_Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem_ Here God directs the prophet to declare in plain language, what he had ordered him to speak allegorically, from the 46th to the 48th verses of the foregoing chapter. _And say to the land of Israel_ The prophet's face being turned toward Judea and Jerusalem... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sigh, therefore, with the breaking of thy loins_, &c. Show all the tokens of grief and concern; sigh and groan deeply; let the sense of these impending judgments so greatly affect thee, as to make thee stoop like one quite borne down under the weight of them. God's judgments, as they were represent... [ Continue Reading ]
_Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened_ The sword was unsheathed in the foregoing verses; here it is fitted to do execution, which the prophet is commanded to Lamentations 1. It is _sharpened_, that it may cut, and wound, and make sore slaughter. The wrath of God will put an edge upon it; and whatever... [ Continue Reading ]
_Cry and howl, son of man_ As a mark of the vehemence of thy grief. _For it shall be upon my people_ Namely, the devouring sword; _upon all the princes of Israel_ Both princes and people shall be involved in one common destruction. _Smite therefore upon thy thigh _ Use all the outward expressions o... [ Continue Reading ]
Ezekiel 21:14 ; EZEKIEL 21:17. _Prophesy, and smite thy hands together_ In token of amazement and sorrow. _And let the sword be doubled the third time_ Bishop Newcome reads, _Bring the sword twice; yea, bring it thrice;_ namely, that God's judgments might be fully executed, and his justice satisfied... [ Continue Reading ]
_Appoint thee two ways_ So as to represent them to the eyes of thy countrymen: see Ezekiel 4:1; “Designa in tabella, lapide, aut terra.” _Mark on a map, a stone, or on the earth._ Vatablus. _That the sword of the king of Babylon may come_ Dr. Waterland translates this, “Appoint thee two roads for th... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way_ The prophet here expresses what was future as if it were past, according to the usual style of the prophets, when speaking of things soon to come to pass. And he explains the symbolical action spoken of in the two foregoing verses; he shows t... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it shall be as a false divination to them that have sworn oaths_ That is, the Jews, when they shall hear of it, shall deride and despise it as a vain, lying divination, and so shall consider themselves as being unconcerned in it; and that though they have sworn homage to the king of Babylon, an... [ Continue Reading ]
_And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel_ The words are directed to Zedekiah, whom the prophet calls _profane_ and _wicked_, chiefly with respect to his breaking that solemn oath, uttered in the name of God, whereby he had engaged himself to be tributary to the king of Babylon. By this action he a... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will overturn, overturn, overturn it_ By several degrees I will utterly overthrow the kingdom of Judah; _and it shall be no more_ It shall never recover its former lustre and dignity; _until he come_, &c. Till the Messiah come to take his kingdom. To the same purpose is Lowth's paraphrase on the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus saith the Lord concerning the Ammonites_ Because the Ammonites were reprieved by Nebuchadnezzar's decision to besiege Jerusalem, they were ready to promise themselves security, and to insult over the calamities brought on the Jews; a practice for which they are often reproved very severely by... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shall I cause it to return into his sheath?_ Shall the sword that is drawn to execute the judgments of God upon Ammon be put up in its sheath before it has done its work? Surely not. _I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created_ That is, where thy nation first received its existence: tho... [ Continue Reading ]