Ezekiel 14:14

these 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" (Jeremiah 15:1). 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. Isaiah 54:9, "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 appropriated 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. Ezekiel 28:3 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. Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 5:16; Leviticus 26:26.

Ezekiel 14:15. Noisome, i.e. hurtful, beasts. Leviticus 26:22.