Ezekiel 2:9 Komentář

What our Lord Jesus said to St. Paul (Act 26:16) may fitly be applied to the prophet Ezekiel, to whom the same Jesus is here speaking, "Rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister." We have here Ezekiel's ordination to his office, which the vision was designed to fit him for, not to entertain his curiosity with uncommon speculations, but to put him into business. Now here, I. He is commissioned to go as a prophet to the house of Israel, now captives in Babylon, and to deliver God's messages to them from time to time (Eze 2:1-5). II. He is cautioned not to be afraid of them (Eze 2:6). III. He is instructed what to say to them, and has words put into his mouth, signified by the vision of a roll, which he was ordered to eat (Eze 2:7-10), and which, in the next chapter, we find he did eat.

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 2 This chapter contains me prophet's call, commission, and instruction to prophesy. The preparation to it is in Eze 2:1; being fallen upon his face, he is bid to stand upon his feet, with a promise to speak to him; and the Spirit entering into him, he is set by him on his feet, and he hears what is spoken to him; then follows his mission to the children of Israel, who are described as rebellious, impudent, and stiff-hearted; and to whom he is sent, to render them inexcusable, Eze 2:3; and he is exhorted not to be afraid of their words, nor dismayed at their looks, however fierce and furious they might be; but faithfully declare his message, and not be discouraged, should it be without success, Eze 2:6; and he is instructed not to be rebellious, as they were; but open his mouth and eat what should be given him, Eze 2:8; when, in a visionary way, a hand was seen, and a roll in it, and this spread before him, written within and without, full of lamentation, mourning, and woes, as a symbol of the substance of his prophecy, Eze 2:9.

And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me,.... Not of an angel, but of Christ himself, in a visionary way; for this was not a real hand, but the likeness of one, as in Eze 8:3; and so the Targum here, "and I saw, and behold, the likeness of a hand stretched out on the side to me.'' This symbol was to show that his prophecy, that he was sent to deliver, was from heaven and came from Christ; and that hand that delivered it to him would protect and defend him: and, lo a roll of a book was therein; held in it, and held forth by it, to the prophet. Books were frequently written on parchment or vellum, and rolled about a stick, in form of a cylinder; and hence they were called volumes or rolls, Psa 40:7. This roll was a symbol of the prophecy of this book.

The scroll symbolizes the prophets and the apostles. In it the Old Testament was written on the reverse and the New on the obverse. Moreover, the scroll symbolizes the secret, the spiritual teaching—and in such a dignified manner that it may be read on both sides. In reality it is of such a kind that there is a connection between reading the outside and understanding the inside.

If God were to stand up as the avenger of sin, the church would lose many of its saints and certainly would be deprived of the apostle Paul.

(Verse 9.) In which was a wrapped book, and he unfolded it before me, and it was written inside and outside: and there were written in it lamentations, and a song, and woe. And he said to me: Son of man, whatever you find, eat. Concerning the wrapped book, the seventy chapters of the book were translated. In the hand of the Lord sitting on the throne, which was sent and extended. Concerning which it is also said in the Psalms: In the chapter of the book it is written about me (Psalm 39:8). Chapter, let us understand the beginning. This book was wrapped and sealed, written inside and outside, or before and after, of such difficulty that no one was able to open and read it, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor underneath the earth, except the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David and Jesse, whom John in the Apocalypse said devoured it (Rev. 5), not whole, but in a chapter, that is, in the beginning. For it is impossible for human nature to devour the entire treasure of this book. And He unfolded it before the prophet, and He made it available to be read and understood, who is said to be marked in Isaiah as belonging to the people who do not believe (Isa. XXIX). For even to this day the veil is placed upon the Jews in the old Testament. And it was written before and after; concerning things to come and concerning things past. Truly, outwardly in historical writing, but inwardly in spiritual understanding, of which the Psalmist says: The glory of the king's daughter is from within (Psal. XLIV, 14). And there were written in it both inward and outward lamentations, and song, and woe. Lamentations, concerning those who are called to penance, just as Samuel and the Apostle Paul mourned and lamented for Saul and the Corinthians, whom they desired to save (2 Chronicles 16; 2 Corinthians 12). Song about those who are worthy of God's testimony, and whom the Psalmist commands: Sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 95 and 97, verse 1). Furthermore, woe to those who have completely despaired and, when they come into the depths of sin, they scorn (Prov. XVIII).

