This chapter contains a prophecy of the desolation of the whole land of Israel, and a promise that a remnant should escape, with a lamentation for the sad destruction, signified by some gestures of the prophet. The order to the prophet to deliver out the prophecy is in Ezek. 6:1, Ezek.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. ] That is, the word of prophecy from the Lord, as the Targum: this, according to Junius, was delivered out by the prophet on a sabbath day, the twenty first of the fifth month, and in the sixth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity; and so was more than…

Son of man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel Or cities of Israel, the inhabitants of them; not the ten tribes, for they had been carried captive long before this time, even in the times of Hezekiah; unless it can be thought that this prophecy is designed to show the reason of their…

And say, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God, &c.] Since the people of the Jews would not hear the word of the Lord, the mountains are called upon to hear it; unless the inhabitants of the mountains are meant: thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the…

And your altars shall be desolate Being pulled down; or because the priests and worshippers would now be slain, and there would be none to attend them: and your images shall be broken; the “images of the sun” [[1]].

And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols Which is repeated for the confirmation of it: and I will scatter your bones round about your altars: which were reckoned a pollution of them; see (2 Kings 23:14, 2 Kings 23:16, 2 Kings 23:20) .

In all your dwelling places your cities shall be laid waste, &c.] Which denotes that the desolation should be general, wherever they had cities and places to dwell in; the idolatry being universal, as is said in ; and the high places shall be desolate; meaning such as were in cities; as, before,…

And the slain shall fall in the midst of you The word for slain is in the singular number, which perhaps is put for the plural; and so the Septuagint renders it; unless it should design some principal person that should be slain; but, as King Zedekiah was not slain when the city was taken, only his…

Yet will I leave a remnant Not in Judea, but in Babylon, and in the countries where they should be dispersed, as follows: that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations; which was threatened to be drawn, and sent after them, (Ezek. 5:2, Ezek.

And they that escape of you shall remember me Either my grace and mercy to them, as Jarchi; or the fear of me, as the Targum; and so return by repentance, and worship the Lord their God, being influenced by his kindness and goodness to them: even when among the nations, whither they shall be…

And they shall know that I am the Lord As in ; and that I have not said in vain; either within himself, in his own purposes and decrees; so the Targum, “I have not in vain decreed in my word;” or by the mouth of the prophets: that I would do this evil unto them; in carrying them captive, and…

Thus saith the Lord God, smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot These are gestures of persons in distress and agony, who, to show their trouble and grief, smite one hand against the other; or smite with the hand upon the thigh, as in ; and “stretch out”, or “make a distension with the foot”…

He that is far off shall die of the pestilence That flies from the enemy into the wilderness, or into other countries, thinking himself safe there, the plague shall seize him, and he shall die of that; there is no fleeing from God, and escaping his hand; when he resolves to punish for sin, he has…

Then shall ye know that I am the Lord Whom they had denied, by serving other gods; but now by those punishments their eyes would be opened to see, and be obliged to acknowledge, that there was no God but the Lord: when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars; as is…

So will I stretch out mine hand upon them Not unto them, in a way of mercy; but upon, or against them, in a way of judgment. The Targum paraphrases it, “and I will lift up the stroke of my power upon them;” his mighty hand of vengeance: and make the land desolate; by destroying the inhabitants of…