Ezekiel Commentaries

Ezekiel 1

1:1 thirtieth year. Most likely this was Ezekiel’s age, since the date relative to the king’s reign is given in 1:2. Thirty was the age when a priest (cf. v. 3 with Num. 4) began his priestly duties. River Chebar. A major canal off of the Euphrates River, S of Babylon. visions of God. This scene has similarities to the visions of God’s throne in Rev. 4, 5, where the emphasis is also on a glimpse of that throne just before judgment is released in Rev. 6–19.

1:2 fifth year. This is 593 B.C. The king, Ezekiel, and 10,000 others (2 Kin. 24:14) had been deported to Babylon in 597 B.C., Ezekiel at the age of 25.

1:3 word of the LORD…hand of the LORD. As God prepared Isaiah (Is. 6:5–13) and Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4–19), so the Lord prepares Ezekiel to receive revelation and strengthens him for his high and arduous task to speak as His prophet. Ezekiel the priest. See note on v. 1.

1:4–14 The opening vision focuses on angels surrounding God’s presence.

1:4 whirlwind…fire. Judgment on Judah in a further and totally devastating phase (beyond the 597 B.C. deportation) is to come out of the N, and did come from Babylon in 588–586 (as Jer. 39, 40). Its terror is depicted by a fiery whirlwind emblematic of God’s judgments and the golden brightness signifying dazzling glory.

1:5 four living creatures. Four angels, most likely the cherubs in 10:1–22, appearing in the erect posture and figure of man (note face, legs, feet, hands in vv. 6–8) emerge to serve God who judges. The number 4 may have respect to the 4 corners of the earth, implying that God’s angels execute His commands everywhere.

1:6 four faces. See note on v. 10. four wings. Four wings instead of two symbolize speed in performing God’s will (cf. v. 14).

1:7 legs. They were not bent like an animal’s, but “straight” like pillars, showing strength. calves’ feet. This points to their stability and firm stance.

1:8 hands of a man. This is a symbol of their skillful service.

1:9 did not turn. They were able to move in any direction without needing to turn, giving swift access to do God’s will. Apparently all were in harmony as to the way they moved (v. 12).

1:10 faces. These symbols identify the angels as intelligent (“man”), powerful (“lion”), servile (“ox”), and swift (“eagle”).

1:12 the spirit. This refers to the divine impulse by which God moved them to do His will (cf. 1:20).

1:13 like…fire…torches. Their appearance conveyed God’s glory and pure, burning justice (cf. Is. 6) which they assisted in carrying out even on Israel, who had for so long hardened themselves against His patience.

1:14 Intense, relentless motion signifies God’s constant work of judgment.

1:15–25 This section looks at the glory of God’s throne in heaven.

1:15 a wheel. This depicts God’s judgment as a war machine (like a massive chariot) moving where He is to judge. The cherubim above the ark are called chariots in 1 Chr. 28:18.

1:16 wheel in the middle of a wheel. This depicted the gigantic (v. 15, “on the earth” and “so high,” v. 18) energy of the complicated revolutions of God’s massive judgment machinery bringing about His purposes with unerring certainty.

1:17 did not turn aside. Cf. vv. 9, 12. The judgment machine moved where the angels went (cf. vv. 19, 20).

1:18 eyes. These may picture God’s omniscience, i.e., perfect knowledge, given to these angelic servants so that they can act in judgment unerringly. God does nothing by blind impulse.

1:20 spirit. See note on 1:12.

1:24 noise of many waters. This imagery could have in mind a thunderous rush of heavy rain or the washing of surf on rocks (cf. 43:2; Rev. 1:15; 14:2; 19:6).

1:25 voice. No doubt this is the “voice of the Almighty” (v. 24), since God’s throne (v. 25) was “over their heads.”

1:26 a throne. Cf. Ps. 103:19; Rev. 4:2–8. a man. The Godhead appears in the likeness of humanity, though God is a spirit (John 4:24). The Messiah, God incarnate, is the representative of the “fullness of the Godhead” (Col. 2:9), so this can be a prelude to the incarnation of Messiah in His character as Savior and Judge (cf. Rev. 19:11–16).

