1.
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
2.
Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
son of man . See note on Ezekiel 2:1 .
the Lord GOD = Adonai Jehovah. See note on Ezekiel 2:4 .
the land of Israel = the soil or ground of Israel. 'Ad math Israel, not 'eretz, as in the next clause. See note on Ezekiel 11:17 .
An end . . . the end . . . the end . The Figure of speech Repetitio for emphasis. Compare verses: Ezekiel 2:3 . See App-6 .
the land . Hebrew. 'eretz.
3.
Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.
4.
And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Mine eye . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 .
ye shall know , &c. See note on Ezekiel 6:7 .
5.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.
6.
An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.
An end . . . the end . . . it watcheth . Figure of speech Paronomasia. App-6 . Hebrew. kez . . . hakez, : . . . hekes.
it = she. Note the sudden change of gender, referring to "the morning" of Ezekiel 7:7 .
7.
The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.
The morning is come = The turn (or circle) hath come round.
sounding again . Occurs only here.
8.
Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.
An evil, an only evil . Figure of speech Epizeuxis. App-6 .
evil = calamity. Hebrew. raa. App-44 .
only = sole. Some codices, with four early printed editions and Aramaean, read "calamity after calamity", reading 'ahar (after) instead of 'ahad
behold . Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .
9.
And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.
10.
Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.
the rod hath blossomed : i.e. Nebuchadnezzar's sceptre is ready.
pride = insolence, or presumption : i.e. Israel's sin, which has called for the judgment.
11.
Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.
a rod of wickedness : i.e. a rod to punish the wickedness. Genitive of Relation. App-17 .
wickedness = lawlessness. Hebrew rasha. App-44 . neither shall there be wailing for them. Some codices, with four early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "no rest for them".
12.
The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
13.
For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
to that : i.e. to the possession.
although they were yet alive : i.e. at the time of the redemption, when, at the jubilee, the property sold would come back to the seller. Ref to Pentateuch (Leviticus 25 ). App-92 .
the vision : or, indignation, if chardn is read for chazan , "wrath"; i.e. ? = R for? = D, as in Ezekiel 7:12 and Ezekiel 7:14 .
strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life : or, no man by his iniquity shall strengthen his life.
iniquity . Hebrew. avah. App-44 .
14.
They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
They have blown . Some codices, with Septuagint, and Vulgate, read "Blow ye".
15.
The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
The sword . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for war.
The sword is without . Reference to Pentateuch, (Deuteronomy 32:25 ).
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.
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.
17.
All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
18.
They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
baldness. A sign of mourning.
19.
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
deliver = rescue.
souls = cravings of their animal nature. Hebrew. nepheah. App-13 .
20.
As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.
it: i.e. His Sanctuary, or His holy city Jerusalem.
and. Some codices, with Syriac and Vulgate, read this "and" in the text = "and their".
21.
And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
strangers = foreigners.
wicked = lawless. Hebrew. rasha', App-44 .
pollute = profane.
22.
My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.
23.
Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
Make a chain. The sign of captivity, answering to the other sign in Ezekiel 7:11 - ("q").
bloody crimes = crimes of bloodshed i.e. capital crimes.
24.
Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.
heathen = nations.
the strong. The Septuagint evidently read `uzzam, instead of `uzzim ("the fierce ones"), Compare Ezekiel 24:21 .
holy . See note on Exodus 3:5 .
25.
Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
Destruction : or, Cutting off.
26.
Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
Mischiefs = Calamity. Hebrew. chavah.
shall come. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:23 ).
rumour = hearing. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for what is heard.
upon = after; but a special reading called Sevir ( App-34 ), reads "upon". This is followed by Authorized Version and Revised Version.
they seek. But in vain. See Ezekiel 7:25 .
the law. This was the special province of the priest (Deuteronomy 17:8-13 ; Deuteronomy 33:10 ), as the vision was that of the prophet, and counsel that of elders. Compare Jeremiah 18:18 .
ancients = elders.
27.
The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
desolation . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6 , for rent garments, which were the outward expression of inward grief.
deserts = judgments, Compare Ezekiel 7:23 .
they shall know , &c. See note on Ezekiel 6:10 ,