1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Ezekiel 1:1 | Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, *in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was in the midst of the captives, **by the river Chobar, the heavens were opened, and I saw the visions of God. Ezechiel 3:23.; Ezechiel 10:20.; Ezechiel 43:3. | Year of the World 3409, Year before Christ 595. And is either superfluous, as at the beginning of most of the sacred books, (Calmet) or shews the connection of what is written with what the prophet saw or heard internally. (St. Augustine, in Psalm iv.; St. Gregory) (Worthington) --- Year: either of the age of Ezechiel, or (as others will have it) from the solemn covenant made in the eighteenth year of Josias; (4 Kings xxiii.; Challoner; Worthington; Calmet) or he alludes to the era of Nabopolassur, used at Babylon, (Menochius) or to the last jubilee. See Sanctius. The thirtieth year, from the prediction of Holda to Josias, (Haydock) concurs with the fifth of the prophet's captivity, Ezechiel 17:12. (Usher, the year of the world 3410.) --- Fourth of the sacred year, (Calmet) on Friday, 24th July, (Usher) or in January. (St. Jerome) --- Chobar, or Aboras, which runs westward into the Euphrates, above Thapsacus. (Strabo) --- The captives were in those parts, though not present. (Calmet) --- Opened, in spirit, (Haydock) by faith. (St. Jerome) --- The prophet fell prostrate, Ezechiel 2:1. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 1:2 | On the fifth day of the month, the same was the fifth year of the captivity of king Joachin, | Captivity. Literally, "transmigration," (Haydock) which is more agreeable to the Hebrew, etc. Jechonias delivered himself up. Six years after this, Sedecias was taken. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 1:3 | The word of the Lord came to Ezechiel, the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chobar: and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. | Hand; power, energy of the Holy Spirit. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 1:4 | And I saw, and behold a whirlwind came out of the north: and a great cloud, and a fire infolding it, and brightness was about it: and out of the midst thereof, that is, out of the midst of the fire, as it were the resemblance of amber: | North, denoting the invasion of Judea by the Chaldeans, Isaias 14:31. (Sanctius) --- The Jews thought the following vision inexplicable, and deliberated about rejecting the book, when Ananias offered to answer every difficulty. They assigned him three hundred barrels of oil to light his lamp, while he performed the task. (Rabbins) --- This hyperbole shews their idea of its obscurity. (Calmet) --- Amber, (electri) a compound of four parts of gold and one of silver, (Pliny, [Natural History?] 33:4.) more precious than either. (St. Jerome) --- It may also mean orichalchum, or a mixture of gold and brass, (Bochart, anim. 2 b. 6:16.) which was also preferred before gold alone, as it had the hardness of brass. (Lucret. Serv. in xii. Aeneid.) -----alboque orichalcho Circumdat loricam humeris. --- Two vessels are mentioned, probably of this composition, 1 Esdras 8:27. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 1:5 | And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them. | Living creatures. Cherubims, (as appears from Ecclesiasticus 49:10.) represented to the prophet under these mysterious shapes, as supporting the throne of God, and as it were drawing his chariot. All this chapter appeared so obscure and full of mysteries to the ancient Hebrews, that, as we learn from St. Jerome, (ep. ad Paulin.) they suffered none to read it before they were thirty years old. (Challoner) --- The pagans had many such compound figures as are here represented. (Parkhurst, p. 411.) (Haydock) --- Sanchoniathon (apud Eusebius, praep. 2.) seems to have borrowed his description from this place. --- In them. They stood upright, and had some parts of the human figure. (Calmet) --- Indeed, it seems to have been predominant. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 1:6 | Every one had four faces, and every one four wings. | Faces. This sometimes means shapes; and Pererius supposes that the animal had the head of a man, and the breast covered with lions' hair, the feet or round cloven hoofs of an ox, and the wings of an eagle. But it had rather four faces as well as wings, the faces of the man and lion being to the right, and the other two to the left; (Calmet; Tirinus) or the eagle was behind (Haydock) or above the head of the man, and the lion and ox at his right and left. (Cornelius a Lapide) (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 1:7 | Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was like the sole of a calf's foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of glowing brass. | Straight. Hebrew, "a straight foot." Protestants prefer "feet." (Haydock) --- Of a calf. Aquila reads to the same import hagol, "round," instead of hegel, (Haydock) "a calf." Symmachus has "winged feet," like Mercury. (Calmet) --- Septuagint omit this, says St. Jerome, though we have his version of Symmachus as if it belonged to the Septuagint; and it occurs in Grabe as genuine. --- Brass. Septuagint add, "and their feathers were very light." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 1:8 | And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they had faces, and wings on the four sides. | Wings. Their arms were covered with feathers, and the hand appeared at the extremity; or they had four arms under the wings, Ezechiel 10:8. They all came from the shoulders, so as to correspond with the four faced animal, ver. 6. (Calmet) --- Others believe that each face had four wings, so that the animal would have sixteen. (Maldonat) --- In Isaias 9:2., the cherub has six wings. The form was variable, as there was nothing in nature similar. They were perhaps designed to represent the eternity and dominion of God over the whole creation, ver. 28. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 1:9 | And the wings of one were joined to the wings of another. They turned not when they went: but every one went straight forward. | Another. Two above were extended so as to support the throne, which seemed to rest on these eight wings connected together. The others were joined so as perfectly to cover what was below the breast. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "And the wings of those four were touching each other, and their faces (Calmet reads with Chaldean and Hebrew, wings) turned not," etc. (Haydock) --- The wings did not imitate those of birds, going to and fro, but were constantly in the same direction; or the animals did not change their respective situations: as they had four faces, there was always one of them turned to the opposite quarters of the world. (Calmet) --- They turned not about, (ver. 12.) but having faces on every side, were ready to go any way. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 1:10 | And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four. | Over. This is not specified in Hebrew, Chaldean, Septuagint, or St. Jerome. (Calmet) --- "The face of an eagle for all the four." It must have been above or behind the man, as the situation of the other two faces is here determined, ver. 6. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 1:11 | And their faces, and their wings, were stretched upward: two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies: | Faces. Septuagint, "wings:" and indeed it does not appear how their faces were stretched upwards, (Calmet) unless they looked earnestly that way; though, out of respect, they covered their faces with two wings. |
| Ezekiel 1:12 | And every one of them went straight forward: whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned not when they went. | |
| Ezekiel 1:13 | And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire. | |
| Ezekiel 1:14 | And the living creatures ran, and returned like flashes of lightning. | Flashes. Hebrew Bazak. (Haydock) --- Theodotion retains the original. His version seems to have been inserted in the Septuagint, (Calmet) who omitted this verse, as seeming to contradict ver. 9., and 12. (St. Jerome) --- Yet it only signifies that the motion was quick as lightning, though they did not alter their situation with respect to each other. |
| Ezekiel 1:15 | Now, as I beheld the living creatures, there appeared upon the earth by the living creatures one wheel with four faces. | Faces. One wheel crossed another at right angles, so that it was ready to move in any direction, (ver. 17.; Calmet) like a globe. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 1:16 | And the appearance of the wheels, and the work of them, was like the appearance of the sea: and the four had all one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the midst of a wheel. | Sea; sky blue. Hebrew, "Tharsis," which Symmachus renders "the hyacinth;" a precious stone, Exodus 28:20. (Calmet) --- Midst. The evangelists and New Testament agree perfectly with the Old. (St. Gregory, hom. vi.) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 1:17 | When they went, they went by their four parts: and they turned not when they went. | Parts. When they went, they went by their four parts. That is, indifferently to any of their sides, either forward or backward, to the right or to the left. (Challoner) --- Their motion was connected with the chariot, ver. 20. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 1:18 | The wheels had also a size, and a height, and a dreadful appearance: *and the whole body was full of eyes round about all the four. Ezechiel 10:12. | Eyes, like Argus, or the tail of a peacock. (Calmet) --- The eye is sometimes put for a colour. (Grotius) |
| Ezekiel 1:19 | And when the living creatures went, the wheels also went together by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels also were lifted up with them. | |
| Ezekiel 1:20 | Whithersoever the spirit went, thither as the spirit went the wheels also were lifted up withal, and followed it: for the spirit of life was in the wheels. | Life. They were moved like the rest by the whirlwind, or by living creatures. They seemed to be animated, as Homer describes Vulcan's tripods. |
| Ezekiel 1:21 | When those went these went, and when those stood these stood, and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels also were lifted up together, and followed them: for the spirit of life was in the wheels. | |
| Ezekiel 1:22 | And over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of the firmament, as the appearance of crystal, terrible to behold, and stretched out over their heads above. | Crystal, or sapphire, ver. 26., and Ezechiel 10:1. This shining sky was like the footstool of the Lord, and rested on eight wings, ver. 9, 23. |
| Ezekiel 1:23 | And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other, every one with two wings covered his body, and the other was covered in like manner. | |
| Ezekiel 1:24 | And I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, as it were the voice of the most high God: when they walked, it was like the voice of a multitude, like the noise of an army, and when they stood, their wings were let down. | Voice. The motion of the wings made a noise like a torrent, or thunder. --- God. Hebrew, "self-sufficient," as Septuagint, etc., render it, ikanou. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "like the voice of the Almighty." (Haydock) --- Down; or rather ceased to make such a noise, ver. 25. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 1:25 | For when a voice came from above the firmament, that was over their heads, they stood, and let down their wings. | |
| Ezekiel 1:26 | And above the firmament, that was over their heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of the sapphire-stone, and upon the likeness of the throne, was a likeness as of the appearance of a man above upon it. | Upon it. This might be omitted, as the Vulgate has only desuper, above. (Haydock) --- God was pleased to assume the shape of man, seated on the throne. |
| Ezekiel 1:27 | And I saw as it were the resemblance of amber, as the appearance of fire within it round about: from his loins and upward, and from his loins downward, I saw as it were the resemblance of fire shining round about. | Amber, or orichalcum, ver. 4. |
| Ezekiel 1:28 | As the appearance of the rainbow when it is in a cloud on a rainy day: this was the appearance of the brightness round about. | Rainbow, encircling the sky blue throne and the flame. Nothing could be more dazzling, nor better manifest the subjection of man. (Calmet) --- The prophet saw four visions at once; the whirlwind, (ver. 4.) the living creatures, (ver. 5.) the wheels, (ver. 15.) and the man seated on a throne, in the sky, ver. 26. To explain all these mysteries, a large commentary would scarcely suffice. (Worthington) --- The tempest, cloud, and fire, shew the impending ruin of the Jews. The ministers of God are ever ready to execute his orders. The wisdom of Providence is denoted by the name of the cherubim, the connection of causes by the four wheels, etc. (Menochius) --- God appears in his chariot going to war. He denounces vengeance on the guilty, Ezechiel 2.; Ezechiel 43. See Cornelius a Lapide. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 2:0 | The prophet receives his commission. | |
| Ezekiel 2:1 | This *was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And I saw, and I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one that spoke. And he said to me: Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak to thee. | Year of the World 3409. Face, to adore God. (Menochius) --- Son of man. Our Saviour, out of humility, takes this title, which no other gave him; as the angel does commonly to this prophet, who was his figure: few else have received it, (Daniel 8:17.) but the reason is not known. (Worthington) --- God here teaches Ezechiel not to boast of the honour shewn to him, since he must always remember that he is but a feeble mortal. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 2:2 | And the spirit entered into me after that he spoke to me, and he set me upon my feet: and I heard him speaking to me, | Spirit of prophecy; (St. Jerome; Tirinus) or, I revived, and took courage. |
| Ezekiel 2:3 | And saying: Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious people, that hath revolted from me, they, and their fathers, have transgressed my covenant even unto this day. | Israel. His commission was chiefly to them. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 2:4 | And they to whom I send thee are children of a hard face, and of an obstinate heart: and thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: | |
| Ezekiel 2:5 | If so be they at least will hear, and if so be they will forbear, for they are a provoking house: and they shall know that there hath been a prophet in the midst of them. | Forbear to sin. (Haydock) --- He thus insinuates free-will. (St. Jerome) --- If they refuse to hear my prophet, they will at least perceive that they are inexcusable. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 2:6 | And thou, O son of man, fear not, neither be thou afraid of their words: for thou art among unbelievers and destroyers, and thou dwellest with scorpions. Fear not their words, neither be thou dismayed at their looks: for they are a provoking house. | Scorpions. This people is no less destructive (Haydock) and hardened, Psalm 117:12. --- For might be better rendered, "though." (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 2:7 | And thou shalt speak my words to them, if perhaps they will hear, and forbear: for they provoke me to anger. | |
| Ezekiel 2:8 | But thou, O son of man, hear all that I say to thee: and do not thou provoke me, as that house provoketh me: open thy mouth, and eat what I give thee. | Eat. "If we do not eat the open book, we cannot teach." (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 2:9 | And I looked, and behold, a hand was sent to me, wherein was a book rolled up: and he spread it before me, *and it was written within and without: and there were written in it lamentations, and canticles, and woe. Apocalypse 1:5. | Without. This was only done when the work was long. (Calmet) --- Scriptus et in tergo, necdum finitus Orestes. (Juvenal 1.) --- Septuagint, "past and present things were written in it." (Haydock) --- Woe, or the words of the penitent, of the blessed, and of the damned. (Worthington) --- The canticles were of a mournful nature, and the prophet had sorrows to announce. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 3:0 | The prophet eats the book, and receives further instructions: the office of a watchman. | |
| Ezekiel 3:1 | And *he said to me: Son of man, eat all that thou shalt find: eat this book, and go speak to the children of Israel. | Year of the World 3409. Eat this book, and go speak to the children of Israel. By this eating of the book, was signified the diligent attention and affection with which we are to receive and embrace the word of God; and to let it as it were, sink into our interior by devout meditation. (Challoner) --- The revelation came from God, ver. 10. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 3:2 | And I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that book: | Book, in spirit; (Calmet) or in reality, he chewed the volume. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 3:3 | And he said to me: Son of man, thy belly shall eat, and thy bowels shall be filled with this book, which I give thee. *And I did eat it: and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. Apocalypse 10:9-10. | Mouth. I readily accepted the commission, but soon found the difficulties to which it would expose me, ver. 12., Jeremias 15:16., and Apocalypse 10:10. |
| Ezekiel 3:4 | And he said to me: Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and thou shalt speak my words to them. | |
| Ezekiel 3:5 | For thou art not sent to a people of a profound speech, and of an unknown tongue, but to the house of Israel: | |
| Ezekiel 3:6 | Nor to many nations of a strange speech, and of an unknown tongue, whose words thou canst not understand: and if thou wert sent to them, they would hearken to thee. | Unknown. Hebrew, "heavy." (Calmet) --- Protestants, "hard." (Haydock) --- It is not above thy strength, Deuteronomy 30:12. --- To thee. He insinuates that the Gentiles would obey the apostles. (St. Jerome) --- But the time was not yet come. (Calmet) --- From this text and Matthew 11:21., it appears that "the same grace" is accepted by some and rejected by others, as "more grace is added to the former, which was sufficient before, and by this....is made effectual" through God's mercy, Romans ix. (Worthington) --- Those who reject the first grace, can blame only themselves, if they receive no more. The same grace falling on a heat better prepared by God, like seed on good soil, is more fruitful. |
| Ezekiel 3:7 | But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee: because they will not hearken to me: for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead, and an obstinate heart. | Hard. Literally, "rubbed" like a stone, or brass; attrita. (Haydock) --- God's ambassadors (Ephesians 6:20.; Calmet) must do their utmost. (Haydock) --- The success must not puff them up, nor the failure too much depressed them, as all regards God, (Matthew 10:40.) who will know how to make things conduce to his own glory. They must only bewail the blindness of sinners. (Calmet) --- The care of them, and not the cure, will be required at their hands, ver. 19. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 3:8 | Behold I have made thy face stronger than their faces, and thy forehead harder than their foreheads. | Harder. If they will not blush, thou shalt not be ashamed to lay their disorders before their eyes, though they be such as ought not to be mentioned, as becomes saints. (Haydock) See Ezechiel 16.; chap 22. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 3:9 | I have made thy face like an adamant and like flint: fear them not, neither be thou dismayed at their presence: for they are a provoking house. | |
| Ezekiel 3:10 | And he said to me: Son of man, receive in thy heart, and hear with thy ears, all the words that I speak to thee: | |
| Ezekiel 3:11 | And go get thee in to them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and thou shalt speak to them, and shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: If so be they will hear, and will forbear. | |
| Ezekiel 3:12 | And the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion, saying: Blessed be the glory of the Lord, from his place. | Spirit; wind (Hugo) or angel, took me through the air; (Prado.) or, I went willingly. (St. Jerome) --- Commotion, like an earthquake, (Hebrew; Septuagint) occasioned by the motion of the chariot, or the voice of the cherubim, ver. 13. |
| Ezekiel 3:13 | And the noise of the wings of the living creatures striking one against another, and the noise of the wheels following the living creatures, and the noise of a great commotion. | |
| Ezekiel 3:14 | The spirit also lifted me, and took me up: and I went away in bitterness, in the indignation of my spirit: for the hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me. | Spirit, resolved to rebuke (Calmet) sinners. Septuagint, "the spirit of the Lord also lifted me....and I went aloft (like a meteor; meteoros) by the impulse of my spirit; for the hand of the Lord upon me was strong; and I went loft, to the captivity, and passed through them....conversing in the midst of them." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 3:15 | And I came to them of the captivity, to the heap of new corn, to them that dwelt by the river Chobar, and I sat where they sat: and I remained there seven days mourning in the midst of them. | The heap of new corn. It was the name of a place; in Hebrew, Telabib, (Challoner) as the Chaldean leaves it (Menochius) with the three Greek interpreters. (Calmet) --- Tel means "a heap," and abib "new corn." (Haydock) --- There was no new wheat in the fourth month, but rather in May or June, Ezechiel 1:1. Ptolemy places Thelda near the Chaboras. --- Mourning; or Protestants, "astonished," like Job's friends, for people dead in sin. (Haydock) --- Many suppose that he never spoke. Yet this is not certain, (ver. 11.; Calmet) though probable from ver. 16. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 3:16 | And at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 3:17 | *Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me. Ezechiel 33:7. | Watchman: the usual title of those placed over others, Ezechiel 33:2., and Isaias 21:6. Let none perish through thy neglect. (Calmet) --- "He (the pastor) kills the man whom he delivers up to death by silence." (St. Gregory, hom. 11:9.) |
| Ezekiel 3:18 | If, when I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die: thou declare it not to him, nor speak to him, that he may be converted from his wicked way, and live: the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand. | |
| Ezekiel 3:19 | But if thou give warning to the wicked, and he be not converted from his wickedness, and from his evil way: he indeed shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. | |
| Ezekiel 3:20 | Moreover, if the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit iniquity: I will lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning: he shall die in his sin, and his justices, which he hath done, shall not be remembered: but I will require his blood at thy hand. | Iniquity, for want of thy instruction; (Haydock) or, if thou neglect to reclaim him, (Calmet) and he perish, or owe his conversion to another, when duty requires thee to take care of him, thou shalt answer for the possible bad consequences. Thy sin is great, whatever become of him. But if he be damned, though he must blame himself chiefly, yet the blood of his soul shall cry for vengeance more than Abel's. (Haydock) --- Before him, taking away my grace in punishment of his revolt. (Worthington) --- If thou neglect to attempt reclaiming him, thou shalt perish with him; (St. Gregory) or if he be exposed to trial, and thou abandon him, (Vatable) or if thou neglect to husband well the precious moments, when I open his eyes, and fill him with apprehensions of his dangerous state, I will require, etc. (Origin; St. Jerome) --- Remembered. Ingratitude causes the fruits of virtue to decay, and former crimes to revive, in some sense. (St. Thomas, [Summa Theologiae] 3:p. q. 88. a. 1.) (Matthew 5:26.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 3:21 | But if thou warn the just man, that the just may not sin, and he doth not sin: living he shall live, because thou hast warned him, and thou hast delivered thy soul. | Warn. It is the duty of a pastor to warn the just as well as sinners. (Worthington) --- It will not suffice to do this publicly: sometimes we must go from house to house, like St. Paul, and compel those who are in the hedges to enter the marriage feast, by the most persuasive arguments. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 3:22 | And the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he said to me: Rise, and go forth into the plain, and there I will speak to thee. | |
| Ezekiel 3:23 | And I rose up, and went forth into the plain: and behold the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which *I saw by the river Chobar: and I fell upon my face. Ezechiel 1:3. | |
| Ezekiel 3:24 | And the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet: and he spoke to me, and said to me: Go in, and shut thyself up in the midst of thy house. | |
| Ezekiel 3:25 | And thou, O son of man, behold they shall put bands upon thee, and they shall bind thee with them: and thou shalt not go forth from the midst of them. | Bands. It is uncertain whether by his order, or they supposed he was deranged, as our Saviour's brethren meant to treat him, Mark 3:21. The Chaldean explains it figuratively of God's order, attaching the prophet to his service. (Calmet) --- But real chains would more forcibly shew the future captivity of Juda (Haydock) which the prophet declared both by words and actions. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 3:26 | And I will make thy tongue stick fast to the roof of thy mouth, and thou shalt be dumb, and not as a man that reproveth: because they are a provoking house. | House. "When there is a multitude of sins, (or sinners; peccatorum) the offenders are unworthy of being corrected by the Lord." (St. Jerome) --- The prophet's silence might suffice to admonish them. (Calmet) --- He heard the Lord's commands to Ezechiel 11:24., before he spoke to the people. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 3:27 | But when I shall speak to thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: He that heareth, let him hear: and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a provoking house. | Forbeareth. Septuagint, "disbelieveth, let him disbelieve." So we read, He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; (Apocalypse 22:11.) which denotes the most desperate condition. (Haydock) --- Aquila (2 edition) has, "he who abandons, shall be abandoned." (St. Jerome) --- The man who makes good use of grace shall receive more; but he who despises the offers of God, shall be justly deprived of them in his greatest need. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 4:0 | A prophetic description of the siege of Jerusalem, and the famine that shall reign there. | |
| Ezekiel 4:1 | And *thou, O son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and draw upon it the plan of the city of Jerusalem. | Year of the World 3409. Tile, very large. (Calmet) --- Those of Italy were two feet large and one broad. (Pallad.) --- This might be soft clay; (Grotius; Menochius) or the siege might be marked out upon it with chalk or a sharp stile. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 4:2 | And lay siege against it, and build forts, and cast up a mount, and set a camp against it, and place battering rams round about it. | Cast up. The ditch would be about three feet deep, and the earth being thrown up, people might approach the town with less danger. (Worthington) --- The besieged were thus also prevented from going out, 4 Kings 25:1. Forts or towers were erected to overlook and clear the walls. --- Rams. This is the first time we find them mentioned. Homer is silent about them; (Calmet) and the ancient sieges lasted so long, because people had not found out the art of demolishing the walls. (Diodorus ii.) |
| Ezekiel 4:3 | And take unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face resolutely against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: it is a sign to the house of Israel. | Pan, or plate, on which bread was usually baked. This was to represent the walls of the city. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 4:4 | And thou shalt sleep upon thy left side, and shalt lay the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of the days that thou shalt sleep upon it, and thou shalt take upon thee their iniquity. | Sleep. Hebrew, "lie down." (Menochius) --- He eat at intervals. (Calmet) --- Iniquities, or punishments. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 4:5 | And I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. | Three, etc. St. Jerome says some "Vulgate," (Haydock) Latin, (Calmet) or rather incorrect Greek (Haydock) copies read 100, others 150. See Origen, etc. (Calmet) --- The Alexandrian copy has the former, (Haydock) the Roman edition the latter number; and is followed by Theodoret and Maldonat. (Calmet) --- But the more accurate Septuagint agree with the Hebrew, etc. The captivity of Israel must be dated from Phacee, (4 Kings 15:29.) to the end of the reign of Darius Memnon, who espoused Esther, and granted liberty "to all the Jews;" or rather from Manathem, (4 Kings 15:19.) to the 28th of the same king Assuerus. Thus God's "grace, we think, and we may so speak without arrogance, has enabled us to explain this difficulty, which no other has done." (St. Jerome) --- Many confound the duration of the iniquity of Israel with that of Juda, forming 430 years; and they explain it of the time during which the nation had prevaricated. But this seems unnatural. We may rather conclude, that the prophet speaks of a separate judgment, and dates from the destruction of Samaria and of Jerusalem. The former city was taken the year of the world 3283. If we add 390 years, we shall find the year 3673 the very year when Alexander [the Great] overcame Darius, and soon after granted the Jews full liberty to return, or live according to their own laws. This he granted to those in Babylon, and to the Israelites (Calmet) in Media. Josephus, Antiquities xi. ultra et contra Apion 1:--- Philadelphus afterwards liberated many in Egypt, (Josephus, Antiquities 12:2.) as Osee 11:11. had foretold. The chastisement of Juda must be dated from the destruction of Jerusalem under Sedecias, till Darius, the Mede, favoured the Jews about forty years afterwards. (Calmet) --- St. Jerome only allows forty years to have elapsed from the first of Jechonias till the first of Cyrus. The want of an exact chronology gives rise to many such difficulties. (Haydock) --- It is very hard to explain how the ten tribes were 390 and the two tribes 40 years in captivity, as it is certain that the latter were seventy year banished from their own country. (Worthington) --- Perhaps during the last thirty their condition was greatly ameliorated, after the decree of Cyrus, though the liberation was only perfect under Hystaspes and Esther. (Haydock) --- The iniquity of Israel, from Solomon to Salmanasar, lasted 390 years; and that of Juda, under the reign of Manasses, was most abominable for the space of forty years; (Tournemine) or it continued so long from the 18th of Josias till the 4th, after the city was destroyed, and the land became a desert. (Usher, the year of the world 3380 to 3420.) --- But how shall the reign of the virtuous Josias be included in this period? (Haydock) --- The action of the prophet lying 430 days, denoted the length of the siege of Jerusalem, during which extreme scarcity should be felt, and also the captivity of the people. Some have thought that he could not remain 390 days on one side, and that all passed in spirit. But what impression would that make upon the people? He was chained down, (Calmet) to represent their miserable condition. (Haydock) --- Praedo saw a fool who lay tied in one posture for above fifteen years. (Calmet) --- The remaining so long in one posture must have been painful to the prophet. (Tirinus) |
| Ezekiel 4:6 | And when thou hast accomplished this, thou shalt sleep again upon thy right side: and *thou shalt take upon thee the iniquity of the house of Juda forty days: a day for a year, yea, a day for a year I have appointed to thee.** Numbers 13:34.; Jeremias 52:30. | |
| Ezekiel 4:7 | And thou shalt turn thy face to the siege of Jerusalem, and thy arm shall be stretched out: and thou shalt prophesy against it. | Siege, which shall be most terrible; (Haydock) 390 days: the pillage shall last other forty. (Tirinus) --- So many years have the people transgressed. --- Out. Hebrew, "naked." Thus various barbarians fight. --- Prophesy, not by words, (chap. 8:26.) but by actions. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 4:8 | Behold I have encompassed thee with bands: and thou shalt not turn thyself from one side to the other, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. | |
| Ezekiel 4:9 | And take to thee wheat and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side: three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. | |
| Ezekiel 4:10 | And thy meat that thou shalt eat, shall be in weight twenty staters a-day: from time to time thou shalt eat it. | Staters, sicles, each being equal to 9 dwt. 2.57 gr. Eng. The hin contained 1 gal. 2 pints. (Arbuthnot.) (Haydock) --- He had an allowance of ten ounces a-day. (Calmet) (Tirinus) |
| Ezekiel 4:11 | And thou shalt drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time thou shalt drink it. | |
| Ezekiel 4:12 | And thou shalt eat it as barley-bread baked under the ashes: and thou shalt cover it, in their sight, with the dung that cometh out of a man. | Barley, the worst or usual food of the poor. (Haydock) --- Ashes, to denote hurry. (Calmet) --- Cover with hot ashes, (Haydock) formed of dry excrements. (Calmet) --- That of oxen is still used in Egypt, (Val. ep. xi.) and in some parts of England, by the poor people. (Hooke.) --- This was more tolerable, (Calmet) and God agrees to substitute it, ver. 15. Hebrew, "Thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and shalt bake," (Protestants) or "hide it," etc. (Septuagint) (Haydock) --- "The law itself, which the Jews read and do not understand, is this ember cake covered with human dung." (Philippians 3:8.) --- "They adore not idols, but do all for the belly and for earthly goods." (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 4:13 | And the Lord said: So shall the children of Israel *eat their bread, all filthy, among the nations whither I will cast them out. Osee 9:4. | Filthy. Israel was less careful to avoid uncleannesses than Juda. Hence the prophet eats only during 390 days, Osee 9:3. (Calmet) --- While the city was pillage for forty days, the prisoners would procure better food, ver. 7. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 4:14 | And I said: Ah, ah, ah, O Lord God, behold my soul hath not been defiled, and from my infancy even till now, I have not eaten any thing that died of itself, or was torn by beasts, and no unclean flesh hath entered into my mouth. | Ah. He makes the same exclamation as Jeremias, 1:6. Hebrew aha. Theodotion, "Oh!" Septuagint and Symmachus, "by no means." (Haydock) --- God forbid. Excrements make a person legally unclean, Deuteronomy 23:12. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 4:15 | And he said to me: Behold I have given thee neat's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt make thy bread therewith. | Neats, or "oxen;" boum. Protestants, "cow's dung." (Haydock) --- God allows him to bake his bread under such ashes. (Calmet) --- So great is his condescension towards his friends! (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 4:16 | And he said to me: Son of man: *Behold I will break in pieces the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care: and they shall drink water by measure, and in distress. Ezechiel 5:16.; Ezechiel 14:13. | Staff. As this supports the weak, so bread nourishes all men, (Worthington) particularly the bread of life. (St. Jerome) --- Very little food, (Calmet) and that of a nauseous kind, (Haydock) would be found during the siege. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 4:17 | So that when bread and water fail, every man may fall against his brother, and they may pine away in their iniquities. | When. Protestants, "they may want bread and water, and be astonished one with another, and consume away for their iniquity." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 5:0 | The judgments of God upon the Jews are foreshewn under the type of the prophet's hair. | |
| Ezekiel 5:1 | And *thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, that shaveth the hair, and cause it to pass over thy head, and over thy beard; and take thee a balance to weigh in, and divide the hair. | Year of the World 3409. That. Hebrew, "the scissors of clippers." The same term is used for clipping sheep as for cutting hair. Shaving was not probably then in use. --- Beard, as in mourning or for ignominy, 2 Kings 10:4., and Jeremias 47:5. --- Balance, to shew that God does nothing unjustly. (Calmet) --- The hair. Literally, "them." (Haydock) --- This was to be done before he lay down. Hew was to burn, cut, and divide the hair as the siege represented on the tile advanced, to denote that some should perish in the city by famine, others by the sword, while a few should be scattered among the nations: yet of these a small number should be gathered round Godolias, and perish with him, or in Egypt, etc., and the rest be thence led captive to Babylon. |
| Ezekiel 5:2 | A third part thou shalt burn with fire in the midst of the city, according to the fulfilling of the days of the siege; and thou shalt take a third part, and cut it in pieces with the knife all round about; and the other third part thou shalt scatter in the wind, and I will draw out the sword after them. | Third. Septuagint and Theodotion read "a fourth," as also [in] ver. 12., (Calmet) thus assigning half to be burnt by death (pestilence) and famine. The other half of the people falls a prey to the sword and to captivity. The pestilence, famine, and the sword, were the three usual scourges left to David's choice, (2 Kings xxiv.) which here destroy each a fourth part, while the rest become captives. Yet even of this third or fourth part, many engage in civil broils, and perish. St. Jerome hints that the Septuagint is interpolated from Theodotion, ver. 12, and that their version only comprised the pentateuch. But the other books went at least under the same title; and there must be some mistake in the words asterisked, since they occur in the Hebrew, Vulgate, etc., third being only substituted for fourth: "And a fourth part of thee shall fall by the sword." The Hebrew is rather less degrading to the Jews, as there would be thus at most one-third preserved, instead of a part only of one-fourth. See Deuteronomy 27:4., and Jeremias 52:28. --- Take. Septuagint add here, "a fourth part; and shalt burn it in the midst of it; and a fourth thou shalt cut," etc. (Haydock) --- He was thus to deal with a part of the hair during 390 days, (Menochius) or at the end of them. (R. Salom.) --- Round, in the cities near Jerusalem, (Worthington) or round the picture of it, Ezechiel 4:1. |
| Ezekiel 5:3 | And thou shalt take thereof a small number; and shalt bind them in the skirt of thy cloak. | |
| Ezekiel 5:4 | And thou shalt take of them again, and shalt cast them in the midst of the fire, and shalt burn them with fire; and out of it shall come forth a fire into all the house of Israel. | Out of it. Some rose up against Godolias, Jeremias xl., etc. (Calmet) --- The divisions of the Jews brought on the persecution of Epiphanes, (Sanctius) and introduced Pompey. (St. Jerome) (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 5:5 | Thus saith the Lord God: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries round about her. | Midst, distinguished above the rest. Many have supposed that the city was in the exact middle of Palestine, or of the world, Psalm 73:12. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 5:6 | And she hath despised my judgments, so as to be more wicked than the Gentiles; and my commandments, more than the countries that are round about her; for they have cast off my judgments, and have not walked in my commandments. | |
| Ezekiel 5:7 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Because you have surpassed the Gentiles that are round about you, and have not walked in my commandments, and have not kept my judgments, and have not done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you: | Surpassed in numbers, (Symmachus) or rather in wickedness. (Chaldean) (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "because you have been incited by the," etc. (Haydock) --- Judgments. You have been less attached to my service than the Gentiles have been to their idols. Some think that not is here superfluous, as it is omitted [in] Ezechiel 11:12. But it is wrong to imitate the Gentiles, and worse to surpass them in crimes. |
| Ezekiel 5:8 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, and I myself will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the Gentiles. | |
| Ezekiel 5:9 | And I will do in thee that which I have not done: and the like to which I will do no more, because of all thy abominations. | Like. The ruin of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans was terrible, (Calmet) but that by the Romans was more so. (St. Jerome) --- The reasons were different. |
| Ezekiel 5:10 | Therefore, the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers: and I will execute judgments in thee, and I will scatter thy whole remnant into every wind. | Fathers. This is not specified in history. Famine prevailed, 4 Kings 25:3.; and we find something similar, Lamentations 4:10., (Calmet) and Baruch 2:(Worthington) --- It is probable, therefore, that these threats were realized. (Theodoret) (Deuteronomy 28:53.) --- Scatter. Literally, "winnow." (Haydock) --- The Jewish nation was never again all together in the promised land. |
| Ezekiel 5:11 | Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God : Because thou hast violated my sanctuary with all thy offences, and with all thy abominations: I will also break thee in pieces, and my eye shall not spare, and I will not have any pity. | |
| Ezekiel 5:12 | A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and shall be consumed with famine in the midst of thee: and a third part of thee shall fall by the sword round about thee: and a third part of thee will I scatter into every wind, and I will draw out a sword after them. | Pestilence. Septuagint, "death;" so they usually denote pestilence. They add, "and a fourth part of thee shall be," etc., ver. 2. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 5:13 | *And I will accomplish my fury, and will cause my indignation to rest upon them, and I will be comforted; and they shall know, that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I shall have accomplished my indignation in them. Zacharias 1:8. | Comforted, or revenged, Ezechiel 24:14., and Isaias 1:24. |
| Ezekiel 5:14 | And I will make thee desolate, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of every one that passeth by. | And a. Septuagint, "and thy daughters (dependances. Calmet) round," etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 5:15 | And thou shalt be a reproach, and a scoff, an example, and an astonishment amongst the nations that are round about thee, when I shall have executed judgments in thee in anger, and in indignation, and in wrathful rebukes. | Scoff. Literally, "blasphemy;" which is here used improperly, to denote derision. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 5:16 | I the Lord have spoken it: When I shall send upon them the grievous arrows of famine, which shall bring death, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will gather together famine against you:* and I will break among you the staff of bread. Ezechiel 4:16.; Ezechiel 14:16. | Arrows; inclemency of the seasons, etc., which bring on famine. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 5:17 | And I will send in upon you famine, and evil beasts, unto utter destruction: and pestilence, and blood shall pass through thee, and I will bring in the sword upon thee. I, the Lord, have spoken it. | Beasts. They usually take possession of abandoned countries. (St. Jerome) --- The Chaldeans may also be meant, Ezechiel 17:3. |
| Ezekiel 6:0 | The punishment of Israel, for their idolatry: a remnant shall be blessed. | |
| Ezekiel 6:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3410. |
| Ezekiel 6:2 | Son of man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them. | Mountains, where idols were chiefly adored. Here their votaries find death. (Worthington) --- Israel, including all God's people, as the sacred writers make no distinction (Calmet) after the destruction of Samaria. |
| Ezekiel 6:3 | And say: *Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the rocks, and the valleys: Behold, I will bring upon you the sword, and I will destroy your high places. Ezechiel 36:2. | |
| Ezekiel 6:4 | And I will throw down your altars, and your idols shall be broken in pieces: and I will cast down your slain before your idols. | Idols. Protestant marginal note, "sun-images," as [in] ver. 6. The sun was much worshipped, Ezechiel 8:16. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 6:5 | And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before your idols: and I will scatter your bones round about your altars, | Bones. The Chaldeans violated the tombs, Baruch 2:24., and Jeremias 8:1. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 6:6 | In all your dwelling-places. The cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be thrown down, and destroyed, and your altars shall be abolished, and shall be broken in pieces; and your idols shall be no more, and your temples shall be destroyed, and your works shall be defaced. | |
| Ezekiel 6:7 | And the slain shall fall in the midst of you; and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 6:8 | And I will leave in you some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when I shall have scattered you through the countries. | Some. Providence still preserves some faithful or penitent souls. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 6:9 | And they that are saved of you shall remember me amongst the nations to which they are carried captives: because I have broken their heart that was faithless, and revolted from me: and their eyes that went a fornicating after their idols: and they shall be displeased with themselves, because of the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. | Broken. Adversity has made them repent. |
| Ezekiel 6:10 | And they shall know that I, the Lord, have not spoken in vain that I would do this evil to them. | |
| Ezekiel 6:11 | Thus saith the Lord God: Strike with thy hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say: Alas, for all the abominations of the evils of the house of Israel: for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. | Foot, through indignation or pity. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 6:12 | He that is far off, shall die of the pestilence: and he that is near, shall fall by the sword: and he that remaineth, and is besieged, shall die by the famine: and I will accomplish my indignation upon them. | |
| Ezekiel 6:13 | And you shall know that I am the Lord, when your slain shall be amongst your idols, round about your altars, on every high hill, and on all the tops of mountains, and under every woody tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they burnt sweet-smelling frankincense to all their idols. | |
| Ezekiel 6:14 | And I will stretch forth my hand upon them: and I will make the land desolate and abandoned from the desert of Deblatha, in all their dwelling-places: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | From, or, "more than," (Haydock) as Hebrew may signify. Deblatha was in the land of Moab, Numbers 33:46. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 7:0 | The final desolation of Israel, from which few shall escape. | |
| Ezekiel 7:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3410. |
| Ezekiel 7:2 | And thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God to the land of Israel: The end is come, the end is come upon the four quarters of the land. | Israel, or Judea, in all its parts. (Worthington) --- In five or six years' time all shall be destroyed. |
| Ezekiel 7:3 | Now is an end come upon thee, and I will send my wrath upon thee, and I will judge thee according to thy ways: and I will set all thy abominations against thee. | Set, as accusers, to increase thy confusion. |
| Ezekiel 7:4 | And my eye shall not spare thee, and I will shew thee no pity: but I will lay thy ways upon thee, and thy abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 7:5 | Thus saith the Lord God: One affliction, behold an affliction is come. | One. A second shall not be necessary, Nahum 1:9. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 7:6 | An end is come, the end is come, it hath awaked against thee: behold it is come. | Awaked. Justice seems to have slept. (Haydock) See ver. 10., and Jeremias 1:12. |
| Ezekiel 7:7 | Destruction is come upon thee that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of slaughter is near, and not of the joy of mountains. | Destruction, (contritio.) St. Jerome reads "contraction," as also [in] ver. 10. Protestants, "the morning." (Haydock) --- Chaldean, "the reign." (Calmet) --- Hebrew tsephira, is variously rendered. (Haydock) --- Joy. Hebrew, "echo or cry" of people in the vintage. |
| Ezekiel 7:8 | Now very shortly I will pour out my wrath upon thee, and I will accomplish my anger in thee, and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and I will lay upon thee all thy crimes. | |
| Ezekiel 7:9 | And my eye shall not spare, neither will I shew mercy: but I will lay thy ways upon thee, and thy abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and you shall know that I am the Lord that strike. | |
| Ezekiel 7:10 | Behold the day, behold it is come: destruction is gone forth, the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. | Budded; figurative expressions, denoting a speedy vengeance. (Calmet) --- Chaldean, "the reign is open, the ruler has flourished, the wicked hath appeared." In this reign of Nabuchodonosor ye shall be chastised. (Haydock) --- Septuagint or rather Theodotion, from whom many things have bee supplied according to St. Jerome, (Calmet) have, "The deceit (or thick foliage; ploke) has gone forth, the rod," etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 7:11 | Iniquity is risen up into a rod of impiety: nothing of them shall remain, nor of their people, nor of the noise of them: and there shall be no rest among them. | Iniquity. What other fruit could be expected from wickedness? It draws on chastisement. --- Noise, or grandees. None will repent, and therefore none shall escape, from the highest to the lowest. |
| Ezekiel 7:12 | The time is come, the day is at hand: let not the buyer rejoice: nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all the people thereof. | |
| Ezekiel 7:13 | For the seller shall not return to that which he hath sold, although their life be yet among the living. For the vision which regardeth all the multitude thereof, shall not go back: neither shall man be strengthened in the iniquity of his life. | Sold, as in the year of jubilee, Leviticus 25:25. (Calmet) --- Now there shall be no recovery. (Worthington) --- They shall be driven from the land. --- Although. By supplying the former negation, (Calmet) we may render "Nor," etc., (Haydock) which seems better. (Calmet) --- It may also mean, "those who are now alive" shall witness these things. (Haydock) Back. It is not a mere threat. |
| Ezekiel 7:14 | Blow the trumpet, let all be made ready, yet there is none to go to the battle: for my wrath shall be upon all the people thereof. | Ready. He describes the vain attempts of the Jews to make resistance. |
| Ezekiel 7:15 | The sword without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field, shall die by the sword; and they that are in the city, shall be devoured by the pestilence and the famine. | |
| Ezekiel 7:16 | And such of them as shall flee, shall escape: and they shall be in the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them trembling, every one for his iniquity. | Doves, not daring to vent their complaints. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 7:17 | All hands shall be made feeble, and all knees shall run with water. | Water; urine, (St. Jerome) sweat, etc., the usual effects of fear. |
| Ezekiel 7:18 | *And they shall gird themselves with haircloth, and fear shall cover them, and shame shall be upon every face, and baldness upon all their heads. Isaias 15:2.; Jeremias 48:37. | Heads. They cut their hair in times of penance and of mourning. |