1:28 the glory of the LORD. That glory shines fully in the person of Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6), which is a constant theme in Ezekiel. fell on my face. John, in Rev. 1:17, had the same reaction to seeing the glory of the Lord.

Ezekiel 2

2:1 Son of man. A term used over 90 times by Ezekiel to indicate his humanness.

2:2 the Spirit entered me. What God commands a servant to do (v. 1), He gives power to fulfill by His Spirit (cf. 3:14; Zech. 4:6). This pictures the selective empowering by the Holy Spirit to enable an individual for special service to the Lord, which occurred frequently in the OT. For examples see 11:5; 37:1; Num. 24:2; Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Sam. 10:10; 16:13, 14; 19:20; 2 Chr. 15:1; Luke 4:18.

2:5 The people cannot plead ignorance.

2:6 briers and thorns…scorpions. Cf. 3:7, 9; 22:29. These are figures of speech God used to describe the people of Judah whose obstinate rejection of His Word was like the barbs of thorns and stings of scorpions to Ezekiel. The wicked were often so called (cf. 2 Sam. 23:6; Song 2:2; Is. 9:18).

2:8 open your mouth and eat. Ezekiel was to obey the command, not literally eating a scroll (vv. 9, 10), but in a spiritual sense by receiving God’s message so that it became an inward passion. Cf. also 3:1–3, 10 and Jer. 15:16.

2:10 writing on the inside and…outside. Scrolls were normally written on one side only, but this judgment message was so full it required all the available space (cf. Zech. 5:3; Rev. 5:1) to chronicle the suffering and sorrow that sin had brought, as recorded in chaps. 2–32.

Ezekiel 3

3:1–3 eat this scroll…So I ate. God’s messenger must first internalize God’s truth for himself, then preach it.

3:3 like honey. Even though the message was judgment on Israel, the scroll was sweet because it was God’s Word (cf. Pss. 19:10; 119:103) and because it vindicated God in holiness, righteousness, glory, and faithfulness, in which Jeremiah also delighted (Jer. 15:16). Bitterness also was experienced by the prophet (3:14) in this message of judgment confronting Judah’s rebellion (v. 9). The Apostle John records a similar bittersweet experience with the Word of God in Rev. 10:9, 10.

3:7 Cf. John 15:20.

3:8, 9 I have made your face strong. What God commands (“do not be afraid”) He gives sufficiency to do (“I have made”), so God will enable the prophet to live up to his name (which means “strengthened by God”). Cf. 2:2; 3:14, 24; Is. 41:10; Jer. 1:8, 17.

3:9 rebellious. It is sad to observe that the exile and affliction did not make the Jews more responsive to God; rather, they were hardened by their sufferings. God gave Ezekiel a “hardness” to surpass the people and sustain his ministry as prophet to the exiles.

3:12, 14 the Spirit lifted me up. This is a phrase used to describe the prophet being elevated to a heavenly vision, as in the experiences of 8:3 and 11:1.

3:14 bitterness. See note on 3:3.

3:15 the captives. Tel Abib was the main city for the Jewish captives, who may have included some of the 10 tribes taken long before in the conquering of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C., as 2 Kin. 17:6 may indicate (“Habor” is the same river as Chebar). remained…seven days. Ezekiel sat with the sorrowing people for 7 days, the usual period for manifesting deep grief (cf. Job 2:13). He identified with them in their suffering (cf. Ps. 137:1), thus trying to win their trust when he spoke God’s Word.

3:17 a watchman. This role was spiritually analogous to the role of watchmen on a city wall, vigilant to spot the approach of an enemy and warn the residents to muster a defense. The prophet gave timely warnings of approaching judgment. The work of a watchman is vividly set forth in 2 Sam. 18:24–27 and 2 Kin. 9:17–20. See notes on 33:1–20.

3:18–21 Cf. chap. 18, and see notes there.

