A vindication]

[of God's judgments.

3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

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, it shall die.

all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like;

15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his

6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a removed woman;

7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

8 He that hath not given forth upon isury, neither hath taken any increase, hat hath withdrawn his hand from niquity, hath executed true judgnent between man and man,

9 Hath walked in my statutes, and ath kept my judgments, to deal truly; e is just, he shall surely live, saith he Lord GOD.

10 If he beget a son that is a rober, a shedder of blood, and that oeth the like to any one of these hings,

1 And that doeth not any of those uties, but even hath eaten upon the ountains, and defiled his neighbour's ife.

12 Hath oppressed the poor and eedy, hath spoiled by violence, hath ot restored the pledge, and hath lifted his eyes to the idols, hath comitted abomination,

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and ath taken increase: shall he then

hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,

16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

19 Yet say ye, Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

HAP. XVIII. Ver. 2. The fathers have, &c.— - Jer. xxxi. 29.

er. 4. All souls are mine—that is, they originate me, and are accountable to me.

er. 5. And do that, &c.-Heb. " Do judgment justice."

er. 6. Not eaten upon the mountains-that is, not aken of the idol sacrifices on the high places,

22 All his transgressions that he

A removed woman — Authorized Version, "A menstruous woman;" but our translators have used the word removed in this sense, ch. xxxvi. 17. See Levit. xviii. 19.

Ver. 13. His blood shall be upon him-that is, he shall be answerable for his sins, if not repented of.

Ver. 16. Hath not withholden-Heb. "Hath not pledged the pledge."

hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD; and not that he should return from his ways and live?

24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespass that he hath tresspassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

25 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath

done shall he die.

27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

28 Because he considereth, and

CHAP. XVIII.

[of God's judgments,

turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal, are not your ways unequal?

0

30 Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Gon: wherefore turn yourselves, and live. (S)

(S) God vindicates the equity of his Providence. The Jews complain to Ezekiel (as they had before done to Jeremiah) of Gods dealing hardly with them, in punishing them for the sins of their forefathers, their calamities having been long threatened as the consequence of the national guilt. The Lord tells them that he had no respect of persons; but that every one should eventually be rewarded according to his works. (Matt xvi. 27.) This he instances by a variety of examples; such as that of a just father and his wicked son, and the just son of this wicked father; then

a wicked man repenting, and a just man revolting.

In vindication of the equity of Providence, we have offered a few remarks in answer to the same objection made to the Prophet Jeremiah, which we need not here repeat (See Expos. of Jer. xxxi. 27, &c.) For 3 fuiler discussion of this subject, See Ded dridge's Lectures, cxlvii.

When the Jews are here commanded to make themselves a new heart, &c. which is elsewhere promised as the gift of God, it can only intend that they should earnestly seek it from Him who alone can give it, and who giveth his Holy Spirit to all whe ask it in sincerity. (See Luke xi. 13.)

Ver. 24. Righteousness-Heb. "Righteousnesses." Ver. 30. Repent and turn..... from, &c. The word" yourselves," which is not in the original, were better omitted, both here and in ver. 32.—So iniquity, &c.- Heb." Let not iniquity be to you for a stumbling-block."

CHAP. XIX. - This chapter is poetical through out; the eleven preceding chapters are in prose. Ver. 2. A lioness.-An allusion to Gen. xix.9. Ver. 3. One of her whelps- Jehoahaz, Kap xxiii. 30, 31.

Ver. 5. Another of her whelps-Jehoiakim, (er Eliakim) 2 Kings xxiii. 34.

[The lioness] ́ ̧

1

whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured

men.

4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured

men.

7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.

9 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

CHAP. XIX.

[and her cubs,

10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy, blood, planted by the waters; she was fruitful, and full of branches, by reason of many waters.

11 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.

12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them,

13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her. fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to. be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. (T)

CHAP. XX.

AND it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the

(T) A lamentation for the princes of Israel.-Ezekiel was a great master of the arabolic kind of writing, of which this chapter contains two beautiful examples: Ver. 1 to 9, the Prophet laments the sad atastrophe of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, and then, ver, 10 to 14, he describes the lesolation and captivity of the whole naion. In the first parable, the lioness is he land of Judea, the first of the young

lions is Jehoahaz, deposed by the king of Egypt; and the second lion is Jehoiakim, whose rebellion drew on himself the yengeance of the king of Babylon. (2 Kings xxiv. 1, &c.) In the second parable the vine is the Jewish nation, which long prospered, its land being fertile, its princes powerful, and its people flourishing; but the judgments of God, in consequence of their guilt, had now destroyed a great part of the people, and doomed the rest to captivity.