| Ezekiel 7:19 | Their silver shall be cast forth, and their gold shall become a dunghill. *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 soul, and their bellies shall not be filled: because it hath been the stumbling-block of their iniquity. Proverbs 11:4.; Sophonias 1:18.; Ecclesiasticus 5:10.; Ecclesiasticus 5:13. | Iniquity. Riches have fostered their passions: they will not now procure food or liberty, Sophonias 1:18. (Calmet) --- The riches of the idols invited the enemy to plunder. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 7:20 | And they have turned the ornament of their jewels into pride, and have made of it the images of their abominations, and idols; therefore, I have made it an uncleanness to them. | And. Protestants, "As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the," etc. The sacred ornaments of the temple, appointed by God, (Haydock) have been converted into idols, and shall be carried to Babylon, ver. 21. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 7:21 | And I will give it in the hands of strangers for spoil, and to the wicked of the earth for a prey, and they shall defile it. | |
| Ezekiel 7:22 | And I will turn away my face from them, and they shall violate my secret place: and robbers shall enter into it, and defile it. | Secret: the inward sanctuary, the holy of holies. (Challoner) --- God would guard it no longer. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 7:23 | Make a shutting up: for the land is full of the judgment of blood, and the city is full of iniquity. | Shutting up. Hebrew, "chain," for imprisonment and captivity. (Challoner) --- Pronounce sentence upon all. |
| Ezekiel 7:24 | And I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: and I will make the pride of the mighty to cease, and they shall possess their sanctuary. | Sanctuary; the temple of God, or of idols, Ezechiel 6:3. |
| Ezekiel 7:25 | When distress cometh upon them, they will seek for peace, and there shall be none. | Distress. When the enemy is before the city, they will see their error; but it will be too late. They shall not obtain peace, Jeremias 38:1. |
| Ezekiel 7:26 | Trouble shall come upon trouble, and rumour upon rumour, and they shall seek a vision of the prophet; and the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. | Ancients. Priests shall afford no consolation, nor counsellors any advice. They shall be all confounded. (Calmet) --- During the captivity a few only were found to give instruction, Malachias 2:(Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 7:27 | The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with sorrow, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled. I will do to them according to their way, and will judge them according to their judgments: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 8:0 | The prophet sees, in a vision, the abominations committed in Jerusalem, which determine the Lord to spare them no longer. | |
| Ezekiel 8:1 | And *it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the ancients of Juda sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. | Year of the World 3410. Sixth of the prophet's captivity, (Calmet) in August, the year of the world 3411. (Usher) --- He had rested on his left or right side, whenever he slept during 430 days, and on the following had this vision. (Worthington) --- He was stationed in spirit at the northern gate leading to the court of the priests, and beheld the glory of God and the idol of jealousy. He saw the people, men and women, adoring idols, and priests worshipping the sun, Ezechiel 9. God rests on the gate of the temple, and orders a man to sign those who were to live, and six others to destroy the rest. The prophet prays, Ezechiel 10. God orders the man clothed in linen to take coals from the cherubim, and sprinkle them through the city. The throne goes to receive the Lord, Ezechiel 11. Ezechiel prophesies against many, at the eastern gate; and God informs him that the former captives shall return, but that the wicked at Jerusalem shall perish. His chariot then rests on the mountain to the east of the city. Thus his reasons for punishing the people become evident. |
| Ezekiel 8:2 | And I saw, and behold a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins, and downward, fire: and from his loins, and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the appearance of amber. | Likeness. Septuagint add, "of a man," as it had appeared [in] Ezechiel 1:27. |
| Ezekiel 8:3 | *And the likeness of a hand was put forth, and took me by a lock of my head: and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the vision of God into Jerusalem, near the inner gate, that looked towards the north, where was set the idol of jealousy to provoke to jealousy. Daniel 14:35. | Lock, like Habacuc; (Daniel 14:35.) or by a bandage, on which parts of the law were written. (Hebrew) (Calmet) --- Of jealousy; Baal, (St. Jerome) or any other idol, (Haydock) particularly Adonis, ver. 14. He fell a victim to the jealousy of Mars. |
| Ezekiel 8:4 | And behold the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision which I had seen in the plain. | |
| Ezekiel 8:5 | And he said to me: Son of man, lift up thy eyes towards the way of the north. And I lifted up my eyes towards the way of the north: and behold on the north side of the gate of the altar the idol of jealousy in the very entry. | |
| Ezekiel 8:6 | And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from my sanctuary? and turn thee yet again and thou shalt see greater abominations. | |
| Ezekiel 8:7 | And he brought me in to the door of the court: and I saw, and behold a hole in the wall. | |
| Ezekiel 8:8 | And he said to me: Son of man, dig in the wall. And when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. | |
| Ezekiel 8:9 | And he said to me: Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they commit here. | |
| Ezekiel 8:10 | And I went in and saw, and behold every form of creeping things, and of living creatures, the abomination, and all the idols of the house of Israel were painted on the wall all round about. | About. This was the council chamber, Jeremias 26:10. They durst not publicly adore the Egyptian, etc., idols. (Calmet) --- They denied Providence, ver. 12. (Haydock) --- The wicked do not regard it, and hence fall into idolatry. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 8:11 | And seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and Jezonias, the son of Saphan, stood in the midst of them, that stood before the pictures: and every one had a censer in his hand: and a cloud of smoke went up from the incense. | Jezonias. He probably was over the temple, as his father had been, 4 Kings 22:3. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 8:12 | And he said to me: Surely thou seest, O son of man, what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every one in private in his chamber: for they say: The Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth. | |
| Ezekiel 8:13 | And he said to me: If thou turn thee again, thou shalt see greater abominations which these commit. | |
| Ezekiel 8:14 | And he brought me in by the door of the gate of the Lord's house, which looked to the north: and behold women sat there mourning for Adonis. | Adonis, the favourite of Venus, slain by a wild boar, as feigned by the heathen poets, and which being here represented by an idol, is lamented by the female worshippers of that goddess. In Hebrew the name is Tammuz, (Challoner) which means "concealed," as Adonis signifies "my lord." This idol, which the Egyptians called Osiris, was placed in a coffin, and bewailed till it was pretended he was come to life, when rejoicings took place. Obscene pictures were carried about; and the more honest pagans were ashamed of these practices, which began in Egypt, and became almost general. Moses alludes to them, Leviticus 19:27., and Deuteronomy 14:1. (Calmet) --- David and Solomon say that the image was made of brass, with eyes of lead, which seemed to weep, melting when it was hot. (Worthington) --- But this is destitute of proof. |
| Ezekiel 8:15 | And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: but turn thee again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. | |
| Ezekiel 8:16 | And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord: and behold at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, having their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces to the east: and they adored towards the rising of the sun. | Men. Twelve priests and as many Levites officiated daily. The high priest made the twenty-fifth, 1 Paralipomenon xxiv. --- Sun. They prayed to God, turning their faces to the west: but here they despised him, and adored the sun, Job 31:26. (Calmet) --- This posture was common. Illi ad surgentem conversi lumina solum. (Virgil, Aeneid xii.) (Serv.) --- Christians did the like, though the reason is not ascertained. (Calmet) --- It might be because Christ is the orient, and not to resemble the Jews. There was no danger of their being taken for idolaters. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 8:17 | And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man: Is this a light thing to the house of Juda, that they should commit these abominations which they have committed here: because they have filled the land with iniquity, and have turned to provoke me to anger? and behold they put a branch to their nose. | Nose, to hide their faces respectfully, (Calmet) when they look at the sun rising. (Haydock) --- A thyrsus was used in honour of Bacchus, who is often confounded with the sun. Various improbable versions of this text are given. It may signify Hebrew, "they threw their instruments down before their faces," like the twenty-four elders, Apocalypse 5:8. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 8:18 | Therefore I also will deal with them in my wrath: my eye shall not spare them, neither will I shew mercy: and when they shall cry to my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them. | |
| Ezekiel 9:0 | All are ordered to be destroyed that are not marked in their foreheads. God will not be entreated for them. | |
| Ezekiel 9:1 | And *he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying: The visitations of the city are at hand, and every one hath a destroying weapon in his hand. | Year of the World 3410. |
| Ezekiel 9:2 | And behold six men came from the way of the upper gate, which looketh to the north: and each one had his weapon of destruction in his hand: and there was one man in the midst of them clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn at his reins: and they went in, and stood by the brazen altar. | Upper, leading to the court of the priests. These were six angels, representing the army coming from Babylon. The seventh was an angel of peace. (Calmet) --- God never abandons his whole Church. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 9:3 | And the glory of the Lord of Israel went up from the cherub, upon which he was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man that was clothed with linen, and had a writer's inkhorn at his loins. | House; to the holy place, shewing that he abondoned those in the temple. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 9:4 | And the Lord said to him: Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem: *and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof. Exodus 12:7. | Mark Thau. Thau, or Tau, is the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and signifies a sign or a mark: which is the reason why some translators render this place set a mark, or mark a mark, without specifying what this mark was. But St. Jerome, and other interpreters, conclude it was the form of the letter thau, which, in the ancient Hebrew character, was the form of a cross. (Challoner) --- Of this many inscriptions still extant bear witness. (Montfaucon.) --- Some Rabbins allow that the last letter was used but in honour of "the law," Thorah. The cross is supposed to be the hieroglyphic of a future life, (Hist. Rufini. 2:29.) and found frequently in the pictures or (Haydock) in the tables of Isis. But it rather represents a key. Soldiers who were acquitted received the letter T, and those who were sentenced to die had Th, (Calmet) alluding to Thanatos, "death." (Haydock) --- We may, however, suppose that if God designated any letter, it would be some letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and accordingly the last had formerly the figure of a cross: "X" though this text may signify "a sign" in general. The virtuous would be discriminated from the guilty, as if they were marked. (Calmet) --- The door-posts of the Hebrews were stained with blood, in Egypt, to shew that all should be redeemed by that of Christ; and here those who shall be saved, received the mark of his cross. This sign has always been held in veneration among Christians, (Worthington) and used in conferring baptism, consecrating the blessed Eucharist, etc. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lv. in Matthew, and lxxxiv. in John) (St. Augustine, tr. cxviii. in John, and ser. ci. de temp., etc.) --- It appeared to Constantine with this inscription, "In this conquer;" (Eusebius, vit. 1:22.) and again over Jerusalem; (St. Cyril, ep. ad Constantium.) and will be borne before Christ, at his last coming, (Matthew xxiv.) to the joy of those who have performed their baptismal promises, and to the confusion (Worthington) of the enemies of the cross of Christ. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 9:5 | And to the others he said in my hearing: Go ye after him through the city, and strike: let not your eyes spare, nor be ye moved with pity. | |
| Ezekiel 9:6 | Utterly destroy old and young, maidens, children, and women: but upon whomsoever you shall see Thau, kill him not, and begin ye at my sanctuary. So they began at the ancient men, who were before the house. | Sanctuary. Aquila, "temple," or people (Calmet) consecrated to my service, (Septuagint; Tirinus) particularly (Calmet) the twenty-five idolaters, the ancients and women, (Calmet) Ezechiel 8:16. --- Judgment beginneth at the house of God, (1 Peter 4:17.) and those (Haydock) who abuse holy things are justly cut off. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 9:7 | And he said to them: Defile the house, and ill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew them that were in the city. | Defile. Septuagint, "you have defiled." I regard the place no longer. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 9:8 | And the slaughter being ended, I was left: and I fell upon my face, and crying, I said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God, wilt thou then destroy all the remnant of Israel, by pouring out thy fury upon Jerusalem? | |
| Ezekiel 9:9 | And he said to me: The iniquity of the house of Israel, and of Juda, is exceedingly great, and the land is filled with blood, and the city is filled with perverseness: for they have said: The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not. | Perverseness, in "wresting of judgment." (Protestant marginal note) What else can be expected, when the judges deny Providence? (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 9:10 | Therefore neither shall my eye spare, nor will I have pity: I will requite their way upon their head. | |
| Ezekiel 9:11 | And behold the man that was clothed with linen, that had the inkhorn at his back, returned the word, saying: I have done as thou hast commanded me. | |
| Ezekiel 10:0 | Fire is taken from the midst of the wheels under the cherubims, and scattered over the city. A description of the cherubims. | |
| Ezekiel 10:1 | And *I saw, and behold in the firmament that was over the heads of the cherubims, there appeared over them as it were the sapphire-stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. | Year of the World 3410. Throne. It was a sky blue crystal or sapphire colour, (chap. 1:22, 26.) and was now empty, Ezechiel 1:The Lord spoke from the temple door, ver. 4. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 10:2 | And he spoke to the man, that was clothed with linen, and said: Go in between the wheels that are under the cherubims, and fill thy hand with the coals of fire that are between the cherubims, and pour them out upon the city. And he went in, in my sight: | Out, to purify (St. Jerome) or punish the city, (Theodoret) which would shortly be reduced to ashes. (Vatable) (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 10:3 | And the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. | Right, south of the priests' court. |
| Ezekiel 10:4 | And the glory of the Lord was lifted up from above the cherub to the threshold of the house: and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. | Lifted up, before Ezechiel 9:3. (Calmet) --- A man seemed to be on the throne, (Worthington) or rather over the door of the holy place. |
| Ezekiel 10:5 | And the sound of the wings of the cherubims was heard even to the outward court, as the voice of God Almighty speaking. | Court of the people. --- Speaking in thunder. |
| Ezekiel 10:6 | And when he had commanded the man that was clothed with linen, saying: Take fire from the midst of the wheels that are between the cherubims: he went in and stood beside the wheel. | |
| Ezekiel 10:7 | And one cherub stretched out his arm from the midst of the cherubims to the fire that was between the cherubims: and he took, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it and went forth. | |
| Ezekiel 10:8 | And there appeared in the cherubims the likeness of a man's hand under their wings. | Wings. They would seem to be distinct, or (Calmet) fingers appeared at the end of the wings. (Grotius) |
| Ezekiel 10:9 | And I saw, and behold there were four wheels by the cherubims: one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was to the sight like the chrysolite-stone: | Stone. Hebrew Tharsis. Symmachus, "Hyacinth." (Chap. 1:16.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 10:10 | And as to their appearance, all four were alike: as if a wheel were in the midst of a wheel. | |
| Ezekiel 10:11 | And when they went, they went by four ways: and they turned not when they went: but to the place whither they first turned, the rest also followed, and did not turn back. | By four ways. That is, by any of the four ways, forward, backward, to the right, or to the left. (Challoner) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 10:12 | And their whole body, and their necks, and their hands, and their wings, and the circles were full of eyes, round about the four wheels. | Wheels. These, as well as (Haydock) the cherubim, (Theodoret) were full of eyes. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 10:13 | And these wheels he called voluble, in my hearing. | Voluble. That is, rolling wheels: galgal, (Challoner) which means "rolling:" (Haydock) or "he said to the wheels, Turn around about." (Theodoret) --- This is the real import of Hebrew. (Calmet) --- Protestants have, "O wheel." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 10:14 | And every one had four faces: one face was the face of a cherub, and the second face, the face of a man: and in the third was the face of a lion: and in the fourth the face of an eagle. | Cherub, or "ox." All four seem to have had the resemblance of a man, but one more than the rest, which had respectively the appearance rather of an ox, a lion, or an eagle: (Worthington) or the ox was predominant in all, as both the head and feet were of it; (Calmet) which, however, does not constitute the greatest part, Ezechiel 1:5. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 10:15 | And the cherubims were lifted up: this is the living creature that I had seen by the river Chobar. | Creature. What I saw, was properly called cherubim. Charab, in Syriac means "to labour;" (Spencer) or cherubim may imply any composed and unusual figure, or "mixture," Exodus 25:18. (Calmet) --- Ezechiel being a priest, saw that the creatures resembled the cherubim of the temple. (Tirinus) |
| Ezekiel 10:16 | And when the cherubims went, the wheels also went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings, to mount up from the earth, the wheels staid not behind, but were by them. | |
| Ezekiel 10:17 | When they stood, these stood: and when they were lifted up, these were lifted up: for the spirit of life was in them. | Life. They were not mere machines; (Haydock) or they were pushed forward by an impetuous wind. |
| Ezekiel 10:18 | And the glory of the Lord went forth from the threshold of the temple: and stood over the cherubims. | |
| Ezekiel 10:19 | And the cherubims lifting up their wings, were raised from the earth before me: and as they went out, the wheels also followed: and it stood in the entry of the east gate of the house of the Lord: and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. | East gate, leading from the city to the court of the people. (Calmet) -- How unwilling is this good father to leave his house! (Tirinus) |
| Ezekiel 10:20 | *This is the living creature, which I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chobar: and I understood that they were cherubims. Ezechiel 1:1-3. | Creature. The cherubim and all the throne seemed alive. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 10:21 | Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings: and the likeness of a man's hand was under their wings. | |
| Ezekiel 10:22 | And as to the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces which I had seen by the river Chobar, and their looks, and the impulse of every one to go straight forward. | Forward, thus shewing God's decree to abandon the synagogue. (Tirinus) |
| Ezekiel 11:0 | A prophecy against the presumptuous assurance of the great ones. A remnant shall be saved, and receive a new spirit and a new heart. | |
| Ezekiel 11:1 | And *the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the east gate of the house of the Lord, which looketh towards the rising of the sun: and behold in the entry of the gate five and twenty men: and I saw in the midst of them Jezonias, the son of Azur, and Pheltias, the son of Banaias, princes of the people. | Year of the World 3410. Me. The prophet in Chaldea, saw in spirit what was doing at Jerusalem. (Worthington) --- Men. Magistrates. (Prado.) (Tirinus) (Menochius) --- Jezonias, perhaps mentioned [in] Ezechiel 8:11. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 11:2 | And he said to me: Son of man, these are the men that study iniquity, and frame a wicked counsel in this city, | |
| Ezekiel 11:3 | Saying: Were not houses lately built? This city is the cauldron, and we the flesh. | Built, etc. These men despised the predictions and threats of the prophets; who declared to them from God, that the city should be destroyed and the inhabitants carried into captivity: and they made use of this kind of argument against the prophets, that the city so far from being like to be destroyed, had lately been augmented by the building of new houses; from whence they further inferred, by way of a proverb, using the similitude of a cauldron, out of which the flesh is not taken till it is thoroughly boiled and fit to be eaten, that they should not be carried away out of their city, but there end their days in peace. (Challoner) --- They thought themselves secure, (Worthington) and laughed at the menaces of Jeremias, 1:15. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "The destruction is not soon coming. Let us build;" (Pagnin; Menochius) or, "It is not time to build." (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 11:4 | Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, thou son of man. | |
| Ezekiel 11:5 | And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me: Speak: Thus saith the Lord: Thus have you spoken, O house of Israel, for I know the thoughts of your heart. | |
| Ezekiel 11:6 | You have killed a great many in this city, and you have filled the streets thereof with the slain. | Slain, under Manasses, etc. (Tirinus) |
| Ezekiel 11:7 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Your slain, whom you have laid in the midst thereof, they are the flesh, and this is the cauldron: and I will bring you forth out of the midst thereof. | Cauldron. I will explain the prediction, which you turn to ridicule. Those whom you have slain, are like the flesh (Calmet) boiled. (Haydock) --- But you shall be treated still worse, being led captives and slain. (Calmet) --- They feared wars, but had no dread of captivity. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 11:8 | You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 11:9 | And I will cast you out of the midst thereof, and I will deliver you into the hand of the enemies, and I will execute judgments upon you. | |
| Ezekiel 11:10 | You shall fall by the sword: I will judge you in the borders of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord. | Israel. They pretended that they should die in peace in Jerusalem: God tells them it should not be so, but that they should be judged and condemned, and fall by the sword in the borders of Israel; viz., in Reblatha, in the land of Emath, where all their chief men were put to death by order of Nabuchodonosor, 4 Kings xxv., and Jeremias 52:10, 27. (Challoner) |
| Ezekiel 11:11 | This shall not be as a cauldron to you, and you shall not be as flesh in the midst thereof: I will judge you in the borders of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 11:12 | And you shall know that I am the Lord: because you have not walked in my commandments, and have not done my judgments, but you have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you. | But you. Some copies of Septuagint have, "neither have you done," Ezechiel 5:7. |
| Ezekiel 11:13 | And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pheltias, the son of Banaias, died: and I fell down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice: and said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God: wilt thou make an end of all the remnant of Israel? | Pheltias, the prince, (ver. 1.; Haydock) or false prophet, whose death Ezechiel does not bewail, but fears the great destruction of the people; (Worthington; Menochius) though, if Pheltias died impenitent, his death might justly call for tears. (Haydock) --- This happened in a vision. Yet (Calmet) he probably died suddenly about his time. (Lyranus) |
| Ezekiel 11:14 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 11:15 | Son of man, thy brethren, thy brethren, thy kinsmen, and all the house of Israel, all they to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: Get ye far from the Lord, the land is given in possession to us. | Thy brethren, etc. He speaks of them that had been carried away captives before, who were despised by them that remained in Jerusalem; but, as the prophet here declares to them from God, should be in a more happy condition than they, and after some time return from their captivity. (Challoner) --- David had been insulted in like manner, 1 Kings 26:19. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 11:16 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because I have removed them far off among the Gentiles, and because I have scattered them among the countries, I will be to them a little sanctuary in the countries whither they are come. | A little. Hebrew, "for a short time, a sanctuary," or temple. They shall find all things in me. The Christian Church was never more pure than during the first persecutions, when her children could not assemble freely, or build temples. (Calmet) --- God will never totally abandon her, Jeremias 4:27., etc. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 11:17 | Therefore, speak to them: Thus saith the Lord God: I will gather you from among the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries wherein you are scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 11:18 | And they shall go in thither, and shall take away all the scandals, and all the abominations thereof from thence. | Scandals: idols. They relapsed no more into idolatry, (Calmet) as a nation, though some fell in the persecution of Epiphanes. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 11:19 | *And I will give them one heart, and will put a new spirit in their bowels: and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: Jeremias 31:39.; Ezechiel 36:26. | One. Septuagint, "another." They have read (Calmet) acher for echad, "one." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 11:20 | That they may walk in my commandments, and keep my judgments, and do them: and that they may be my people, and I may be their God. | |
| Ezekiel 11:21 | But as for them whose heart walketh after their scandals and abominations, I will lay their way upon their head, saith the Lord God. | Head. I will punish them as their crimes deserve. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 11:22 | And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and the wheels with them: and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. | |
| Ezekiel 11:23 | And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood over the mount that is on the east side of the city. | Mount Olivet, whence he might behold the conflagration of the city, before his ascent into heaven. (Menochius) --- He leaves his habitation by degrees, to shew how Jerusalem would be treated, and the Jews suffer after the ascension of our Saviour. Theodoret well observes, that the person on the throne represented Him, the upper part of the body being different from the lower, (chap. 1:26.) to denote the two natures. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 11:24 | And the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into Chaldea to them of the captivity, in vision, by the spirit of God: and the vision which I had seen was taken up from me. | |
| Ezekiel 11:25 | And I spoke to them of the captivity all the words of the Lord, which he had shewn me. | |
| Ezekiel 12:0 | The prophet foresheweth, by signs, the captivity of Sedecias, and the desolation of the people: all which shall quickly come to pass. | |
| Ezekiel 12:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3411, Year before Christ 593. |
| Ezekiel 12:2 | Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a provoking house: who have eyes to see, and see not: and ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a provoking house. | |
| Ezekiel 12:3 | Thou, therefore, O son of man, prepare thee all necessaries for removing, and remove by day in their sight: and thou shalt remove out of thy place to another place in their sight, if so be they will regard it: for they are a provoking house. | Removing. Literally, "vessels of transmigration," (Haydock) or bundles, (Calmet) and what was requisite for travelling, (Worthington) or in exile. (Haydock) --- All this, to Ezechiel 20., happened five years before the fall of Jerusalem. (Calmet) --- See Ezechiel 8:1. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 12:4 | And thou shalt bring forth thy furniture as the furniture of one that is removing by day in their sight: and thou shalt go forth in the evening in their presence, as one goeth forth that removeth his dwelling. | |
| Ezekiel 12:5 | Dig thee a way through the wall before their eyes: and thou shalt go forth through it. | |
| Ezekiel 12:6 | In their sight thou shalt be carried out upon men's shoulders, thou shalt be carried out in the dark: thou shalt cover thy face, and shalt not see the ground: for I have set thee for a sign of things to come to the house of Israel. | Be carried. (Septuagint) St. Jerome reads, "thou shalt carry thy bundles on the shoulder," as many explain the Hebrew, (Calmet) and also ver. 7. "I bear it upon my shoulder," ver. 12. (Protestants) (Haydock) --- Cover, to denote the blindness of Sedecias, (Calmet) or his attempt to disguise himself. (Haydock) --- The faces of criminals were covered, Esther vii. The king and nobles escaped through a breach, Jeremias 39:4. (Calmet) --- Sign. Literally, "a prodigy to," etc. (Haydock) --- The actions as well as the words of the prophet indicated what would happen. (St. Jerome, ver. 11.) |
| Ezekiel 12:7 | I did, therefore, as he had commanded me: I brought forth my goods by day, as the goods of one that removeth: and in the evening I digged through the wall with my hand: and I went forth in the dark, and was carried on men's shoulders in their sight. | |
| Ezekiel 12:8 | And the word of the Lord came to me in the morning, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 12:9 | Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the provoking house, said to thee: What art thou doing? | |
| Ezekiel 12:10 | Say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: This burden concerneth my prince that is in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel, that are among them. | Jerusalem. The people regarded not Jeremias. This prediction would be sent to them to confirm what he said, while it would tend to keep up the spirits of those who were in captivity. (Theodoret) (Calmet) --- Israel. The people, or those of the ten tribes who had retired thither. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 12:11 | Say: I am a sign of things to come to you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them: they shall be removed from their dwellings, and go into captivity. | |
| Ezekiel 12:12 | And the prince that is in the midst of them, shall be carried on shoulders, he shall go forth in the dark: they shall dig through the wall to bring him out: his face shall be covered, that he may not see the ground with his eyes. | |
| Ezekiel 12:13 | *And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my net: and I will bring him into Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, and he shall not see it, and there he shall die. Ezechiel 17:20. | Net, as was done in war, and to catch wild beasts, Jeremias 16:16. (Calmet) --- Not see it, because his eyes shall be put out by Nabuchodonosor. (Challoner) --- The false prophets thought they perceived a contradiction here; (Worthington) and Sedecias, confronting it with Jeremias 38:18., disregarded both. (Josephus, Antiquities 10:10.) --- This was more pardonable than for Paine to object this as an inconsistency, after the event has so clearly verified the predictions of both, and shewed their consent. (Haydock) --- The unhappy prince saw too late the true meaning. (Calmet) --- He was put in a cage, like a wild beast, and conveyed blind to Babylon. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 12:14 | And all that are about him, his guards, and his troops, I will scatter into every wind: and I will draw out the sword after them. | Them. Many joined Godolias, Ezechiel 5:2. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 12:15 | And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have dispersed them among the nations, and scattered them in the countries. | |
| Ezekiel 12:16 | And I will leave a few men of them from the sword, and from the famine, and from the pestilence: that they may declare all their wicked deeds among the nations whither they shall go: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 12:17 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 12:18 | Son of man, eat thy bread in trouble: and drink thy water in hurry and sorrow. | Sorrow. Act like one under great anxiety and distress. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 12:19 | And say to the people of the land: Thus saith the Lord God to them that dwell in Jerusalem, in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread in care, and drink their water in desolation: That the land may become desolate from the multitude that is therein, for the iniquity of all that dwell therein. | |
| Ezekiel 12:20 | And the cities that are now inhabited, shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 12:21 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 12:22 | Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel? saying: The days shall be prolonged, and every vision shall fail. | Proverb, or common saying. (Worthington) --- Prolonged. They took occasion from God's long suffering to become more wicked, (Calmet) and even asserted that the prophets told nothing but lies, (Theodoret) and spoke of events at a great distance, that they might not be detected. If what they announced came to pass, they attributed it to chance; (Calmet) if it did not, being only conditional, they ridiculed this idea as a mere subterfuge. (Haydock) --- As the prophets had long before foretold the captivity, and it had not yet taken place, (Worthington) in general, though many were already in exile, (Haydock) they concluded that it would never be realized. Thus heretics deny the general judgment, 1 Peter 3:(Worthington) --- Every vision, on this head, ver. 28. Many events were revealed that regarded the times of Christ, Daniel ix., etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 12:23 | Say to them, therefore: Thus saith the Lord God: I will make this proverb to cease, neither shall it be any more a common saying in Israel: and tell them that the days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. | |
| Ezekiel 12:24 | For there shall be no more any vain visions, nor doubtful divination in the midst of the children of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 12:25 | For I the Lord will speak: and what word soever I shall speak, it shall come to pass, and shall not be prolonged any more: but in your days, ye provoking house, I will speak the word, and will do it, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 12:26 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 12:27 | Son of man, behold the house of Israel, they that say: The vision that this man seeth, is for many days to come: and this man prophesieth of times afar off. | |
| Ezekiel 12:28 | Therefore say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Not one word of mine shall be prolonged any more: the word that I shall speak shall be accomplished, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 13:0 | God declares against false prophets and prophetesses, that deceive the people with lies. | |
| Ezekiel 13:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 13:2 | Son of man, prophesy thou against the prophets of Israel that prophesy: and thou shalt say to them that prophesy out of their own heart: Hear ye the word of the Lord: | Heart; what pleases them, (Haydock) without being inspired. There were always such impostors. These deluded the people at Jerusalem, (Calmet) or at Babylon, ver. 9. (Sanctius) --- They might be distinguished by the sincere: yet caused irreparable injury to the ignorant people. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 13:3 | Thus saith the Lord God: *Woe to the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit, and see nothing. Jeremias 23:1.; Ezechiel 4:9.; Ezechiel 14:9.; Ezechiel 34:2. | Nothing. Yet would lead the blind, though they are not directed by God. |
| Ezekiel 13:4 | Thy prophets, O Israel, were like foxes in the deserts. | Deserts, or ruins. They sought only to gratify themselves. |
| Ezekiel 13:5 | You have not gone up to face the enemy, nor have you set up a wall for the house of Israel, to stand in battle in the day of the Lord. | Enemy. You do not admonish sinners of their evil ways, nor strive to avert God's indignation, in imitation of true prophets, (Exodus 32:10.) but rather undermine the wall like foxes. |
| Ezekiel 13:6 | They see vain things, and they foretell lies, saying: The Lord saith: whereas the Lord hath not sent them: and they have persisted to confirm what they have said. | |
| Ezekiel 13:7 | Have you not seen a vain vision, and spoken a lying divination: and you say: The Lord saith: whereas I have not spoken. | |
| Ezekiel 13:8 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because you have spoken vain things, and have seen lies: therefore, behold I come against you, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 13:9 | And my hand shall be upon the prophets that see vain things, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am the Lord God. | Upon, to punish. --- Counsel. They shall not be consulted, or have any credit. --- Writing. They shall perish in the city, or in banishment. (Calmet) --- Their works shall not be accounted canonical. (Sixt. Bib. 2:2.) |
| Ezekiel 13:10 | Because they have deceived my people, saying: Peace, and there is no peace: and the people built up a wall, and they daubed it with dirt without straw. | Straw. Iniquity ruins my people, (Calmet) and these do not endeavour to reform their manners. (Haydock) --- They ought to demolish such a work, and not daub it over. (Theodoret) --- One false prophet builds, and another strives to support his authority; (Junius) or God has given the people his law, but these people corrupt it. (St. Jerome) --- A wall built without proper mortar, will easily be washed down: so vain hopes of security, without amendment, deceive the people. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 13:11 | Say to them that daub without tempering, that it shall fall: for there shall be an overflowing shower, and I will cause great hailstones to fall violently from above, and a stormy wind to throw it down. | Hailstones. Literally, "stones," like those which fell on the enemies of Josue, 10:11.; (Haydock) or thunderbolts. (Grotius) (Calmet) --- Such will be the fate of all the buildings of the wicked, Matthew 7:27. (Haydock) --- None can resist the judgments of God, who will employ the Chaldeans. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 13:12 | Behold, when the wall is fallen: shall it not be said to you: Where is the daubing wherewith you have daubed it? | |
| Ezekiel 13:13 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Lo, I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in my indignation, and there shall be an overflowing shower in my anger: and great hailstones in my wrath to consume. | |
| Ezekiel 13:14 | And I will break down the wall that you have daubed with untempered mortar: and I will make it even with the ground, and the foundation thereof shall be laid bare: and it shall fall, and shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | You. Literally, "it." But Hebrew and Septuagint have, "ye." (Haydock) --- The wall and the inhabitants shall perish. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 13:15 | And I will accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that daub it without tempering the mortar, and I will say to you: The wall is no more, and they that daub it are no more. | |
| Ezekiel 13:16 | Even the prophets of Israel that prophesy to Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her: and there is no peace, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 13:17 | And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people that prophesy out of their own heart: and do thou prophesy against them. | Daughters: so false prophets are styled in scorn, (Vatable) or witches; (Rabbins) though it seems rather that there were false prophetesses as well as true ones. Such were Prisca and Maximilla among the Montanists. Women have commonly fostered heresies. (Calmet) --- These pretended to be illuminated, like Debora and Holda; but flattered the people in their sins, instead of reclaiming them. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 13:18 | And say: Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to them that sew cushions under every elbow: and make pillows for the heads of persons of every age to catch souls: and when they caught the souls of my people, they gave life to their souls. | Cushions, by making people easy in their sins, and promising them impunity, (Challoner) by disguising the truth, or not admonishing people of their danger, Ezechiel 3:17. He alludes to the cushions used on sofas. --- Pillows. Symmachus, "veils;" (Septuagint and Kimchi) or "nets" designed "to take" the unwary; as mispachot may be properly rendered, ver. 20, 21., and Isaias 5:7. (Calmet) --- Souls. That is, they flattered them with promises of life, peace, and security. (Challoner) (Worthington) --- People are often said to do what they only announce, Leviticus 13:11. These impostors pretended to save, while they really destroyed. They shewed a cruel mercy, detaining the people in captivity, or rather Hebrew, "shall you catch?" etc. Do you expect to pass unpunished? (Calmet) --- We might read the Vulgate, "Did they give?" etc. Protestants, "Will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?" (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 13:19 | And they violated me among my people, for a handful of barley, and a piece of bread, to kill souls which should not die, and to save souls alive which should not live, telling lies to my people that believe lies. | Violated me. That is, dishonoured and discredited me. (Challoner) --- Protestants, "and will ye pollute?" etc. (Haydock) --- They employed the name of God to give credit to their lies, for the smallest advantage. --- Souls, etc. That is, to sentence souls to death, which are not to die: and to promise life to them who are not to live. (Challoner) --- They contradicted Jeremias, who exhorted the people to surrender. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 13:20 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I declare against your cushions, wherewith you catch flying souls: and I will tear them off from your arms; and I will let go the souls that you catch, the souls that should fly. | Catch. Hebrew also, "hunt the souls to make them into gardens, (Haydock) or flourishing." Septuagint, "you gather souls there." The original seems to be incorrect, ver. 18. |
| Ezekiel 13:21 | And I will tear your pillows, and will deliver my people out of your hand, neither shall they be any more in your hands to be a prey: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 13:22 | Because with lies you have made the heart of the just to mourn, whom I have not made sorrowful; and have strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his evil way, and live. | Just. Jeremias, or any other, particularly the more simple, who were easily seduced and filled with apprehensions. You shall therefore die, (ver. 23.) and your imposture shall be made known. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 13:23 | Therefore, you shall not see vain things, nor divine divinations any more, and I will deliver my people out of your hand; and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 14:0 | God suffers the wicked to be deceived, in punishment of their wickedness. The evils that shall come upon them for their sins: from which they shall not be delivered by the prayers of Noe, Daniel, and Job. But a remnant shall be preserved. | |
| Ezekiel 14:1 | And *some of the ancients of Israel came to me, and sat before me. | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 14:2 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 14:3 | Son of man, these men have placed their uncleannesses in their hearts, and have set up before their face the stumbling-block of their iniquity; and shall I answer when they inquire of me? | Uncleanness. That is, their filthy idols, upon which they have set their hearts: and which are a stumbling-block to their souls. (Challoner) --- They came, it seems, to tempt the prophet, (Calmet) as God shewed him. Thus worldlings consult Catholic priests; yet are resolved to join with heretics. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 14:4 | Therefore, speak to them, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Every man of the house of Israel, that shall place his uncleannesses in his heart, and set up the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and shall come to the prophet, enquiring of me by him: I the Lord will answer him, according to the multitude of his uncleannesses. | According. Hebrew, "in (Calmet) the multitude of his idols." (Haydock) --- I will still disclose the truth; (Chaldean) or a false prophet is here spoken of, whom God will suffer to deceive those who wish to be deluded. He will not have his own prophets speak an untruth. See 3 Kings 22:10. Christ evaded the insidious questions of his enemies, Matthew 21:23. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 14:5 | That the house of Israel may be caught in their own heart, with which they have departed from me through all their idols. | The. Septuagint, "he may ensnare the house," (Haydock) or "to bring" unto repentance. (Chaldean) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 14:6 | Therefore, say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Be converted, and depart from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. | Turn. Such people must first be admonished to relinquish idols, heresy, etc., that they may come to God. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 14:7 | For every man of the house of Israel, and every stranger among the proselytes in Israel, if he separate himself from me, and place his idols in his heart, and set the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and come to the prophet to enquire of me by him: I the Lord will answer him by myself. | By myself, or on my own account. God does not encourage falsehood. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 14:8 | And I will set my face against that man, and will make him an example, and a proverb, and will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 14:9 | *And when the prophet shall err, and speak a word: I the Lord have deceived that prophet; and I will stretch forth my hand upon him, and will cut him off from the midst of my people Israel. Ezechiel 13:3. | Err. He speaks of false prophets, answering out of their own heads, and according to their own corrupt inclinations. --- Deceived, etc. God Almighty deceives false prophets, partly by withdrawing his light from them; and abandoning them to their own corrupt inclinations, which push them on to prophesy such things as are agreeable to those that consult them: and partly by disappointing them, and causing all things to happen contrary to what they have said. (Challoner) --- God permits the deception, to punish both the impostor and his hearers. (Worthington) --- Thus was Balaam treated, (Calmet) Numbers xxii. (Haydock) --- He could do nothing of himself, (St. Jerome) 2 Kings 22:22. (Calmet) --- Here also an interrogation might be used (Haydock) in Hebrew, "have I?" etc. (Feiffer dub. cent. 4. b. lviii.) --- I have manifested the deceit, Ezechiel 13:18. |
| Ezekiel 14:10 | And they shall bear their iniquity; according to the iniquity of him that inquireth, so shall the iniquity of the prophet be. | Be. They shall be punished alike. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 14:11 | That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, nor be polluted with all their transgressions: but may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord of hosts. | |
| Ezekiel 14:12 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 14:13 | Son of man, when a land shall sin against me, so as to transgress grievously, I will stretch forth my hand upon it, *and will break the staff of the bread thereof: and I will send famine upon it, and will destroy man and beast out of it. Ezechiel 4:16.; Ezechiel 5:16. | |
| Ezekiel 14:14 | And if these three men, Noe, Daniel, and Job, shall be in it: they shall deliver their own souls by their justice, saith the Lord of hosts. | Job. He and Noe[Noah] were dead, yet undoubtedly interceded for the people, or their names would not here be mentioned, Jeremias 15:1. (Worthington) --- When God is resolved to treat all with rigour, he will save only the just. They shall not be able to protect even their children. But Jerusalem shall not experience such severity, ver. 21. (Calmet) --- Noe could not avert the deluge, nor Job the death of his children, neither could Daniel rescue his people from captivity. (St. Jerome) --- The first denotes pastors, the second fathers of families, and Daniel such as live continent. (St. Augustine) --- All three had been very merciful. (St. Chrysostom, hom. 43:1. in Genesis) --- Job is placed for holy laymen, and Daniel for people of religious orders. (St. Gregory, Mor. 1:13.) (Worthington) --- Hence perhaps Job is placed last, though cotemporary with Moses, as most people suppose. He is not therefore a fabulous personage. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 14:15 | And if I shall bring mischievous beasts also upon the land to waste it; and it be desolate, so that there is none that can pass because of the beasts: | |
| Ezekiel 14:16 | If these three men shall be in it, as I live, saith the Lord, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters: but they only shall be delivered, and the land shall be made desolate. | |
| Ezekiel 14:17 | Or if I bring the sword upon that land, and say to the sword: Pass through the land: and I destroy man and beast out of it: | |
| Ezekiel 14:18 | And these three men be in the midst thereof: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they themselves alone shall be delivered. | |
| Ezekiel 14:19 | Or if I also send the pestilence upon that land, and pour out my indignation upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: | Pestilence. Septuagint, "death," as [in] ver. 21., (Calmet) denoting the plague, Ezechiel 5:2. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 14:20 | And Noe, and Daniel, and Job, be in the midst thereof: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter: but they shall only deliver their own souls by their justice. | |
| Ezekiel 14:21 | For thus saith the Lord: Although I shall send in upon Jerusalem my four grievous judgments, the sword and the famine, and the mischievous beasts, and the pestilence, to destroy out of it man and beast: | |
| Ezekiel 14:22 | Yet there shall be left in it some that shall be saved, who shall bring away their sons and daughters: behold they shall come among you, and you shall see their way, and their doings: and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, in all things that I have brought upon it. | Left. Pastors will always remain to instruct God's children. (Worthington) --- Doings. Their words (Calmet) and conduct even in captivity, will evince that they have not been punished unjustly. (St. Jerome) --- From them you may judge what sort of men their fathers were; or, as they have been spared for their virtue, you may conclude that the rest would not have perished, if they had been innocent. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 14:23 | And they shall comfort you, when you shall see their ways, and their doings: and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 15:0 | As a vine cut down is fit for nothing but the fire: so it shall be with Jerusalem, for her sins. | |