3:18 the wicked…him…his. The emphasis of singular pronouns was on individuals. The ministries of Habakkuk (2:1), Jeremiah (6:17), and Isaiah (56:10) were more national than individual. Ezekiel’s ministry was more personal, focused on individual responsibility to trust and obey God. Disobedience or obedience to God’s messages was a matter of life or death; Ezek. 18:1–20 is particularly devoted to this emphasis. no warning…die. Men are not to assume that ignorance, even owing to the negligence of preachers, will be any excuse to save them from divine punishment. Cf. Rom. 2:12. save his life. This refers to physical death, not eternal damnation, though that would be a consequence for many. In the Pentateuch, God had commanded death for many violations of His law and warned that it could be a consequence of any kind of consistent sin (cf. Josh. 1:16–18). The people of Israel had long abandoned that severe standard of purification, so God took execution back into His own hands, as in the destruction of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem. On the other hand, God had also promised special protection and life to the obedient. Cf. 18:9–32; 33:11–16; Prov. 4:4; 7:2; Amos 5:4, 6.

3:18, 20 his blood I will require. Though each sinner is responsible for his own sin (cf. 18:1–20), the prophet who is negligent in his duty to proclaim the warning message becomes, in God’s sight, a manslayer when God takes that person’s life. The responsibility of the prophet is serious (cf. James 3:1), and he is responsible for that person’s death in the sense of Gen. 9:5. The Apostle Paul had this passage (and Ezek. 33:6, 8) in view in Acts 18:6 and 20:26. Even for preachers today, there is such a warning in Heb. 13:17. Certainly the consequence for such unfaithfulness on the preacher’s part includes divine chastening and loss of eternal reward (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1–5).

3:20 a righteous man. Here is a person who was obeying God by doing what was right, but fell into sin and God took his life in chastisement. The “stumbling block” was a stone of judgment that kills. Ps. 119:165 says: “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” The crushing stone always falls on the disobedient. Hebrews 12:9 says it is better to obey and “live.” Cf. 1 Cor. 11:30; James 1:21; 1 John 5:16.

3:21 delivered your soul. The prophet had done his duty.

3:23 the glory of the LORD. See Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes.

3:24 shut yourself inside your house. He was to fulfill much of his ministry at home (8:1; 12:1–7), thereby limiting it to those who came to hear him there.

3:25 they will put ropes on you. These were not literal, but spiritual. On one hand, they could be the inner ropes of depressing influence which the rebellious Jews exerted on his spirit. Their perversity, like ropes, would repress his freedom in preaching. More likely, they imply the restraint that God placed on him by supernatural power, so that he could only go and speak where and when God chose (cf. vv. 26, 27).

3:26, 27 you shall be mute. He was not to speak primarily, but to act out God’s message. The prohibition was only partial, for on any occasion (v. 27) when God did open his mouth, as He often did in chaps. 5–7, he was to speak (3:22; 11:25; 12:10, 19, 23, 28). The end of such intermittent dumbness with regard to his own people closely synchronized with Ezekiel’s receiving a refugee’s report of Jerusalem’s fall (24:25–27; 33:21, 22). He also spoke with regard to judgments on other nations (chaps. 25–32).

Ezekiel 4

4:1—7:27 Here is the first series of prophecies given over a year’s time, of Jerusalem’s conquest by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

4:1–3 portray…Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s object lesson was to use a soft tile to create a miniature city layout of Jerusalem with walls and siege objects to illustrate Babylon’s final coming siege of Jerusalem (588–586 B.C.).

4:4–6 Lie…on your left side…right side. Lying on his side, likely facing N, illustrated God’s applying judgment to Israel, and facing S pointed to judgment on Judah. It is not necessary to assume that Ezekiel was in the prone position all the time. It was doubtless part of each day, as his need for preparing food (v. 9) indicates.

4:4, 6 you shall bear their iniquity. Ezekiel’s action was not to represent the time of Israel’s sinning, but the time of its punishment.

4:5 three hundred and ninety. Each day symbolized a year (v. 6). Israel in the N was accountable during this span of time whose beginning and end is uncertain.

4:6 forty. Judah was also guilty, but the 40 cannot represent less guilt (cf. 23:11). It may extend the time beyond the 390 to 430 or they may run concurrently, but the exact timing is uncertain.

4:7 arm…uncovered. A symbol for being ready for action, as a soldier would do (cf. Is. 52:10).

4:8 I will restrain you. This was to symbolize the impossibility of the Jews being able to shake off their punishment.

