Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, [even] Jerusalem: Ver. 1. _Thou also, son of man._] Hitherto we have had the preface: followeth now the prophecy itself, which is both concerning the fall of earthly kingdoms, and also the setting up of... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. Ver. 2. _And lay siege against it._] This to carnal reason seemeth childish and ridiculous; not unlike the practice of boys that make fo... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover take thou 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. Ver. 3. _Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan._] _Sarta... [ Continue Reading ]
Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: [according] to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. Ver. 4. _Lie thou also upon thy left side._] Which for so long a time to do, could not but put the prophet to grea... [ Continue Reading ]
For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. Ver. 5. _Three hundred and ninety days._] That is, say some, the siege of Jerusalem shall continue so many days - via, t... [ Continue Reading ]
And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. Ver. 6. _And when thou hast accomplished them._] That is, art within forty years of accomplishing them. _ Thou shalt bear... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm [shall be] uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. Ver. 7. _Set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem._] Steel thy countenance, be stern and resolute, to show that the Chaldees should be so. Thus this prophet pro... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 8. _And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee._] To show that he was unchangeably resolved to ruin Judah, _a_ whom the prophet here personateth. Some make t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, 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._ Ver. 9. _Take thou... [ Continue Reading ]
And thy meat which thou shalt eat [shall be] by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. Ver. 10. _Twenty shekels a day._] Five ounces, or ten at most; not prisoners' pittance, _qua proinde per diem trahitur magis anima quam sustentatur._ See this complained of, Lamentatio... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. Ver. 11. _From time to time shalt thou drink,_] _i.e., _ At thy set times, _in stata tempera comparcito,_ make no waste: the least drop is precious.... [ Continue Reading ]
And thou shalt eat it [as] barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. Ver. 12. _And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes._] Baked on coals made of homely fuel, man's dung burnt. _a_ And thou shalt bake it with dung.] For want of wood. Lam 5:4 To the hungry... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them._ Ver. 13. _Eat their defiled bread._] Not able now to observe that ceremonial purity in their meats which God had commanded. This was just upon them for their worshippin... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been 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 flesh into my mouth. Ver. 14. _Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted._] Neither had... [ Continue Reading ]
Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Ver. 15. Lo, I have given thee cow's dung.] This was some mitigation. Something God will yield to his praying people when most bitterly bent against them.... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: Ver. 16. Behold, I will break _a_ the staff of bread.] Bread shall be very scarce, and that wh... [ Continue Reading ]
That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity. Ver. 17. _And be astonied._] At their straits and disappointments. _ And consume away for their iniquity._] They. shall "pine away in their iniquity"; Lev 26:31 this is the last and worst of... [ Continue Reading ]