| Ezekiel 15:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 15:2 | Son of man, what shall be made of the wood of the vine, out of all the trees of the woods that are among the trees of the forests? | Wood. Small branches or tendrils. The vines of that country were probably small. (Calmet) --- The wild vine (Sanctius) grows very large, and the wood is durable, so that statues, pillars, and ladders were formed of it. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 14:1.) --- Strabo (ii., and xi.) mentions the trunk of a vine which two men could hardly clasp, and the bunch of grapes was two cubits high. But the prophet speaks of the small branches, which are fit only for the fire. (Calmet) --- God's Church is often compared to a vine on account of its fruit, and the branches separated form her resemble the useless cuttings. (St. Augustine, tr. lxxxi. in John) (Worthington) --- See Ward's Tree of Life, where this is set in a very striking light. In every age the Church makes fresh conquests, while heretics leave and persecute her. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 15:3 | Shall wood be taken of if, to do any work, or shall a pin be made of it, for any vessel to hang thereon? | Thereon. Isaias 22:23. (Calmet) --- The Turkish lords have no furniture in their rooms, but hang their arms, saddles, etc., upon such pins, or on strings. (Roger. ii.) |
| Ezekiel 15:4 | Behold it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath consumed both ends thereof, and the midst thereof is reduced to ashes: shall it be useful for any work? | Ashes. It is not even solid enough for fuel. (Calmet) --- When a faggot is consumed in the middle, the ends are also put into the fire; so not one shall escape who dies out of the Church. (Worthington) --- The wicked Jews shall surely suffer, ver. 6. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 15:5 | Even when it was whole it was not fit for work, how much less, when the fire hath devoured, and consumed it, shall any work be made of it? | |
| Ezekiel 15:6 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forests which I have given to the fire to be consumed, so will I deliver up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. | |
| Ezekiel 15:7 | And I will set my face against them: they shall go out from fire, and fire shall consume them: and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have set my face against them. | From fire. If they escape one misery they shall fall into another, as the event shewed. (Calmet) --- They shall be thrown back into the fire. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 15:8 | And I shall have made their land a wilderness, and desolate, because they have been transgressors, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 16:0 | Under the figure of an unfaithful wife, God upbraids Jerusalem with her ingratitude and manifold disloyalties: but promiseth mercy by a new covenant. | |
| Ezekiel 16:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 16:2 | Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations: | |
| Ezekiel 16:3 | And thou shalt say: Thus saith the Lord God to Jerusalem: Thy root, and thy nativity is of the land of Chanaan, thy father was an Amorrhite, and thy mother a Cethite. | Cethite, or "Hethite." These two were probably the most abandoned of Chanaan. Daniel (xiii. 56.) gives the infamous judges the like appellation; and Isaias 1:10. calls the Jews princes of Sodom. (Calmet) --- So Dido says to Eneas: Nec te diva parens, generis nec Dardanus auctor Perfide sed duris genuit te cautibus, etc. (Virgil, Aeneid iv.) (Haydock) --- But we nowhere find such a vehement and continued reprimand. The prophet seems to quit his proper character to make (Calmet) the abominations of the people known and detested, Ezechiel 3:8. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:4 | And when thou wast born, in the day of thy nativity thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed with water for thy health, nor salted with salt, nor swaddled with clouts. | Cut. By this the infant received nourishment in the womb. Now it seems to be exposed by its parents. (Calmet) --- The Jews in Egypt were abandoned to idolatry and distress. (Theodoret, in Canticle of Canticles) --- Health. Many plunged the infant in cold water to brace its nerves, (Calmet) or to wash it. Salt was also used to dry up the humidity and stop the pores, (St. Jerome) or it was mixed with water to harden the skin and navel. (Avicen. Gall. San. 1:7.) --- Clouts, to keep the body straight. The negroes who neglect this are stronger and better proportioned, (Calmet) and too much restraint is known to be detrimental to the tender limbs. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:5 | No eye had pity on thee to do any of these things for thee, out of compassion to thee: but thou wast cast out upon the face of the earth in the abjection of thy soul, in the day that thou wast born. | Born, as it were in Egypt. He represents the Jews as a female from her infancy, till she be advanced in years. |
| Ezekiel 16:6 | And passing by thee, I saw that thou wast trodden under foot in thy own blood: and I said to thee when thou wast in thy blood: Live: yes, I said to thee: Live in thy blood. | Thy blood, unwashed after being born, ver. 4. (Calmet) --- The Jews were solicitous to increase their numbers, and exposed none. (Tacitus, Hist. v.) --- But other nations did, if they thought the child would be troublesome, or a disgrace. (Calmet) --- The prophet sends this admonition from Chaldea, and shews how God had selected his people from among the barbarous nations, and decorated them with many privileges of the law, sacrifices, etc. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:7 | I caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field: and thou didst increase and grow great, and advancedst, and camest to woman's ornament: thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair grew: and thou wast naked, and full of confusion. | Woman's. Hebrew, "the ornament of ornaments;" hadaiim instead of harim in Septuagint, "the cities of cities," (Calmet) or the highest glory, being arrived at that age when decorations are most sought after. --- Fashioned. Literally, "swelling." Septuagint, "erect." (Haydock) --- Hair, (pilus.) Women are allowed by the canon law to marry at twelve. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:8 | And I passed by thee, and saw thee: and behold thy time was the time of lovers: and I spread my garment over thee, and covered thy ignominy. And I swore to thee, and I entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God: and thou becamest mine. | Lovers. Hebrew dodim, "breasts, (Haydock) or espousals;" (Aquila) "loving." (Symmachus) --- Garment, as a husband, Ruth 3:9., and Jeremias 2:2. |
| Ezekiel 16:9 | And I washed thee with water, and cleansed away thy blood from thee: and I anointed thee with oil. | Oil, used after bathing, or with perfumes. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:10 | And I clothed thee with embroidery, and shod thee with violet-coloured shoes: and I girded thee about with fine linen, and clothed thee with fine garments. | Embroidery. Literally, "various colours." (Haydock) --- But this is the import, Psalm 44:10. --- Violet, or dark blue, appropriated to princes. --- Linen, or cotton, Exodus xxv., and Proverbs 31:24. (Calmet) --- Fine. Literally, "thin." Hebrew Mesi, (Haydock) "silken." (Jarchi; Pagnin, etc.) Silk was used much later at Rome, (Calmet) and was reprobated as not covering the body sufficiently. Cois tibi pene videre est Ut nudam.----- (Horace, 1:Sat. ii.) (Seneca, Ben. 7:9.) --- Septuagint trichapto, according to Hesychius, etc., denotes "a silk ribbon for the hair;" (Calmet) a robe as delicate as hair, (St. Jerome) or a transparent veil for the head. (Theodoret) --- Such are still worn in the East. Hair is used in the veil opposite to the eyes, that the ladies may see without being seen. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:11 | I decked thee also with ornaments, and put bracelets on thy hands, and a chain about thy neck. | |
| Ezekiel 16:12 | And I put a jewel upon thy forehead and ear-rings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head. | Forehead. Literally, "mouth." Hebrew, "nose." (Haydock) --- Women wore rings where spectacles are placed, and had others hung at their noses, so as to touch the mouth. People who are not acquainted with this odd custom, which is still prevalent in Africa and Asia, suppose that the ornament hung upon the forehead, as St. Jerome does. See Genesis 24:22. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:13 | And thou wast adorned with gold, and silver, and wast clothed with fine linen, and embroidered work, and many colours: thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil, and wast made exceedingly beautiful: and wast advanced to be a queen. | Linen. Hebrew mossi, ver. 11. (Haydock) --- Chaldean understands these ornaments to pertain to the tabernacle, which was set up in the wilderness. --- Oil, enjoying a most fertile country, (Calmet) and the noblest sacrifices. (Haydock) --- And wast, etc. The kingdom had subsisted 1500 years. (Calmet) --- Septuagint omit this, for fear of giving umbrage to the Egyptians, according to St. Jerome, as if they could be ignorant of this circumstance. (Calmet) --- Grabe supplies, "thou wast directed to the kingdom." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:14 | And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty: for thou wast perfect through my beauty, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 16:15 | But trusting in thy beauty, thou playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and thou hast prostituted thyself to every passenger, to be his. | Renown, or name; thus dishonouring me, thy husband, Isaias 4:1. |
| Ezekiel 16:16 | And taking of thy garments thou hast made thee high places sowed together on each side: and hast played the harlot upon them, as hath not been done before, nor shall be hereafter. | Places: pavilions, (Cornelius a Lapide; 4 Kings 17:30.; Calmet) or idols stuffed, (St. Jerome; Theodoret) and outwardly adorned. Such might easily be procured or removed, 1 Kings 19:13. --- Hereafter, with impunity. The Jews were guilty of greater ingratitude than other nations. |
| Ezekiel 16:17 | And thou tookest thy beautiful vessels, of my gold, and my silver, which I gave thee, and thou madest thee images of men, and hast committed fornication with them. | My gold, for the temple, or thy most precious ornaments, which were sacrificed to gratify thy lubricity, (Calmet) or to form the golden calf, etc., Exodus xxxii. (Haydock) --- Obscene representations were also used in the worship of Osiris. (Herodotus 2:48.) |
| Ezekiel 16:18 | And thou tookest thy garments of divers colours, and coveredst them: and settest my oil and my sweet incense before them. | Oil, or perfume. which no man was allowed to use, Exodus 30:9, 38. |
| Ezekiel 16:19 | And my bread which I gave thee, the fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast set before them for a sweet odour; and it was done, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 16:20 | And thou hast taken thy sons, and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne to me: and best sacrificed the same to them to be devoured. Is thy fornication small? | Thy sons: so he calls them to shew his indignation, though he acknowledges them for his, (ver. 21.) to enhance the crime. Who could have thought that such cruel sacrifices would ever take place! (4 Kings xxiii.) (Calmet) --- Adulteresses bring in the children of others; but the Jews sacrifice their own to idols, 4 Kings xvi., etc. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:21 | Thou hast sacrificed and given my children to them, consecrating them by fire. | |
| Ezekiel 16:22 | And after all thy abominations, and fornications, thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked, and full of confusion, trodden under foot in thy own blood. | |
| Ezekiel 16:23 | And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (wo, wo to thee, saith the Lord God) | |
| Ezekiel 16:24 | That thou didst also build thee a common stew, and madest thee a brothel house in every street. | |
| Ezekiel 16:25 | At every head of the way thou hast set up a sign of thy prostitution: and hast made thy beauty to be abominable: and hast prostituted thyself to every one that passed by, and hast multiplied thy fornications. | Sign; altars of idols. (Haydock) --- She makes no secret of her apostacy. The Greeks and Romans marked the houses of prostitutes, that honest men might avoid them. "The deemed the profession of such a crime a sufficient punishment to repress impure women." (Tacitus, Annal.) |
| Ezekiel 16:26 | And thou hast committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, men of large bodies, and hast multiplied thy fornications to provoke me. | Bodies. Literally, "flesh." (Haydock) (Juvenal 9:34.) (Menochius) --- The Egyptians are tall, but meagre. (Valle. Ep. xi.) --- They were the most dissolute in their worship, and corrupted most other nations as well as the Jews, Ezechiel 20:8., and 23:3. |
| Ezekiel 16:27 | Behold, I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and will take away thy justification: and I will deliver thee up to the will of the daughters of the Philistines that hate thee, that are ashamed of thy wicked way. | Justification; law, etc. Hebrew, "thy right," or allowance, Exodus 21:10. --- Hate thee. To be abandoned to the will of a rival, is most dreadful for a woman. The Jews were subjected to the nations which they had despised, as they are still to Christians. Even other less favoured idolaters were astonished (Calmet) at their apostacy. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:28 | Thou hast also committed fornication with the Assyrians, because thou wast not yet satisfied: and after thou hadst played the harlot with them, even so thou wast not contented. | Assyrians, adoring the sun, Baal, etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:29 | Thou hast also multiplied thy fornications in the land of Chanaan with the Chaldeans: and neither so wast thou satisfied. | |
| Ezekiel 16:30 | Wherein shall I cleanse thy heart, saith the Lord God: seeing thou dost all these the works of a shameless prostitute? | |
| Ezekiel 16:31 | Because thou hast built thy brothel house at the head of every way, and thou hast made thy high place in every street: and wast not as a harlot that by disdain enhanceth her price, | Price, before she will yield, (Haydock) or who follow such practices for a livelihood. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "in that thou scornest hire." (Protestants) Septuagint, "gathering rewards." The difference consisted in Jerusalem's sinning through mere wantonness, and even to her loss. |
| Ezekiel 16:32 | But as an adulteress, that bringeth in strangers over her husband. | |
| Ezekiel 16:33 | Gifts are given to all harlots: but thou hast given hire to all thy lovers, and thou hast given them gifts to come to thee from every side, to commit fornication with thee. | |
| Ezekiel 16:34 | And it hath happened in thee contrary to the custom of women in thy fornications, and after thee there shall be no such fornication: for in that thou gavest rewards, and didst not take rewards, the contrary hath been done in thee. | Fornication unpunished, or comparable with thine, ver. 16. (Haydock) --- All such actions are abominable; but still more so, when the woman solicts[solicits?]. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:35 | Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 16:36 | Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy money hath been poured out, and thy shame discovered through thy fornications with thy lovers, and with the idols of thy abominations by the blood of thy children whom thou gavest them: | Money. Literally, "brass," (Haydock) to adorn idols. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "thy filthiness;" (Haydock) virus. (Pagnin, etc.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:37 | Behold, I will gather together all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all whom thou hast loved, with all whom thou hast hated: and I will gather them together against thee on every side, and will discover thy shame in their sight, and they shall see all thy nakedness. | Nakedness. Friends and enemies (Haydock) saw that idols afforded no protection, Ezechiel 6:3., and Jeremias 13:26. |
| Ezekiel 16:38 | *And I will judge thee as adulteresses, and they that shed blood are judged: and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. Ezechiel 23:10. | Judge; punish thee by stoning to death, Leviticus 20:10. The walls of the Jews were battered to the ground. |
| Ezekiel 16:39 | And I will deliver thee into their hands, and they shall destroy thy brothel house, and throw down thy stews: and they shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take away the vessels of thy beauty: and leave thee naked, and full of disgrace. | House; the temple, which thou hast profaned, and the high places. The idols shall be plundered, in which thou hast trusted. |
| Ezekiel 16:40 | And they shall bring upon thee a multitude, and they shall stone thee with stones, and shall slay thee with their swords. | |
| Ezekiel 16:41 | *And they shall burn thy houses with fire, and shall execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and thou shalt cease from fornication, and shalt give no hire any more. 4 Kings 25:9. | Women: nations assembled against Jerusalem. |
| Ezekiel 16:42 | And my indignation shall rest in thee: and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will cease and be angry no more. | No more. I will entirely repudiate thee, so as to observe thy conduct no longer, (Calmet) with the eyes of an husband. (Haydock) --- This is the most terrible effect of God's wrath, (Calmet) when the sinner is left to himself, Osee 4:14. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 16:43 | Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast provoked me in all these things: wherefore I also have turned thy ways upon thy head, saith the Lord God, and I have not done according to thy wicked deeds in all thy abominations. | Youth, when thou wast destitute, (ver. 4.) and more grateful for my favours, Jeremias 2:2. --- Head. I have punished thee, yet not as thy deeds require. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:44 | Behold, every one that useth a common proverb, shall use this against thee, saying: As the mother was, so also is her daughter. | Daughter. They too commonly (Calmet) follow bad parents. (Juvenal 6:239., and 14:25.) --- Jerusalem is more wicked than the Cethite, (Haydock) her mother, ver. 3. (Calmet) --- Even this nation had once received the principles of true religion from the patriarchs, but cast them off to embrace idolatry, and to destroy her children. (Haydock) --- Jerusalem was formerly and is still wicked. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:45 | Thou art thy mother's daughter, that cast off her husband, and her children: and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who cast off their husbands, and their children: your mother was a Cethite, and your father an Amorrhite. | |
| Ezekiel 16:46 | And thy elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister that dwelleth at thy right hand is Sodom, and her daughters. | Right: southward. --- Sodom. The city was more ancient than Jerusalem. Hence it here designates Ruben, (Haydock) and the Jews east of the Jordan; (Prado) or rather Moab and Ammon, (ver. 55.; Calmet) and the rest of the Gentiles. (Haydock) --- Samaria shewed Jerusalem the road to idolatry, and therefore is called her elder sister. The number of the ten tribes was also greater than that of the kingdom of Juda, which became corrupt as Sodom, only by degrees. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 16:47 | But neither hast thou walked in their ways, nor hast thou done a little less than they according to their wickednesses: thou hast done almost more wicked things than they in all thy ways. | Ways, but hast done even worse. --- Almost. He seems to diminish their crimes, (Calmet) as if it could hardly be believed that Jerusalem should be more abandoned. Hebrew and Septuagint, "that would be but little: yea, thou hast done more," etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:48 | As I live, saith the Lord God, thy sister Sodom herself, and her daughters, have not done as thou hast done, and thy daughters. | |
| Ezekiel 16:49 | *Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance, and the idleness of her, and of her daughters: and they did not put forth their hand to the needy, and to the poor. Genesis 19:24. | Sodom, etc. That is, these were the steps by which the Sodomites came to fall into those abominations for which they were destroyed. For pride, gluttony, and idleness, are the high road to all kinds of lust; especially when they are accompanied with a neglect of the works of mercy. (Challoner) --- These crimes alone are great enough; (Luke 16:19.) and the prophets never accuse the Jews of unnatural lust. Hence Ezechiel takes no notice of it here, as he probably refers to the manners of the Moabites, etc., who were then living, Isaias 16:6. (Calmet) --- Abundance and idleness produce crimes; temperance and labour bring forth good fruit. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:50 | And they were lifted up, and committed abominations before me: and I took them away as thou hast seen. | Seen. This would seem to allude to the Israelites beyond the Jordan, who had been led away into Assyria. The Moabites, etc., beheld the downfall of Jerusalem, (Haydock) and were treated in like manner, only five years later. (Jos.[Josephus?]) (Jeremias xlviii., etc.) |
| Ezekiel 16:51 | And Samaria committed not half thy sins: but thou hast surpassed them with thy crimes, and hast justified thy sisters by all thy abominations which thou hast done. | Justified, as they are comparatively innocent. (St. Augustine, contra Faust. 22:61.) --- They had not the like advantages, (Matthew 11:23.) nor the example of others' punishment to open their eyes. Thou hast pleaded for or with them, and hast lost thy cause. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:52 | Therefore do thou also bear thy confusion, thou that hast surpassed thy sisters with thy sins, doing more wickedly than they: for they are justified above thee, therefore be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, thou that hast justified thy sisters. | |
| Ezekiel 16:53 | And I will bring back and restore them by bringing back Sodom with her daughters, and by bringing back Samaria, and her daughters: and I will bring those that return of thee in the midst of them. | Back, etc. This relates to the conversion of the Gentiles out of all nations, and of many of the Jews, to the Church of Christ. (Challoner) --- Cyrus also liberated the tribes on the east as well as on the west of the Jordan, (Haydock) and in general all the captive nations. (Calmet) --- And restore. Hebrew, "the captivity, even the captivity of Sodom." Septuagint, "I will turn away their aversions, the," etc. I will give them a more docile spirit. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 16:54 | That thou mayst bear thy shame, and mayst be confounded in all that thou hast done, comforting them. | Them. It affords some consolation to have partners in misery. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:55 | And thy sister Sodom, and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and thou, and thy daughters shall return to your ancient state. | Ancient state. That is, to their former state of liberty, and their ancient possessions. In the spiritual sense, to the true liberty and the happy inheritance of the children of God, through faith in Christ. (Challoner) --- All will be treated alike, whether Jew or Gentile. (Haydock) --- When Sodom or the Gentiles shall have embraced the gospel, then also will the Jews, Romans 10. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:56 | And Sodom, thy sister, was not heard of in thy mouth, in the day of thy pride, | Pride. Thou scornedst to mention her, (Psalm 15:4.; Calmet) or wouldst not take warning. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 16:57 | Before thy malice was laid open: as it is at this time, making thee a reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all the daughters of Palestine round about thee, that encompass thee on all sides. | |
| Ezekiel 16:58 | Thou hast borne thy wickedness, and thy disgrace, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 16:59 | For thus saith the Lord God: I will deal with thee, as thou hast despised the oath, in breaking the covenant: | Covenant at Sinai, or under Josue, [Josue] viii., and Exodus 19:7. |
| Ezekiel 16:60 | And I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth: and I will establish with thee an everlasting covenant. | Covenant. After punishing thee I will fulfill my promises, as we see was done (Calmet) after the captivity, and (Haydock) in the Christian Church. (Calmet) --- All shall be converted, not by the Jewish but by the evangelical covenant. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 16:61 | And thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed: when thou shalt receive thy sisters thy elder and thy younger: and I will give them to thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. | Daughters. The countries were conquered by the Machabees. All nations embrace the gospel. --- Covenant. It is broken. I will, out of pity, re-establish it, or a better, to last for ever under Christ, free from the servitude and fear of the old law. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 16:62 | And I will establish my covenant with thee: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, | |
| Ezekiel 16:63 | That thou mayst remember, and be confounded, and mayst no more open thy mouth because of thy confusion, when I shall be pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 17:0 | The parable of the two eagles and the vine. A promise of the cedar of Christ and his church. | |
| Ezekiel 17:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 17:2 | Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, | Riddle. Thus the prophets and Christ often delivered their doctrine. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 17:3 | And say: Thus saith the Lord God: A large eagle with great wings, long-limbed, full of feathers, and of variety, came to Libanus, and took away the marrow of the cedar. | A large eagle. Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon. (Challoner) --- The multitude of his subjects, and his rapid and cruel conquests, are designated. (Calmet) --- He spoils the vineyard of Jerusalem, notwithstanding the Jews had applied to another eagle, the king of Egypt, ver. 12. (Worthington) --- Libanus. That is, Jerusalem; (Challoner) or invaded the country, (Calmet) entering by Libanus. (Haydock) --- Cedar. King Jechonias (Challoner) and his nobles, (4 Kings 24:11.) with the most precious effects. |
| Ezekiel 17:4 | He cropt off the top of the twigs thereof: and carried it away into the land of Chanaan, and he set it in a city of merchants. | Twigs. The young king and his officers, who had scarcely got established. (Calmet) --- Chanaan. This name, which signifies traffic, is not taken here for Palestine, but for Chaldea; and the city of merchants here mentioned is Babylon. (Challoner) --- It was so corrupt as to deserve this appellation, as Rome was afterwards styled Babylon. Its situation was very favourable to traffic, and its dominions were very extensive. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 17:5 | And he took of the seed of the land, and put it in the ground for seed, that it might take a firm root over many waters: he planted it on the surface of the earth. | Land. Sedecias, whom he made king. (Challoner) --- He was brother of the dethroned king, and had every prospect of reigning long, if he had proved faithful. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 17:6 | And it sprung up and grew into a spreading vine of low stature, and the branches thereof looked towards him: and the roots thereof were under him. So it became a vine, and grew into branches, and shot forth sprigs. | Towards him. Nabuchodonosor, to whom Sedecias swore allegiance. (Challoner) --- Literally, "to it," eam, the eagle. (Haydock) --- The dominions of Sedecias were extensive, but weak, and dependant on a foreign king. |
| Ezekiel 17:7 | And there was another large eagle, with great wings, and many feathers: and behold this vine, bending as it were her roots towards him, stretched forth her branches to him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. | Eagle. The king of Egypt, (Challoner) Vaphres, who came at the request of Sedecias, to oppose the Chaldeans, but was routed; and they returned to the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremias 37:4. --- Plantation, as the waters of the Nile were conducted to different parts by ditches, Deuteronomy 11:10. |
| Ezekiel 17:8 | It was planted in a good ground upon many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and bear fruit, that it might become a large vine. | |
| Ezekiel 17:9 | Say thou: Thus saith the Lord God: Shall it prosper then? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and strip off its fruit, and dry up all the branches it hath shot forth, and make it wither: and this without a strong arm, or many people, to pluck it up by the root? | Prosper. Will God countenance perfidy? (Calmet) --- "Faith must be kept even with enemies." (St. Jerome) --- Arm. The conquest did not cost the Chaldeans much. Sedecias fled by night, but was soon taken, 4 Kings 25:6. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 17:10 | Behold, it is planted: shall it prosper then? shall it not be dried up when the burning wind shall touch it, and shall it not wither in the furrows where it grew? | |
| Ezekiel 17:11 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 17:12 | Say to the provoking house: Know you not what these things mean? Tell them: Behold the king of Babylon cometh to Jerusalem: and he shall take away the king and the princes thereof, and carry them with him to Babylon. | Shall, or, "hath taken," etc., (Challoner) as also (ver. 13.) Sedecias was seized five years after, Ezechiel 8:1. Jechonias, the princes, mighty warriors, (ver. 13.) and expert artists, had been taken away six years before, with the prophet. Protestants, "is come,...and hath taken," etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 17:13 | And he shall take one of the king's seed, and make a covenant with him, and take an oath of him. Yea, and he shall take away the mighty men of the land. | |
| Ezekiel 17:14 | That it may be a low kingdom and not lift itself up, but keep his covenant and observe it. | |
| Ezekiel 17:15 | But he hath revolted from him and sent ambassadors to Egypt, that it might give him horses, and much people. And shall he that hath done thus prosper, or be saved? and shall he escape that hath broken the covenant? | |
| Ezekiel 17:16 | As I live, saith the Lord God: In the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he hath made void, and whose covenant he broke, even in the midst of Babylon shall he die. | Die. He had sworn fidelity, and was justly punished, dying blind, and in prison, Ezechiel 12. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 17:17 | And not with a great army, nor with much people shall Pharao fight against him: when he shall cast up mounts, and build forts, to cut off many souls. | Souls. Some refer this to Pharao; others to the enemy. The former did not attempt to surround the besiegers, but after losing a battle retired, Ezechiel 30:21. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 17:18 | For he had despised the oath, breaking his covenant, and behold he hath given his hand: and having done all these things, he shall not escape. | Hand. Swearing perhaps to both (Haydock) the Egyptian and to the Chaldean monarch. |
| Ezekiel 17:19 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: As I live, I will lay upon his head the oath he hath despised, and the covenant he hath broken. | |
| Ezekiel 17:20 | *And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my net: and I will bring him into Babylon, and will judge him there for the transgression by which he hath despised me. Ezechiel 12:13.; Ezechiel 32:3. | Net. Ezechiel 12:13. (Calmet) --- Judge, punish. (Haydock) --- His sentence was pronounced at Reblatha, 4 Kings 25:7. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 17:21 | And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword: and the residue shall be scattered into every wind: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken. | |
| Ezekiel 17:22 | Thus saith the Lord God: I myself will take of the marrow of the high cedar, and will set it: I will crop off a tender twig from the top of the branches thereof, and I will plant it on a mountain high and eminent. | Cedar. Of the Royal stock of David. --- Twig. Jesus Christ, whom God hath planted in Mount Sion, that is, the high mountain of his Church, to which all nations flow. (Challoner) --- The Jews in vain apply this to Zorobabel or to the Machabees. Their power was never great enough to verify these expressions. (Calmet) --- But Christ has united in his Church all the birds, or those who have strength enough to raise themselves above earthly things. (St. Jerome) (Theodoret, etc.) --- The kingdom of Sedecias and that of Nabuchodonosor prospered not, or was soon at an end: Christ remains for ever. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 17:23 | On the high mountains of Israel will I plant it, and it shall shoot forth into branches, and shall bear fruit, and it shall become a great cedar: and all birds shall dwell under it, and every fowl shall make its nest under the shadow of the branches thereof. | |
| Ezekiel 17:24 | And all the trees of the country shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree: and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and have done it. | High and green denote Sedecias; low and dry Jechonias, who was exalted at Babylon, while his rival was hurled down from his present high estate. The prophets speak of that as past, which God has decreed. See Jeremias 22:30. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 18:0 | One man shall not bear the sins of another, but every one his own: if a wicked man truly repent, he shall be saved: and if a just man leave his justice, he shall perish. | |
| Ezekiel 18:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What is the meaning | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 18:2 | That you use among you this parable as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: *The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge? Jeremias 31:29. | Edge. Those in captivity would not allow that they were punished for their own sins: God convinces them of the contrary. (Worthington) --- They knew that he often visited the sins of the fathers upon the children, (Exodus 20:5., and 24:5.; Calmet) when they also hated him, (Haydock) and that many had suffered for their parents' faults, like those of Saul, David, etc. (Calmet) --- But these were all guilty of original sin at least, and death is not always a real misfortune. (Haydock) --- God seems to allow that the complaints had hitherto had some grounds, (Jeremias xxxi.) but that they should be removed after the captivity, and still more effectually by the death of Christ, who came to redeem sinners, and rejected none. By baptism he cancels original sin, the sour grape, and those who cannot receive it are not innocent. (Calmet) --- God chastises the body, but not the soul of children, for their parents' faults: (Menochius) and this conduct is a trial for them, which may increase their glory. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 18:3 | As I live, saith the Lord God, this parable shall be no more to you a proverb in Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 18:4 | Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, the same shall die. | Mine. He insinuates the vocation of the Gentiles and the general redemption. All will be treated according to their works. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 18:5 | And if a man be just, and do judgment and justice, | |
| Ezekiel 18:6 | And hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel: and hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, nor come near to a menstruous woman: | Mountains: of the sacrifices there offered to idols; (Challoner) or partaken in their usual feasts. Some irregularly worshipped God in these high places, under many pious kings; and were tolerated, (Calmet) though condemned for so doing. (Haydock) --- Woman. The pagans abstained by the light of reason. (Calmet) --- The contrary practice, "it is said," would give rise to lepers or monsters, (St. Jerome) as experience evinces. (Calmet) --- It was forbidden in the Christian Church. (St. Augustine, q. 64. in Leviticus 20:18.; St. Gregory, resp. 10. ad Aug.) (Calmet) --- But no such questions are now asked. The prophet insists on this no more, ver. 11, 15. |
| Ezekiel 18:7 | And hath not wronged any man: but hath restored the pledge to the debtor, hath taken nothing away by violence: *hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment: Isaias 58:7.; Matthew 25:35. | Wronged. Literally, "contristated." (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "oppressed," maliciously. |
| Ezekiel 18:8 | Hath not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase: hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man: | Increase more than what he lent, on any pretext. (St. Jerome) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 18:9 | Hath walked in my commandments, and kept my judgments, to do truth: he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 18:10 | And if he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that hath done some one of these things: | Robber. Hebrew, "breaker;" rude and lawless. Septuagint, "pestilent." |
| Ezekiel 18:11 | Though he doth not all these things, but that eateth upon the mountains, and that defileth his neighbour's wife: | |
| Ezekiel 18:12 | That grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by violence, that restoreth not the pledge, and that lifteth up his eyes to idols, that committeth abomination: | Abomination. This refers to the woman, (ver. 6.) or to idolatry. |
| Ezekiel 18:13 | That giveth upon usury, and that taketh an increase: shall such a one live? he shall not live. Seeing he hath done all these detestable things, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him. | Him. He alone is answerable, and shall suffer. |
| Ezekiel 18:14 | But if he beget a son, who seeing all his father's sins, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them : | |
| Ezekiel 18:15 | That hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and hath not defiled his neighbour's wife: | |
| Ezekiel 18:16 | And hath not grieved any man, nor withholden the pledge, nor taken away with violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment: | |
| Ezekiel 18:17 | That hath turned away his hand from injuring the poor, hath not taken usury and increase, but hath executed my judgments, and hath walked in my commandments: this man shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but living he shall live. | |
| Ezekiel 18:18 | As for his father: because he oppressed, and offered violence to his brother, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, behold he is dead in his own iniquity. | |
| Ezekiel 18:19 | And you say: Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of his father? Verily, because the son hath wrought judgment and justice, hath kept all my commandments, and done them, living he shall live. | |
| Ezekiel 18:20 | *The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Deuteronomy 24:16.; 4 Kings 14:6.; 2 Paralipomenon 25:4. | Sinneth. God never acted otherwise, though the Jews seem to have thought so. Temporal afflictions are the source of merit, and generally fall to the share of the saints, particularly under the new law. |
| Ezekiel 18:21 | But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die. | Penance. The end determines all. If a person be then found just or unjust at his departure, he will be treated accordingly. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 18:22 | I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live. | |
| Ezekiel 18:23 | *Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live? Ezechiel 21:23.; Ezechiel 33:11.; 2 Peter 3:9. | Will. God sincerely wishes that the sinner should be converted. If he refuse grace, it is only in punishment of former transgressions. (St. Augustine, ep. 217.) --- He wills antecedently their salvation, (1 Timothy 2:4.) though he has a consequent will to punish them, as they speak in the schools, because they themselves will not be saved. (Sanctius) (Calmet) --- God's absolute will is always fulfilled, not that which is conditional. (St. John Damascene, Fide 2:29.; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae p. 1. q. 19. a. 6.) --- He does enough by offering his graces and the death of Christ, to shew that his will is sincere; though by a consequent will his justice punishes the impenitent. Thus a virtuous judge would have all to observe the laws and live: but finding some transgress, so as to become pernicious, he punishes them with death. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 18:24 | But if the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? all his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: in the prevarication, by which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin which he hath committed, in them he shall die. | Remembered, to procure him pardon; yet he will suffer less than if he had never done any good. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 18:25 | And you have said: *The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse? Ezechiel 33:20. | Not right, in thus punishing or rewarding for the last act; (Theodoret) or rather, God shews that those who complain are guilty. |
| Ezekiel 18:26 | For when the just turneth himself away from his justice, and committeth iniquity, he shall die therein: in the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die. | |
| Ezekiel 18:27 | And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive. | Alive. Mortal sin destroys that life of grace. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 18:28 | Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die. | |
| Ezekiel 18:29 | And the children of Israel say: The way of the Lord is not right. Are not my ways right, O house of Israel, and are not rather your ways perverse? | |
| Ezekiel 18:30 | Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God.* Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities: and iniquity shall not be your ruin. Matthew 3:2.; Luke 3:3. | Do penance. This is requisite, as well as a change of conduct. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 18:31 | Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit: and why will you die, O house of Israel? | New. We can do no good of ourselves: but we are admonished of our free-will, that we may do what we can, and ask for grace. (Council of Trent, Session 6:5, 11.) (James 1:5., and 2 Corinthians 3:5.) (St. Augustine, etc.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 18:32 | *For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, return ye, and live. Ezechiel 18:23.; Ezechiel 33:11.; 2 Peter 3:9. | |
| Ezekiel 19:0 | The parable of the young lions; and of the vine that is wasted. | |
| Ezekiel 19:1 | Moreover *take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, | Year of the World 3411. Princes: sons of Josias, who were so wretched. The latter part of this beautiful canticle, or allegory, (ver. 10.) regards Sedecias. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 19:2 | And say: Why did thy mother, the lioness, lie down among the lions, and bring up her whelps in the midst of young lions? | Lioness; Jerusalem (Challoner) which made alliances with the lions, or nations. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 19:3 | And she brought out one of her whelps, and he became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men. | Whelps; Joachaz, or Sellum, (Challoner) who reigned only three months, like his brother Jechonias. (Haydock) --- The four last kings were all cruel. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 19:4 | And the nations heard of him, and took him, but not without receiving wounds: and they brought him in chains into the land of Egypt. | But. Hebrew, "he was taken in their pit," (Protestants; Haydock) as also [in] ver. 8. Septuagint, "in his or their corruption." We do not read that Joachaz fought, (Calmet) though this passage insinuates as much. (Sanctius) (4 Kings 23:30., etc.) |
| Ezekiel 19:5 | But she seeing herself weakened, and that her hope was lost, took one of her young lions, and set him up for a lion. | Lions: Joakim. (Challoner) --- He reigned eleven years; but was such a monster, that the prophet does not speak of him or bewail his fate, 4 Kings 23:34., and Jeremias 22:19. His words are applicable to Jechonias alone; who was cruel, and banished to Babylon, ver. 8. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 19:6 | And he went up and down among the lions, and became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men. | |
| Ezekiel 19:7 | He learned to make widows, and to lay waste their cities: and the land became desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. | |
| Ezekiel 19:8 | And the nations came together against him on every side out of the provinces, and they spread their net over him, in their wounds he was taken. | Nations: rovers of Chaldea, Syria, etc., 4 Kings 24:2. (Worthington) --- Wounds. Hebrew, "pit." He was besieged, (4 Kings 24:11.; Calmet) and gave himself up. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 19:9 | And they put him into a cage, they brought him in chains to the king of Babylon: and they cast him into prison, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 19:10 | Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the water: her fruit and her branches have grown out of many waters. | Blood. She has given birth to many kings. (Menochius) --- The original may be inaccurate, and perhaps should be, "a vine-tree or branch:" (Calmet) cormoc instead of bedammecha. Septuagint read kerimmon, "like a rose-flower," planted, etc. (Haydock) --- He speaks of Sedecias more obscurely. (Calmet) --- The kingdom had flourished under David and Solomon. It afterwards lost its splendour under wicked kings, and all the tribes were removed. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 19:11 | And she hath strong rods, to make sceptres for them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the branches: and she saw her height in the multitude of her branches. | Rods. The king had many children, and confided in them, but they were slain. |
| Ezekiel 19:12 | But she was plucked up in wrath, and cast on the ground, *and the burning wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods are withered, and dried up: the fire hath devoured her. Osee 13:15. | |
| Ezekiel 19:13 | And now she is transplanted into the desert, in a land not passable, and dry. | Dry; unfit for vine-trees. He speaks of the prison of Babylon. (Calmet) --- The country was naturally wet. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 19:14 | And a fire is gone out from a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit: so that she now hath no strong rod, to be a sceptre of rulers. This is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation. | Fire. Ismael, who slew Godolias, was of the royal family, Jeremias xli., etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:0 | God refuses to answer the ancients of Israel, inquiring by the prophet: but by him setteth his benefits before their eyes, and their heinous sins: threatening yet greater punishments, but still mixt with mercy. | |
| Ezekiel 20:1 | And *it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, there came men of the ancients of Israel to inquire of the Lord; and they sat before me. | Year of the World 3411. Month: the year of the world 3411, August 27. (Usher) --- Ezechiel had prophesied in the fourth year; then was silent a year and two months, or 430 days. He opened his mouth again in the sixth year, (chap. 8:1.) and now in the seventh year he is ordered not to answer. (Worthington) --- We know not what the ancients wanted to know; but their design was evil. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:2 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 20:3 | Son of man, speak to the ancients of Israel, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Are you come to inquire of me? As I live, I will not answer you, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 20:4 | If thou judgest them, if thou judgest, O son of man, declare to them the abominations of their fathers. | Judgest them; or, if thou wilt enter into the cause, and plead against them. (Challoner) --- Lay before them the iniquities of their fathers, and their own, which bring on the reprobation of the greatest part. God will form his Church out of a few of them and of the Gentiles. The return of a small number from captivity is also insinuated. |
| Ezekiel 20:5 | And say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand for the race of the house of Jacob: and appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and lifted up my hand for them, saying: I am the Lord your God: | |
| Ezekiel 20:6 | In that day I lifted up my hand for them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, into a land which I had provided for them, flowing with milk and honey, which excelleth amongst all lands. | Excelleth. Hebrew, "is beauty or a desire." Septuagint, "a honeycomb." (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:7 | And I said to them: Let every man cast away the scandals of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. | Scandals, etc., (offensiones) that is, the abominations or idols, to the worship of which they were allured by their eyes. (Challoner) --- Moses found them in this condition in Egypt, and he could not entirely reclaim them. (Calmet) --- Many still secreted their idols, Ezechiel 23:1., and Acts 7:42. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 20:8 | But they provoked me, and would not hearken to me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: and I said I would pour out my indignation upon them, and accomplish my wrath against them, in the midst of the land of Egypt. | Egypt. Their disorders called for such severity. But God was restrained by the dangers (Calmet) of blasphemy, etc., to which the faithful and idolaters would thus have been exposed. (Haydock) --- He saved them as he had promised, though they did not deserve it. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 20:9 | But I did otherwise for my name's sake, that it might not be violated before the nations, in the midst of whom they were, and among whom I made myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. | |
| Ezekiel 20:10 | Therefore I brought them out from the land of Egypt, and brought them into the desert. | Brought. Literally, "cast," (Haydock) as if they had been reluctant. |
| Ezekiel 20:11 | *And I gave them my statutes, and I shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. Leviticus 18:5.; Romans 10:5. | Live, and enjoy temporal felicity, which was chiefly promised, though the faithful observers of the law would obtain an eternal reward. |
| Ezekiel 20:12 | *Moreover, I gave them also my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them: and that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. Exodus 20:8.; Exodus 31:13.; Deuteronomy 5:12. | Sign, as also to promote piety and instruction. |
| Ezekiel 20:13 | But the house of Israel provoked me in the desert: they walked not in my statutes, and they cast away my judgments, which if a man do he shall live in them: and they grievously violated my sabbaths. I said, therefore, that I would pour out my indignation upon them in the desert, and would consume them. | Sabbaths. We only read of one man gathering sticks, and the people manna once on those days, Exodus xv., and xvi. But Moses does not mention all. (Calmet) --- Sabbath often denotes the whole law, which they transgressed; and as long as they retained an affection for idols, they could not observe the sabbaths so as to please God. |
| Ezekiel 20:14 | But I spared them for the sake of my name, lest it should be profaned before the nations, from which I brought them out in their sight. | But. Literally, "And I did for," etc. This motive caused me to spare them. (Haydock) --- I punished only the most guilty adorers of the calf, and murmurers, etc., Numbers 14:28. (Calmet) --- Some were always preserved for a succession, ver. 9, 22. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 20:15 | So I lifted up my hand over them in the desert, not to bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands. | |
| Ezekiel 20:16 | Because they cast off my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, and violated my sabbaths: for their heart went after idols. | |
| Ezekiel 20:17 | Yet my eye spared them, so that I destroyed them not: neither did I consume them in the desert. | |
| Ezekiel 20:18 | And I said to their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, and observe not their judgments, nor be ye defiled with their idols: | |