4:9–13 make bread. Scarcity of food in the 18 month siege especially made necessary the mixing of all kinds of grain for bread. The “20 shekels” would be about 8 ounces, while “one-sixth of a hin” would be less than a quart. There would be minimums for daily rations. It must be noted that the command of v. 12 regarding “human waste” relates only to the fuel used to prepare the food. Bread was baked on hot stones (cf. 1 Kin. 19:6) heated by human waste because no other fuel was available. This was repulsive and polluting (cf. Deut. 23:12–14) and the Lord calls it “defiled bread” (v. 13).

4:14, 15 never defiled. Ezekiel, like Daniel, had convictions to be undefiled even in his food (cf. Dan. 1:8 and see note there). God permitted fuel of dried cow chips for cooking his food in gracious deference to His spokesman’s sensitivity (cf. 44:31).

4:16, 17 They were soon to have neither bread nor water in any amount, and they were to grieve over the famine and their iniquity (cf. Lev. 26:21–26).

Ezekiel 5

5:1–4 a barber’s razor. The sign in shaving his hair illustrated the severe humiliation to come at the hand of enemies, emphasizing calamities to three segments of Jerusalem due to the Babylonian conquest. Some were punished by fire, i.e., pestilence and famine (v. 12), others died by the enemy’s sword, and some were dispersed and pursued by death (cf. v. 12). A small part of his hair clinging to his garment (v. 3) depicted a remaining remnant, some of whom were subject to further calamity (v. 4; cf. 6:8; Jer. 41–44).

5:5 Jerusalem. Here the great city alone was not meant, but was used as a representative of the whole land which, despite its strategic opportunity and responsibility, rejected God (vv. 6, 7).

5:7 Instead of being a witness to the heathen nations, Israel had exceeded them in idolatrous practices. The nations maintained their familiar idols, while Israel defected from their true and living God. God’s people were worse than the pagans in proportion to spiritual knowledge and privileges. The judgments of God are always relative to light and privilege granted. Since Ezekiel’s people were unique in their disobedience, they were to be outstanding in their punishment.

5:8–10 The book of Lamentations reveals how literally these promises were realized when parents ate their children and sons ate their fathers in the times of starvation. Down through the centuries had come the threats of Lev. 26:29 and Deut. 28:53, taken up by Jeremiah (Jer. 19:9; Lam. 2:22; 4:10; cf. Is. 9:20), and sealed in the life of the disobedient nation. Even the remnant would be scattered and suffer.

5:11 as I live. Here was a solemn oath pledging the very existence of God for the fulfillment of the prophecy. It is found 14 times in this book. Their greatest sin was defiling the sanctuary, showing the height of their wickedness.

5:12 The 4 well known judgments (cf. vv. 2–4) of pestilence, famine, sword, and scattering were their judgment. They had no place to offer atoning blood, thus bearing their sins without relief.

5:13–15 Ezekiel’s purpose was to impress on Israel’s conscience God’s intense hatred of idolatry and apostasy. “Fury” and “anger” are repeated 6 times.

5:16 arrows of famine. The evil arrows included hail, rain, mice, locusts, and mildew (cf. Deut. 32:23, 24).

5:17 I, the LORD, have spoken. Cf. vv. 13, 15 for the same expression, which was God’s personal signature on their doom.

Ezekiel 6

6:3 says the LORD…to the mountains. God had the prophet do this because the people worshiped at idol altars in the “high places” (cf. Lev. 26:30–33; Is. 65:7; Jer. 3:6; Hos. 4:13; Mic. 6:1, 2).

6:7 you shall know that I am the LORD. This clause recurs in vv. 10, 13, 14 and 60 times elsewhere in the book. It shows that the essential reason for judgment is the violation of the character of God. This is repeatedly acknowledged in Lev. 18–26, where the motive for all obedience to God’s law is the fact that He is the Lord God.

6:8–10 The mass of people was rejected, but grace and mercy were given to a godly group in the nation. There never has been nor ever will be a complete end to Israel. The doctrine of the remnant can be studied in Is. 1:9; 10:20; Jer. 43:5; Zeph. 2:7; 3:13; Zech. 10:9; Rom. 9:6–13; 11:5.

6:14 Diblah. A reference to Diblathaim, a city on the eastern edge of Moab (Num. 33:46; Jer. 48:22), near the desert E and S of the Dead Sea.

