIEL, XL. [vv. 2— 5. 
 
 fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame 
 day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me 
 
 2 thither. In the visions of God brought he me into the land 
 of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which 
 
 3 was as the frame of a city on the south. And he brought 
 me thither, and behold, there was a man, whose appearance 
 was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his 
 hand, and a measuring reed ; and he stood in the gate. 
 
 4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine 
 eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all 
 that I shall shew thee ; for to the intent that / might shew 
 them unto thee art thou brought hither : declare all that 
 
 5 thou seest to the house of Israel. And behold a wall on 
 
 the first day of the year, and so possibly here. The phrase does not 
 otherwise occur. The ecclesiastical year or old style began with the 
 month Abib (March — April), and is that referred to here. 
 
 selfsame day\ ch. xxiv. 1. On "hand of the Lord," cf. i. 3. 
 
 brought me thither] The word "thither" must refer to the "city 
 which was smitten." LXX. omits, connecting vv. i and 2 and leaving 
 out "brought he me," v. 2: "he brought me in the visions of God 
 to the land of Israel." 
 
 2. visions of God\ ch. i. i, viii. 3, xi. 24. 
 
 a very high monntain'\ The site is the ancient hill of Zion, but it 
 is now exalted above the hills, Is. ii. 2; Zech. xiv. 10, cf. xvii. 22, 
 XX. 40. 
 
 by which., frajite of a city] lit. upon whicli was as it were a build- 
 ing of a city, i.e. a city-like, or, citadel-like building. The ref. is to the 
 Temple, with its complex of buildings {v. 3). 
 
 on the south'] The pre-exile Temple at any rate occupied the southern 
 slope of the hill, and possibly Ezek. recalls this. For "on the south" 
 LXX. XQ-aA fronting me (neged for negeb). 
 
 3. there was a man] The "man" is not to be identified with 
 Jehovah himself, who brought the prophet to him. It is scarcely 
 necessary to enquire who the man is. He is a creation of the prophet's 
 own mind, a living symbol of the revelation of God. This revelation 
 personified has the attributes of Jehovah himself; hence the man is 
 like bright brass (i. 7), and speaks with authority {v. 4). Cf. xliv. 
 2, 5- 
 
 a line of fax] For measuring greater dimensions (xlvii. 3), as the 
 reed usually for smaller. 
 
 in the gate] Or, at. The east gateway is meant, v. 6. 
 
 4. The man, like the Lord himself, addresses the prophet as "child 
 of man," cf. v. 3, xliv. 5. The prophet is commanded to see and 
 hear and lay to heart all that is revealed to him, for he has to declare 
 it to the house of Israel, xliii. 10. 
 
 6. A wall surrounded the whole temple buildings (xlii. 20). This 
 
yv.6,7.] EZEKIEL, XL. 293 
 
 the outside of the house round about, and in the man's 
 hand a measuring reed of six cubits /ong by the cubit and a 
 hand breadth : so he measured the breadth of the building, 
 one reed ; and the height, one reed. 
 
 Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the 6 
 east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the 
 threshold of the gate, w/iic/i was one reed broad ; and the 
 other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad. And 7 
 
 wall was a reed broad or thick and a reed high. The reed was six - 
 cubits, each cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth, i.e. a handbreadth 
 larger than the lesser cubit in use. This larger cubit was probably 
 about 18 inches, and the reed 9 feet. Others, the Egyp. ell, 20^ in. 
 by the aibit and] Six cubits long, each of one cubit and, &c. 
 
 6 — 16. The outer gateway on the East side. 
 
 As the Temple lay east and west, the eastern gateway was the 
 natural entrance. Through it Jehovah entered to take up his abode 
 in the new House (xliii. 4); it was therefore to be kept shut (xliv. i, 2). 
 The measurements of this gate are given in detail, vv. 6 — 16; those 
 of the N. and S. gateways are said to be similar. 
 
 6. The threshold. After measuring the surrounding wall the man 
 entered the gateway. On the outside of the entrance, ascending to 
 it, were steps, seven in number, as is stated in connexion with N. 
 and S. gateways (xl. 22, 26). Thus the gateway was elevated above 
 the ground outside, and on the same level with it was the outer court. 
 Again, from the outer court an ascent of eight steps went up to the 
 gateway leading into the inner court (xl. 31), and the inner court 
 was on the same level as the gateway. Finally, an ascent of ten steps 
 led up to the entrance to the house itself (xl. 49), which thus stood 
 on a raised platform above the inner court which surrounded it. Ac- 
 cording to xli. 8 the ten steps to the house were equal to six cubits 
 of elevation ; if the steps leading up to the gateways were of the same 
 dimensions they would together amount to nine cubits, so that the 
 elevation of the house above the level outside the surrounding wall 
 {v. 5) would be 15 cubits. The whole structure formed three terraces, 
 each rising above the other inwards. 
 
 the thf-esholif] The space between the steps and the guardrooms 
 is called threshold, being just the breadth of the wall, 6 cubits. 
 Fig. I a. 
 
 and the other threshold] This is no translation of the original, which 
 syntactically is scarcely translateable. The words are probably a gloss 
 suggested by the fact that there was a second threshold (v. 7). The 
 definition "broad" is suspicious, because, though in general the smaller 
 dimension might be named breadth, and the larger one length, the 
 prophet going from E. to W. calls measurements in that direction 
 "length" (7'. 7), and the direction N. to S. "breadth," even should 
 it be the larger dimension {v. 11). The words are wanting in LXX. 
 
294 
 
 EZEKIEL, XL. 
 
 [v. 7. 
 
 a^ery little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad ; 
 and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the 
 
 Read v. 6 thus: and lie measured the threshold of the gate one 
 reed. 
 
 7. The guardrooms. Fig. i M. 
 
 every ^iu/e chatuber was] And the guardroom -was— sing, used 
 collectively. These chambers were used as sentry-boxes or guard- 
 
 FiG. 2. Temple House. 
 
 Fig. I. Outer Gateway. 
 
 ^0 ■ Oa 
 
 rooms (i Kings xiv. 28), where the temple officers were stationed to 
 preserve order and keep the house. Of these guardrooms there were 
 three on each side of the gateway {v. 10). They were without doors 
 towards the gateway inside, being merely protected on that side by 
 a barrier or fence {v. 12), this allowing the keepers full view of the 
 gateway. They were provided with Avindows (v. 16), and possibly 
 at the back with doors leading into the outer court (cf. v. 13). The 
 measurements 6 cubits long and broad refer to the inner area. 
 
 Ih'twetn the little chambers\ Between the guardrooms was five 
 (SUhits. Between two guardrooms a wall-front of five cubits faced 
 
w. 8— II.] EZEKIEL, XL. 295 
 
 threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was 
 one reed. He measured also the porch of the gate within, 8 
 one reed. Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight 9 
 cubits ; and the posts thereof, two cubits ; and the porch of 
 the gate was inward. And the little chambers of the gate lo 
 eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; 
 they three were of one measure: and the posts had one 
 measure on this side and on that side. And he measured n 
 the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the 
 
 the gateway. Of these wall-fronts there were only two, because the 
 guardrooms were but three. Fig. i, gh, ik. 
 
 threshold of the gate'] Beyond the three guardrooms and the two 
 intervening wall-fronts there was another space called a threshold, 
 of the same dimensions as the first {v. 6), leading into the large apart- 
 ment called the porch [v. 9). Fig. i, c. 
 
 porch of the gate zuithiti] Or, to^card the inside, R.V., toward the 
 house, though the correction is hardly necessary in syntax (xli. 25). 
 The sense is the same in either case: the porch, fig. i, d, of the outer 
 gate lay at the inner end of the building, looking into the court, while 
 the porch of the inner gates lay at the outer end of the gate-building. 
 
 8, 9. These verses should read: And he measured the porch of 
 the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, &c.— the words "within 
 {v. 8)... gate" {v. 9) being omitted. The copyist's eye when he came 
 to the word gate v. 8 went back to the same word v. 7, the clause 
 following which he repeated. Some MSS. and all the ancient Ver- 
 sions, except Targ., omit. Fig. i, vui. 
 
 the posts thereof] Possibly : the post — sing, used collectively. The 
 posts are the projecting wall-fronts or jambs on either side of the exit 
 or door from the porch into the outer court, Fig. i, no. The thickness 
 of this jamb was two cubits. 
 
 was inward] Or, toward the inside [v. 7), i.e. on the end of the 
 gateway building toward the interior, and looking into the outer court. 
 This is specially mentioned because in the inner gateway buildings 
 the porch was on the side away from the house. 
 
 10. The measurer, having passed through the whole length of the 
 gateway E. to W., and named each particular thing on one side of it, 
 viz. threshold [v. 6), guardroom {v. 7), wall space between guard- 
 rooms {v. 7), inner threshold to porch {v. 7), porch and its posts 
 {v. 8, 9), with their dimensions, now states that there were three 
 guardrooms on each side, all of the same size, and also some other 
 points. For little chambers, gruardrooms. 
 
 the posts had one ?fieaszcre] Probably the "posts" here are not the 
 jambs of the door of the porch {v. 9), but the wall-fronts or spaces 
 between the giiardrooms {v. 7), Fig, i, gh, ik. There were two of 
 these on each side of the passage, each measuring five cubits. 
 
 11. breadth of the entry] The "breadth"— the measure from N. to 
 S, — of the outside entrance was lo cubits, Fig. i, ee,ff'; and this was 
 
296 EZEKIEL, XL. [vv. 12—14. 
 
 12 length of the gate, thirteen cubits. The space also before 
 the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space 
 was one cubit on that side : and the little chambers were 
 
 13 six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. He 
 measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber 
 to the roof of another : the breadth was five and twenty 
 
 14 cubits, door against door. He made also posts of three- 
 
 the breadth of the passage all along, except perhaps before the guard- 
 rooms, the barrier in front of which on both sides contracted it from 
 10 to 8 cubits {v. 12). 
 
 length of the gate] the gateway. This statement that the length 
 of the gateway was 13 cubits is very obscure. The length of the 
 gateway was 50 cubits {z>. 15). "Length" is a measurement from 
 E. to W., and cannot be taken in the sense of "height." It has been 
 suggested that possibly the whole gateway of 50 cubits was not covei-ed ; 
 that it consisted of a covered portion at each end, with an unroofed 
 space in the middle, and that this covered portion is here referred to. 
 But no ground appears for calling one part of the passage the gateway ; 
 and further the guardrooms and intermediate spaces were provided 
 with windows, a fact which suggests that the whole was roofed over. 
 LXX. read or perhaps interpreted "breadth," which is equally obscure. 
 
 12. space... before the little chambers] A barrier before tbe guard- 
 rooms, one cubit, Fig. i,j^, hi, kl. The meaning appears to be that 
 the barrier took away a cubit on each side from the passage, reducing it 
 from 10 to 8 cubits opposite the guardchambers. The height of the 
 barrier would probably not be very great. The measure of "a cubit" 
 can hardly be the height, as all the measurements refer here to breadth. 
 
 13. The gate building was 25 cubits across, i.e. from the outside 
 N. to the outside S. The measurement is made from roof to roof of 
 the guardrooms. LXX. read or substituted "wall" for roof. The 
 meaning is clear. The measurement inside was three cubits less, viz. 
 passage 10, a guardroom on each side 6 + 6, in all 22, leaving for 
 each back wall i| cubits, vv. 21, 25, 29. 
 
 door against door] Or, opposite to door. Possibly each guardroom 
 on both sides of the gateway had a door in the back wall opening into 
 the outer court. Others less naturally suggest three doors of the gate 
 lengthways, viz. that before first threshold, that before inner thresh- 
 old, and the exit out of the porch. 
 
 14. Verse 14 is obscure. In the first place "he made" is sus- 
 picious, everywhere else it is "he measured." In the second place 
 the number 60 cubits is incomprehensible. The idea that the "posts" 
 were prolonged into pillars of such a height is altogether improbable. 
 Besides, the "posts" are accurately distinguished from pillars, for which 
 another word is employed {v. 49). It is to be observed that the 
 measurer first passes in from E. to W. along one side of the gateway, 
 mentioning the different things with their dimensions of which it was 
 composed. Having reached the porch at the inner end he returns, 
 
vv. 15, 16.] EZEKIEL, XL. 297 
 
 score cubits, even unto the post of the court round about 
 the gate. And from the face of the gate of the entrance 15 
 unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits. 
 And there were narrow windows to the Httle chambers, and it. 
 to their posts within the gate round about, and hkewise to 
 
 noting that the two sides of the gateway were in all respects alike. 
 Then from v. 11 onwards he gives measurements of the breadth of 
 various parts of the gateway, the entrance (;v. 11), the contraction 
 opposite the guardrooms {v. 12), and finally the breadth of the whole 
 gate building {v. 13). While, however, the breadth of all other 
 parts of the gateway has been given, that of the "porch" at the inner 
 end has not been mentioned, though its length from E. to W., Fig. 
 I, WW, was stated to be 8 cubits (z^. 8, 9). It is probable, therefore, 
 that V. 14 supplies this measurement. Render: and he measured the 
 porch, 20 cuMts — reading porch (ailam), for posts (ailim), and 20 
 for 60, in both cases with LXX. The 20 are inside measurement, 
 N. to S, ; 22 might have been expected, for the back wall of the 
 guardrooms was i^ cubits, but a chamber like the porch used for 
 assemblies and feasts (xliv. 3) might well have a wall of 2^ cubits 
 thick, as in point of fact the wall to the W. was two cubits {v. 9). 
 
 eveti tmto the post .. .gate'] At any rate with present pointing: and 
 unto (touching on) the post was the court... gate. It is probable, how- 
 ever, that "post" is either repetition of nnto, and should be struck out, 
 or else that it is a consequence of the false reading "posts" in first 
 clause, and should be read "porch" as there (so in v. 37). The latter 
 is more probable : and unto (adjoining) the porch was the court, round 
 about the gate. The omission of prep, before "gate" is difficult, but 
 cf. ace. I Kings vi. 5, and the more remarkable case Ezek. xliii. 17. 
 LXX. read differently, and Syr. wants the clause. 
 
 15. Measurement of the whole length of the gate-building, 50 
 cubits. 
 
 the face of the gate] i.e. the outside front. 
 
 face of the porch of the inner gate] i.e the front of the porch at the inner 
 end of the gate. Either "inner gate" means inner part of the gate, 
 or "inner" means (lying) towards the inside, as LXX. From the 
 outside front of the gate to the inner front, lying on the court, was 
 50 cubits. The sense is clear though the text may need slight emen- 
 dation. 
 
 16. The description of the gateway building concludes with a ref 
 to the way in which it was lighted. 
 
 narroio windows] Heb. closed, i.e. fastened, not capable of being 
 opened like ordinaiy windows (2 Kings xiii. 17). Windows were 
 usually openings with lattice-work. Here they may have been loop- 
 holed, widening out toward the inside. For little chambers, guard- 
 rooms. 
 
 to their posts] i.e. those of the guardrooms. The ref. is to the 
 p cubit thick wall fronts between the guardrooms. Cf. v. 10. 
 
298 EZEKIEL, XL. [v. 17. 
 
 the arches : and windows were round about inward : and 
 upon each post were palm trees. 
 
 Then brought he me into the outward court, and lo, 
 there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court 
 
 to the arches'] Probably: and to the porcli thereof, i.e. of the 
 gate. There are three words in this chapter which need to be dis- 
 tinguished: (i) "post" (ail), the meaning of which is certain from v. 9. 
 It means the front face (thickness) of a wall that projects forward 
 {v. 9), especially the jamb (on each side) of an entrance, e.g. xl. 48, 
 of the entrance to the porch of the house, and xli. 3 of the entrance 
 to the house itself, cf. i Kings vi. 31. It seems also certainly used 
 of the front (thickness) of any wall that springs forward, the side of 
 which bounds a space, and so of the fronts of the walls which bounded 
 the guardrooms (previous note and v. 10). (2) The second is "porch" 
 (ulam), the meaning of which is also clear. It refers to the large 
 apartment which lay at the inner end of the outer gate {v. 8, 9), and 
 at the outer end of the inner gate, and also to the apartment which 
 formed the outmost of the three divisions of the house (z*. 48). (3) The 
 third word is that rendered "arch" (ailam), R.V. marg., colonnade. 
 The term occurs only in this chapter. The punctuators always make 
 it plur., though the text appears to make it sing.: except xl, 16, 30 
 (fem. plur. ; in xli. 15 mas. pi. of ulam). These plurals are of doubtful 
 authenticity. In regard to the word it appears, (i) that it is clearly 
 distinguished from "post" (ail), xl. 21, -24, 29, 33, 36. (2) The LXX. 
 does not know the pronunciation ulam, uniformly transliterating ailatn. 
 (3) Even Heb. uses ailat?i in the sense of 2ila??t. (porch), e.g. certainly 
 xl. 31, 34, 37 (and probably xl. 23, 26), where it is said that the 
 "porch" (ailam) was towards the outer court. There is no evidence 
 that the word has any other sense than "porch." The pronunciation 
 ailam (elam) is Assyr. also, the word meaning "anything in front" 
 (Frd. Del., Bslqx Ezek.). 
 
 and windoivsl Probably : and the windows. 
 
 edich post wexQ palm trees'] The "post" here is that of z'. 9, viz. the 
 wall front or jamb on each side of the egress from the porch into 
 the outer court. Fig. i, no. This alone was decorated with palm trees. 
 
 17 — 27. Measurements of the outer court and remaining 
 
 GATES. 
 
 17. outward court] outer court. The prophet passed out of the 
 pathway, where he had hitherto been, into the outer court. Round 
 about on the inside of the surrounding wall of this court {v. 5) was a 
 pavement, probably of stone. Fig. 3, B, and on the pavement chambers, 
 thirty in number, Fig 3, C. The chambers ran round the wall on 
 three sides, the W. being occupied with other buildings (xli. 12). 
 The chambers were probably used for meetings and feasts ; the ancient 
 high places had such a feast chamber (i Sam. ix. 22), cf. Jer. xxxv. 4 
 (xxxvi. 10). It is not stated how the chambers were disposed, whether 
 singly or in blocks. They were apparently of several stories (xlii. 6), 
 
vv. 1 8, 19.] 
 
 EZEKIEL, XL. 
 
 299 
 
 round about : thirty chambers were upon the pavement. 
 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the 18 
 length of the gates was the lower pavement. Then he 19 
 measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate 
 unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred 
 cubits ^2,s\.ward and north7<:'^r^. 
 
 but did not occupy the corners of the wall, in which kitchens were 
 situated (xlvi. 21 — 24). 
 
 18. Render: and the pavement was by the side of the gates, 
 along the length of the gates, to wit, the lower pavement. The 
 
 Fig. 3. Temple Courts. 
 
 pavement is called "lower" because the outer court lay below the 
 level of the inner (z/. 34) ; it extended into the court along the whole 
 length of the gateway, and was therefore (the outer wall being sub- 
 tracted) 44 cubits broad. 
 
 19. The "lower" gate is the outer gate (on v. 18). From the 
 inner front of this gate to the outer front of the gate of the inner 
 court facing it was 100 cubits. 
 
 ^aj/ward and ;/^/Y/;ward] Or, on the east and on the north. The 
 
300 EZEKIEL, XL. [vv. 20—27. 
 
 20 And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the 
 north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth 
 
 21 thereof. And the little chambers thereof were three on 
 this side and three on that side ; and the posts thereof and 
 the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate : 
 the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and 
 
 22 twenty cubits. And their windows, and their arches, and 
 their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that 
 looketh towards the east; and they went up unto it by seven 
 
 23 steps ; and the arches thereof were before them. And the 
 gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the 
 north, and toward the east ; and he measured from gate to 
 gate an hundred cubits. 
 
 24 After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a 
 gate toward the south : and he measured the posts thereof 
 
 25 and the arches thereof according to these measures. And 
 there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round 
 about, like those windows : the length was fifty cubits, and 
 
 26 the breadth five and twenty cubits. And there were seven 
 steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before 
 them : and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another 
 
 27 on that side, upon the posts thereof. And there was a gate 
 
 words are loosely appended, the points being stated from which the 
 measurements were taken, viz. E. and N. {v. 23). 
 
 20. The dimensions of the N. gate were as those of the E. gate. 
 
 21. the little chambers] guardrooms. 
 
 and the arches thereof] the porch thereof. Probably all the words, 
 guardroom, post, porch, should be read in the sing, as collectives 
 (lleb. text). The difference is unimportant except in regard to " porch." 
 
 22. The outer gate was elevated above the ground outside, and 
 reached by a flight of seven steps. 
 
 arches thereof were before t}u7)i\ Probably : and the porch thereof 
 was to the inside, i.e. at the inner end of the gate, looking toward 
 the interior of the whole temple-buildings, cf. vv. 31, 34, 37. 
 
 23. Render: and there was a gate in the inner court, as v. -27, 
 lit. the inner court had a gate. Sec. For "and toward the east" LXX. 
 reads: just as the gate looking toward the east (v. 19). 
 
 24. and the arches] the porch. LXX. more fully: he measured 
 the guardrooms thereof and the posts &c., as vv. 29, 33, 36. 
 
 25. arches thereof] in the porch thereof. 
 
 26. arches... before them] the porch thereof was to the inside, cf. 
 V. 22. The palm trees belong exclusively to the "posts," i.e. the 
 jambs of the egress from the porch into the court. 
 
vv. 28—34.] EZEKIEL, XL. 301 
 
 in the inner court toward the south : and he measured from 
 gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits. 
 
 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate : 28 
 and he measured the south gate according to these measures; 
 and the Httle chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and 29 
 the arches thereof, according to these measures : and there 
 ivere windows in it and in the arches thereof round about : 
 it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 
 And the arches round about tvere five and twenty cubits 30 
 long, and five cubits broad. And the arches thereof iverc 31 
 toward the utter court ; and palm trees zvere upon the posts 
 thereof : and the going up to it had eight steps. 
 
 And he brought me into the inner court toward the east : 32 
 and he measured the gate according to these measures. 
 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and 33 
 the arches thereof, zvere according to these measures : and 
 there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round 
 about : // zvas fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits 
 broad. And the arches thereof were toward the outward 34 
 court ; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this 
 side, and on that side : and the going up to it had eight 
 steps. 
 
 28--37. The inner court and its gateways. 
 
 The measurement of the outer court was finished at the S. gate. 
 Opposite to this was the S. gate of the inner court at a distance of 
 100 cubits [v. 27), and the measurement of the inner court naturally 
 begins with the S. gate. The gates of the inner court were similar 
 in all respects to those of the outer court, except that in the former the 
 "porch" lay at the outer end of the gateway, looking into the outer 
 court {w. 31, 34, 37). 
 
 29. arches thereof^ porch thereof. 
 
 30. The verse is wanting in LXX. and some MSS., and in others 
 deleted. No object belonging to the gateways has hitherto been men- 
 tioned to which the measurements can apply. The verse may have 
 arisen from an inaccurate repetition of the measurements given in pre- 
 vious verse. 
 
 31. Render : and the porch thereof was toward the outer court, 
 of. w. 34, 37. 
 
 palm trees... posts] CL vv. 16, 26. 
 
 33, little chambers... arc/ies] guardroom... porch, the last at least in 
 the sing. 
 
 34. arches thereof] porch. 
 
302 EZEKIEL, XL. [vv. 35—40. 
 
 35 And he brought me to the north gate, and measured // 
 
 36 according to these measures ; the Httle chambers thereof, 
 the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows 
 to it round about : the length was fifty cubits, and the 
 
 37 breadth five and twenty cubits. And the posts thereof ze^^r^ 
 toward the utter court ; and palm trees ivere upon the posts 
 thereof, on this side, and on that side : and the going up to 
 
 38 it had eight steps. And the chambers and the entries there- 
 of were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the 
 burnt offering. 
 
 39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, 
 and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offer- 
 
 40 ing and the sin offering and the trespass offering. And at 
 
 36. As before for little chambers... arches, read guardroom... porch. 
 
 37. the posts... litter court] Probably: and the porch thereof was 
 toward the outer court, cf. vv. 31, 34. So LXX. The "posts" are 
 mentioned immediately after, and said to be decorated with palm trees, 
 vv. 16, 26, 31. 
 
 38 — 43. Sacrificial appointments connected with the inner gate. 
 
 The verses are in some respects obscure. The text of LXX. differs 
 in some points, but is hardly consistent with itself. The arrangements 
 for slaughtering spoken of are of course connected with the inner gate- 
 way, but points not clear are: (i) which gateway, the N. or the E.? 
 And (2) the position of the tables, v. 40; were they situated in the 
 inner court at the long sides of the gateway, or in the outer court in 
 front of the gateway, on either side of the steps leading up to it? 
 
 38. Read : and a chamtoer, and the entry thereof (was) in the 
 porch of the gate. The plur. o-ates can hardly be right. It is not 
 probable that slaughtering took place at more than one gate. LXX. 
 reads gate (sing.) and also porc/i for posts, cf v. 37. The chamber 
 whose entry was from the porch must have been contiguous to the porch, 
 but is not further described. 
 
 where they washed] Not the usual word Lev. i. 9. Both words Is. 
 iv. 4; 2 Chi-, iv. 6. LXX. thinks here of a drain or runnel for canying 
 ofif the sacrificial blood. 
 
 39. The verse states what was lit the porch, in antithesis to v. 38. 
 Possibly the words "to slay thereon" are used generally, not of the 
 actual slaughtering, but of the manipulation of the flesh of the victims. 
 \xvv. 41 it is said that there were eight tables on which they slew, four 
 of which were certainly outside the porch. If the burnt, sin and tres- 
 pass offerings (LXX. omits burnt offerings here) were slain i« the porch, 
 there would remain only the peace offerings to slay outside. 
 
 40. at the side zmthout] Side, lit. shoulder, is used generally of the 
 side of the gate projecting lengthways into the court {v. 18), or of the 
 side lengthways of a wall (xli. 2). According to this interpretation the 
 
vv. 41—43.] EZEKIEL, XL. 303 
 
 the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north 
 gate, were two tables ; and on the other side, which was at 
 the porch of the gate, 2vere two tables. Four tables 7iL'ere 41 
 on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the 
 gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices. 
 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt 4: 
 offering, of a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half 
 broad, and one cubit high : whereupon also they laid the 
 instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the 
 sacrifice. And within were hooks, a hand broad, fastened 4, 
 
 tables would be at the sides of the gate in the inner court. Others 
 think that the "shoulders" might be the front parts of the gate-building 
 on either side of the steps leading up to it, and that thus the tables 
 would stand in the outer court, two at each angle formed by the steps 
 and the front of the gate. This use of "shoulder" is less natural, but 
 cf. xlvii. r, 2; I Kings vii. 39. 
 
 as one goeth tip. ..north gate'] For as one goeth zip (oleh) might be read 
 at the stairs (olah, as R.V. mar.). The difficulty lies in the word north 
 or northwards. A.V. renders "the north gate" which is most natural. 
 Others think of the E. gate and render: and on the side without., on the 
 N. as one goeth tip to the entry of the gate, i. e. on the left hand of the 
 person going up. But this is extremely improbable. Such a designa- 
 tion of the left hand oi 2, person has no examples, besides that here the 
 word "north" is too far distant from the other word "one going up." 
 A possible rendering would be : by the stair, at the entry to the gate 
 northwards, i.e. on the N. side of the entry (Lev. i. 11). On the whole 
 "the N. gate" of A.V. is most probable, but the language hardly 
 decides which gate is meant. See after v. 43. 
 
 side which was at the porch] side of tlie porch, lit. belonging to the 
 porch. 
 
 42. Read : and there were four tables for the burnt offering-, of 
 hewn stone. The phrase "for the burnt offering" is very indefinite. 
 These stone tables seem too small to slay the offerings upon, and the 
 end of the verse intimates that instruments for slaughtering were laid on 
 the stone tables. 
 
 %vheretipon also they laid] whereupon they laid. The construction is 
 peculiar. 
 