| Ezekiel 20:19 | I am the Lord your God: walk ye in my statutes, and observe my judgments, and do them. | |
| Ezekiel 20:20 | And sanctify my sabbaths, that they may be a sign between me and you: and that you may know that I am the Lord your God. | |
| Ezekiel 20:21 | But their children provoked me, they walked not in my commandments, nor observed my judgments, to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them: and they violated my sabbaths: and I threatened to pour out my indignation upon them, and to accomplish my wrath in them in the desert. | |
| Ezekiel 20:22 | But I turned away my hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it might not be violated before the nations, out of which I brought them forth in their sight. | |
| Ezekiel 20:23 | Again I lifted up my hand upon them in the wilderness, to disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries: | Again, or also. (Haydock) --- Four times are specified [in] ver. 13, 15, 21., which may allude to the adoration of the calf, the graves of concupiscence, the murmuring, and commerce with the women and idols of Moab, Exodus xxiii., and Numbers x., and xiv., and xxv. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:24 | Because they had not done my judgments, and had cast off my statutes, and had violated my sabbaths, and their eyes had been after the idols of their fathers. | |
| Ezekiel 20:25 | Therefore I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments, in which they shall not live. | Not good. The laws and ordinances of their enemies: or those imposed upon them by that cruel tyrant the devil, to whose power they were delivered up for their sins; (Challoner) which may be styled the statutes of your fathers, etc., ver. 18. (Haydock) --- God is often said to do what he only permits. (Calmet) --- He abandoned them to their own perversity. (St. Jerome) (Deuteronomy 32:21, 37.) --- If God had spoken of the Decalogue, etc., would he say such laws were not good, after he had testified that the observers shall live in them? ver. 11. He established the ceremonial law, at the same time. See Kimchi; Menochius, etc. Chaldean, "I have given them up to their foolish desires. They have established bad statutes and laws which will not give them life." This seems the best explanation. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "Have I given....(26) and have I polluted them?" etc. (Manasse Ben. Israel.) The precepts had also a bad effect, and were given in condescension to the weakness of the people, (Origen) particularly the ceremonial part. (St. Just.[St. Justin Martyr?]; St. Chrysostom; St. Jerome, etc.) --- They did not justify, (St. Augustine) and were not good, compared with those of the new law. (St. Gregory, mor. 28:9.) --- Thus Solon gave the Athenians "the best laws that they would receive," (Plutarch) though others more perfect might have been devised. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:26 | And I polluted them in their own gifts, when they offered all that opened the womb, for their offences: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | I polluted them, etc. That is, I gave them up to such blindness, in punishment of their offences, as to pollute themselves with the blood of all their first-born, whom they offered up to their idols in compliance with their wicked devices. (Challoner) (Menochius) (Leviticus 18:21., and 4 Kings 3:ultra[last verse], and 21:6. (Calmet) --- Offered. Protestants, "caused to pass through the fire all,["] etc., Ezechiel 16:21. --- For their. Protestants, "that I might make them desolate to the end, that," etc. |
| Ezekiel 20:27 | Wherefore speak to the house of Israel, O son of man, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Moreover, in this also your fathers blasphemed me, when they had despised and contemned me: | |
| Ezekiel 20:28 | And I had brought them into the land, for which I lifted up my hand to give it them: they saw every high hill, and every shady tree, and there they sacrificed their victims, and there they presented the provocation of their offerings, and there they set their sweet odours, and poured forth their libations. | |
| Ezekiel 20:29 | And I said to them: What meaneth the high place to which you go? and the name thereof was called high-place even to this day. | Called high. Hebrew, "Bamah," (Haydock) out of contempt. (Calmet) --- The Jews were so much attached to the high places, that they called the altar of the Lord by the same name. Thus heretics are convicted by the very names they use, calling sacrifice service, etc. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 20:30 | Wherefore say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Verily, you are defiled in the way of your fathers, and you commit fornication with their abominations. | |
| Ezekiel 20:31 | And you defile yourselves with all your idols unto this day, in the offering of your gifts, when you make your children pass through the fire: and shall I answer you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not answer you. | |
| Ezekiel 20:32 | Neither shall the thought of your mind come to pass, by which you say: We will be as the Gentiles, and as the families of the earth, to worship stocks and stones. | Stones. This was the secret intention of the ancients, (ver. 1.; Haydock) and of many in captivity, who were only praise-worthy compared with those at Jerusalem, Ezechiel 11:15. |
| Ezekiel 20:33 | As I live, saith the Lord God, I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. | Out. I will not allow you to follow idols with impunity. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:34 | And I will bring you out from the people, and I will gather you out of the countries, in which you are scattered, I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. | |
| Ezekiel 20:35 | And I will bring you into the wilderness of people, and there will I plead with you face to face. | Of people. That is, a desert, in which there are no people; (Challoner) meaning Judea, to which they should return. |
| Ezekiel 20:36 | As I pleaded against your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt: even so will I judge you, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 20:37 | And I will make you subject to my sceptre, and will bring you into the bands of the covenant. | Covenant of the gospel, by the powerful attractions of grace, Luke 14:24., John 6:69., and 7:46., and 2 Corinthians 10:4. |
| Ezekiel 20:38 | And I will pick out from among you the transgressors, and the wicked, and will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord. | Israel. They shall continue in exile; or the rebel Jews who will not believe in Christ, shall be cast off. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:39 | And as for you, O house of Israel: thus saith the Lord God: Walk ye every one after your idols, and serve them. But if in this also you hear me not, but defile my holy name any more with your gifts, and with your idols. | Walk, etc. It is not an allowance, much less a commandment to serve idols; but a figure of speech, by which God would have them to understand, that if they would walk after their idols, they must not pretend to serve him at the same time: for that he would by no means suffer such a mixture of worship. (Challoner) (St. Jerome) --- Continue, if you dare, to serve idols. I will still bring you back. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "take away each your devices; and then if you hear me, (Grabe's copy adds, not) and defile not my," etc. (Haydock) --- God would rather have idolaters leave him wholly, than halt between two, (3 Kings xviii.) neither hot nor cold; (Apocalypse iii.) for such dishonour God's name the most, Romans 2:24. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 20:40 | In my holy mountain, in the high mountain of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel serve me: all of them, I say, in the land in which they shall please me, and there will I require your first fruits, and the chief of your tithes, with all your sanctifications. | Mountain. The foregoing verse, to make the sense complete, must be understood so as to condemn and reject that mixture of worship which the Jews then followed. In this verse God promises to the true Israelites, especially to those of the Christian Church, that they should serve him in another manner in his holy mountain, the spiritual Sion, and shall be accepted of by him. (Challoner) |
| Ezekiel 20:41 | I will accept of you for an odour of sweetness, when I shall have brought you out from the people, and shall have gathered you out of the lands into which you are scattered, and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations. | |
| Ezekiel 20:42 | And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have brought you into the land of Israel, into the land for which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers. | |
| Ezekiel 20:43 | And there you shall remember your ways, and all your wicked doings with which you have been defiled: and you shall be displeased with yourselves in your own sight, for all your wicked deeds which you committed. | Committed. This is a picture of the converts to Christianity. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 20:44 | And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have done well by you for my own name's sake, and not according to your evil ways, nor according to your wicked deeds, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 20:45 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying : | |
| Ezekiel 20:46 | Son of man, set thy face against the way of the south, and drop towards the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field. | Of the south. Jerusalem lay towards the south of Babylon, where the prophet then was, and is here called the forest of the south field, and is threatened with utter desolation. (Challoner) See Ezechiel 21. (Calmet) --- In Jerusalem there were good and bad. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 20:47 | And any to the south forest: Hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will kindle a fire in thee, and will burn in thee every green tree, and every dry tree: the flame of the fire shall not be quenched: and every face shall be burned in it, from the south even to the north. | Burned, with war and famine, Jeremias 21:14. (Calmet) --- North, from Egypt to Mesopotamia. (Theodoret) --- Nabuchodonosor invaded those parts. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 20:48 | And all flesh shall see, that I the Lord have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched. | |
| Ezekiel 20:49 | And I said: Ah, ah, ah, O Lord God: they say of me: Doth not this man speak by parables? | Parables. They were easy enough to understand, but the Jews would not comprehend them no more than our Saviour's words, John 10:24. (Calmet) --- Much of this prophecy was so hard, that all seemed to be parables. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 21:0 | The destruction of Jerusalem by the sword is further described. The ruin also of the Ammonites is foreshewn. And finally Babylon, the destroyer of others, shall be destroyed. | |
| Ezekiel 21:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 21:2 | Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and let thy speech flow towards the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel: | |
| Ezekiel 21:3 | And say to the land of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off in thee the just, and the wicked. | Just. But had not God declared the contrary? (chap. 18.) The time was not yet arrived; or, he rescued the just from death, though he permitted them to experience the other common miseries. (Calmet) --- He preserved them from eternal death. (Estius) --- The just often means those who are so only in appearance, Ezechiel 16:51. (Calmet) --- Temporal afflictions fall upon all; but the just derive benefit from them, while the wicked fall into eternal misery. (St. Jerome) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 21:4 | And forasmuch as I have cut off in thee the just, and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south even to the north. | North, including all the country belonging to Israel. |
| Ezekiel 21:5 | That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn my sword out of its sheath, not to be turned back. | Back, (ver. 30.) without doing execution, Jeremias 50:9. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 21:6 | And thou, son of man, mourn with the breaking of thy loins, and with bitterness sigh before them. | Bitterness. Septuagint, "pains," like those of child-bearing, Isaias 21:3. |
| Ezekiel 21:7 | And when they shall say to thee: Why mournest thou? thou shalt say: For that which I hear: because it cometh, and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be made feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and water shall run down every knee: behold it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord God. | Melt. Literally, "decay," Josue vii., etc. --- Knee. Ezechiel 7:17. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 21:8 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 21:9 | Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Say: The sword, the sword is sharpened, and furbished. | |
| Ezekiel 21:10 | It is sharpened to kill victims: it is furbished that it may glitter: thou removest the sceptre of my son, thou hast cut down every tree. | My son. He speaks, according to St. Jerome, to the sword of Nabuchodonosor; which was about to remove the sceptre of Israel, whom God here calls his son. (Challoner) --- This title belonged to all Israel, Exodus 4:22. (Worthington) --- The Hebrew seems to be corrupt, and we may adhere to the Vulgate or to the Septuagint, (Calmet) which has, (9.) "Sword be sharp, and raging to slay victims; be sharp to shine, ready for destruction; cut, reduce to nothing, remove all wood." (Haydock) --- Syriac, "be ready to scatter the race of my son," etc. Hebrew, "Where shall we rejoice, sceptre of my son, thou sword which despisest every tree?" (Calmet) --- Protestants, "It contemneth the rod of my son as every tree?" (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 21:11 | And I have given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, that it may be in the hand of the slayer. | Slayer. He had conquered many nations before he attacked Israel. Let none boast of being the scourges of the Lord. |
| Ezekiel 21:12 | Cry, and howl, O son of man, for this sword is upon my people, it is upon all the princes of Israel, that are fled: they are delivered up to the sword with my people; strike, therefore, upon thy thigh, | Fled, with Sedecias, by night. --- Thigh, in surprise and grief, ver. 17. |
| Ezekiel 21:13 | Because it is tried: and that, when it shall overthrow the sceptre, and it shall not be, saith the Lord God: | God. Perhaps you will say it is only a trial: but what will be your sentiments, when you behold the king and his people led away? (Calmet) --- Protestants, "Because it is a trial; and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 21:14 | Thou, therefore, O son of man, prophesy, and strike thy hands together, and let the sword be doubled, and let the sword of the slain be tripled: this is the sword of a great slaughter, that maketh them stand amazed, | Tripled. Let the war be very bloody. Nabuchodonosor often invaded Judea. (Calmet) --- He raised the siege, but returned. (Vatable) |
| Ezekiel 21:15 | And languish in heart, and that multiplieth ruins. In all their gates I have set the dread of the sharp sword, the sword that is furbished to glitter, that is made ready for slaughter. | Ready. Literally, "covered," (amicti. Haydock) in the scabbard, and quite new and sharp. |
| Ezekiel 21:16 | Be thou sharpened, go to the right hand, or to the left, which way soever thou hast a mind to set thy face. | |
| Ezekiel 21:17 | And I will clap my hands together, and will satisfy my indignation: I the Lord have spoken. | |
| Ezekiel 21:18 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 21:19 | And thou, son of man, set thee two ways, for the sword of the king of Babylon to come: both shall come forth out of one land: and with his hand he shall draw lots, he shall consult at the head of the way of the city. | |
| Ezekiel 21:20 | Thou shalt make a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and to Juda, unto Jerusalem, the strong city. | Rabbath. They had formed a league with Sedecias, and Nabuchodonosor thought of punishing them first. (Haydock) --- But they joined his forces, Jeremias 12:6., and 27:3. |
| Ezekiel 21:21 | For the king of Babylon stood in the highway, at the head of two ways, seeking divination, shuffling arrows: he enquired of the idols, and consulted entrails. | Shuffling. Hebrew, "polishing." Syriac, etc., "shooting an arrow upwards." He was undetermined which to attack first, and perhaps wrote Jerusalem on one and Rabbath on another arrow; (St. Jerome, etc.; Calmet) or which way the arrow fell the army followed. (Haydock) --- Many nations have adopted such superstitious practices. --- Idols. Hebrew Teraphim, Genesis 31:19. (Calmet) --- Entrails. The Chaldeans taught the Lydians and they the Tuscans. (Grotius) --- At first this was done only to see if the victims were sound. (Cicero, Div.) |
| Ezekiel 21:22 | On his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in slaughter, to lift up the voice in howling, to set engines against the gates, to cast up a mount, to build forts. | Right of one going by Thapsacus and Damascus, and not through the Desert Arabia, for thus Rabbath would have been to the right. God permitted this divination to succeed in his wrath. The devil pushed the Chaldeans forward, lest the Jews might be converted. (Calmet) --- If they had attacked Rabbath first, they would probably have succeeded, as they did five years after. But the time of vengeance was come for Jerusalem, (Haydock) and they were directed to assault it. (Worthington) --- Voice: the din of war, (Haydock) or of soldiers, trumpets, etc. |
| Ezekiel 21:23 | And he shall be in their eyes as one consulting the oracle in vain, and imitating the leisure of sabbaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. | Vain. They shall think that Nabuchodonosor is wasting his time. --- Sabbaths. Hebrew, "they have people who swear to them;" false prophets, or the Egyptians, on whom they depend. Septuagint, "and counting the weeks," like Aman, Esther 3:7. --- Iniquity, or perfidy of Sedecias, Ezechiel 17:15. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 21:24 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because you have remembered your iniquity, and have discovered your prevarications, and your sins have appeared in all your devices: because, I say, you have remembered, you shall be taken with the hand. | Remembered. Hebrew, "caused....to be remembered," (Haydock) sinning publicly. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 21:25 | But thou profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come that hath been appointed in the time of iniquity: | Thou profane, etc. He speaks to king Sedecias, who had broken his oath, and was otherwise a wicked prince. (Challoner) --- Hebrew, "Criminal, (sentenced to die) wicked," etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 21:26 | Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, take off the crown: is it not this that hath exalted the low one, and brought down him that was high? | Diadem, (cidarim.) Some think this was the ornament of the high priest, (St. Jerome; Chaldean) denoting that he should perish as well as the king. (Haydock) --- This. The royal crown of Juda had exalted Sedecias from a private state and condition to the sovereign power, as the loss of it brought down Jechonias, etc. (Challoner) --- It shall be given to Godolias. (Chaldean) Hebrew, "it is not (Haydock) or shall be no more" the same, or for the posterity of Sedecias. None of the tribe of Juda was truly king after him, till the Messias. (Sanctius; Tirinus, etc.) (Genesis 49:10.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 21:27 | I will shew it to be iniquity, iniquity, iniquity: but this was not done, till he came to whom judgment belongeth, and I will give it him. | Iniquity. Or, I will overturn it, viz., the crown of Juda, for the manifold iniquities of the kings: but it shall not be utterly removed till Christ come, whose right it is; and who shall reign in the spiritual house of Jacob (that is, in his Church,) for evermore. (Challoner) --- Hebrew also, "sideways." Thou shalt no more wear the tiara erect, (Haydock) like a king: (Hesychius) or rather, thy iniquity or punishment shall be most grievous. --- Him; Christ, or (Calmet) Nabuchodonosor. (Vatable) (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 21:28 | *And thou son of man prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach, and thou shalt say: O sword, O sword, come out of the scabbard to kill, be furbished to destroy, and to glitter. Genesis 49:10. | Reproach, by which they had reproached and insulted over the Jews, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. (Challoner) (chap. 25:6., and Sophonias 2:8.) --- They were punished five years later (Calmet) by the same Babylonians whom they had encouraged. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 21:29 | Whilst they see vain things in thy regard, and they divine lies; to bring thee upon the necks of the wicked that are wounded, whose appointed day is come in the time of iniquity. | |
| Ezekiel 21:30 | Return into thy sheath. I will judge thee in the place wherein thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. | Sheath. The sword of Babylon, after raging against many nations, was shortly to be judged and destroyed at home by the Medes and Persians. (Challoner) --- After Nabuchodonosor had chastised the nations around for 18 years, after the ruin of Jerusalem, he returned and died in peace. Yet he first became like a beast, ver. 31., and Daniel 4:30. The rest of the prophecy regards his successors. Cyrus waged war upon them, and Baltassar was slain in a conspiracy. See Isaias XLVII., and Jeremias L. (Calmet) --- At last the sword fell upon Babylon itself. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 21:31 | And I will pour out upon thee my indignation: in the fire of my rage will I blow upon thee, and will give thee into the hands of men that are brutish and contrive thy destruction. | Brutish, or devoid of sense. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "burning;" smiths. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 21:32 | Thou shalt be fuel for the fire, thy blood shall be in the midst of the land, thou shalt be forgotten; for I, the Lord, have spoken it. | |
| Ezekiel 22:0 | The general corruption of the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for which God will consume them as dross in his furnace. | |
| Ezekiel 22:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, *saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 22:2 | And thou son of man, dost thou not judge, dost thou not judge the city of blood? | Blood. Why dost thou cease to admonish and rebuke the people? (Worthington) --- Pronounce sentence on Jerusalem, (Haydock) for her cruelties. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 22:3 | And thou shalt shew her all her abominations, and shalt say: Thus saith the Lord God: This is the city that sheddeth blood in the midst of her, that her time may come: and that hath made idols against herself, to defile herself. | |
| Ezekiel 22:4 | Thou art become guilty in thy blood which thou hast shed: and thou art defiled in thy idols which thou hast made: and thou hast made thy days to draw near, and hast brought on the time of thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach to the Gentiles, and a mockery to all countries. | |
| Ezekiel 22:5 | Those that are near, and those that are far from thee, shall triumph over thee: thou filthy one, infamous, great in destruction. | |
| Ezekiel 22:6 | Behold the princes of Israel, every one hath employed his arm in thee, to shed blood. | Hath. Septuagint, "was mixed with his relations," ver. 10., etc., (Haydock) fighting against them. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 22:7 | They have abused father and mother in thee; they have oppressed the stranger in the midst of thee; they have grieved the fatherless and widow in thee. | |
| Ezekiel 22:8 | Thou hast despised my sanctuaries, and profaned my sabbaths. | Sabbaths, by servile works, and by their sinful deportment. |
| Ezekiel 22:9 | Slanderers have been in thee to shed blood, and they have eaten upon the mountains in thee, they have committed wickedness in the midst of thee. | Slanderers, hateful to all, Leviticus 19:16., and Proverbs 11:13. --- Mountains. Ezechiel 18:6. |
| Ezekiel 22:10 | They have discovered the nakedness of their father in thee, they have humbled the uncleanness of the menstruous woman in thee. | Father, his widow, their mother-in-law, or one of his wives. |
| Ezekiel 22:11 | *And every one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife, and the father-in-law hath wickedly defiled his daughter-in-law, the brother hath oppressed his sister, the daughter of his father, in thee. Jeremias 5:8. | |
| Ezekiel 22:12 | They have taken gifts in thee to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and hast covetously oppressed thy neighbours; and thou hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. | Increase. Ezechiel 18:18. (Calmet) --- Me. "The remembrance of God excludes all sins." (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 22:13 | Behold, I have clapped my hands at thy covetousness, which thou hast exercised; and at the blood that hath been shed in the midst of thee. | Hands, through surprise and sorrow. (Calmet) --- God wishes the sinner's salvation, Genesis 6:6. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 22:14 | Shall thy heart endure, or shall thy hands prevail, in the days which I will bring upon thee? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. | |
| Ezekiel 22:15 | And I will disperse thee in the nations, and will scatter thee among the countries, and I will put an end to thy uncleanness in thee. | In thee. I will purify thee by violent medicines. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 22:16 | And I will possess thee in the sight of the Gentiles, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. | Possess, "as an inheritance:" (Septuagint; Haydock) "I will defile:" (Aquila) "wound thee." (Symmachus) Hebrew is very different: (Calmet) "thou hast inherited in thyself," (Haydock) being no longer willing to be subject. |
| Ezekiel 22:17 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 22:18 | Son of man, the house of Israel is become dross to me: all these are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace: they are become the dross of silver. | Dross. Hebrew, "a mixture." Septuagint, "God will purify the silver," Isaias 4:4. |
| Ezekiel 22:19 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Because you are all turned into dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you together in the midst of Jerusalem. | |
| Ezekiel 22:20 | As they gather silver, and brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace, that I may kindle a fire in it to melt it: so will I gather you together in my fury and in my wrath, and will take my rest: and I will melt you down. | |
| Ezekiel 22:21 | And I will gather you together, and will burn you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst thereof. | |
| Ezekiel 22:22 | As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall you be in the midst thereof: and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have poured out my indignation upon you. | |
| Ezekiel 22:23 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 22:24 | Son of man, say to her: Thou art a land that is unclean, and not rained upon in the day of wrath. | Rained upon, or watered with the instructions of the prophets, Ezechiel 20:46. |
| Ezekiel 22:25 | There is a conspiracy of prophets in the midst thereof: like a lion that roareth and catcheth the prey, they have devoured souls; they have taken riches and hire, they have made many widows in the midst thereof. | Conspiracy. The false prophets defend each other, (Calmet) while the priests connive at their proceedings, (Haydock) and set the example of wickedness. |
| Ezekiel 22:26 | Her priests have despised my law, and have defiled my sanctuaries: they have put no difference between holy and profane: nor have distinguished between the polluted and the clean: and they have turned away their eyes from my sabbaths, and I was profaned in the midst of them. | |
| Ezekiel 22:27 | *Her princes in the midst of her, are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood, and to destroy souls, and to run after gains, through covetousness. Micheas 3:11.; Sophonias 3:3. | |
| Ezekiel 22:28 | And her prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing vain things, and divining lies unto them, saying: Thus saith the Lord God: when the Lord hath not spoken. | Without. Septuagint, "they shall fall, seeing," etc. |
| Ezekiel 22:29 | The people of the land have used oppression, and committed robbery: they afflicted the needy and poor, and they oppressed the stranger by calumny without judgment. | |
| Ezekiel 22:30 | And I sought among them for a man that might set up a hedge, and stand in the gap before me in favour of the land, that I might not destroy it: and I found none. | None like Abraham, Moses, etc. (Calmet) --- The prayers of the just are very powerful; and God wishes them to exert themselves for sinners. (St. Jerome) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 22:31 | And I poured out my indignation upon them; in the fire of my wrath I consumed them: I have rendered their way upon their own head, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 23:0 | Under the name of the two harlots, Oolla and Ooliba, are described the manifold disloyalties of Samaria and Jerusalem, with the punishment of them both. | |
| Ezekiel 23:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, *saying: | Year of the World 3411. |
| Ezekiel 23:2 | Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother: | |
| Ezekiel 23:3 | And they committed fornication in Egypt, in their youth they committed fornication: there were their breasts pressed down, and the teats of their virginity were bruised. | Fornication. That is, idolatry. (Challoner) --- Down. Virgins used the stomacher, or (Haydock) fascia pectoralis, Isaias 3:24. This chapter resembles the 16th. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:4 | And their names were Oolla, the elder, and Ooliba, her younger sister: and I took them, and they bore sons and daughters. Now for their names: Samaria is Oolla, and Jerusalem is Ooliba. | Oolla and Ooliba. God calls the kingdom of Israel Oolla, which signifies their own habitation, because they separated themselves from his temple; and the kingdom of Juda Ooliba, which signifies his habitation in her, because of his temple among them in Jerusalem. (Challoner) --- The ten tribes first gave way to idolatry, and were more numerous. (Calmet) -- In Egypt the people were united, yet abandoned to idolatry in their youth, when they were only beginning to increase. Afterwards the ten tribes set up altars for themselves, at Dan and Bethel. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 23:5 | And Oolla committed fornication against me, and doated on her lovers, on the Assyrians that came to her. | Assyrians. That is, the idols of the Assyrians: for all that is said in this chapter of the fornications of Israel and Juda, is to be understood in a spiritual sense of their disloyalty to the Lord, by worshipping strange gods. (Challoner) (Worthington) --- The Assyrians taught the worship of Baal, the high places, etc. The Egyptians also promoted their abominations. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:6 | Who were clothed with blue, princes, and rulers, beautiful youths, all horsemen, mounted upon horses. | Blue, or purple. This was reserved for the principal nobility. |
| Ezekiel 23:7 | And she committed her fornications with those chosen men, all sons of the Assyrians: and she defiled herself with the uncleanness of all them on whom she doated. | |
| Ezekiel 23:8 | Moreover also, she did not forsake her fornications which she had committed in Egypt: for they also lay with her in her youth, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured out their fornication upon her. | Egypt. They always retained an affection for those idols, the calf, Adonis, etc. |
| Ezekiel 23:9 | Therefore have I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians, upon whose lust she doated. | |
| Ezekiel 23:10 | *They discovered her disgrace, took away her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: and they became infamous women, and they executed judgments in her. Ezechiel 16:38. | Disgrace: satisfying their passions, ver. 29. (Calmet) --- Women. Having once lost all sense of decorum, they became more abandoned. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 23:11 | And when her sister, Ooliba, saw this, she was mad with lust more than she: and she carried her fornication beyond the fornication of her sister. | This; not chastisement, but dissolution. |
| Ezekiel 23:12 | Impudently prostituting herself to the children of the Assyrians, the princes, and rulers that came to her, clothed with divers colours, to the horsemen that rode upon horses, and to young men, all of great beauty. | |
| Ezekiel 23:13 | And I saw that she was defiled, and that they both took one way. | |
| Ezekiel 23:14 | And she increased her fornications: and when she had seen men painted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans set forth in colours, | Colours. She was enamoured at the account or picture of these people, without ever having seen them. |
| Ezekiel 23:15 | And girded with girdles about their reins, and with dyed turbans on their heads, the resemblance of all the captains, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, and of the land of the Chaldeans, wherein they were born. | |
| Ezekiel 23:16 | She doated upon them with the lust of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them into Chaldea. | Messengers. Achaz invited the Assyrians, and imitated their altars, etc., 4 Kings 16:2., etc. (Calmet) --- The Chaldeans afterwards possessed the country. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 23:17 | And when the sons of Babylon were come to her to the bed of love, they defiled her with their fornications, and she was polluted by them, and her soul was glutted with them. | Love. Literally, "of breasts," as Hebrew also signifies. Here it denotes the temples. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 23:18 | And she discovered her fornications, and discovered her disgrace: and my soul was alienated from her as my soul was alienated from her sister. | |
| Ezekiel 23:19 | For she multiplied her fornications, remembering the days of her youth, in which she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. | Remembering, or "causing to be remembered" by God, who seemed to have forgotten those ancient scenes of wickedness, Ezechiel 21:24. |
| Ezekiel 23:20 | And she was mad with lust after lying with them, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses: and whose issue as the issue of horses. | Asses. He means the Egyptians, (chap. 16:26.) in whom the kings of Juda trusted. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:21 | And thou hast renewed the wickedness of thy youth, when thy breasts were pressed in Egypt, and the paps of thy virginity broken. | |
| Ezekiel 23:22 | Therefore, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will raise up against thee all thy lovers, with whom thy soul hath been glutted: and I will gather them together against thee round about. | About. The Philistines, Ammonites, etc., shall join the Chaldeans, (Haydock) and Egypt shall desert the Jews in their greatest need. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:23 | The children of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, the nobles, and the kings, and princes, all the sons of the Assyrians, beautiful young men, all the captains, and rulers, the princes of princes, and the renowned horsemen. | Nobles. Protestants, "Pekod, and Shoah, and Roa:" (Haydock) which Junius takes to be the three great divisions of the empire. Others suppose they denote the dignities, though they occur not in Daniel. --- Captains. Hebrew, "Phachat, and Saganim, (ver. 6, 12.) and Schalischim;" officers mentioned [in] Exodus 14:7., and 2 Kings 23:8. --- Renowned, called to the assemblies and councils of the prince, Numbers 1:16. (Calmet) --- Horsemen. Protestants, "all of them riding upon horses." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 23:24 | And they shall come upon thee well appointed with chariot and wheel, a multitude of people: they shall be armed against thee on every side with breastplate, and buckler, and helmet: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee by their judgments. | Judgments, at Reblatha, 4 Kings 25:6. |
| Ezekiel 23:25 | And I will set my jealousy against thee, which they shall execute upon thee, with fury: they shall cut off thy nose and thy ears: and what remains shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons, and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by fire. | Jealousy, the most violent of passions. (Calmet) --- So the Chaldeans are styled, as Assur is the rod, Isaias 10:5. (Worthington) --- Ears, the punishment of adulteresses: both king and priests suffer. (St. Jerome) --- Thus the captives were probably treated. (Calmet) See Seneca, Ira. 3:20. --- Fire, by Ismahel, Ezechiel 19:14. |
| Ezekiel 23:26 | And they shall strip thee of thy garments, and take away the instruments of thy glory. | Glory; vanity, or of the temple, Ezechiel 16:17., and Osee 2:4. |
| Ezekiel 23:27 | And I will put an end to thy wickedness in thee, and thy fornication brought out of the land of Egypt: neither shalt thou lift up thy eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more. | |
| Ezekiel 23:28 | For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest, into their hands with whom thy soul hath been glutted. | |
| Ezekiel 23:29 | And they shall deal with thee in hatred, and they shall take away all thy labours, and shall let thee go naked, and full of disgrace, and the disgrace of thy fornication shall be discovered, thy wickedness, and thy fornications. | |
| Ezekiel 23:30 | They have done these things to thee, because thou hast played the harlot with the nations among which thou wast defiled with their idols. | |
| Ezekiel 23:31 | Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, and I will give her cup into thy hand. | Cup. Thou shalt be punished like Samaria, dreadfully, 4 Kings 17:4. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:32 | Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup, deep, and wide: thou shalt be had in derision and scorn, which containeth very much. | |
| Ezekiel 23:33 | Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness, and sorrow: with the cup of grief, and sadness, with the cup of thy sister, Samaria. | |
| Ezekiel 23:34 | And thou shalt drink it, and shalt drink it up even to the dregs, and thou shalt devour the fragments thereof, thou shalt rend thy breasts: because I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. | Fragments, as drunkards sometimes bite (Haydock) the cup in their rage. --- Rend. What had been the occasion of thy fall: (Calmet) pectori planxi. (Ovid, ep. 5.) |
| Ezekiel 23:35 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast forgotten me, and hast cast me off behind thy back, bear thou also thy wickedness, and thy fornications. | |
| Ezekiel 23:36 | And the Lord spoke to me, saying: Son of man, dost thou judge Oolla, and Ooliba, and dost thou declare to them their wicked deeds? | Deeds. He is thus admonished to condemn them; (chap. 20:4.) as times and places tended to aggravate their crimes, ver. 39. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 23:37 | Because they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and they have committed fornication with their idols: moreover also their children, whom they bore to me, they have offered to them to be devoured. | |
| Ezekiel 23:38 | Yea, and they have done this to me. They polluted my sanctuary on the same day, and profaned my sabbaths. | |
| Ezekiel 23:39 | And when they sacrificed their children to their idols, and went into my sanctuary the same day, to profane it: they did these things even in the midst of my house. | |
| Ezekiel 23:40 | They sent for men coming from afar, to whom they had sent a messenger: and behold they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, and didst paint thy eyes, and wast adorned with women's ornaments. | Paint, with antimony. (Septuagint) See 4 Kings 9:3. |
| Ezekiel 23:41 | Thou sattest on a very fine bed, and a table was decked before thee: whereupon thou didst set my incense and my ointment. | Bed: it seems at table, Amos 2:8., and Tobias 2:3. --- Ointment; using them for thyself, or presenting them to idols, Exodus 30:23, 33. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:42 | And there was in her the voice of a multitude rejoicing: and to some that were brought of the multitude of men, and that came from the desert, they put bracelets on their hands, and beautiful crowns on their heads. | And that. Protestants, "Sabeans (marginal note and Septuagint, drunkards) from," etc. Any were admitted (Haydock) to the priesthood and to her favours, even the most rustic and deformed, 3 Kings 12:32. |
| Ezekiel 23:43 | And I said to her that was worn out in her adulteries: Now will this woman still continue in her fornication. | |
| Ezekiel 23:44 | And they went in to her, as to a harlot: so went they in unto Oolla, and Ooliba, wicked women. | |
| Ezekiel 23:45 | They, therefore, are just men: these shall judge them as adulteresses are judged, and as shedders of blood are judged: because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. | Just, compared with the Jews, whom they shall chastise. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:46 | For thus saith the Lord God: Bring a multitude upon them, and deliver them over to tumult and rapine: | |
| Ezekiel 23:47 | And let the people stone them with stones, and let them be stabbed with their swords: they shall kill their sons and daughters, and their houses they shall burn with fire. | Stones, like adulteresses, Ezechiel 16:38., and Leviticus 20:10. (Haydock) --- Let the walls be demolished. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 23:48 | And I will take away wickedness out of the land: and all women shall learn, not to do according to the wickedness of them. | |
| Ezekiel 23:49 | And they shall render your wickedness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 24:0 | Under the parable of a boiling pot, is shewn the utter destruction of Jerusalem: for which the Jews at Babylon shall not dare to mourn. | |
| Ezekiel 24:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, saying: | Year of the World 3414, Year before Christ 590. Month; January 30, the year of the world 3414. (Usher) --- Ezechiel was then in Mesopotamia, and when the news of the siege commencing on that very day, should arrive; it would make a great impression upon the people, so that they would have confidence in him, (Calmet) as the certainty of the prediction would appear, 4 Kings 25:1. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 24:2 | Son of man, write thee the name of this day, on which the king of Babylon hath set himself against Jerusalem to-day. | Pot, to denote Jerusalem: the flesh boiled and consumed in the fire with the bones, would shew the future dismal condition of its chiefs and inhabitants. (Haydock) --- The hardened Jews turned such things to ridicule, Ezechiel 11:3. |
| Ezekiel 24:3 | And thou shalt speak by a figure, a parable, to the provoking house, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Set on a pot, set it on, I say; and put water into it. | |
| Ezekiel 24:4 | Heap together into it the pieces thereof, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, choice pieces and full of bones. | Choice. Hebrew, "the choice of the bones," or the finest pieces separated from the bones, as the Septuagint and the sequel seem to require. (Calmet) --- The bones might serve to burn, ver. 5. (Haydock) See St. Jerome. (Vatable, etc.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 24:5 | Take the fattest of the flock, and lay together piles of bones under it: the seething thereof is boiling hot, and the bones thereof are thoroughly sodden in the midst of it. | The, etc. Literally, "its boiling has grown hot;" the citizens suffer terribly. --- Bones. Hebrew hatsamim, (Haydock) may denote the more solid meat. |
| Ezekiel 24:6 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Wo to the bloody city, to the pot whose rust is in it, and its rust is not gone out of it: cast it out piece by piece, there hath no lot fallen upon it. | Rust: the inveterate malice of the city, ver. 12. --- Upon it. Hurl the pieces of meat out of the pot, without any choice. (Calmet) --- All the people shall feel my indignation, the rich as well as the poor, ver. 13. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 24:7 | For her blood is in the midst of her, she hath shed it upon the smooth rock: she hath not shed it upon the ground, that it might be covered with dust. | She hath. Septuagint, "I have let it corrupt upon. I have not," etc., (ver. 8.; Haydock) as if God spoke. The Jews had committed murder without fear. They had naturally a horror for blood, and the law ordered even that of beasts to be covered, Leviticus 17:13. Now innocent blood cries for vengeance, Genesis 4:10. The punishment shall be as visible as the crime, ver. 8. |
| Ezekiel 24:8 | And that I might bring my indignation upon her, and take my vengeance: I have shed her blood upon the smooth rock, that it should not be covered. | |
| Ezekiel 24:9 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: *Wo to the bloody city, of which I will make a great bonfire. Nahum 3:1.; Habacuc 2:12. | |
| Ezekiel 24:10 | Heap together the bones, which I will burn with fire: the flesh shall be consumed, and the whole composition shall be sodden, and the bones shall be consumed. | And the. Hebrew, "put in the seasoning and the bones," etc. |
| Ezekiel 24:11 | Then set it empty upon burning coals, that it may be hot, and the brass thereof may be melted; and let the filth of it be melted, in the midst thereof, and let the rust of it be consumed. | |
| Ezekiel 24:12 | Great pains have been taken, and the great rust thereof is not gone out, not even by fire. | |
| Ezekiel 24:13 | Thy uncleanness is execrable: because I desired to cleanse thee, and thou art not cleansed from thy filthiness: neither shalt thou be cleansed, before I cause my indignation to rest in thee. | Thy. Hebrew, "In thy crime there is design," or malice. This rendered the Jews so hateful (Calmet) and irreclaimable. (Haydock) --- God had given them abundant instructions (Calmet) and graces; but all was contemned. (Haydock) --- When the fire of tribulation does not amend sinners, they are sentenced to hell fire. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 24:14 | I, the Lord, have spoken: it shall come to pass, and I will do it: I will not pass by, nor spare, nor be pacified: I will judge thee according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, saith the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 24:15 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 24:16 | Son of man, behold I take from thee the desire of thy eyes with a stroke: and thou shalt not lament, nor weep: neither shall thy tears run down. | Stroke; pestilence, or sudden death. This would make the loss of a dear wife still more afflicting. Yet such distress will fall upon the whole nation, (Calmet) and misery shall increase so much, that a private loss will be almost forgotten. (Haydock) --- Curae leves loquuntur, graviores silent. (Seneca, Troad.) --- When a loss is foreseen, it is more easily borne. Private calamities sink in public ones. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 24:17 | Sigh in silence; make no mourning for the dead: let the tire of thy head be upon thee, and thy shoes on thy feet, and cover not thy face, nor eat the meat of mourners. | Silence, for such manifold calamities, if thou canst screen thyself from the enemy, who will otherwise take offence, as he has brought them on. (Haydock) --- Dead. Priests were allowed to mourn only for father or mother, and their unmarried brothers and sisters, Leviticus 21:1. Ezechiel (xliv. 25.) adds, Son and daughter. Many think the wife must also be understood, as she is nearer than a brother. The reasons for these prohibitions did not then subsist, as no sacrifice could be offered in Chaldea; and therefore God here specifies what the prophet was not to do, (Calmet) though lawful on other occasions. (Sanctius) --- Tire. Literally, "crown," bandage, (Calmet) or parchment, on which parts of the law were written. Septuagint, "Let (Roman edition adds, not) the hair of thy head be curled (or ruffed; sumpeplegmenon) upon thee." (Haydock) --- It was usually cut in mourning. (St. Jerome) --- Feet. They were bare, at funerals, and in times of sorrow, 2 Kings 15:30. --- Face, like David. Hebrew, "the upper lip," which mourners and lepers covered, Leviticus 13:45. (Calmet) --- Mourners. Feasts were prepared by the relations, (Josephus, Jewish Wars 2:1.) and friends sent some food, but no delicacies, to those who mourned, Leviticus 5:9. |
| Ezekiel 24:18 | So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening: and I did in the morning as he had commanded me. | |
| Ezekiel 24:19 | And the people said to me: Why dost thou not tell us what these things mean that thou dost? | |
| Ezekiel 24:20 | And I said to them: The word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 24:21 | Speak to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the glory of your realm, and the thing that your eyes desire, and for which your soul feareth: your sons and your daughters, whom you have left, shall fall by the sword. | Profane, or esteem it no more, (Haydock) but abandon it to the Gentiles. (Calmet) --- Feareth to lose; or on which it rests, ver. 25. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 24:22 | And you shall do as I have done: you shall not cover your faces, nor shall you eat the meat of mourners. | |
| Ezekiel 24:23 | You shall have crowns on your heads, and shoes on your feet; you shall not lament nor weep, but you shall pine away for your iniquities, and every one shall sigh with his brother. | |
| Ezekiel 24:24 | And Ezechiel shall be unto you for a sign of things to come: according to all that he hath done, so shall you do, when this shall come to pass: and you shall know that I am the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 24:25 | And thou, O son of man, behold in the day wherein I will take away from them their strength, and the joy of their glory, and the desire of their eyes, upon which their souls rest, their sons and their daughters. | |
| Ezekiel 24:26 | In that day when he that escapeth shall come to thee, to tell thee; | |
| Ezekiel 24:27 | In that day, I say, shall thy mouth be opened to him that hath escaped, and thou shalt speak, and shalt be silent no more: and thou shalt be unto them for a sign of things to come: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | No more, if thou darest to speak before the Chaldeans, ver. 17. Reserve thy tears and lamentations for that time. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 25:0 | A prophecy against the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and Philistines, for their malice against the Israelites. | |
| Ezekiel 25:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 25:2 | Son of man, set thy face against the children of Ammon, and thou shalt prophesy of them. | \f + \fr 25:2-3\ft Ammon. These nations were punished five years after the Jews, Ezechiel 21:19., and Jeremias 27:3. (Calmet) --- "Egypt, Syria, Phoenicia, and Arabia," were conquered. (Berosus) --- Hast. God saw their dispositions, which they manifested afterwards. (Calmet) --- They rejoiced most, and were therefore punished with other nations. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 25:3 | *And thou shalt say to the children of Ammon: Hear ye the word of the Lord God: Thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast said, Ha, ha, upon my sanctuary, because it was profaned; and upon the land of Israel, because it was laid waste; and upon the house of Juda, because they are led into captivity: Commentary: | Year of the World 3417, Year before Christ 387.; Jeremias xlix. |
| Ezekiel 25:4 | Therefore, will I deliver thee to the men of the east for an inheritance, and they shall place their sheepcotes in thee, and shall set up their tents in thee: they shall eat thy fruits, and they shall drink thy milk. | East; the Chaldeans, (Sanctius) who conquered them, (Haydock) though the Scenite Arabs, who occupied the country after the inhabitants were removed, or the Armenians and Agarens, are rather meant than the Chaldeans. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 25:5 | And I will make Rabbath a stable for camels, and the children of Ammon a couching-place for flocks: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | Rabbath, the capital city of the Ammonites: it was afterwards called Philadelphia. (Challoner) --- Flocks. These constituted the riches of those Arabians. |
| Ezekiel 25:6 | For thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast clapped thy hands, and stamped with thy foot, and hast rejoiced with all thy heart against the land of Israel; | |
