Ezekiel 12:16 Komentář

Though the vision of God's glory had gone up from the prophet, yet his word comes to him still, and is by him sent to the people, and to the same purport with that which was discovered to him in the vision, namely, to set forth the terrible judgments that were coming upon Jerusalem, by which the city and temple should be entirely laid waste. In this chapter, I. The prophet, by removing his stuff, and quitting his lodgings, must be a sign to set forth Zedekiah's flight out of Jerusalem in the utmost confusion when the Chaldeans took the city (v. 1-16). II. The prophet, by eating his meat with trembling, must be a sign to set forth the famine in the city during the siege, and the consternation that the inhabitants should be in (Eze 12:17-20). III. A message is sent from God to the people, to assure them that all these predictions should have their accomplishment very shortly, and not be deferred, as they flattered themselves they would be (Eze 12:21-28).

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 12 In this chapter, under the sign of the prophet's removing household goods, is represented the removal of the king of Judah and his people from their own land into captivity; and under another sign, of the prophet's eating and drinking with quaking, and trembling, and carefulness, is set forth, either the famine that should be during the siege of Jerusalem, or the desolations following the taking of it; and the chapter is concluded with a reproof of the Jews flattering themselves that these prophecies respected times a great way off, and therefore hoped they would never be accomplished. The preface to the first sign is in Eze 12:1; which describes the people of the Jews as rebellious, and given up to judicial blindness and hardness; and suggests the cause of all their calamities: the order to prepare goods for removing, to show to the people; for digging a wall; carrying the stuff out in their sight, on his shoulders, at twilight; and covering his face when he did it, is in Eze 12:3; the execution of this order, which is declared in part for the whole, is in Eze 12:7; then follows the explication of this sign, Eze 12:8; and the application of it, first to King Zedekiah, in whom should be fulfilled several of the particulars mentioned, Eze 12:12; and to the people about him, and his army that should be scattered and fall by the sword, Eze 12:14; the end of which should be, that the Lord should be known, his power, truth, and righteousness, by a few that should escape the famine, pestilence, and sword, Eze 12:15. The second sign, with the explication and application of it, is in Eze 12:17; and the chapter is closed with a reproof of the Jews; the proverbial expression they used, and which the Lord resented, is cited Eze 12:21; and the prophet is bid to assure them that it should cease, or there should be no room for it; and also every vain vision and flattering divination, Eze 12:23; and that the word of the Lord should not be prolonged, but should quickly and certainly be accomplished; and that their hopes of the contrary were in vain, Eze 12:25.

And say unto the people of the land,.... Of Chaldea, where the prophet now was; not the natives of the land, but the Israelites, who were captives in it; who were ready to murmur and repine at their own case, as miserable; and at that of the Jews at Jerusalem, as happy; and therefore they are taught by this sign, as well as by the following prophecy, that they were mistaken: thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; or to them, or "concerning" them (y); whom the captives in Chaldea thought lived so happily, and would continue so: and of the land of Israel; or, "upon the land of Israel" (z); inhabitants on it; to this sense the Targum and Septuagint Version interpret it, and also Kimchi: they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment; meaning at the siege of Jerusalem, when they could not eat and drink in peace; but, while they were eating and drinking, were disturbed and put into fear and surprise by the besiegers; and also, hearing that their provisions would not hold out, were careful how they ate and drank, and were frightened with the thoughts of being reduced to extreme want: that her land may be desolate from all that is therein; or, "from its fulness" (a); men and cattle, cities, towns, houses, vineyards, fields, fruits, and plenty of all good things. Jarchi expounds it of riches: because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; not the violence of the Chaldeans, making a prey of all they met with, plundering cities and towns, and making forage of the fruits of the earth, by which means the land was desolate; but the rapine, oppression, and injustice of the Jews, which were the cause of all these calamities which came upon their country. (y) "habitatoribus Hierosolymorum", Montanus, Starckius; "de habitatoribus", Piscator; "de habitantibus Hierosolymam", Cocceius. (z) , Sept. "super terram Israel", Calvin; "in terram Israelis", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; so Ben Melech. (a) "a plenitudine sua", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Starckius.