 43. within were hooks] The word rendered hooks occurs in the sense 
 of cattlepens (Ps. Ixviii. 14), a meaning precluded here by the dimen- 
 sion, a handbreadth. Such hooks fitted up "within," i.e. in the porch, 
 might be used for hanging the carcases upon in order to flay them 
 (Targ.). The meaning "hooks" is not certain. LXX. assumes that 
 the stone tables are still referred to and points differently, reading lip 
 or border for "hooks:" "and they shall have a border of hewn stone 
 inwards round about of a span broad." Cf. xliii. 13, 17. 
 
304 EZEKIEL, XL. [v v. 44, 45. 
 
 round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the 
 offering. 
 
 44 And without the inner gate were the chambers of the 
 singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north 
 gate ; and their prospect was toward the south : one at the 
 side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north, 
 
 45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is 
 toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge 
 
 flesh of the offering] Except in a clause of xx. 28 (wanting in LXX.) 
 the word "offering" is not used by Ezek. The present clause seems to 
 say little. LXX. reads: "and over the tables above (they shall have) 
 coverings, to protect them from the wet and from the heat" — which has 
 a suspicious resemblance to Is. iv. 6. 
 
 The verses 38 — 43 are no doubt in some disorder. They suggest 
 several questions not easily settled. Upon the whole it is improbable 
 that slaughtering took place at more than one gate. The word "north- 
 wards" indeed (z/. 40) seems decisive of this point. Either the N. gate 
 is intended, or the N. side of the E. gate, no other gate having a N. 
 side. There are several things in favour of the N. gate : 
 
 (i) In vv. 35 — 37 the prophet was at the N. inner gate, and no inti- 
 mation is given that he was transported to another gate in v. 38. (2) 
 In the Law slaughtering is ordered to be performed on the N. side of 
 the altar in the case of the burnt, sin and trespass offerings (Lev. i. 11, 
 iv. 24, 29, 33, vi. 25, vii. 2, xiv. 13); no injunction is given in the case 
 •of the peace-offering (iii. 2, 8, 13). It is probable that the prophet's 
 legislation and that of the Levitical books will be in harmony. (3) In 
 ch. viii. 5 the "altar-gate" is certainly the N. gate. (4) The E. gate, 
 both inner and outer, was to be kept shut except on sabbaths and new 
 moons (xlvi. i), or on other occasions when the prince wished to offer a 
 freewill offering (xlvi. 12). In favour of the E. gate there is the sup- 
 posed meaning oiv. 40; but the rendering, "on the N. of one going up 
 to the entry," is hardly tenable {v. 40). Ew. indeed for "gates" v. 38 
 would read "east gate" — a purely arbitraiy amendment. And alto- 
 gether unhappy is his proposal to read for without (michu9ah), v. 40, 
 "runnel" (meru9ah) — the verb to "run" being never used of the run- 
 ning of water or fluids. 
 
 44 — 16. Chambers for the priests who keep the house and serve the 
 altar. Fig. 3, D. 
 
 44. This V. must be corrected according to vv. 45, 46 as follows: 
 and without tlie inner gate were two chambers in "the inner court, 
 one at the side of the N. gate, and its prospect was toward the S. ; 
 and one at the side of the S, gate, having its prospect towards 
 the N. So LXX. The phrase "without the inner gate" means that 
 the chambers were in the inner court, not in the gateway itself. 
 
 45. charge of the house] "House" is used generally of the whole 
 temple buildings. Here those having the charge of the house are called 
 "priests," elsewhere the charge of the house is assigned to the Levites, 
 
vv. 46— 49] EZEKIEL, XL. 305 
 
 of the house. And the chamber whose prospect is toward 46 
 the nortli is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the 
 altar : these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, 
 which come near to the Lord to minister unto him. So he 47 
 measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred 
 cubits broad, foursquare ; and the altar that ivas before the 
 house. 
 
 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and 48 
 measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and 
 five cubits on that side : and the breadth of the gate was 
 three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. 
 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth 49 
 
 cf. ch. xliv. 15 — 31. This charge embraced several duties: e.g. that of 
 keeping the gates (xliv. 11); and that of slaying the sacrifices (xliv. 11) 
 and preparing the sacrificial meal for the people (xlvi. 24). 
 
 46. The other chamber was for the ministrants at the altar; these 
 were the sons of Zadok, xKv. 15 — 31. 
 
 47. Measurements of the inner court. 
 
 Lines drawn along the inner fronts of the inner gates, and along the 
 front of the house, gave a square of 100 cubits. In this space stood the 
 altar in front of the house, and being high it could be seen through the 
 gates. The place between the temple and the altar was especially 
 sacred. On altar cf. xliii. 13 — 17. The square, Fig. 3, iklm\ the 
 altar, Fig. 3, F. 
 
 XL, 48 — XLL 4. Measurements of the Temple house, in its 
 
 THREE parts, PORCH, HOLY PLACE AND MOST HOLY PLACE. 
 
 48. 49. The porch. Fig. 2, A. 
 
 48. post of the porch] The " post" is as before the front or jamb of 
 the advancing wall on each side of the entrance. This wall was 5 cubits 
 thick. Fig. 2, ab. 
 
 breadth of the gate was three cubits] The "gate" here means the two 
 bits of wall (N. to S.) on either side, the fronts of which formed the posts 
 or jambs of the entrance, Fig. 2, bh. The language is brief; LXX. either 
 read or judged that the reading should be: a?id the breadth of the 
 entrance 7vas fourteeti cttbits., and the side pieces of the entra^ice of the 
 porch were three cubits on one side and three cnbits, &c. These measures 
 are correct and probably original, for 14 (entrance, Fig. 2, aa, bb) 
 + 6(3 + 3) = 20, the extent of the porch N. to S. {v. 49). 
 
 49. Here "length" is the larger dimension N. to S. (i Kings vi. 3), 
 Fig. 2, hh ; and breadth the smaller E. to W. ; Fig. 2, be. 
 
 breadth eleven cnbits] twelve cubits, as LXX. The number eleven 
 cannot be reconciled with the other measurements. The length of the 
 house E. to W. was 100 cubits, i.e. 5 (wall, v. 48) + 12 (porch, here) + 6 
 (wall of holy place, xli. i) + 40 (holy place) + 2 (wall of holiest, xli. 3) 
 + 20 (holiest, V. 4) + 6(wall, v. 5) + 4 (annexe, v. 5) + 5 (outer wall of 
 annexe, v. 9)= 100. 
 
 EZEKIEL 20 
 
3o6 EZEKIEL, XLI. [vv. 1—4. 
 
 eleven cubits ; and he brought me by the steps whereby 
 they went up to it : and there were pillars by the posts, one 
 on this side, and another on that side. 
 41 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured 
 the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits 
 broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the 
 
 2 tabernacle. And the breadth of the door was ten cubits ; 
 and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, 
 and five cubits on the other side : and he measured the 
 length thereof, forty cubits : and the breadth, twenty cubits. 
 
 3 Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, 
 two cubits ; and the door, six cubits ; and the breadth of 
 
 4 the door, seven cubits. So he measured the length thereof, 
 
 and... by the steps whereby] and by ten steps they went up to it; 
 so LXX. Beside the posts stood two pillars, one on either side of the 
 entrance. These would narrow in some measure the entrance of 14 cubits. 
 These pillars correspond to the Jachin and Boaz of Solomon's temple 
 (i Kings vii. 21). 
 
 XLI. 1, 2. Measurement of the "temple," the holy place, 
 Fig. 2, B. 
 
 1. The "posts" or jambs of the entrance wall were 6 cubits thick. 
 Fig. 2, cd. 
 
 breadth of the tabernacle'] Heb. tent. The word does not occur in 
 the prophet except in the compounds Oholah and Oholibah. Read : 
 other side : the breadth of the posts. 
 
 2. The entrance way between the posts N. to S. was 10 cubits. 
 Fig. 2, ff, dd. 
 
 sides of the door] i.e. the pieces of wall running N. to S. on each 
 side of the entrance, Fig. 2, di., that is, 10 + 5 + 5 = 20, breadth of the 
 house. The length (E. to W.) of the "temple" or holy place was 
 40 cubits. 
 
 3, 4. The most holy place, Fig. 2, C. 
 
 3. The wall was 2 cubits thick, Fig. 2, ef. 
 
 breadth of the door., seven cubits] The actual door or entrance 
 Fig. 2, ee., Jf was 6 cubits (preceding clause) ; the present statement, 
 therefore, refers to the walls on either side of the entrance (N. to S.). 
 LXX. read or rightly interpreted: and the entrance six cubits; and the 
 side pieces of the entrance seven ctibits on one side and seven cubits on the 
 other. Fig. 2, fk. That is 6 + 7 + 7 = 20, breadth of the house as before 
 (v. 4). It is to be observed that while Ez., being a priest, enters 
 the holy place along with the guide he refrains from entering the most 
 holy place, which the angel alone enters. 
 
 4. The most holy place was a square of 20 cubits. 
 
V. 5.] EZEKIEL, XLI. 307 
 
 twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the 
 temple : and he said unto me, This is the most holy p/ace. 
 After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits ; and 5 
 the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about 
 
 before the tcmple\ in front of. The "temple" is the holy place, 
 I Kings vi. 3, 5. 
 
 Ch. XLI. 5—11. The side chambers or annexe to the house. 
 
 The text in some places is confused, but the general meaning is clear. 
 Round about the wall of the house on three sides (N., W. and S.) 
 were built side-chambers in three stories, thirty chambers in each story, 
 Fig. 2, D. The chamber on the ground floor was 4 cubits wide (N. to 
 S.), but in the second story the width was greater than in the first, and 
 in the third story greater than in the second. The reason of this ^eater 
 wideness of the upper stories was that the wall of the house on which 
 the chambers were built diminished in thickness as it ascended. This 
 wall was 6 cubits thick at the base (z'. 5), but it was let in at two points as 
 it ascended. The same arrangement had place in Solomon's temple — 
 "on the outside he made rebatements in the wall of the house round 
 about" (i Kings vi. 6). The effect of this decrease in the thickness 
 of the wall (in Solomon's temple a cubit each time) was that the 
 chambers in the second and third stories became so much broader. In 
 consequence of this narrowing of the wall of the house at two points 
 two ledges ran round the wall on three sides, and on these ledges the 
 beams that supported the second and third stories of the side-chambers 
 rested, without being let into the wall (v. 6). The wall of the side- 
 chambers was thus on one side the wall of the house ; on the other side 
 they had a wall of their own, 5 cubits thick {v. 9). The whole structure, 
 house and side chambers, was built upon a raised platform, 6 cubits 
 higher than the level of the inner court {v. 8). The buildings, however 
 (temple and side-chambers), did not quite cover the platform: a margin 
 of 5 cubits ("that which was left," vv. 9, 1 1) remained free outside the 
 side-chambers, on two sides (N. and S.), Fig. ^, E; and from this free 
 space the doors into the side-chambers opened, one on the N. and 
 another on the S., Fig. ^,g (z/. 11). Further, on the walls of the inner 
 court, N. and S., were chambers for the priests, Fig. 3, GG', and 
 between the temple-platform and these cells ran a passage or court 
 of 20 cubits ("the separate place," v. 12). This court ran round the 
 house-platform on three sides (N. W. S.), Fig. 3, H. The way in 
 which one story of the side-chambers communicated with another is 
 described only generally (v. 7); in Solomon's temple the communica- 
 tion is supposed to have been by a spiral staircase, or more probably 
 by a ladder and trap-doors. It is evident that the prophet reproduces 
 in the main the arrangements of the temple, hence he refers to the several .^ 
 things, even when first mentioning them, as the so and so, assuming 
 that they are well known. 
 
 6. The wall of the house at its base was 6 cubits thick, and the 
 breadth (N. to S.) of the side-chambers on the basement was 4 cubits. 
 
 20 — 2 
 
3o8 EZEKIEL, XLI. [vv. 6, 7. 
 
 6 the house on every side. And the side chambers were 
 three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they 
 entered into the wall which was of the house for the side 
 chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they 
 
 7 had not hold in the wall of the house. And there was an 
 enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side 
 chambers : for the winding about of the house went still 
 
 If the rebatements in the wall of the house were the same here as in 
 Solomon's temple, the second story would be a cubit broader than the 
 ground floor, and the third a cubit broader than the second (i K. vi. 6), 
 i. e. 4, 5 and 6 cubits. In Solomon's temple the side-chambers were 
 larger, measuring 5, 6 and 7 cubits. 
 
 6. The Heb. would naturally read: "and the side-chambers were 
 side-chamber against side-chamber three and thirty times " — which 
 would give 33 chambers. Apart from syntax this is not probable. 
 LXX. and some other versions give a different order: "and the side- 
 chambers, side-chamber against side-chamber, were thirty, three times" 
 (cf. I K. vii. 4, 5). It is probable that the chambers were thirty; those 
 in the outer court were also thirty (xl. 17), and Josephus is cited as 
 witness for this number (Boett., Corn.). 
 
 %vall. ..of the house for the side chamber s'\ It must not of course be sup- 
 posed that the house had two walls, — a separate one for the chambers. 
 The word "entered into" must either be taken as a noun: and there 
 were intakes in the wall of the house for the side chambers ; or it must be 
 altered into some other word having this sense (i K. vi. 6, LXX. uses 
 the same word here as there) — and the7-e were rebatemefits Sec. ; or some 
 word of this meaning has fallen out before "entered into." LXX. has 
 rendered the word "times," doubly, "thrice" "twice." If the word 
 "times," lit. steps, could have the required meaning of intakes, it might 
 be supposed that being written twice it had fallen out. But this is 
 doubtful. 
 
 might have hold^ It is self-evident that the second and third stories 
 must have been supported in some way by the wall of the house, which 
 was their own wall on one side, and mere contact with a perpendicular 
 wall could be no support. The beams had support on the wall, but 
 were not let into the wall in holes. 
 
 7. What the verse means to say is that the side-chambers widened 
 in the second and third stories through the retreating of the wall of the 
 house. The present text being assumed it might read : "and there was 
 a widening of the side-chambers and an encompassing (by them) ever 
 upwards; for the encompassing of the house was (the more) ever up- 
 wards, round about the house" — the meaning being that the higher the 
 three story building rose the broader it grew and the closer it encom- 
 passed the house, i.e. appeared to encroach upon the house owing to 
 the retreat of the wall. Another sense of the present reading would be 
 got if the word rendered "encompass" could be supposed to be some- 
 thing which the house did, viz. "turn," turn in, retreat. The sense 
 
vv. 8, 9.] EZEKIEL, XLI. 309 
 
 upward round about the house : therefore the breadth of the 
 house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest 
 chamber to the highest by the midst. I saw also the height 8 
 of the house round about : the foundations of the side 
 chambers ivere a full reed of six great cubits. The thickness 9 
 
 would remain the same. LXX. omits "encompassing" after "widen- 
 ing" and instead of "for the encompassing" &c. it reads: according to 
 the appendage (projection, i, e. the ledge) out of the wall — giving the 
 same general meaning. 
 
 the breadth of the house'] The words mean : the house became broader 
 upwards — an impossible sense. Either "house" must be omitted with 
 LXX., or the clause read : and it broadened toward the house (or, in- 
 wards) ever upward. Subject is the side building. 
 
 and so increased] The words state how the various stories com- 
 municated with one another, according to the clear statement, i K. vi. 8. 
 Read : and from the lowest one went up to the highest and to the 
 middle story, or possibly with R.V,, by the middle story. LXX. per- 
 spicuously : that they might go up from the chambers below to the 
 upper chambers, and from the middle chambers to the third story. Syr. 
 is equally distinct. 
 
 8—11. The raised platform upon which the house and 
 the side-chambers stood. 
 
 The house and the annexe stood on a platform raised a full reed, or 
 6 cubits above the level of the inner court {v. 8). The platform was 
 reached in front of the house by a flight of 10 steps (xl. 49) from the 
 court. The outside wall of the annexe was 5 cubits thick [v. 9). A 
 space of 5 cubits of the platform remained unoccupied by the buildings 
 {v. 11), Fig. 2, E. Then came a free space of 20 cubits running round 
 the platform {v. 10), Fig. 3, H. Finally came other buildings in the 
 inner court, one behind the house on the W. (v. 15), Fig. 3, K; and 
 others on both sides of it, N. and S. (xlii. i seq.). Fig. 3, GG'. 
 
 8. / sa7u also] An uncommon form; usually it is said, and there 
 appeared^ which LXX. probably read here^. For "height" (gobah) 
 probably "raised pavement" (gabbah, Gabbatha, John xix. 13) should 
 he read (cf footnote)— and the house appeared as having a raised 
 pavement round about, lit. there appeared (belonging) to the house &c., 
 cf. ch. X. 8. All that was seen of the platform was the passage of 
 5 cubits round about the building {v. 11). "House" includes both tlie 
 temple proper and the side-chambers. This is supplemented by saying 
 tliat the foundations of the side-chambers were 6 cubits high — of course 
 house and side-chambers were on the same level. 
 
 six great cubits] as R.V., marg., six cubits to the joint, or angle, i.e. 
 
 1 The curious word in LXX. (cal to Qpaik appears a transliteration of this reading 
 
 with following prep. / attached, 7 J<"ini Cem. apoc. impf. niph.); cf for form and 
 construction ch. x. 8; and for short final vowel the spelling Abimael, Gen. X. 28. 
 Therefore a fern, noun should be read as subj. (gabbah). 
 
3IO EZEKIEL, XLI. [vv. lo, ii. 
 
 of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was 
 five cubits : and that which was left was the place of 
 
 10 the side chambers that were within. And between the 
 chambers 7vas the wideness of twenty cubits round about 
 
 11 the house on every side. And the doors of the side 
 chambers were toward the place that was left, one door 
 toward the north, and another door toward the south : and 
 the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round 
 about. 
 
 probably to the point where the vertical line of the height of the plat- 
 form cut the level of the court. The words cannot be a description of 
 the kind of cubit, nor, since the foundations are being described, can 
 there be any reference to the height within of the side-chambers or to 
 the point of junction of one story with another. 
 
 9. The outside wall of the side- chambers was 5 cubits; and there 
 was left a part of the raised platform not covered by buildings {v. 11). 
 
 that which was left was] This clause is in some disorder ; and must 
 be connected with v. 10. The text clearly distinguishes between "that 
 which was left" (munnach), i.e. the outer margin of the raised platform 
 left free of buildings, which was 5 cubits broad {v. 11), Fig. 2, E, and 
 the "separate place" (gizrah). Fig. 3, H, i.e. the court running round 
 the whole house buildings or the raised platform on which they stood, 
 which was 20 cubits broad {vv. 10, 13, 14)— although LXX. renders both 
 by the same word. In v, 9, "that which was left" cannot differ from 
 the same in v. 11, where it is undoubtedly the remainder of the raised 
 platform. Some words have fallen out in v. 9. It is easiest perhaps to 
 supply the words "five cubits" from Syr, and read: arid that which 7uas 
 left zvas 5 ctibiis ; and between {beth for ben) the side-chambers of i^^owgwig 
 to) the house, 10 and the cells was a breadth of 20 cubits, &c. All the 
 versions agree as to v. 10, but "between the cells" cannot mean between 
 something else and the cells. The "cells" or chambers here are un- 
 doubtedly those on the N. and S. walls of the inner court (xlii. i, seq.)^ 
 which were separated from the house buildings by the court of 20 cubits, 
 Fig. 3, GG'. 
 
 11. The verse states plainly that the place that was left, i.e. the 
 margin of platform unoccupied by buildings, was 5 cubits broad, Fig. 2, E. 
 and that the doors of the side-chambers opened upon it, one on the N. 
 and another on the S. side, Fig. 2, g. It is evident that the side- 
 chambers could have doors nowhere else, for their wall on one side 
 was the wall of the house, in which doors could not be permitted ; 
 and the measurements seem to shew that the margin of raised basement 
 did not go round the house on the west. In Solomon's temple there 
 was probably only one door, on the S. side, i Kings vi. 8. 
 
 12. The building behind the house on the west, Fig. 3, K. 
 
 To the west of the house proper, but divided from it by the 20 cubits 
 
 of the "separate place" (Fig. 3, H), was a large building, 70 cubits 
 
vv. 12— 15-] EZEKIEL, XLI. 311 
 
 Now the building that 7vas before the separate place at 12 
 the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and 
 the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, 
 and the length thereof ninety cubits. So he measured the 13 
 house, an hundred cubits long ; and the separate place, and 
 the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long; 
 also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the h 
 separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits. And 15 
 
 broad (E. to W. Fig. 3, rp, sq), and 90 long (N. to S. Fig. 3, rs, pq) — 
 breadth being the smaller and length the larger dimension here. The 
 wall of the building all round was 5 cubits thick. The measurements 
 70 and 90 are inside. The uses which this building served are not 
 specified, they were probably general. 
 
 before the separate place\ i.e. the court of 20 cubits broad (Fig. 3, H), 
 which ran round the house. " Before " is opposite to or facing. 
 
 13 — 15. General measurements of length and breadth of buildings. 
 — These measurements form three squares of 100 cubits. First, the 
 inner court forms a square of 100 cubits when lines are drawn along the 
 front of the house and in front of the inner ends of the gates, Fig. 3, iklm. 
 Secondly, the house buildings form a square of 100 cubits, when the 
 10 cubits of "separate place" N. and S. of them are included, 
 Fig. 3, Inino. And thirdly, the building W. of the house buildings 
 forms a square of 100 cubits when the twenty cubits of "separate place" 
 are added to its dimensions from E. to W., Fig. 3, nopq. 
 
 13. Two MEASUREMENTS OF lOO CUBITS E. TO W. 
 
 house an hundred cubits long] namely, 5 (wall of porch, xl, 48)4-12 
 (porch, xl. 49) + 6 (wall of holy place, xli. 1)4-40 (length of holy place, 
 xli. 2) + 2 (wall of holiest, xli. 3) + 20 (length of holiest, xli. 4) + 6 (wall 
 of house, xli. 5)-t-4 (side-chambers, v. 5)4-5 (wall of side-chambers, 
 xli, 9) = 100. Here it is evident that on tlie W. of the house the margin 
 or "that which was left" of the raised basement does not appear. It 
 existed only on two sides N. and S., where the doors of the side- 
 chambers opened from it; on the W. the "separate place" skirted the 
 wall of the side-chambers. 
 
 separate place, and the building] The " building" here (though spelled 
 differently) can be no other than that mentioned v. 12, Fig. 3, K. The 
 "separate place" or court of 20 cubits, Fig. 3, H, being added to this 
 building formed a length of 100 cubits, viz. 20 (separate place) 4- 5 4- 5 
 (two walls of building) 4- 70 (interior of building) = 100, Fig. 3, 7ip. 
 
 14. Two measurements of 100 cubits from N. to S. 
 
 The front of the house buildings, the "separate place" on each side 
 of them being included, gives 100 cubits, namely, 20 (breadth of house) 
 4-64-6 (side walls) 4- 4 4- 4 (side-chambers) 4- 5 4- 5 (walls of side-cham- 
 bers) 4- 5 4- 5 (remainder of raised basement) 4- 20 4- 20 (separate place) = 
 100, Fig. 3, Im. 
 
312 EZEKIEL, XLI. [v. 15. 
 
 he measured the length of the building over against the 
 separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof 
 on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, 
 
 15. The "length" here is reckoned from N. to S. 
 
 which \v3js> behind it\ Rather: behind which it was. The building, 
 while lying "over against" the "separate place," was behind it, i.e. to 
 the W. of it. If this construction be not adopted the meaning is, which 
 (building) was behind it (the separate place) — an independent clause. 
 The length of the building as it lay along the "separate place" N. to S. 
 was 100 cubits, i.e. 90 (interior, v. 12) + 5 + 5 (side walls, v. i2)=:ioo. 
 Fig. 3, rs. The term rendered "galleries" is of uncertain meaning. It 
 occurs only xli. 15,16 and xlii. 3, 5. If the reading be right here it can 
 mean nothing else but walls, or something equivalent to walls and occu- 
 pying the same space, according to z^. 12. Syriac uses a term by which 
 it also renders the *' walls" of the altar, v. 22. — The verse should end at 
 the word cubits. 
 15 b seq. Description of the inside of the house, with its 
 
 ORNAMENTATION. 
 
 The details of measurement were exhausted in v. \^a. The prophet 
 proceeds now to describe the interior of the house in two particular 
 points: (i) the woodwork with which the house in its walls, &c., was 
 covered, \^b — 16 «; and (2) the ornamentation of this woodwork, 
 \(ib seq. The text is in some disorder, and the unknown term rendered 
 "galleries" causes perplexity, though two general statements are plainly 
 made, viz. that the whole interior of the house was covered with wood, 
 and that this woodwork from floor to roof was ornamented in the holy 
 place and in the holiest with cherubs and palms (in the porch perhaps 
 with palms only). With no more changes than are absolutely necessary 
 vv. \^b — id a might read: "and the temple (i.e. holy place), and the 
 inner house (holiest), and the porch of the court (more probably, and 
 its outer porch), 16 and the thresholds, and the closed windows and the 
 galleries round about the three of them, opposite the threshold (i.e. 
 towards the interior) were veneered with wood (or, were polished wood) 
 round about." This would state generally that the whole interior was 
 wainscotted. But the jump from "thresholds" (A.V. door-posts) to 
 "closed windows" in v. 16 is unnatural. It is probable that "thres- 
 holds" should be read with LXX. cieled {ox, wainscotted). It is cer- 
 tainly probable that the roofing is described ; the word read by LXX. 
 (saphan) is always used of the roof-work in the description of Solomon's 
 temple (i Kings vi. vii., unless vii. 7 be an exception, a clause wanting 
 in LXX.); and LXX. understood it so here [v. 20). Further the men- 
 tion of the closed windows, which must have been toward the roof, in 
 immediate connexion, is in favour of the roof-work. What the "galle- 
 ries" were is obscure. LXX. either did not read the word or rendered 
 it "narrow openings" (slit windows). A.V. "on their three stories" 
 should be to the three of them (the holy place, holiest and porch, v. 15). 
 Pointed thus the reading is: and the tcinpic and the inner house ^\oX\t?<'C) 
 and the porch of the court (or, and its outer porch) were covered with a 
 
vv. 16—20.] EZEKIEL, XLl. 313 
 
 with the inner temple, and the porches of the court ; the 16 
 door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round 
 about on their three stories^ over against the door, cieled 
 with wood round about, and from the ground up to the 
 windows, and the windows were covered ; to that above 17 
 the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by 
 all the wall round about within and without, by measure. 
 And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a 18 
 palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub ; and every 
 cherub had two faces ; so that the face of a man was 19 
 toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a 
 young lion toward the palm tree on the other side : // was 
 made through all the house round about. From the ground 20 
 
 roof-work, and they three had their closed windows and their galleries 
 rou7id about. 
 
 16. over a^ainsi the door] the threshold. It looks as if some words 
 had fallen out of the text here. LXX. reads: and the house and the 
 adjoining parts were wainscotted ivith wood round about (and the floor). 
 The present Heb. text, even if read, and over against the threshold was 
 a wainscotting of wood, is too short to give the necessary sense — "over 
 against the threshold " would be rather obscure as an expression for the 
 whole interior of the house. The words "over against the threshold" 
 can hardly be regarded as a definition of the locality of the "galleries," 
 as if these were borders or gangs (dado) going round the foot of the 
 walls (Sm.). 
 
 vv. 16 b seq. The ornamentation of the interior. Here also there is 
 some obscurity : and from the floor unto the windows (and the windows 
 were covered), 17 and unto above the door, and unto the inner house and 
 7vithout, and on all the avails round about in the inner (house) and the 
 outer [were measures and], 18 there zvere made chcrtibs and palm-trees, so 
 that, &c. The words in parenthesis "and the windows," &c., may not 
 be original. The phrase "and without" hardly refers to the porch, 
 rather to the outer house or holy place ; because it does not appear that 
 cherubs were carved on the wall of the porch. The word "measures" 
 is wanting in LXX. If genuine the term "measures" might possibly 
 imply that the wall was panelled into compartments, and that in each of 
 these was carved a cherub and palm. The term is used once of gar- 
 ments (Ps. cxxxiii. 2) from the meaning to spread out or cover, but 
 could hardly be used of a casing or wainscotting of wood. Boettcher 
 suggested "carvings," a sense which would add nothing to the general 
 meaning. V. 20 is rather in favour of the omission of the word. 
 
 vv. 18, 19. Only the two chief faces of the cherub were represented, 
 that of a man and of a lion. 
 