"And I looked, and behold, a hand was sent to me, in which was a rolled-up book; and he spread it out before me, and it was written inside and outside." Just as the order of preachers is designated by the prophet, so the pages of Sacred Scripture are designated by the book which he received. Now the scroll is the obscure speech of Sacred Scripture, which is wrapped up in the profundity of its meanings, so that it may not easily be penetrated by the understanding of all. But the scroll is unrolled before the prophet, because the obscurity of sacred speech is opened before preachers. The hand of God had extended a rolled-up scroll when He was saying to the apostles: "The kingdom of heaven has become like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. And when the grass had grown and produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared," and the rest which your charity remembers even without my recounting it. But He unrolled the scroll which He had shown rolled up when He explained what He had spoken through riddles, saying: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; but the weeds are the sons of wickedness. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the consummation of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Therefore just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the consummation of the age." And so the rolled-up scroll is unrolled when what had been set forth obscurely is opened through the breadth of understanding. Truth unrolled this rolled-up scroll when He accomplished in His disciples what is written: "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."

Concerning this book it is further added: "Which was written within and without." For the book of sacred eloquence is written within through allegory, without through history. Within through spiritual understanding, but without through the simple sense of the letter, still suited to those who are weak. Within, because it promises invisible things; without, because it arranges visible things through the rectitude of its precepts. Within, because it promises heavenly things, but without because it teaches how earthly things are to be despised, whether they are to be used or fled from out of desire. For it speaks certain things concerning heavenly secrets, but commands other things in external actions. And indeed those things which it commands outwardly are plain, but those things which it narrates concerning internal matters cannot be fully apprehended.

Whence it is written: "Stretching out the heaven like a skin, who covers its upper parts in the waters." For what is signified by the name of heaven except sacred Scripture? From which the sun of wisdom, and the moon of knowledge, and from the ancient Fathers the stars of examples and virtues shine for us. This is stretched out like a skin, because, formed through the tongue of flesh by its writers, it is unfolded before our eyes by being expounded through the words of teachers. But what is signified by the name of waters except the most holy choirs of angels? Of which it is written: "And let the waters that are above the heavens praise the name of the Lord." The Lord covers the upper parts of this heaven in the waters, because the deep things of sacred eloquence, that is, those things which it narrates concerning the nature of divinity or concerning eternal joys, while we are still ignorant, are known to the angels alone in secret. Therefore this heaven is both stretched out before us, and yet its upper parts are covered in the waters, because both certain things of sacred eloquence now lie open to us through the opening of the spirit, and certain things which can be manifest to the angels alone are still kept hidden from us. Concerning which hidden things, however, we already perceive a part through spiritual understanding, we have already received the pledge of the Holy Spirit, because we have not yet fully known these things, and yet we love them from the depths of our heart, and in many spiritual senses which we have already known, we are fed with the food of truth.

Let him therefore say: "Which was written within and without," because in sacred eloquence the strong are satisfied by more hidden and sublime sayings, and we little ones are nourished by plainer precepts. Whence it is written: "The high mountains are for the deer, the rock is a refuge for the hedgehogs." For let those have the mountains of understanding who already know how to make the leaps of contemplation. But let the rock be a refuge for the hedgehogs, because we little ones, covered with the thorns of our sins, even if we cannot understand lofty things, are saved in the refuge of our rock, that is, in faith in Christ. Whence also it is said to certain ones: "I judged myself to know nothing among you except Christ Jesus, and him crucified." As if he were saying: Because I considered that you could not grasp the mysteries of his divinity, I spoke to you only of the weakness of his humanity.

The prophet, having been overwhelmed with the glorious vision in the preceding chapter, is here strengthened and comforted, Eze 2:1, Eze 2:2; and then commissioned to declare to the rebellious house of Israel the terrible judgments that would very shortly come upon the whole land, if they repented not; with a gracious assurance to Ezekiel that God would be constantly with him while executing the duties of his office, Eze 2:3-5. The prophet is also commanded to be fearless, resolute, and faithful in the discharge of it, Eze 2:6-8, as he must be the messenger of very unpleasing tidings, which well expose him to great persecution, Eze 2:9, Eze 2:10.

A hand was sent - Here the hand signifies not only the instrument of conveyance, but an emblem of the Divine power, which the hand of God always signifies. A roll of a book - מגלת שפר megillath sepher. All ancient books were written so as to be rolled up; hence volumen, a volume, from volvo, I roll.