(Verse 10 and following) This burden is upon the prince who is in Jerusalem, and upon all the house of Israel who are among them. Say: I am your omen: as I have done, so it shall be done to them. They shall go into exile and captivity. But the prince who is among them shall be carried on shoulders, he shall go out in darkness; they shall dig through the wall to bring him out; his face shall be covered, so that he may not see the land with his eyes. And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there. And all who are around him, his helpers and his troops, I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the countries. But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, so that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the Lord. First, let us explain the history. Say, he says, to them, O son of man, whether they ask or do not ask. What are you doing here? which is above the burden of that vision, which is in Jerusalem, signifying the leader Zedekiah. And say: I am your portent, or as the Septuagint translated, I am the one who makes portents; so that the future may be known from the present. As I have done, so it will be for them, the leader and all who are in the leader's entourage. Upon the transmigration to Babylon, the captives will be led, and the leader who is in their midst will be carried on their shoulders, either by beasts of burden or by those who fled with him. In darkness and in the shadows of the night, he will go forth: and his companions will dig through the wall to bring him out. His face will be covered, either by the fear of a fugitive or by the injury of blindness, so that the blind man may not see the land of Babylon. And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. Indeed, being seized by the Babylonians, he was captured as a result of God's permission. And he testifies that he himself caused these things to be done by the enemies. And being led into Babylon, he will not see the land of the Chaldeans, and there he will die as a captive. However, when he is captured, I will scatter all his allies, helpers, and companions in flight, here and there, and I will not allow them to depart in safety. But I will unsheathe my sword in the hands of the enemies, so that when they are dispersed among the nations, they may understand that I am the Lord, and all things are done according to my will. And I will leave behind, he says, a few from his companions who have fled with him, and those who have been able to escape the sword, famine, and plague, so that when they have come to various regions through either flight or captivity, they may recount all their crimes either through speech or example; because of which they have deserved such great evils, and understand that I myself am the Lord. But those who attempt to explain the allegory and the beginning of the explanation concerning the Savior, the leader who is in the midst of Jerusalem, interpret him, who has preceded as a sign and wonder, that he and his companions may be captives of this world, and as the victorious one ascending from the infernal regions, may be carried on the shoulders of angels: having gone forth in darkness, unknown to the unbelievers, having destroyed the middle wall, he has made both into one: his face being covered, so that he does not regard the land of the Jews (Ephesians 2). It is not surprising that the Lord hid His face; even today, the veil is placed before the unbelieving people when they look upon the face of Moses. And the Lord spread His net over him, as the bride speaks of him in the Song of Songs: Behold, he is behind our wall, looking through the windows, appearing through the lattice (Song of Songs 2:9). And also Jeremiah: The breath of our nostrils, the Lord's anointed, was captured in our sins (Lamentations 4:20). And: When he had not committed sin, he was made sin for us (II Cor. V, 21). And he shall be brought, he says, into Babylon, the confusion of this world, into the land of the Chaldeans who are interpreted as demons, so that he may draw back to salvation those who were enslaved to demons, and lead captive the ancient captivity. And he says that he will not see the land of the Chaldeans, and there he will die; so that he may give us life through his death. But he scattered all his helpers and partners, the apostles and apostolic men, throughout the whole world. And he unsheathed the sword after them, so that they might be crowned with various martyrdoms, and then they themselves or those who believed in them would understand that he is the Lord, and therefore he scattered them among the nations, and dispersed them in the lands, so they could bear much fruit. And he left a few men from among them, like the Apostle John, and others, freed from the sword, hunger, and pestilence, avoiding the onslaughts of persecution, to narrate the crimes of the Jews and the injustices of all the nations they entered, so that, through repentance, they may know that he is the Lord. We have said these things, leaving judgment to the discretion of the reader. However, there is no doubt that it is dangerous to compare the captivity and death of an impious king to the sacrament of the Lord.

The prophet proceeds, by a variety of types and parables, to convince those of the captivity that their brethren who were left behind to sustain the miseries of a siege and the insults of a conqueror, would be in a much worse condition than they who were already settled in a foreign land. In the beginning of this chapter he foretells the approaching captivity of Judah by action instead of words, Eze 12:1-7. He predicts particularly the flight, capture, captivity, and sufferings of Zedekiah and his followers, Eze 12:8-16, compared with Jer 52:11. He is to eat his food with trembling and signs of terror, as an emblem of the consternation of the Jews when surrounded by their enemies, Eze 12:17-20; and then he answers the objections and bywords of scoffers and infidels, who either disbelieved his threatening or supposed the accomplishment of them very distant, Eze 12:21-28. Josephus (Antiq. 11:10) tells us that Zedekiah thought the prophecy of Ezekiel in the thirteenth verse inconsistent with that of Jeremiah, (Jer 34:3), and resolved to believe neither. Both, however, were literary fulfilled; and the event convinced him that they were not irreconcilable. Thus, blinded by infidelity, sinners rush on to that destruction against which they are sufficiently warned.

EZEKIEL'S TYPICAL MOVING TO EXILE: PROPHECY OF ZEDEKIAH'S CAPTIVITY AND PRIVATION OF SIGHT: THE JEWS' UNBELIEVING SURMISE AS TO THE DISTANCE OF THE EVENT REPROVED. (Eze. 12:1-28) eyes to see, and see not, . . . ears to hear, and hear not--fulfilling the prophecy of Deu 29:4, here quoted by Ezekiel (compare Isa 6:9; Jer 5:21). Ezekiel needed often to be reminded of the people's perversity, lest he should be discouraged by the little effect produced by his prophecies. Their "not seeing" is the result of perversity, not incapacity. They are wilfully blind. The persons most interested in this prophecy were those dwelling at Jerusalem; and it is among them that Ezekiel was transported in spirit, and performed in vision, not outwardly, the typical acts. At the same time, the symbolical prophecy was designed to warn the exiles at Chebar against cherishing hopes, as many did in opposition to God's revealed word, of returning to Jerusalem, as if that city was to stand; externally living afar off, their hearts dwelt in that corrupt and doomed capital.

I will leave a few . . . that they may declare . . . abominations--God's purpose in scattering a remnant of Jews among the Gentiles; namely, not only that they themselves should be weaned from idolatry (see Eze 12:15), but that by their own word, as also by their whole state as exiles, they should make God's righteousness manifest among the Gentiles, as vindicated in their punishment for their sins (compare Isa 43:10; Zac 8:13).