Ver.7. And he knew, &c.-On the authority of ome ancient versions and a few MSS, Newcome nd Boothroyd read, "He brought evil on their alaces;" the present text, however, seems to admit a ery good sense. He knew-that is, found out, xplored, their widowed," i. e. desolate, deserted

alaces.

Ver. 8. In their pit.-This alludes to a covered it, employed to snare wild beasts.

Ver. 9. Into holds.-Newcome, "Strong-holds;" e. confined him.

Ver. 10. Thy mother is like a vine in thy bloodThe latter part of this sentence is hard to explain." ome of the Hebrew letters being very similar, has Newcome and others to suppose, that instead of it, e should read, "As a vine-as a pomegranate; hich is countenanced by the LXX; and other tenrings have been suggested, with none of which is me writer satisfied; and if he suggests another, it may

be not more satisfactory to others. It is certain that. blood is sometimes used for manure to fruit trees, (see Ency. Brit.) and if so used by the ancients, might, with the waters," be an additional cause of fruitfulness. It is also true that the kingdom of Israel was planted in the blood of the Canaanites, and other enemies. This, however, is only offered in preference to conjectural corrections of the text, which the Editor is always reluctant to admit into the Cottage Bible.

Ver. 11. Strong rods for sceptres.-This implied what was unusual in the vine, (chap. xv. 3.) for sceptres were sometimes used for walking sticks, (Orient Cust. No. 1118), and even to dig with. See Expos. of Num. xxi. 17, &c.

Ver. 14. A fire is gone forth- may allude to the conspiracy of Ishmael against Gedaliah. Jer. xli. 2; Ezek. xv. 7; or, as some think, to the rebellion of Zedekiah. 2 Kings xxiv. 20.

The ways of] elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GoD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD; I will not be enquired of by you.

4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;

6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9 But I wrought for my 'name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10 Wherefore I caused them to go

[God justified.

forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

12 Moreover also, I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

14 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

16 Because they despised my judg ments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

19 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and

CHAP. XX. Ver. 4. Wilt thou judge them? — Marg. "Plead for them ?" The word shephot is used very extensively, for the office of an advocate as well as of a judge, and is here differently taken.

Ver.5.1 lifted up my hand—that is, "I sware," as the phrase always signifies, particularly in this chapter.

Ver. 6. A land which I had espied-that is, had

looked out, or selected for them.

Ver. 8. Neither did they forsake, &c. - By this chapter, it is evident that the Jews learnt and praetised idolatry in Egypt.

Ver. 11. Shewed them- Heb. "Made them to know."

Ver. 12. To be a sign—that is, to distinguish them from the heathen, So ver. 20.

you, that ye may know that I am the =LORD your God.

21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; 24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

CHAP. XX.

[God justified.

26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD. (U)

27 ¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

28 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your

(U) Ver. 1-26. The Lord refuses to hear the elders of Israel, on account of their national sins. -A deputation of the elders of Israel, as was usual in their distress, waits on the Prophet, to inquire of God for hem, and plead with Him on their behalf. Their offended God, however, refuses to have any communication with them; but lirects his servant Ezekiel, if disposed ither to judge or advocate their cause, to ay before them the history of their rebelion, (they and their fathers,) from their edemption in Egypt to the then present

lutely or of themselves good; but considered by St. Peter as a yoke too heavy to be borne, and therefore abrogated. (Acts xv. 10.) But Abp. Newcome objects to this, that the Mosaic laws are expressly here stated (ver. 11, 18, 21.) to be such, that if a man did, he should live by them. Dr. Boothroyd therefore considers the expressión as elliptical, and thus renders it: "I gave them [up also to observe] statutes that were not good;" that is, idolatrous institutions; and the next verse gives an instance in the sacrifice of children. And though our version here reads, " 1 polluted them in their own gifts," the learned prelate himself explains this, "I suffered them to pollute themselves."

The following passages may be referred to, as in some measure parallel and elucidatory. Psalm xxxi. 12., cvi. 15.; Acts vii. 42.; Rom. i. 24, 26., ii. 28.; 2 Thess. ii. 11.

Ver. 29. The high place (Heb. Bamah) whereunto go ?—that is, "Why do ye prefer your high place

to my sanctuary?"-And (or yet) the name thereof is called Bamah (or the high place) to this day. Some think the last clause is a sort of marginal note by the transcriber; otherwise, Secker thinks it must refer to something not now to be explained. See Newcome.

Ver. 30. Commit ye whoredom?-that is, idolatry,