| Ezekiel 25:7 | Therefore, behold, I will stretch forth my hand upon thee, and will deliver thee to be the spoil of nations, and will cut thee off from among the people, and destroy thee out of the lands, and break thee in pieces: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. | Lord, and that it was not through impotence that my people became a prey. Ammon and Moab returned after some time, ver. 10., and Ezechiel 16:53., and Jeremias 49:6. |
| Ezekiel 25:8 | Thus saith the Lord God: Because Moab and Seir have said: Behold, the house of Juda is like all other nations: | Seir; Idumea. --- Nations, whose gods could not defend them. (Calmet) --- Thus they blasphemed the Lord. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 25:9 | Therefore, behold, I will open the shoulder of Moab from the cities, from his cities, I say, and his borders, the noble cities of the land of Bethiesimoth, and Beelmeon, and Cariathaim, | Shoulder; reduce to slavery, (Haydock) or take the strong places, (Jeremias 48:7.; Calmet) or cities and strength of Moab. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 25:10 | To the people of the east with the children of Ammon, and I will give it them for an inheritance, that there may be no more any remembrance of the children of Ammon among the nations. | With, or "like thee." Moab (ver. 11.) shall be treated like Ammon. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "As for the," etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 25:11 | And I will execute judgments in Moab: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 25:12 | Thus saith the Lord God: Because Edom hath taken vengeance to revenge herself of the children of Juda, and hath greatly offended, and hath sought revenge of them: | Revenge; exhorting the Chaldeans to destroy utterly, (Psalm 136:7.) and seizing every opportunity of injuring the Jews, 2 Paralipomenon 28:18., and Amos 1:11. |
| Ezekiel 25:13 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: I will stretch forth my hand upon Edom, and will take away out of it man and beast, and will make it desolate from the south: and they that are in Dedan, shall fall by the sword. | South. Hebrew, "Theman," a city at one extremity. The Chaldeans laid waste the country, (chap. 32:29.) but did not remove the people, who seized the southern parts of Juda, till they were forced to submit to the Machabees. |
| Ezekiel 25:14 | And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom, by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to my wrath and my fury: and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 25:15 | Thus saith the Lord God: Because the Philistines have taken vengeance, and have revenged themselves with all their mind, destroying and satisfying old enmities: | Enmities. They also watched every moment to injure the Jews, Amos 1:5. But Nabuchodonosor was irritated, because they had assisted Tyre, Jeremias 47:4. |
| Ezekiel 25:16 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will stretch forth my hand upon the Philistines, and will kill the killers, and will destroy the remnant of the sea coast. | Killers. Hebrew, "Ceretheans." David's guards were of this nation, 2 Kings 8:18. They came originally from Crete; and the Septuagint have here, "Cretans;" (Calmet) as Grabe substitutes for "Judges of Sidon." (Haydock) --- Chaldean, "archers." --- Remnant. They deserve not the name of a nation, having been much reduced by Egypt and the Chaldeans. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 25:17 | And I will execute great vengeance upon them, rebuking them in fury: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. | |
| Ezekiel 26:0 | A prophecy of the destruction of the famous city of Tyre by Nabuchodonosor. | |
| Ezekiel 26:1 | And *it came to pass in the eleventh year, the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3416. Year of the prophet's captivity. (Haydock) --- He still dates from the transmigration of Joachin, Ezechiel 1. (Worthington) --- Some think he speaks of the first, fourth, or fifth month. Tyre was not besieged till after the ninth day of the fourth month, when Jerusalem was taken; nor could she express her joy for that event before, unless God allude to her dispositions, etc., Ezechiel 25:1. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 26:2 | Son of man, because Tyre hath said of Jerusalem: Aha, the gates of the people are broken, she is turned to me: I shall be filled, now she is laid waste. | Gates: places of resort and commerce. The Jews came to Jerusalem frequently from all parts, which increased her beauty and trade. New Tyre expects that more will come to her. |
| Ezekiel 26:3 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Tyre, and I will cause many nations to come up to thee, as the waves of the sea rise up. | Up. Nabuchodonosor besieged the city for thirteen years. The profane historians read by St. Jerome took no notice of this; but Josephus quotes several. (Antiquities 10:11., and contra Apion i.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 26:4 | And they shall break down the walls of Tyre, and destroy the towers thereof: and I will scrape her dust from her, and make her like a smooth rock. | Dust. She shall be demolished, and the rubbish thrown into the sea, to make a road by which New Tyre in the island might be attacked, ver. 12. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 26:5 | She shall be a drying-place for nets in the midst of the sea, because I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and she shall be a spoil to the nations. | Sea. St. Jerome explains this of New Tyre; Marsham of the Old. To reconcile the different texts, we only need to suppose that both cities were connected by a road thrown up in the sea by Hiram, and repaired by Nabuchodonosor with great labour, (chap. 29:18.) after it had been destroyed by the inhabitants of New Tyre, when they saw the old city on the continent fall a prey. (St. Jerome) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 26:6 | Her daughters also that are in the field, shall be slain by the sword: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 26:7 | For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will bring against Tyre Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, the king of kings, from the north, with horses, and chariots, and horsemen, and companies, and much people. | Kings: Nabuchodonosor (4 Kings 25:28.) or Alexander [the Great], who took Tyre. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 26:8 | Thy daughters that are in the field, he shall kill with the sword: and he shall compass thee with forts, and shall cast up a mount round about: and he shall lift up the buckler against thee. | Daughters. Many towns were subject to Tyre: almost all Phoenicia acknowledged her dominion, as well as (Calmet) the seas to which her fleets went, ver. 15. (Selden, Mare 1:6.; Curtius iv.) --- These smaller cities shall fall, and the town shall be of no service except to dry nets. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 26:9 | And he shall set engines of war and battering rams against thy walls, and shall destroy thy towers with his arms. | Engines. Literally, "vines." (Haydock) --- A covert was thus made for the soldiers, (Veget. 4:15.) when they approached the walls. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 26:10 | By reason of the multitude of his horses, their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, when they shall go in at thy gates, as by the entrance of a city that is destroyed. | Destroyed. Old Tyre was taken by storm. It is doubtful whether it was pillaged, Ezechiel 29:18. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 26:11 | With the hoofs of his horses he shall tread down all thy streets: thy people he shall kill with the sword: and thy famous statues shall fall to the ground. | Statues. The citizens chained the golden statue of Apollo to the altar of Hercules, for fear of its leaving them, when Alexander [the Great] attacked the town. (Curtius iv.) --- Hiram placed a pillar of gold in the temple of Hercules. (Josephus, contra Apion i.) --- Herodotus (II. 44.) saw another also of emerald stone, (smaragdon) which illuminated the temple in the night. On such the Tyrians might depend; though some render, "the substance or guard of thy strength," denoting the soldiers (Calmet) and towers. (Haydock) --- The gods were treated like the people, and their precious ornaments plundered. |
| Ezekiel 26:12 | They shall waste thy riches, they shall make a spoil of thy merchandise: and they shall destroy thy walls, and pull down thy fine houses: and they shall lay thy stones, and thy timber, and thy dust, in the midst of the waters. | |
| Ezekiel 26:13 | *And I will make the multitude of thy songs to cease, and the sound of thy harps shall be heard no more. Jeremias 7:34. | |
| Ezekiel 26:14 | And I will make thee like a naked rock, thou shalt be a drying place for nets, neither shalt thou be built any more: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. | More, for seventy years, Isaias 23:15. The people returned at the same time as the Jews. (The year of the world 3468.) Soon after, Zacharias (Zacharias 9.) speaks of Tyre as then subsisting. It was very strong in Alexander's time, (who took it with difficulty, as Antigonus did eighteen years later) and had a very extensive commerce when St. Jerome wrote. But all this must be understood of New Tyre. The old city never regained much splendour. (Calmet) --- It is still in ruins. A modern traveller was struck with the completion of this prophecy, beholding a few miserable fishermen drying their nets on the spot! |
| Ezekiel 26:15 | Thus saith the Lord God to Tyre: Shall not the islands shake at the sound of thy fall, and the groans of thy slain, when they shall be killed in the midst of thee? | |
| Ezekiel 26:16 | Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones: and take off their robes, and cast away their broidered garments, and be clothed with astonishment: they shall sit on the ground, and with amazement shall wonder at thy sudden fall. | Sea: colonies, or tributary to Tyre, ver. 8. (Haydock) --- Leptis, Utica, Carthage,and Cadiz, were founded by Tyrians. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 5:19.) --- Some pretend that these cities were attacked by the conquerors, for manifesting their grief. See Josephus, Antiquities x.; Pineda, etc. --- But we shall not here follow conjectures. --- Astonishment. Hebrew, "troubles," or mourning. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 26:17 | And taking up a lamentation over thee, they shall say to thee: How art thou fallen, that dwellest in the sea, renowned city, that wast strong in the sea, with thy inhabitants, whom all did dread? | Dwellest in. Hebrew, "of the seas." Protestants, "seafaring men," (Haydock) being near the sea, or thence deriving thy riches. |
| Ezekiel 26:18 | Now shall the ships be astonished in the day of thy terror: and the islands in the sea shall be troubled, because no one cometh out of thee. | Because. Hebrew, "at thy departure." (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "into captivity." (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 26:19 | For thus saith the Lord God: When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited: and shall bring the deep upon thee, and many waters shall cover thee: | Waters; great armies, (ver. 3.) or when thou art in the regions below, Job 26:5. (Calmet) --- Tyre was humbled for her pride, but restored after seventy years, Isaias xxiii. Our Saviour retired into those parts, Matthew 15:21. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 26:20 | And when I shall bring thee down with those that descend into the pit to the everlasting people, and shall set thee in the lowest parts of the earth, as places desolate of old, with them that are brought down into the pit, that thou be not inhabited: and when I shall give glory in the land of the living, | Everlasting: in the grave, till the day of judgment, Psalm 48:12., and Wisdom 12:5. --- Living, assigned to Israel, (chap. 32:24.; Calmet) where holy people adore the true God, and shall rise to life eternal. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 26:21 | I will bring thee to nothing, and thou shalt not be, and if thou be sought for, thou shalt not be found any more for ever, saith the Lord God. | For ever: for a long time, (Theodoret) not at all in thy ancient glory. (Haydock) --- The city subsisted after the days of Nabuchodonosor and of Alexander [the Great], (Calmet) ver. 14. --- But the ancient city was reduced to a mere nothing. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 27:0 | A description of the glory and riches of Tyre: and of her irrecoverable fall. | |
| Ezekiel 27:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3416, Year before Christ 588. |
| Ezekiel 27:2 | Thou, therefore, O son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre: | Lamentation. Such canticles were usual, and very poetical. |
| Ezekiel 27:3 | And say to Tyre, that dwelleth at the entry of the sea, being the mart of the people for many islands: Thus saith the Lord God: O Tyre, thou hast said: I am of perfect beauty, | Entry, whence merchants may proceed from an excellent harbour to any place. |
| Ezekiel 27:4 | And situate in the heart of the sea. Thy neighbours, that built thee, have perfected thy beauty: | Neighbours of Sidon, Josue 19:29. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "thy children." Protestants, "thy builders." (Haydock) --- The description of the Tyrian grandeur, shews their more woeful ruin. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 27:5 | With fir-trees of Sanir they have built thee, with all sea planks: they have taken cedars from Libanus to make thee masts. | Thee. Hebrew, "all thy ship-boards." (Septuagint) (Protestants) (Haydock) --- St. Jerome has divided (Calmet) leuthim, "decks of the sea," as yam denotes the sea. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 27:6 | They have cut thy oars out of the oaks of Basan: and they have made thee benches of Indian ivory, and cabins, with things brought from the islands of Italy. | Benches. Septuagint, "temples." --- Italy. Hebrew Cetim. Macedonia. (Bochart) (Calmet) --- All distant places were styled islands, (Haydock) when they went by water to them. |
| Ezekiel 27:7 | Fine broidered linen from Egypt was woven for thy sail, to be spread on thy mast: blue and purple from the islands of Elisa, were made thy covering. | Linen. Cotton, (Exodus 25:4.) used for standards. Septuagint, "for bed coverlets," or for sails. --- Mast. Cleopatra and Caligula were still more sumptuous in their sails. --- Elisa, or Elis, famous for purple: yet Tyre was more so. |
| Ezekiel 27:8 | The inhabitants of Sidon, and the Aradians were thy rowers: thy wise men, O Tyre, were thy pilots. | Aradians. Sidon and Arad were then subject to Tyre, and supplied rowers. --- Pilots. They studied no other science. |
| Ezekiel 27:9 | The ancients of Gebal, and the wise men thereof, furnished mariners, for the service of thy various furniture: all the ships of the sea, and their mariners, were thy factors. | Gebal. Septuagint, "Biblos," which is the same, 3 Kings 5:18. --- Furnished. Hebrew, "were in thee to repair thy breaches." Septuagint, "strengthened thy designs." |
| Ezekiel 27:10 | The Persians, and Lydians, and the Lybians, were thy soldiers, in thy army: they hung up the buckler and the helmet in thee for thy ornament. | Lybians. Hebrew, "Phut." They had been expelled by the Cyreneans. Tyre had in her pay the most warlike nations of Persia, etc. Cyrus soon after shook off the yoke of the Medes, and conquered the Lydians. --- Hung up, ver. 11. This was very usual, Canticle of Canticles 4:4., and Isaias 22:8. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 27:11 | The men of Arad were with thy army upon thy walls round about: the Pygmeans also that were in thy towers, hung up their quivers on thy walls round about: they perfected thy beauty. | The Pygmeans. That is, strong and valiant men. In Hebrew Gammadim. (Challoner) --- He does not speak of those fabulous men hardly a cubit high. Gomed signifying a "cubit," has caused them to be styled so here. Septuagint, "guards;" or Symmachus, "Medes." Ezechiel (xxxviii. 6.) speaks of the Gomerim. |
| Ezekiel 27:12 | The Carthaginians, thy merchants, supplied thy fairs with a multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, iron, tin, and lead. | Carthaginians. Hebrew, "Tharsis," in Cilicia; (Genesis 10:4.; Calmet) or distant merchants, who came by sea. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 27:13 | Greece, Thubal, and Mosoch, they were thy merchants: they brought to thy people slaves and vessels of brass. | Slaves. Those from Greece were much esteemed. (Calmet) --- Alas! thirty thousand Tyrians were themselves thus sold by Alexander [the Great]! (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 27:14 | From the house of Thogorma they brought horses, and horsemen, and mules, to thy market. | Horses. Those of Sarmatia (Calmet) were in high repute. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 8:42. |
| Ezekiel 27:15 | The men of Dedan were thy merchants: many islands were the traffic of thy hand, they exchanged for thy price teeth of ivory, and ebony. | Dedan. Septuagint, "Rhodians;" or rather Arabs are meant, ver. 20. They might receive ivory from Ethiopia. --- Teeth. Hebrew, "horns or tusks," which the elephant casts every year. The ivory is less brittle, 3 Kings 10:18. (Calmet) --- Ebony; a hard black wood, like horn. (Bochart) |
| Ezekiel 27:16 | The Syrian was thy merchant, by reason of the multitude of thy works, they set forth precious stones, and purple, and broidered works, and fine linen, and silk, and chodchod, in thy market. | Syrian: always much addicted to commerce. (St. Jerome) --- Septuagint read Adam for Aram, as if the traffic in men was meant: (Calmet) "ivory, and to those who brought, thou gavest thy rewards. (16) Men of thy traffic," etc. (Haydock) --- Linen. Hebrew buts, "silk" extracted from the pinna fish, 1 Paralipomenon 15:27. Silk. Hebrew ramoth, may rather denote unicorns, Job 28:18. (Calmet) --- Chodchod. It is the Hebrew name for some precious stone, but of what kind in particular, interpreters are not agreed. (Challoner) --- Some say the carbuncle, etc. St. Jerome renders it the jasper, Isaias 54:12. (Worthington) --- Here he confesses he knows not the meaning. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 27:17 | Juda, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants with the best corn: they set forth balm, and honey, and oil, and rosin, in thy fairs. | Rosin. Our version generally renders this, balm. (Haydock) --- It was much used to heal, Jeremias 8:22., and Genesis 37:25. |
| Ezekiel 27:18 | The men of Damascus were thy merchants in the multitude of thy works, in the multitude of divers riches, in rich wine, in wool of the best colour. | Rich. Hebrew Chelbon; perhaps the city Chelba, Judges 1:31. The kings of Persia used this wine, and planted vines at Damascus on purpose. |
| Ezekiel 27:19 | Dan, and Greece, and Mosel, have set forth in thy marts wrought iron: stacte, and calamus were in thy market. | Dan: the citizens of Peneas, the tribe of Dan was in captivity. Grotius places these nations in Zeilan, (Calmet) or Ceylon. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 27:20 | The men of Dedan were thy merchants in tapestry for seats. | Seats, such as the Turks still use, or to throw over horses instead of saddles. |
| Ezekiel 27:21 | Arabia, and all the princes of Cedar, they were the merchants of thy hand: thy merchants came to thee with lambs, and rams, and kids. | |
| Ezekiel 27:22 | The sellers of Saba, and Reema, they were thy merchants: with all the best spices, and precious stones, and gold, which they set forth in thy market. | |
| Ezekiel 27:23 | Haran, and Chene, and Eden, were thy merchants: Saba, Assur, and Chelmad, sold to thee. | Haran, or Charae, famous for the residence of Abraham and the defeat of Crassus. --- Eden, the province where Paradise was situated. |
| Ezekiel 27:24 | They were thy merchants in divers manners, with bales of blue cloth, and of embroidered work, and of precious riches, which were wrapped up, and bound with cords: they had cedars also in thy merchandise. | Cords, in boxes, which had then no locks. |
| Ezekiel 27:25 | The ships of the sea, were thy chief in thy merchandise: and thou wast replenished, and glorified exceedingly in the heart of the sea. | Sea. Hebrew Tharsis, in Cilicia; or large, and fit for long voyages. Thine were the best. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 27:26 | Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the south wind hath broken thee in the heart of the sea. | South. Hebrew kodim, (Haydock) "eastern," or rather "burning," here means Nabuchodonosor, who came from the north, (chap. 26:7.; Calmet) or east. The fall of Tyre is described as a shipwreck. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 27:27 | Thy riches, and thy treasures, and thy manifold furniture, thy mariners, and thy pilots, who kept thy goods, and were chief over thy people: thy men of war also, that were in thee, with all thy multitude that is in the midst of thee: shall fall in the heart of the sea, in the day of thy ruin. | |
| Ezekiel 27:28 | Thy fleets shall be troubled at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. | |
| Ezekiel 27:29 | And all that handled the oar, shall come down from their ships: the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall stand upon the land. | |
| Ezekiel 27:30 | And they shall mourn over thee with a loud voice, and shall cry bitterly: and they shall cast up dust upon their heads, and shall be sprinkled with ashes. | Ashes. They followed the same customs as the Jews. (Calmet) --- The latter were ordered to avoid cutting the hair, like them; yet did so, Deuteronomy xiv., and Isaias 22:22. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 27:31 | And they shall shave themselves bald for thee, and shall be girded with hair-cloth: and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of soul, with most bitter weeping. | |
| Ezekiel 27:32 | And they shall take up a mournful song for thee, and shall lament thee: What city is like Tyre, which is become silent in the midst of the sea? | |
| Ezekiel 27:33 | Which by thy merchandise, that went from thee by sea, didst fill many people: which by the multitude of thy riches, and of thy people, didst enrich the kings of the earth. | |
| Ezekiel 27:34 | Now thou art destroyed by the sea, thy riches are in the bottom of the waters, and all the multitude that was in the midst of thee is fallen. | |
| Ezekiel 27:35 | All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at thee: and all their kings, being struck with the storm, have changed their countenance. | |
| Ezekiel 27:36 | The merchants of people have hissed at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more. | Hissed, through pity and astonishment. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 28:0 | The king of Tyre, who affected to be like to God, shall fall under the like sentence with Lucifer. The judgment of Sidon. The restoration of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 28:1 | And *the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3415. |
| Ezekiel 28:2 | Son of man: say to the prince of Tyre: Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said: I am God, and I sit in the chair of God, in the heart of the sea: whereas, thou art a man, and not God: and hast set thy heart as if it were the heart of God. | Prince. The Jews say Hiram, (St. Jerome) supposing that he lived a thousand years; though this is not requisite, as he died only four hundred and thirty years before. The idea is childish. The king who was taken and slain at this siege, was probably (Calmet) Ithobalos. (Josephus, Antiquities 10:11.) --- Origen applies this to the angel guardian of Tyre. St. Augustine thins an allusion is made to the fall of Lucifer. But it may all refer to the king, (Calmet) though others explain part of him and the rest of the devil. (St. Jerome) (Estius) |
| Ezekiel 28:3 | Behold thou art wiser than Daniel: no secret is hid from thee. | Than Daniel; viz., in thy own conceit. The wisdom of Daniel was so much celebrated in his days, that it became a proverb among the Chaldeans, when any one would express an extraordinary wisdom, to say he was as wise as Daniel. (Challoner) (Worthington) --- He was now at court, and had explained the dream of Nabuchodonosor, Daniel 2:27. |
| Ezekiel 28:4 | In thy wisdom, and thy understanding, thou hast made thyself strong: and hast gotten gold, and silver, into thy treasures. | |
| Ezekiel 28:5 | By the greatness of thy wisdom, and by thy traffic, thou hast increased thy strength: and thy heart is lifted up with thy strength. | |
| Ezekiel 28:6 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Because thy heart is lifted up as the heart of God: | |
| Ezekiel 28:7 | Therefore behold, I will bring upon thee strangers, the strongest of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy beauty. | |
| Ezekiel 28:8 | They shall kill thee, and bring thee down: and thou shalt die the death of them that are slain in the heart of the sea. | |
| Ezekiel 28:9 | Wilt thou yet say before them that slay thee: I am God; whereas thou art a man, and not God, in the hand of them that slay thee? | |
| Ezekiel 28:10 | Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. | Uncircumcised. The Jews deem this a disgrace, 1 Kings 31:4. The king would be exposed to eternal death, being devoid of faith, etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 28:11 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyre: | |
| Ezekiel 28:12 | And say to him: Thus saith the Lord God: Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, | Resemblance. The king of Tyre, by his dignity and his natural perfections, bore in himself a certain resemblance to God, by reason of which he might be called the seal of resemblance, etc. But what is here said to him is commonly understood of Lucifer, the king over all the children of pride. (Challoner) --- A seal is perfect when it represents things exactly. The prophet speaks ironically, to repress the king's vanity. |
| Ezekiel 28:13 | Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God: every precious stone was thy covering: the sardius, the topaz, and the jasper, the chrysolite, and the onyx, and the beryl, the sapphire, and the carbuncle, and the emerald: gold, the work of thy beauty: and thy pipes were prepared in the day that thou wast created. | Paradise. Thou hadst every thing delightful at Tyre. (Calmet) --- Covering. Hebrew, "bandage;" diadem, (Haydock) or belt. Septuagint specify twelve stones. See Exodus 28:17. --- Pipes; music used at the coronation, which was celebrated as a birth-day. (Calmet) --- God gives and withdraws power from all kings. As long as they act well, they are in a sort of sanctuary. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 28:14 | Thou a cherub stretched out, and protecting, and I set thee in the holy mountain of God, thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire. | Stretched out. That is, thy wings extended. This alludes to the figure of the cherubims in the sanctuary, which with stretched out wings covered the ark, (Challoner) on the holy mountain. (St. Jerome, etc.) --- Fire. That is, bright and precious stones, which sparkle like fire. (Challoner) --- With these the king's robes glittered, or he walked upon them, Esther 1:6. (Calmet) --- Calcacabatur onyx. (Lucan x.) |
| Ezekiel 28:15 | Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation, until iniquity was found in thee. | Iniquity. Tyre was before wicked; but when the king pretended to be a god, (ver. 2.) it could no longer be endured. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 28:16 | By the multitude of thy merchandise, thy inner parts were filled with iniquity, and thou hast sinned: and I cast thee out from the mountain of God, and destroyed thee, O covering cherub, out of the midst of the stones of fire. | |
| Ezekiel 28:17 | And thy heart was lifted up with thy beauty: thou hast lost thy wisdom in thy beauty, I have cast thee to the ground: I have set thee before the face of kings, that they might behold thee. | Beauty. Riches have corrupted thy heart. |
| Ezekiel 28:18 | Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities, and by the iniquity of thy traffic: therefore, I will bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, to devour thee: and I will make thee as ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all that see thee. | Sanctuaries, or temples, which was a crime (Calmet) in an idolater, as he took them to be the temples of a real deity. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 28:19 | All that shall see thee among the nations, shall be astonished at thee: thou art brought to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more. | |
| Ezekiel 28:20 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 28:21 | Son of man, set thy face against Sidon: and thou shalt prophesy of it, | |
| Ezekiel 28:22 | And shalt say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, Sidon, and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall execute judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. | Sidon. It gave rise to Tyre, yet was now inferior, though independent of it, (Isaias 23:4.) or subject to Egypt. (Diodorus 2:2.) --- It was now pillaged. |
| Ezekiel 28:23 | And I will send into her pestilence, and blood in her streets: and they shall fall, being slain by the sword, on all sides, in the midst thereof: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 28:24 | And the house of Israel shall have no more a stumbling-block of bitterness, nor a thorn causing pain on every side round about them, of them that are against them: and they shall know that I am the Lord God. | Bitterness. Jezabel came hence; (4 Kings 16:31.) and the Phoenicians hemmed in the Israelites as much as possible, and fought against them. (Calmet) --- Sidon was near Tyre, and imitating her crimes was also punished. |
| Ezekiel 28:25 | Thus saith the Lord God: When I shall have gathered together the house of Israel, out of the people among whom they are scattered: I will be sanctified in them before the Gentiles: and they shall dwell in their own land, which I gave to my servant, Jacob. | When. All shall praise God, seeing that he receives his people again after he has justly chastised them. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 28:26 | And they shall dwell therein secure, and they shall build houses, and shall plant vineyards, and shall dwell with confidence, when I shall have executed judgments upon all that are their enemies round about: and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. | |
| Ezekiel 29:0 | The king of Egypt shall be overthrown, and his kingdom wasted. It shall be given to Nabuchodonosor, for his service against Tyre. | |
| Ezekiel 29:1 | In *the tenth year, the tenth month, the eleventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3415, Year before Christ 589. Eleventh. Hebrew, "twelfth." Septuagint, "first of the twelfth month of the twelfth year." There are other variations in the versions. St. Jerome reads the first in Hebrew, as Theodoret does, who says that it and the Syriac have the twelfth year: which is true, if we neglect the points. (Calmet) --- The prophets do not observe the order of times. What is here delivered, was sooner fulfilled; or Tyre and Sodom lay nearer than Egypt. (Worthington) --- The three next chapters regard that country. |
| Ezekiel 29:2 | Son of man, set thy face against Pharao, king of Egypt: and thou shalt prophesy of him, and of all Egypt: | Pharao, Ephree, Jeremias xliv 30. He came to assist Sedecias; but the Chaldeans raised the siege, went to meet him, an defeated his army. After they had subdued the neighbouring nations, Tyre, etc., they fell upon Egypt. (The year of the world 3433.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 29:3 | Speak, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, Pharao, king of Egypt, thou great dragon that liest in the midst of thy rivers, and sayest: The river is mine, and I made myself. | Dragon. Hebrew tannin, (Haydock) whence thunnus may be derived, means any water monster, and seems here put for the crocodile, (Calmet) which Pharao signifies. (Grotius) --- It was the symbol of Egypt, (Calmet) and adored by the people, Jeremias 15:2. --- Rivers; the different branches of the Nile, and the canals. --- Myself. I owe my power to no other. (Calmet) --- "Apries is said to think that no god could deprive him of the kingdom, so well he seemed to have established it." (Herodotus 2:169.) --- So the ancient Pharao said; I know not the Lord, Exodus 5:2. He boasts of having conducted the waters of the Nile through the land, ver. 9. (Menochius) --- This river was honoured as the greatest of the gods. (Heliod. 9.) --- Terra suis contenta bonis non indiga mercis Aut Jovis; in solo tanta est fiducia Nilo. (Lucan viii.) |
| Ezekiel 29:4 | But I will put a bridle in thy jaws: and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick to thy scales: and I will draw thee out of the midst of thy rivers, and all thy fish shall stick to thy scales. | Bridle. The Tentyrians jump upon the crocodile's back, give it a club to bite at, which they seize with both hands, and bring it to the shore. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 8:25.) --- Others throw a hook baited with swine's flesh, and holding the rope on the shore, make a little pig squeak, which draws the attention of the crocodile; and, as it comes for its prey, it swallows the hook, and its eyes being filled with dust is easily slain. (Herodotus 2:70.) --- Apries sent an army against Cyrene, which being defeated as it was thought by the king's fault, many of the Egyptians revolted. He sent Amasis to reduce them, but they gave him the crown. (Herodotus 2:161.; 4:159.) --- Nabuchodonsor taking advantage of these disturbances, and perhaps invited by Amasis, entered Egypt, drove Apries into Higher Egypt, slew many of the inhabitants, and Jews, etc., and left Amasis to govern the wretched remains of that kingdom. (Usher, the year of the world 3430.) The Scripture, however, seems to say that Pharao was slain; (Jeremias 43.; etc.) (Calmet) which Ctesias assures us was done by Amasis, though Herodotus (II. 169.) says he was killed by the people, and buried with his fathers. This latter circumstance is not very probable: but the historian followed the account of the priests, who would mention what was most honourable for the nation. He seems to have been left unburied, ver. 5. Scales. The people depended on the king and shared his fate. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 29:5 | And I will cast thee forth into the desert, and all the fish of thy river: thou shalt fall upon the face of the earth; thou shalt not be taken up nor gathered together: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the earth, and to the fowls of the air. | |
| Ezekiel 29:6 | And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord: *because thou hast been a staff of a reed to the house of Israel. Isaias 36:6. | Israel, tempting them to rebel. (St. Jerome) --- He promised more than he was able or strove to perform, though he made a show of giving aid. |
| Ezekiel 29:7 | When they took hold of thee with the hand, thou didst break and rent all their shoulders; and when they leaned upon thee, thou brokest and weakenedst all their loins. | Loins. They fell upon thee, and thou didst wound (Calmet) or "dissolve" their loins. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 29:8 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will bring the sword upon thee: and cut off man and beast out of thee. | |
| Ezekiel 29:9 | And the land of Egypt shall become a desert and a wilderness: and they shall know that I am the Lord: because thou hast said: The river is mine, and I made it. | |
| Ezekiel 29:10 | Therefore, behold I come against thee and thy rivers: and I will make the land of Egypt utterly desolate, and wasted by the sword, from the tower of Syene even to the borders of Ethiopia. | Tower; or rather (Calmet) Hebrew and Septuagint, "from Magdol to Syene." (Haydock) --- This was on the frontiers of Ethiopia, below the cataracts. (Pliny, 5:9.) |
| Ezekiel 29:11 | The foot of man shall not pass through it, neither shall the foot of beasts go through it; nor shall it be inhabited during forty years. | Years, till the third of Cyrus, who gave liberty to all the captives at the beginning of his reign, ver. 13. (Calmet) --- Amasis reigned forty-four years in Lower Egypt, (Herodotus 3:10.) over the few whom Nabuchodonosor spared. |
| Ezekiel 29:12 | And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and the cities thereof in the midst of the cities that are destroyed, and they shall be desolate for forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. | |
| Ezekiel 29:13 | For thus saith the Lord God: At the end of forty years, I will gather the Egyptians from the people among whom they had been scattered. | |
| Ezekiel 29:14 | And I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will place them in the land of Phatures, in the land of their nativity, and they shall be there a low kingdom: | Low. The Jews were not more tempted to apply to them for aid. (Calmet) --- Amasis strove to shake off the yoke: but Cambyses came and slew many. Psammenites killed himself; (Herodotus 3:9.) or was taken to Susa, and the country laid waste. (Ctesias) --- Egypt has almost ever since been subject to foreign princes, (Haydock) Persians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Mamelukes, and Turks. The trade of Egypt, by caravans, was in a manner destroyed for forty years by Nabuchodonosor, whose victories Megesthenes and Berosus attest 300 years before Christ. (Watson) |
| Ezekiel 29:15 | It shall be the lowest among other kingdoms, and it shall no more be exalted over the nations; and I will diminish them, that they shall rule no more over the nations. | |
| Ezekiel 29:16 | And they shall be no more a confidence to the house of Israel, teaching iniquity, that they may flee, and follow them: and they shall know that I am the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 29:17 | And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, *in the first month, in the first of the month: that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3432, Year before Christ 572. Year: fifteen (Calmet) or seventeen years after the preceding prophecy, (ver. 1.; Worthington) but on the same subject. |
| Ezekiel 29:18 | Son of man, Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, hath made his army to undergo hard service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: and there hath been no reward given him, nor his army for Tyre, for the service that he rendered me against it. | Peeled, with carrying machines of war and burdens for thirteen years. --- No reward worth the labour. The new city surrendered upon terms, (Calmet) or the citizens shipped off their most valuable goods, and retired to Carthage, etc. God gives a temporal reward for moral virtues, (St. Jerome) even to infidels. (Worthington) --- Thus he rewarded the ancient Romans, and the midwives. (St. Augustine, City of God 5:12.; and St. Thomas Aquinas, [Summa Theologiae] 1:2. q. 114. a. 10.) --- They had no intention of pleasing God, (Calmet) or of directing their labours for his service. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 29:19 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will set Nabuchodonosor, the king of Babylon, in the land of Egypt: *and he shall take her multitude, and take the booty thereof for a prey, and rifle the spoils thereof: and it shall be wages for his army, Jeremias 46:2. | |
| Ezekiel 29:20 | And for the service that he hath done me against it: I have given him the land of Egypt, because he hath laboured for me, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 29:21 | In that day a horn shall bud forth to the house of Israel, and I will give thee an open mouth in the midst of them: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | Horn: Zorobabel; (St. Jerome) Jechonias, who was honoured by Evilmerodac; (Tirinus) or Daniel and Mardochai, with all the nation. --- Month. Thou shalt speak boldly, and they will give credit to thee henceforward. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 30:0 | The desolation of Egypt and her helpers: all her cities shall be wasted. | |
| Ezekiel 30:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, *saying: Jeremias 43.; Jeremias 44.; and Jeremias 46. | |
| Ezekiel 30:2 | Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Howl ye, wo, wo to the day: | Day of vengeance, (Calmet) when the Lord shall judge, (1 Corinthians 5:2.) and Egypt shall fall a prey to the most powerful nation of the Chaldeans. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 30:3 | For the day is near, yea the day of the Lord is near; a cloudy day, it shall be the time of the nations. | |
| Ezekiel 30:4 | And the sword shall come upon Egypt: and there shall be dread in Ethiopia, when the wounded shall fall in Egypt, and the multitude thereof shall be taken away, and the foundations thereof shall be destroyed. | Ethiopia. Hebrew, "Chus," denoting part of Arabia, or rather Ethiopia. |
| Ezekiel 30:5 | Ethiopia, and Lybia, and Lydia, and all the rest of the crowd, and Chub, and the children of the land of the covenant, shall fall with them by the sword. | Lydia. Hebrew, "Phut," near Egypt. (Calmet) --- These troops were paid. (Haydock) --- Chub, in Mareotis. --- Covenant: the Jews or auxiliaries. Septuagint add, "the Persians and Cretans." (Calmet) --- There were Persians in Africa who followed Hercules. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 5:8.) |
| Ezekiel 30:6 | Thus saith the Lord God: They also that uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her empire shall be brought down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord, the God of hosts. | |
| Ezekiel 30:7 | And they shall be desolate in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and the cities thereof shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. | |
| Ezekiel 30:8 | And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have set a fire in Egypt, and all the helpers thereof shall be destroyed. | |
| Ezekiel 30:9 | In that day shall messengers go forth from my face, in ships, to destroy the confidence of Ethiopia; and there shall be dread among them in the day of Egypt: because it shall certainly come. | Messengers; the Chaldeans. (Calmet) --- The Nile was navigable as far as Syene. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 30:10 | Thus saith the Lord God: I will make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nabuchodonosor, the king of Babylon. | |
| Ezekiel 30:11 | He, and his people with him, the strongest of nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords upon Egypt, and shall fill the land with the slain. | |
| Ezekiel 30:12 | And I will make the channels of the rivers dry, and will deliver the land into the hand of the wicked: and will lay waste the land, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, the Lord, have spoken it. | Dry. The canals were obstructed (Calmet) which rendered cavalry useless. (Herodotus 2:108.) |
| Ezekiel 30:13 | *Thus saith the Lord God: I will also destroy the idols, and I will make an end of the idols of Memphis: and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will cause a terror in the land of Egypt. Zacharias 13:2. | Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt, (Calmet) where the idol or bull (Haydock) Apis was fed. (Calmet) --- Here Amasis overcame Apries. (Herodotus 2:168.) --- The Chaldeans made war on the gods as well as on the people. --- Prince Amasis was tributary to Babylon. Some of this probably regards the times of Cambyses and Ochus. (Usher, the year of the world 3478 and 3653.) (Calmet) See Ezechiel 29:14. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 30:14 | And I will destroy the land of Phatures, and will make a fire in Taphnis, and will execute judgments in Alexandria. | Taphnis, or Tanis, famous for the miracles of Moses. (Calmet) --- Alexandria. In the Hebrew No, which was the ancient name of that city, which was afterwards rebuilt by Alexander the Great, and from his name called Alexandria. (Challoner) --- Septuagint, "Memphis or Diospolis;" (Calmet) or Thebes, capital of Higher Egypt; (Bochart) though it seems rather a maritime town, Nahum 3:8. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 30:15 | And I will pour out my indignation upon Pelusium, the strength of Egypt, and will cut off the multitude of Alexandria. | Pelusium. Hebrew Sin, (Haydock) "muddy," has the same import as pelos. (Calmet) --- The place is now called Damietta. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 30:16 | And I will make a fire in Egypt: Pelusium shall be in pain, like a woman in labour, and Alexandria shall be laid waste, and in Memphis there shall be daily distresses. | |
| Ezekiel 30:17 | The young men of Heliopolis, and of Bubastus, shall fall by the sword; and they themselves shall go into captivity. | |
| Ezekiel 30:18 | And in Taphnis, the day shall be darkened when I shall break there the sceptres of Egypt, and the pride of her power shall cease in her: a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall be led into captivity. | Darkened: war and misery shall ensue. --- Sceptres, by dethroning Apries. --- Pride; overflowing of the Nile. See Jeremias 49:19. |
| Ezekiel 30:19 | And I will execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 30:20 | And it came to pass in the eleventh year, *in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3416. Year, in which Jerusalem was taken. Pharao lost a battle. His country was afterwards invaded, (Calmet) and his subjects rebelled, ver. 21. (Haydock) --- Part of the kingdom had been already subdued, 4 Kings 24:7. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 30:21 | Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharao, king of Egypt; and behold it is not bound up, to be healed, to be tied up with clothes, and swathed with linen, that it might recover strength, and hold the sword. | |
| Ezekiel 30:22 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against Pharao, king of Egypt, and I will break into pieces his strong arm, which is already broken: and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand: | |
| Ezekiel 30:23 | And I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and scatter them through the countries. | |
| Ezekiel 30:24 | And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and will put my sword in his hand: and I will break the arms of Pharao, and they shall groan bitterly, being slain before his face. | |
| Ezekiel 30:25 | And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharao shall fall: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have given my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall have stretched it forth upon the land of Egypt. | |
| Ezekiel 30:26 | And I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and will scatter them through the countries, and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 31:0 | The Assyrian empire fell for their pride: the Egyptian shall fall in like manner. | |
| Ezekiel 31:1 | And *it came to pass in the eleventh year, the third month, the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3416. Year, about a month before the fall of Jerusalem. |
| Ezekiel 31:2 | Son of man, speak to Pharao, king of Egypt, and to his people: To whom art thou like, in thy greatness? | |
| Ezekiel 31:3 | Behold, the Assyrian was like a cedar in Libanus, with fair branches, and full of leaves, of a high stature, and his top was elevated among the thick boughs. | Assyrian. The ruin of this great empire (Calmet) might have admonished the king of Egypt of his frail condition. (Haydock) --- About thirty-eight years before (Calmet) Ninive had been taken, and its king (Sarac or Chinaladan) slain by his own general, Nabopolassar, and by Astyages, of Media. They divided the empire between them, and the father of Nabuchodonosor fixed his residence at Babylon. (Usher, the year of the world 3378.) --- Cedar. Septuagint, "cypress." --- Top; the king of Ninive. (Calmet) --- Egypt's monarch thought himself invincible; yet would fall like the Assyrian. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 31:4 | The waters nourished him, the deep set him up on high, the streams thereof ran round about his roots, and it sent forth its rivulets to all the trees of the country. | Roots. Various nations paid tribute to the Assyrian, (St. Jerome; Calmet) while he sent his troops, like rivulets, to keep all in subjection. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 31:5 | Therefore was his height exalted above all the trees of the country: and his branches were multiplied, and his boughs were elevated because of many waters. | |
| Ezekiel 31:6 | And when he had spread forth his shadow, all the fowls of the air made their nests in his boughs, and all the beasts of the forest brought forth their young under his branches, and the assembly of many nations dwelt under his shadow. | |
| Ezekiel 31:7 | And he was most beautiful for his greatness, and for the spreading of his branches: for his root was near great waters. | |
| Ezekiel 31:8 | The cedars in the paradise of God were not higher than he, the fir-trees did not equal his top, neither were the plane-trees to be compared with him for branches: no tree in the paradise of God, was like him in his beauty. | |
| Ezekiel 31:9 | For I made him beautiful, and thick set with many branches: and all the trees of pleasure, that were in the paradise of God, envied him. | |
| Ezekiel 31:10 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Because he was exalted in height, and shot up his top green and thick, and his heart was lifted up in his height: | |
| Ezekiel 31:11 | I have delivered him into the hands of the mighty one of the nations, he shall deal with him: I have cast him out according to his wickedness. | I have delivered. Here the time past is put for the future; i.e., I shall deliver. --- The mighty one, etc., viz., Nabuchodonosor, who conquered both the Assyrians and Egyptians; (Challoner) or rather his father, Nabopolassar, subdued the former, ver. 3. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 31:12 | And strangers and the most cruel of the nations shall cut him down, and cast him away upon the mountains, and his boughs shall fall in every valley, and his branches shall be broken on every rock of the country: and all the people of the earth shall depart from his shadow, and leave him. | Strangers; revolted Assyrians. See Psalm 17:46. |
| Ezekiel 31:13 | All the fowls of the air dwelt upon his ruins, and all the beasts of the field were among his branches. | Branches. The nations continued, but submitted to another master. |
| Ezekiel 31:14 | For which cause none of the trees by the waters shall exalt themselves for their height: nor shoot up their tops among the thick branches and leaves, neither shall any of them that are watered stand up in their height: for they are all delivered unto death to the lowest parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down into the pit. | Pit. The new king would appoint fresh governors. |
| Ezekiel 31:15 | Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when he went down to hell, I brought in mourning, I covered him with the deep: and withheld its rivers, and restrained the many waters: Libanus grieved for him, and all the trees of the field trembled. | Waters, as if they bewailed his fate. (Calmet) --- Those whom the king of Ninive had exalted, and the people, who wished not to submit to a foreigner, would no doubt lament the slaughtered monarch, now silent (Haydock) in the grave. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 31:16 | I shook the nations with the sound of his fall, when I brought him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of pleasure, the choice and best in Libanus, all that were moistened with waters, were comforted in the lowest parts of the earth. | Comforted. The ghosts of princes who had been subject to Serac, seeing his fall, bore their own misfortune with greater content. In the grave there is no distinction of master and slave. (Calmet) --- Surviving princes expected some emolument from the change. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 31:17 | For they also shall go down with him to hell to them that are slain by the sword: and the arm of every one shall sit down under his shadow in the midst of the nations. | Arm; those in power. Septuagint, "his seed." Hebrew Zora, (Haydock) means both. |
| Ezekiel 31:18 | To whom art thou like, O thou that art famous and lofty among the trees of pleasure? Behold, thou art brought down with the trees of pleasure, to the lowest parts of the earth: thou shalt sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword: this is Pharao, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God. | Famous king of Assyria, or of Egypt. --- Pharao. (Calmet) --- Mutato nomine de te Fabula narratur. (Horace, 1. Sat. 1.) --- Though Egypt be like the most potent kingdoms, it shall likewise fall. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 32:0 | The prophet's lamentation for the king of Egypt. | |
| Ezekiel 32:1 | And it came to pass in the twelfth year, *in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3417, Year before Christ 587. Twelfth. He counts from the captivity of Jechonias, as Sedecias reigned only eleven years. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 32:2 | Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharao, the king of Egypt, and say to him: Thou art like the lion of the nations, and the dragon that is in the sea: and thou didst push with the horn in thy rivers, and didst trouble the waters with thy feet, and didst trample upon their streams. | Dragon, or crocodile; two of the most terrible creatures. --- With the horn is not expressed in Hebrew and the crocodile has nothing like a horn. It has four feet, with which it makes the water muddy. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 32:3 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: *I will spread out my net over thee with the multitude of many people, and I will draw thee up in my net. Ezechiel 12:13.; Ezechiel 17:20. | Net. Septuagint, "hook," Ezechiel 29:4. (Calmet) --- Some take the crocodile with a net, ver. 3. (Elian. Hist. 10:21.) |
