Ezekiel 9:5

And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: TO THE OTHERS HE SAID - to the six officers of judgment ()....

Now the Prophet adds, that the Chaldeans were sent to destroy the city and its inhabitants, but the order must be observed, because they are ordered to go _behind the angel. _The grace of God therefore precedes to the safety of all the pious: then he opened the gate, and made a way open for his wrath, long and wide, after he had removed the faithful from all danger: for this reason it is said, _that he went through the city yet after him. _And Patti also signifies this, when he says, after that your obedience has been fulfilled, then wrath is at hand against all rebels and proud ones. (2 Corinthians 10:6.) God therefore first cares for his own; but after he has received them into his keeping, and hid them as it were under his wings, then he permits the flame of his wrath to burn against all the wicked. In fine, we see that as often as God revenges man’s wickedness, he regards his Church,...

5-11 The slaughter must begin at the sanctuary, that all may see and know that the Lord hates sin most in those nearest to him. He who was appointed to protect, reported the matter. Christ is faithful to the trust reposed in him. Is he commanded by his Father to secure eternal life to the chosen remnant? He says, Of all that thou hast given me, I have lost none. If others perish, and we are saved, we must ascribe the difference wholly to the mercy of our God, for we too have deserved wrath. Let us still continue to plead in behalf of others. But where the Lord shows no mercy he does no injustice; he only recompenses men's ways....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 9:1 HE CRIED, etc. The voice comes, as before, from the human form, seen as a theophany, in the midst of the Divine glory. CAUSE THEM THAT HAVE CHARGE OVER THE CITY. The noun is an abstract plural, commonly rendered "visitation" (Isaiah 10:3; Jeremiah 11:23, and elsewhere). Here, however, it clearly stands for persons (just as we use "the watch" for "the watchmen"), and is so used in Isaiah 60:17; 2 Kings 11:18 (comp....

AND, TO THE OTHERS HE SAID IN MINE HEARING,.... To the other six men that had the slaughter weapons in their hands: GO YE AFTER HIM THROUGH THE CITY; that is, after the man clothed with linen; for he was sent out first to take care of the righteous, and preserve them; and the rest were not suffered to stir till he was gone; and then they are bid to go after him. The Syriac version is, "to them that were with him he said to them before me, go through the city after me;'' as if these were the words of the man clothed with linen to the other six; and so the Arabic version; of it the other is the true reading, and gives the right sense, as the following words show: AND SMITE; the inhabitants of the city: LET NOT YOUR EYE SPARE, NEITHER HAVE YE PITY; not that the Chaldeans were inclined to mercy and pity, for they were a cruel and barbarous people; but this is said to show the resentment...

Ezekiel 9:1. The six men mentioned are angels, into whose hands the city is given. Angels are used in judgments past and future. (See Matthew 13:41; Matthew 16:27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7 .) Angels are likewise prominently mentioned in the book of Revelation. There is a striking correspondency between this chapter and Revelation 7:1. Those who sigh and weep constitute the remnant which have no sympathy with the abominations. They are marked for preservation. Thus a remnant was then kept. Well may we remember that now, in the professing church,

EZEKIEL 9. THE PITILESS SLAUGHTER OF THE SINNERS. The doom has been abundantly justified; now it comes, and in bloody form. In obedience to a ringing summons, seven angels come forth to execute it six armed with deadly weapons, the seventh arrayed in priestly linen and with an inkhorn hanging at his side, ready to put the sign of the cross (the mark in Ezekiel 9:4 is the letter _taw,_ which in the old alphabet was a cross) upon the brows of the few who were to be spared in the coming destruction, because they sighed and cried over the sin of Jerusalem. At this point comes the ominous reminder that Yahweh is gradually departing from the guilty city: already His glory has left the holy place where the cherubim were and moved to the threshold of the Temple. Then there rings out the awful command to the destroying angels, uttered by Yahweh Himself, to slay without mercy all old and young, ma...

SPARE. shield....

The other executioners were to follow the footsteps of the seventh man, and slay without discrimination all not marked by him....

II. DESTRUCTION BY THE LORD 9:1-10:22 The visions which are recorded in Chapter s 9 and 10 follow logically the terrible indictment of the previous chapter. A fourfold development is evident in the visions at this point: (1) he first sees Jerusalem destroyed by slaughter (Ezekiel 9:1-11); and then (2) by fire (Ezekiel 10:1-8). His attention is then drawn again (3) to the divine throne-chariot (Ezekiel 10:9-17); and finally (4) to the departure of the divine presence from the Jerusalem Temple. (Ezekiel 10:18-22). A. Jerusalem Destroyed by Slaughter 9:1-11 TRANSLATION (1) And a great voic