Ezekiel 9:2

six men The symbolism represents the judgment of God as executed by supernatural agents, immediately under his command. These agents are called "men," having the human form to the eyes of the prophet (cf. ch. Ezekiel 40:3; Ezekiel 43:6). 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 inkhorn 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 Ezekiel 9:4. The linen garments mark the man's divine sanctity and eminence, not priestly rank (Ew.); the high angel, Daniel 10:5; Daniel 12:6, was so clothed, as were the seven angels having the vials of wrath, the last plagues of judgment upon the world, Revelation 15:6. The seven men entering the inner court proceeded until they stood beside the brazen altar, in front of the house, whither the glory of the Lord had moved from the cherubim (Ezekiel 9:3).

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 mentioned, ch. Ezekiel 8:3; Ezekiel 8:5. 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 15:35, Jotham is said to have built the "upper gate" of the house of the Lord. This gate seems identical with the upper Benjamin gate, Jeremiah 20:2, probably also with the "new gate," Jeremiah 26:10; Jeremiah 36:10. 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. 8), and the Instruments of God's vengeance approach from the same quarter.

the brasen altar This is again obscure. It is said in 1 Kings 8:64 that the brazen altar was too small to receive the burnt-offerings 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, terminating at the top in a platform or hearth for burning the fat and sacrifices upon; and somewhat after this model the altar in Ezekiel's new temple is to be constructed (ch. Ezekiel 43:13-17). 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 16:14). 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 Sem., 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.