| Ezekiel 32:4 | And I will throw thee out on the land; I will cast thee away in the open field; and I will cause all the fowls of the air to dwell upon thee; and I will fill the beasts of all the earth with thee. | |
| Ezekiel 32:5 | And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and will fill thy hills with thy corruption. | Corruption. Septuagint, "blood." But romuth (Haydock) means rather "worms." (Syriac) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 32:6 | And I will water the earth with thy stinking blood upon the mountains, and the valleys shall be filled with thee. | |
| Ezekiel 32:7 | *And I will cover the heavens, when thou shalt be put out, and I will make the stars thereof dark: I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. Isaias 13:10.; Joel 2:10.; Joel 3:15.; Matthew 24:29. | \f + \fr 32:7-8\ft Out, like a candle, by death; extinctus. (Haydock) --- The glory of Egypt was so great, that at its fall the light of heaven seemed diminished. (Worthington) --- Great desolation is thus intimated. --- When, etc., is not in some Latin copies, nor in Hebrew, etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 32:8 | I will make all the lights of heaven to mourn over thee, and I will cause darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God, when thy wounded shall fall in the midst of the land, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 32:9 | And I shall provoke to anger the heart of many people, when I shall have brought in thy destruction among the nations upon the lands which thou knowest not. | Anger, as they will not know why I have treated thee so severely: or rather, they shall be afraid for themselves, ver. 10. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 32:10 | And I will make many people to be amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horridly afraid for thee, when my sword shall begin to fly upon their faces: and they shall be astonished on a sudden, every one for his own life, in the day of thy ruin. | |
| Ezekiel 32:11 | For thus saith the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee. | |
| Ezekiel 32:12 | By the swords of the mighty I will overthrow thy multitude: all these nations are invincible: and they shall waste the pride of Egypt, and the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. | Invincible, when they wield God's sword. Cyrus easily conquered them. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "strong,." Septuagint, "pestiferous." |
| Ezekiel 32:13 | I will destroy also all the beasts thereof, that were beside the great waters: and the foot of man shall trouble them no more, neither shall the hoof of beasts trouble them. | |
| Ezekiel 32:14 | Then will I make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God: | Oil. It is very transparent. It seems the Nile was rendered muddy by cattle, etc. |
| Ezekiel 32:15 | When I shall have made the land of Egypt desolate: and the land shall be destitute of her fulness, when I shall have struck all the inhabitants thereof: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | Fulness, or all of it shall be desolate. |
| Ezekiel 32:16 | This is the lamentation, and they shall lament therewith: the daughters of the nations shall lament therewith: for Egypt, and for the multitude thereof they shall lament therewith, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 32:17 | And it came to pass in the twelfth year, *in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | Year of the World 3417. Month: probably the twelfth, ver. 1. |
| Ezekiel 32:18 | Son of man, sing a mournful song for the multitude of Egypt: and cast her down, both her, and the daughters of the mighty nations to the lowest part of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. | Down: announce this catastrophe. (Calmet) --- Apries was slain by order of Amasis. (Diodorus 1.) (Jeremias 44:30.) |
| Ezekiel 32:19 | Whom dost thou excel in beauty? go down and sleep with the uncircumcised. | |
| Ezekiel 32:20 | They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain with the sword: the sword is given, they have drawn her down, and all her people. | |
| Ezekiel 32:21 | The most mighty among the strong ones shall speak to him from the midst of hell, they that went down with his helpers, and slept uncircumcised, slain by the sword. | Most. Septuagint, "giants shall say to thee: Remain in the depth of the pit. Whom dost thou excel? descend," etc. (Haydock) --- They vary much in this chapter from the Hebrew. (St. Jerome) --- Helpers; Lybians, etc., Ezechiel 30:5. These shall come to compliment the king. (Calmet) --- After a battle, those of the same nation were buried together, ver. 22. (Theodoret) --- The Egyptians had tombs like houses, in which there were separate holes or apartments (Calmet) as in large vaults. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 32:22 | Assur is there, and all his multitude: their graves are round about him, all of them slain, and that fell by the sword. | |
| Ezekiel 32:23 | Whose graves are set in the lowest parts of the pit: and his multitude lay round about his grave: all of them slain, and fallen by the sword, they that heretofore spread terror in the land of the living. | |
| Ezekiel 32:24 | There is Elam, and all his multitude, round about his grave, all of them slain, and fallen by the sword: that went down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth: that caused their terror in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with them that go down into the pit. | Shame. They are buried without any distinction. |
| Ezekiel 32:25 | In the midst of the slain they have set him a bed among all his people: their graves are round about him: all these are uncircumcised, and slain by the sword: for they spread their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with them that descend into the pit: they are laid in the midst of the slain. | |
| Ezekiel 32:26 | There is Mosoch, and Thubal, and all their multitude: their graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, and slain, and falling by the sword, though they spread their terror in the land of the living. | |
| Ezekiel 32:27 | And they shall not sleep with the brave, and with them that fell uncircumcised, that went down to hell with their weapons, and laid their swords under their heads, and their iniquities were in their bones: because they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. | Not. Some copies of Septuagint omit the negation. Others render the Hebrew, "Have they not slept?" etc. These nations were deprived of military honours, dying like cowards; and therefore their swords were not placed with them in the grave. (Calmet) --- It was customary to inter such things as the deceased had liked the most. (Serv. in Virgil's Aeneid X. Arma quibus laetatus habe tua, etc. Simon (1 Machabees 13:29.) placed arms and representations of ships on the pillars at Modin, in honour of his kindred. If Elam, etc., had not received such distinction, why should the Egyptian repine? Were they any better? (Calmet) --- The country and king of the Elamites, Assyrians, and other infidels, shall be destroyed. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 32:28 | So thou also shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt sleep with them that are slain by the sword. | Midst. This threat would make great impression on the Egyptians, who were particularly solicitous to be buried with their fathers. |
| Ezekiel 32:29 | There is Edom and her kings, and all her princes, who with their army are joined with them that are slain by the sword: and have slept with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down into the pit. | Edom. Septuagint add, "and all the Assyrian princes." Some copies omit Edom. (Haydock) --- This nation had laid aside circumcision, which Hircan forced them to resume. They had been present at the siege of Jerusalem, Ezechiel 35. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 32:30 | There are all the princes of the north, and all the hunters: who were brought down with the slain, fearing and confounded in their strength: who slept uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword, and have borne their shame with them that go down into the pit. | Hunters of men, like Nemrod, the first king of Assyria. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 32:31 | Pharao saw them, and he was comforted concerning all his multitude, which was slain by the sword: Pharao, and all his army, saith the Lord God: | |
| Ezekiel 32:32 | Because I have spread my terror in the land of the living, and he hath slept in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword: Pharao, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God. | My. Hebrew, Septuagint, "his," (Calmet) alluding to the ravages of Nechao; (Grotius) though the Hebrew may also signify my, as the Jews read Egypt, and Palestine, the land of the living, were filled with terror. After the latter had been chastised, Pharao might dread (Calmet) a worse fate; (Haydock) and the multitudes slain before him, might afford him some (Calmet) wretched consolation. (Haydock) --- It is evident that these nations believed the existence of separate spirits, and had not given in to the errors of the Sadducees, or of the Metempsychosis. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 33:0 | The duty of the watchman appointed by God: the justice of God's ways: his judgments upon the Jews. | |
| Ezekiel 33:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 33:2 | Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say to them: When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man, one of their meanest, and make him a watchman over them: | Take. Before (chap. 3:17.) God made the choice, (Calmet) as he does here, ver. 7. He confirms the authority of those who are appointed to govern. --- Meanest. Literally, "last," (Haydock) which seems to denote such as are chosen without regard to their dignity or obscurity in life, Genesis 47:2., and 3 Kings 12:31. (Calmet) --- Pastors are not excused from admonishing the people for fear of danger or despair of reclaiming them, as each one is bound to do his duty. (St. Jerome) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 33:3 | And he see the sword coming upon the land, and sound the trumpet, and tell the people: | |
| Ezekiel 33:4 | Then he that heareth the sound of the trumpet, whosoever he be, and doth not look to himself, if the sword come and cut him off, his blood shall be upon his own head. | |
| Ezekiel 33:5 | He heard the sound of the trumpet, and did not look to himself; his blood shall be upon him: but if he look to himself, he shall save his life. | |
| Ezekiel 33:6 | And if the watchman see the sword coming, and sound not the trumpet, and the people look not to themselves, and the sword come and cut off a soul from among them; he indeed is taken away in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at the hand of the watchman. | Iniquity, not regarding the admonitions of his pastor; (chap. 3:18.; Calmet) or rather of conscience, when the guide proves faithless and silent, as in this instance. (Haydock) --- The people were persuaded that none suffered except for some fault, ver. 10.; Jeremias 31:30., Daniel 13:52., and Genesis 44:16. The author of the Book of Job takes great pains to remove this mistake. God sometimes sends crosses for a trial, (Calmet) and to increase the merit of his servants; though it be very true, (Haydock) "no one is miserable except he deserve it." (St. Augustine) |
| Ezekiel 33:7 | *So thou, O son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore, thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me. Ezechiel 3:17. | |
| Ezekiel 33:8 | When I say to the wicked: O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand. | Surely die a temporal, (Theodoret) or rather an eternal death. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 33:9 | But if thou tell the wicked man, that he may be converted from his ways, and he be not converted from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. | |
| Ezekiel 33:10 | Thou therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: Thus you have spoken, saying: Our iniquities and our sins are upon us, and we pine away in them; how then can we live? | Live? They suppose their case to be desperate, as their fathers had sinned, Ezechiel 18. The prophet shews that none are punished except for their own faults, (Calmet) and that "each one has free-will to be saved or to be lost." (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 33:11 | *Say to them: As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways: and why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezechiel 18:32. | Desire. The sinner's damnation is not an object of God's pleasure, Ezechiel 18:23. (Calmet) --- He has an antecedent will to save all. He knocks at the door of our heart, (Apocalypse 3:20.) and if man do what depends on him, nothing will be wanting on the part of God. (St. Thomas Aquinas, [Summa Theologiae] 1:2. q. 109. and 112.) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 33:12 | Thou therefore, O son of man, say to the children of thy people: The justice of the just shall not deliver him, in what day soever he shall sin; and the wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him, in what day soever he shall turn from his wickedness; and the just shall not be able to live in his justice, in what day soever he shall sin. | Hurt him. God effaces all past crimes: yet a relapse makes them as it were revive, and is pardoned with more difficulty, Matthew 18:35. Some read, "In what day the converted sinner groans, he shall be saved," as if they had taken in part of Isaias 30:15. |
| Ezekiel 33:13 | Yea, if I shall say to the just that he shall surely live, and he, trusting in his justice, commit iniquity, all his justices shall be forgotten: and in his iniquity, which he hath committed, in the same shall he die. | |
| Ezekiel 33:14 | And if I shall say to the wicked: Thou shalt surely die: and he do penance for his sin and do judgment and justice; | |
| Ezekiel 33:15 | And if that wicked man restore the pledge, and render what he had robbed, and walk in the commandments of life, and do no unjust thing, he shall surely live, and shall not die. | |
| Ezekiel 33:16 | None of his sins, which he hath committed, shall be imputed to him; he hath done judgment and justice, he shall surely live. | |
| Ezekiel 33:17 | And the children of thy people have said: The way of the Lord is not equitable: whereas, their own way is unjust. | Equitable; as we are much more inclined to vice than to virtue. This argumentation is inconclusive, as God owes nothing to man; and what good the latter does, is an effect of his grace. The propensity to evil is no excuse, as man is still free. He is judged according to the dispositions in which he is found at the hour of death; yet we must not infer, that those who have spent their lives in sinning will be no worse treated than the person who dies guilty of a single crime. |
| Ezekiel 33:18 | For when the just shall depart from his justice, and commit iniquities, he shall die in them. | |
| Ezekiel 33:19 | And when the wicked shall depart from his wickedness, and shall do judgments and justice, he shall live in them. | |
| Ezekiel 33:20 | And you say: *The way of the Lord is not right: I will judge every one of you according to his ways, O house of Israel. Ezechiel 18:25. | |
| Ezekiel 33:21 | And it came to pass in the twelfth year* of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that there came to me one that was fled from Jerusalem, saying: The city is laid waste. | Year of the World 3417, Year before Christ 587. Twelfth. Roman Septuagint, "tenth." Syriac, "eleventh year,...in the twelfth month;" which Theodoret thinks more probable, as the city was taken in the ninth of the fourth month of that year. Yet even so, it is strange that the news should not arrive before. Some think (Calmet) that the messenger came also to announce what happened after the death of Godolias. (Sanctius) --- Captivity. Here it is evident that the prophet dates from that event, Ezechiel 1., etc. (Haydock) --- As he prophesied on the very day when the city was besieged, (chap. 24:2.) so (chap. 24:26.) he foretold that one should come three years after to inform him of the capture. (Worthington) --- Then the people would believe him, (ibid. Ezechiel 24:27.) Calmet) and he would open his mouth boldly, ver. 22. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 33:22 | And the hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before he that was fled came; and he opened my mouth till he came to me in the morning, and my mouth being opened, I was silent no more. | |
| Ezekiel 33:23 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 33:24 | Son of man, they that dwell in these ruinous places in the land of Israel, speak, saying: Abraham was one, and he inherited the land; but we are many, the land is given us in possession. | Places. He has answered those who despaired, ver. 10. Now he turns to the presumptuous, who expected to be treated like Abraham, though they did not imitate his virtues. (Calmet) --- They perhaps entertained these sentiments before the death of Godolias, thinking to establish themselves in the land. Afterwards the prophet Jeremias could not prevail on them to remain, though God promised them security. |
| Ezekiel 33:25 | Therefore say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: You that eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your uncleannesses, and that shed blood: shall you possess the land by inheritance? | To them. Grabe marks to ver. 27., Thus saith, etc., as wanting in the Septuagint, though not in the Alexandrian copy. St. Jerome reckons eight verses or lines omitted. (Haydock) --- The Complutensian and Theodoret read them with some variations. --- The blood. It must be carefully extracted, Genesis 9:4., and Leviticus 7:26. --- Uncleannesses; idols, in which you trust. |
| Ezekiel 33:26 | You stood on your swords, you have committed abominations, and every one hath defiled his neighbour's wife: and shall you possess the land by inheritance? | Swords, thinking to live thereby, (Genesis 27:40.) and to be secure. But I will disarm you. The pestilence shall find out those in the rocks, ver. 27. |
| Ezekiel 33:27 | Say thou thus to them: Thus saith the Lord God: As I live, they that dwell in the ruinous places shall fall by the sword: and he that is in the field, shall be given to the beasts to be devoured: and they that are in holds and caves, shall die of the pestilence. | |
| Ezekiel 33:28 | And I will make the land a wilderness and a desert, and the proud strength thereof shall fail; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, because there is none to pass by them. | |
| Ezekiel 33:29 | And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have made their land waste and desolate, for all their abominations which they have committed. | |
| Ezekiel 33:30 | And thou, son of man: the children of thy people, that talk of thee by the walls, and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, each men to his neighbour, saying: Come, and let us hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. | Walls, the resort of idle people. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 33:31 | And they come to thee, as if a people were coming in, and my people sit before thee: and hear thy words, and do them not: for they turn them into a song of their mouth, and their heart goeth after their covetousness. | In to a religious meeting. (Chaldean) Perhaps they came on the sabbath to his house. Yet they made a just and song of his instructions. (Calmet) --- They heard them with pleasure, but did not reform their lives. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 33:32 | And thou art to them as a musical song, which is sung with a sweet and agreeable voice: and they hear thy words, and do them not. | |
| Ezekiel 33:33 | And when that which was foretold shall come to pass, (for behold it is coming) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. | Coming. The desolation of Jerusalem, (Haydock) and what I have foretold, hath already taken place; or, the news will presently arrive: as it did the following morning, ver. 21. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 34:0 | Evil pastors are reproved: Christ, the true pastor, shall come and gather together his flock from all parts of the earth, and preserve it for ever. | |
| Ezekiel 34:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 34:2 | Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to the shepherds: Thus saith the Lord God: *Wo to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: should not the flocks be fed by the shepherds? Jeremias 23:1.; Ezechiel 13:3. | Shepherds. That is, princes, magistrates, chief priests, and scribes. (Challoner) --- Shepherds may lawfully take milk, (1 Corinthians 9:7.) but the sheep and its wool belong to the master. (Worthington) --- Excellent instructions are here given for all in authority. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 34:3 | You eat the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat: but my flock you did not feed. | Fat. Pastors often disguise the truth to flatter the rich, or the more just souls are ruined by their negligence. |
| Ezekiel 34:4 | The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed; that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand. | Healed. God alone can restore to life. But pastors will not be excused by ignorance if they know not the maladies and the remedies of their flock. --- Hand. This was blamed in the Pharisees, and is contrary to the spirit of the gospel, Matthew 23:4., and 1 Peter 5:2. |
| Ezekiel 34:5 | And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. | Field. The people being neglected, followed false prophets and idols. Their teachers were so far from striving to reclaim them, that they perhaps shewed them the example. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 34:6 | My sheep have wandered in every mountain, and in every high hill; and my flocks were scattered upon the face of the earth, and there was none that sought them; there was none, I say, that sought them. | |
| Ezekiel 34:7 | Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: | |
| Ezekiel 34:8 | As I live, saith the Lord God, forasmuch as my flocks have been made a spoil, and my sheep are become a prey to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd; for my shepherds did not seek after my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks: | No shepherd. Pastors who seek only their temporal advantage, (1 Timothy 6:5., and Titus 1:7.; Haydock) are hirelings; and if they teach false doctrine, they are wolves, John 10. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 34:9 | Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: | |
| Ezekiel 34:10 | Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself come upon the shepherds, I will require my flock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding the flock any more; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no more be meat for them. | Cease. Both the leaders and the people were led into captivity. |
| Ezekiel 34:11 | For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. | |
| Ezekiel 34:12 | As the shepherd visiteth his flock, in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered; so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered, in the cloudy and dark day. | Day, in persecution. I will count my sheep, lest any be lost. |
| Ezekiel 34:13 | And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land: | Land. All this cannot be understood of the synagogue alone. |
| Ezekiel 34:14 | I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel; there shall they rest on the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 34:15 | I will feed my sheep: and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 34:16 | I will seek that which was lost; and that which was driven away, I will bring again; and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment. | Preserve, (Septuagint, Syriac) which seems more natural than Hebrew and Chaldean, "destroy." I will not eat them, like bad shepherds, ver. 3. (Calmet) --- God and those whom he sends, will take care of the flock, Ephesians 4:(Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 34:17 | And as for you, O my flocks, thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he-goats. | Cattle. The crimes of the pastors do not excuse the flock. In it there are people of different dispositions. The rich often destroy, and these are brought to an account, ver. 24. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 34:18 | Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? but you must also tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures: and when you drank the clearest water, you troubled the rest with your feet. | |
| Ezekiel 34:19 | And my sheep were fed with that which you had trodden with your feet; and they drank what your feet had troubled. | |
| Ezekiel 34:20 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God to you: Behold, I myself will judge between the fat cattle and the lean. | |
| Ezekiel 34:21 | Because you thrusted with sides and shoulders, and struck all the weak cattle with your horns, till they were scattered abroad. | |
| Ezekiel 34:22 | I will save my flock, and it shall be no more a spoil; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. | |
| Ezekiel 34:23 | *And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. Isaias 40:11.; Osee 3:5.; John 1:45.; John 10:11.; John 10:14. | David; Christ, who is of the house of David. (Calmet) --- That king had been dead long before, so that no Jew or heretic can deny but that the Messias is here meant, as [in] Ezechiel 37:24., etc. (Worthington) --- He possessed eminently all the virtues of David, and was of his seed. Zorobabel, etc., cannot be understood, as we have no proof that the governors after the captivity were chosen from the tribe of Juda, Ezechiel 21:27. |
| Ezekiel 34:24 | And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David the prince, in the midst of them: I, the Lord, have spoken it. | |
| Ezekiel 34:25 | And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they that dwell in the wilderness, shall sleep secure in the forests. | Peace. Christ pacifies all, Romans 15:33., Micheas 5:5., and Ephesians 6:15. --- Beasts: those who promote idolatry; or, speaking of Christians, who teach heretical doctrine and persecute the Church. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 34:26 | And I will make them a blessing round about my hill: and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be showers of blessing. | Make. Literally, "place." (Haydock) --- Septuagint read not a blessing, which seems superfluous. (Calmet) --- Yet Chaldean has it, and the idea is more complete. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 34:27 | And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be in their land without fear: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have broken the bonds of their yoke, and shall have delivered them out of the hand of those that rule over them. | |
| Ezekiel 34:28 | And they shall be no more for a spoil to the nations; neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them, but they shall dwell securely without any terror. | |
| Ezekiel 34:29 | And I will raise up for them a bud of renown: and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither shall they bear any more the reproach of the Gentiles. | A bud of renown, (germen nominatum.) He speaks of Christ, our Lord, the illustrious bud of the house of David, renowned over all the earth. See Jeremias 33:15. (Challoner) --- Septuagint, Syriac, "a plant of peace." Chaldean, "established." (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 34:30 | And they shall know that I, the Lord, their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 34:31 | *And you my flocks, the flocks of my pasture, are men; and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God. John 10:11. | Men. What has been said of sheep (Menochius) relates to you. --- Am the Lord. This is not in Hebrew or Protestants. (Haydock) --- But it is found in one Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint, as this version is thus frequently confirmed. (Kennicott, Dis. ii.) |
| Ezekiel 35:0 | The judgment of Mount Seir, for their hatred of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 35:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 35:2 | Son of man, set thy face against Mount Seir, and prophesy concerning it, and say to it: | Face. Address, or speak without fearing any man. (Worthington) --- Seir: Idumea. He speaks of its devastation, both by Nabuchodonosor on the side of Moab, and by the Machabees in what remained, Jeremias 27:7., and 1 Machabees 4:60., and 14:33. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 35:3 | Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, Mount Seir, and I will stretch forth my hand upon thee, and I will make thee desolate and waste. | |
| Ezekiel 35:4 | I will destroy thy cities, and thou shalt be desolate; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 35:5 | Because thou hast been an everlasting enemy, and hast shut up the children of Israel, in the hands of the sword in the time of their affliction, in the time of their last iniquity. | Enemy. God revenges the injuries done to his Church, as if they were done to himself, Acts 9:4. (Worthington) --- The enmity of Jacob and of Esau seemed to commence in the womb, and was increased by the purchase of the birth-right, till Jacob's prudence disarmed his brother. Their descendants sought every opportunity to injure one another. The Idumeans shewed their ill-will particularly, when the Jews were most distressed. This was a piece of the greatest cruelty. |
| Ezekiel 35:6 | Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, I will deliver thee up to blood, and blood shall pursue thee: and whereas thou hast hated blood, blood shall pursue thee. | Blood. The Machabees sprung from the same stock. Pursue the Idumeans, and force them to receive circumcision, 1 Machabees 4:15. |
| Ezekiel 35:7 | And I will make Mount Seir waste and desolate; and I will take away from it him that goeth and him that returneth. | |
| Ezekiel 35:8 | And I will fill his mountains with his men that are slain: in thy hills, and in thy vallies, and in thy torrents they shall fall that are slain with the sword. | |
| Ezekiel 35:9 | I will make thee everlasting desolations, and thy cities shall not be inhabited: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord God. | Inhabited for a considerable time, as [in] Ezechiel 26:20. |
| Ezekiel 35:10 | Because thou hast said: The two nations, and the two lands shall be mine, and I will possess them by inheritance: whereas the Lord was there. | Two. I will add the country of the Jews to my own, or will possess the land belonging to the kingdoms of Juda and of Israel. Their hopes were blasted. They never occupied any thing belonging to the Israelites, and what they had taken from Juda, as far as Hebron, was recovered. --- There, witness of these designs, and guardian of his temple, etc. |
| Ezekiel 35:11 | Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, I will do according to thy wrath, and according to thy envy which thou hast exercised in hatred to them: and I will be made known by them, when I shall have judged thee. | Wrath. The Jews shall treat you as you have threatened to do unto them. --- By them, my people. Septuagint, "to thee." |
| Ezekiel 35:12 | And thou shalt know that I, the Lord, have heard all thy reproaches, that thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying: They are desolate, they are given to us to consume. | |
| Ezekiel 35:13 | And you rose up against me with your mouth, and have derogated from me by your words: I have heard them. | Derogated. Septuagint, "bawled;" or Hebrew, "multiplied your words against me," as if I could not protect my inheritance. (Haydock) --- You would pretend to judge me, and to fathom my designs. |
| Ezekiel 35:14 | Thus saith the Lord God: When the whole earth shall rejoice, I will make thee a wilderness. | Rejoice. After the captivity, the Machabees shall conquer Edom. |
| Ezekiel 35:15 | As thou hast rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was laid waste, so will I do to thee: thou shalt be laid waste, O Mount Seir, and all Idumea: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | As, etc., is not in the Roman Septuagint. St. Jerome says it was marked with an asterisk, being taken from Theodotion. (Calmet) --- Grabe supplies to thou shalt. His copy has the rest:..."thou shalt know that I am their Lord." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 36:0 | The restoration of Israel, not for their merits, but by God's special grace. Christ's baptism. | |
| Ezekiel 36:1 | And thou, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: *Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: Ezechiel 6:3. | Israel. The restoration of the Jews and the redemption of Christ, constitute this fourth division. (Worthington) -- Edom has seized parts of the country, as if I had abandoned my people for ever. |
| Ezekiel 36:2 | Thus saith the Lord God: Because the enemy hath said of you: Aha, the everlasting heights are given to us for an inheritance. | Heights. Septuagint, "deserts." The mountains are often styled eternal, as being the best symbols of durability, Deuteronomy 33:15. |
| Ezekiel 36:3 | Therefore prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Because you have been desolate, and trodden under foot on every side, and made an inheritance to the rest of the nations, and are become the subject of the talk, and the reproach of the people: | Reproach. This God had repeatedly threatened, Deuteronomy 28:37., (Calmet) and Jeremias 24:9. --- People talked of their distress. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 36:4 | Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the brooks, and to the vallies, and to desolate places, and ruinous walls, and to the cities that are forsaken, that are spoiled, and derided by the rest of the nations round about. | |
| Ezekiel 36:5 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: In the fire of my zeal I have spoken of the rest of the nations, and of all Edom, who have taken my land to themselves, for an inheritance with joy, and with all the heart, and with the mind: and have cast it out to lay it waste. | |
| Ezekiel 36:6 | Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, and to the hills, to the ridges, and to the vallies: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in my zeal, and in my indignation, because you have borne the shame of the Gentiles. | |
| Ezekiel 36:7 | Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I have lifted up my hand, that the Gentiles who are round about you, shall themselves bear their shame. | |
| Ezekiel 36:8 | But as for you, O mountains of Israel, shoot ye forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel: for they are at hand to come. | Israel. Some apply what follows to the captives returning; others, perceiving that the expressions were not then literally verified, have recourse to the reign of 1000 years. Others again explain the whole of Christ's Church. But some expressions refer to it, and others to the captives; which, though mixed together, induce no confusion, as what belongs to the Jews was a figure of what regarded Christ; and the predictions of the Messias might be applied to the Jews in an hyperbolical sense. (St. Augustine, Doct. 3:34.) (St. Jerome) (Menochius) (Tirinus) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 36:9 | For lo I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be ploughed and sown. | |
| Ezekiel 36:10 | And I will multiply men upon you, and all the house of Israel: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the ruinous places shall be repaired. | |
| Ezekiel 36:11 | And I will make you abound with men and with beasts: and they shall be multiplied, and increase: and I will settle you as from the beginning, and will give you greater gifts than you had from the beginning: and you shall know that I am the Lord. | Greater. Septuagint, "similar." (Haydock) --- It would be difficult to shew that the Jews arrived at greater eminence after the captivity than before, (Calmet) though they were less addicted to idolatry. Their kingdom was not independent: they had no prophets, etc. But the superior numbers and excellence of the Christian Church is manifest. |
| Ezekiel 36:12 | And I will bring men upon you, my people Israel, and they shall possess thee for their inheritance: and thou shalt be their inheritance, and shalt no more henceforth be without them. | Them. Antiochus and the Romans laid waste the country; (Calmet) and Adrian would not allow the Jews to come near Jerusalem. (St. Jerome) (Eusebius, [History of the Church] 4:6.) --- The people were not indeed removed together, as they had been. But all this is verified only in the Church, which in the midst of persecutions always subsists. Theodoret thinks these promises were conditional with regard to the Jews. |
| Ezekiel 36:13 | Thus saith the Lord God: Because they say of you: Thou art a devourer of men, and one that suffocatest thy nation: | Men. This remark was very ancient, Numbers 13:33. Wars had almost always raged in the country. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 36:14 | Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, nor destroy thy nation any more, saith the Lord God: | |
| Ezekiel 36:15 | Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the nations any more, nor shalt thou bear the reproach of the people, nor lose thy nation any more, saith the Lord God. | More. This whole promise principally relates to the Church of Christ, and God's perpetual protection of her; for as to the carnal Jews, they have been removed out of their land these sixteen hundred years. (Challoner) |
| Ezekiel 36:16 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 36:17 | Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it with their ways, and with their doings: their way was before me like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman. | |
| Ezekiel 36:18 | And I poured out my indignation upon them for the blood which they had shed upon the land, and with their idols they defiled it. | Blood of their own children, and of the innocent, Ezechiel 16:36., and 22:2., and 33:25. |
| Ezekiel 36:19 | And I scattered them among the nations, and they are dispersed through the countries: I have judged them according to their ways, and their devices. | |
| Ezekiel 36:20 | And when they entered among the nations whither they went, *they profaned my holy name, when it was said of them: This is the people of the Lord, and they are come forth out of his land. Isaias 52:5.; Romans 2:24. | Land. Yet their conduct was no better than that of infidels. Thus they throw the blame on the law, and upon God himself, Jeremias 48:9., etc. (Calmet) --- The Jews had provoked God to punish them with captivity; and hence the nations took occasion to blaspheme, that he could not protect them. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 36:21 | And I have regarded my own holy name, which the house of Israel hath profaned among the nations to which they went in. | |
| Ezekiel 36:22 | Therefore thou shalt say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: It is not for your sake that I will do this, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations whither you went. | Holy, that my attributes of justice and mercy may be confessed, Isaias 48:2., Daniel 3:49., and Judith 8:24. |
| Ezekiel 36:23 | And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles, which you have profaned in the midst of them: that the Gentiles may know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord of hosts, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. | |
| Ezekiel 36:24 | For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. | |
| Ezekiel 36:25 | And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. | Water. R. David and the Chaldean explain this of the remission of sin; and all Christians understand it of baptism in water, remitting all offences, Ephesians 5:26., and Titus 3:5. (Worthington) --- He alludes to the purification of the Jews, which prefigured baptism and penance, in which the blood of Christ is applied to our souls. This of course was only fulfilled in his church. |
| Ezekiel 36:26 | *And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. Ezechiel 11:19. | Flesh. The Jews at their return fell not so often into the sins of idolatry, etc., of which the prophets complained. But yet they were far from answering this character. Great irregularities prevailed under Nehemias, and in the days of the Machabees the priests publicly worshipped idols, 1 Esdras 9., and 2 Esdras 5., and 8., and 2 Machabees 4., and 5. Christ enables his servants to act with purity unto the end, by the influence of his all-powerful grace. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 36:27 | And I will put my spirit in the midst of you: and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments, and do them. | Do them. Hence the efficacy of grace appears, (St. Augustine; Haydock) and hereby some keep the commandments. (Worthington) --- God assists our free-will. (Theodoret) (Cornelius a Lapide) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 36:28 | And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. | |
| Ezekiel 36:29 | And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for corn, and will multiply it, and will lay no famine upon you. | |
| Ezekiel 36:30 | And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you bear no more the reproach of famine among the nations. | |
| Ezekiel 36:31 | And you shall remember your wicked ways, and your doings that were not good: and your iniquities, and your wicked deeds shall displease you. | |
| Ezekiel 36:32 | It is not for your sakes that I will do this, saith the Lord God, be it known to you: be confounded, and ashamed at your own ways, O house of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 36:33 | Thus saith the Lord God: In the day that I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities, and shall cause the cities to be inhabited, and shall repair the ruinous places. | |
| Ezekiel 36:34 | And the desolate land shall be tilled, which before was waste in the sight of all that passed by. | |
| Ezekiel 36:35 | They shall say: This land that was untilled is become as a garden of pleasure: and the cities that were abandoned, and desolate, and destroyed, are peopled and fenced. | |
| Ezekiel 36:36 | And the nations, that shall be left round about you, shall know that I, the Lord, have built up what was destroyed, and planted what was desolate, that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it. | |
| Ezekiel 36:37 | Thus saith the Lord God: Moreover in this shall the house of Israel find me, that I will do it for them: I will multiply them as a flock of men. | Find. Hebrew, "seek." I will cause great multitudes to come to the solemn feast. This was seen still more after the conversion of the Gentiles. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 36:38 | As a holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts: so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 37:0 | A vision of the resurrection of dry bones, foreshewing the deliverance of the people from their captivity. Juda and Israel shall be all one kingdom under Christ. God's everlasting covenant with the Church. | |
| Ezekiel 37:1 | The hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me forth in the spirit of the Lord; and set me down in the midst of a plain that was full of bones. | Spirit, by a divine impulse. He was not really removed. (Menochius) (Calmet) --- Bones. "This passage is very famous." (St. Jerome) --- It insinuates the liberation of the captives and of the Gentiles, as well as the mystery of the resurrection. (Worthington) --- If this were not to take place, it would not be adduced as a figure. (Tertullian) (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 37:2 | And he led me about through them on every side: now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceeding dry. | |
| Ezekiel 37:3 | And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou think these bones shall live? And I answered: O Lord God, thou knowest. | |
| Ezekiel 37:4 | And he said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones: and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 37:5 | Thus saith the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live. | Spirit. That is, life, soul, and breath. (Challoner) --- At the resurrection, the same souls shall return to their respective bodies. |
| Ezekiel 37:6 | And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to grow over you, and will cover you with skin; and I will give you spirit, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 37:7 | And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a commotion: and the bones came together, each one to its joint. | Noise of the bones moving, which denotes the wars of Cyrus and the hurry of the nations to which he restored liberty. |
| Ezekiel 37:8 | And I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them. | |
| Ezekiel 37:9 | And he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, O son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus saith the Lord God: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, and let them live again. | Spirit; wind or soul. The latter animates the body, as the grace (Calmet) of the Holy Spirit does the soul. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 37:10 | And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and the spirit came into them, and they lived: and they stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. | |
| Ezekiel 37:11 | And he said to me: Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel: they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, and we are cut off. | Off, like branches. Notwithstanding these desponding thoughts, God will restore his people, (Worthington) by means of Cyrus. The grave is often put for punishment and grievous calamities, Osee 6:3. |
| Ezekiel 37:12 | Therefore prophesy, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchres, O my people: and will bring you into the land of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 37:13 | And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have opened your sepulchres, and shall have brought you out of your graves, O my people: | |
| Ezekiel 37:14 | And shall have put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall make you rest upon your own land: and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and done it, saith the Lord God: | |
| Ezekiel 37:15 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 37:16 | And thou, son of man, take thee a stick, and write upon it: Of Juda, and of the children of Israel, his associates: and take another stick and write upon it: For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, and of his associates. | Associates. When Jeroboam caused the division, some of Israel adhered to Juda. The prophet glued the pieces of wood together, or engrafted them one into the other, to shew that all the people should be united, and the Jews and Gentiles concur to form one church. (Calmet) (Romans 11:17.) --- Before the latter event took place God united the two kingdoms, to teach us that when we labour for the conversion of heretics, as in England, Catholics must first agree among themselves, that so all may more easily become one fold under one shepherd. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 37:17 | And join them one to the other into one stick, and they shall become one in thy hand. | |
| Ezekiel 37:18 | And when the children of thy people shall speak to thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by this? | |
| Ezekiel 37:19 | Say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel that are associated with him: and I will put them together with the stick of Juda, and will make them one stick: and they shall be one in his hand. | |
| Ezekiel 37:20 | And the sticks whereon thou hast written, shall be in thy hand, before their eyes. | |
| Ezekiel 37:21 | And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from the midst of the nations whither they are gone; and I will gather them on every side, and will bring them to their own land. | |
| Ezekiel 37:22 | *And I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all; and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided any more into two kingdoms. John 10:16. | King. The Jews were long without kings, after the captivity; then they were not of the tribe of Juda, and all did not return. Christ fulfils the prediction. |
| Ezekiel 37:23 | Nor shall they be defiled any more with their idols, nor with their abominations, nor with all their iniquities; and I will save them out of all the places in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. | Idols. The Jews, even many of the priests, worshipped them, under Antiochus. (Calmet) --- But the Church is never defiled. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 37:24 | *And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd; they shall walk in my judgments, and shall keep my commandments, and shall do them. Isaias 40:11.; Jeremias 23:5.; Ezechiel 34:23.; Daniel 9:24.; John 1:45. | David; Christ, the one shepherd, (John x.) over all nations. (Worthington) --- This cannot refer to Zorobabel, who was never king, nor perhaps even governor; as Sasabasar, who seems to have been a Persian, was appointed by Cyrus, 1 Esdras 1:8. --- Shepherd. David have been one. (Calmet) --- This title is more modest than that of king. (St. Jerome) |
| Ezekiel 37:25 | And they shall dwell in the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell in it, they and their children, and their children's children, for ever; and David, my servant, shall be their prince for ever. | Ever. Let the Jews shew how this has been accomplished. We know that Christ preserves and rule his Church unto the end. |
| Ezekiel 37:26 | *And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish them, and will multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever. Psalm 109:4.; Psalm 116:2.; John 12:34. | Peace. Can this regard the synagogue? Not a century passed without some flagrant misconduct, or chastisement. But our Saviour is the mediator of peace, Philippians 4:7. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 37:27 | And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. | |
| Ezekiel 37:28 | And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever. | |
| Ezekiel 38:0 | Gog shall persecute the Church in the latter days. He shall be overthrown. | |
| Ezekiel 38:1 | And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: | |
| Ezekiel 38:2 | *Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal: and prophesy of him, Ezechiel 39:1.; Apocalypse 20:7. | Gog. This name, which signifies hidden, or covered, is taken in this place either for the persecutors of the Church of God in general, or some arch persecutor in particular; such as Antichrist shall be in the latter days. See Apocalypse 20:8. And what is said of the punishment of Gog, is verified by the unhappy end of persecutors. --- Magog. Scythia or Tartary, whence the Turks and other enemies of the Church of Christ originally sprung. (Challoner) --- These are supposed to be the princes of some northern and barbarous country, (Worthington) peopled by the son of Japhet. (St. Jerome) --- St. Augustine (City of God 20:11.) observes, that as the Church is spread everywhere, so also are persecutors. But Christ will overcome them all. (Worthington) --- This prophecy is very difficult. It seems literally to refer to Cambyses, who invaded Judea about seventy years after the temple had been destroyed, and perished by the hand of God, at Ecbatana, upon Mount Carmel. It is very usual with the prophets to give fictitious names; as the king of Tyre is called a cherub, and Jerusalem Ooliba. Cambyses ruled over Scythia, in Iberia; styled Gogarene, by Strabo (xi.). (Calmet) --- The proper Scythia withstood all the attempts of his successors, and defeated Darius. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 38:3 | And say to him: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal. | |
| Ezekiel 38:4 | And I will turn thee about, and I will put a bit in thy jaws; and I will bring thee forth, and all thy army, horses and horsemen, all clothed with coats of mail, a great multitude, armed with spears, and shields, and swords. | Jaws. Thus Cambyses treated the son of Psammenites. God has the most absolute dominion over all monarchs, ver. 7. |
| Ezekiel 38:5 | The Persians, Ethiopians, and Lybians with them, all with shields and helmets. | |
| Ezekiel 38:6 | Gomer, and all his bands, the house of Thogorma, the northern parts, and all his strength, and many peoples with thee. | |
| Ezekiel 38:7 | Prepare and make thyself ready, and all thy multitude that is assembled about thee: and be thou commander over them. | |
