Ezechiele 20:49 Commento

In this chapter, I. The prophet is consulted by some of the elders of Israel (Eze 20:1). II. He is instructed by his God what answer to give them. He must, 1. Signify God's displeasure against them (Eze 20:2, Eze 20:3). And, 2. He must show them what just cause he had for that displeasure, by giving them a history of God's grateful dealings with their fathers and their treacherous dealings with God. (1.) In Egypt (Eze 20:5-9). (2.) In the wilderness (v. 10-26). (3.) In Canaan (Eze 20:27-32). 3. He must denounce the judgments of God against them (Eze 20:33-36). 4. He must tell them likewise what mercy God had in store for them, when he would bring a remnant of them to repentance, re-establish them in their own land, and set up his sanctuary among them again (Eze 20:37-44). 5. Here is another word dropped towards Jerusalem, which is explained and enlarged upon in the next chapter (Eze 20:45-49).

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 20 The prophecy in this chapter is occasioned by some of the elders of Israel coming to inquire of the Lord; when the prophet is bid to tell them that he would not be inquired of by them. The reason of which were their abominations he is ordered to make known unto them, Eze 20:1; and then proceeds the narration of them; first of what their fathers committed in Egypt; of God's goodness to them, and their ingratitude; how that though he promised and swore that he would bring them from thence, when he charged them to abstain from the idolatry of that people where they were, nevertheless they did not, for which he threatened them with his wrath to consume them; yet such was his goodness as to spare them, and bring them out of that land, Eze 20:5; being brought out of Egypt into the wilderness, the Lord gave them statutes and ordinances to observe, particularly sabbaths, as a sign between him and them, but these they despised and broke; wherefore the Lord threatened to consume them in the wilderness, and not bring them into the land of Canaan; yet such was his kindness and mercy to them, that he did not make an utter end of them in the wilderness, Eze 20:10; and whereas he exhorted their posterity not to imitate their parents, but to walk in his statutes and judgments, and observe his sabbaths, yet they would not; which drew out his resentment against them, and he threatened to scatter them among the Heathens; but, for his name's sake, that that might not be polluted among the heathen, he spared them, and did not cut them off, only gave them up to do things very pernicious to them, Eze 20:18; and even when they were brought into the land of Canaan, they were guilty of blasphemy against God, and of idolatry on every high hill they saw, Eze 20:27; but whereas it might be objected, what is all this to the present generation? it is observed, that they imitated their fathers, and were guilty of the same idolatries, and therefore the Lord would not be inquired of by them, Eze 20:30; and threatens to rule them with fury, and plead with them, as he had pleaded with their fathers in the wilderness, Eze 20:32; nevertheless he suggests that there would be a remnant among them, when he should have purged the rebels and transgressors from them, that he would deal graciously with in a covenant way; who should serve him in his holy mountain, where he would require and accept their sacrifices, in whom he would be sanctified; and who should know him, and loathe themselves, when made sensible of the distinguishing favours bestowed upon them, Eze 20:37; and the chapter is closed with a prophecy dropped against Jerusalem, denouncing utter destruction on it, Eze 20:45.

