Ezekiel 7:16

But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. THEY THAT ESCAPE OF THEM SHALL ESCAPE - ( ). AND SHALL BE ON THE MOUNTAINS THE DOVES OF THE VALLEYS - which, though usually frequenting the valleys, mount up to the mountains when fearing the bird-catcher (). So Israel, once dwelling in his peaceful valleys, shall flee from the foe to the mountains, which, as being the scene of his idolatries, were justly to be made the scene of his flight and shame. ALL OF THEM MOURNING, EVERY ONE FOR HIS INIQUITY. The plaintive note of the dove (, "We mourn sore like doves") represents the...

The Prophet seems here to be at variance with himself, because he formerly pronounced them all devoted to destruction. How, then, does he now say that some should come hither and thither, to seek hiding-places in the mountains? But what seem at, variance easily agree, because by these words he means that the life of those who escaped should be more miserable than if they had perished by the sword, or had been consumed by pestilence and famine. And why so? _They shall be, _says he, _in the mountains. _By mountains he doubtless understands dry and desert places. But he who seeks hiding-places in the mountains is only anxious about preserving his life, since he expects not to live. So, therefore, the Prophet means, nothing can be more miserable than the exile of those who had escaped, because they would be in dry and desert places,_like doves of the valleys, _there they will not dare to cry...

16-22 Sooner or later, sin will cause sorrow; and those who will not repent of their sin, may justly be left to pine away in it. There are many whose wealth is their snare and ruin; and the gaining the world is the losing of their souls. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. The wealth of this world has not that in it which will answer the desires of the soul, or be any satisfaction to it in a day of distress. God's temple shall stand them in no stead. Those are unworthy to be honoured with the form of godliness, who will not be governed by its power....

Verse Ezekiel 7:16. _THEY - SHALL BE ON THE MOUNTAINS LIKE DOVES OF THE_ _VALLEYS_] Rather, _like mourning doves_ הגאיות haggeayoth, chased from their dove-cotes, and separated from their mates....

As doves whose natural abode is the valleys moan lamentably when driven by fear into the mountains, so shall the remnant, who have escaped actual death, moan in the land of their exile....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 7:1 The absence of any fresh date, and the fact that it is simply tacked on to the previous chapter by the copulative conjunction, shows that what follows belongs to the same group. The use of the phrase, THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO ME, shows, however, that there was an interval of silence, perhaps of meditation, followed by a fresh influx of inspiration; and, so far as we may judge from the more lyrical character of the chapter, a more intense emotion. EZEKIEL 7:2 AN END, etc. The iteration of the word once more gives emphasis. The words read like an echo of Amos 8:2. The FOUR CORNERS (Hebrew, "wings...

BUT THEY THAT ESCAPE OF THEM SHALL ESCAPE,.... Some few should escape the pestilence, famine, and sword, and flee to the mountains, where they should live a very miserable and uncomfortable life; so that this is no contradiction to the wrath of God being upon the whole multitude, Ezekiel 7:12; as it follows: AND SHALL BE ON THE MOUNTAINS; whither they shall flee, when the city is broken up and taken; and so the Syriac version reads it, in connection with the preceding words, "and they that escape of them shall escape to the mountains"; barren and desert places, where they shall find no subsistence, nor have any agreeable company and conversation, but live in solitude and distress: LIKE DOVES OF THE VALLEYS, ALL OF THEM MOURNING, EVERYONE FOR HIS INIQUITY: like doves that live in valleys, or gather together there, and hide themselves in the holes of the

Ezekiel 7:1. This chapter closes the first great message of Ezekiel. This great judgment message is written in beautiful language, which, in the Authorized Version, is marred by numerous incorrect renderings. The reader will find a reliable metrical translation in our larger commentary on Ezekiel. First, the end is announced to come upon the entire land; it could no longer be averted. There is another day coming in which the Lord will deal in fearful judgments with this earth. Now is the day of salvation in which God speaks in love through His Son, When wickedness and apostasy has reached its climax, the day of salvation will end and “the day of vengeance of our God” will begin. Then He will speak in His wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure Psalms 2:5. Then will they say to the mountains and rocks, “Fal

That dreadful day, which would extinguish their political existence, would no less bring to an end all their social and commercial life. The proud blossoms of Judah would soon be smitten and withered. Buyers need no more rejoice when they made a good bargain, nor need sellers be sorry when they came off badly, for very soon they would all be levelled in one common catastrophe. The enemy would come, the alarm of war would be raised, but none would have the courage to go forth to the fight, so that destruction in its every form would reign unchecked, alike on those who remained in the city, and on those who escaped to the mountains, and everywhere would be seen the signs of mourning (sackcloth, shaven head, etc.). (This passage bristles with textual obscurities, which would not repay discussion here. Suffice it to say that in Ezekiel 7:10 the rod is probably Judah or the royal house, and...

INIQUITY. As in Ezekiel 7:13 but here is put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect), App-6, for the judgment which was the consequence of it....