unto me; Son of man, wilt thou chap. 20. judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations; 4. & 22. 2. 1 Or, plead for. 37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them. 38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. 39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary 2K to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house. 21.4 37. blood is in their hands] One of the chief sins of Manasseh was that he shed innocent blood, 2 K. xxi. 16, xxiv. 4, also below, xxiv. 6 foll. pass for them through] xvi. 21, also xx. 26. 38. in the same day] the day when they made their offerings. See v. 39. sabbaths] xxii. 8. 39. The mixture of the worship of Jehovah and of false gods was characteristic of the time, and was thoroughly heathen; Jehovah being placed as it were in the list of deities, not acknowledged as the One God. Idols and idol-temples were erected close to the House of God, and yet the temple-service went on (2 K. xxi. 4; Jer. xxxii. 34). 40. ge have sent] The figure is that of a woman decked in all her beauty, sitting at a banquet, prepared for those whom she has invited. Comp. Isai. lvii. 9. The form of the verb may be either 2nd or 3rd person plu. fem.: as in v. 42 we have their, it is better to render it "they have sent "--they—that is, Israel and Judah spoken of as two women, According to Gesen. and Ewald, the form may be sing., "thou hast sent." messenger] See above, v. 16. This further offence is not one of idolatry, which has been already mentioned in its extreme forms (vv. 38, 39), but that of courting alliances with other powers which were not less readily made than broken. wash thyself] The bath was a proper preliminary to putting on fine apparel. paintedst] 2 K. ix. 30. 42. a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her] the voice of the tumult was stilled thereby. The tumultuous cries of Multitude: lit. tumult, or tumultuous cry (1 S. the invading army were stilled by these gifts. iv. 14; Isai. xiii. 4); or if a multitude, a "tumultuous multitude." with her] The Heb. may mean thereby (as Gen. xxiv. 14), i.e. by these gifts. of the common sort] Heb. "of the multitude of men,” a multitudinous crowd. Sabeans] Or, drunkards (as in marg.), according to the Chetib. The A.V. follows the K'ri, which is less probable. LXX. "drunken;" the Vulg. omits the word. The Chaldæans were noted for their intemperance and revellings. the wilderness] Not the Arabian desert, com- understand with Kliefoth and Keil that this 43. Will they now commit...] Rather, Now made according to their desires, and then followed the consequent punishment. According to this view, which gives by far the clearest sense, 40-44 should be thus rendered:-And furthermore, they sent for men to come from far, to whom a message was sent, and lo they came; for whom thou didst bathe thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments, and satest upon a stately couch, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou didst set mine incense and mine oil, and the voice of tumult was stilled thereby, and to the men from the multitudes (the Assyrians brought from far) were brought revellers from (over) the desert, which put bracelets upon their hands and beautiful crowns upon their heads. Then said I to her that was worn out in adulteries, Now shall her whoredom come to pass, even this, and they went in unto her. 45-49. The judgment to be executed by the hands of their allies. 45. the righteous men, they] and righteous men, they. The def. art. is not in the original. The allies are called righteous, not because they were in themselves more righteous than the men of Israel, but as the instruments of God's righteous judgments. 47. stone them] The legal punishment for adulteresses, Lev. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22; John viii. 5. 48. to cease] Not because they have repented and forsaken their sins, but because they are stricken and consumed. Comp. xxii. 15. all women] i.e. all countries. CHAP. XXIV. Ezekiel is commissioned to announce to his fellow-exiles that the destruction of Jerusalem, which he had so long foretold, was now in course of execution, that the siege had actually begun. This he is to declare (1) by a parable of the boiling pot, see Note at end of ch. iii. (vv. 1—14), (2) by a symbolical act-the abstaining from the usual outward mourning for his wife's death. 1. The prophecies in this chapter were delivered two years and five months after those of the previous section (xx. 1). The day mentioned here was the very day on which Nebuchadnezzar completed his arrangements for the siege, and closed in the city (2 K, xxv. 1; Jer. lii. 4). After the captivity this day was regularly observed as a fast day-the fast of the tenth month (Zech. viii. 19). 