 20. The prophet is to be conceived as standing in the holy place, and 
 when he speaks of the "door" he evidently refers to the end walls and 
 
314 EZEKIEL, XLI. [vv. 21, 22. 
 
 unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, 
 and on the wall of the temple. 
 
 21 The posts of the temple were squared, ajid the face of 
 the sanctuary; the appearance of the o?ie as the appearance 
 
 22 of the other. The altar of wood was three cubits high, and 
 the length thereof two cubits ; and the corners thereof, and 
 the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood : and 
 
 not to the side walls. It remains obscure whether it be the "door" of 
 the holiest or that of the holy place to which he refers. 
 
 and on the wall... temple] The word "temple" is marked as suspi- 
 cious by dots over it, and is omitted in some MSS. and in the ancient 
 versions. The clause is to be connected with v. it. 
 
 21. the posts... squared] The text is very uncertain, the versions 
 deviating from Heb. and from one another. The word " temple" {v. 20) 
 l)eing omitted the words read: aJid the wall, 21 of the teinple was square 
 door-posts— z. construction scarcely possible to express the idea that the 
 wall had square door-posts. Syriac read : and the wall of the temple 
 was four-square — omitting "door-posts." LXX. : and the holy place 
 (holiest) and the temple opened (spread out) four-square — reading *'holy 
 place" for wall, and "opened" for door-posts. It is probable that 
 something is said of the holiest, because the next clause refers to an 
 article that stood in front of it. It is also probable that the "door" 
 referred to v. ^o is that from the holy place into the holiest. But the 
 witnesses leave us uncertain whether something be said about the wall 
 or about the door-posts. If of the first the reading may be: and the 
 wall of the holiest was four-square (Hitz., Corn.). Reference, however, 
 might be to the door-posts. In Solomon's temple those of the holy 
 place appear to have been four-cornered, and those of the holiest five- 
 cornered (r Kings vi. 31, 33). 
 
 face of the sanctuary... the other] This has no probability. The 
 clause is rather to be connected with v. 22. Perhaps: and in front of 
 the sanctuary (the holiest) "was the appearance as the appearance 
 22 Of an altar of wood, three cubits the height thereof, &c. So 
 LXX. and partly Syr. In the holy place in front of the holiest there 
 stood an object having the appearance of an altar of wood. The pre- 
 sent text might read: "and (as for) the front of the sanctuary, the ap- 
 pearance was as the appearance," i.e. it had the appearance which is 
 well known and does not need further description — a form of speech 
 common enough in Shemitic, but quite improbable here. 
 
 22. The altar was 3 cubits high and 2 long. LXX. adds that it was 
 2 broad. 
 
 the length t hereof... oi wood] and the base thereof, a simple emenda- 
 tion, after LXX.; cf. Ex. xxvi. 19 seq. The altar had corners, pro- 
 bably somewhat raised, but not horns. It was wholly of wood, and is 
 called the table which is before the Lord. The term table is applied 
 to the altar of burnt-offering xliv. 16 (cf. Mai, i. 7, 12). This is quite 
 natural, as the flesh was the bread of Jehovah (xliv. 7). Ezek. does not 
 
vv. 23— 26.] EZEKIEL, XLI. 315 
 
 he said unto me, This is the table that is before the Lord. 
 And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And 24 
 the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves ; two 
 leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door. 
 And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, 25 
 cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the 
 walls ; and there were thick planks upon the face of the 
 porch without. And there were narrow windows and palm 26 
 trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of 
 the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and 
 thick planks. 
 
 name any other object in the holy place besides this tal)le, and it is pro- 
 bable that he refers here to the altar-like table of shewbread, the cakes 
 on which would also be considered an offering of bread for the Lord. 
 
 23 — 26. The doors of the holy place and the holiest. 
 
 The temple or holy place and the holiest had each a two-leaved 
 door; and each of the leaves was again divided into two leaves. 
 
 23. tzuo doors] i.e. each had a double or two-leaved door. 
 
 24. And the doors] i.e. the leaves of the door had again two leaves, so 
 that the doors as a vvhqle of the holy place and holiest were each com- 
 posed of four small leaves, like a screen. 
 
 25. The doors of the holy place were carved with cherubs and palm 
 trees just as the walls {v. 17 se(/.). 
 
 tJiick planks upon the face] The word rendered "thick planks" {'al>) 
 occurs again i Kings vii. 6 in connexion with a porch, but is of uncer- 
 tain meaning. Here it is said to lie outside the porch and in front of it, 
 and might be the "landing" at the top of the flight of steps. Others 
 think of an overhanging on the front of the roof, to protect the entrance. 
 But in I Kings vii. 7 the 'ab fronts the pillars, as here it faces the porch. 
 Therefore perhaps : "and a landing of wood in front of the porch on the 
 outside." No doubt "without" might describe the lie of the porch in 
 reference to the house and not the lie of the ^ab in reference to the 
 porch; in which case the ^ab would be something between the holy 
 place and the porch, and in fact the description in v. 26 refers to the 
 inside of the porch. Still this is less probable. 
 
 26. For narrow windows, closed. The "sides" (lit. shoulders) are 
 the side walls of the porch, but whether the walls on both sides of the 
 entrance be meant, or the end-walls (N. and S.), cannot be decided. 
 There should be a full stop zX porch. The next statement is incomplete : 
 and the side-chambers of the house and the landings.... 
 
 Ch. XLIL Other buildings of the inner court. 
 
 The Chapter has three divisions : 
 
 First, V7'. I — 12. The chambers in the inner court. 
 
 Secondly, tjv. 13, 14. The uses of these chambers for the priests. 
 
3i6 EZEKIEL, XLII. [v. i. 
 
 42 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way 
 toward the north : and he brought me into the chamber 
 
 Thirdly, vv. 15 — 20. Measurements of the outer wall and area of 
 the whole temple buildings. 
 
 1 — 12. The chambers in the inner court. 
 
 In the inner court on the two sides N. and S. of the house or temple 
 proper were erected blocks of cells for the use of the priests, where they 
 ate the holy things and deposited their sacred garments. They are 
 those referred to xli. 10. The block on the N. side is fully described 
 {vv. I — 9), and that on the S. of the house is said to be similar in all 
 respects {vv. 10 — 12). The block on the N. extended from the "sepa- 
 rate place" to the N. wall of the inner court, a breadth of 50 cubits, all 
 the space available. The block of cells had two wings, one 100 cubits 
 long running along the "separate place," Fig. 3, G, the other 50 cubits 
 long. Fig. 3, G', running along the N. wall of the inner court — both 
 measurements E. to W. Between the two wings of the block ran a 
 walk of 10 cubits broad and 100 cubits long, i.e. the whole length of 
 the longer wing. Fig. 3, O, and on this walk the doors into the chambers 
 opened, i.e. looked to the N. (at least in the longer wing). The chambers 
 were built in three stories, but those of the third story were narrower 
 than those of the other two, because a " gallery " in the uppermost story 
 took up some space. The chambers had no pillars like those in the 
 outer court. There was an entrance-way leading to the chambers from 
 the outer court, through the wall of the inner court, but its precise situa- 
 tion is not indicated. 
 
 1 — 3. These verses may read consecutively: "And he brought me 
 forth into the inner court, the way toward the north; and he brought 
 me unto the chambers that were over against the separate place, and 
 that were over against the (wall-) building toward the north, 2 (even) 
 in front of the length of 100 cubits with the doors toward the north; 
 and the breadth was 50 cubits, 3 over against the 20 cubits belonging 
 to the inner court, and over against the pavement belonging to the 
 outer court, gallery (being) over against gallery in the third story." 
 
 1. the titter court'] LXX, the inner court. Something may be said 
 for both. On the one hand the entrance-way to the chambers was from 
 the outer court, and the prophet might have been first brought to the 
 outer court and then by this way to the chambers in the inner court. 
 This, however, is rather a complicated movement, and is not indicated ; 
 and perhaps the "inner" of LXX. has most probability. The position 
 of the prophet is pretty clear, it was on the E. of the chambers, to the 
 N. of the longer wing and facing it. Fig. 3, Q. LXX. reads "east- 
 ward" for "the way." 
 
 into the chamber] unto the clianibers. The word is sing, as collective. 
 The "separate place" is the 20 cubits broad court running round the 
 house on its three sides, Fig. 3, H. The longer wing of the block of 
 cells ran along this "separate" place its whole length of 100 cubits, 
 F'g- 3j ^' The "building toward the N." is the wall of the outer 
 court with its blocks of cells (xl. 5), Fig. 3, B, C. As there was nothing 
 
vv. 2-4.] EZEKIEL, XLII. 317 
 
 that 7cias over against the separate place, and which 7vas 
 before the building toward the north. Before the length of 2 
 an hundred cubits 7aas the north door, and the breadth was 
 fifty cubits. Over against the twenty cubits which ivere 3 
 for the inner court, and over against the pavement which 
 laas for the utter court, ivas gallery against gallery in three 
 stories. And before the chambers 7vas a walk of ten cubits 4 
 
 between the wing of chnmhers on tlie N. wall of the inner court and 
 this "building" or wall of the outer court with its cells, except the mere 
 level of the court, the one is said to be over against the other. 
 
 2. V. 2 states the precise place where the prophet was brought to — 
 it was in front of, or so as to face, the longer wing of chambers, or the 
 walk of 100 cubits before them, i.e. he was slightly to the N. of this 
 longer wing, and to the E. of the whole block. This seems more 
 natural than to suppose the "length of 100 cubits" to be the separate 
 place. Probably, Fig. 3, Q. 
 
 was t/ie north door] As above : with the doors toward the north 
 {v. 4). This is rather hard in construction, and for "with the doors" 
 might be read : oii the side toward the N. (peath for pethah). So LXX. 
 The breadth N. to S. of the whole block of chambers was 50 cubits 
 (cf. e^. 4). 
 
 3. The breadth of the block having been mentioned in v.i, z'. 3 adds 
 in what directions this breadth extended or lay on either hand (N. and 
 S.), viz. towards the 20 cubits of the separate place (Fig. 3, H) on the 
 S., and toward the pavement running round the wall of the outer court 
 (xl. 17) on the N. (cf. v. r), Fig. 3, B. The term "gallery" is obscure, 
 but here it seems to mean a passage running round the chambers, in 
 front of them, and so taking away from their area. 
 
 271 three stories] More naturally : in the third story, lit. in the thirds, 
 i.e. third chambers (Gen. vi. 16). What is meant by "gallery over 
 against gallery" is rather obscure. Most naturally the galleries or gang- 
 ways round the highest story would be supposed to lie towards the 
 interior of both wings, i.e. on the "walk" of 10 cubits running between 
 the wings (Fig. 3, O), because if they lay toward the outside of the 
 wings respectively it is difficult to see how they could be said to lie 
 "over against" or to face one another, for in that case both wings of the 
 chambers in the third story would lie between them. It is altogether 
 unnatural to suppose that by the second "gallery" any galleries in the 
 chambers of the outer court on the one side, or any galleries in the 
 structure of the house proper on the other, are referred to. 
 
 4—6 may be read : "And before the chambers was a walk of 10 cubits 
 breadth inward, with a length of 100 cubits; and their doors were 
 toward the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the 
 galleries took away from them compared with the lower and middle 
 (chambers) in room. 6 For they were in three stories, and they had not 
 pillars like the pillars of those in the outer court; therefore" t\:c. 
 
3i8 EZEKIEL, XLII. [vv. 5—8. 
 
 breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward 
 
 5 the north. Now the upper chambers were shorter : for the 
 galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than 
 
 6 the middlemost of the building. For they weix in three 
 stories^ but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts : 
 therefore the buildi?ig was straitened more than the lowest 
 
 7 and the middlemost from the ground. And the wall that 
 was without over against the chambers, towards the utter 
 court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof 
 
 8 ivas fifty cubits. For the length of the chambers that were 
 
 4. inward'\ i.e. between the two wings (Fig. 3, O). Or possibly: 
 (leading) inio ihe inner court. 
 
 a way of one cubit] A mere error of transcription for : a length of 
 100 cubits. So LXX., Syr. In v. 16 "cubit" and "hundred" (both 
 having the same three letters) have again been confused. The doors of 
 the chambers were to the N., i.e. opened upon this passage of 10 cubits, 
 between the wings. 
 
 5. The uppermost story was contracted by the gallery, so that its 
 area was smaller than that of the other two stories. 
 
 6. ihe pillars of the courts] LXX. reads : pillars of the outer ones, 
 i.e. the chambers in the outer court. Probably there is a transcriptional 
 error here, cf. xli. 15. 
 
 was straitened] lit. there was (room) takett away from the lowest., from 
 the ground. The last words seem in apposition with "lowest," and 
 refer to the ground area. The verse indicates that the chambers in the 
 outer court had pillars, and that the three stories were all of the same 
 dimensions. 
 
 7 — 9. The shorter wing of chambers. Read together the verses run : 
 "And the wall that was without, beside the chambers which were 
 toward the outer court, facing the (other?) chambers, the length thereof 
 was 50 cubits. 8 For the length of the chambers that were toward the 
 outer court was 50 cubits; but those toward the temple were 100 cubits. 
 9 And below these chambers was the entrance-way on the east when 
 one goeth to them from the outer court, at the beginning of the wall of 
 the court" — the first words of z^. 10 being connected with v. 9. 
 
 7. wall .. .without] i.e. not forming part of the block of cells, but ex- 
 tending eastward from the end of the shorter wing, and therefore said 
 to be beside the cells that lay towards the outer court. Fig. 3, vw. 
 
 on the forepart] in front of ox facing — still said of the wall (Fig. 3, vui). 
 The "chambers" seem to be those of the longer wing. The piece of 
 wall would face them; but the words might be (though less likely) a 
 second specification of the position of the piece of wall referred to in 
 regard to the shorter wing (cf. v. ^). The length of this piece of wall 
 was 50 cubits. The reason is stated in v. 8. 
 
 8. The shorter wing of chambers lying toward the outer court was 
 50 cubits long. Fig. 3, uv. 
 
w. 9, lo.] EZEKIEL, XLII. 319 
 
 in the utter court ivas fifty cubits : and lo, before the 
 temple tvere an hundred cubits. And from under these 9 
 chambers icas the entry on the east side, as one goeth into 
 them from the utter court. The chambers were in the 10 
 thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over 
 against the separate place, and over against the building. 
 
 and lo,... the temple] The exclamation and lo! is rather unnatural, a 
 slight change of punctuation gives, hit tJiose. The expression "before 
 the temple" is difficult. Usually "temple" means merely the holy 
 place. The phrase "before" the temple makes no difficulty, "before" 
 means merely "facing," and does not imply the "front" of the temple 
 in the technical sense. The LXX. (so Ew. Corn.) reads differently: 
 and these (the shorter wing, Fig. 3, G') faced the others (the longer, 
 Fig. 3, G), together 100 cubits — "together" referring to the shorter wing 
 and wall (Fig. 3, iiv-Vviv). 
 
 9. tinder these chambers] i.e. the shorter wing. 
 
 10. thickness of the zvall] Probably : at the beginning (or, head) of 
 the zvall (cf. v. 12). The "wall" is that piece of wall referred to v. 7, 
 and the "beginning of it" is the point where the way enters from the 
 outer court, Fig. 3, P. In xlvi. 19 this is stated to have been at 
 the shoulder (the long side) of the N. gate. It is said that the 
 doors into the chambers were from the "walk" of 100 cubits long 
 fronting the longer wing (Fig. 5, O), and possibly also that this wallc 
 led into the inner court {v. 4), consequently the entrance- way from the 
 outer court must have lain as far east as the end of this "walk," which 
 it led to and so reached the chambers. The area of roo x 50 on which 
 the cells stood, though not wholly covered by the cells, must have been 
 in some way marked off from the general level of the court, and the 
 entrance-way from the outer court was on the east front of it ; and it 
 was probably in this entrance-way that the prophet had his position 
 {vv. 1—9), Fig. 3. Q. 
 
 10 — 12. The corresponding chambers on the south side of the temple- 
 house. The text is undoubtedly in great confusion; and has been 
 amended in various ways. Taken as nearly as possible as it stands it 
 reads: "Towards the south, over against the separate place and over 
 against the (wall-) building, there were chambers, 1 1 with a way before 
 them, like the appearance of the chambers which were towards the 
 north, as long as they and as broad as they, and according to all their 
 goings out, and according to their fashions. And according to their 
 doors, 12 so were the doors of the chambers that were toward the south ; 
 there was a door at the beginning of the way, to wit the way before 
 the corresponding (?) wall, on the east as one entereth into them." 
 
 10. For "east" must be read south, according to vv. 12, 13 and 
 the whole scope; cf. xliv. 44. The "building" as in v. i is the wall of 
 the outer court with its stories of cells. Fig. 3, B, C On the one side 
 the chambers faced the separate place, and on the other side the shorter 
 wing looked towards the buildings in the outer court. 
 
320 EZEKIEL, XLII. [vv. ii— 13. 
 
 11 And the way before them was like the appearance of the 
 chambers which ivere toward the north, as long as they, 
 and as broad as they : and all their goings out were both 
 according to their fashions, and according to their doors. 
 
 12 And according to the doors of the chambers that 7i'e7'e 
 toward the south zvas a door in the head of the way, eve?i 
 the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one 
 entereth into them. 
 
 13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers a?id the 
 south chambers, which are before the separate place, they 
 be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the 
 Lord shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay 
 the most holy thmgs, and the meat offering, and the sin 
 offering, and the trespass offering ; for the place is holy. 
 
 11. way before ihemi The term "way" here seems used of the 
 10 cubits broad walk running between the two wings of the block of 
 chambers [v. 4), Fig. 3, O. LXX. renders "walk" as there. For 
 "appearance" LXX. reads measures. The "they" and "their" refer 
 to tlie chambers on the north side of the court {w, i — 9) ; those on the 
 south side were hke them in all particulars. 
 
 12. As the text reads it is easiest to attach the last words oi v. 11 to 
 V. 12. The sense resulting from this change is not very natural. Possibly 
 V. \\ should end as A.V., in which case z'. 12 must be amended: and 
 the doors of the cha7nbers zue7-e tozvard the south. In this point they 
 differed from the other chambers, the doors of which were towards the 
 north {v. 4). 
 
 The term rendered " corresponding" is quite unknown. In the Targ. 
 and post-biblical Heb. a similar word appears to mean suitable, excellent 
 —the appropriate wall. The word is no doubt corrupt. LXX. "reed." 
 
 13. 14. Uses to which the chambers were put. 
 
 These cells serve two purposes : the priests shall eat in them the most 
 holy things; and they shall deposit there the sacred garments when they 
 put them off to go into the outer court among the people. The "most 
 holy things" were the portion of the meal-offering not consumed on the 
 altar (Lev. ii. 3, 10, vii. 9 — 11, x. 12), and the flesh of the sin and 
 trespass offerings, except the flesh of the sin-offering for the high-priest 
 and congregation, which was burnt outside the sacred buildings (Lev. 
 vi. 30, vii. 6). 
 
 before the separate place\ over against, as z>v. i, 10, i.e. the longer wing 
 on the N. and on the S. Nothing specially is said as to the uses of 
 the shorter wing. 
 
 lay the niost holy things] Naturally the meal-offering had to be baked 
 before being eaten, and the flesh of the sacrifices boiled. Being most 
 holy things they must be kept in a holy place. 
 
vv. 14—16.] EZEKIEL, XLII. 321 
 
 When the priests enter t/iereift, then shall they not go out 
 of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall 
 lay their garments wherein they minister ; for they are holy; 
 and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to 
 t/iose things which are for the people. 
 
 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner 
 house, he brought me fortJi toward the gate whose prospect 
 is toward the east, and measured it round about. He 
 measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hun- 
 
 14. the priests enter therein] Omit therein. The ref, is not to the 
 holy cells, but to the house or more probably the inner court, in which 
 the altar stood. 
 
 go out of the holy place] probably the whole inner court is meant, with 
 its contents, house and chambers, seeing it is contrasted with the outer 
 court. 
 
 \)i\\\\gi...for the people'\ Or, that wMcli is for the people — the outer 
 court. 
 
 15—20. Measurements of the whole complex of the 
 temple buildings on the outside. 
 
 The measuring angel began by measuring the height and thickness of 
 the outside surrounding wall (xl, 5); then he entered the outer gate, 
 passing into the outer court, the measurements of which were made 
 (xl. 6 — 27); then he entered the inner court, containing the house and 
 cells, all of which he measured (xl. 28 — xlii. 14). These measures 
 being completed, the angel now returns to the outside by the way he 
 entered, the eastern gate, and finishes by measuring the compass of 
 the whole temple buildings outside. This building, its surrounding wall 
 being measured, forms a square of 500 cubits. 
 
 15. measured it] i.e. whole building, along the outer wall. 
 
 16. fve hundred reeds] Rather : cubits. Five hundred reeds, the 
 reed being 6 cubits, would give a measurement of 3000 cubits. No 
 allusion is made to such a space surrounding the house buildings any- 
 where else. On the contrary in xlv. 2 the area of the temple buildings 
 is said to be 500 cubits square, and the free place about it 50 cubits. 
 LXX. omits the word "reeds" everywhere in these verses, expressly 
 giving "cubits" in v. 17. In v. 20 (Heb.) allusion is made to the wall^ 
 and "reeds" is omitted. That the outer wall of the temple buildings 
 formed a square of 500 cubits appears from measurements given else- 
 where. Taking the direction N. to S. we have 50 (outer gate, xl. 21) 
 + 100 (gate to gate, xl. 23) + 50 (inner gate, xl. 36)4-100 (inner court, 
 xl. 47) + 50 (inner gate) -t- 100 (gate to gate) -\- 50 (outer gate) = 500. Or 
 going from E. to W. the result is the same: 50 (outer gate)-f 100 (gate 
 to gate) -h 50 (inner gate) + 100 (inner court) + 100 (house, xli. 13) + 100 
 (building behind house, xli. 13) -500. 
 
 EZEK.IEL 21 
 
322 EZEKIEL, XLII. XLIII. [vv. 17—2. 
 
 17 died reeds, with the measuring reed round about. He 
 measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the 
 
 18 measuring reed round about. He measured the south side, 
 
 19 five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed. He turned 
 about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds 
 
 ao with the measuring reed. He measured it by the four 
 sides : it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, 
 and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the 
 sanctuary and the profane //(^<:(?. 
 
 43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that 
 
 2 looketh toward the east : and behold, the glory of the God 
 
 of Israel came from the way of the east : and his voice was 
 
 round ahotit\ The word is M'anting in v. 18, and v. 19 reads: he 
 turned about and measured. LXX. reads in the latter way in all the 
 verses 16, 17, 18, attaching the word to the beginning of the following 
 verse, no doubt rightly, cf. a similar case i S. xiv. 21. In LXX. also 
 vv. 18 and 19 are transposed, the natural order round the wall being 
 followed. 
 
 20. sanctuary... profane place] Rather: between that -whicli was 
 holy and that which was profane (common). Holy and profane are 
 used here relatively, just z.% v. 13 the inner court is relatively holy in 
 contrast with the outer to which the people had access. Cf. xliii. 12, 
 where the limits of the house are said to be "most holy." In xlv. 4 
 the priests' land surrounding the temple is called holy, and in xlviii. x^ 
 most holy. 
 
 Ch. xliii. Entry of Jehovah into the house. 
 
 The measurements of the whole temple buildings being completed, 
 the prophet sees Jehovah return to it by the E. gate, by which he had 
 seen him leave it (ch. xi. ). The vision of the glory of the Lord Avas 
 like that seen on former occasions (ch. i. and x.). The chapter has 
 three divisions: — 
 
 (i) vv. 1 — 12. Entry of Jehovah into his house. 
 
 (2) vv. 13 — 17. Measurements of the altar of burrjt -offering. 
 
 (3) w. 18 — 27. Sacrifices and ceremonies to be employed in dedi- 
 cating the altar. 
 
 1 — 12. The glory of Jehovah enters the house by the E. gate. The 
 sound of his chariot was as the sound of many waters, and his glory 
 lightened the earth {vv. i — 4). The prophet hears one speaking to him 
 from the house and saying that the defilements to which the house had 
 been exposed through idolatries and the burial of kings near it shall 
 henceforth cease {vv. 6 — 9). The prophet is commanded to make 
 known the fashion and ordinances of the house to the people {vv. 10 — 12). 
 
 2. and his voice] and the sound of him was like the sound. 
 Reference is to the sound made by the cherubim in their flight. 
 
vv. 3— 7.J EZEKIEL, XLIIl. 323 
 
 like a noise of many waters : and the earth shined with his 
 glory. And it was according to the appearance of the 3 
 vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw 
 when I came to destroy the city : and the visions were like 
 the vision that I saw by the river Chebar ; and I fell upon 
 my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the house 4 
 by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 
 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner 5 
 court ; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. 
 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house ; and 6 
 the man stood by me. And he said unto me, Son of man, 7 
 the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my 
 
 3. And it was according td\ And the appearance which I saw was 
 like the appearance which I saw when I came— the word "appearance" 
 at the beginning of the verse being omitted. 
 
 I ca?ne to destroy'] Reference is to eh. viii. — xi. and the destruction 
 of the city there seen in vision by the prophet. He was carried to Jeru- 
 salem to witness the destruction, and he calls this his coming to destroy 
 it. Vulg., when he (Jehovah) cavie. 
 
 the visions were like the vision] like the appearance. The words 
 "and the visions" are rather unnatural; LXX. reads: and the vision of 
 the chariot which I saw was like &c. The "chariot," i.e. the whole 
 theophany of cherubim and wheels is often spoken of in later times 
 (e.g. Ecclesus. xlix. 8), but is nowhere named in the Bible (cf. i Chr. 
 xxviii, 18). The reading of LXX. is probably a gloss in explanation of 
 the Heb., which is awkward. Possibly the word "visions" should be 
 omitted :...thecity, and like the appeara>ice that I saiv by the river Chebar. 
 Cf. iii. 23, where LXX. interpolates "according to the vision." 
 
 4. The glory of the Lord enters the house by the E. gate, by which 
 he had departed from it, x. 19, xi. 22, 23. 
 
 5. The prophet, who hitherto was at the E. gate outside [v. i), is 
 brought by the spirit into the inner court, from which he perceived the 
 house to be filled with the glory of the Lord. 
 
 6. heard him speaking] One speaking. 
 
 and the nian] Possibly : and a man. No doubt the same man is 
 meant as before. The prophet was transported into the inner court by 
 the spirit, not led as in other instances by the man, who, however, 
 reappears at his side. The man is merely the divine voice and word 
 personified and interposed between the Lord and the prophet, hence 
 though Ezekiel appears to hear one speaking from the house, the voice 
 immediately takes the shape of a man beside him. 
 
 7. the place of my throne] this is the place of my throne... for ever: 
 and the house of Israel shall no more defile. No change of reading 
 is implied but the emphatic position of "the place" &c. requires to be 
 expressed by some such word as "this is," or, "Behold." On "soles 
 
 21 2 
 
324 EZEKIEL, XLIII. [w. 8— li. 
 
 feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of 
 Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel 
 no more defile, ?ieither they, nor their kings, by their whore- 
 dom, nor by the carcases of their kings i?i their high places. 
 
