Their visage is blacker then a coal; &c.] Their complexion is spoiled through famine, and öther hardships, so as to make them look dry and withered.

20. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, &c.] Zedekiah is here meant, of whom the Prophet saith, he was taken in those toils which his enemies laid to catch him with. As long as he was safe they had hopes of preserving some face of government, although carried captive into a foreign land.

21. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,] An ironical expression, like that of Solomon, Eccles. xi. 9. « Rejoice, O young man," &c. As if the Prophet had said, Rejoice while thou mayest, O Edom, over the calamities of the Jews. But thou shalt not rejoice long, for in a little time it shall be thy turn to feel God's afflicting hand. I

CHAP. V.

Verse 4. We have drunken our water for money;] We have been reduced to such necessity as to have no water to drink, but what we buy, We bought it of our foreign rulers, though we were the natural proprietors of the wells.

6. We have given the hand to the Egyptians, &c.] In token of our becoming their slaves and

tributaries, that we might obtain the necessaries of life.

7. Qur fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.] It is not to be imagined from these words, that God, who is just and good, punishes children so as to exclude them from His mercy, for the sins which their fathers have committed: but it often happens that God, to chastise the fathers, and for the good of the children themselves, exposes them in this life, to the calamities, which their fathers by their sins have brought upon them. This the captive Jews at Babylon experienced, as God had threatened them in their law, Exod. xx. 5; and this we daily see come to pass in the course of His providence. See the notes on Jer. xxxi. 29, 30.

9.-the sword of the wilderness.] Meaning those enemies who lurked in the wilderness to attack them.

12.-by their hand :] The hand of the enemies. 13.-the children fell under the wood.] They were made to carry such heavy burdens of wood, that they fainted under the load.

22. But thou hast utterly rejected us;] Thou art resolved to cast off the Jews of this generation, and wilt not shew us favour, till the seventy years of our captivity are expired.

heads, was as the colour of a glorious crystal, which had in it a kind of majestical brightness.

26.—the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone:] God is described in Scripture as" dwelling in light, and clothing Himself with: it:" So the throne of God here described was made up of light, resembling the colours and brightness of a sapphire.

-the appearance of a man] The Representative of the invisible God, His ever blessed and only begotten Son, who at length assumed human nature. When Moses and the elders saw the God of Israel, Exod. xxiv. 9-11, or the glory of God, they saw nothing but an inconceivably resplendent brightness, that they might not imagine the Deity represented by any image. Here the form of a man seems to prefigure the appearance of God in the flesh.

28. As the appearance of the bow] As this vision was an evident representation of the Word, that was to be made flesh, whose incarnation is the foundation of God's covenant and mercy with mankind; a rainbow, the symbol and token of mercy, was a very fit attendant upon that glorious vision, Rev. x. 1.

This august vision was a representation of God's glory, which tended to convince the Prophet of the Divine appearance. It signified likewise, that God is every where present; that His knowledge and power are infinite; that He governs all things by His providence; and as it was by His will that Jerusalem was destroyed, so He would change its condition, and bring the Jews again from their captivity by means known only to Himself.

CHAP. II. ·

In

Verse 1-Son of man,] This expression is generally understood as applied to the Prophet, to put him in mind of his frailty and mortality, and of the infurite distance between God and man. which sense it is supposed to be taken, when spoken of Christ in the New Testament; implying his great humility in assuming our nature, and appearing no otherwise than as an ordinary man.

5.

And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, &c.] Whether they will hear, or will not hear (as is more probable, for they are a stubborn people), yet shall they find by the event answering thy predictions, that they have had a Prophet amongst them; on which account, if their sins are not reformed, they shall be more deeply punished.

6.-though briers and thorns be with thee, &c.] The meaning is, though in the discharge of thy office, thou exposest thyself to injurious and malignant treatment.

8.-eat that I give thee.] God's words were te sink deep into him, that he might faithfully deliver them to others.

The knowledge of Divine truths is often expressed by the metaphors of bodily food and nourishment: and therefore to "eat" the words of this prophecy, signifies to commit them to memory, to meditate upon them, and digest them.

10.-it was written within and without:] To imply that it was full of what it contained, that is, of the denunciatious of God's judgments.

CHAP. III.