Ezekiel 7

7:1–9 This lament declared that the entire land of Israel was ripe for judgment. God’s patience had ended. The final destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar was in view (586 B.C.).

7:10 rod has blossomed. Verse 11 explains this. Violence had grown up into a rod of wickedness, which likely refers to Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God’s vengeance (cf. Is. 10:5; Jer. 51:20).

7:12 buyer rejoice…seller mourn. Such matters of business were meaningless because the Chaldeans (Babylonians) took all the land and killed those they didn’t take captive (v. 15) and the rest escaped (v. 16). Wealth was useless (vv. 19, 20).

7:13 seller shall not return to…sold. There was to be no Jubilee year in which all lands were returned to their original owners (cf. Lev. 25).

7:17–22 This section described the mourning of the helpless and frightened people. In distress, they recognized the uselessness of the things in which they trusted. Their wealth provided nothing. Their “silver and gold” (v. 19), their “ornaments” (v. 20) were as useless as the idols they made with them.

7:22 My secret place. The Holy of Holies in the temple will be desecrated by pagans, that place where only once a year the High-Priest could enter to make atonement in God’s presence.

7:23 Make a chain. Ezekiel is to perform another emblematic act of captivity (cf. Jer. 27:2; Nah. 3:10).

7:24 the worst of the Gentiles. Babylonian pagans.

7:27 according to what they deserve. Cf. Gen. 18:25.

Ezekiel 8

8:1 the sixth year. 592 B.C. (cf. 1:2) in Aug./Sep., a year and two months after the first vision (1:1). the hand of the LORD. This ushered the prophet into a series of visions (v. 3) stretching to the end of chap. 11.

8:2 a likeness. He saw the glory of the Lord (v. 4) as in 1:26–28.

8:3 in visions of God. Ezekiel 8–11 deals with details conveyed only to Ezekiel in visions. Ezekiel’s trip to Jerusalem was in spirit only, while his body physically remained in his house. In visions, he went to Jerusalem and in visions he returned to Babylon (11:24). After God finished the visions, Ezekiel told his home audience what he had seen. The visions are not a description of deeds done in the past in Israel, but a survey of Israel’s current condition, as they existed at that very time. the seat…image of jealousy. God represents to Ezekiel the image of an idol (cf. Deut. 4:16) in the entrance to the inner court of the temple. It is called “the image of jealousy” because it provoked the Lord to jealousy (5:13; 16:38; 36:6; 38:19; Ex. 20:5).

8:4 the glory of…God. God was also there in glory, but was ignored while the people worshiped the idol (v. 6).

8:6 to make Me go far away. Sin would expel the people from their land and God from His sanctuary.

8:7–12 This section describes “greater abominations” (v. 6) of idolatry, namely a secret cult of idolatrous elders.

8:8 dig into the wall…a door. This indicates the clandestine (cf. v. 12) secrecy of these idolaters, practicing their cult in hiding.

8:10 portrayed…on the walls. The temple’s walls are ugly with graffiti featuring creatures linked with Egyptian animal cults (cf. Rom 1:23) and other idols. Leaders of Israel, who should be worshiping the God of the temple, are offering incense to them (v. 11).

8:11 seventy…elders. Obviously not the Sanhedrin, since it was not formed until after the restoration from Babylon, though the pattern had been suggested much earlier (cf. Ex. 24:9, 10; Num. 11:16). These men were appointed to guard against idolatry! Jaazaniah…son of Shaphan. If he was the son of the Shaphan who read God’s Word to Josiah (2 Kin. 22:8–11), we have some concept of the depth of sin to which the leaders had fallen. He is not to be confused with the man in 11:1, who had a different father.

8:14 weeping for Tammuz. Yet a greater abomination than the secret cult was Israel’s engaging in the Babylonian worship of Tammuz or Dumuzi (Duzu), beloved of Ishtar, the god of spring vegetation. Vegetation burned in the summer, died in the winter, and came to life in the spring. The women mourned over the god’s demise in July and longed for his revival. The fourth month of the Hebrew calendar still bears the name Tammuz. With the worship of this idol were connected the basest immoralities.