 8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and 
 their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, 
 they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations 
 that they have committed : wherefore I have consumed 
 
 9 them in mine anger. Now let them put away their whore- 
 dom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I 
 will dwell in the midst of them for ever. 
 
 lo Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, 
 
 that they may be ashamed of their iniquities ; and let them 
 
 " measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that 
 
 of my feet" cf. Is. Ix. 13, Ixvi. i; Lam. ii. i; Ps. cxxxii. 7; i Chr. 
 xxviii. 2. 
 
 by their whoredoviX Their idolatries, cf. ch. viii. 
 
 in their high places'] Probably : in their death, i.e. when dead, Lev. 
 xi. 31, 32. So some MSS., Targ., by change of one vowel. The ref. is to 
 the burial of the kings in the vicinity of the temple. The passages Lev. 
 ^xxvi. 30; Jer. xvi. 18, to which appeal is made, do not sustain the idea 
 ^ that "carcase" could be used as a mere name of opprobrium for idols 
 (Ps. cvi. 28 is of doubtful meaning). In the former passage the hewn 
 down idol is a carcase just as the slain man is; and in Jer. xvi. 18 the 
 use of the word "dead body" is not figurative. It is true that there is 
 no record of kings being buried close to the temple, but their sepulchres 
 were in such vicinity that in comparison with the new ideal of holiness 
 they could not but be held to bring defilement to the dwelling-place of 
 Jehovah, the living God. V. 9 seems conclusive for this rendering. 
 
 8. Ref. is to the fact that the royal palace and the first temple stood 
 virtually within the same enclosure and were one ensemble of edifice. 
 See the sketch in W. R. Smith's Art. Temple, Encyc. Brit. 
 
 and the wall betweett] with but the wall between me and them; 
 and they defiled.... 
 
 10 — 12. The prophet is commanded to shew to Israel the fashion 
 and ordinances of the house that they may observe them. 
 
 10. ashamed of their iniquities'] i.e. in disregarding the ordinances of 
 the Lord's house, in defiling it {v. 7, 8), and in committing its services 
 to the hands of uncircumcised aliens (xliv. 7), and the like. 
 
 Pleasure the pattern] LXX. has, "and its appearance and its pattern." 
 Cf. xlii. II, where "measures" and "appearance" were also inter- 
 changed. 
 
 11. The verse seems overgrown with amplifications or repetitions. 
 LXX. omits: "and the comings in thereof and all the forms thereof." 
 The second "and all the forms thereof" seems an accidental misreading 
 
vv. 12, 13.] EZEKIEL, XLIII. 325 
 
 they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the 
 fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings 
 in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances 
 thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof : 
 and write // in their sight, that they may keep the whole 
 form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 
 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain " 
 the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. 
 Behold, this is the law of the house. 
 
 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits : 13 
 The cubit is a cubit and a hand breadth ; even the bottom 
 shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border 
 thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span : 
 
 and consequent duplication of the following "and all the laws thereof." 
 Cf. xliv. 5, where the "ordinances" and "laws" of the house again 
 come together. 
 
 12. Upon the top... mountain^ Add: shall it be; the whole &c. 
 
 13—17. The altar of burnt-offering in the inner court. 
 
 The altar was a large structure, built of stone, and rose '\\\ terraces, 
 contracting by means of two inlets towards the top. It consisted: (1) of 
 a basement, with a border or moulding on the top or edge of it. (2) Two 
 cubits above this basement or socket, in which the altar proper stood, 
 was the first inlet, a cubit broad, so that there ran a ledge of a cubit 
 round about the altar on its four sides {w. 13, 14). (3) Four cubits 
 above this first inlet came the second inlet or contraction, also a cubit 
 broad, so as to form in like manner a ledge of a cubit round about the 
 altar \v. 14). (4) Then four cubits upwards from this ledge was the 
 altar area or platform proper, the "hearth of God," having horns rising 
 up at the four corners {v. 15). The area of this altar-hearth was a square 
 of 12 cubits {v. 16). At the higher inlet the area was 14 cubits square 
 (z'. 17). Probably, therefore, at the lower inlet the area was 16 cubits 
 square and the basement 18 cubits. Thus the structure had the ap- 
 pearance of four square blocks, each narrower in area than the one 
 below it, and each thus appearing set into the one under it as into 
 a socket. Such structures built in stages were common in the archi- 
 tecture of the East; see examples in Rawlin. Fhenkia, p. 166 seq. 
 
 13. The basement of the altar. 
 
 13. bottom shall be a cubit] lit. its bottom a cubit, i.e. in depth or 
 height, and so in breadth. The bottom, lit. bosom, appears to be the 
 basement in which the altar proper was set; it was a cubit high and 
 extended a cubit in breadth beyond the first block or stage of the altar 
 proper. The idea that the "bosom" means a drain or gutter running 
 round the foot of the altar to carry away the blood seems without any 
 
326 EZEKIEL, XLIII. [vv. 14—17. 
 
 14 and this shall be the higher place of the altar. And from 
 the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be 
 two cubits, and the breadth one cubit ; and from the lesser 
 settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the 
 
 15 breadth 07ie cubit. So the altar shall be four cubits ; and 
 i6 from the altar and upward shall be four horns. And the 
 
 altar shall be twelve aibits long, twelve broad, square in the 
 17 four squares thereof. And the settle shall be fourteen cubits 
 long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and 
 the border about it shall be half a cubit ; and the bottom 
 thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look 
 toward the east. 
 
 support. This bp.sement extended a cubit all round beyond the lowest 
 stage of the altar proper, and on the outer edge of this space of a cubit 
 there was a border of a span, probably, in height. This border may 
 have been a moulding, or possibly a very low parapet or close screen, 
 running round the outer edge of the ledge of one cubit. Either would 
 suggest the idea of a bosom in which the altar proper M'as placed. 
 
 higher place of the altar'\ the elevation. The word is that rendered 
 "eminent place" xvi. 24, 31, 39 (see notes), and refers to the basement 
 on which the altar proper stood. Cf. xli. 8. LXX. divides the letters 
 differently, reading: this is the height of the altar, and attaching the 
 clause to the following verse. This appears to be unnecessary. 
 
 14. Two cubits up from the basement the fabric underwent the first 
 contraction, being let in a cubit. Thus a ledge of a cubit broad was 
 formed running all round the altar. A.V. appears to call this bench or 
 ledge a "settle." The altar narrowed in dimension not gradually like 
 an obelisk, but at two places. Cf. the similar way in which the wall of 
 the house retreated, xli. 6. 
 
 At a height of four cubits above the first inlet came another, of the 
 same breadth of a cubit, so that a second ledge of a cubit broad was 
 formed round the altar on its four sides. 
 
 15. So the altar] And the altar, lit. the hearth of God (Is. xxix. i). 
 The word here is spelled harel (mount of God?), and in the next clause 
 ariel (hearth of God). LXX. spells both alike, and probably they do 
 not differ. The form ariel is also Moabite (Mesha inscr. 1. 12, 17). 
 From the second ledge up to the altar-hearth or platform was a distance 
 of four cubits, and from the altar area rose four horns, one at each 
 corner. LXX. for "four" reads "a cubit" — as the height of the horns. 
 
 16. The preceding measui-ements have referred to height. Those 
 referring to breadth or area are now given. The altar-hearth or plat- 
 form was 12 cubits square. 
 
 fojir squares thereof] four sides thereof. So v. 17. 
 
 17. The "settle" referred to here is the higher or greater one {v. 14). 
 Its area was a square of 14 cubits. The verse appears to say that this 
 uppermost ledge had a border and an "enclosure" or setting just as the 
 
vv. 18-20.] EZEKIEL, XLIII. 327 
 
 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord 18 
 God ; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when 
 they shall make it, to otfer burnt offerings thereon, and to 
 sprinkle blood thereon. And thou shalt give to the priests 19 
 the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach 
 unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God, a young 
 bullock for a sin offering. And thou shalt take of the blood 20 
 
 basement had. If so the "setting" or bosom was that for the Harel 
 arising out of the block, and its size, a cubit, is simply the ledge itself. 
 There is no ground at least to suppose that the "border" and setting 
 refer to the altar-hearth — from which the measurer has descended and 
 come down at any rate as far as the uppermost ledge. It may be made 
 a question whether in the last half of z^. 1 7 he has not descended to the foot 
 of the edifice, and whether the "border" and "bosom" be not those 
 already referred to in connection with the basement {v. 13). For (i) the 
 measurements are the same — a span (27. 13) being equivalent to half a 
 cubit (^o. 17). {t.) Immediately after mention of the "border" and bosom 
 or setting the "steps" are referred to by which the altar as a whole was 
 ascended, which seems to imply that the speaker conceived himself 
 upon the ground i^u. 17.) (3) Further in v. 20 blood is to be put upon 
 the horns of the altar-hearth, upon the four corners of the upper ledge 
 (settle) and upon the "border" round about; and it is certainly natural 
 that the blood should be put on all the stages of the altar, the top, the 
 middle and the basement. 
 
 For squares read sides; for bottom basement; and by stairs is 
 meant steps. The whole height of the altar was probably 12 cubits and 
 the basement a square of 18. Thus height of basement i {v. 13)4-2 
 (lowest block) + 4 (higher block) -^ 4 (block of altar-hearth) -I- 1 (horn) =12. 
 On breadth see preliminary remark to vv. 13 — 17. 
 
 18—27. Sacrifices and ceremonies by which the altar was 
 consecrated and inaugurated. 
 
 The general purpose of the altar is to offer burnt-offerings upon and 
 to sprinkle blood thereon. The statement in vv. 19, 20 is somewhat 
 elliptical, the writer's object being to advert specially to the difference 
 between the sin-offering on the first day and that on the following days. 
 Hence he describes the ritual of the sin-offering on the first day fully, 
 omitting to refer to the burnt-offering, which he mentions only in con- 
 nexion with the second and following days. And when in v. 25 it is said 
 that a goat for sin-offering and a young bullock and a ram were offered 
 for seven days, the difference between the sin-offering on the first day (a 
 bullock) and that for the following six days (a goat) is not adverted to, 
 the burnt-offering being the same all the seven days. 
 
 18. The general purpose of the altar. The burnt-offering was wholly 
 consumed on the altar, of the other offerings only the fat. 
 
 19. The phrase "saith the Lord" adds solemnity to the statement 
 that only the sons of Zadok shall minister at the altar (\liv. 15 scq.). 
 
328 EZEKIEL, XLIII. [vv. 21— 26. 
 
 thereof, and put // on the four horns of it, and on the four 
 corners of the settle, and upon the border round about : 
 
 21 thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. Thou shalt take the 
 bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in 
 the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary. 
 
 22 And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats 
 without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse 
 
 23 the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock. When 
 thou hast made an end of cleansing //, thou shalt offer a 
 young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock 
 
 24 without blemish. And thou shalt offer them before the 
 Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they 
 shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord. 
 
 25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin 
 offering : they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a 
 
 26 ram out of the flock, without blemish. Seven days shall 
 they purge the altar and purify it ; and they shall consecrate 
 
 20. Blood was to be put on the four horns of the altar hearth, on 
 the four corners of the (upper) settle, and on the border; see on v. 17. 
 To "cleanse" is to purify from sin, to "un-sin," if such a word could 
 be formed; and to "purge" is usually rendered "to make atonement 
 for." 
 
 21. The sin-offering was burnt wholly in a place outside the whole 
 temple area, i.e. outside the space enclosed by the 500 cubits square 
 wall (xHi. 16 seq.), possibly in the space of 50 cubits (xlv. 2) lying 
 round the outer wall. Cf. Ex, xxix. 14; Lev. iv. 11, vi. 23, xvi. 27; 
 Heb. xiii. 11. 
 
 22. The sin-offering for the second and following days was a 
 he-goat — so read for "kid of the goats." On "cleanse" cf. v. 20. 
 The ceremonies with the blood and the burning outside were no doubt 
 the same as those on the first day, vv. 20, 21. 
 
 23. The burnt-offering, following the sin-offering, was a young 
 bullock and a ram. 
 
 24. The burnt-offering was wholly consumed on the altar, salt 
 being sprinkled on the flesh, Lev. ii. 13; Mark ix. 49. 
 
 25. The statement is somewhat general ; strictly the he-goat was 
 offered only on six days {v. 19), but the burnt-offering was the same 
 all the seven. 
 
 26. The ceremonial of consecrating the altar lasts seven days. On 
 to "purge" cf. V. 20. 
 
 consecrate themselves'] consecrate It, i.e. the altar, lit. fill its hand 
 (or, hands). The phrase is properly said of the priests, to install; 
 here of the altar, to inaugurate it. Originally the expression had 
 probably a literal meaning, to put the things to be offered into the 
 hands of the priests (Lev. viii. 25 seq.), but later it came to be used 
 
vv. 27— I.] EZEKIEL, XLIII. XLIV. 329 
 
 themselves. And when these days are expired, it shall be, 27 
 that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall 
 make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace 
 offerings ; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the 44 
 outward sanctuary which looketh toivard the east; and it 
 
 generally in the sense of initiate, consecrate (Ex. xxviii. 41, xxix. 9, 
 29. 3.^. Ih; Lev. vii. 37; Num. iii. 3; Judg. xvii, 5, 12), cf. Ex. xxxii. 
 29. Wellh. Hist. p. 152, argues that the priest's hand was originally 
 "filled" with money (Jud. xvii.). The phrase "fill the hand" of 
 one appears also in the general meaning "to invest with office" in 
 Assyrian; Fd. Del. Heh. Law:^. p. 20, Prolegomena, p. 48. 
 
 In all the above passage it is the altar not the priests that is conse- 
 crated. The consecration of the altar appears to carry with it that 
 of the whole sanctuary. The altar needs atonement not because it 
 is a work of human hands, but because it belongs to the things of the 
 world. The sin of the world has defiled all things, penetrating even 
 to the precincts of that where Jehovah abides as he is in himself (Heb. 
 ix. 23). The passage can scarcely be compared with Ex. xxix. and 
 Lev. viii. because there the ceremonies refer to the consecration of 
 the priests chiefly and little to the altar. Cf. Ex. xxix. 36 ; Lev. viii. 
 II, 15, 33. In these passages the ahar is said to have been anointed 
 with oil, a ceremony wanting in Ezek.; the sin-offering was a young 
 bullock each day and the burnt-offering simply a ram each day. 
 
 Ch. XLIV. — XLVI. Ordinances regarding the Temple. 
 
 These ordinances define who shall minister in it, priests and Levites 
 (ch. xliv.) ; the revenue of the priests, the Levites and the prince, with 
 the duties devolving on the prince in upholding the ritual (xlv. i — 17) ; 
 the special and daily services in the temple, and the special offerings 
 of the prince (xlv. 18 — xlvi.). 
 
 Ch. XLIV. Those who shall minister in the Temple. 
 The passage contains these parts : 
 
 (i) vv. I — 3. An ordinance regarding the eastern gate: it shall be 
 kept shut because by it the Lord entered into the house. 
 
 (2) vv. 4 — 14. Precepts regarding the subordinate ministrants, who 
 keep the gates of the house and perform such offices as slaughtering 
 the victims. These subordinate services shall no more be performed, 
 as they have been to the desecration of them, by uncircumcised fo- 
 reigners (^ov. 4 — 9). But the Levites, who ministered as priests at 
 the high- places when Israel went astray from Jehovah, shall perform 
 such services. For their former sin they shall bear their iniquity and 
 be excluded from the holy functions of the priesthood proper, though 
 permitted to take part in the service of the house in a subordinate 
 place {vv. 10 — 14). 
 
 (3) vv. 15 — 31. Precepts regarding the priests (i.e. those who 
 
330 EZEKIEL, XLIV. [vv. 2—6. 
 
 2 was shut. Then said the Lord unto me ; This gate shall 
 be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in 
 by it ; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in 
 
 3 by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince ; the 
 prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord ; he 
 shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall 
 go out by the way of the same. 
 
 4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the 
 house : and I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord 
 filled the house of the Lord : and I fell upon my face. 
 
 5 And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and 
 behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that 
 I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house 
 of the Lord, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the 
 entering in of the house, with every going forth of the 
 
 6 sanctuary. And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to 
 the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God ; O ye house 
 
 minister at the altar), e.g. that they shall be the sons of Zadok alone 
 {vv. 15, 16); regarding their garments in their ministrations {v. 17 seq.)\ 
 their marriage {v. 22); their functions as teachers of the people and 
 judges {^v. 25, 24); their preservation from defilement by contact with 
 the dead {^v. 25 — 27), and their maintenance {v. 28 seq.). 
 
 vv. I — 3. The prophet is brought to the outside of the outer gate, 
 which he observes to be shut. It must be kept shut because the glory 
 of the Lord entered by it into the house. None shall enter by it. 
 
 3. The only exception is in favour of the prince. He shall eat 
 bread in this gate, i.e. partake of the sacrificial meal there. Though 
 not expressly stated it is implied that the meal shall be partaken of 
 in the porch of the gate, which looked into the outer court. The 
 statements in ch. xlvi. make it probable that even the prince did not 
 enter through the E. gate from the outside, but passed into the outer 
 court through some other gate, and entered the porch from the court. 
 
 vv. 4 — 9. The former practice of employing uncircumcised foreigners 
 to minister and to keep the charge of the house shall absolutely cease. 
 
 4. The prophet is brought by way of the N. gate into the inner 
 court before the house. From his position in front of the house he 
 beholds the glory of the Lord filling the house, and falls on his face. 
 
 . 5. He is commanded to give heed to all the ordinances and laws 
 i-egulating the future service of the house. 
 
 entering in of the house'] The phrase to the end of the verse is a 
 general designation for all the functions of the house, those who shall 
 be permitted to enter it {vv. 10 — 14), with the manner of their going 
 in and coming out {vv. 17 — 21). 
 
 6. The "rebellious," lit. rebellion, a term frequently used in ch. 
 i. — xxiv. (e.g. ii. 5, iii. 9, xii. 2, xvii. 12, xxiv. 3), but dropped since 
 
w. 7— lo.] EZEKIEL, XLIV. 331 
 
 of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, in ^ 
 that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircuni- 
 cised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my 
 sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my 
 bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my 
 covenant because of all your abominations. And ye have 8 
 not kept the charge of mine holy things : but ye have set 
 keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; No stranger, uncircumcised 9 
 in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my 
 sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of 
 Israel. And the Levites that are gone away far from me, 10 
 
 the fall of the city. Recollection of the former abominations practised 
 in the sanctuary again brings it to the prophet's lips. 
 
 7. into my sanctuary j-/;7z;^o-<?r^] i.e. foreigners. What is reprobated 
 is not of course allowing foreigners to present sacrifices to Jehovah, 
 which they might do (Lev. xvii. 10, 12; Numb. xv. 14), but allowing 
 them to officiate in the offering, and in general in the ministry of the 
 sanctuary. It is not ascertainable to what extent these uncircumcised 
 heathen were permitted to fill the subordinate offices about the house, 
 such as those of keepers of the gates and assistants to the priests, but 
 just as the kings employed foreign mercenaries as guards (who were 
 employed even in the temple, 2 Kings xi. 7), it appears that persons 
 not Israelites and not incorporated in Israel by the necessary rites, 
 were employed in the house. They were probably captives taken in 
 war and the like (Josh. ix. 27; i Sam. ii. 13; Zech. xiv. 21; cf Ezr. 
 viii. 20, ii. 58). This is regarded by the prophet as a profanation of 
 the house and an infraction of the covenant between Jehovah and 
 Israel. It is the latter from the nature of the case. Israel was the 
 people of the Lord and his service must be performed by Israel. These 
 heathen were uncircumcised both in flesh and heart, their service was 
 purely mercenary, and without religious reality. For "and they have 
 broken" LXX. reads, and j^ have broken, which is more exact. 
 
 because of alf] Perhaps: in addition to all your abominations. 
 
 8. ye have set keepe7's\ Some would read : ye have set t/ieiu. keepers. 
 This of course is the meaning. The change is hardly supported by 
 LXX (as Well. p. 122). 
 
 9 — 14:. Such services shall not be performed by foreigners any 
 more, but by the Levites who formerly ministered at the high-places. 
 Because of their sin in leading the house of Israel astray they shall bear 
 their iniquity and be excluded from the priesthood. 
 
 10. And the Levites'] But the Levites -wliicli went away far from 
 me... after their idols, they shall hear their iniquity, 11 and shall 
 be ministers 6cc. The clause "they shall be ministers" explains how 
 these Levites shall bear their iniquity — they shall be degraded from the 
 priestly office and reduced to the place of subordinate servants. To 
 
332 EZEKIEL, XLIV. [vv. 11—15. 
 
 when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me 
 
 11 after their idols ; they shall even bear their iniquity. Yet 
 they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at 
 the gates of the house, and ministering to the house : they 
 shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, 
 and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. 
 
 12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and 
 caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore 
 have I lift up mine hand against them, saith the Lord God, 
 
 13 and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come 
 near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to 
 come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place : 
 but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations 
 
 14 which they have committed. But I will make them keepers 
 of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and 
 
 15 for all that shall be done therein. But the priests the 
 Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my 
 
 **bear iniquity" is to bear the penalty of it, ch. iv. 4. On "idols," 
 ch. vi. 4. 
 
 which zvent astray\ Most naturally refers to Israel, of. t'. 15 ; though 
 it might refer to the Levites, cf. xlviii. 11. 
 
 11. The verse is closely connected with v. 10 (note on v. 10). The 
 services which the Levites shall be allowed to perform are such as 
 having charge of the gates, slaying the burnt-offering, and the peace- 
 offering for the people and in general ministering to them, e.g. cooking 
 the sacrificial flesh for their meals (xlvi. 24). To "stand before" is to 
 serve, Numb. xvi. 9. 
 
 12. caused... to fall... iniqtiity\ lit. as marg. : zvere a stumbling-block 
 of iniquity unto. Ch. vii. 19, xiv. 3, 4, xviii. 30. On "idols," v, 10. 
 
 lift up nmie hand'] i.e. sworn, xx. 5. 
 
 13. z'. 13 is closely connected with v. 12... bear their iniquity, and 
 they shall not come near unto me. 
 
 in the most holy place] Rather: unto the things that are most 
 holy. The words are in apposition with "my holy things." 
 
 14. But I will make\ And I will. The prophet as was na- 
 tural to him takes a severe view of the conduct of the priests of the 
 high-places, laying much of the blame of Israel's defection upon them 
 {v. 12). 
 
 15. 16. The priests of the family of Zadok alone shall be priests in 
 the new Temple. These continued faithful to Jehovah when the pro- 
 vincial priests went far from him. The judgment of the prophet may 
 be to some extent a comparative one. The worship at Jerusalem never 
 sank to the level of the licentiousness and corruption prevailing at the 
 rural sanctuaries, though undoubtedly the record of the reform of 
 Josiah reveals great corruptions at Jerusalem also (2 Kings xxiii.). 
 
vv. 16—20.] EZEKIEL, XLIV. 333 
 
 sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, 
 they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they 
 shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the 
 blood, saith the Lord God : they shall enter into my 16 
 sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister 
 unto me, and they shall keep my charge. 
 
 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the 17 
 gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen 
 garments ; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they 
 minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They ,8 
 shall have hnen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have 
 linen breeches upon their loins ; they shall not gird them- 
 selves with any thing that causeth sweat. And when they ly 
 go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the 
 people, they shall put off their garments wherein they 
 ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they 
 shall put on other garments ; and they shall not sanctify 
 the people with their garments. Neither shall they shave 20 
 
 How far these were introduced by the kings, such as Manasseh, despite 
 the opposition of the priests, cannot be ascertained. The reforms of 
 Hezekiah most probably, and certainly those of Josiah, were promoted 
 by the priests (2 Kings xxii.). The family of Zadok dates from Solo- 
 mon, who deposed Abiathar on account of his favouring the pretensions 
 of Adonijah and installed Zadok in his place. Since those remote 
 times the Zadokites had served in the temple, and upon the whole the 
 prophet's favourable judgment of them is no doubt justified (cf. 2 Kings 
 xi. ; Is. viii. 2). 
 
 16. near to my table] The altar of burnt-offering is no doubt 
 meant, cf. on xli. 22. 
 
 V7). 17 — 19. The garments of the priests. — In the service of the 
 sanctuary they shall wear only linen clothing, drawers and head-dresses. 
 In Ex. xxviii. 39, 42, xxxix. 27; Lev. xvi. 4, the coats and bonnets of 
 the priests are byssus (possibly cotton), 
 
 18. Sweat is regarded as uncleanness. 
 
 19. The sacred garments shall be worn only in the inner court, and 
 in service. Before going out into the outer court the priests shall put 
 them off and deposit them in the sacred cells, xlii. 13, 14. 
 
 sanctify the people] i.e. by bringing that which is holy in contact 
 with them. The enactment is not a precaution against defilement of 
 the holy garments, at least in form, though it may be a precaution 
 against confusion of the sacred and the common. Cf xlvi. 20; Ex. 
 xxix. 37, XXX. 29; Lev. vi. 27. The words "even i?ito the utter court'''' 
 are probably an accidental repetition. LXX. omits. 
 
 20. The priests shall poll or cut the hair of their heads, and neither 
 shave their heads bald nor let the hair flow loose. Shaving the head 
 
334 EZEKIEL, XLIV. [vv. 21—25. 
 
 their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long ; they shall 
 
 21 only poll their heads. Neither shall any priest drink wine, 
 
 22 when they enter into the inner court. Neither shall they 
 take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away : but 
 they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, 
 
 23 or a widow that had a priest before. And they shall teach 
 my people the difference between the holy and profane, and 
 cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 
 
 24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment ; arid they 
 shall judge it according to my judgments : and they shall 
 keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies ; and 
 
 25 they shall hallow my sabbaths. And they shall come at no 
 dead person to defile theuiselves : but for father, or for 
 mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister 
 
 .^bald was a sign of mourning (Lev. xxi. 5, 10, cf. Ezek. xxiv. 17), 
 and forbidden both to priests and people as a practice of the heathen 
 (Deut. xiv. i); though the prophets frequently refer to it as a token of 
 disaster and mourning; Is. iii. 24, xxii. 12; Jer. xvi. 6; Am. viii. 10; 
 Mic. i. 16. Lev. x. 6 indicates that letting the hair flow loose and 
 dishevelled was also a sign of grief. The phrase appears used both of 
 this practice and of the Nazirite custom of allowing the hair to remain 
 uncut (Numb. vi. 5, cf. Numb. v. 18). 
 
 ^ 21. On this prohibition cf. the narrative Lev. x. i — 9. 
 
 22. The marriage of the priests. They shall marry only virgins, or 
 t^ the widows of former priests. In Lev. xxi. 14 marrying a widow of 
 
 any kind is forbidden to the high-priest, but no restriction is imposed 
 on the priests {v. 7). Ezek. makes no allusion anywhere to a high- 
 priest. 
 
 23. 24. General duties of the priests towards the people. They 
 shall teach the people to distinguish between the holy and the common, 
 between the clean and the unclean, cf. xxii. 26; Lev. x. 10; Hag. ii. 
 11; Mai. ii. 7. 
 
 24. They shall also act as judges in causes that arise among the 
 people. It is not certain that Ezek. commits the office of judge to the 
 priests exclusively, cf. xlv. 9. In Deut. xvii. 8 seq.^ xix. 17, xxi. 5 the 
 priests sit in difficult cases along with the judges who shall be in those 
 days (cf. Deut. xxi. 19, xxii. 15; Ex. xviii. 21, 22). In Ezekiel's final 
 state of the kingdom of the Lord, however, only cases of misunder- 
 standing, not of wrong, would arise. Finally it is the duty of the 
 priests to see that the laws and statutes of the Lord be observed at all 
 the appointed seasons (A.V. assemblies), or sacred occasions (xlv. 17 
 seq.)^ and that the sabbath be sanctified, cf. xxii. 26. 
 
 25 — 27. Regulations for their necessary contact with the dead. 
 They shall approach the dead bodies only of their nearest relatives, 
 father, mother, son, daughter, brother and unmarried sister. From 
 the defilement caused by this contact they must purify themselves 
 
vv. 26—30.] EZEKIEL, XLIV. 335 
 
 that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves. 
 And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven 26 
 days. And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, 27 
 unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall 
 offer his sin offering, saith the Lord God. And it shall be 28 
 unto them for an inheritance : I am their inheritance : and 
 ye shall give them no possession in Israel : I a7)i their 
 possession. They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin 29 
 offering, and the trespass offering ; and every dedicate thing 
 in Israel shall be theirs. And the first of all the firstfruits 30 
 of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of your 
 oblations, shall be the priests' : ye shall also give unto the 
 
 before resuming their service in the inner court. It is curious that no 
 reference is made to the priest's wife among the relatives with whose '' 
 dead bodies they may defile themselves. The same omission occurs 
 Lev. xxi. I — 3. In Ez. xxiv. 15 it is understood that he would natu- 
 rally shew tokens of mourning for his wife. The two things, however, 
 are not identical, and Ezek. was not an acting priest. According to 
 Lev. xxi. 1 1 the high-priest was not to defile himself by going near any 
 dead body whatever. How defilement was contracted is explained 
 Numb. xix. 14. 
 
