This chapter contains an account of the sins of the princes of Judah; a prophecy of their destruction; some comfortable, promises respecting those of the captivity; and the chapter is closed with the finishing of the vision of the Lord’s removing from Jerusalem; and the whole being ended, the…

Moreover, the spirit lifted me up From the inner court of the temple, where the prophet was, according to the last account of him, ; it was the same Spirit that took him by the lock of his head, and lifted him up, as in ; and perhaps in the same manner: and brought me unto the east gate of the…

Then said he unto me, son of man That is, the Lord, or, the Spirit of the Lord, that lifted him up: these are the men that devise mischief; or “vanity” [[3]]; this is to be understood not of the two only that are named, though it may of them chiefly; but of all the twenty five, who formed schemes…

Which say it is not near, let us build houses Meaning that the destruction of the city was not near, as the prophet had foretold, (Ezek. 7:3, Ezek. 7:6, Ezek. 7:7, Ezek. 7:10, Ezek.

Therefore prophesy against them Evil things against them, things that are disagreeable to them; since they flatter themselves with good things, and cry peace and safety, let them know that destruction is coming upon them: or, “concerning them” [[5]]; what will befall them, and that it will be…

And the spirit of the Lord fell upon me In an extraordinary manner, and afresh, and enlightened his mind, and showed him things that should come to pass; and filled him with boldness and courage to declare them.

Ye have multiplied your slain in this city Had killed many of the prophets of the Lord that had been sent unto them, and had shed much innocent blood; and not only had unjustly condemned many to die, and had put them to death without a cause; but also the death of all those that were slain while…

Therefore thus saith the Lord God Applying the parabolical expressions they had derided, and explaining them, in a different sense from what they had put upon them: your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh; the prophets they had killed; the persons, who had died…

Ye have feared the sword Of the Chaldeans; and therefore they sent to the Egyptians for help. The Targum is, “ye have been afraid of them that kill with the sword;” and not afraid of the Lord; see ; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord God; or those that kill with the sword, as the…

And I will bring you out of the midst thereof Jerusalem, the cauldron, as they said it was, and where they thought they should be safe; this is repeated, to express the certainty of it, and to excite their attention to it, and remove their vain confidence: and deliver you into the hands of…

Ye shall fall by the sword Of the Chaldeans; not in the city of Jerusalem, but out of it, when it was broken up, and they fled: I will judge you in the border of Israel; that is, inflict punishment on them, particularly by the sword; which was done at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where the sons of…

This city shall not be your cauldron It was one, as in ; but not theirs; it was the cauldron for the slain, for the dead, but not the living: neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst of it; or, “and ye shall be” “but ye shall be in the midst of it, as flesh that is boiled in the midst of a pot:”…

And ye shall know that I am the Lord (See Gill on Ezek. 11:10); for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments; which is the reason why the Lord would judge them on the border of Israel, and deliver them up into the hands of strangers; nor can he be thought to act the severe…

And it came to pass when I prophesied Or, “as I prophesied” [[8]]; that is, while he was prophesying, or declaring the above things from the mouth of the Lord, concerning the slaughter of the Jews by the sword, and the captivity of the rest: that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died; one of the princes…

Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying In answer to his prayer. The Targum calls it, “the word of prophecy from the Lord;” this was by way of comfort to the captives in Babylon, as the former was by way of threatening to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred Or, “of thy redemption” [[10]]; to whom the right of redemption of his lands and possessions belonged, as it did to those that were next akin.

Therefore say, thus saith the Lord God Since they were so insulted and ill treated by their brethren the Jews: although I have cast them afar off among the Heathen; both the ten tribes, even all the house of Israel, who were carried into Assyria, and placed in the cities of the Medes, in Halath and…

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will even gather you from the people The Babylonians, Medes, and Persians, where they had been carried captive: and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered; that is, out of Chaldea and Media, out of which they should come in a body, and…

And they shall come thither That those of the captivity shall come to the land of Israel, they or their posterity: and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof; the idols of the nations, that had been there introduced, detestable to God and all good men: and all the abominations…

And I will give them one heart In opposition to a divided heart, ; divided between the true God and idols, wavering and halting between two opinions, sometimes serving God, and sometimes Baal; a heart to pursue one way of worship, and to serve the Lord with one shoulder or consent, ; a heart…

That they may walk in my statutes Have their conversation ordered according to the will and word of God; to which there is neither will nor power, till God gives a new heart and spirit, or works in them both to will and to do: and keep mine ordinances, and do them; all things appertaining to…

But as for them Who remained in Jerusalem, and were not carried captive, but continued in their, own land, and worshipped idols, the same as in ; whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations; not images of gold and silver, which cannot be said to have a…

Then did the cherubim lift up their wings In order to remove, as in ; and the wheels beside them; which were lifted up also along with the cherubim: and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above; both cherubim and wheels.

And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, &c.] Of Jerusalem, whither it was removed from the door of the east gate of the temple, ; though no mention is made of such removal; and now, having left the temple, it leaves the city: and stood upon the mountain, which is on the east…

Afterwards the spirit took me up From the east gate of the temple, whither he had brought him; when he had been shown, and everything had been told him, necessary for the reproof of the Jews in Jerusalem, and for the comfort of the captives: and brought me in vision by the spirit of God into…

Then I spake unto them of the captivity The elders of Judah, and others with them, at Telabib, where the prophet had a house: all the things the Lord had showed me; all the visions contained in the preceding chapters, from the beginning of the fourth chapter to the end of this: as the portraying…