(Verse 45 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face toward the south, and drop your word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field. And say to the forest of the south: Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched. And I said, 'Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, 'Does he not speak in parables?' LXX: And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 'Son of man, set thy face towards Teman, and prophesy against the forest of the south field; and say to the forest of the south field: 'Hear the word of the LORD, thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree.' The kindled flame will not be extinguished, and it will burn in it all faces from the south to the north: and all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have kindled it: it will not be extinguished. And I said: By no means, O Lord, O Lord: they say to me: Is not this a parable? What does it mean to put or harden your face, we have explained more fully above. For the hardening of the face is necessary, and the hardness of the forehead, so that the Prophets may speak fearlessly what is commanded, especially when sad things are announced to the whole multitude of the people. But our translation expresses what they have said, that Nageb should be understood in Hebrew as the leader of the southern land or region, not Sare, as the LXX thought, which signifies the word leader and prince, but it is written Sade, which properly signifies land and region, and because of the similarity of the letters Daleth and Res, the error prevailed. But divine speech speaks in the metaphor of a leap against Jerusalem, which is the dwelling place of beasts and fierce men: that is, it sets it on fire, and all its trees are burned up. It does not call these trees, which were in need of fruit, but rather prepares them as if for a fire. And first it burns the green wood in it, secondly, that which we read in this same Prophet: 'And begin with my holy ones'; and afterwards the dry wood, which could not have any life in itself: namely, the holy ones and sinners together, so that some escape the evils of captivity through death, and others be handed over to eternal torments. And it also signifies this: from the South to the North, from Jerusalem to Babylon, so that every journey of those proceeding into captivity, falling by sword, famine, and pestilence, is completed. For those who are in Babylon, Jerusalem is situated to the South; just as, on the contrary, the pot in Jeremiah which signifies Jerusalem is set on fire from the face of the North, that is, Babylon. And beautifully in the beginning: a drop, he says, to the South; so that not the whole wrath of God appears to be poured out, but a certain drop and part. But if a drop of such cruelty exists, what is to be valued in all the rains? So that all flesh, which is to see the salvation of God, may know through the burning and flame of the forests, which is extinguished by no one's help, that He Himself is the Lord. Understanding this, the Prophet responded, ah, ah, ah, O Lord God, or as the Seventy translated, by no means, O Lord, O Lord. And he adds: And they say to me: Does this man not speak in parables? And what is this parable called? And the meaning is: Speak more plainly, we do not understand what you are saying in the parable: reveal to us the meaning in clear language. The names Theman, Nageb, and Darom can be understood tropologically as Egypt: for we often read in Daniel that the South stands for Egypt (Dan. 11), and Egypt refers to the limitations of this world. Therefore, Ezekiel prophesies the future evils that will come to the world, which he calls a desert without fruit-bearing trees, but a dwelling place for wild animals. Of which it is said in the 28th psalm: The voice of the Lord perfecting the deer, and he will reveal the hidden places of the forests (Verse 9). These are the forests and woodlands that devoured more from the army of Absalom in battle than the sword killed (2 Samuel 18). And the first green tree is set on fire in the woods, and then it becomes dry, those who live in evil and those who are dead to righteousness. And what is said: And every face will be burned from the South to the North, this means: From those who seemed to be fervent in spirit to those who, with the increase of iniquity and the cooling of charity of many, have lost their former zeal; so that all flesh may see the flame of the Lord not extinguished. And the prophet prays that what the Lord has threatened may not come to pass, that is, that the forest may not be set on fire and all the trees may not be destroyed, so that either they may still have a place for repentance or the necessity of announcing sad news may not be imposed on them, especially since the people do not understand those things and, because of the obscurity of the words, are more likely to be driven to madness.

A deputation of the elders of Israel, as usual, in their distress, came to request Ezekiel to ask counsel of God, Eze 20:1. In reply to this, God commands the prophet to put them in mind of their rebellion and idolatry: In Egypt, Eze 20:2-9, in the wilderness, vv. 10-27, and in Canaan, Eze 20:28-32. Notwithstanding which the Lord most graciously promises to restore them to their own land, after they should be purged from their dross, Eze 20:33-44. The five last verses of this chapter ought to begin the next, as they are connected with the subject of that chapter, being a prophecy against Jerusalem, which lay to the south of Chaldea, where the prophet then was, and which here and elsewhere is represented under the emblem of a forest doomed to be destroyed by fire, Eze 20:45-49.

Ah Lord God - O my God, consider my situation; who will believe what I shall say? They put the evil day far from them. Doth he not speak parables? - הלא ממשל משלים הוא halo memashshel meshalim hu, "Is not he a maker of parables?" Is it not his custom to deal in enigmas? His figures are not to be understood; we should not trouble ourselves with them. We are not obliged to fathom his meaning; and perhaps after all it does not refer to us, or will not be accomplished in our time, if it even respect the land. Thus they turned aside what might have done them good, and rejected the counsel of God against themselves. By dividing the word with our neighbor we often lose the benefit both of threatenings and promises. They voluntarily shut their own eyes; and then God, in judgment, sealed them up in darkness.

REJECTION OF THE ELDERS' APPLICATION TO THE PROPHET: EXPOSURE OF ISRAEL'S PROTRACTED REBELLIONS, NOTWITHSTANDING GOD'S LONG-SUFFERING GOODNESS: YET WILL GOD RESTORE HIS PEOPLE AT LAST. (Eze. 20:1-49) seventh year, &c.--namely, from the carrying away of Jeconiah (Eze 1:2; Eze 8:1). This computation was calculated to make them cherish the more ardently the hope of the restoration promised them in seventy years; for, when prospects are hopeless, years are not computed [CALVIN]. elders . . . came to inquire--The object of their inquiry, as in Eze 14:1, is not stated; probably it was to ascertain the cause of the national calamities and the time of their termination, as their false prophets assured them of a speedy restoration.

Ezekiel complains that by this parabolic form of prophecy he only makes himself and it a jest to his countrymen. God therefore in Eze. 21:1-32 permits him to express the same prophecy more plainly. Next: Ezekiel Chapter 21