2. set himself against] The Heb. word means rather lay hard upon, see Ps. lxxxviii. 7, which is inconsistent with the notion by which some have endeavoured to explain away the statement that Ezekiel knew by inspiration what was going on far away, viz., that on the day named, Nebuchadnezzar was only setting himself to make a first start on his expedition, which might have been done near Ezekiel's dwelling-place in Chaldæa. "That Ezekiel on the banks of the Chebar knew what was taking place at Jerusalem on the very day of its occurrence may be a difficulty to those expositors who deny that God can make any prophetical communication, but need not incline us to discover with them in this passage a prediction after the event." (Kliefoth.) 3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: 4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. 5 Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. 6 ¶ Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. 7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; 3. Set on a pot] the caldron. The same word as in xi. 3, to which there is a reference: the def. article before caldron is thus to be explained—that caldron of which you talk. The prophet applies the figure in a sense quite contrary to the proverb. The inhabitants of Jerusalem used it to denote security, Ezekiel to indicate utter destruction. The caldron is the city, the fire is the surrounding army, the flesh and bones are the inhabitants shut in within the walls. 4. the pieces thereof] the pieces that belong to it. The pieces which are designed for the caldron, and belong to it as the inhabitants to the city. The choice pieces, the thigh, the shoulder (1 S. ix. 24). Ironically reminding them of their boast that they are the choice members of the community (xi. 3). 5. burn] Rather, as in marg., heap, or, "make a heap of." See Note at end of Chapter. Compare Herod. IV. 61. "When we first steamed up the river Shire, our fuel ran out in the elephant marsh where no trees exist. Coming to a spot where an elephant had been slaughtered, I at once took the bones on board, and these with the bones of a second elephant, enabled us to steam briskly up to where wood abounded. The Scythians according to Herodotus used the bones of the animal sacrificed to boil the flesh; the Guachos of South America do the same when they have no fuel, the ox thus boils himself." Livingstone's Last Journal,' Vol. 1. p. 347. 6-14. The application of the parable (1) to the people (6-8), (2) to the city (9—14). The city is to be emptied of its inhabitants, and so made ready for the burning. only here; it is connected with a word signi6. scum] rust. The original word occurs fying to rub off, and is rendered in the LXX. "rust." Rashi, as our A. V., scum; but rust seems the better translation, not only because it is suitable to the derivation rub off, but also because the city represented by the pot is reproved on account of its rust remaining on it. Comp. v. 11; Jas. v. 3. bring it out piece by piece] It, the city; used generally for the inhabitants-bring them out, one by one, clear the city of them, whether by death, exile, or captivity. let no lot fall upon it] In the captivity of Jehoiakim and in that of Jehoiachin, some were taken, others left. Now there shall be no discrimination. All shall be removed. 7. See on xxiii. 37. she poured it not upon the ground] The blood was poured upon a dry rock where it could not be absorbed or unnoticed, not upon a soil where it might be drunk in and covered with dust (Job xvi. 18; Isai. xxvi. 21). 10. spice it well] If this be the correct rendering, it must be understood as describing a process usual in decoction; throw in spices in abundance, that the bones and the flesh may be all boiled up together. But in Job xli. 31 the word is used of ointment or salve frothing up in boiling. Comp. Exod. xxx, 25, 35, so that the words probably mean rather, "make it froth and bubble.” 11, 12. scum] rust; see on v. 6. forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. 13 In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. 14 I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD. 15 ¶ Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy Heb. go. tears run down. 577 18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. 19 ¶ And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? 20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and 'that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your your so daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. 22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 23 And tires shall be upon your your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. 