8:16 worshiping the sun. In the most sacred inner court where only priests could go (Joel 2:17), there was the crowning insult to God. Twenty-five men were worshiping the sun as an idol (cf. Deut. 4:19; 2 Kin. 23:5, 11; Job 31:26; Jer. 44:17). These 25 represent the 24 orders of priests plus the High-Priest.

8:17 put the branch to their nose. The meaning is uncertain, but it seems to have been some act of contempt toward God. The Gr. OT translators rendered it, “they are as mockers.”

8:18 I…will act in fury. God must judge intensely due to such horrible sins (cf. 24:9, 10).

Ezekiel 9

9:1 charge over the city. God summoned His servant angels to carry out His judgments. These angelic executioners (cf. Dan. 4:13, 17, 23) came equipped with weapons of destruction.

9:2 six men. Angels can appear like men when ministering on earth (cf. Gen. 18:1; Dan. 9:20–23). One man. He was superior to the others. Linen indicates high rank (cf. Dan. 10:5; 12:6). Perhaps this was the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ (see note on Ex. 3:2). He had all the instruments of an oriental scribe to carry out His task (vv. 4, 11).

9:3 the glory…had gone up. The glory of God departs before the destruction of the city and temple. The gradual departure of God from His temple is depicted in stages: the glory resides in the temple’s Most Holy Place, between the wings of the cherubs on each side of the ark of the covenant over the mercy seat, then leaves to the front door (9:3; 10:4), later to the E gate by the outer wall (10:18, 19), and finally to the Mt. of Olives to the E, having fully departed (11:22, 23). The glory will return in the future kingdom of Messiah (43:2–7).

9:4 a mark on the foreheads. Since God’s departure removed all protection and gave the people over to destruction, it was necessary for the angelic scribe (Angel of the Lord) to mark for God’s preservation the righteous who had been faithful to Him. Those left unmarked were subject to death in Babylon’s siege (v. 5). The mark was the indication of God’s elect, identified personally by the pre-incarnate Christ. He was marking the elect (cf. Ex. 12:7). Malachi 3:16–18 indicates a similar idea. Cf. Rev. 7:3; 9:4. The marked ones were penitent and were identified for protection. Here was a respite of grace for the remnant. The rest were to be killed (vv. 5–7).

9:8 Will You destroy all? Ezekiel is fearfully aroused in prayer because the judgment on Jerusalem and Israel is so vast. God replies that pervasive sin demands thorough judgment (vv. 9, 10), yet comforts him by the report that the faithful had been marked to be spared (v. 11). Cf. Rom 11:1, 2, 25–27.

Ezekiel 10

10:1 a throne. It rises above God’s angelic servants, the same 4 as in chap. 1 (10:20, 22), and is the throne of 1:26–28 on which God sits (cf. 10:20). From it, He directs the operation of His war machine (“wheels,” see notes on 1:15, 16) on Jerusalem (v. 2). The throne is like a sapphire shining forth representing God’s glory and holiness (11:22).

10:2 fill…with coals. God specifies that the marking angel (9:2, 11) reach into the war machine and fill his hands with fiery coals in the presence of the angels of chap. 1. These coals picture the fires of judgment which God’s angels are to “scatter” on Jerusalem. In Is. 6, “coals” were used for the purification of the prophet; here they were for the destruction of the wicked (cf. Heb. 12:29). Fire did destroy Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

10:3 cherubim. These were different from the cherubim of chap. 1 and here in v. 4.

10:4 This verse explains how the “cloud” of v. 3 “filled the inner court.” It repeats what is first described in 9:3.

10:6, 7 These verses picked up the action of the angelic scribe from v. 2.

10:7 cherub…put it into the hands. One of the 4 cherubim of 1:5ff. and v. 1 puts the fiery coals into the marking angel’s hand.

10:9–17 wheels by the cherubim. This whole section is similar to 1:4–21. Four wheels on God’s chariot mingled with the 4 angels (cf. 1:15–21) coordinated with each other in precision, and each with a different one of the cherubim. All looked so much alike that it was as if one wheel blended entirely with another (v. 10). As their appearance was so unified, their action was in unison, and instant (v. 11). The cherubim had bodies like men and their chariot wheels were full of eyes denoting full perception both to see the sinners and their fitting judgment. The color beryl is a sparkling yellow or gold.