 26. after he is cleansed'] i.e. the priest. The length of time during 
 which he shall remain unclean is not stated. In ordinary cases he who 
 touched a dead body was unclean seven days (Numb. xix. 11). After 
 his cleansing the priest must count seven days, which would imply 
 exclusion from his official duties for 14 days. 
 
 27. Before resuming his functions the priest presents a sin-offering. 
 
 28 — 31. The maintenance of the priest. He shall have no inherit- 
 ance among the people: the Lord is his inheritance. He shall eat the 
 meat-offering, the sin- and trespass-offering; everything put to the ban 
 shall be his, and the best of all the first-fruits and of all the dues. 
 
 28. it shall be... inheritance] This cannot refer to the sin-offering 
 {v. 27), which was burnt entire outside the sanctuary. To translate : 
 This shall be their inheritance (viz.) / am their inheritance, making the 
 words "I am" &c. subject is too artificial. The balance of sentence 
 seems to require, they shall have no inheritance, I am &c., correspond- 
 ing to the second half of the verse. So Vulg., cf Numb, xviii. io\ 
 Deut. x. 9, xviii. i, 2; Josh. xiii. 14 &c. 
 
 29. Cf. Lev. ii. 3, vii. 9 — 11, for the meat-offering; Lev. vi. 18, vii. 
 6, 7; Num. xviii. 9, 10, for the sin- and trespass-offerings; and for that 
 put to the ban or "devoted" to Jehovah, Lev. xxvii. 28; Num. xviii. 
 14. For "dedicated" as marg. devoted. 
 
 30. And the first] Ox, the best. Cf. Ex. xxiii. 19, xxxiv. 26 ; Numb, 
 xviii. 13; Deut. xviii. 4. 
 
 and every oblation] The word sometimes rendered heave offering. 
 Numb. XV. 19, xviii. 19. It means a part taken from a larger whole, 
 
336 EZEKIEL, XLIV. XLV [w. 31— i. 
 
 priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the bless- 
 31 ing to rest in thine house. I'he priests shall not eat of any 
 thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or 
 beast. 
 45 Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for in- 
 heritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the Lord, a holy 
 
 cf. xlv. I, &c., where the portion of land dedicated to the use of the 
 priests and Levites is so called. 
 , of your dough} The term occurs again only Numb, xv. 20, 21; Neh. 
 -^ X. 37, and is of doubtful meaning. LXX., dough; Targ, Syr., baking 
 trough; others, coarse meal. On the "blessing," Mai. iii. 10; Prov. 
 iii. 9, 10. 
 
 31. On this prohibition Ex. xxii. 31 ; Lev. xxii. 8. Cf. Lev. xvii. 15. 
 
 The injunctions in v. 30 are very general. The prophet presupposes 
 former customs familiar to the people, which he desires to continue. 
 Everywhere in these chapters his directions are in the main a reproduc- 
 tion of a past customary and understood practice. 
 
 Ch. xlv. 1 — 17. The portions of land assigned for mainten- 
 ance TO the priests, levites and prince respectively; 
 
 WITH THE DUES WHICH THE PEOPLE SHALL PAY THE PRINCE, 
 IN RETURN FOR WHICH HE SHALL PROVIDE THE RITUAL. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 8. The oblation (terumah) of land for maintenance of 
 priests, Levites and prince, and for the city. 
 
 (2) vy. 9 — 12. Regulations as to just standards of weight, measure 
 and coinage. 
 
 (3) vv. 13 — 17. Dues to be paid the prince in respect of his being at 
 the charge of providing the materials of ritual. 
 
 In the centre of the country a portion of land shall be measured oft 
 25,000 long and 20,000 broad. The measure is no doubt cubits, not 
 reeds, though this is stated only in regard to the free place around the 
 sanctuary (z^. 2). Length is the measure E. to W., and breadth that 
 from N. to S. This region is to be divided into two parallel strips E. 
 to W., one of 25,000 long and 10,000 broad, which shall be for the 
 priests [v. 4), and another N. of this, of the same length and breadth, 
 which shall be for the Levites [v. 5). Parallel to this on the S. side of 
 the priests' domain, of the same length (25,000) with it and 5000 broad, 
 there shall be a portion of land for the possession of the city. In the 
 midst of it the city shall be situated {v. 6). These three portions thus 
 form a square of 25,000. Finally the land from the E. side of this 
 square to the Jordan, and from the W. side of it to the sea shall be for 
 a possession to the prince {z'v. 7, 8). 
 
 1. divide by lot] So the phrase originally signified, but probably it 
 came to mean merely "divide" or assign portions to. Ezek. definitely 
 fixes the positions of the tribes, and each tribe appears to have the, same 
 extent of territory assigned to it. 
 
 offer ail oblation'] Cf xliv. 30. 
 
 holy portion of the land] i.e. out of ox from the land. 
 
vv. 2— 5.J EZEKIEL, XLV. 337 
 
 portion of the land : the length shall be the length of five 
 and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten 
 thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof 
 round about. Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five 2 
 hundred in le?igth, with five hundred i7i breadth^ square 
 round about; and fifty cubits round about Z^?- the suburbs 
 thereof And of this measure shalt thou measure the length 3 
 of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thou- 
 sand : and in it shall be the sanctuary afid the most holy 
 place. The \\o\y portion of the land shall be for the priests 4 
 the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to 
 minister unto the Lord : and it shall be a place for their 
 houses, and a holy place for the sanctuary. And the five 5 
 and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of 
 breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, 
 have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers. 
 
 b7-eadth . . .ten thousand^ Grammar as well as context seems to require 
 twenty thousand, cf. vv. 3, 5, xlviii. 10, 18. In v. 3 this "measure" 
 is divided into two portions each 10,000 broad. So LXX. For reeds^ 
 no doubt, cubits. 
 
 2. In this sacred territory, more particularly, in the half of it as- 
 signed to the priests {vv. 3, 4), shall the sanctuary be situated, a square 
 of 500, surrounded by a free space of 50 cubits on all sides. The 500 
 are certainly cubits, cf. xlii. 10. 
 
 the suburbs thereof] What the "suburbs" are appears from Numb. 
 XXXV. 4 ; it is an open space around the walls of an enclosure, a city or 
 building, held to belong to the building or city, but not occupied by it. 
 It is the liberties of a city or the precincts of an edifice, xlviii, 15, 17. 
 
 3. The portion of the sacred land assigned to the priests shall con- 
 sist of a tract 25,000 long by 10,000 broad. 
 
 sanctuary and the most holy'] sanctuary, (even) the most holy thing". 
 The whole area of land is holy, the sanctuary most holy. 
 
 4. Read : An holy portion of the land is it, it shall he for, &c. 
 holy place for the sanctuary] Lit. a sanctuary for the sancttiary. 
 
 The use of "sanctuary" in the sense of sacred territory can hardly be 
 supported by evidence, though the idea of a sacred territory around a 
 sacred house or locality is a common one in the East. LXX. reads: a 
 place for houses set apart for their sanctity, i.e. possibly: houses set 
 apart for them (the priests), they being holy. No satisfactory emenda- 
 tion has been proposed. 
 
 5. Read: and Ave..., and ten... shall the Levites have. (The 
 Keri is unnecessary). 
 
 {ox twejity chambers] Probably with LXX.: lor cities to dwell in. 
 Cf. same words Numb. xxxv. 2; Josh. xiv. 4. In v. 6 Jerusalem, with 
 EZEKIEI 2 2 
 
338 EZEKIEL, XLV. [vv. 6-9. 
 
 6 And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand 
 broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the 
 oblation of the holy portmi : it shall be for the whole house 
 
 7 of Israel. And a portion shall be for the prince on the one 
 side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy 
 portion^ and of the possession of the city, before the oblation 
 of the holy portio7i, and before the possession of the city, 
 from the west side westward, and from the east side east- 
 ward : and the length shall be over against one of the 
 
 8 portions, from the west border unto the east border. In 
 the land shall be his possession in Israel : and my princes 
 shall no more oppress my people ; and the rest of the land 
 shall they give to the house of Israel according to their 
 tribes. 
 
 9 Thus saith the Lord God ; Let it suffice you, O princes 
 
 its suburbs, is assigned a tract of land only half of this given to the 
 Levites. 
 
 6. The city possesses a strip of land 5000 cubits broad and 25,000 
 long, running parallel to the portion of the priests, cf. xlviii. 15. The 
 city shall stand in the midst of this tract, which it entirely covers N. to 
 S., cf. xlviii. 16, 17. 
 
 7. The domain of the prince. A portion of land shall fall to the 
 prince equal in breadth (N. to S.) to the whole square assigned to the 
 priests, Levites and city (viz. 25,000), and extending on both sides of 
 this square to the borders of the country, to the Jordan on the E., and 
 the sea on the W. 
 
 and the length.. portions] and In length answerable to one of the 
 portions, as R.V. The "portions" here are the tracts of land assigned 
 to the tribes respectively (ch. xlviii.). These stretched across the 
 country from the Jordan to the sea. The portion of the prince in like 
 manner stretches across the whole country, only it is interrupted in the 
 middle by the 25,000 square tract assigned to priests, Levites and city. 
 Cf. xlviii. 21. 
 
 8. In the land. . .possession] In the land it shall be to him for a pos- 
 session, lit. in respect of the land. Others: for a domain it shall be..., 
 for a possession. The art. must then be omitted, and the use of "land" 
 in this sense is unnatural. 
 
 my princes] The language my is unusual. In v. 9, "princes of 
 Israel," and so LXX. here. It is possible that Israel was represented 
 in MS. merely by the initial letter, which is the same as the last letter 
 of "princes" (cons.), and that one of the letters fell out. 
 
 the rest of the land] Read : oppress my people, but shall give the 
 land to the house. On the oppressions of the princes, cf. xxii. 25, 
 xxxiv.; Jer. xxii. 17. 
 
vv. 10—13.] EZEKIEL, XLV. 339 
 
 of Israel : remove violence and spoil, and execute judg- 
 ment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, 
 saith the Lord God. Ye shall have just balances, and a 10 
 just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the bath shall n 
 be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part 
 of a homer, and the ephah the tenth /«r/ of a homer: the 
 measure thereof shall be after the homer. And the shekel 12 
 shall be twenty gerahs : twenty shekels, five and twenty 
 shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. This is the 13 
 oblation that ye shall ofi"er ; the sixth part of an ephah of a 
 
 9 — 17. The dues to be given the prince, and his obligations to pro- 
 vide the materials for the ritual. 
 
 V, 9 seq. The former unjust and irregular exactions of the princes 
 shall cease. These exactions had not only been oppressive in their nature, 
 but unjust and arbitrary from want of a fixed standard in weights, 
 measures and currency. 
 
 9. take away your exactions] Lit. remove your expulsions from my 
 people. Ref. probably to unjust extrusion of persons from their posses- 
 sions, of which the early prophets often complain, Is. v. 8 ; Mic. ii. 9, 
 iii. 2, 3, and the story of Naboth, i Kings xxi. 
 
 10. Cf. Lev. xix. 35, 36; Deut. xxv. 13 — 15; Mic. vi. 10, 11 (the 
 accursed scanty ephah); Prov. xi. i, xvi. 11, xx. 10. From this it ' 
 appears that the words of Am. viii. 5 "making the ephah small and the 
 shekel large " are more than a figure. 
 
 11. The homer is assumed as the standard both for liquid and dry 
 measures. The ephah was a tenth of the homer, dry measure; and the 
 bath a tenth of the homer, liquid measure, Is. v. 10. 
 
 12. Cf. Ex. XXX. 13; Lev. xxvii. 25; Numb. iii. 47, xviii. 16. The 
 verse at present is without meaning. Read after LXX. (cod. Alex.): 
 and the shekel shall he twenty gerahs ; five (shekels) shall be five, 
 and ten shekels ten, and fifty shekels shall he your maneh (mina). 
 The text is grammatically suspicious, and the way in which " fifteen " is 
 supposed to be expressed, viz. "ten and five" is without parallel. The 
 statement that "five shekels shall be five," &c., does not imply that 
 there were five and ten shekel pieces, but means that just weighing of 
 money shall prevail, and five go for five, no more and no less. The 
 passage has been fully discussed by Bertheau {Zur Gesch. der Israeliten, 
 pp. 8 — 14), whose table of money weights may be given (p. 14): 
 
 Talent i 
 
 Maneh 60 1 
 
 Shekel 3,000 50 i 
 
 Beka 6,000 100 1 i 
 
 Gera 60,000 1000 20 10 i. 
 
 Cf. Ex. xxxviii. 25; Lev. xxvii. 3, 16; Josh. vii. 21; i Kings x. 17; 
 Ezr. ii. 69; Neh. vii. 71. 
 
 13. oblation .. .offer] The people are addressed. The due which 
 
340 EZEKIEL, XLV. [vv. 14—17. 
 
 homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an 
 
 14 ephah of a homer of barley : concerning the ordinance of 
 oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out 
 of the cor, which is a homer of ten baths ; for ten baths are 
 
 15 a homer : and one lamb out of the flock, out of two 
 hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel ; for a meat 
 offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to 
 
 x6 make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord God. All the 
 people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in 
 
 17 Israel. And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt 
 offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the 
 feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all 
 solemnities of the house of Israel : he shall prepare the sin 
 offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, 
 and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the 
 house of Israel. 
 
 they shall pay the prince is one sixtieth in grain. For, of an homer, 
 rather : out of an homer. 
 
 14. The cor was another name for the homer, i Kings v. 2, 25; 
 2 Chr. ii. 9, xxvii. 5. 
 
 which is a homer... baths\ ten baths are an homer. The words are 
 wanting in LXX. The due in oil was one-hundredth part. 
 
 15. The due out of the flock was one in two hundred. 
 
 the fat pastures] lit. the watered la.nd of Israel (Gen. xiii. 10). LXX. 
 reads, out of all the families of Israel. These dues from the flock and 
 from the soil were for purposes of sacrifice and offering (^. 17). 
 
 16. A.V. margins on this verse ought to be deleted. The words 
 "all the people of the land" are anomalous grammatically; LXX. omits 
 "of the land." 
 
 17. In return for these dues paid him by the people the prince shall 
 be charged with providing the sacrifices for public worship. 
 
 he shall prepare] provide. 
 
 The "feasts" were the three great festivals, passover or unleavened 
 bread (easter), the feast of weeks, or pentecost, and the feast of in- 
 gathering or tabernacles at the end of the vintage. Ezekiel, however, 
 seems to give no place to pentecost. 
 
 all solemnities'] i.e. stated seasons. A reconciling or "atoning" 
 efficacy appears attributed by the prophet to all the various kinds of 
 sacrifices. 
 
 Ch. XLV. 18— XLVI. 24. The offerings to be made at the 
 
 FEASTS AND OTHER APPOINTED SEASONS. 
 
 (1) xlv. 18 — 25. Offerings at the feasts. 
 
 (2) xlvi. I— II. Offerings for the sabbaths and new moons. 
 
 (3) V. 12. Voluntary offerings of the prince. 
 
vv. 18—21.] EZEKIEL, XLV. 341 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; In the first month, in the first i3 
 day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without 
 blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary : and the priest shall 19 
 take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the 
 posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle 
 of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner 
 court. And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month 20 
 for every one that erreth, and for hwi that is simple : so 
 shall ye reconcile the house. In the first month, in the i\ 
 
 (4) vv. 13 — 15. The daily burnt-offering. 
 
 (5) VTi. 16 — 18. Case of the prince alienating any part of his landed 
 estate to his children or servants. 
 
 (6) vv. 19 — 24. Kitchens for boiling the offerings eaten by the 
 priests, and those partaken of by the people. 
 
 XLV. 18—25. Offerings at the feasts. 
 
 18 — 20. The stated atonement for the sanctuary twice in the year — 
 on the first day of the first month {v. 18); and on the first day of the 
 seventh month {v. 20). The sin-offering on both occasions shall be a 
 young bullock to cleanse, better : to make atonement for the sanctuary 
 (xliii. 20). 
 
 19. Ceremonial with the blood. The blood shall be put on the 
 door-posts of the house (xli. 21), on the four corners of the great 
 "settle" of the altar (xliii. 20), and upon the door-posts of the gateway 
 of the inner court — which gateway is not specified, probably that at 
 which the victims were slaughtered. Gateway, however, might be used 
 collectively. 
 
 20. seventh day of the month'] The text can hardly be so rendered. 
 Probably: in the seventh month, on the new moon (i.e. the first day). 
 LXX. fully: in the seventh month, on the first day of the month. An 
 atonement was made for the sanctuary, purifying it from the defilements 
 of the people, at the beginning of each half-year. No mention is made 
 of burnt- offerings, but cf. xlvi. 6, 7. 
 
 eveiy one that erreth] i.e. not for any particular person had in view, j^ 
 but for the people on account of there being among them persons who 
 have erred unwittingly or through simplicity, i.e. natural slowness 
 which may not have apprehended the exact requirements of duty. 
 Ezekiel is speaking of the people in their perfect condition, w^hen, of 
 course, only such mistakes will be committed as are due to inadvertence 
 and the limitations to which the mind of man is subject. 
 
 reconcile the house] make atonement for. Cf. Lev. xvi. 16, 18. 
 
 21. The feasts. The tassover on the fourteenth of the 
 
 FIRST month. 
 
 feast of seven days] So no doubt Heb. should be read, with the 
 ancient versions. At present it reads : a feast of weeks of days. Ezekiel 
 
342 EZEKIEL, XLV. XLVl. [vv. 22—2. 
 
 fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, 
 a feast of seven days ; unleavened bread shall be eaten. 
 
 22 And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and 
 for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering. 
 
 23 And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt 
 offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams 
 without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the 
 
 24 goats daily /^r a sin offering. And he shall prepare a meat 
 offering ^an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, 
 
 25 and a hin of oil for an ephah. In the seventh month, in the 
 fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast 
 ^the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to 
 the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and 
 according to the oil. 
 
 46 Thus saith the Lord God ; The gate of the inner court 
 
 that looketh totvard the east shall be shut the six working 
 
 days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the 
 
 2 day of the new moon it shall be opened. And the prince 
 
 shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, 
 
 omits all ref. to the so-called feast of weeks, i.e. pentecost, seven weeks 
 after the unleavened bread, when the sickle was put into the grain. 
 
 22. prepare for hunself\ provide, v. 17. 
 
 23. kid of the goats'] a lie goat. For prepare, provide, so v. 24. 
 
 25, Feast of tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. 
 Render: in the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, 
 in the feast, shall he do the like, the seven days. The "feast" is that 
 of tabernacles, the feast /«r excellence of the year, concluding the yearly 
 round of festivals (Is. xxix. i). For this feast the prince makes the 
 same provision as for the feast of unleavened bread (v. 23). 
 
 XLVI. 1 — 7. Offerings for the Sabbath and new moon. 
 
 The prince was under obligation, besides providing for the great 
 festivals of unleavened bread or passover and tabernacles (xlv. 21, 25), 
 and for the special new moons in the first and seventh months (xlv. 18, 
 20), to furnish offerings also for the sabbaths and the ordinary new 
 moons. The east gate of the inner court was kept shut six days of the 
 week (the outer was always shut), but opened on the sabbaths and also 
 on the new moons {v. i). On these days the prince came by way of 
 the porch and advanced as far as the door-posts of the inner gate, where 
 he worshipped while the priests were offering the burnt and peace- 
 offerings {v. 2). The gate remained open till the evening. While the 
 prince could come as far as the threshold of the inner gate the people 
 stood without before the inner east gate to worship {v. 3). 
 
 2. porch of that gate without] porch of the gate without. It is 
 
vv. 3—8.] EZEKIEL, XLVI, 343 
 
 and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall 
 prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he 
 shall worship at the threshold of the gate : then he shall go 
 forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 
 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of 3 
 this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new 
 moons. And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer 4 
 unto the Lord in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without 
 blemish, and a ram without blemish. And the meat offer- 5 
 ing shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for 
 the lambs as he shall be able to give, and a hin of oil to an 
 ephah. And in the day of the new moon // shall be a young 6 
 bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram : they 
 shall be without blemish. And he shall prepare a meat 7 
 offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, 
 and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, 
 and a hin of oil to an ephah. And when the prince shall 8 
 enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, 
 and he shall go forth by the way thereof. 
 
 difificult to decide whether "without" describes porch or gate. If 
 porch, then the porch of the inner gate is meant, which lay "without," 
 i.e. towards the outer court (xl. 31, 34, 37). If "without" refers to gate, 
 then the porch of the outer gate is meant. In the latter case the prince 
 would cross the outer court from the porch of the outer gate and enter 
 the inner gate, cf. xliv. 3. Neither is it certain whether the "posts" 
 and "threshold" are those at the outer end of the inner gate, or those at 
 the end opening into the inner court. The technical "threshold" lay 
 at the inner end, inasmuch as the inner gate was the outer gate re- 
 versed (xl. 6). It is possible that the prince was allowed to enter the 
 inner gateway and advance to the inner end of it so as to have a full 
 view of the operations of the priests at the altar, without, however, 
 being permitted to set his foot in the inner court. In this case "porch" 
 would be that of the inner gate (as A. V.). 
 
 4 — 6. On the sabbath the burnt-offering shall be six lambs and a 
 ram, and the meal-offering an ephah of flour for the ram and what 
 the prince thinks good for the lambs ; and the libation a hin of oil. 
 
 7. For the new moons the burnt-offering shall be a young bullock, 
 and the same meal-offering and libation as for the sabbath. 
 
 8, 9. The gates by which prince and people shall come in and 
 go out. The prince shall come in by way of the porch of the gate, 
 and shall go out the same way, i.e. probably the porch of the inner 
 east gate, and he shall go back as he entered, without passing into 
 the inner court. The people shall not go out by the gate at which 
 they came in, but by the opposite gate — those entering by the N. 
 gate shall leave by the S. and conversely. 
 
344 EZEKIEL, XLVl. [vv. 9- 
 
 9 But when the people of the land shall come before the 
 Lord in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of 
 the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the 
 south gate ; and he that entereth by the way of the south 
 gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate : he shall 
 not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but 
 
 10 shall go forth over against it. And the prince in the midst 
 of them, when they go in, shall go in ; and when they go 
 
 11 forth, shall go forth. And in the feasts and in the solemnities 
 the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an 
 ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and 
 
 12 a hin of oil to an ephah. Now when the prince shall 
 prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings 
 voluntarily unto the Lord, one shall then open him the gate 
 that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt 
 offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath 
 day : then he shall go forth ; and after his going forth one 
 
 the solemn feasts] appointed seasons. 
 
 10. shall go forth] So must be read, the prince being subject. 
 Heb. text reads : when they go forth they shall go forth (i.e. prince 
 and people; R.V. to make this plain supplies together). This is a 
 very unnatural reading. Read in either way the words mean that 
 the prince and people come in and go out simultaneously. This would 
 suggest that the worshipping of the prince and people was contem- 
 poraneous with the act of the priests in offering, and that when this 
 act was over the people dispersed and the prince departed. The Syr. 
 followed by Corn, reads : but the prince in their midst, by the gate 
 at which he came in shall he go out — finding a repetition of v. 8, 
 giving a freedom to the prince denied to the people {v. 9). 
 
 11. General regulation in regard to the meal-offering, it shall be 
 the same both at the feasts proper (xlv. 21, 25) and at the solemnities 
 or stated seasons, such as new moons, &c. 
 
 12. Regulation when the prince presents a free-will offering. The 
 east (inner) gate shall be opened for him on such occasions as on the 
 sabbaths and new moons. Cf. Lev. vii. 16, xxxiii. 28; Numb. xv. 3, 
 xxix. 39; Deut. xii. 6; Am. iv. 5. 
 
 13 — 15. The daily offering. 
 
 There shall be a daily offering, a lamb for a burnt-offering, with one- 
 sixth of an ephah of flour and the third part of a hin of oil for a meal- 
 offering. This shall be presented every morning. In earlier times 
 the daily offering in practice appears to have been a burnt-offering in 
 the morning and a meal-offering in the evening (2 Kings xvi. 15, cf. 
 I Kings xviii. 29, 36). In Numb, xxviii. 3, 8 the daily offering is 
 a lamb morning and evening, with one-tenth of an ephah of flour 
 
vv. 13—18.] EZEKIEL, XLVI. 345 
 
 shall shut the gate. Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt 13 
 offering unto the Lord of a lamb of the first year without 
 blemish : thou shalt prepare it every morning. And thou 14 
 shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth 
 part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to 
 temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by 
 a perpetual ordinance unto the Lord. Thus shall they 15 
 prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every 
 morning /^r a continual burnt offering. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; If the prince give a gift unto 16 
 any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons' ; it 
 shall be their possession by inheritance. But if he give a 17 
 gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be 
 his to the year of liberty; after, it shall return to the prince: 
 but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them. Moreover 18 
 the prince shall not take the people's inheritance, by 
 oppression to thrust them out of their possession; but he 
 shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession : 
 that my people be not scattered every man from his 
 possession. 
 
 and one-fourth of a hin of oil morning and evening for meal-ofiTering; 
 to which is to be added one-fourth of a hin of wine for drink-offering. 
 Ezek. nowhere refers to wine in the offerings. 
 
 13. ihoH shalt .. prepare\ LXX. he shall prepare; so v. 14. Cf. 
 xlv. 17. 
 
 14. to temper'] Probably as R.V. to moisten, or, besprinkle the 
 fine flour. Song v. 2, dj'ops of the night. 
 
 16 — 18. Case of the prince alienating any part of his 
 landed property to his sons or servants. 
 
 If given to his sons the gift shall remain with them as their in- 
 heritance {v. 16); if given to any of his servants it shall revert to the 
 prince at the year of liberty {v. 17). 
 
 17. year of liberty] In Jer. xxxiv. 14 the year of liberty is that 
 of the freeing of the bondservant in the seventh year ; and this year v 
 may be meant here. Cf. Is. Ixi. i. Otherwise the year of Jubilee, 
 the fiftieth year, is referred to, when all landed property that had been 
 alienated reverted to its original owner, Lev. xxv. 10, xxvii. 24. 
 
 but his inheritance... them] lit. but (or, only as for) his inheritance, 
 his sons, it shall be theirs, i.e. the portion of his inheritance which the 
 prince may bestow on his sons shall remain theirs, without reverting 
 to the prince [v. 16). LXX., Syr. more clearly : the inheritance of his 
 sons, it shall be theirs. 
 
346 EZEKIEL, XLVI. [vv. 19—23. 
 
 19 After, he brought me through the entry, which was at 
 the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, 
 which looked toward the north : and behold, there was 
 
 20 a place on the two sides westward. Then said he unto me. 
 This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass 
 offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat 
 offering ; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to 
 
 21 sanctify the people. Then he brought me forth into the 
 utter court, and caused me to pass by the four comers of 
 the court; and behold, in every corner of the court there 
 
 22 was a court. In the four corners of the court there were 
 courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad : these 
 
 23 four corners were of one measure. And there was a row of 
 
 19 -24. The kitchens for the priests {vv. 19, 20), and 
 
 PEOPLE (vv. 21 — 24). 
 
 The kitchens for cooking the sin and trespass offering and baking 
 the meal-offering, the holy things to be consumed by the priests (xliv. 
 29), were situated in the inner court at the furthest part of the court 
 westward, to the west of the holy cells (xlii. i — 14), and on both 
 sides of the erection called the "building" (xli. 12, 13) which lay 
 behind the house, Fig. 3, L. The inner court on the west reached 
 back to the boundary wall of the outer court, which on that side was 
 the wall of the inner court, and in the two corners, N. and S., the 
 priests' kitchens were placed. The prophet is brought to those on 
 the N. side ; those on the S. were similar. 
 