-Verse 2. he caused me to eat that roll.] This circumstance of Ezekiel's eating the roll plainly belongs to his first vision: during which he ate the roll; and therefore his eating was visionary not real.

3.-it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.] Perhaps it was sweet from the pleasure of being so honourably employed. So pleasing a contentinent there is in a holy obedience to the commands of God.

8. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, &c.] This implies that God endued the Prophet with strength and courage faithfully and boldly to execute his commission against this obstinate people.

11.-get thee to them of the captivity,] To them who are already brought with thee captives into the land of the Chaldeans.

14.-I went in bitterness,] The joy, that I first conceived in receiving the Divine message, was quickly turned into grief and anguish, because of the calamities which I was to foretel.

-the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.] Urging and empowering me to execute my cour mission.

15.-astonished among them] Having his spirit cast down and amazed under the apprehension of these terrible judgments which were to come upon his nation, and of which he was to be the nes senger.

17.-a watchman unto the house of Israel:] To give them timely notice of approaching evils.

19.-but thou hast delivered thy soul.] Thou art clear from the guilt of his sin. Compare Acts xx. 26. The opposite to this clause is, "His blood will I require at thine hand."

20.—and I lay a stumblingblock before him,] And I cause his iniquity to become his ruin.

26.-thou shalt be dumb,] Because they re garded not the word which God commanded him to speak to them, he was directed to instruct thêm only by signs, such as are those emblems of the siege contained in the next chapter.

CHAP. IV.

Verse 1.-take thee a tile, &c.] The learned are not agreed whether the Prophet actually performed the commands here given; or whether what is here related be anything more than a history of the vision that was vouchsafed him. In either case, the design of God was to afford signs to His people, representing the events which He had determined to bring about.

4. Lie thou also upon thy left side,] This was to be his posture in the exercise of his prophetical office. It may be supposed, that the Prophet did not constantly retain this posture, but only during a part of each day, when the people were likely to observe his conduct.

-lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it:] That is, declare that you thus represent the iniquity of the house of Israel.

according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.] Thou shalt prophetically denote how long I will forbear to punish their iniquity.

5.-three hundred and ninety days:] The number of the years, during which God would forbear to bring His final punishment on the remainder of the ten tribes of Israel, was to answer to the number of the days that the Prophet was to lie on his left side, that is, three hundred and ninety days.

Reckoning from the apostacy of Jeroboam, who set up the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, to the last captivity of the poor remains of Israel that were found in Judea, when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre, there will be just 390 years. And so long God bore the idolatry of the house of Israel. And from the eighteenth year of Josiah, when the house of Judah entered solemnly into covenant to walk faithfully in God's laws, to the same captivity there were just 40 years, and so long God bore their walking contrary to the said covenant.

7.-thine arm shall be uncovered,] As in the act of taking vengeance.

8.-I will lay bands upon thee,] God is said to do what was done in consequence of His commands. See chap. iii. 25. This seems to shew the firmness of the Chaldeans in carrying on the siege till they took the city.

till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.] Till the days are expired which shall be taken up in this sensible representation of the siege of Jerusalem.

9. Take thou-wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, &c.] By this mixture, it is intended to shew the distressed situation of the city of Jerusalem, during the approaching siege. The use of mixed corn is generally a proof of scarcity, but when beans and lentiles are added, it is a mark of severe distress..

Verse 1.-take thee a barber's rasor,] Under the type of hair cut off, burnt, and scattered, are further prefigured the calamities which should befal Jerusalem.

2.-in the midst of the city,] The city which the Prophet had pourtrayed or engraved on the tile, chap. iv. 1.

-the siege] The typical sicge.

3.-bind them in thy skirts.] This denotes the remnant of the Jews that was left in the land under Gedaliah. But to shew how few were worthy to be snatched from the general destruction, the Prophet is afterwards directed to take a part even of this remnant, and to cast it into the fire, verse 4. By these last may be understood, that part of the Jews who were destroyed in consequence of Ishmael's conspiracy against Gedaliah; see Jer. xlii. &c.

4.-thereof shall a fire come forth &c.] The conspiracy of Ishmael was the occasion of the utter ruin of that poor remainder of the Jews which were left in their native country.

7.-ye multiplied more than the nations &c.] You have multiplied your sins more than the nations.

