Ezekiel 7:4 Ulasan

In this chapter the approaching ruin of the land of Israel is most particularly foretold in affecting expressions often repeated, that if possible they might be awakened by repentance to prevent it. The prophet must tell them, I. That it will be a final ruin, a complete utter destruction, which would make an end of them, a miserable end (Eze 7:1-6). II. That it is an approaching ruin, just at the door (Eze 7:7-10). III. That it is an unavoidable ruin, because they had by sin brought it upon themselves (Eze 7:10-15). IV. That their strength and wealth should be no fence against it (Eze 7:16-19). V. That the temple, which they trusted in, should itself be ruined (Eze 7:20-22). VI. That it should be a universal ruin, the sin that brought it having been universal (Eze 7:23-27).

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 7 This chapter contains a prophecy of the speedy destruction of the Jews, as being just at hand; of the particular judgments that should come upon them; of the horror that should seize them, and the distress that all ranks of men among them should be in, a few only escaping, who are described as in mournful circumstances. The destruction in general is denounced as being very near; the end being come, which is often repeated; and as it is represented as sudden, so without mercy; which is declared, Eze 7:1; the particular judgments, sword, pestilence, and famine, are mentioned in Eze 7:15, and the few that should escape are compared to mourning doves, Eze 7:16; the trembling, horror, and shame that should be upon all, are intimated in Eze 7:17; the unprofitableness of their gold and silver to deliver them, and the unsatisfying nature of these things, are expressed, Eze 7:19; the profanation and destruction of their temple are prophesied of, Eze 7:20; and for their murder, rapine, and oppression, it is threatened that their houses should be possessed by the worst of Heathens, and their holy places defiled; and one calamity should come upon another; when their application to prophets, priests, and ancient men for counsel, would be in, vain, Eze 7:23; and king, prince, and people, should be in the most melancholy and distressed circumstances, Eze 7:27.

Thus saith the Lord God,.... Here should be a stop, a colon, requiring attention to what follows, it being something awful and terrible: an evil, an only evil, behold, it cometh; meaning the destruction of the city and temple; which, though but one, was such an one as was never known before nor was there any like it. The Targum is, "evil after evil, lo, it cometh;'' one evil after another; when one evil is gone, another comes, as in Eze 7:26. The Syriac version is, "behold, evil for evil comes"; the evil of punishment for the evil of sin.

(Verse 3, 4.) Now the end is upon you, and I will unleash my fury upon you, and I will judge you according to your ways, and I will bring all your abominations against you. And my eye will not spare you, and I will have no pity, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be in your midst, and you will know that I am the Lord. In this chapter, according to the Septuagint Interpreters, the order has been changed and confused, so that the first become last, and the last become first or middle, and even the middle is now transferred to the extremes and vice versa. From this point, following the Hebrew and other interpreters, we have set forth the order of truth. Therefore, the speech is directed to the land of Israel, because the end and consummation will come upon it, and the Lord will send forth His anger upon it, not unjustly, but only coming from indignation; but it will be full of equity and reason, so that He may judge it according to His ways, and show it all its abominations. He will remember His works and understand what evil it has done. But as he says: My eye will not spare you, and I will not have pity, like a most merciful physician who wants to cut away putrid flesh and burn festering wounds with a cauterizing iron, he does not spare in order to spare; he does not have pity in order to have more pity; so that nothing putrid and corrupting remains in the body to infect the living flesh nearby. The Lord strikes those whom he loves, and he chastises every son whom he receives (Heb. 12:6). Of this understanding, it is said: I will strike and I will heal (Deut. 32:39). For every medicine has bitterness in the beginning, but afterwards the fruits of pain are revealed, and health is shown. This is what God speaks through Amos: 'Because I have known you from all the tribes of the earth, therefore I will avenge upon all your sins.' For the Lord knows those who belong to Him. And He says in Second Timothy: 'I will set forth his ways, and all the steps of his life, his abominations and stains, that the previous sins may be placed before the eyes of the sinner who is punished for the sake of health.' And when the Lord has done this, those who were oppressed will know that He is the Lord. This itself signifies and that testimony: I will punish Jacob according to his ways, and repay him according to his deeds. (Hosea 12:2).

This chapter, which also forms a distinct prophecy, foretells the dreadful destruction of the land of Israel, or Judah, (for after the captivity of the ten tribes these terms are often used indiscriminately for the Jews in general), on account of the heinous sins of its inhabitants, Eze 7:1-15; and the great distress of the small remnant that should escape, Eze 7:16-19. The temple itself, which they had polluted with idolatry, is devoted to destruction, Eze 7:20-22; and the prophet is directed to make a chain, as a type of that captivity, in which both king and people should be led in bonds to Babylon, Eze 7:23-27. The whole chapter abounds in bold and beautiful figures, flowing in an easy and forcible language.

Thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee - They shall ever stare thee in the face, upbraid thee with thy ingratitude and disobedience, and be witnesses against thee.

LAMENTATION OVER THE COMING RUIN OF ISRAEL; THE PENITENT REFORMATION OF A REMNANT; THE CHAIN SYMBOLIZING THE CAPTIVITY. (Eze. 7:1-27) An end, the end--The indefinite "an" expresses the general fact of God bringing His long-suffering towards the whole of Judea to an end; "the," following, marks it as more definitely fixed (Amo 8:2).

thine abominations--the punishment of thine abominations. shall be in the midst of thee--shall be manifest to all. They and thou shall recognize the fact of thine abominations by thy punishment which shall everywhere befall thee, and that manifestly.