 19. through the entry] the entrance way, viz. that mentioned xlii. 9. 
 Since xliv. 4 the prophet had been before the house. The holy 
 chambers are those described, xlii. i — 14. 
 
 a place on the two sides] a place in the innermost part westward ; 
 i.e. at the western extremity of the court. In Fig. 3 the kitchens, LL, 
 should probably be extended back to the wall. 
 
 to sanctify the people] Cf. xliv. 19. 
 
 21 — 24. The kitchens for cooking the sacrificial meals of the people. 
 These were situated in the four corners of the outer court. In each 
 of the four coi^ners was a small enclosure or court 40 cubits long and 
 30 broad (z'. 21, 22); and in these were situated the kitchens, where 
 the "ministers of the house," the subordinate officials (xliv. 10 — 14), 
 boiled the people's offering for their sacrificial meal (v. 23, 24), 
 Fig. 3 M. 
 
 22. courts joined] The term "joined" is obscure, not occurring 
 elsewhere. Possibly : enclosed courts. LXX. appears to have read : 
 small (the words differ in one letter). 
 
 these fonr corners] lit. the foitr of thcni had one measure, they being 
 in the corners. The word in the corners, or, cornered, is deleted in 
 the Heb. tradition by points over it, and not rendered in LXX. and 
 Vulg. 
 
vv. 24—2.] EZEKIEL, XLVI. XLVII. 347 
 
 building round about in them, round about them four, and 
 // was made with boiling places under the rows round 
 about. Then said he unto me, These are the places of 24 
 them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil 
 the sacrifice of the people. 
 
 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the 47 
 house; and behold, waters issued out from under the 
 threshold of the house eastward : for the forefront of the 
 house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from 
 under from the right side of the house, at the south side of 
 the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate 2 
 
 23. The description is brief. The "row" is probably not a series 
 of separate buildings running round the court, but a continuous course 
 of building, in which at the bottom ("under" the row) were recesses 
 in which were the hearths where the pots were set in which the 
 sacrifices were cooked. The hearth usually consisted of some stones 
 within which the fire was put and upon which the pot was set. 
 
 20. The "ministers" are the subordinate officials — the Levites. 
 
 Ch. XLVII. The stream that issued from the temple. 
 
 The chapter contains two parts : — 
 
 (i) vv. I — 12. The stream issuing from the temple, that fertilized 
 the desert and sweetened the waters of the Dead Sea. 
 
 (2) vv. 13 — 23. The boundaries of the holy land ; and the privileges 
 of strangers attaching themselves to the tribes. 
 
 1 — 12. The river issuing from the temple. The prophet saw a 
 stream issuing from beneath the threshold of the house, which pursued 
 its way eastward, passing the altar on the south side and emerging into 
 the open on the right hand of the outer east gate. A thousand cubits 
 from the gate the waters were ankle deep, but speedily they became a 
 river so deep that it could be crossed only by swimming (^'z/. 3 — 5). A 
 luxuriant nature attended the course of the stream; trees grew on every 
 side, ever green and with unfailing fruit, the leaves of which possessed 
 a healing virtue {vv. 7, 12). The desert place to the east became trans- 
 formed, and the bitter waters of the Dead Sea into which the river 
 flowed were made sweet, and swarmed with life like the great sea on 
 the west. Fishermen peopled the shores from En-gedi to En-eglaim ; 
 only the marshes by the seaside remained salt (vv. 6 — 12). 
 
 1. From the outer court (xlvi. 23) the prophet was brought again to 
 the door of the house. There he saw waters issuing from beneath the 
 threshold on the right, that is the south side, which flowed east, pass- 
 ing the altar on the south side. 
 
 2. The eastern gates being shut (xliv. 2, xlvi. i) the prophet is led . 
 out by the N. gate, round to the outer E. gate, at which he beheld the 
 stream emerge into the open at the S. side of the gale. 
 
348 EZEKIEL, XLVII. [w. 3—9. 
 
 northward, and led me about the way without unto the 
 utter gate by the way that looketh ediStward ; and behold, 
 
 3 there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man 
 that had the line in his hand went forth e.2iStward, he 
 measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through 
 
 4 the waters ; the waters were to the ankles. Again he 
 measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters ; 
 the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a 
 thousand, and brought me through ; the waters were to the 
 
 5 loins. Afterward he measured a thousand ; and it was a 
 river that I could not pass over : for the waters were risen, 
 waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. 
 
 6 And he said unto me. Son of man, hast thou seen t/iis ? 
 Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink 
 
 7 of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the 
 bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and 
 
 8 on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue 
 out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, 
 and go into the sea : which being brought forth into the sea, 
 
 9 the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that 
 
 by the way that looketh] wliicli looketh, viz. the gate. 
 
 3. A thousand cubits from the place of emergence the waters were 
 ankle deep. 
 
 4, 5. Successive measurements shewed a depth to the knees, the 
 loins, and finally an impassable river. The vfoxd. rendered "river" is 
 the usual one for "brook" or wady, viz. a stream with its valley or 
 gorge. 
 
 6. to the brink'\ Perhaps : along the brink. River is brook or 
 wady as z/. 5. 
 
 7. Both banks of the Avady, as is everywhere seen, were covered 
 with trees. 
 
 8. The direction of the stream was eastward, towards the region 
 which is desert, and towards the Dead Sea. 
 
 the east country'] lit. circle, or, district, the same word as Galilee 
 (Is. ix. i). Cf. Joshua xxii. 10, 11, "the circuits of the Jordan." 
 
 tmto the desert] the Arabah, what is now called the Ghor, the de- 
 pression of the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea, and southward as far as the 
 gulf of Akaba; Deut. i. i, iii. 17; Josh, xviii. 18. The "sea" into 
 which the waters flow is the Dead Sea. 
 
 brought forth into the sea] The construction is difficult. For "into 
 the sea" LXX. read "the waters. " This would necessitate a further 
 change : into the sea, u7ito the bitter waters, and the waters, &c. ; so 
 Com. after Syr., putrid waters. 
 
vv. lo— 12.] EZEKIEL, XLVII. 349 
 
 every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the 
 rivers shall come, shall live : and there shall be a very great 
 multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither : 
 for they shall be healed ; and every thhig shall live whither 
 the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the 10 
 fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto 
 En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; 
 their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the 
 great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof n 
 and the marishes thereof shall not be healed ; they shall be 
 given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on 12 
 this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, 
 whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be 
 consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his 
 months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: 
 
 9. every thing. . . f/iovetA] every living creature which swarmeth (or, 
 creepeth). The word is used of the smaller animals, particularly the 
 smaller aquatic creatures — these shall come to life and swarm in the 
 waters of the Dead Sea. This sea is entirely destitute of life. 
 
 t/ie rivers shall co7ne\ lit. the two rivers. The dual is difficult to 
 explain; LXX. sing. The representation is different in Zech. xiv. 8, 
 where one stream goes to the Dead Sea and another to the western sea. 
 
 because these waters'] with different interpunction : multitude of fish ; 
 for when these waters come thither they (the waters of the sea) shall 
 be healed and there shall be life, whithersoever the river cometh. 
 
 10. En-gedi, the modern Ain Jidy, kid's well, situated about the 
 middle of the west shore of the Dead Sea. En-eglaim has not been , . 
 identified ; it probably lay N. toward the mouth of the Jordan. It has 
 been supposed to be Ain Feshkah, Robinson ii. 489. The word 
 differs in spelling from Eglaim, Is. xv. 8, which probably lay to the 
 south of the sea. 
 
 11. The marshes around the sea shall not be sweetened, but left as 
 beds for digging salt. The saltness of the Dead Sea is due to the strata 
 of salt rocks which surround it. 
 
 12. according to his months] every Taonth. For issued, issue. The 
 fruit of these trees shall not "be consumed" i.e. fail; it shall renew 
 itself every month, and the leaves shall be ever green and possess a 
 healing virtue. Ps. i. 3; Rev. xxii. 1. 
 
 This beautiful representation of the l^ealing stream, issuing from the - 
 temple and fertilizing the desert as well" as changing the bitter waters 
 of the Dead Sea into sweet, so that they yield abundant sustenance to 
 men, rests on some natural and some spiritual conceptions common in 
 Ezekiel's days. One natural fact was this, that there was a fountain 
 connected with the temple-hill, the waters of which fell into the valley 
 east of the city and made their way towards the sea ; and long ere 
 
350 EZEKIEL, XLVII. [v. 13. 
 
 and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof 
 for medicine. 
 13 Thus saith the Lord God; This shall be the border, 
 whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve 
 
 this time the gentle waters of this brook, that flowed fast by the oracle 
 of God, had furnished symbols to the prophets (Is. viii. 6). Such 
 waters in the east are the source of every blessing to men. The reli- 
 gious conceptions are such as these : that Jehovah himself is the giver 
 
 ( of all blessings to men, and from his presence all blessings flow. He 
 was now present in his fulness and for ever in his temple. Hence the 
 prophet sees the life-giving stream issue from the sanctuary. Another 
 
 y current idea was that in the regeneration of men, when the tabernacle 
 of God was with them, external nature would also be transfigured. 
 Then every good would be enjoyed and there would be no more evil 
 nor curse. The desert would blossom like the rose, and the field that 
 aforetime was thought fruitful should be accounted no better than bush. 
 The barren land toward the east and the bitter waters of the sea were a 
 contradiction to the ideal of an external nature subservient in all her 
 parts to man in the fellowship of God. Therefore the desert shall be 
 fertilized and the waters of the sea healed, and all things minister to 
 man's good. But "good" to the Israelite was not exclusively spiri- 
 tual, it was also material. ' It would be an error to regard this fertiliz- 
 ing, healing stream in the light of a mere symbol for blessings which 
 we call "spiritual." It is well fitted in other connexions to be such a 
 symbol ; but to take it so here would be to overstep the limits of the 
 Old Testament and anticipate a later revelation. As yet the Isra- 
 elite had no conception of a transcendent sphere of existence for men 
 in the fellowship of God, such as we name heaven. Man's final abode 
 even in his perfect state was considered to be still on the earth. God 
 came down and dwelt with men ; men were not translated to abide 
 with God. But God's presence with men on earth gave to earth the 
 attributes of heaven. Yet man's needs remained, and God's presence 
 was the source of all things necessary to supply them. When he had 
 the needful blessings the Israelite saw in them the tokens and the 
 sacraments of God's favour and presence with him ; and conversely 
 when God was near him he was assured that he should want no good 
 thing (Ps. xxxiv. 9). 
 
 13 — 21. The boundaries of the new holy land. 
 
 On the east the boundary shall be the Jordan from Hazar Enon on 
 the north to the salt sea on the south, for in the time of restitution the 
 promised land shall be confined to Palestine west of the Jordan, ac- 
 cording to the oath sworn by God unto the fathers (Gen. xii. 7, xiii. 15, 
 xvii. 8, xxviii. 13). On the west the boundary shall be the Mediterra- 
 nean sea. The boundaries on the N. and S. are particularly defined, 
 the towns being mentioned by which they run, but the places named 
 are mostly unknown. The boundaries are in the main the same as 
 those laid down in Num. xxxiv. 
 
vv. 14—16.] EZEKIEL, XLVII. 351 
 
 tribes of Israel : Joseph shall have two portions. And ye 
 shall inherit it, one as well as another : co?icerning the which 
 I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers : and this 
 land shall fall unto you for inheritance. And this shall 
 be the border of the land toward the north side, from the 
 great sea, the way of Hethlon, as me?i go to Zedad ; Hamath, 
 
 13. The tribe of Joseph, being composed of two great families, shall 
 have "portions," i.e. two lots (perhaps dual should be read). There 
 still remained twelve tribes, therefore, even when Levi was provided for 
 by the sacred Terumah or oblation. 
 
 15. The northern border. The two ends of the line of delimitation 
 on the N. are the great sea on the west and Hazar Enon on the east. 
 The line passes from west to east, bending, towards its termination at 
 least, towards S.E. In its way it skirts the territory of Hamath and 
 that of Damascus. 
 
 as men go to Zedad'\ In v. 20 and xlviii. i the reading is "as one 
 goeth to Hamath," a frequent phrase, sometimes rendered "the entering 
 into Hamath" (Josh. xiii. 5), or "the entering in of Hamath" (Jud. iii. 3 ; 
 I K. viii. 65), or "the entrance of Hamath" (Numb, xxxiv. 8). In 
 I K. viii. 65 the phrase seems to mean the southern boundary of 
 Hamath. Unfortunately the point on the western sea from which the 
 line starts is not specified, as the situation of Hethlon is unknown. 
 The entrance to Hamath must be either the mouth of the Buka', the 
 great plain between the Libanus on the W. and the Anti-libanus on the 
 E., by which one goes N. to Hamath, or it must be the plain between 
 the North end of the Libanus and the Nusairlyeh mountains, opening 
 from the sea and running east. This would throw the boundary-line 
 north of Tripoli, and south of Arvad. In Josh. xiii. 5, the land of the 
 Giblites, i.e. Gebal (Byblus) to the N. of Beirut, is regarded as part of 
 Israel's possession. In Numb, xxxiv. 8, where the northern boundary 
 is described, the reading is the "entrance of Hamath," Zedad being 
 mentioned afterwards. Except in i Chron. v. 9 the phrase is only used 
 of Hamath. Following xlviii. i, and Numb, xxxiv. 8, the place of 
 Zedad and Hamath may be changed, as LXX. also seems to have read 
 Hamath before Zedad. — 15 "And this shall be the boundary of the land : 
 on the N. side, from the great sea by the way of Hethlon, where the 
 way goeth unto Hamath, by Zedad, 16 Berothah, Sibraim, which is 
 between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath, even unto 
 Hazar-hattikon, which is by the border of Hauran." If we could sup- 
 pose the entry to Hamath not the southern one by the plain of Ccele 
 Syria, but the western one from the sea to the N. of Tripoli, Hethlon 
 might be the modern Heitela (Robinson's Map, 1852). Zedad has been 
 supposed to be Sadad, S. of Emesa (Homs) and not far from Riblah. 
 With Berotha, cf. Berothai, 2 Sam. viii. 8. In Numb, xxxiv. 9 Ziphran 
 seems to occupy the place of Sibraim here. In Numb, the line appears 
 to run E. as far as Zedad, and then to change its direction to the S. till 
 it ends at Hazar Enan. 
 
352 EZEKIEL, XLVII. [w. 17, 18. 
 
 Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus 
 and the border of Hamath ; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the 
 
 17 coast of Hauran. And the border from the sea shall be 
 Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north north- 
 ward, and the border of Hamath. And f/ii's is the north 
 
 18 side. And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and 
 from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of 
 
 17. The verse repeats and sums up vv. 15, 16, with special reference 
 to the countries lying on the N. of the northern border of Israel. In 
 z^. 17 Hazar Enon is named as the extremity of the Northern boundary, 
 mv. 16 Hazar hattikon (the middle Hazar). The places must be iden- 
 tical, whether hattikon be a misreading or not. LXX. reads Saunan, 
 Cod. Alex. Eunan, and in xlviii. i, Numb, xxxiv. 9, Enon here is spelled 
 Enan. In v. 16 the place is said to be on the border of Hauran. K 17 
 may read : "and so the border shall be from the sea to Hazar Enon on 
 the border of Damascus, and north northwards the border of Hamath : 
 this is the north side " (reading this as z/. 20 and possibly with omission 
 of and before "border of Hamath," words wanting in LXX.). The 
 boundary is first stated generally as going from the sea to Hazar Enan, 
 and then in the contrary direction north, Hamath being the country to 
 the N. It is not certain that Hauran is the district now so called, but 
 it is probable. Wetzstein (Del. Psalms iii. 439, Eaton's Trans.), identi- 
 fies the village of Hadar at the East foot of Hermon with Hazar Enan. 
 In all likelihood the end of the boundary line is hereabouts ; in Deut. 
 iii. 8 Hermon is the northernmost point of conquest, and Ezek. would 
 probably follow this. The northern boundaiy followed an easterly 
 course from the sea, Hamath lying on the N., then a southerly course 
 having Damascus on the E., till it terminated at Hazar Enon between 
 Damascus and Hauran. But at what point of the sea it started, and in 
 what latitude the line to the east ran is obscure. The identifications 
 of Hethlon with Heitela and of Zedad with Sadad would give the lati- 
 tude of Emesa (Homs), which is very far north; see Porter, Five Years 
 in Damascus, II. 354 seq. and map. More likely the prophet fancied 
 the starting-point on the W. to be about Tyre. 
 
 18. The eastern border, 
 
 \nv. \6 the eastmost point of the north border was said to be Hazar 
 Enon on the border of Hauran. The E. boundary will therefore start 
 from this point. The verse may read: "and the east side: from be- 
 tween Hauran and Damascus, between Gilead and the land of Israel 
 shall be the Jordan, from the (north) boundary to the eastern sea, even 
 unto Tamar; this is the east side." The line starts from Hazar Enon, 
 a place lying where Damascus and Hauran adjoin one another (v. 16). 
 Instead of Hazar Enon, however, the point of contact between Damas- 
 cus and Hauran is named as the starting-point (for the last two tatiibben 
 read ben and uben). From this point the line runs south; its course is 
 the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel. The order Hauran, 
 Damascus, Gilead is entirely incomprehensible (for Hauran lay S. of 
 
vv. 19— 23; I.] EZEKIEL, XLVII, XLVIII. 353 
 
 Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And 
 this is the east side. And the south side southward, from 19 
 Tamar even to the waters of strife i7i Kadesh, the river to 
 the great sea. And this is the south side southward. The 20 
 west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till 
 a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side. 
 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes 21 
 of Israel. 
 
 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for 22 
 an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn 
 among you, which shall beget children among you : and they 
 shall be unto you as born in the country among the 
 children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you 
 among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, 23 
 that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye 
 give Jiini his inheritance, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north 48 
 end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as ojie goeth to 
 
 Damascus) if R.V. be followed. The phrase "ye shall measure" is no 
 doubt a misspelling for "unto Tamar" (LXX. Syr., i/ for r), from which 
 the southern border starts in v. 19. Tamar probably lay S. of the Dead 
 Sea. The Onomasticon (Ed. Lagarde, p. 85) says: one day's journey 
 from Mampsis as you go to Aelia (?Elath) from Hebron. Robinson 
 identifies Mampsis with Malatha, in his view el Milh. 
 
 19. The southern boundary. Read: "and the southside southward: 
 from Tamar on to the waters of Meriboth-Kadesh, to the brook (of 
 Egypt), and unto the great sea; this is the south side southward." 
 The delimitation on the S. is more fully described Numb, xxxiv. 3 — 5; 
 Josh. XV. 1—4. There Kadesh is called Kadesh-Barnea, here Meri- 
 both Kadesh (elsewhere Meribah), i.e. waters c/^/rz/^ of Kadesh, Numb, 
 xxvii. 14. The brook of Egypt is the Wady el Arish. The line striking 
 this brook follows its course to the sea. 
 
 20. The western boundary — "and the west side: the great sea, 
 from the (south) border as far as over against where one goeth unto 
 Hamath; this is the west side." 
 
 21—23. The land so bounded shall be divided equally among the 
 tribes; and strangers sojourning in Israel shall inherit just as those born 
 in the land. The stranger shall have his inheritance among the mem- 
 bers of the tribe in which he sojourns. 
 
 Ch. XLVIII. The disposition of the tribes in the land. 
 
 (i) vv. I — 7. The tribes north of the sacred oblation of land. 
 (2) vv. 8 — 22. The oblation in its various divisions: for the priests, 
 the Levites, the city and the prince. 
 
 EZEKIEL 23 
 
354 EZEKIEL, XLVIII. [w. 2—4. 
 
 Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, 
 to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and 
 
 2 west j a portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from 
 
 3 the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And 
 by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the 
 
 4 west side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of 
 NaphtaH, from the east side unto the west side, a 
 
 (3) vv. 11 — 29. The tribes situated south of the oblation. 
 
 (4) vv, ■^o — 35. The gates of the city. 
 
 All the tribes are now settled on the West of the Jordan. The land 
 is divided into zones running from E. to W. of the country, one of which 
 falls to the lot of each tribe. The dimensions of the zone are not men- 
 tioned, neither is there any indication whether the greater or less breadth 
 of the country from the Jordan to the sea was taken into account. The 
 oblation of land given to the priests and Levites lay not strictly in the 
 middle of the country, but in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and there- 
 fore more toward the south ; hence seven tribes are located to th^orth 
 of the oblation and five to the south of it. Of the tribes beyond Jordan 
 the half of Manasseh is now united with the other half, fomiing one 
 tribe, and receiving one portion; while Gad and Reuben are provided 
 with new settlements, the former in the extreme south, and the latter in 
 the northern half of the country. Judah and Benjamin change places, 
 the former lying to the north of the oblation and the city, and the latter 
 to the south. In other respects the position of the tribes remains 
 nearly what it was, except that Issachar and Zebulun have to be pro- 
 vided for in the south. It is perhaps accidental that the children of 
 Leah and Rachel occupy the centre, while the sons of the handmaids 
 are placed at the extremities. 
 
 1 — 7. The tribes to the north of the sacred oblation, 
 
 1. Dan on the furthest north. The verse as it stands has probably 
 some confusion of text. It may read : *' now these are the names of the 
 tribes : on the furthest north, along side of the way to Hethlon, as one 
 goeth to Hamath, as far as Hazar Enan on the border of Damascus, 
 even on the north along side of (the land of) Hamath — he shall have 
 the east side (and) the west side : Dan one (portion)." First the 
 boundary line W. to E. is specified from the sea to Hazar Enan (xlvii. 
 16, 17), and then is mentioned the country bounding the portion on the 
 north, viz. Hamath. The he in "he shall have" is Dan, already in the 
 writer's mind. We might have expected "he shall have the east side 
 even unto the west side," or from the east side, &c., as in the following 
 verses. The former in LXX. 
 
 2 — 7. After Dan in the furthest North bordering on the land of 
 Hamath comes Asher {v. 2), Naphtali {v. 3), the whole reunited tribe 
 of Manasseh [v. 4), Ephraim {v. 5), Reuben transferred from the other 
 side of the Jordan {v. 6), and finally Judah {v. 7). 
 
 2. a portion for Asher"] Asher one portion. And so in each of the 
 following verses. 
 
Dan 
 
 Asher 
 
 Naphtali 
 
 Manasseh 
 
 Ephraim 
 
 Reuben 
 
 Judah 
 
 
 Domain of Levites 
 
 
 Prince's 
 portion 
 
 Si □ Sanctuary 
 
 Prince's 
 portion 
 
 
 City land City City land 
 
 
 Benjamin 
 
 Simeon 
 
 Issachar 
 
 Zebulun 
 
 Gad 
 
 23—2 
 
356 EZEKIEL, XLVIII. [vv. 5—10. 
 
 h portion for Manasseh. And by the border of Manasseh, 
 from the east side unto the west side, a portion for 
 
 6 Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the 
 east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. 
 
 7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the 
 west side, d. portion for ^w^zh. 
 
 8 And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the 
 west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five 
 and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one 
 of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side : 
 
 9 and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. The 
 oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be of five 
 and twenty thousand iti length, and of ten thousand in 
 
 10 breadth. And for them, even for the priests, shall be this 
 holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand 
 /;/ length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth^ and 
 toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the 
 
 8 — 22. The oblation or Terumah in the centre of the country. This 
 oblation is a tract of 25,000 cubits broad, N. to S., and in length equal 
 to the portions of the tribes E. to W. This oblation is first specified in 
 its whole extent (jv. 8); then the portion of it to be assigned to the 
 priests is described {vv. 9 — 12) ; then the portion of the Levites {vv. 13, 
 14); then the part of the oblation belonging to the city {vv. 15 — 20); 
 and finally the portion of the oblation which shall constitute the inherit- 
 ance of the prince {vv. 21, 22). 
 
 8. the oj^enng... reeds in breadth'\ The oblation (xlv. i).. .cubits in 
 breadth, i.e. N. to S. This is the breadth of the whole part subtracted 
 from the territory of the country, and devoted to the priests, the Levites, 
 the city and the prince. In length it goes from the Jordan to the sea, 
 just "as one of the other parts," i.e. the portions of the tribes. The 
 sanctuary shall be situated in the centre of this oblation, viz. in the 
 portion assigned to the priests — that assigned to the Levites being on 
 the north and that assigned to the city on the south. 
 
 9 — 12. The domain assigned to the priests. This is mentioned 
 first, not because it actually borders on Judah — the Levites border on 
 Judah — but because it is most important. 
 
 9. ten thotisand in breadth] LXX. twenty thousand. This reading 
 assumes that v. 9 refers to the portion assigned to priests and Levites 
 together. So z'. 13 end. The length E. to W. is 25,000, because the 
 prince's domain lies between it and the Jordan on the one side, and 
 between it and the sea on the other. 
 
 10. And for them . . .priests] And for these shall be the holy oblation, 
 even for the priests: on the north... and on the west... and on the 
 east... and on the south. 
 
vv. II— 17.] EZEKIEL, XLVIII. 357 
 
 south five and twenty thousand m length : and the sanctuary 
 of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof. // shall be for n 
 the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok ; which 
 have kept my charge, which went not astray when the 
 children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. 
 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto 12 
 them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. And 13 
 over against the border of the priests, the Levites shall have 
 five and twenty thousand i?i length, and ten thousand in 
 breadth : all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, 
 and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, 14 
 neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land : for 
 it is holy unto the Lord. 
 
 And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over 15 
 against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane 
 place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs : and the 
 city shall be in the midst thereof And these shall be the 16 
 measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five 
 hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, 
 and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and 
 the west side four thousand and five hundred. And the 17 
 suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred 
 
 11. that are sanctified of the sons] Lit. the priests, the sanctified 
 thing, from the sons. Possibly the words should be divided differently : 
 it shall be for the priests that are sanctified, the sons of Zadok. On the 
 erring of the Levites, of, xliv. 10. 
 
 12. Read : And it shall t»e to them as an oblation out of the obla- 
 tion of the land, a thing most holy, by, &c. Cf. xlv. 3 seq. 
 
 13. The portion of the oblation of land assigned to the Levites. — 
 The portion of the Levites is of the same extent as that of the priests, 
 ■25,000 long (E. to W.) by 10,000 broad (N. to S.). It runs "over 
 against," i.e. along side of the priests' domain, and lies to the north of 
 it. 
 
 14. Seems to apply to the united domain of priests and Levites. 
 
 the firstfruits] Possibly : this first-fruits, or, best — the term being 
 applied to the holy oblation in distinction from the rest of the land. 
 
 15 — 20. The portion of the oblation assignable to the city. — The 
 remaining 5000 in breadth (N. to S.) shall belong to the city, with the 
 same length as the portions of the priests and Levites, viz. 25,000, as it 
 is said "over against (i.e. in length) the 25,000." On " suburbs," cf. xlv. 
 ■2 — they are the free place round the city. 
 
 16. The city shall be a square of 4500 cubits. 
 
 17. The "suburbs" or free space round the city shall be 250 cubits 
 on all the four sides. Adding the 250 on the N. and on the S. of the 
 
358 EZEKIEL, XLVIII. [vv. 18—21. 
 
 and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and 
 toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west 
 
 18 two hundred and fifty. And the residue in length over 
 against the oblation of the ho\y portion shall be ten thousand 
 eastward, and ten thousand westward : and it shall be over 
 against the oblation of the holy portiofi ; and the increase 
 
 19 thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. And 
 they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of 
 
 20 Israel. All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand 
 by five and twenty thousand : ye shall offer the holy 
 
 21 oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city. And 
 
 city to the 4500 it appears that the whole breadth of the 5000 assigned 
 to the city was occupied by it and its suburbs from N. to S. 
 