-neither have done according to the judgments of the nations] You have not been so constant and zealous for the true religion, as they have in a false one.

9.-I will do that which I have not done,] That which I have not before or elsewhere done. If we consider the marks of Divine indignation which have already lain upon the Jews for so many centuries (and how much longer they may continue we know not), it may truly be said that none of God's judgments are like it.

12.

A third part &c.] See verse 2; and chap. vi. 12.

13.-and I will be comforted:] I will satisfy My anger. This and the former expression are

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borrowed from human passions. As men find some ease and rest in bringing offenders to due punishment, so God is here described as feeling ease and satisfaction in executing His justice upon incorrigible sinners.

16. the evil arrows of famine,] Meaning, a very grievous famine.

In this chapter the Prophet tells the people, that as they had surpassed the neighbouring nations in their idolatry and wickedness, God would do to them such things as He had never done before, and would execute His judgments upon them with wrath and fury. Thus God punishes men for their rebellion, adapting their punishment to their crimes; and treating with the greatest severity those, who, having had the greatest share of His favours, ungratefully abuse them.

Verse 2.-the mountains of Israel,] Meaning, the great men that yet remained in Judea.

8. Yet will leave a remnant,] A glorious exception that often occurs in the Prophets, when they denounce general judgments against the Jews; implying, that God will still preserve a remnant of that people, to whom He will fulfil the promises made to their fathers.

9.—I am broken with their whorish heart,] I have been overprovoked by their wicked idolatries.

11.Smite with thine hand, &c.] Be vehement and passionate in expressing thy sorrow and indignation for the sins and judgments of thy people.

12. He that is far off] Out of the reach of the enemy.

13.-under every green tree, and-thick oak,] The offering of sacrifices in groves and sady places was an ancient rite of idolatry; upon which account groves and images are often joined together by the sacred writers.

CHAP. VII.

Verse 2.-the end is come upon the four corners of the land.] The iniquity of the Jews was now arrived at its height; and the final desolation was about to come upou the whole land of Judea.

4.-thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee:] The punishment of your abominable idolatriés shall be manifest among you.

5.-an only evil,] Or, final evil; that which alone shall make a dispatch of thee: there shall need no other to second it.

7. The morning is come] The morning of thy visitation.

und not the sounding again of the mountains.] It is no empty sound of an echo among the mountains, but a true and feeling destruction.

13.-the seller shall not return-although they were yet alive:] By the privilege of the Jewish law, he who had sold his heritage had a right to re-enter upon it at the year of jubilee. But here the prophet informs the sellers, that even if they should outlive the general calamity, yet being in captivity, they could not enjoy the benefit of the law, nor return any more to their possessions.

14.-but none goeth to the buttle:] Such is the judicial cowardice that prevails; see ver. 17.

20. As for the beauty of his ornament, &c.] As for His glorious temple, He placed it in great majesty among them, as that which might well be their greatest ornament: &c.

therefore have I set it far from them.] The Prophets, to denote the certainty of the event, speak of what is to come as if it were already done.

23. Make a chain:] Jeremiah is commanded to make bonds and yokes, Jer. xxvii. 2. Aud Ezekiel is here directed to make a chain, to foreshew the approaching captivity, when king and people should be carried in chains to Babylon.

24.-the worst of the heathen,] The Chaldeans, who were at that time the oppressors of the world, and a terror to all around them.

CHAP. VIII.

This chapter and the three following contain the particulars of a single vision.

Verse 1.-the sixth year,] Of king Jehoiachin's captivity.

the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.] The Spirit of God came upon me, and vouchsafed me the following vision.

3.-in the visions of God] By mental representation; as if the Prophet had been personally present. It seems most probable that everything to chap. xi. 24, passed while the prophet was in a trance; chap. xi. 25. Ezekiel relates his vision to the elders who sat before him.

-the image of jealousy,] What this image was which rivalled Jehovah with the Jews, cannot be ascertained. Some suppose, that it was the image of Baal. Others think that the expression was intended to denote the false gods in general, by the worship of which the anger of God had been excited against His people.

4.-in the plain.] See chap. iii. 22, 23.

8. c.-dig now in the wall: &c.] We have here a description of the celebrated mysteries of of the Egyptian idol gods Isis and Osiris. With these idolatries the Israelites had polluted them.