24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath + Heb. 16-27. The death of Ezekiel's wife took place in the evening of the same day that he delivered the foregoing prophecy. This event was to signify to the people that the Lord would take from them all that was most dear to them-temple, home, friends, and possessions. The behaviour of the prophet was to shew his fellow-exiles that the condition of the people would be such as to give no room for the common expression of mourning. Comp. Jer. xvi. 5, they shall not lament or bemoan the dead; they would grieve for their sins and their punishment, but the times that were coming were so extraordinary as to leave no room for the quiet lamentation for the dead according to the usual forms of mourning. 17. bind the tire of thine head upon thee] The tire was the mitre worn by the priest. One of the signs of mourning was to cover the head (2 S. xv. 30; Jer. xiv. 3); another was to sprinkle ashes upon the head (xxvii. 30; 1 S. iv. 12; 2 S. xv. 32). It was forbidden to the high-priest to uncover his head (Lev. xxi. 10), because the anointing oil had been upon him—that is, he was not to defile his head with ashes sprinkled upon it. The covering of the head adopted by mourners must have been different from the usual dress, and so in either case the ordinary covering was removed, to be replaced either by ashes or by a mourning veil. Although the high-priest was to abstain from outward signs of mourning, and in a particular case a similar course was prescribed to the priests Eleazar and Ithamar (Lev. x. 6), the priest in general was to mourn for his dead (Lev. xxi. I foll.), and so Ezekiel was to be an exception to the rule. Another sign of mourning was to go barefoot (2 S. xv. 30), see on Jerem. xiii. 22; another to cover the lower part of the face (Micah iii. 7). eat not the bread of men] It was customary at funerals to have food supplied for the comfort of the mourners, and this is the origin of the funeral feasts, so common among all nations. Bread of men, i.e. bread commonly used by men on such occasions. Jerome: "bread of mourners." From such food Ezekiel is to abstain. Comp. Jer. xvi. 7, neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or mother, where see note. 23. pine away] Compare Lev. xxvi. 39. Herein is to be found the fulfilment of the threats conveyed in the Law. The outward signs of grief were a certain consolation. Their absence indicates a more intense, heartconsuming sorrow, SECOND GROUP. WORDS OF JUDGMENT TO HEATHEN NATIONS. Chaps. xxv.-xxxii. It was a distinct part of scriptural prophecy to address heathen nations. This was variously done by the several prophets according to the varieties of time and place. Some, as Obadiah (to Edom) and Nahum (to Nineveh), addressed one such nation and no others. More commonly the prophecies to the chosen people and to the heathen were intermixed as by Amos and Joel. In Isaiah (xiii.—xix.), and Jeremiah (xlvi.-li.), and Ezekiel, one section is specially devoted to a collection of such prophecies. Besides the special message to the nation addressed, every such prediction had the general purpose of exhibiting the conflict ever waging between the servants of God and the powers of the world, and of declaring the divine decrees as to the issue of this conflict. This general purport is that which concerns us. Tyre and Egypt are overthrown, but there is still a warfare between good and evil, between God and Satan, and in the old prophecies against heathen nations we are to read of the struggle in which the Church of Christ has still to wrestle against her foes (Eph. vi. 12), but will surely prevail. The series of prophecies, with one exception to be noticed in its place, contained in these chapters, was delivered at the time of the fall of Jerusalem, some shortly before and some shortly after the capture of the city. They were collected together to illustrate their original purpose of warning the nations not to exult in their neighbour's fall. In the times of Jerusalem's greatness, the surrounding nations had been her vassals, and when, from time to time, they became independent, they were no doubt regarded by the Jews simply as successful rebels. It is probable that Josiah, in the days of his prosperity, reasserted his right of dominion over Edom and Moab, and that this circumstance increased their pleasure to see the proud city degraded, even though they had often combined with her against a common and greater enemy. The prophet is now commissioned to warn these nations that judgment is coming upon them too, so that they shall be like Jerusalem in her ruin, unlike her in being without hope of recovery. Seven nations are addressed, which have had most intercourse with the children of Israel-on their eastern borders Moab and Ammon, to the south |