 18. As the city with its suburbs was a square of 5000 cubits, there 
 remained of the 25,000 in length assigned to it a portion 10,000 long on 
 the E. and another equally long on the W. In their length these por- 
 tions lay "over against," i.e. along, the holy portion of the priests. 
 
 that serve the city] The words are very difficult. It is plain that 
 the 10,000 cubits of land E. and W. of the city serve to supply the 
 inhabitants of the city with food. The restored land is a land of hus- 
 bandmen, and those who dwell in the city live from the city's domain. 
 Either "serve" or "cultivate," must be taken in the sense of inhabit 
 and the words be read: for food to them that inhabit the city, 19 and 
 they that inhabit the city &c. ; though such a usage has no parallel. 
 Or, the word " city" must be taken in a general sense of the city and 
 its domain of land: for food to the tillers of the city, 19 a7id they that 
 till the city &c. 
 
 19. that serve the city] Those who render inhabit (Hitz.) consider 
 that the verse states directly who the inhabitants of the city shall be : 
 "and as for the inhabitants of the city, they shall inhabit it (reading 
 
 fe77i.) out of all the tribes of Israel." On the other supposition: "and 
 they that till the city shall till it (the domain of land) out of all the 
 tribes of Israel." This rendering also states, though indirectly, that 
 the city shall be common to all the tribes of Israel, and that whoever 
 comes to sojourn there shall live by the land belonging to the city. 
 However the words be translated there is no ref. to two classes of 
 persons — citizens and labourers. 
 
 20. The verse means that the holy oblation when the possession 
 of the city is included forms a square of 25,000 by 25,000. 
 
 21. 22, The domain of the prince. The domain of the Levites, 
 priests and city formed a square of 25,000 cubits in the heart of the 
 country. The portion of the prince shall be the land from the E. of 
 this square to the Jordan, and from the W. of it to the sea. The " five 
 and twenty thousand" here is the breadth N. to S. ; the prince's 
 domain shall be of the same breadth and be "over against" the square 
 on the E. and W. 
 
vv. 22— 28.] EZEKIEL, XLVIII. 359 
 
 the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on 
 the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the 
 city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the 
 oblation toward the east border, and westward over against 
 the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over 
 against the portions for the prince : and it shall be the holy 
 oblation ; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the 
 midst thereof Moreover from the possession of the Levites, 22 
 and from the possession of the city, beitig in the midst of 
 that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and 
 the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. 
 
 As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the 23 
 west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the 24 
 border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, 
 Simeon shall have d. portion. And by the border of Simeon, 25 
 from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. 
 And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the 26 
 west side, Zebulun a portion. And by the border of 27 
 Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side. Gad a 
 portion. And by the border of Gad, at the south side 28 
 
 over against the portions^ Or, by the side of the portions, it shall 
 be for the prince ; and the holy oblation, and the sanctuary of the 
 house shall be in the midst thereof. The "portions" here are those 
 of the tribes, which run from the Jordan to the sea ; the prince's 
 domain shall run alongside of them, i.e. Judah's on the N. and Benja- 
 min's on the S. And the holy oblation lies between the two halves of 
 the prince's domain. 
 
 22. Moreover from the possession] And from. The verse gives again 
 the breadth of the prince's possession, by stating the two limits N. (the 
 Levites) and wS. (the city) of the central oblation. All the land lying 
 between these limits, in other words between the tribes of Judah and 
 Benjamin, shall belong to the prince. 
 
 being in the midst] i.e. lying between the two halves of the prince's 
 portion. 
 
 23—29. The tribes lying south of the oblation. 
 
 First, Benjamin, which changes places with Judah, and bounds the 
 oblation on the south {v. 23). The two tribes that formed the ancient 
 kingdom of Judah still have the prerogative of lying nearest the sanc- 
 tuary. Then Simeon, formerly located in the south {v. 24). Then 
 successively Issachar [v. 25), Zebulun {v. 26), and finally Gad [v. 27). 
 The two former are brought down from the north, and Gad from 
 beyond the Jordan. 
 
36o EZEKIEL, XLVIII. [vv. 29—35. 
 
 southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the 
 waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great 
 
 29 sea. This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the 
 tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 30 And these are the goings out of the city : on the north 
 
 31 side, four thousand and five hundred measures. And the 
 gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of 
 Israel : three gates northward ; one gate of Reuben, one 
 
 32 gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side four 
 thousand and five hundred : and three gates ; and one gate 
 
 33 of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at 
 the south side four thousand and five hundred measures : 
 and three gates ; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, 
 
 34 one gate of Zebulun. At the west side four thousand and 
 five hundred, with their three gates ; one gate of Gad, one 
 
 35 gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about 
 
 28. The southern border is again given as stated in xlvii. 19. 
 and to the river\ to the brook (of Egypt), unto tlie great sea. Cf. 
 xlvii. 19. 
 
 30—35. The city with its twelve gates, named after the 
 TRIBES. Cf. Rev. xxi. 12 seq. 
 
 30. goings out of the city\ i.e. the extensions on all sides. 
 meastires\ in measure, i.e. extent. The 4500 are naturally cubits. 
 
 The city lies foursquare, each side being 4500. But on each side is 
 a free place of 250 cubits, so that the city forms a square of 5000 
 cubits. 
 
 31. The measurement proceeds from W. to E. The gate Reuben 
 was thus the westmost on the north of the city; Judah in the centre 
 and Levi towards the east. 
 
 32. Of the three gates on the east side Benjamin's was in the centre, 
 Joseph's to the north and Dan's to the south. 
 
 33. Those on the south were Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun, tribes 
 now all located in the south of the country. For " measures," in mea- 
 sure or extent. 
 
 34. The gates on the west were those of Gad, Asher and Naph- 
 tali. 
 
 35. The whole circumference of the city was 18,000 cubits, or some- 
 what under six miles. Josephus {Bell. Jud. V. 4, 3) reckoned the 
 bounds of Jerusalem in his day at 33 stadia, or about four miles. For 
 measures, cubits. 
 
V. 35.] EZEKIEL, XLVIII. 361 
 
 eighteen thousand measures : and the name of the city from 
 that day shall be, The Lord is there. 
 
 The Lord is there\ Cf. Rev. xxi. 3, "And I heard a great voice out 
 of the throne saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and 
 he shall dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God him- 
 self shall be with them and be their God. " The prophet beheld the 
 Lord forsake his temple (xi.), and he beheld him again enter it (xliii.) ; 
 now he abides in it among his people for ever. The covenant ran that 
 he should be their God and they his people ; this is perfectly fulfilled 
 in his presence among them. The end in view from the beginning has 
 been reached. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abarim, valley of, 283 
 
 Abraham, 245 
 
 Adonis, meaning of name, 58 ; worship 
 of, 58, 193 
 
 Ahnighty, 11 
 
 allegory, of the crocodile, 211; of the 
 cedar-tree, 222, 223; of the shepherd 
 and flock, 248, 249 ; of the foundling 
 child, loi ; of the history of Israel, 
 105 ; of the lions, 134, 135 ; of the rusted 
 caldron, 174; of the fall of Tyre, -200; 
 of the prince of Tyre, 204 
 
 altar, gate of, 55 ; the brazen, 62 ; of burnt 
 offering, description of, 325 — 327 
 
 amber, 4 
 
 Ammon, prophecy of Ezekiel against, 
 158, 180 
 
 Amorites, the, 102 
 
 annexe of the Temple, 307 
 
 apparel, rich, 199 
 
 Arabs, 183 
 
 arrows, 156; divination by, 156 
 
 Asher, portion of the tribe of, 354 
 
 Ashera, the, 54 
 
 Asshur, igg, 234 
 
 Assurbanipal, inscriptions of, 198 
 
 Assyria, alliances of Israel with, 108 ; 
 intrigues of Samaria with, 166; infi- 
 delities of Judah with, 167 
 
 Astarte, worship of, 193 
 
 atonement, 117 
 
 authors referred to, Iv 
 
 Baal, worship of, 143 
 
 Babylon, 72, 80, 96, 119, 147: infidelities 
 
 of Judah with, 167 
 badger's skin, 104 
 baldness, 216; a sign of mourning, 49, 
 
 334, 335 
 balm, 197 
 
 barber's razor, symbol of, 36 
 Bashan, 285 
 bath=tenth of a homer, 340 
 
 battering-rams, 29, 156, 1S7 
 
 beasts, definition of term, 56 
 
 Beirut, 351 
 
 Beltis = Astarte, 193 
 
 Benjamin, portion of the tribe of, 359 
 
 beryl, 8, 67, 207 
 
 Beth-Jeshimoth, 183 
 
 Beth-meon, 183 
 
 birth, loi 
 
 block-gods, XX, 5, 42, 56 
 
 blood, 97, 104, 261 
 
 Blumenlese of Dukes, quoted, 46 
 
 bond, 148 _ 
 
 bones, vision of the valley of, 267 ; ex- 
 planation of the vision, 269 
 
 bosom of the altar, 325 
 
 brazen altar, the, 62 
 
 breath = principle of life, 268 
 
 brier, 209 
 
 broken, 43 
 
 bulls, winged, in Assyrian temples, 67 
 
 burden, 79 
 
 burial, 204 
 
 buriers, 284 
 
 burnt-ofiferings, liv; details of, 327; de- 
 scription of altar of, 325 — 7 
 
 Buzi, father of Ezekiel, xvii 
 
 Byblos, centre of Adonis worship, 58 
 
 byssus, the, 104, 192, 197 
 
 caldron, 71 ; allegory of, 174 
 
 Calvin quoted, xxix 
 
 camels, 200 
 
 Canaan, land of, loi 
 
 Canneh = Caenae, 199 
 
 Cappadocia, 196 
 
 captains and rulers, 167, 169 
 
 carbuncle, 207 
 
 carrion, 34 
 
 cedar-tree, Pharaoh compared to a, 222, 
 
 223 ; allegory of, 222, 223 
 ceremonial, 291 
 chains, 51 
 
364 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Chaldea, alliances of Israel with, 108, 
 
 no; duration of the supremacy of, 214, 
 
 215, 274, 275 
 Chaldean robbers, 51 
 chambers for the priests in the Temple, 
 
 315, 316 _ 
 chambers of imagery, 57 
 chariots, 285, 323 
 chastening rod, 152 
 Chebar, river of, xx, i, 2, 24 
 Chemosh, 256 
 Cherethites, the^ 184 
 cherubim, description of, 65 ; derivation 
 
 of v/ord, 69 ; faces of, 67 ; vision of, 
 
 xxix, 65 — 69 
 chests, 199 
 
 child, allegory of the foundling, 101 
 child of man, xxv, xlii, 15, 292 
 children, sacrifice of, 107, 144, 171 
 Chilmad, 199 
 Chittirn = Cyprus, 192 
 Cleopatra's needle, 220 
 cor = homer, 340 
 
 cords, an article of commerce, 199 
 conduits, 224 
 
 courts of the Temple, plan of, 299 
 covenant of peace, 252, 272 
 Creatures, the four living, 5 
 crocodile, allegory of the, 211 
 crown of glory, 104 
 Cush, situation of, 214 
 cypresses= fir-trees of Senir, 191 
 
 daily offering, directions concerning, 
 
 344, 345 
 Damascus, 351, 352 
 Dan, tribe of, portion of, 354 
 Daniel, 96, 203 
 David, xxxvi, 248, 251, 272 
 dawn, 46 
 
 day of the Lord, 83, 217, 218 
 Dead Sea, the, 347, 348, 349 
 Dedan, 184, 196 
 detestable things, 75 
 diadem, 157 
 diamond, 207 
 dirge, on the downfall of Jerusalem, 45 ; 
 
 on the princes of Judah, 134 ; on the 
 
 downfall of Tyre, 185, 186, 191 ; on the 
 
 fall of Egypt, 231 
 dissolution of the kingdom, picture of, 48 
 divination, 83; by arrows, 156 
 door, 185; of the inner gate, 54, 314 
 door-posts of the Temple, 314 
 dough, 336 
 drink offerings, 145 
 dry bones, vision of the, xxix ; 267 
 Dukes quoted, 46 
 dumbness, 27, 28 
 dyed attire, 167 
 
 eagle, riddle of the great, 119 
 earthquakes, accompany the revelation 
 of Jehovah, 280 
 
 ebony, 196 
 
 ecclesiastical year, 292 
 
 Eden, 227 
 
 Edessa, 198 
 
 Edom, prophecy of Ezekiel against, 183 ; 
 relations to Israel, 183 ; threat against, 
 254 
 
 Egypt, alliances of Israel with, 108 ; 
 idolatry of, 109 ; infidelities of Judah 
 with, 167 ; prophecy against, 210 ; 
 dirge on the fall of, 231 
 
 Elam, 234 
 
 elders, xx, xxii — iii, 57,63,92; of Judah, 
 53 ; idolatry of, 55 
 
 Elisha, isles of, 192 
 
 emerald, 207 
 
 En-gedi, 347 = Ain Jidy, 349 
 
 engines of war, 187 
 
 En-eglaim, 347, 349 
 
 ephah, 339 
 
 Ephraim, portion of the tribe of, 354 
 
 Ethiopia, 274 
 
 evil counsel, 71 
 
 Ewald quoted, xxvii 
 
 eyes, practice of painting, 171 
 
 Ezekiel, general characteristics of Book 
 of, ix ; themes of, ix ; divisions of, ix — 
 xvi ; descent of, xvii ; supposed de- 
 scendant of Jeremiah, xvii; date of 
 prophecies of, xvii ; style of, xxv ; tra- 
 dition of the death of, xxx ; his con- 
 ception of Jehovah, xxxi — ii ; compared 
 with Jeremiah, xliv ; attitude towards 
 Israel, xliv; points of contact with 
 ritual Law, liii ; meaning of the name, 
 3 ; trance of, 53 ; prophecies against 
 the nations, 178, 179; against Moab, 
 182; against Edom, 183; against Am- 
 mon, 158, 180 ; prophecy against Tyre, 
 185 ; parallelisms between S. Paul and, 
 266 
 
 false prophets, xxi, 85 
 
 fear, 9 
 
 feasts, of passover, 340; of weeks, or 
 
 pentecost, 340; of tabernacles, 340 
 feet, of the four living creatures, 5 
 fire, 4, 37, 53, 208, 219; passing through 
 
 the, 108, 143 
 firmament, the, 10, 65 
 first-fruits, 148, 356 
 food, unclean, 34 
 foolish prophets, 85 
 forts, 29, 187, 246 
 foundling-child, allegory of, loi 
 foxes, 86 
 free-will offering, directions concerning, 
 
 344 
 full end, a, 74 
 
 Gabbatha= raised pavement, 309 
 Gad, portion of the tribe of, 358 
 gallery in the Temple, 316, 317 
 Gammadims, the, 194 
 
INDEX. 
 
 365 
 
 gate, of the altar, 55; the upper, 61 
 gates of the Temple, named after the 
 
 twelve tribes, 360 
 Gebal, centre of Adonis worship, 58, 193 
 Geiger, quoted, xxx 
 gerah, 339 
 girdles, 167 
 glory of the Lord, 21, 55, 60, 64, 68, 322, 
 
 330 ; glory, crown of, 104 
 God, meaning of word, xxxix ; visions of, 
 
 xxxi, I, 3, 12—14, 54, 59 . . 
 Gog, prince of Rosh, 274; uivasion and 
 
 destruction of, 275; armies of, 277; 
 
 burial-place of, 283 
 Guadalquiver, the, 195 
 guard-rooms of the Temple, 294, 300 
 
 Ham.ath, 351 
 
 Hamonah, city of, 285 
 
 Hamon-Gog, valley of, 284, 285 
 
 Hananiah ben Hezekiah, xxxi 
 
 handstaves, 283 
 
 Hauran, 352 
 
 Hazar-enan, 350, 351 
 
 healing stream, 347 
 
 hearts nature, 263 
 
 hearth of God, 325 
 
 heathen, 15, 51, 218, 258; permitted in 
 
 the Temple, 331 
 Helbon, wine of, 197; =Chalbiln, 197 
 Heliopolis, 220 
 
 Hermon, meaning of name, 192 
 Hethlon, 351 
 
 Hezekiah, reforms of, 333 
 high places, 41, 108, 112, 118, 127, 257 
 hin, 33 
 
 Hittites, the, 102 
 Hitzig quoted, 21 
 hole, 56 
 
 Holy of holies, measurements of, 306 
 Holy land, boundaries of the new, 350, 
 
 351 . 
 
 holy, meaning of word, xxxix ; sense in 
 
 which used, 273, 279 
 holy place, measurements of, 305, 306 
 homer, 339 
 honey, 197 
 hooks, 212, 303 
 
 horn, the symbol of power, 216 
 horses, 196 
 
 house, 63; = Temple buildings, 304, 309 
 human sacrifices, 107, 144, 171 
 
 idolatry, of the elders, 55 ; of Israel, 105, 
 
 107; of Egypt, 109 
 idols, XXV, 42, 56, 75, 92, 219, 332 
 imagery, chambers of, 57 
 images, of men, 107 
 inner-gate, of the Temple, 297, 342 
 interior of the Temple, description of, 
 
 312—314 
 isles, 189; of Elishah, 192 
 Israel, sin of, xlviii; necessity for de- 
 
 struction of, 76; idolatry of, 105, 108, 
 
 109, no 
 Issachar, portion of the tribe of, 358 
 Ithobal, ii, 202 
 ivory, 196 
 
 Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan, leader of the 
 elders, 57 
 
 Jacob, 272 
 
 Javan = Ionia, 195 
 
 jealousy, 40, 54, i6g, 258 
 
 Jehoahaz, xviii; captivity of, 134, 135 
 
 Jehoiachin, xviii, xxii, 2; captivity of, 
 135 
 
 Jehovah, 16; Ezekiel's conception of, 
 xxxi — ii, 55; attributes of, xxxiii; wor- 
 ship of, in Egypt, 139; life-giving spirit 
 of, 269 ; earthquakes accompany the 
 presence of, 280; voice of, 322; His 
 entry into the Temple, 322, 323 
 
 Jehu, 256 
 
 Jeremiah, supposed descent of Ezekiel 
 from, xvii; influence of, on character 
 of Ezekiel, xix; compared with Eze- 
 kiel, xliv 
 
 Jerome, quoted, 7, 11, 107 
 
 Jerusalem, capture of, xx; attitude of 
 Ezekiel toward, xlv, xlvi ; symbolical 
 siege of, 29; judgment on, 40; vision 
 of fall of, 52; compared to the vine, 
 100 ; further predictions regarding fall 
 of, 137 
 
 Jewish history, its influence on Ezekiel's 
 character, xviii 
 
 Job, 96 
 
 Joseph, tribe of, portion of, 351 
 
 Josephus quoted, xvii, xxx 
 
 Josiah, xviii 
 
 jubilee year, 345 
 
 Judah, dirge on the princes of, 134; por- 
 tion of the tribe of, 359 
 
 Kedar, people of, 198; flocks of, 198 
 
 keepers of the gate, 331 
 
 kerchiefs, 90 
 
 Kinah, or Lament, xxv 
 
 kindred, 73 
 
 kings, burial of, in the Temple, 324 
 
 Kirjathaim = El Kureyat, 183 
 
 kitchens in the temple for the priests and 
 
 people, 346, 347 
 Klostermann, quoted, xxvm 
 knees, weakness of, 49 
 Kuenen, quoted, xxxvii 
 
 Lament, or Kinah, xxv 
 
 lands, allotted to the priests, 336 
 
 Law, the ritual, points of contact between 
 
 Ezekiel and, liii 
 Lebanon, 120, 226, 227 ; cedars of, 223, 
 
 224 
 Levites, 329, 347 ; ordinances concern- 
 ing, 331; portion of the, 357 
 lions, allegory of the, 134, 135 
 
366 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Lord, xxxii 
 Lud, site of, 193 
 Luzzatto quoted, 21 
 
 Magog, country of, 275 
 
 Manasseh, 333 ; portion of the tribe of, 
 
 354 r ,. ■ ^- ■ 
 
 marriages of the priests, directions as to, 
 
 334 
 
 Mattaniah, son of Josiah, 120 
 
 Matthes, J. C, quoted, xxxvi 
 
 meal-offering, 320; directions concern- 
 ing, 344 
 
 measurements, of the Temple, 295, 296 
 
 measures = appearance, 313, 320, 324 
 
 Memphis, situation of, 220 
 
 men of the east, 159 
 
 mercenaries of Tyre, 193 ; of Egypt, 218 
 
 merchandise, 196 
 
 Meshech, 235 
 
 Messiah, the, prophecy concerning, 158, 
 252 
 
 Messianic kingdom, promise of, 123, 157 
 
 Migdol, 213, 219; situation of, 213 
 
 Milton quoted, 58 
 
 ministers = Levites, 347 
 
 Minnith, 197 
 
 Moab, prophecy of Ezekiel against, 182 
 
 Molech, worship of, 143 
 
 money-weight, table of, 339 
 
 morning, 46 
 
 mount, 29 
 
 Mount of Olives, 4, 70, 76 
 
 Mount Seir, 182 
 
 mountain of God, 206 
 
 mountains of Israel, 246, 257, 258, 278 
 
 mourning, 49; baldness a sign of, 334, 
 335 
 
 Naphtali, portion of the tribe of, 354 
 
 nations, 15, 19, 218, 225 ; prophecies of 
 Ezekiel against the, 178, 179 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar, xx, 32, 80, 119, 156, 
 185; destroyer of Tyre, 186, 187; com- 
 pared to an eagle, 121, 190, 203, 212, 
 216, 222 
 
 Nebuchadrezzar = Nebuchadnezzar, 186 
 
 Nile, the, 210, 212; its importance to 
 Egypt, 212 
 
 Noah, 96 
 
 No = Thebes, 220 
 
 Noph= Memphis, 220 
 
 nose, 59 
 
 oars, 1Q2 
 
 oblations, 148, 290, 335, 353, 356 
 
 offerings, liv, 145, 148, 304; details of 
 burnt, 327, 328; trespass, 335; general 
 directions as to, 340, 341 ; for the Sab- 
 bath and new moon, 342, 343; free 
 will, directions, concerning, 344 
 
 Oholah, 164 
 
 Oholibah, 164 
 
 ointment, 197 
 
 Olives, mount of, 4, 70, 76 
 
 On= Heliopolis, 220 
 
 onyx, 207 
 
 ordinances, of the Temple, 329 
 
 Ovid, quoted, 106 
 
 painting the eyes, practice of, 171 
 
 pannag, 197 
 
 Passover, feast of, 340 
 
 Pathros = Upper Egypt, 214, 220 
 
 Paul, S., parallelisms between Ezekiel 
 and, 266 
 
 peace, 88 ; covenant of, 252, 272 
 
 peace-offerings, liv, 145, 304 
 
 Pelatiah, 71, 73 
 
 peoples, 15, 19, 147, 181, 201, 225, 259 
 
 Pharaoh-Hophra, 221 
 
 Pharaoh-Necho, 135 
 
 Pharaoh, prophecy against, 210; allegory 
 of the crocodile representing, 211, 212; 
 likened to a cedar tree, 222 
 
 Phi-beseth, site of, 220 
 
 Philistines, 109, 112; prophecy against, 
 184 
 
 Phoenix, the, 208 
 
 Phrygia, 196 
 
 phylacteries, 90 
 
 plan, of the Temple, 294 ; of the Temple 
 Courts, 299 
 
 planks, 315 
 
 porch, of the Temple, 298 
 
 portions, 338 ; of the tribes, 354, 359 
 
 precious stones, 206, 207 
 
 priests, chambers for, in the Temple, 315, 
 316; ordinances concerning, 329 — 336; 
 garments of, 333 ; directions as to mar- 
 riage, 334; duties towards the people, 
 334 ; contact with the dead, 334 ; main- 
 tenance of, 335; purification of, 335; 
 land allotted to, 336; kitchens in the 
 Temple for, 346, 347 
 
 prince, domain of, 337, 358 
 
 prison-houses, xx 
 
 prophecy, against Israel's idolatry, 40; 
 warning against despising, 82 ; against 
 Ammon, 158; of Israel's restoration, 
 238 
 
 prophetesses, 89 ; chastisements of, 91 
 
 prophets, date of canonising, xxxi; fool- 
 ish, 85 
 
 Raamah, 198 
 
 Kabbah, site of, 181 
 
 Rabbath-Ammon, 155 
 
 rainbow, the, 12 
 
 raised pavement of the Temple, 309 
 
 ravines, 41 
 
 razor, symbol of, 36 
 
 rebellious house, xxv, xliv, 15 
 
 reed — 6 cubits, 321, 337 
 
 reed, Egypt compared to a, 213 
 
 reprover, 26 
 
 resurrection from the dead, 267 
 
 Reuben, portion of the tribe of, 354 
 
INDEX. 
 
