_Month: the year of the world 3411, August 27. (Usher) --- Ezechiel had prophesied in the fourth year; they was silent a year and two months, or 430 days. He opened his mouth again in the sixth year, (chap. viii. 1.) and now in the seventh year he is ordered not to answer. (Worthington) --- We know... [ Continue Reading ]
_Judgest them; or, if thou wilt enter into the cause, and plead against them. (Challoner) --- Lay before them the iniquities of their fathers, and their own, which bring on the reprobation of the greatest part. God will form his Church out of a few of them and of the Gentiles. The return of a small... [ Continue Reading ]
_Excelleth. Hebrew, "is beauty or a desire." Septuagint, "honeycomb." (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Scandals, &c., ( offensiones) that is, the abominations or idols, to the worship of which they were allured by their eyes. (Challoner) --- Moses found them in this condition in Egypt, and he could not entirely reclaim them. (Calmet) --- Many still secreted their idols, chap. xxiii. 1., and Acts vii... [ Continue Reading ]
_Egypt. Their disorders called for such severity. But God was restrained by the dangers (Calmet) of blasphemy, &c., to which the faithful and idolaters would thus have been exposed. (Haydock) --- He saved them as he had promised, though they did not deserve it. (Worthington)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Brought. Literally, "cast," (Haydock) as if they had been reluctant._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Live, and enjoy temporal felicity, which was chief promised, though the faithful observers of the law would obtain an eternal reward._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sign, as also to promote piety and instruction._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sabbaths. We only read of one man gathering sticks, and the people manna once on those days, Exodus xv., and xvi. But Moses does not mention all. (Calmet) --- Sabbath often denotes the whole law, which they transgressed; and as long as they retained an affection for idols, they could not observe th... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER XX. _ But. Literally, "And I did for," &c. This motive caused me to spare them. (Haydock) --- I punished only the most guilty adorers of the calf, and murmurers, &c., Numbers xiv. 28. (Calmet) --- Some were always preserved for a succession, ver. 9, 22. (Worthington)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Again, or also. (Haydock) --- Four times are specified [in] ver. 13, 15, 21., which may allude to the adoration of the calf, the graves of concupiscence, the murmuring, and commerce with the women and idols of Moab, Exodus xxiii., and Numbers x., and xiv., and xxv. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
Not good. The laws and ordinances of their enemies: or those imposed upon them by that cruel tyrant the devil, to whose power they were delivered up for their sins; (Challoner) which may be styled the statutes of your fathers, &c., ver. 18. (Haydock) --- God is often said to do what he only permits.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I polluted them, &c. That is, I gave them up to such blindness, in punishment of their offences, as to pollute themselves with the blood of all their first-born, whom they offered up to their idols in compliance with their wicked devices. (Challoner) (Menochius) (Leviticus xviii. 21., and 4 Kings i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Called high. Hebrew, "Bamah," (Haydock) out of contempt. (Calmet) --- The Jews were so much attached to the high places, that they called the altar of the Lord by the same name. Thus heretics are convicted by the very names they use, calling sacrifice service, &c. (Worthington)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Stones. This was the secret intention of the ancients, (ver. 1.; Haydock) and of many in captivity, who were only praise-worthy compared with those at Jerusalem, chap. xi. 15._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Out. I will not allow you to follow idols with impunity. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of people. That is, a desert, in which there are no people; (Challoner) meaning Judea, to which they should return._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Covenant of the gospel, by the powerful attractions of grace, Luke xiv. 24., John vi. 69., and vii. 46., and 2 Corinthians x. 4._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Israel. They shall continue in exile; or the rebel Jews who will not believe in Christ, shall be cast off. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Walk, &c. It is not an allowance, much less a commandment to serve idols; but a figure of speech, by which God would have them to understand, that if they would walk after their idols, they must not pretend to serve him at the same time: for that he would by no means suffer such a mixture of worshi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Mountain. The foregoing verse, to make the sense complete, must be understood so as to condemn and reject that mixture of worship which the Jews then followed. In this verse God promises to the true Israelites, especially to those of the Christian Church, that they should serve him in another manne... [ Continue Reading ]
_Committed. This is a picture of the converts to Christianity. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of the south. Jerusalem lay towards the south of Babylon, where the prophet then was, and is here called the forest of the south field, and is threatened with utter desolation. (Challoner) See chap. xxi. (Calmet) --- In Jerusalem there were good and bad. (Worthington)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Burned, with war and famine, Jeremias xxi. 14. (Calmet) --- North, from Egypt to Mesopotamia. (Theodoret) --- Nabuchodonosor invaded those parts. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Parables. They were easy enough to understand, but the Jews would not comprehend them no more than our Saviour's words, John x. 24. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]