| Ezekiel 38:8 | After many days thou shalt be visited: at the end of years thou shalt come to the land that is returned from the sword, and is gathered out of many nations, to the mountains of Israel, which have been continually waste: but it hath been brought forth out of the nations, and they shall all of them dwell securely in it. | Visited, or rather "shall visit" Judea. (Chaldean) (Grotius) --- Cambyses invaded Egypt twelve years after the Jews had returned, and came upon them two years later, designing to plunder them, at the instigation of their malevolent neighbours. He had sustained great losses in Egypt, and was arrived at Carmel when news was brought that the false Smerdis had declared himself king. See Herodotus 3:61. |
| Ezekiel 38:9 | And thou shalt go up and come like a storm, and like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee. | |
| Ezekiel 38:10 | Thus saith the Lord God: In that day projects shall enter into thy heart, and thou shalt conceive a mischievous design. | |
| Ezekiel 38:11 | And thou shalt say: I will go up to the land which is without a wall, I will come to them that are at rest, and dwell securely: all these dwell without a wall, they have no bars nor gates: | |
| Ezekiel 38:12 | To take spoils, and lay hold on the prey, to lay thy hand upon them that had been wasted, and afterwards restored, and upon the people that is gathered together out of the nations, which hath begun to possess and to dwell in the midst of the earth. | Midst. Literally, "navel." Hebrew, "Thabor," intimating a mountain rising in a plain, Judges 9:7. (Calmet) --- Alluding to this intended blunder of the Jews lately returned, he speaks of Antichrist and of all heretics, who seek to pervert or suppress Catholics rescued from the power of the devil, by the sacraments of Christ. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 38:13 | Saba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tharsis, and all the lions thereof, shall say to thee: Art thou come to take spoils? behold, thou hast gathered thy multitude to take a prey, to take silver, and gold, and to carry away goods and substance, and to take rich spoils. | Tharsis. Septuagint, "Carthage, and all their villages." The merchants or naval forces of Cambyses spurred him forward, (see Psalm 77:6.) as well as the Arabs, Cuthites, etc., 1 Esdras 4:8. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 38:14 | Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: Thus saith the Lord God: Shalt thou not know, in that day, when my people of Israel shall dwell securely? | |
| Ezekiel 38:15 | And thou shalt come out of thy place from the northern parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army. | |
| Ezekiel 38:16 | And thou shalt come upon my people of Israel like a cloud, to cover the earth. Thou shalt be in the latter days, and I will bring thee upon my land; that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. | Latter. Antichrist shall persecute the Church at the end of the world. (Worthington) --- After Cambyses had punished Egypt, his turn came, and all his designs were baffled. |
| Ezekiel 38:17 | Thus saith the Lord God: Thou then art he, of whom I have spoken in the days of old, by my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in the days of those times, that I would bring thee upon them. | Prophets. See Isaias xiv., and 16:21., and 26:1., and Jeremias 30:3., and 23., and Joel 2:30., and 3:1., etc. |
| Ezekiel 38:18 | And it shall come to pass in that day, in the day of the coming of Gog upon the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my indignation shall come up in my wrath. | |
| Ezekiel 38:19 | And I have spoken in my zeal, and in the fire of my anger, that in that day there shall be a great commotion upon the land of Israel: | Israel. The Jews shall be full of dismay, (ver. 20.) as the tyrant will vent some threats; (Calmet) or this commotion was in his own army. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 38:20 | *So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and all men that are upon the face of the earth, shall be moved at my presence: and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the hedges shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. Matthew 24:29.; Luke 21:25. | |
| Ezekiel 38:21 | And I will call in the sword against him in all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be pointed against his brother. | Sword. The Jews were not in a condition to make resistance. (Calmet) --- Cambyses had his brother Smerdis slain. But another was set on the throne; whereupon, mounting his horse in a fury, he wounded himself with his sword in the thigh, which mortifying, caused his death after twenty days. (Herodotus 3:21., etc.) --- The historian does not mention what became of his army; but it seems to have perished by discord, as was very common among such a collection of nations. See Judges 7:22., and Judith 15:1., and 1 Kings 14:20., and 4 Kings 2:21. (Calmet) --- They were now without a head. (Haydock) --- In the whole universe, God will at last destroy Antichrist and all his adherents. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 38:22 | And I will judge him with pestilence, and with blood, and with violent rain, and vast hailstones: I will rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, and upon the many nations that are with him. | Pestilence. His wound might be thus described. --- Blood. Thus was he punished for shedding that of innocent people. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 38:23 | And I will be magnified, and I will be sanctified: and I will be known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 39:0 | God's judgments upon Gog. God's people were punished for their sins: but shall be favoured with everlasting kindness. | |
| Ezekiel 39:1 | And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal. | |
| Ezekiel 39:2 | And I will turn thee round, and I will lead thee out, and will make thee go up from the northern parts; and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 39:3 | And I will break thy bow in thy left hand, and I will cause thy arrows to fall out of thy right hand. | Arrows. Cambyses thought himself the most skilful at shooting. This was the usual weapon of the Persians (Calmet) and Parthians. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 39:4 | Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy bands, and thy nations that are with thee: I have given thee to the wild beasts, to the birds, and to every fowl, and to the beasts of the earth to be devoured. | Fall. In every part some shall resist Antichrist, who shall be overpowered. (Worthington) --- Cambyses died at Carmel. |
| Ezekiel 39:5 | Thou shalt fall upon the face of the field; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 39:6 | And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell confidently in the islands; and they shall know that I am the Lord. | Islands; in the naval forces, or in the places of his dominion where discord shall prevail. (Calmet) --- Cambyses resolved to attack Ethiopia, the people near the temple of Ammon, and the Carthaginians: but his troops refused to go against the latter, and many were smothered in the sands, or starved to death in the other expeditions. (Just. i.; Lucan x., etc.) |
| Ezekiel 39:7 | And I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and my holy name shall be profaned no more; and the Gentiles shall know that I am the Lord, the holy one of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 39:8 | Behold, it cometh, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. | |
| Ezekiel 39:9 | And the inhabitants shall go forth of the cities of Israel, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, the shields, and the spears, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves and the pikes; and they shall burn them with fire seven years. | Years; for a long time, ver. 12. Little fuel is necessary there. Mariana (Hist. 11:24. A.[The year of the Lord] 1212.) mentions, that the arms of the Moors supplied Spain four years with fuel. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 39:10 | And they shall not bring wood out of the countries, nor cut down out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire, and shall make a prey of them to whom they had been a prey, and they shall rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. | Prey. The Jews relate that Zorobabel went out to oppose these nations, and took so much plunder as to be able to begin the temple. (Theodoret) |
| Ezekiel 39:11 | And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give Gog a noted place for a sepulchre in Israel; the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea, which shall cause astonishment in them that pass by; and there shall they bury Gog, and all his multitude, and it shall be called the valley of the multitude of Gog. | East of the Mediterranean and of Carmel, the high road from Assyria to Egypt, (Genesis 37:2.; Calmet) where the Romans had a station at Legion. (Eusebius) --- Called, or shall be, Isaias 7:14., and 60:14. (Calmet) --- Valley. Septuagint, "Gai, the grave of Gog." Protestants, "the valley of Haman-Gog," ver. 16. (Haydock) --- Antichrist will not be burnt with material fire. But Catholics shall resist him zealously, and gain the victory. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 39:12 | And the house of Israel shall bury them for seven months, to cleanse the land. | Land, to prevent infection, and to comply with the law, Numbers 19:16. |
| Ezekiel 39:13 | And all the people of the land shall bury him, and it shall be unto them a noted day, wherein I was glorified, saith the Lord God. | Day. It does not occur in the calendar. Yet Comestor and [Denis] the Carthusian mentions Cambysa, the day when Bethulia was delivered, Judith 16:31. The history of Judith may perhaps relate to the defeat of this prince. The embellishments will not injure the truth. The Jews immediately after his death recommence the building of the temple, (1 Esdras iv.; Aggeus 1:14.) which they are forced to discontinue, till Hystaspes confirmed the decree of Cyrus. This was the grand object of their desires, and therefore the day when Cambyses fell was ever memorable to them. (Calmet, Diss.) --- So will that be for Christians, when Antichrist shall be no more. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 39:14 | And they shall appoint men to go continually about the land, to bury and to seek out them that were remaining upon the face of the earth, that they may cleanse it; and after seven months they shall begin to seek. | |
| Ezekiel 39:15 | And they shall go about passing through the land; and when they shall see the bone of a man, they shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers bury it in the valley of the multitude of Gog. | Buriers. These might be foreign slaves, or Jews, who followed this employment. (Calmet) --- They would be habitually (Haydock) unclean, and their company would be carefully avoided. Those who sought after the dead remains, contracted no uncleanness. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 39:16 | And the name of the city shall be Amona, and they shall cleanse the land. | Amona. Hebrew hamon, (Haydock) means "a multitude." (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "a place for many graves:" poluandrion. (Haydock) --- So many would be buried there, that the place might justly receive such a name; though we find no such city in the neighbourhood. (Calmet) --- Rabbath, of Ammon, was sometimes so called. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 39:17 | And thou, O son of man, saith the Lord God, say to every fowl, and to all the birds, and to all the beasts of the field: Assemble yourselves, make haste, come together from every side to my victim, which I slay for you, a great victim upon the mountains of Israel: to eat flesh, and drink blood. | |
| Ezekiel 39:18 | You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and you shall drink the blood of the princes of the earth: of rams, and of lambs, and of he-goats, and bullocks, and of all that are well fed and fat. | That are. Hebrew, "and of meries, (a species of oxen, in Syria.; Bellon. 2:50.) all of them from Basan," beyond the Jordan, a most fertile country. Septuagint, "all calves fattened." |
| Ezekiel 39:19 | And you shall eat the fat till you be full, and shall drink blood till you be drunk of the victim which I shall slay for you. | |
| Ezekiel 39:20 | And you shall be filled at my table with horses, and mighty horsemen, and all the men of war, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 39:21 | And I will set my glory among the nations; and all nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. | |
| Ezekiel 39:22 | And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day and forward. | |
| Ezekiel 39:23 | And the nations shall know that the house of Israel were made captives for their iniquity, because they forsook me, and I hid my face from them: and I delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and they fell all by the sword. | Sword. I could as easily have protected them against the Chaldeans as against this prince, if their sins had not been in the way. (Calmet) --- These bring on the ruin of God's people more than the power of the enemy. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 39:24 | I have dealt with them according to their uncleanness and wickedness, and hid my face from them. | |
| Ezekiel 39:25 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and will have mercy on all the house of Israel: and I will be jealous for my holy name. | Israel. All who please may now return. Hystaspes was very favourable to them. He married Esther, raised Mardochai to great power, and sent Esdras into Judea with ample privileges. Many returned under him, Artazerxes, and Alexander [the Great]. --- Jealous. I will restore the people to favour, and will protect them (Calmet) like a husband. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 39:26 | And they shall bear their confusion, and all the transgressions wherewith they have transgressed against me, when they shall dwell in their land securely, fearing no man: | |
| Ezekiel 39:27 | And I shall have brought them back from among the nations, and shall have gathered them together out of the lands of their enemies, and shall be sanctified in them, in the sight of many nations. | |
| Ezekiel 39:28 | *And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I caused them to be carried away among the nations; and I have gathered them together unto their own land, and have not left any of them there. Ezechiel 36:23. | There, except such as refused to return. They have entire liberty. This and what follows was not fully accomplished till the propagation of the gospel. God wished all to embrace it; and though Israel has been partly blind, they will enter the Church after the Gentiles, Romans 12:26. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 39:29 | And I will hide my face no more from them, for I have poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 40:0 | The prophet sees in a vision the rebuilding of the temple: the dimensions of several parts thereof. | |
| Ezekiel 40:1 | In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, the tenth day of the month, the fourteenth year *after the city was destroyed: in the self-same day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me thither. | Year of the World 3430, Year before Christ 574. Month; April 30, the year of the world 3430. (Usher) (Calmet) --- In explaining this last most obscure vision: 1:The Jews say it was verified after the captivity. But thus the temple would be four miles round, and the city thirty-six, which never was the case. 2:Hence more modern Jews assert it will be fulfilled by the Messias. 3:Rejecting these errors, Lyranus, etc., suppose that the promise was conditional, and that the sins of the Jews prevented the city and temple from being so large; and that the mystical temple of the Church is also insinuated, into which both Jews and Gentiles shall enter. 4:Though this opinion be probable, it seems better to follow St. Jerome, St. Gregory, etc., who cannot apply all to the Old Testament, nor think that such a huge temple and city were indeed promised, but explain some parts of the captives at their return, as a figure of those redeemed by Christ, and brought into his Church, which is adorned with all graces. Yet the greatest part must be understood of the Church triumphant. (Worthington) --- St. Jerome confesses his ignorance of this subject; and those who have come after him, though they imitate not his modesty, add little to dissipate the mist with which this vision is surrounded. Some have adhered too close to Josephus, while Villalpand has here discovered all the magnificence of Greek and Roman architecture, and has represented the temple six times as large as it really was. It seems that the prophet has described the same temple of Solomon which he had seen, that the dimensions might be preserved, and the hopes of the people kept up; (Calmet) and that they might comprehend what a loss they actually sustained on account of their sins, (Haydock) and might strive to come up to this pattern (Du Hamel) as "near as they should be able," the wealth of the people being much less than Solomon's. (Grotius) --- These arguments do not, however, shew that the buildings were to resemble each other. They vary in many particulars; and the prophet would specify what was to be really executed. He says nothing of the ornamental part, and little of the height, which are the most expensive. (Houbigant) (Preface) --- If some things appear to be too grand for the temple of Solomon, and of Zorobabel, we must reflect that the prophet passes from the figure to the Church of Christ, which is not unusual. (Menochius) --- Alcasar and Bossuet explain it wholly of the Church, so that the letter requires few notes. (Du Hamel) |
| Ezekiel 40:2 | In the visions of God he brought me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain: upon which there was as the building of a city, bending towards the south. | Mountain; Moria, in spirit. On the eastern side, the road to the city was level. Walls were added after the captivity, on the other sides. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 6:6.) --- City, the temple was so large. --- South, to one coming from the north, though the temple lay on that side of the town, Psalm 47:2. (Calmet) --- Septuagint read mongod, "over-against," instead of mongob, "south," which has perplexed many. (Houbigant) --- Ezechiel was placed on Sion, which was not very high, but here it denotes the Church. Jerusalem was in ruins. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 40:3 | And he brought me in thither: and behold a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed in his hand: and he stood in the gate. | Brass: shining. (Haydock) --- This angel waited for the prophet at the northern gate, but introduced him by that looking towards the east, ver. 16. --- Line. It seems never to have been used. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 40:4 | And this man said to me: Son of man, see with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears, and set thy heart upon all that I shall shew thee: for thou art brought hither that they may be shewn to thee: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 40:5 | And behold there was a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits and a hand breadth: and he measured the breadth of the building one reed, and the height one reed. | Breadth. Hebrew, Chaldean, Septuagint, "of six cubits, in a cubit and a palm;" intimating that the sacred cubit contained six palms, while the common one had only five, (chap. 43:13.; Worthington) being half a yard; (Arbuthnot) or the Hebrew cubit was a hand's breadth larger than the Babylonian, or about 21.5 inches, (Calmet) which may be styled (Menochius) the sacred cubit. (Arbuthnot) (Haydock) --- Reed. This outer wall (Calmet; Menochius) was to prevent any from falling down the precipice. It was about four yards nine inches in height and thickness, being so solid in order that the ground might not give way. Josephus describes prodigious walls, (Haydock) reaching to the bottom of the mountain, three hundred cubits on the south and west; but then the temple was much enlarged. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 40:6 | And he came to the gate that looked toward the east, and he went up the steps thereof: and he measured the breadth of the threshold of the gate one reed; that is, one threshold was one reed broad: | And. In this verse occurs the first of thirty-four words where the j is allowed by the keri to be omitted in this one chapter, always when it is the sign of the plural number before a suffixed v, and of course by voluntary assimilation. But Camb. Manuscript has the j regularly in the thirty-two of these words. (Kennicott) --- Steps. The ground was not quite level, which caused the buildings to rise one above another more elegantly. There were four great gates. |
| Ezekiel 40:7 | And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad: and between the little chambers were five cubits: | Chamber, for the porters, (Calmet) three on each side of the porch, ver. 10. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 40:8 | And the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within, was one reed. | |
| Ezekiel 40:9 | And he measured the porch of the gate eight cubits, and the front thereof two cubits: and the porch of the gate was inward. | |
| Ezekiel 40:10 | And the little chambers of the gate that looked eastward were three on this side, and three on that side: all three were of one measure, and the fronts of one measure, on both parts. | |
| Ezekiel 40:11 | And he measured the breadth of the threshold of the gate ten cubits: and the length of the gate thirteen cubits: | Thirteen, or twenty-six feet high. |
| Ezekiel 40:12 | And the border before the little chambers one cubit: and one cubit was the border on both sides: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side and that side. | |
| Ezekiel 40:13 | And he measured the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another, in breadth five and twenty cubits: door against door. | |
| Ezekiel 40:14 | He made also fronts of sixty cubits: and to the front the court of the gate on every side round about. | Cubits high, or else the elevation is nowhere specified. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 40:15 | And before the face of the gate, which reached even to the face of the porch of the inner gate, fifty cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 40:16 | And slanting windows in the little chambers, and in their fronts, which were within the gate on every side round about: and in like manner there were also in the porches windows round about within, and before the fronts the representation of palm-trees. | Slanting, or "lattice." Septuagint, "dark." See 3 Kings 7:4. (Haydock) --- They were larger within, to afford light, as in Solomon's temple, and in castles. Interpreters disagree in their sentiments: but all allow that God here insinuated that he would reward people in the Old Testament with temporal, and those in the New with spiritual blessings; first with grace in this life, and with glory in the next. (Worthington) --- Yet we must not suppose that the saints of old were deprived of eternal goods. (Haydock) --- About. The other gates had the like ornaments. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 40:17 | And he brought me into the outward court, and behold there were chambers, and a pavement of stone in the court round about: thirty chambers encompassed the pavement. | There were chambers. Gazophylacia, so called, because the priests and Levites kept in them the stores and vessels that belonged to the temple. (Challoner) --- They went all round the courts. The women were in the second story. Villalpand and Capel, who are deemed the most accurate, suppose that there were no chambers below, but an open gallery. There seem, however, to have been chambers also, Ezechiel 8:7. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 40:18 | And the pavement in the front of the gates, according to the length of the gates, was lower. | Lower. So that there was a step up to the threshold. (Haydock) --- Marble was used in all places exposed to the weather. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 6:14.) |
| Ezekiel 40:19 | And he measured the breadth, from the face of the lower gate to the front of the inner court without, a hundred cubits, to the east, and to the north. | |
| Ezekiel 40:20 | He measured also both the length and the breadth of the gate of the outward court, which looked northward. | |
| Ezekiel 40:21 | And the little chambers thereof, three on this side, and three on that side; and the front thereof, and the porch thereof, according to the measure of the former gate, fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. | |
| Ezekiel 40:22 | And the windows thereof, and the porch, and the gravings, according to the measure of the gate that looked to the east, and they went up to it by seven steps, and a porch was before it. | |
| Ezekiel 40:23 | And the gate of the inner court was over-against the gate of the north, and that of the east; and he measured from gate to gate a hundred cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 40:24 | And he brought me out to the way of the south, and behold the gate that looked to the south; and he measured the front thereof, and the porch thereof, according to the former measures. | |
| Ezekiel 40:25 | And the windows thereof, and the porches round about, as the other windows; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 40:26 | And there were seven steps to go up to it; and a porch before the doors thereof; and there were graven palm-trees, one on this side, and another on that side, in the front thereof. | Seven. There were eight to the inner court, (ver. 31.) shewing that more perfection is now required, and a greater reward given. (St. Gregory) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 40:27 | And there was a gate of the inner court towards the south; and he measured from gate to gate towards the south, a hundred cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 40:28 | And he brought me into the inner court at the south gate; and he measured the gate according to the former measures. | |
| Ezekiel 40:29 | The little chamber thereof and the front thereof, and the porch thereof, with the same measures; and the windows thereof, and the porch thereof, round about it, was fifty cubits in length, and five and twenty cubits in breadth. | |
| Ezekiel 40:30 | And the porch round about was five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad. | Five cubits. The parallel passages would intimate "fifty." (Calmet) (Villalpand) --- But the texts all read five, and Maldonat understands the four vacant spaces between the chambers, ver. 7. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 40:31 | And the porch thereof to the outward court, and the palm-trees thereof in the front: and there were eight steps to go up to it. | |
| Ezekiel 40:32 | And he brought me into the inner court by the way of the east; and he measured the gate according to the former measures. | |
| Ezekiel 40:33 | The little chamber thereof, and the front thereof, and the porch thereof as before; and the windows thereof, and the porches thereof, round about it, was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. | |
| Ezekiel 40:34 | And the porch thereof, that is, of the outward court; and the graven palm-trees in the front thereof, on this side and on that side; and the going up thereof was by eight steps. | |
| Ezekiel 40:35 | And he brought me into the gate that looked to the north; and he measured according to the former measures. | |
| Ezekiel 40:36 | The little chamber thereof, and the front thereof, and the porch thereof, and the windows thereof, round about it, was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. | |
| Ezekiel 40:37 | And the porch thereof looked to the outward court; and the graving of palm-trees, in the front thereof, was on this side and on that side; and the going up to it was by eight steps. | |
| Ezekiel 40:38 | And at every chamber was a door in the forefronts of the gates; there they washed the holocaust. | Gates. Hebrew is very obscure. The holocausts were slain on the north side of the altar, Leviticus 1:11. |
| Ezekiel 40:39 | And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side; that the holocaust, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering might be slain thereon. | |
| Ezekiel 40:40 | And on the outward side, which goeth up to the entry of the gate that looketh toward the north, were two tables; and at the other side, before the porch of the gate, were two tables. | |
| Ezekiel 40:41 | Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side: at the sides of the gate were eight tables, upon which they slew the victims. | |
| Ezekiel 40:42 | And the four tables for the holocausts were made of square stones; one cubit and a half long, and one cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high, to lay the vessels upon, in which the holocaust, and the victim is slain. | |
| Ezekiel 40:43 | And the borders of them were of one handbreadth, turned inwards round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering. | Borders, to prevent any thing falling. Chaldean, etc., have "hooks." |
| Ezekiel 40:44 | And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singing men in the inner court, which was on the side of the gate that looketh to the north; and their prospect was towards the south, one at the side of the east gate, which looked toward the north. | North. The singers occupied two wings. |
| Ezekiel 40:45 | And he said to me: This chamber, which looketh towards the south, shall be for the priests that watch in the wards of the temple. | Watch over the sacred ornaments, perfumes, lamps of the sanctuary, etc., Numbers 3:28. |
| Ezekiel 40:46 | But the chamber that looketh towards the north, shall be for the priests that watch over the ministry of the altar. These are the sons of Sadoc, who, among the sons of Levi, come near to the Lord, to minister to him. | Altar. Not on actual service, (chap. 41:13.) but to prepare the victims. |
| Ezekiel 40:47 | And he measured the court a hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, four square; and the altar that was before the face of the temple. | |
| Ezekiel 40:48 | And he brought me into the porch of the temple; and he measured the porch five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side; and the breadth of the gate three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. | That side. Septuagint add, "and the opening (euros, width) of the gate was 14 cubits, and the breadth (projections, epomides) of the," etc., (Haydock) or the wall on each side of the door was three cubits, so that the porch was 20 cubits broad. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 40:49 | And the length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and there were eight steps to go up to it. And there were pillars in the fronts; one on this side, and another on that side. | Eleven. 3 Kings vi., says ten. The exact breadth was ten and a half, (Villalpand; Tirinus) or what the pavement covered is there specified according to some. Roman Septuagint has "twelve." But the edition of Basil reads more correctly, ten. (Calmet) --- Yet both ten and eleven may be right, if this temple be different. (Haydock) --- Eight. Hebrew seems corrupt, a being substituted for a. "They mounted by ten steps," as the Septuagint read. Aquila has eleven; Symmachus [has] eight. --- Pillars of brass, 3 Kings 7:15. (Calmet) --- As they are not measured, they were like Solomon's. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 41:0 | A description of the temple, and of all the parts of it. | |
| Ezekiel 41:1 | And he brought me into the temple, and he measured the fronts six cubits broad on this side, and six cubits on that side, the breadth of the tabernacle. | The temple. This plan of a temple, which was here shewn to the prophet in a vision, partly had relation to the material temple, which was to be rebuilt: and partly, in a mystical sense, to the spiritual temple of God, the Church of Christ. (Challoner) --- The description seems grander than Solomon's; and yet Zorobabel's temple was meaner than his. Hence this prophecy, and those of Aggeus and Zacharias, cannot be understood of it, but of the Church. (St. Jerome; St. Augustine, City of God 18:45.) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 41:2 | And the breadth of the gate was ten cubits; and the sides of the gate five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side; and he measured the length thereof forty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 41:3 | Then going inward he measured the front of the gate two cubits; and the gate six cubits; and the breadth of the gate seven cubits. | Front, or door-posts. The temple was 20 cubits broad. |
| Ezekiel 41:4 | And he measured the length thereof twenty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits, before the face of the temple; and he said to me: This is the holy of holies. | |
| Ezekiel 41:5 | And he measured the wall of the house six cubits; and the breadth of every side-chamber four cubits round about the house on every side. | Four. Herein it differed from Solomon's chambers, which were in breadth five, six, and seven cubits, in the three stories, respectively. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 41:6 | And the side-chambers one by another, were twice thirty-three; and they bore outwards, that they might enter in through the wall of the house in the sides round about, to hold in, and not to touch the wall of the temple. | One by another, or one over another: literally, side to side, or side upon side. (Challoner) --- The word side is here equivocal, like Hebrew tsela, sometimes denoting the boards, and at other times the apartments round the temple, except on the west, over against the sanctuary, which seems to be the case here. It is true, we shall not easily find sixty-six chambers. But the Hebrew, etc., have only thirty-three. (Calmet) --- Villalpand rightly translated anterides, (ver. 5.) but here he substitutes trabes, "beams or thick planks," to make it agree with 3 Kings 6:6., as if the same temple were meant. He also adopts the Vulgate bis. --- Twice. Hebrew pehamim. Yet he afterwards places in his commentary, pedes, "thirty-three feet, that is twenty-two cubits," though feet are never used at all as a measure in Scripture. (Houbigant) |
| Ezekiel 41:7 | And there was a broad passage round about, going up by winding stairs, and it led into the upper loft of the temple all round; therefore was the temple broader in the higher parts; and so from the lower parts they went to the higher by the midst. | Broader, as the wall was not so thick. (Haydock) --- Midst. The two staircases were round in the hollow of the wall, (Menochius) at the eastern end of the chambers. (Josephus) See 3 Kings. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 41:8 | And I saw in the house the height round about, the foundations of the side-chambers, which were the measure of a reed, the space of six cubits: | |
| Ezekiel 41:9 | And the thickness of the wall for the side-chamber without, which was five cubits; and the inner house was within the side-chambers of the house. | House. Because these side-chambers were in the very walls of the temple all around: or it may also be rendered, (more agreeably to the Hebrew) so as to signify, that the thickness of the wall for the side-chambers within was the same as that of the wall without; that is, equally five cubits. (Challoner) --- Protestants, "and that which was left, was the place of the side-chambers that were within." (Haydock) --- To manifest a greater respect for God, the apartments of the priests were twenty-five cubits distant from the temple, (ver. 10.) and divided by a wall, which Josephus describes as three cubits high. (Antiquities 8:2.) This wall was at the distance of five cubits from the temple. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 41:10 | And between the chambers was the breadth of twenty cubits round about the house on every side. | |
| Ezekiel 41:11 | And the door of the side-chambers was turned towards the place of prayer: one door was toward the north, and another door was toward the south: and the breadth of the place for prayer, was five cubits round about. | Prayer, or "separated;" munnach, (Haydock) the inner house, ver. 9. |
| Ezekiel 41:12 | And the building that was separate, and turned to the way that looked toward the sea, was seventy cubits broad: and the wall of the building, five cubits thick round about: and ninety cubits long. | |
| Ezekiel 41:13 | And he measured the length of the house, a hundred cubits: and the separate building, and the walls thereof, a hundred cubits in length. | Separate, different from that [in] ver. 9., (Calmet; Hebrew gizra.; Haydock) between the temple and the priests' apartments, which it may also designate, (Calmet) unless it (Haydock) mean the temple itself, which was divided from the rest, (Menochius) and set aside for prayer, etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 41:14 | And the breadth before the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, a hundred cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 41:15 | And he measured the length of the building over-against it, which was separated at the back of it: and the galleries on both sides a hundred cubits: and the inner temple, and the porches of the court. | Galleries; Ethecas, or as the more correct manuscripts of St. Jerome read, Ecthetas, seems to be formed from (Calmet) Hebrew athikim, (Haydock) which St. Jerome explains a balcony, portico, or gallery. |
| Ezekiel 41:16 | The thresholds, and the oblique windows, and the galleries round about on three sides, over-against the threshold of every one, and floored with wood all round about: and the ground was up to the windows, and the windows were shut over the doors. | About. Thus he intimates the inner temple, which was covered with boards. --- Windows. The temple was hidden so far by the chambers; or rather he measured (Calmet) "the ground and up to the windows, which were" shut up with lattices, affording light over the doors (Haydock) and apartments, fifteen cubits from the ground. |
| Ezekiel 41:17 | And even to the inner house, and without all the wall round about, within and without, by measure. | |
| Ezekiel 41:18 | And there were cherubims and palm-trees wrought, so that a palm-tree was between a cherub and a cherub, and every cherub had two faces. | Two. Before he describes them with four faces. But they varied, (Exodus 25:18.) or the other two might be against the wall. (Calmet) --- The cherub signified "knowledge," and the palm-tree victory, to shew that man must be instructed with divine knowledge, and so fight for the victory. The face of man implied that Christ would suffer, and that of a lion announced that he would overcome all his enemies. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 41:19 | The face of a man was toward the palm-tree on one side, and the face of a lion was toward the palm-tree on the other side: set forth through all the house round about. | |
| Ezekiel 41:20 | From the ground even to the upper parts of the gate, were cherubims and palm-trees wrought in the wall of the temple. | |
| Ezekiel 41:21 | The threshold was four-square, and the face of the sanctuary, sight to sight. | The threshold was four-square. That is, the gate of the temple was four-square, and so placed as to answer the gate of the sanctuary within. (Challoner) --- It was not an arch, though not a perfect square, 3 Kings 6:34. |
| Ezekiel 41:22 | The altar of wood was three cubits high: and the length thereof was two cubits: and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood. And he said to me: This is the table before the Lord. | Table, or altar of incense, larger than that of Moses, Exodus 30:1. |
| Ezekiel 41:23 | And there were two doors in the temple, and in the sanctuary. | Sanctuary. One folding door opened into it, the other into the temple. |
| Ezekiel 41:24 | And in the two doors on both sides were two little doors, which were folded within each other: for there were two wickets on both sides of the doors. | Other. It was not perhaps necessary to open the large door. |
| Ezekiel 41:25 | And there were cherubims also wrought in the doors of the temple, and the figures of palm-trees, like as were made on the walls: for which cause also the planks were thicker in the front of the porch without. | |
| Ezekiel 41:26 | Upon which were the oblique windows, and the representation of palm-trees on this side, and on that side, in the sides of the porch, according to the sides of the house, and the breadth of the walls. | Sides, (humerulis) or pilasters. Hebrew, "on the shoulder of the porch, and on the sides of the house, and beams." (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 42:0 | A description of the courts, chambers, and other places belonging to the temple. | |
| Ezekiel 42:1 | And he brought me forth into the outward court, by the way that leadeth to the north, and he brought me into the chamber that was over-against the separate building, and over-against the house toward the north. | And. St. Jerome finding the Septuagint and others varying in the explanations, gives his own; yet adopts the saying of Socrates, "I know that I am ignorant:" for this also is a part of science. (Worthington) --- Outward, with respect to the temple. It is styled inner court, with reference to that of the people. --- Separate. Ezechiel 41:9. |
| Ezekiel 42:2 | In the face of the north door was the length of a hundred cubits: and the breadth of fifty cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 42:3 | Over-against the twenty cubits of the inner court, and over-against the pavement of the outward court that was paved with stone, where there was a gallery joined to a triple gallery. | Triple, one over another, (ver. 6.) or on a level with the priests' court. |
| Ezekiel 42:4 | And before the chambers was a walk ten cubits broad, looking to the inner parts of a way of one cubit. And their doors were toward the north: | One cubit, projecting out perhaps for seats, or for the pilasters. |
| Ezekiel 42:5 | Where were the store-chambers lower above: because they bore up the galleries, which appeared above out of them from the lower parts, and from the midst of the building. | Above. The higher stories are not so lofty. |
| Ezekiel 42:6 | For they were of three stories, and had not pillars, as the pillars of the courts: therefore did they appear above out of the lower places, and out of the middle places, fifty cubits from the ground. | Fifty cubits. We only allow thirty, as this is not in Hebrew, etc. The text, ver. 10., and 12., seems incorrect. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 42:7 | And the outward wall that went about by the chambers, which were towards the outward court on the forepart of the chambers, was fifty cubits long. | |
| Ezekiel 42:8 | For the length of the chambers of the outward court was fifty cubits: and the length before the face of the temple, a hundred cubits. | |
| Ezekiel 42:9 | And there was under these chambers, an entrance from the east, for them that went into them out of the outward court. | |
| Ezekiel 42:10 | In the breadth of the outward wall of the court that was toward the east, over-against the separate building, and there were chambers before the building. | |
| Ezekiel 42:11 | And the way before them was like the chambers which were toward the north: they were as long as they, and as broad as they: and all the going is to them, and their fashions, and their doors were alike. | |
| Ezekiel 42:12 | According to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south: there was a door in the head of the way, which way was before the porch, separated towards the east as one entereth in. | |
| Ezekiel 42:13 | And he said to me: The chambers of the north, and the chambers of the south, which are before the separate building: they are holy chambers, in which the priests shall eat, that approach to the Lord into the holy of holies: there they shall lay the most holy things, and the offering for sin, and for trespass: for it is a holy place. | Holies. Hebrew, "who are very holy," and (Haydock) on duty. See Leviticus 6:25. |
| Ezekiel 42:14 | And when the priests shall have entered in, they shall not go out of the holy places into the outward court: but there they shall lay their vestments, wherein they minister, for they are holy: and they shall put on other garments, and so they shall go forth to the people. | People. Ezechiel 44:17., and Exodus 33:42. Christian priests use their vestments only when they are officiating. (Durand and Durant Rit. 2:9.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 42:15 | Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me out by the way of the gate that looked toward the east: and he measured it on every side round about. | |
| Ezekiel 42:16 | And he measured toward the east, with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about. | Five. Hebrew emoth should be meoth, "three hundred, as it is printed (yet not in the Protestant version. Haydock) thrice just after, and as it is written here in Manuscript 4. Camb. 1. 2." (Kennicott) --- Reeds. Septuagint, "cubits," as Hebrew, St. Jerome, etc., insinuate. The mountain was only five hundred paces square, even when it was enlarged in the time of Josephus. (Jewish Wars 6:14.; Greek) --- We must therefore read cubits. (Calmet) --- If we retain reeds, (Haydock) the wall will be twelve thousand cubits, (Menochius) which seems improbable. (Tournemine) See Ezechiel 45. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 42:17 | And he measured toward the north, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. | |
| Ezekiel 42:18 | And towards the south he measured five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. | |
| Ezekiel 42:19 | And toward the west he measured five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed. | |
| Ezekiel 42:20 | By the four winds he measured the wall thereof on every side round about, five hundred cubits long, and five hundred cubits broad, making a separation between the sanctuary and the place of the people. | Cubits. This confirms the former correction, ver. 16. (Haydock) --- Hebrew has only, "of five hundred." Maldonat and Cornelius a Lapide would understand reeds, to agree with what goes before. (Menochius) --- Separation. Josephus mentions a wall three cubits high, on the pillars of which was written in Greek and Latin, that such as entered the temple must be pure, (Calmet) and no stranger. (Haydock) --- Into this court all might come. (Philo) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 43:0 | The glory of God returns to the new temple. The Israelites shall no more profane God's name by idolatry: the prophet is commanded to shew them the dimensions, and form of the temple, and of the altar, with the sacrifices to be offered thereon. | |
| Ezekiel 43:1 | And he brought me to the gate that looked towards the east. | |
| Ezekiel 43:2 | And behold the glory of the God of Israel came in by the way of the east: and his voice was like the noise of many waters, and the earth shone with his majesty. | Majesty. The world is enlightened by the preaching of the gospel; and the Church triumphant shall shine in perfection, when that which is sown in corruption shall put on incorruption, 1 Corinthians xv. (St. Jerome) --- The blessed Virgin [Mary] conceiving Jesus Christ may be insinuated. (St. Thomas Aquinas, [Summa Theologiae] p. 3. q. 27. a. 3.) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 43:3 | *And I saw the vision according to the appearance which I had seen when he came to destroy the city: and the appearance was according to the vision **which I had seen by the river Chobar: and I fell upon my face. Ezechiel 9:1. --- ** Ezechiel 1:2. | He came. Hebrew, "I came to destroy (Septuagint, to anoint) the city," marking such as should be spared, Ezechiel 9. The glorious chariot entered by the eastern gate, and the prophet followed to the court of the priests, ver. 5, 13. (Calmet) --- The Jews say the second temple was deprived of the Shekinah, or glory of the Lord. Yet it seems here to enter; and Christ himself adorned this second house, more than the first, by his adorable presence, Aggeus 2:8. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 43:4 | And the majesty of the Lord went into the temple by the way of the gate that looked to the east. | |
| Ezekiel 43:5 | And the spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court: and behold the house was filled with the glory of the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 43:6 | And I heard one speaking to me out of the house, and the man that stood by me, | |
| Ezekiel 43:7 | Said to me: Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever: and the house of Israel shall no more profane my holy name, they and their kings by their fornications, and by the carcasses of their kings, and by the high places. | Said. The Lord spoke, (Chaldean; Theodoret) or the angel, (St. Jerome) in human shape. (Haydock) --- He addresses the prophet, ver. 12 to Ezechiel 44:5., though what follows immediately seems to belong to the Lord, (Calmet) in whose name he speaks. --- Name. God hath abandoned the synagogue, but will remain with his Church unto the end, Matthew 23:38., and 28:20. Yet the perfect Church, without spot, is the [Church] triumphant [in heaven]; (Ephesians 5:27.; Worthington) though the Catholic Church, on earth, is ever holy and "the communion of saints." (Haydock) --- Carcasses. Idols, according to some; or rather by the kings being buried on Sion. This is nowhere else reprehended; neither is their building too near the temple, which the prophet here condemns, ver. 8. (Calmet) --- It seems, however, that if these things had been blameable, such a number of pious and wise kings would not have acted thus, nor the prophets have neglected to admonish them of their duty. The carcasses and houses here specified may have been vestiges of idolatry; or, in future, the tombs and palaces were to be at a more respectful distance. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 43:8 | They who have set their threshold by my threshold, and their posts by my posts: and there was but a wall between me and them: and they profaned my holy name by the abominations which they committed: for which reason I consumed them in my wrath. | Wall. The kings of Juda had a door communicating with the temple, by which they entered on the west. It was guarded by Levites, 1 Paralipomenon 26:16. Ezechiel places no door on that side. Yet in Herod's temple we find one leading to the adjacent palace, and three others into the town. (Josephus, Antiquities 15:14.) |
| Ezekiel 43:9 | Now, therefore, let them put away their fornications, and the carcasses of their kings far from me: and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. | Carcasses. Literally, "ruins." (Haydock) --- The remains of the dead were probably not disturbed; but no more, that we know of, were placed on Sion. (Calmet) --- Kings may signify idols, Moloc, etc., which they had worshipped, and which some had even placed in the holy place, to the nation's ruin. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 43:10 | But thou, son of man, shew to the house of Israel the temple, and let them be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the building: | Measure, that they may be convinced of their ingratitude, (Menochius) which has deprived them of so noble a structure, and put them under the necessity of beginning so great a work again. It required all the exertions of the prophets to make them go forward with it, Aggeus 1. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 43:11 | And be ashamed of all that they have done. Shew them the form of the house, and of the fashion thereof, the goings out, and the comings in, and the whole plan thereof, and all its ordinances, and all its order, and all its laws, and thou shalt write it in their sight: that they may keep the whole form thereof, and its ordinances, and do them. | In the whole fabric, (Menochius) as thou hast described it, (Haydock) or received from the angel, with all the ceremonies to be observed. |
| Ezekiel 43:12 | This is the law of the house upon the top of the mountain: All its border round about is most holy; this then is the law of the house. | Border. Nothing but the temple shall be on this mountain. It shall be wholly consecrated to the Lord. This was ill observed. The Asmonean princes erected the famous tower Antonia, at the north side. (Josephus) See ver. 8. The Jews assert that it was unlawful to spit on this ground, etc., but no such thing is specified in Josephus or in Scripture, only we find that none were to go out by the same door at which they had entered, (chap. 46:9.; Calmet) except the king. |
| Ezekiel 43:13 | And these are the measures of the altar by the truest cubit, which is a cubit and a hand breadth: the bottom thereof was a cubit, and the breadth a cubit: and the border thereof unto its edge, and round about, one hand breadth: and this was the trench of the altar. | By. Hebrew, "by cubits." This cubit is a common cubit, etc. The Babylonian, (Haydock) or sacred one, was a palm longer. (Worthington) (Chap. 40:5.) --- Breadth. It was the same as the depth, being designed to convey the blood by a conduit to the torrent Cedron. --- Trench, or bottom aforesaid. Septuagint, "the height." (Haydock) --- Chaldean, "disposition of the altar," which seems best. |