 367 
 
 Reuss, quoted, xvii, xxiii 
 
 Rhodians, the, 195, 196 
 
 Riblah, wilderness of, 44, 351 
 
 rich apparel, 199 
 
 riddle of the great eagle, 119; interpreta- 
 tion of, 122 
 
 righteousness, 127, 173 
 
 ritual Law, points of contact between 
 Ezekiel and, liii 
 
 robber, 128; Chaldean, 51 
 
 Robertson-Smith, quoted, 58, 324 
 
 rod, blossoming, 47 ; passing under the, 
 147; chastening, 152 
 
 Rosh, situation of, 276 
 
 rulers, 167, 169 
 
 rusted caldron, allegory of the, 174 
 
 Sabbath, the, 141 ; a symbol of religion, 
 
 Sabeans = drunkards, 172 
 
 sacrifice, of children, 107, 144, 171 ; to 
 Jehovah, 285 
 
 sacrifices, method and details of, 327 
 
 sacrificial appointments in the Temple, 
 302, 303 
 
 sails, 192 
 
 Saida^Sidon, 209 
 
 sales, nature of, 48 
 
 Samaria, fall of, 32; abominations of, 
 117; intrigues with Assyria, 166 
 
 sanctification, 273 
 
 sanctuary, 74, 151, 208, 272, 322, 337 
 
 sapphire, 207 
 
 sapphire throne, the, 11, 12 
 
 sardius, 207 
 
 Saul, xxxvi 
 
 Scythians, 280 
 
 searchers, 284 
 
 Seinecke quoted, xxx 
 
 Seir, mount, 182, 254 
 
 Senir, fir-trees of, 191 
 
 settle, of the altar, 326, 341 
 
 seven days, 22 
 
 Sheba, merchants of, 198 
 
 sheep, 248; sacrificial, 266 
 
 shekel, 339 
 
 Shemaiah, 88 
 
 Sheol = place of the dead, 226, 236; ex- 
 planation of the name, 231, 232 
 
 shepherds, 248 
 
 shepherd and flock, allegory of, 248, 
 249 
 
 snips of Tarshish, 200 
 
 sid? chambers of the Temple, 308 
 
 Si^on, prophecy against, 208 
 
 F"gn, 78 
 
 silver, 162, 195 
 
 Simeon, portion of the tribe of, 359 
 
 sin-offerings, 328 
 
 Sin = Pelusium, 220 
 
 Sion, hill of, 292 
 
 Sodom, abominations of, 117 
 
 sour grapes, 124, 125 
 
 spirit, 7, 9, 86; = ruling principle, 263 
 
 Stade quoted, 288 
 
 staff of bread, 34, 96 
 
 staff= sceptre, 270 
 
 statutes of life, lii 
 
 statutes and judgments, 140, 143, 264 
 
 stibium, 171 
 
 stiff-necked, 16 
 
 stream flowing from the Temple, 347 
 
 stumbling-block of iniquity, xxv, 23, 24, 
 50, 92, 154 
 
 suburbs, 200 ; of the Temple, 337, 358 
 
 sun-worshippers, 58, 59 
 
 Suweinieh=Beth-Jeshimoth, 183 
 
 sweat, regarded as uncleanness, 333 
 
 sweet savour, 44, 107, 145, 148 
 
 sword, of the Lord, 150, 151 ; of Babylon, 
 152 
 
 Syene, tower of, 213, 219 
 
 symbol, of siege of Jerusalem, 28; of ini- 
 quity of Israel, 30, 31 ; of scarcity 
 during siege, 32 ; of the fate of the 
 people, 36, 37 ; of the beard and razor, 
 36; of the judgments of God, 61 
 
 symbolical actions, characteristics of 
 Book, xxv; representing siege of Jeru- 
 salem, 28 
 
 symbolical figures, characteristics of 
 Book, xxv 
 
 Syria, connection with Israel, u6 
 
 tabernacles, feast of, 340 
 
 table of money- weight, 339 
 
 Tamar, situation of, 353 
 
 Tammuz, identical with Adonis, 58 
 
 Tarshish, situation of, 195 ; ships of, 200 
 
 Tehaphnehes, site of, 221 
 
 Tel-abib, xx, 14, 20 ; meaning of name, 
 21 
 
 Teman; 184 
 
 Temple, the, Ezekiel's reconstruction of, 
 liii; sun-worshippers in, 59; particulars 
 of worship in, 290; description of the 
 new, 291; threshold of, 293, 313; plan 
 of, 294 ; measurements of, 295, 296 ; 
 inner gate of, 297 ; porch of, 298 ; 
 arches of, 29S ; plan of the courts of, 
 299; guardrooms of, 294, 300; outer 
 court of, 298 : inner court of, 301 ; 
 sacrificial appointments of, 302, 303 ; 
 measurements of holy place and holy 
 of holies, 305, 306; annexe of, 307; 
 side-chambers of, 308; raised pavement 
 of, 309; description of interior of, 312 — 
 314; door-posts of, 314; chambers for 
 the priests in, 315, 316; walk in front 
 of, 319 ; entry of Jehovah into, 322, 
 323 ; burial of kings in, 324 ; kitchens 
 in, 346, 347 ; stream flowing from, 347 ; 
 gates of, named after the tribes, 360 
 
 teraphim, 156 
 
 Thebes, 220 
 
 Theophany, the, 3 ; general description 
 of, 12, 13, 14 
 
 thorn, 209 
 
368 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 thorns and briars, i6 
 
 threshold, of the Temple, 293, 313, 343 
 
 throne, the sapphire, 11, 12 
 
 thunder, the voice of Jehovah, 66 
 
 Tiglath-Pileser, 193 
 
 tire, the, 176 
 
 Togarmah= Armenia, 195 
 
 topaz, 207 
 
 trance of Ezekiel, 53 
 
 trespass offering, 335 
 
 tribes, portions of, 351, 354 — 361 
 
 Tubal, 195, 235 
 
 turbans, 167 
 
 Tyre, xxvi; prophecy against, 185; dirge 
 on downfall of, 185, 1S6, 191 ; market of, 
 194; allegory ofthe fall of, 200; allegory 
 of the prince of Tyre, 204 
 
 uncircumcised, 233 
 unclean food, 34 
 upper gate, the, 61 
 Urijah, xix 
 usury, 127 
 Uzal, 198 
 
 valley, of Abarim, 283; of Hamon-Gog, 
 284, 285 
 
 vetches, 33 
 
 vine-tree, the, 98, 99; Jerusalem com- 
 pared to, 100 
 
 vision of the dry bones, xxix, 267, 269; 
 of the Cherubim, xxix, 65 — 69 ; of the 
 new Temple, xxix, 290 — 322 ; of God, 
 3; general description of, 12 — 14; of 
 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, 52 ; of 
 the valley of dry bones, 267 ; of God, 
 xxxi. I, 3, 12— 14, 54, 59, 292 
 
 visions, special characteristics of Book 
 of Ezekiel, xxv 
 
 visitations, 61 
 
 voice of Jehovah, 323 
 
 walk, before the Temple, 319 
 
 wall, 78, 88, 247 ; of the Temple, 292, 293 
 
 wastes, 246, 257 
 
 watchman, xx, xxiv, 15, 23, 241 
 
 water, 120; sprinkling with, 263 
 
 weeks, feast of, 340 
 
 Wetzstein quoted, 33 
 
 wheat flour, 105 
 
 wheels, the four, 8, 66, 67 
 
 wine of Helbon, 197 
 
 winged bulls in Assyrian temples, 67 
 
 wood and stone, images of, 146, 147 
 
 wool of Zachar, 197 
 
 wrath, 48 
 
 year, of liberty, 345 ; of Jubilee, 345 ; ec- 
 clesiastical, 292 
 Yemen, Uzal capital of, 198 
 
 Zachar, wool of, 197 
 
 Zadok, family of, xvii, 3, 305, 330, 332 
 
 Zebulun, portion of the tribe of, 358 
 
 Zedad_, 351 
 
 Zedekiah, xxvii, 77, 80, 119, 122 
 
 Ziphran, 351 
 
 Zunz quoted, xxx 
 
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THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR 
 SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 
 
 General Editor, J. J. S. Perowne, 
 Bishop of Worcester. 
 
 ©piiuonsi of tl)t pits^sJ* 
 
 * * // is difficult to commend too highly this excellent series.''^ — Guardian. 
 
 * ' The modesty of the general title of this series has, we believe, led 
 many to mistinderstand its character and underrate its value. The books 
 are well suited for study in the upper fo7-ms of our best schools, but not 
 the less are they adapted to the ivants of all Bible students who are not 
 specialists. We doubt, indeed, whether any of the numerous popular 
 comt7ientaries recently issued in this country will be found more service- 
 able for general usey — Academy. 
 
 " One of the most popular and useful litei'ary enterprises of the 
 nineteenth century T — Baptist Magazine. 
 
 '* Of gi'eat value. The whole series of comtnents for schools is highly 
 esteemed by students capable of forming a judgment. The books are 
 scholarly without being pretentious : and information is so given as to be 
 easily understood.'^'' — Sword and Trowel. 
 
 ** 77^1? notes possess a rare advantage of being scholarly, and at the same 
 time within the comprehefision of the average reader. For the Sunday- 
 School Teacher we do not know of a more valuable work."" — Sunday- 
 School Chronicle. 
 
 The Book of Judges. J. J. Lias, M.A. "His introduction is clear 
 and concise, full of the information which young students require." — 
 Baptist Magazine. 
 
 II. Samuel. A. F. Kirkpatrick, M.A. «' Small as this work is 
 in mere dimensions, it is every way the best on its subject and for its 
 purpose that we know of. The opening sections at once prove the 
 thorough competence of the writer for dealing wnth questions of criti- 
 cism in an earnest, faithful and devout spirit ; and the appendices discuss 
 a few special difficulties with a full knowledge of the data, and a judicial 
 reserve, which contrast most favourably with the superficial dogmatism 
 which has too often made the exegesis of the Old Testament a field for 
 the play of unlimited paradox and the ostentation of personal infalli- 
 bility. The notes are always clear and suggestive; never trifling or 
 irrelevant ; and they everywhere demonstrate the great difference in 
 value between the work of a commentator who is also a Hebraist, and 
 that of one who has to depend for his Hebrew upon secondhand 
 sources. " — AcadetJiy. 
 
 I. Kings and Ephesians. "With great heartiness we commend 
 these most valuable little commentaries. We had rather purchase 
 these than nine out of ten of the big blown up expositions. Quality is 
 far better than quantity, and we have it here." — Srcord and Trowel. 
 
 II. Kings. "The Introduction is scholarly and wholly admirable, 
 the notes must be of incalculable value to students." — Glasgoiu Herald. 
 
 "It would be difficult to find a conmientary better suited for general 
 use.' ' — Academy. 
 
 ?o,ooo 
 
 1 1/2/92 
 
? CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS 6- COLLEGES. 
 
 The Book of Job. *♦ Able and scholarly as the Introduction is, it is 
 far surpassed by the detailed exegesis of the book. In this Dr Davidson's 
 strength is at its greatest. His linguistic knowledge, his artistic habit, 
 his scientific insight, and his literary power have full scope when he 
 comes to exegesis...." — The Spectator. 
 
 ** In the course of a long introduction, Dr Davidson has presented 
 us with a very able and very interesting criticism of this wonderful 
 book. Its contents, the nature of its composition, its idea and purpose, 
 its integrity, and its age are all exhaustively treated of.... We have not 
 space to examine fully the text and notes before us, but we can, and do 
 heartily, recommend the book, not only for the upper forms in schools, 
 but to Bible students and teachers generally. As we wrote of a previous 
 volume in the same series, this one leaves nothing to be desired. The 
 notes are full and suggestive, without being too long, and, in itself, the 
 introduction forms a valuable addition to modern Bible literature." — The 
 Educational Times. 
 
 "Already we have frequently called attention to this exceedingly 
 valuable work as its volumes have successively appeared. But we have 
 never done so with greater pleasure, very seldom with so great pleasure, 
 as we now refer to the last published volume, that on the Sook of Job, 
 by Dr Davidson, of Edinburgh.... We cordially commend the volume to 
 all our readers. The least instructed will understand and enjoy it ; 
 and mature scholars will learn from it." — Methodist Recorder. 
 
 Psalms. Book I. "His commentary upon the books of Samuel 
 was good, but this is incomparably better, shewing traces of much more 
 work and of greater independence of scholarship and judgment.... As a 
 whole it is admirable, and we are hardly going too far in saying that it 
 is one of the veiy ablest of all the volumes that have yet appeared in the 
 'Cambridge Bible for Schools'." — Record. 
 
 * ' Another volume of this excellent Bible, in which the student may 
 rely on meeting with the latest scholarship. The introduction is ad- 
 mirable. We know of nothing in so concise a form better adapted for 
 Sunday-School Teachers." — Sunday-School Chronicle. 
 
 "It is full of instruction and interest, bringing within easy reach of 
 the English reader the results of the latest scholarship bearing upon the 
 study of this ever new book of the Bible. The Introduction of eighty 
 pages is a repertory of information, not drily but interestingly given." — 
 Methodist Recorded'. 
 
 "For a masterly summary of all that is known and much that is 
 hazarded about the history and authorship of this book of religious 
 lyrics we can point to that with which Mr Kirkpatrick prefaces his new 
 volume. From a perusal of this summary the student will be unimpres- 
 sionable indeed if he rise not convinced of the vitality imparted to the 
 Psalter by a systematic study of its literary character and historical 
 allusions.... In conclusion, we may say that for a work which is handy, 
 and withal complete, we know none better than this volume; and we 
 await with considerable interest the next instalment." — Education. 
 
 "It seems in every way a most valuable little book, containing a 
 mass of information, well-assorted, and well-digested, and will be useful 
 not only to students preparing for examinations, but to many who want 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS, 
 
 a handy volume of explanation to much that is- difficult in the Psalter. 
 
 We owe a great debt of gratitude to Professor Kirkpatrick for his 
 
 scholarly and interesting volume." — Church Times. 
 
 "In this volume thoughtful exegesis founded on nice critical scholar- 
 ship and due regard for the opinions of various writers, combine, under 
 the influence of a devout spirit, to render this commentary a source of 
 much valuable assistance. The notes are 'though deep yet clear,' for 
 they seem to put in a concentrated form the very pith and marrow of all 
 the best that has been hitherto said on the subject, with striking freedom 
 from anything like pressure of personal views. Throughout the work care 
 and pains are as conspicuous as scholarship." — Lita-ary Churchman. 
 
 Job — Hosea. " It is difficult to commend too highly this excellent 
 series, the volumes of which are now becoming numerous. The two 
 books before us, small- as they are in size, com]:»rise almost everything 
 that the young student can reasonably expect to find in the way of helps 
 towards such general knowledge of their subjects as may be gained 
 without an attempt to grapple with the Hebrew ; and even the learned 
 scholar can hardly read without interest and benefit the very able intro- 
 ductory matter which both these commentators have prelixcd to their 
 volumes. It is not too much to say that these works have brought 
 within the reach of the ordinary reader resources which were until 
 lately quite unknown for understanding some of the most difficult and 
 obscure portions of Old Testament literature." — Guardian. 
 
 Ecclesiastes ; or, the Preacher. — "Of the Notes, it is sufficient to 
 say that they are in every respect worthy of Dr Plumptre's high repu- 
 tation as a scholar and a critic, being at once learned, sensible, and 
 practical..., Commentaries are seldom attractive reading. This little 
 volume is a notable exception." — The Scotsman. 
 
 Jeremiali, by A. W. Streane, "The arrangement of the book is 
 well treated on pp. xxx., 396, and the question of Baruch's relations 
 with its composition on pp. xxvii., xxxiv., 317. The illustrations from 
 English literature, history, monuments, works on botany, topography, 
 etc., are good and plentiful, as indeed they are in other volumes of this 
 series." — Church Quarterly Review. 
 
 MalacM. " Archdeacon Perowne has already edited Jonah and 
 Zechariah for this series. Malachi presents comparatively few difficulties 
 and the Editor's treatment leaves nothing to be desired. His introduction 
 is clear and scholarly and his commentary sufficient. We may instance 
 the notes on ii. 15 and iv. 2 as examples of careful arrangement, 
 clear exposition and graceful expression," — Academy. 
 
 " The Gospel according to St Matthew, by the Rev. A. Carr. The 
 introduction is able, scholarly, and eminently practical, as it bears 
 on the authorship and contents of the Gospel, and the original form 
 in which it is supposed to have been written. It is well illustrated by 
 two excellent maps of the Ploly Land and of the Sea of Galilee." — 
 English Churchman. 
 
 "St Mark, with Notes by the Rev. G. F. Maclear, D.D. Into 
 this small volume Dr Maclear, besides a clear and able Introduc- 
 tion to the Gospel, and the text of St Mark, has compressed many 
 
4 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS &- COLLEGES. 
 
 hundreds of valuable and helpful notes. In short, he has given us 
 a capital manual of the kind required — containing all that is needed to 
 illustrate the text, i.e. all that can be drawn from the history, geography, 
 customs, and manners of the time. But as a handbook, giving in a 
 clear and succinct form the information which a lad requires in order 
 
 to stand an examination in the Gospel, it is admirable I can very 
 
 'heartily commend it, not only to the senior boys and girls in our High 
 Schools, but also to Sunday-school teachers, who may get from it the 
 very kind of knowledge they often find it hardest to get. " — Expositor. 
 
 "With the help of a book like this, an intelligent teacher may make 
 •Divinity' as interesting a lesson as any in the school course. The 
 notes are of a kind that will be, for the most part, intelligible to boys 
 of the lower forms of our public schools; but they may be read with 
 greater profit by the fifth and sixth, in conjunction with the original 
 text." — The Academy. 
 
 "St Luke. Canon Farrar has supplied students of the Gospel 
 with an admirable manual in this volume. It has all that copious 
 variety of illustration, ingenuity of suggestion, and general soundness of 
 interpretation which readers are accustomed to expect from the learned 
 and eloquent editor. Anyone who has been accustomed to associate 
 the idea of 'dryness' with a commentary, should go to Canon Farrar 's 
 St Luke for a more correct impression. He will find that a commen- 
 tary may be made interesting in the highest degree, and that without 
 losing anything of its solid value. ...But, so to speak, it is too good for 
 some of the readers for whom it is intended." — The Spectator. 
 
 The Gospel according to St John. "The notes are extremely 
 scholarly and valuable, and in most cases exhaustive, bringing to the 
 elucidation of the text all that is best in commentaries, ancient and 
 modern." — The English Churchman and Clerical Journal. 
 
 "(i) The Acts of the Apostles. By J. Rawson Lumby, D.D. 
 (2) The Second Epistle of the Corinthians, edited by Professor Lias. 
 The introduction is pithy, and contains a mass of carefully-selected 
 information on the authorship of the Acts, its designs, and its sources. 
 
 The Second Epistle of the Corinthians is a manual beyond all praise, 
 
 for the excellence of its pithy and pointed annotations, its analysis of the 
 contents, and the fulness and value of its introduction." — Examiner. 
 
 "The Rev. H. C. G. Moule, M.A., has made a valuable addition 
 to The Cambridge Bible for Schools in his brief commentary on 
 the Epistle to the Romans. The 'Notes' are very good, and lean, 
 as the notes of a School Bible should, to the most commonly ac- 
 cepted and orthodox view of the inspired author's meaning ; while the 
 Introduction, and especially the Sketch of the Life of St Paul, is a model 
 of condensation. It is as lively and pleasant to read as if two or three 
 facts had not been crowded into well-nigh every sentence." — Expositor. 
 
 "The Epistle to the Romans. It is seldom we have met with a 
 work so remarkable for the compression and condensation of all that 
 is valuable in the smallest possible space as in the volume before us. 
 Within its limited pages we have 'a sketch of the Life of St Paul,' 
 we have further a critical account of the date of the Epistle to the 
 Romans, of its language, and of its genuineness. The notes are 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 numerous, full of matter, to the point, and leave no real difficulty 
 or obscurity unexplained." — The Examiner. 
 
 "The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Edited by Professor Lias. 
 Every fresh instalment of this annotated edition of the Bible for Schools 
 confirms the favourable opinion we formed of its value from the exami- 
 nation of its first number. The origin and plan of the Epistle are 
 discussed with its character and genuineness." — The Nonconformist. 
 
 Galatians. **Dr Perowne deals throughout in a very thorough 
 manner with every real difficulty in the text, and in this respect he has 
 faithfully followed the noble example set him in the exegetical master- 
 piece, his indebtedness to which he frankly acknowledges." — Modern 
 'Chnrch. 
 
 "The introductory matter is very full and informing, whilst the 
 Notes are admirable. They combine the scholarly and the practical in 
 an unusual degree. ...It is not the young students in 'schools and 
 colleges' alone who will find this Commentary helpful on every 
 page." — Record. 
 
 "This little work, like all of the series, is a scholarly production; 
 but we can also unreservedly recommend it from a doctrinal standpoint.; 
 Dr E. H. Pekowne is one who has grasped the distinctive teaching of 
 the Epistle, and expounds it with clearness and definiteness. In an 
 appendix, he ably maintains the correctness of the A. V. as against the 
 R. V. in the translation of II. i6, a point of no small importance." — 
 English Churchman. 
 
 The Epistle to the Ephesians. By Rev. H. C. G. Moule, M.A. 
 " It seems to us the model of a School and College Commentary — 
 comprehensive, but not cumbersome-; scholarly, but not pedantic." — 
 Baptist Magazine. 
 
 The Epistle to the Philippians. "There are few series more valued 
 by theological students than ' The Cambridge Bible for Schools and 
 Colleges,' and there will be no number of it more esteemed than that 
 by Mr H. C. G. Moule on the Epistle to the Philippians.'" — Record. 
 
 Thessalonians. "It will stand the severest scrutiny, for no volume 
 in this admirable series exhibits more careful work, and Mr Findlay is 
 a true expositor, who keeps in mind what he is -expounding, and for 
 whom he is expounding it." — Expository Times. 
 
 "Mr Findlay maintains the high level of the series to which he has 
 become contributor. Some parts of his introduction to the Epistles to 
 the Thessalonians could scarcely be bettered. The account of Thessa- 
 lonica, the description of the style and character of the Epistles, and the 
 analysis of them are excellent in style and scholarly care. The notes 
 are possibly too voluminous ; but there is so much matter in them, and 
 the matter is arranged and handled so ably, that we are ready to forgive 
 their fulness. ...Mr Findlay's commentary is a valuable addition to 
 what has been written on the letters to the Thessalonian Church." — 
 Acadeviy. 
 
 "Of all the volumes of this most excellent series, none is better 
 done, and few are so well done as this small volume.... From begin- 
 ning to end the volume is marked by accurate grammatical scholarship, 
 delicate appreciation of the apostle's meaning, thorough investigation 
 
6 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS ^^ COLLEGES. 
 
 of all matters open to doubt, extensive reading, and deep sympathy 
 with the spiritual aim of these epistles. It is, on the whole, the best 
 commentary on the Thessalonians which has yet appeared, and its 
 small price puts it within reach of all. We heartily recommend it." — 
 Methodist Recorder. 
 
 "Mr FiNDLAY has fulfilled in this volume a task which Dr Moulton 
 was compelled to decline, though he has rendered valuable aid in its pre- 
 paration. The commentary is in its own way a model — clear, forceful, 
 scholarly — such as young students will welcome as a really useful guide, 
 and old ones will acknowledge as giving in brief space the substance of 
 all that tliey knew." — Baptist Magazine. 
 
 Hebrews. "Like his (Canon Farrar's) commentary on Luke it 
 possesses all the best characteristics of his writing. It is a work not 
 only of an accomplished scholar, but of a skilled teacher." — Baptist 
 Magazine. 
 
 The Epistles of St John. By the Rev. A. Plummer, M.A., D.D. 
 •'This forms an admirable companion to the 'Commentary on the 
 Gospel according to St John,' which was reviewed in The Chtirdwian 
 as soon as it appeared. Dr Plummer has some of the highest qualifica- 
 tions for such a task ; and these two volumes, their size being considered, 
 will bear comparison with the best Commentaries of the time." — The 
 Churchman. 
 
 Revelation. **This volume contains evidence of much careful 
 labour. It is a scholarly production, as might be expected from the pen 
 of the late Mr W. H. SiMCOX. ...The notes throw light upon many 
 passages of this difficult book, and are extremely suggestive. It is an 
 advantage that they sometimes set before the student various interpre- 
 tations without exactly guiding him to a choice." — G^iardian. 
 
 "Mr SiMCOX has treated his very difficult subject with that con- 
 scious care, grasp, and lucidity which characterises everything he 
 wrote." — Modem Church, 
 
 Wiyi Smaller C^ambritrge W\W for fecljools. 
 
 * * We can only repeat whai we have already said of this- admirable 
 series, containing, as it does, the scholarship of the larger work. For 
 scholars in oiir elder classes, and for those preparing for Scripture exami- 
 nations, no better commetitaries can. be put into their hands.^'' — Sunday- 
 School Chronicle. 
 
 * ' Despite their small size, these volumes give the stthstance of the 
 admirable pieces of work on which they are founded. We can only hope 
 that in many schools the class-teaching will proceed on the lines these com- 
 mentators suggest.'^ — Record. 
 
 " We should be glad to hear that this series has been introduced into 
 many of our Sunday-Schools, for which it is so admirably adapted.''^ — 
 Christian Leader. 
 
 ^'' All that is necessary to be known and learned by pupils in Junior 
 and elementary schools is to be found in this series. Indeed, tmich more 
 is provided than should be required by the examitiers. We do not know 
 what i7iore could be done to provide sensible, interesting, and solid Scrip- 
 tural instruction for boys and girls. The Syndics of the Cambridge 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 University Press are rendering great services both to teachers and to 
 scholars by the publication of such a valuable series of books, in which 
 slipshod zvork could not have a place. ^^ — Literary World, 
 
 "/<?r the studejii of the sacred oracles 7vho utilizes hours of travel or 
 moments ofivaitiug in the perusal of the Bible there is nothing so handy, 
 
 and, at the sa?ne time, so satisfying as these little books Nor let anyone 
 
 suppose that, because these are school-books, therefore they are beneath 
 the adult reader. They contain the very ripest results of the best Biblical 
 scholarship, and that in the very simplest form. ^'' — Christian Leader. 
 
 " Altogether one of the most perfect examples of a Shilling New Tes- 
 tament comtncntary zohich even this age of cheapness is likely to produce.''^ 
 — Bookseller. 
 
 Samuel I. and II. "Professor Kirkpatrick's two tiny volumes on 
 the First and Second Books of Samuel are quite model school-books ; 
 the notes elucidate every possible difficulty with scholarly brevity and 
 clearness and a perfect knowledge of the subject." — Saturday Review. 
 
 "They consist of an introduction full of matter, clearly and succinctly 
 given, and of notes which appear to us to be admirable, at once full and 
 brief." — -Church Times. 
 
 Kings I. " We can cordially recommend this little book. The Intro- 
 duction discusses the question of authorship and date in a plain but 
 scholarly fashion, while the footnotes throughout are brief, pointed, and 
 helpful. " — Revieiv of Reviews. 
 
 Matthew. "The notes are terse, clear, and helpful, and teachers and 
 students cannot fail to find the volume of great service." — Publishers' 
 Circular. 
 
 Mark. Luke. "We have received the volumes of St Mark and St 
 Luke in this series.... The two volumes seem, on the whole, well adapted 
 for school use, are well and carefully printed, and have maps and good, 
 though necessarily brief, introductions. There is little doubt that this 
 series will be found as popular and useful as the well-known larger 
 series, of which ihey are abbreviated editions." — Guardian. 
 
 Luke. "We cannot too highly commend this handy little book to 
 all teachers." — Wesleyan Methodist Sunday-School Record. 
 
 John. " We have been especially interested in Mr Plummer's treat- 
 ment of the Gospel which has been entrusted to his charge. He is concise, 
 comprehensive, interesting, and simple. Young students of this inimit- 
 able book, as well as elder students, even ministers and teachers, may 
 use it with advantage as a very serviceable handbook." — literary World. 
 
 Jolin. "A model of condensation, losing nothing of its clearness and 
 force from its condensation into a small compass. Many who have long 
 since completed their college curriculum will find it an invaluable hand- 
 book. ' '—Methodist Times. 
 
 Acts. "The notes are very brief, but exceedingly comprehensive, 
 comprising as much detail in the way of explanation as would be needed 
 by young students of the Scriptures preparing for examination. Wc 
 again give the opinion that this series furnishes as much real help as 
 would usually satisfy students for the Christian ministry, or even minis- 
 ters themselves." — Literary World. 
 
THE CAMBRIDGE GREEK TESTAMENT 
 
 FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES 
 
 with a Revised Text, based on the most recent critical authorities, and 
 
 English Notes, prepared under the direction of the General. Editor, 
 
 The Bishop of Worcester. 
 
 •' Has achieved an excellence which puts it above criticism.'''' — Expositor. 
 
 St Matthew. " Copious illustrations, gathered from a gr^at variety 
 of sources, make his notes a very valuable aid to the student. They 
 are indeed remarkably interesting, while all explanations on meanings, 
 applications, and the like are distinguished by their lucidity and good. 
 ^tme.''— Fall Mall Gazette. 
 
 St Mark. *'Dr Maclear's introduction contains all that is known 
 of St Mark's life ; an account of the circumstances in which the Gospel 
 was composed, with an estimate of the influence of St Peter's teaching 
 upon St Mark ; an excellent sketch of the special characteristics of this 
 Gospel; an analysis, and a chapter on the text of the New Testament 
 generally. " — Saturday Review. 
 
 St Luke. **0f this second series we have a new volume by 
 Archdeacon Farrar on St Luke, completing the four Gospels. ...It 
 gives us in clear and beautiful language the best results of modern 
 scholarship. We have a most attractive Introduction. Then follows 
 a sort of composite Greek text, representing fairly and in very beautiful 
 type the consensus of modern textual critics. At the beginning of the 
 exposition of each chapter of the Gospel are a few short critical notes 
 giving the manuscript evidence for such various readings as seem to 
 deserve mention. The expository notes are short, but clear and helpful. 
 For young students and those who are not disposed to buy or to study 
 the much more costly work of Godet, this seems to us to be the best 
 book on the Greek Text of the Third Qo%^^V^ Methodist Recorder. 
 
 St John. "We take this opportunity of recommending to ministers- 
 on probation, the very excellent volume of the same series on this part 
 of the New Testament. We hope that most or all of our young ministers 
 will prefer to study the volume in the Ca?nbridge Greek Testament for 
 Schools. "—Methodist Recorder. 
 
 The Acts of the Apostles. "Professor Lumby has performed his 
 laborious task well, and supplied us with a commentary the fulness and 
 freshness of which Bible students will not be slow to appreciate. The 
 volume is enriched with the usual copious indexes and four coloured 
 maps." — Glasgow Herald. 
 
 I. Corinthians. "Mr Lias is no novice in New Testament exposi- 
 tion, and the present series of essays and notes is an able and helpful 
 addition to the existing books." — Guardian. 
 
 The Epistles of St John. "In the very useful and weU annotated 
 series of the Cambridge Greek Testament the volume QXi iLe Epistles 
 of St John must hold a high position ... The -QOt^ (ly^rief, well 
 informed and intelligent." — Scotsman. \J 
 
 tAAiBRIDCR: PRINTKU BY C. J CL.W, M.A. AND SONS, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 

 Date Due -*^