EZEKIEL'S COMMISSION. (Eze 2:1-10) Son of man--often applied to Ezekiel; once only to Daniel (Dan 8:17), and not to any other prophet. The phrase was no doubt taken from Chaldean usage during the sojourn of Daniel and Ezekiel in Chaldea. But the spirit who sanctioned the words of the prophet implied by it the lowliness and frailty of the prophet as man "lower than the angels," though now admitted to the vision of angels and of God Himself, "lest he should be exalted through the abundance of the revelations" (Co2 12:7). He is appropriately so called as being type of the divine "Son of man" here revealed as "man" (see on Eze 1:26). That title, as applied to Messiah, implies at once His lowliness and His exaltation, in His manifestations as the Representative man, at His first and second comings respectively (Psa 8:4-8; Mat 16:13; Mat 20:18; and on the other hand, Dan 7:13-14; Mat 26:64; Joh 5:27).

roll--the form in which ancient books were made.

Call of Ezekiel to the Prophetic Office - Eze 2:1 and Eze 2:2. Upon the manifestation of the Lord follows the word of vocation. Having, in the feeling of his weakness and sinfulness, fallen to the ground before the terrible revelation of Jehovah's glory, Ezekiel is first of all raised up again by the voice of God, to hear the word which calls him to the prophetic function. - Eze 2:1. And He said to me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, I will speak with thee. Eze 2:2. Then came spirit unto me as He spake unto me, and it placed me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking unto me. - The address בּן־אדם occurs so frequently in Ezekiel, that it must be regarded as one of the peculiarities of his prophecies. Elsewhere it occurs only once, Dan 8:17. That it is significant, is generally recognised, although its meaning is variously given. Most expositors take it as a reminder of the weakness and frailness of human nature; Coccejus and Kliefoth, on the contrary, connect it with the circumstance that God appears to Ezekiel in human form, and find in it a τεκμήριον amicitiae, that God speaks in him as man to man, converses with him as a man with his friend. This last interpretation, however, has against it the usus loquendi. As בּן־אדם denotes man according to his natural condition, it is used throughout as a synonym with אנושׁ, denoting the weakness and fragility of man in opposition to God; cf. Psa 8:5; Job 25:6; Isa 51:12; Isa 56:2; and Num 23:19. This is the meaning also of בּן־אדם in the address, as may be distinctly seen from the various addresses in Daniel. Daniel is addressed, where comfort is to be imparted to him, as אישׁׁ חמדות, "man greatly beloved," Dan 10:11, Dan 10:19, cf. Dan 9:23; but, on the contrary, in Eze 8:17, where he has fallen on his face in terror before the appearance of Gabriel, with the words, "Understand, O son of man," in order to remind him of his human weakness. This is also the case in our verse, where Ezekiel, too, had fallen upon his face, and by God's word spoken to him, is again raised to his feet. It is only in Ezekiel that this address is constantly employed to mark the distance between the human weakness of his nature and the divine power which gives him the capacity and the impulse to speak. Not, however, with the design, mentioned by Jerome on Dan 8:17, "that he may not be elated on account of his high calling," because, as Hvernick subjoins, Ezekiel's extremely powerful and forcible nature may have needed to be perpetually reminded of what it is in reality before God. If this were the meaning and object of this address, it would also probably occur in the writings of several of the other prophets, as the supposition that the nature of Ezekiel was more powerful and forcible than that of the other prophets is altogether without foundation. The constant use of this form of address in Ezekiel is connected rather with the manner and fashion in which most of the revelations were imparted to him, that is, with the prevalence of "vision," in which the distinction between God and man comes out more prominently than in ordinary inspiration or revelation, effected by means of an impression upon the inner faculties of man. The bringing prominently forward, however, of the distance between God and men is to remind the prophet, as well as the people to whom he communicated his revelations, not merely of the weakness of humanity, but to show them, at the same time, how powerfully the word of God operates in feeble man, and also that God, who has selected the prophet as the organ of His will, possesses also the power to redeem the people, that were lying powerless under the oppression of the heathen, from their misery, and to raise them up again. - At the word of the Lord, "Stand upon thy feet," came רוּח into the prophet, which raised him to his feet. רוּח here is not "life consciousness" (Hitzig), but the spirit-power which proceeds from God, and which is conveyed through the word which imparted to him the strength to stand before the face of God, and to undertake His command. מדּבּר, partic. Hithpa., properly "collocutor," occurs here and in Eze 43:6, and in Num 7:89; elsewhere, only in Sa2 14:13.