| Ezekiel 43:14 | And from the bottom of the ground to the lowest brim two cubits, and the breadth of one cubit: and from the lesser brim to the greater brim four cubits, and the breadth of one cubit. | Cubit. They were each a cubit broad, but this greater means higher up. Some assert that the priests stood on this base to avoid treading on the altar, when they placed the wood or victims. But it would be too low; and steps were made for that purpose. The altar was ten, or rather twelve cubits high, and as many broad. Solomon's was ten high and twenty broad. Herod's was a square of forty cubits, raised fifteen from the ground. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 43:15 | And the ariel itself was four cubits: and from the ariel upward were four horns. | The ariel. That is, the altar itself, or rather the highest part of it, upon which the burnt-offerings were laid. In the Hebrew it is harel, that is, the mountain of God; but in the following verse haariel, that is, the lion of God; a figure, from its consuming, and as it were devouring the sacrifices as a lion devours its prey. (Challoner) --- Fire descending sometimes from heaven. (St. Jerome) (Worthington) --- It also appeared like a little mountain in the court. See Isaias 29:1. The altar was probably made of brass, like Solomon's. Josephus and Philo say that rough stones were used after the captivity: but it seems little attention was paid to the dimensions of the temple, etc., given by Ezechiel. (Calmet) --- Yet the prophets were present to see the laws of God executed, and never complain of their infringement in these particulars, which were attended with no great difficulty, Ezechiel 40:1. (Haydock) --- It is certain the Jews never thought themselves bound to make their altars of a determinate size. |
| Ezekiel 43:16 | And the ariel was twelve cubits long, and twelve cubits broad, four-square, with equal sides. | |
| Ezekiel 43:17 | And the brim was fourteen cubits long, and fourteen cubits broad in the four corners thereof: and the crown round about it was half a cubit, and the bottom of it one cubit round about: and its steps turned toward the east. | Crown, which was usually placed round altars and tables, that nothing might fall down. --- Bottom of the altar, or base, mentioned [in] ver. 13. --- Steps, boarded on each side, Exodus 20:26. |
| Ezekiel 43:18 | And he said to me: Son of man, thus saith the Lord God: These are the ceremonies of the altar, in what day soever it shall be made: that holocausts may be offered upon it, and blood poured out. | |
| Ezekiel 43:19 | And thou shalt give to the priests, and the Levites, that are of the race of Sadoc, who approach to me, saith the Lord God, to offer to me a calf of the herd for sin. | Levites. Hebrew, "of the race of Levi, of the family of Sadoc." He had obtained the dignity under Saul, (Calmet) and after the deposition of Abiathar, under Solomon, (3 Kings 2:26.; Haydock) his posterity always preserved it. (Calmet, Diss.) --- Calf. Thou shalt give it, or make known these rites to the priests. (Haydock) --- People are often said to do what they only command, as [in] ver. 20, etc. |
| Ezekiel 43:20 | And thou shalt take of his blood, and shalt put it upon the four horns thereof, and upon the four corners of the brim, and upon the crown round about: and thou shalt cleanse, and expiate it. | |
| Ezekiel 43:21 | And thou shalt take the calf, that is offered for sin: and thou shalt burn him in a separate place of the house without the sanctuary. | Sanctuary, out of the precincts of the temple, but on the mountain, Leviticus 4:3., and 6:11. |
| Ezekiel 43:22 | And in the second day thou shalt offer a he-goat without blemish for sin: and they shall expiate the altar, as they expiated it with the calf. | He-goat. Septuagint add, "of the goats," (hircum caprarum. Haydock) denoting a young kid, (Menochius) or one selected (Haydock) rather from the flock. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 43:23 | And when thou shalt have made an end of the expiation thereof, thou shalt offer a calf of the herd without blemish, and a ram of the flock without blemish. | |
| Ezekiel 43:24 | And thou shalt offer them in the sight of the Lord: and the priests shall put salt upon them, and shall offer them a holocaust to the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 43:25 | Seven days shalt thou offer a he-goat for sin daily: they shall offer also a calf of the herd, and a ram of the flock without blemish. | |
| Ezekiel 43:26 | Seven days shall they expiate the altar, and shall cleanse it: and they shall consecrate it. | Consecrate it. Literally, "fill his hand;" that is, dedicate and apply it to holy service, (Challoner) as the Hebrew, etc., speak of the altar. Septuagint, "they shall fill their hands," seems more natural, (Exodus 28:41.) and is adopted by Pagnin, Vatable, etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 43:27 | And the days being expired, on the eighth day and thence forward, the priests shall offer your holocausts upon the altar, and the peace-offerings: and I will be pacified towards you, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 44:0 | The east gate of the sanctuary shall be always shut. The uncircumcised shall not enter into the sanctuary: nor the Levites that have served idols: but the sons of Sadoc shall do the priestly functions, who stood firm in the worst of times. | |
| Ezekiel 44:1 | And he brought me back to the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looked towards the east: and it was shut. | |
| Ezekiel 44:2 | And the Lord said to me: This gate shall be shut: it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it: because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, and it shall be shut. | \f + \fr 44:2-3\ft Opened. No man perfectly understands the Scriptures but the Son of God, Matthew 11:27. (St. Jerome) --- This also insinuates, that Mary ever remained a pure virgin. (St. Augustine, etc.) (Worthington) --- Shut, even for the prince. Some (Haydock) kings of Juda claimed the privilege of entering by it at any time, and passed through a part of the court assigned to the priests, 2 Paralipomenon 6:12., and 4 Kings 16:18. This shall be no longer tolerated. The gate might be opened in the week days if the prince wished to offer sacrifice, but not else, except on the sabbaths, Ezechiel 46:1, 12. --- Lord, in peace offerings and religious feasts. --- Porch. Each had two doors, Ezechiel 46:2. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 44:3 | For the prince. The prince himself shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord: he shall enter in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the same way. | |
| Ezekiel 44:4 | And he brought me by the way of the north gate in the sight of the house: and I saw, and behold the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord: and I fell on my face. | Face. This astonishment and attention (ver. 5.) intimate the mysteries of the Church, prefigured by the Jewish rites. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 44:5 | And the Lord said to me: Son of man, attend with thy heart, and behold with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears all that I say to thee concerning all the ceremonies of the house of the Lord, and concerning all the laws thereof: and mark well the ways of the temple, with all the goings out of the sanctuary. | Ways, or "the going in," and all that concerns the temple and sacrifices. |
| Ezekiel 44:6 | And thou shalt say to the house of Israel, that provoketh me: Thus saith the Lord God: Let all your wicked doings suffice you, O house of Israel: | |
| Ezekiel 44:7 | In that you have brought in strangers uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, and to defile my house: and you offer my bread, the fat, and the blood: and you have broken my covenant by all your wicked doings. | Flesh. People of this description were not to enter the temple, which is here called the sanctuary, even though they adored God. In some cases pagans were admitted into any part, except the most holy. Epiphanes (Calmet) and Pompey forced their passage thither, to the great sorrow of the Jews. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 1:5.) See Ecclesiasticus lii., and Acts 21:28. --- During the plundering of the city, the Chaldeans did the like; (Lamentations 1:10.; Haydock) and while idols were set up, all rules were neglected. --- Doings. You observe the exterior, and not the spirit of religion. |
| Ezekiel 44:8 | And you have not kept the ordinances of my sanctuary: but you have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. | Yourselves, out of ambition, contrary to the regulations of David. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 44:9 | Thus saith the Lord God: No stranger uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, no stranger that is in the midst of the children of Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 44:10 | Moreover, the Levites that went away far from me, when the children of Israel went astray, and have wandered from me after their idols, and have borne their iniquity: | Levites, or priests, (Haydock) who were seduced by Jeroboam, or offered victims on the high places, 4 Kings 23:9. Such lost their privileges and were condemned to serve in the meanest offices. It seems the race of Ithamar was alone guilty, and the threat against his house was now put in execution, 1 Kings 2:39., and 3:14., and Leviticus 21:17., and 2 Esdras 7:64. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 44:11 | They shall be officers in my sanctuary, and door-keepers of the gates of the house, and ministers to the house: they shall slay the holocausts, and the victims of the people: and they shall stand in their sight, to minister to them. | Slay. Levites might do this, but the priests poured the blood round the altar, ver. 15. They could not well slay all the victims. |
| Ezekiel 44:12 | Because they ministered to them before their idols, and were a stumbling-block of iniquity to the house of Israel: therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord God, and they shall bear their iniquity: | |
| Ezekiel 44:13 | And they shall not come near to me, to do the office of priest to me, neither shall they come near to any of my holy things that are by the holy of holies: but they shall bear their shame, and their wickednesses which they have committed. | |
| Ezekiel 44:14 | And I will make them door-keepers of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. | |
| Ezekiel 44:15 | But the priests, and Levites, the sons of Sadoc, who kept the ceremonies of my sanctuary, when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me, to minister to me: and they shall stand before me, to offer me the fat, and the blood, saith the Lord God. | And Levites, of the higher order. (Haydock) --- No simple Levites were of this family. It enjoyed the high priesthood form the time of Solomon. |
| Ezekiel 44:16 | They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and to keep my ceremonies. | |
| Ezekiel 44:17 | And when they shall enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments: neither shall any woollen come upon them, when they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. | Court; that is to do duty. --- Linen. Wool might have been taken from a dead sheep, which would render the person unclean. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 44:18 | They shall have linen mitres on their heads, and linen breeches on their loins, and they shall not be girded with any thing that causeth sweat. | Sweat, or so as to make them perspire. Septuagint, "girded violently." (Haydock) --- They must have liberty to move, (St. Jerome) and have the girdle about their breast. (Braun.) |
| Ezekiel 44:19 | And when they shall go forth to the outward court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them up in the store chamber of the sanctuary, and they shall clothe themselves with other garments: and they shall not sanctify the people with their vestments. | Sanctify, by exposing them to the danger of touching the sacred vestments, which none were to touch but they that were sanctified. (Challoner) --- Sanctify here means to defile, Exodus 30:29., (Calmet) and 29:37. Holy things must be done in holy places. (Worthington) --- Divine religion has different clothing for the ministry, from what is used in common life. (St. Jerome) (Exodus 28:40.) (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 44:20 | Neither shall they shave their heads, nor wear long hair: but they shall only poll their heads. | Shave, like the priests of Isis. (Juvenal vi.) |
| Ezekiel 44:21 | And no priest shall drink wine when he is to go into the inner court. | Wine. Leviticus 10:9. The priests on duty abstain from wine. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 6:15.) |
| Ezekiel 44:22 | *Neither shall they take to wife a widow, nor one that is divorced, but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel: but they may take a widow also, that is the widow of a priest. Leviticus 21:14. | Widow. Moses laid this restraint upon the high priest, Leviticus 21:13. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 44:23 | And they shall teach my people the difference between holy and profane, and shew them how to discern between clean and unclean. | |
| Ezekiel 44:24 | And when there shall be a controversy, they shall stand in my judgments, and shall judge: they shall keep my laws, and my ordinances in all my solemnities, and sanctify my sabbaths. | |
| Ezekiel 44:25 | And they shall come near no dead person, lest they be defiled, only their father and mother, and son and daughter, and brother and sister, that hath not had another husband: for whom they may become unclean. | Unclean, attending the funeral, which inferior priests alone might do, Leviticus 21:10. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 44:26 | And after one is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. | |
| Ezekiel 44:27 | And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary to the inner court, to minister unto me in the sanctuary, he shall offer for his sin, saith the Lord God. | Day, after the seven first, (Calmet) though this would be a new regulation. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 44:28 | *And they shall have no inheritance, I am their inheritance: neither shall you give them any possession in Israel, for I am their possession. Numbers 18:20.; Deuteronomy 18:1. | No. This is omitted in Hebrew, Septuagint, etc. God was their portion. (Calmet) --- They had no land but what lay near their cities. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 44:29 | They shall eat the victim both for sin and for trespass: and every vowed thing in Israel shall be theirs. | |
| Ezekiel 44:30 | *And the first-fruits of all the first-born, and all the libations of all things that are offered, shall be the priest's: and you shall give the first-fruits of your meats to the priest, that he may return a blessing upon thy house. Exodus 22:29. | |
| Ezekiel 44:31 | *The priest shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or caught by a beast, whether it be fowl or cattle. Leviticus 22:8. | |
| Ezekiel 45:0 | Portions of land for the sanctuary, for the city, and for the prince. Ordinances for the prince. | |
| Ezekiel 45:1 | And when you shall begin to divide the land by lot, separate ye first-fruits to the Lord, a portion of the land to be holy, in length twenty-five thousand and in breadth ten thousand: it shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. | By lot. Manuscript 2 reads bogurl; (printed benachala) so the Vulgate sortito. (Kennicott) --- Hebrew, "when you shall make the land fall," which usually implies by lot: yet the partition was not made thus, (chap. 48:1.) nor at all, (Calmet) otherwise the prophet might mention how the lots would have fallen to Dan, in the north, etc. (Haydock) --- The Jews either could not comply, or did not take this to be a command. If they had returned all together, they might probably have put it in execution. But many of them preferred staying where they had gotten a settlement, and the rest only returned in small parties, some not before the reign of Alexander [the Great]. Those who arrived first, occupied as much as possible their ancient limits, 1 Esdras 3:1., and 2 Esdras viii., and xi. (Calmet) --- Thousand: reeds, or cubits. (Challoner) --- Many prefer the latter, which is specified [in] ver. 2., (Haydock) as it agrees with the dimensions of the temple, Ezechiel 42:16. If reeds or toises were meant, the city would be disproportionate with the rest of the divisions: 50,000 would make 25 leagues, of 2,500 paces each; and if each tribe had as much, the country must have comprised 325 leagues, whereas from Emath to Cadesbarne (chap. 47:17.) there at[are?] not above 150. (Calmet) --- To form an idea of the proposed partition, we must suppose the country reached from a little north of Emesa, on the Orontes, to Cadesbarne south, and from the Mediterranean to Damascus, or a little farther east, and beyond the sources of Jazer. 1. Dan, 2. Aser, 3. Nephthali, 4. Manasses, 5. Ephraim, 6. Ruben, and 7. Juda, had about equal portions with that designed for 8. the temple, the Levites, and prince, whose southern limits reached almost to Accaron and the Dead Sea. 9. Benjamin, 10. Simeon, 11. Issachar, 12. Zabulon, and 13. Gad, had each about half the quantity of the others, though the tribes occupied the whole extent from east to west, their lots being marked out by parallel lines. Between Juda and Benjamin, a square of 500 cubits was assigned for the temple; another square of 4,500, or 18,000 in circuit, lay round the former for the city of the Levites: round this were suburbs 250 cubits broad, walled about, and having three gates on each side. Next them dwelt their lay servants, in a space 5,000 cubits broad, and 25,000 long, from east to west. A plot of ground on the north and south, sufficient to complete this square was to support them with provisions. On the east side of the Jordan, and on the west of this square for the priests and their servants, two portions almost of equal dimensions with it, were appropriated to the prince. His lot was 25,000 cubits long, and 12,500 broad, Ezechiel 48:21. See Calmet's plan. (Haydock) --- About. It could not be alienated to private men, or for any other purpose. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 45:2 | And there shall be for the sanctuary on every side five hundred by five hundred, four-square round about: and fifty cubits for the suburbs thereof round about. | Suburbs. Hebrew also, "vacant spaces." |
| Ezekiel 45:3 | And with this measure thou shalt measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand, and in it shall be the temple, and the holy of holies. | Measure, from the centre of the temple; so that the dimensions given must be doubled, (chap. 48:10.) as also ver. 5. |
| Ezekiel 45:4 | The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to the ministry of the Lord: and it shall be a place for their houses, and for the holy place of the sanctuary. | Place. There the priests shall dwell. |
| Ezekiel 45:5 | And five and twenty thousand of length, and ten thousand of breadth shall be for the Levites, that minister in the house: they shall possess twenty store-chambers. | Chambers for the Levites on duty. Septuagint read, "towns." But only one seems to be specified, 18,000 cubits in circumference. |
| Ezekiel 45:6 | And you shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, according to the separation of the sanctuary, for the whole house of Israel. | According. Hebrew, "along or (Calmet) over-against the oblation of the holy portion." (Protestants) --- Israel, destined to serve the priests. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 45:7 | For the prince also on the one side and on the other side, according to the separation of the sanctuary, and according to the possession of the city, over-against the separation of the sanctuary, and over-against the possession of the city: from the side of the sea even to the sea, and from the side of the east even to the east. And the length according to every part from the west border to the east border. | Border. Two equal lots, one on the east and the other on the west, were assigned the prince, each 20,000 cubits broad, and 12,500 long, Ezechiel 48:21. (Calmet) --- He dwelt near the priests, for their protection; as the people were on both sides of him, that he might sustain no injury. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 45:8 | He shall have a portion of the land in Israel: and the princes shall no more rob my people: but they shall give the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes. | Rob. Instead of their right, (1 Kings 8:11.) the source of continual vexations, a certain revenue is specified, ver. 13. |
| Ezekiel 45:9 | Thus saith the Lord God: Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: cease from iniquity and robberies, and execute judgment and justice, separate your confines from my people, saith the Lord God. | Confines: encroach not. (Calmet) --- Hebrew and Septuagint, "take away your oppressions;" (Haydock) Chaldean, "scandals." (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 45:10 | You shall have just balances, and a just ephi, and a just bate. | |
| Ezekiel 45:11 | The ephi and the bate shall be equal, and of one measure: that the bate may contain the tenth part of a core, and the ephi the tenth part of a core: their weight shall be equal according to the measure of a core. | The ephi and the bate. These measures were of equal capacity; but the bate served for liquids, and the ephi for dry things, (Challoner) ver. 13, 14. (Worthington) --- Ezechiel specifies the measures, that the people might not use those of Babylon, after their return. |
| Ezekiel 45:12 | *And the sicle hath twenty obols. Now twenty sicles, and five and twenty sicles, and fifteen sicles make a mna. Exodus 30:13.; Leviticus 27:25.; Numbers 3:47. | Sicles. It would be shorter to say, "sixty sicles make a mna." |
| Ezekiel 45:13 | And these are the first-fruits, which you shall take: the sixth part of an ephi of a core of wheat, and the sixth part of an ephi of a core of barley. | Take, for the prince's revenue. He had the sixtieth part of corn and of oil; or rather (Calmet) he had an exact tithe of the latter, ver. 14. (Chaldean) (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 45:14 | The measure of oil also, a bate of oil is the tenth part of a core: and ten bates make a core: for ten bates fill a core. | |
| Ezekiel 45:15 | And one ram out of a flock of two hundred, of those that Israel feedeth for sacrifice, and for holocausts, and for peace-offerings, to make atonement for them, saith the Lord God. | One ram. He shall receive the tithe of sheep, etc., and take one out of two hundred, on condition that he furnish victims, ver. 17. (Calmet) --- The obligation was mutual. St. Jerome explains it of the high priest and people. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 45:16 | All the people of the land shall be bound to these first-fruits, for the prince in Israel. | |
| Ezekiel 45:17 | And the prince shall give the holocaust, and the sacrifice, and the libations on the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the sabbaths, and on all the solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall offer the sacrifice for sin, and the holocaust, and the peace-offerings, to make expiation for the house of Israel. | Holocaust. This was given before perhaps gratis, 2 Paralipomenon 31:3. Solomon and Ezechias shewed great magnificence. After the captivity the people laid on the third of a sicle per head, as this order was not observed, 2 Esdras 10:32. |
| Ezekiel 45:18 | Thus saith the Lord God: In the first month, the first of the month, thou shalt take a calf of the herd, without blemish, and thou shalt expiate the sanctuary. | Take, or order the priests to do this annually, to prepare for the Passover, ver. 21. Moses mentions nothing of this, and it does not appear to have been put in execution. (Calmet) --- Yet it might be the first year after the dedication of the temple. The prophet does not say it was to be done every year. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 45:19 | And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering: and he shall put it on the posts of the house, and on the four corners of the brim of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court. | |
| Ezekiel 45:20 | And so shalt thou do in the seventh day of the month, for every one that hath been ignorant, and hath been deceived by error, and thou shalt make expiation for the house. | Seventh, or so many days before the solemn feast. Septuagint, "on the first of the seventh month," the feast of trumpets, Numbers 29:1. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 45:21 | In the first month, the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the solemnity of the Pasch: seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. | |
| Ezekiel 45:22 | And the prince on that day shall offer for himself, and for all the people of the land, a calf for sin. | |
| Ezekiel 45:23 | And in the solemnity of the seven days he shall offer for a holocaust to the Lord, seven calves, and seven rams without blemish daily, for seven days: and for sin a he-goat daily. | |
| Ezekiel 45:24 | And he shall offer the sacrifice of an ephi for every calf, and an ephi for every ram: and a hin of oil for every ephi. | Sacrifice. Hebrew mincha, flour. Protestants, "meat offering." (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 45:25 | In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, in the solemn feast, he shall do the like for the seven days: as well in regard to the sin-offering, as to the holocaust, and the sacrifice, and the oil. | Day: the feast of tabernacles, to be observed like the Pasch, Numbers 29:12. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 46:0 | Other ordinances for the prince and for the sacrifices. | |
| Ezekiel 46:1 | Thus saith the Lord God: The gate of the inner court, that looketh toward the east, shall be shut the six days on which work is done; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened; yea, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. | |
| Ezekiel 46:2 | And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate from without, and he shall stand at the threshold of the gate: and the priests shall offer his holocaust, and his peace-offerings: and he shall adore upon the threshold of the gate, and shall go out: but the gate shall not be shut till the evening. | Prince. After the captivity, although the race of David continued in Salathiel, Zorobabel, etc., yet they had not the state of kings. Hence Christians, R. David and other Jews, understand this of the Messias and the rites of his Church, with a literal allusion to the old law. (Worthington) --- Without, not proceeding into the court of the priests, Ezechiel 44:2. |
| Ezekiel 46:3 | And the people of the land shall adore at the door of that gate before the Lord, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons. | |
| Ezekiel 46:4 | And the holocaust that the prince shall offer to the Lord on the sabbath day, shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish. | Six. Moses only prescribed two lambs for every day, Numbers 28:9. |
| Ezekiel 46:5 | And the sacrifice of an ephi for a ram: but for the lambs what sacrifice his hand shall allow: and a hin of oil for every ephi. | Sacrifice. See Ezechiel 45:24. Flour and oil accompanied the victim. When lambs were presented, this was left to the prince's devotion (ver. 7, 11.; Calmet) only. If he gave three or four ephies of flour, he must give as many hins of oil. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 46:6 | And on the day of the new moon a calf of the herd without blemish: and the six lambs, and the rams shall be without blemish. | Calf. Moses orders two, and seven lambs, Numbers 28:11. (Calmet) --- The rams. Hebrew, "a ram. They shall," etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 46:7 | And he shall offer in sacrifice an ephi for a calf, an ephi also for a ram: but for the lambs, as his hand shall find: and a hin of oil for every ephi. | |
| Ezekiel 46:8 | And when the prince is to go in, let him go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and let him go out the same way. | |
| Ezekiel 46:9 | But when the people of the land shall go in before the Lord, in the solemn feasts, he that goeth in by the north gate to adore, shall go out by the way of the south gate: and he that goeth in by the way of the south gate, shall go out by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go out at that over-against it. | It, perhaps to avoid confusion, (Menochius) and turning the back on the temple, (Calmet) or to exercise their obedience. As many might enter by one gate as by another, and thus the concourse would not be diminished. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 46:10 | And the prince in the midst of them, shall go in when they go in, and go out when they go out. | Out. The prince went in and out by the same gate, (ver. 8.) and might order that on the east to be opened when he had to offer a voluntary sacrifice. In other respects he was like a simple Israelite, and was to attend the temple and use the same gates as the rest. Before, the kings had a gate on the west leading to their palace. But this was no longer to subsist, and the palace was to be far removed, Ezechiel 48:21. |
| Ezekiel 46:11 | And in the fairs, and in the solemnities, there shall be the sacrifice of an ephi to a calf, and an ephi to a ram: and to the lambs, the sacrifice shall be as his hand shall find: and a hin of oil to every ephi. | Solemnities. Hebrew, "on feasts and on days of meeting." (Calmet) --- Sacrifice: mincha, ver. 7., and Ezechiel 45:24. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 46:12 | But when the prince shall offer a voluntary holocaust, or voluntary peace-offerings to the Lord: the gate that looketh towards the east shall be opened to him, and he shall offer his holocaust, and his peace-offerings, as it is wont to be done on the sabbath day: and he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he is gone forth. | |
| Ezekiel 46:13 | And he shall offer every day for a holocaust to the Lord, a lamb of the same year without blemish: he shall offer it always in the morning. | Morning. That for the evening had the same ceremonies, Leviticus 6:9. |
| Ezekiel 46:14 | And he shall offer the sacrifice for it morning by morning, the sixth part of ephi: and the third part of a bin of oil, to be mingled with the fine flour: a sacrifice to the Lord by ordinance, continual and everlasting. | By. Cata seems to be taken (Calmet) from the Greek kata, "according to," or by, ver. 15. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 46:15 | He shall offer the lamb, and the sacrifice, and the oil, morning by morning: an everlasting holocaust. | |
| Ezekiel 46:16 | Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons: the inheritance of it shall go to his children, they shall possess it by inheritance. | |
| Ezekiel 46:17 | But if he give a legacy out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of release, and it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall go to his sons. | Sons. If any portion of his land was made over to them, it still remained in the family; but if any other had a present of it, the land must revert to the royal family, agreeably to the law, Leviticus 25:10. (Calmet) --- This insinuates that works done by the true children of God, in the state of grace, merit an eternal reward, while moral good works performed in the state of sin, can only have a temporal one. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 46:18 | And the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by violence, nor of their possession: but out of his own possession he shall give an inheritance to his sons: that my people be not dispersed every man from his possession. | |
| Ezekiel 46:19 | And he brought me in by the entry, that was at the side of the gate, into the chambers of the sanctuary that were for the priests, which looked toward the north. And there was a place bending to the west. | Gate, on the north, Ezechiel 44:4. --- West. At this corner was the kitchen for victims, which could only be eaten in the inner court. If they had been brought into that without, the people would have become unclean; as it is equally wrong to touch holy or impure things when they are forbidden, Ezechiel 44:19. There were four other kitchens for the people who might choose to eat their peace-offerings, ver. 24. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 46:20 | And he said to me: This is the place where the priests shall boil the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering: where they shall dress the sacrifice, that they may not bring it out into the outward court, and the people be sanctified. | |
| Ezekiel 46:21 | And he brought me into the outward court, and he led me about by the four corners of the court: and behold there was a little court in the corner of the court, to every corner of the court there was a little court. | |
| Ezekiel 46:22 | In the four corners of the court were little courts disposed, forty cubits long, and thirty broad: all the four were of one measure. | Little. Hebrew, "courts joined;" (Protestants) or marginal note, "made with chimneys," (Haydock) or "smoked," as no chimneys were used. Septuagint, "little courts," as they have read differently. (Calmet) --- Vulgate unites both meanings. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 46:23 | And there was a wall round about compassing the four little courts, and there were kitchens built under the rows round about. | |
| Ezekiel 46:24 | And he said to me: This is the house of the kitchens wherein the ministers of the house of the Lord shall boil the victims of the people. | Kitchens. Septuagint, "porticoes," or rather (Calmet) "boiling places;" (Protestants) and ver. 24. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 47:0 | The vision of the holy waters issuing out from under the temple: the borders of the land to be divided among the twelve tribes. | |
| Ezekiel 47:1 | And he brought me again to the gate of the house, and behold waters issued out from under the threshold of the house toward the east: for the forefront, of the house looked toward the east: but the waters came down to the right side of the temple, to the south part of the altar. | Waters. These waters are not to be understood literally, (for there were none such that flowed from the temple) but mystically of the baptism of Christ, and of his doctrine and his grace; the trees that grow on the banks are Christian virtues; the fishes are Christians, that spiritually live in and by these holy waters; the fishermen are the apostles, and apostolic preachers; the fenny places, where there is no health, are such as by being out of the Church are separated from these waters of life. (Challoner) --- It is not probable that real water or fishes were found, ver. 9. But this must be explained of the Church and of baptism, in a higher and more proper sense. (Worthington) --- Joel 3:18. before the captivity, and Zacharias, (xiv. 8.) after that event, speak of fountains as still to appear, and of course not in either temple, though Pilate made aqueducts for the purpose, (Josephus, Jewish Wars 2:13.) which Tacitus, (An. v.) Maundrel, (p. 148.) and others mention. But the prophets allude not to them, but to Christ, the fountain of water springing up unto life eternal, John 4:14., and 7:38. (Calmet) --- Villalpand understands it of waters brought into the temple to wash the victims; but it seems to refer more to the grace and doctrine of Christ. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 47:2 | And he led me out by the way of the north gate, and he caused me to turn to the way without the outward gate, to the way that looked toward the east: and behold there ran out waters on the right side. | East. This gate was shut, and therefore he went out at the north gate. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 47:3 | And when the man that had the line in his hand went out towards the east, he measured a thousand cubits: and he brought me through the water up to the ancles. | |
| Ezekiel 47:4 | And again he measured a thousand, and he brought me through the water up to the knees. | |
| Ezekiel 47:5 | And he measured a thousand, and he brought me through the water up to the loins. And he measured a thousand, and it was a torrent, which I could not pass over: for the waters were risen so as to make a deep torrent, which could not be passed over. | |
| Ezekiel 47:6 | And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man. And he brought me out, and he caused me to turn to the bank of the torrent. | |
| Ezekiel 47:7 | And when I had turned myself, behold on the bank of the torrent were very many trees on both sides. | |
| Ezekiel 47:8 | And he said to me: These waters that issue forth toward the hillocks of sand to the east, and go down to the plains of the desert, shall go into the sea, and shall go out, and the waters shall be healed. | The. Hebrew, "the east country," (Protestants; Haydock) or "the frontiers (Gelilah) eastward," by which some improperly suppose that one rivulet went to the sea of Galilee. --- And shall. Hebrew, "the sea of the going out," where the Jordan River empties itself into the Dead Sea; or, the second rivulet ran into the Mediterranean, Zacharias 14:8. But this passage relates to the Dead Sea alone, (ver. 18.) and Gelilah is a place near it, where the Israelites erected an altar of union, Josue 22:10. (Calmet) --- Healed. No fish can live in the sea of Sodom. (Solin xxxviii.) --- Yet, let the place be ever so noxious, this water shall cure it; (see 4 Kings 2:19.; Calmet) which must be taken in a mystical sense. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 47:9 | And every living creature that creepeth whithersoever the torrent shall come, shall live: and there shall be fishes in abundance after these waters shall come thither, and they shall be healed, and all things shall live to which the torrent shall come. | |
| Ezekiel 47:10 | And the fishers shall stand over these waters, from Engaddi even to Engallim there shall be drying of nets: there shall be many sorts of the fishes thereof, as the fishes of the great sea, a very great multitude: | Engallim, or "the fountain of Gallim," in the tribe of Benjamin, Isaias 25:44. |
| Ezekiel 47:11 | But on the shore thereof, and in the fenny places they shall not be healed, because they shall be turned into salt pits. | Salt, or bitumen pits. Schismatics and bad Christians, who do not live by the spirit of Christ, are meant. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 47:12 | And by the torrent on the banks thereof, on both sides, shall grow all trees that bear fruit: their leaf shall not fall off, and their fruit shall not fail: every month shall they bring forth first-fruits, because the waters thereof shall issue out of the sanctuary: and the fruits thereof shall be for food, and the leaves thereof for medicine. | First-fruits, or most excellent. (Haydock) --- St. John saw such (Worthington) a tree of life, Apocalypse xxii. (Haydock) --- The doctrine of the gospel, and the study of the sacred books, have the most salutary effects; while the very leaves, or the example of the saints, heal the soul. No more shall the deceitful fruits near Sodom be seen (Calmet) beautiful, but full of nothing but ashes. (Tacitus, An. v.) --- Where Christ instructs, a torrent of grace and glory is presently formed. Like the mustard seed growing into a large tree, in which the birds rest, its origin is mean; yet its progress is grand and astonishing. |
| Ezekiel 47:13 | Thus saith the Lord God: This is the border, by which you shall possess the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: for Joseph hath a double portion. | Double portion. Literally, "cord." (Haydock) --- His two sons would each have a share, as Levi was better provided for. (Worthington) --- He had no portion of the land assigned to him by Josue, but here one part is appointed (Calmet) for the sacred ministers and the prince, Ezechiel 45:1. |
| Ezekiel 47:14 | And you shall possess it, every man in like manner as his brother: concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for a possession. | Brother. The seven tribes to the north have each an equal share, as the five who lay to the south of the Levites had with respect to each other, though their portion must have been only about half of what the former possessed, according to the map, Ezechiel 45:1. (Haydock) --- Under Josue, the numbers of each tribe were considered. The present mysterious equality shews, perhaps, that there is no distinction of Jew or Gentile in the Church, and that Christ would come to redeem all. (Calmet) --- Lifted. People taking an oath acted in this manner. (Menochius) |
| Ezekiel 47:15 | And this is the border of the land: toward the north side, from the great sea by the way of Hethalon, as men go to Sedada. | Sedada. These places are not well known. They seem to be near the highest mountain specified, (Numbers 34:7.) west of Emesa. |
| Ezekiel 47:16 | Emath, Berotha, Sabarim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Emath, the house of Tichon, which is by the border of Auran. | Berotha, conquered by David, 2 Kings 8:8. |
| Ezekiel 47:17 | And the border from the sea even to the court of Enon, shall be the border of Damascus, and from the north to the north: the border of Emath, this is the north side. | Emath was about the middle of the northern limits, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River. |
| Ezekiel 47:18 | And the east side is from the midst of Auran, and from the midst of Damascus, and from the midst of Galaad, and from the midst of the land of Israel, Jordan making the bound to the east sea, and thus you shall measure the east side. | Auran. Hence a line must be drawn through Damascus over Mount Galaad to the eastern or Dead Sea, to form the eastern borders. (Calmet) --- The Jordan River flowing from Genesareth to Sodom marked out this side, (Menochius) or rather was in this division; though the land as far as Galaad was to belong to Israel, as it had been before the captivity. Protestants, "by Jordan from the border unto," etc. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 47:19 | And the south side southward is from Thamar, even to the waters of contradiction of Cades: and the torrent, even to the great sea: and this is the south side southward. | Thamar. Engaddi is sometimes understood: but it lay near Jericho, as this (Calmet) Thamar was to the south of the Dead Sea. (Ptolemy) --- Torrent Besor. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 47:20 | And the side toward the sea, is the great sea, from the borders straight on, till thou come to Emath: this is the side of the sea. | Emath, not that it was on the sea: but a line was to be drawn over against this city, eastward from the Mediterranean Sea. Septuagint, "to opposite the entrance of Emath, as far as its entrance." But the territory extended farther, Numbers xxxiv. |
| Ezekiel 47:21 | And you shall divide this land unto you by the tribes of Israel: | |
| Ezekiel 47:22 | And you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you, and to the strangers that shall come over to you, that shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as men of the same country born among the children of Israel: they shall divide the possession with you in the midst of the tribes of Israel. | Strangers. This was never done by the Jews. It signifies that Christ would give an inheritance, in the true land of promise [in heaven], (Calmet) to all nations which should practice his religion, Romans 10:12. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 47:23 | And in what tribe soever the stranger shall be, there shall you give him possession, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 48:0 | The portions of the twelve tribes, of the sanctuary, of the city, and of the prince. The dimensions and gates of the city. | |
| Ezekiel 48:1 | And these are the names of the tribes from the borders of the north, by the way of Hethalon, as they go to Emath, the court of Enan, the border of Damascus northward, by the way of Emath. And from the east side thereof, to the sea shall be one portion for Dan. | Dan. This division is very different from that of Josue, and was never literally executed, being rather of a mystical nature. The limits are not marked out, as each lot was equal. (Calmet) See Ezechiel 45:1., and 47:14. (Haydock) --- By the twelve tribes all the glorified saints are meant. No cities of refuge occur, because in heaven all are perfect, all secure. (St. Jerome) (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 48:2 | And by the border of Dan, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, one portion for Aser: | |
| Ezekiel 48:3 | And by the border of Aser, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, one portion for Nephthali. | |
| Ezekiel 48:4 | And by the border of Nephthali, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, one portion for Manasses. | |
| Ezekiel 48:5 | And by the border of Manasses, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, one portion for Ephraim. | |
| Ezekiel 48:6 | And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, one portion for Ruben. | |
| Ezekiel 48:7 | And by the border of Ruben, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, one portion for Juda. | |
| Ezekiel 48:8 | And by the border of Juda, from the east side, even to the side of the sea, shall be the first-fruits which you shall set apart, five and twenty thousand in breadth, and in length, as every one of the portions from the east side, to the side of the sea: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst thereof. | Apart, for the Levitical tribe and the prince. (Calmet) --- As the first-born and things which spring first, so also the land consecrated to the Lord is called first-fruits. (Worthington) --- Thousand cubits (chap. 45:1.) or 12,500 paces, (Haydock) allowing two cubits for each. This would not reach to the Jordan River. But thrice that space must be reckoned, the king having two of them (Calmet) on each side of the temple, namely, towards the sea, and on the other side of the Jordan. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 48:9 | The first-fruits which you shall set apart for the Lord: shall be the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand. | |
| Ezekiel 48:10 | And these shall be the first-fruits of the sanctuary for the priests: toward the north, five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the sea, ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east, also ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south, five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst thereof. | |
| Ezekiel 48:11 | The sanctuary shall be for the priests of the sons of Sadoc, who kept my ceremonies, and went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites also went astray. | Astray, etc. By this we see, that in the worst of times God always preserved some of the priests from going astray; and that the synagogue never fell so universally into idolatry, but that a remnant was still left free from this corruption. (Challoner) |
| Ezekiel 48:12 | And for them shall be the first-fruits of the first-fruits of the land holy of holies, by the border of the Levites. | |
| Ezekiel 48:13 | And the Levites in like manner shall have by the borders of the priests five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth. All the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. | Ten. Their city was only 18,000 cubits in circumference, ver. 16. |
| Ezekiel 48:14 | And they shall not sell thereof, nor exchange, neither shall the first-fruits of the land be alienated, because they are sanctified to the Lord. | |
| Ezekiel 48:15 | But the five thousand that remain in the breadth over-against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. | Profane, where servants of the priests may reside. (Calmet) --- On the north and south, (Haydock) 1000 cubits broad and 25,000 long were left for fields, gardens, etc. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 48:16 | And these are the measures thereof: on the north side four thousand and five hundred: and on the south side four thousand and five hundred: and on the east side four thousand and five hundred: and on the west side four thousand and five hundred. | Five. Hebrew has, "five five hundred:" but one five is properly omitted in several manuscripts and in all the ancient versions. (Kennicott) --- Four thousand five hundred cubits was the length and breadth of the town and temple, which were 18,000 cubits round, (Calmet) or so many reeds, which would make 36 miles of 1000 paces each. As the earthly Jerusalem was certainly never so large, the modern rabbins assert that the Messias will build it to that extent; but Catholic doctors understand it mystically of the Church. Thus St. John saw the New Jerusalem or Church triumphant [in heaven], Apocalypse xxi., and xxii. (Worthington) |
| Ezekiel 48:17 | And the suburbs of the city shall be to the north two hundred and fifty, and to the south two hundred and fifty, and to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the sea two hundred and fifty. | Suburbs, separating the Levites from laics, different from what is mentioned [in] ver. 15. |
| Ezekiel 48:18 | And the residue in length by the first-fruits of the sanctuary, ten thousand toward the east, and ten thousand toward the west, shall be as the first-fruits of the sanctuary: and the fruits thereof shall be for bread to them that serve the city. | As the, etc. They shall not be alienated, as some might infer from its being said to be profane, which term is used because it was the habitation of laymen. |
| Ezekiel 48:19 | And they that serve the city, shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. | Israel. People from all parts might serve the Levites. This tribe was not to engage in labourious or sordid employments, being attached to the service of the Lord, and bound to instruct others. But this was more perfectly fulfilled in the Christian Church, where the clergy enjoy great immunities, and are forbidden to exercise any trade or employment which may take them off from their more important spiritual concerns, or render their ministry contemptible. See Exodus 19:6. |
| Ezekiel 48:20 | All the first-fruits, of five and twenty thousand, by five and twenty thousand, four-square, shall be set apart for the first-fruits of the sanctuary, and for the possession of the city. | City, where the Levites and their servants, artisans, etc., dwelt. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 48:21 | And the residue shall be for the prince on every side of the first-fruits of the sanctuary, and of the possession of the city over-against the five and twenty thousand of the first-fruits, unto the east border: toward the sea also, over-against the five and twenty thousand, unto the border of the sea, shall likewise be the portion of the prince: and the first-fruits of the sanctuary, and the sanctuary of the temple, shall be in the midst thereof. | Thereof. The domains of the prince touched the limits of Juda on the north, and of Benjamin on the south, as the portion of Levi did also. The prince occupied the east and west square of this division. (Haydock) |
| Ezekiel 48:22 | And from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, which are in the midst of the prince's portions: what shall be to the border of Juda, and to the border of Benjamin, shall also belong to the prince. | |
| Ezekiel 48:23 | And for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, one portion for Benjamin. | |
| Ezekiel 48:24 | And over-against the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, one portion for Simeon. | |
| Ezekiel 48:25 | And by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, one portion for Issachar. | |
| Ezekiel 48:26 | And by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, one portion for Zabulon. | |
| Ezekiel 48:27 | And by the border of Zabulon, from the east side to the side of the sea, one portion for Gad. | |
| Ezekiel 48:28 | And by the border of Gad, the south side southward: and the border shall be from Thamar, even to the waters of contradiction of Cades, the inheritance over-against the great sea. | Inheritance. Hebrew nachal, signifies also "torrent;" and St. Jerome seems to prefer this meaning, as he explains it of the torrent which goes by Rhinocorura, and is commonly supposed to be the southern boundary. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 48:29 | This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel: and these are the portions of them, saith the Lord God. | |
| Ezekiel 48:30 | And these are the goings out of the city: on the north side thou shalt measure four thousand and five hundred. | Out, or gates. (Haydock) --- There were three on each of the four sides. (Calmet) |
| Ezekiel 48:31 | And the gates of the city according to the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates on the north side, the gate of Ruben one, the gate of Juda one, the gate of Levi one. | |
| Ezekiel 48:32 | And at the east side, four thousand and five hundred: and three gates, the gate of Joseph one, the gate of Benjamin one, the gate of Dan one. | |
| Ezekiel 48:33 | And at the south side, thou shalt measure four thousand and five hundred: and three gates, the gate of Simeon one, the gate of Issachar one, the gate of Zabulon one. | |
| Ezekiel 48:34 | And at the west side, four thousand and five hundred, and their three gates, the gate of Gad one, the gate of Aser one, the gate of Nephthali one. | |
| Ezekiel 48:35 | Its circumference was eighteen thousand: and the name of the city from that day, The Lord is there. | The Lord is there. This name is here given to the city; that is, the Church of Christ; because the Lord is always with her till the end of the world, Matthew 28:20. (Challoner) --- He always adorns the Church triumphant [in heaven]; (Apocalypse xxii.) but has deserted the synagogue, Matthew 23:38. (Worthington) --- Jerusalem certainly never bore this name, nor is it requisite that she should, if the prophecy had been literally understood. It would suffice, if she could justly claim such a prerogative. See Isaias 7:14., and 2 Kings 12:25. The Church of Christ possesses God for ever. (Calmet) |