10:14 the face of a cherub. This description of one cherub in 1:10 indicates this was the face of an ox.

10:15 lifted up. They were all ready to move in unison (vv. 16, 17) as the Shekinah glory of God departed (v. 18).

10:18, 19 glory…departed. There were several stages: 9:3; 10:1, 3, 4; 10:18, 19; 11:22, 23. There was thus written over the entire structure, as well as Israel’s spiritual life, “Ichabod” (the glory has departed). Cf. 1 Sam. 4:21; 10:18, 19.

Ezekiel 11

11:1 twenty-five men. Ezekiel, though at the temple only in the vision (cf. 8:3, and see note there), saw because God, who was everywhere present and all-knowing, impressed specific details on him in the vision. The wicked leaders (cf. v. 2) were part of God’s reason for the judgment (vv. 8, 10). Ezekiel was taken in spirit to the very place which the glory of God had left in 10:19 and was given a vision of “twenty-five men,” who represented, not priests, but influential leaders among the people, who gave fatal advice to the people (v. 2). Jaazaniah the son of Azzur. See note on 8:11.

11:3 caldron…meat. Though this is obscure, it may be that the bad advice these leaders were giving was that the people should not be engaged in business as usual, “building houses” or taking care of their comfort and futures, when they were about to be cooked like meat in a pot over a blazing fire. The idea must have been that the people should get ready for battle, and be prepared to fight, not focusing on comfort, but survival. Jeremiah had told the people to surrender to the Babylonians and save their lives, rather than fight and be killed (cf. Jer. 27:9–17). These false leaders, like the prophets and priests whom Jeremiah confronted for telling the people not to submit, scorned Jeremiah’s words from God and would pay for it (v. 4). Cf. 24:1–14.

11:6 multiplied your slain. Leaders who misled Israel by inciting false expectations of a victorious defense, rather than peaceful surrender, were responsible for the deadly results. Many people died in resisting Babylon.

11:7 I shall bring you out. The false leaders thought that unless they fought, they would all be in a caldron, i.e., the city. But here the Lord promised that some would be delivered from the city, only to die on Israel’s border in the wilderness (vv. 8–11). This was literally fulfilled at Riblah (cf. 2 Kin. 25:18–21; Jer. 52:24–27).

11:13 Pelatiah…died. The death of one leader from v. 1 was a sign that God would indeed carry out His word. Apparently this leader did die suddenly at the time Ezekiel was shown the vision, so that the prophet feared that this death meant death for all Israelites (9:8).

11:14, 15 Ezekiel was told he had a new family, not the priests at Jerusalem to whom he was tied by blood, but his fellow exiles in Babylon, identified as those who were treated as outcasts. The priesthood was about to be ended and he was to have a new family.

11:15 Get far away. The contemptuous words of those still left in Jerusalem at the carrying away of Jeconiah and the exiles indicated that they felt smugly secure and believed the land was their possession.

11:16 little sanctuary. This is better rendered “for a little while,” i.e., however long the captivity lasted. God was to be the protection and provision for those who had been scattered through all the 70 years until they were restored. The exiles may have cast off the Jews, but God had not (Is. 8:14). This holds true for the future restoration of the Jews (vv. 17, 18).

11:19, 20 a new spirit. God pledged not only to restore Ezekiel’s people to their ancient land, but to bring the New Covenant with its blessings. Cf. 36:25–28, and see note on Jer. 31:31–34.

11:23 the mountain…east. The glory of God moved to the Mt. of Olives to which the glorious Son of God will return at the Second Advent (cf. 43:1–5; Zech. 14:4).

11:24 brought me in a vision. Again, Ezekiel has remained bodily in his Babylonian house, seen by his visitors (v. 25; 8:1). God, who supernaturally showed him a vision in Jerusalem, caused his sense of awareness to return to Chaldea, thus ending the vision state. Once the vision was completed, Ezekiel was able to tell his exiled countrymen what God had shown him (v. 25).

Ezekiel 12

12:2 a rebellious house. The message of Ezekiel was addressed to his fellow exiles who were as hardened as those still in Jerusalem. They were so intent on a quick return to Jerusalem, that they would not accept his message of Jerusalem’s destruction. Their rebellion is described in familiar terms (Deut. 29:1–4; Is. 6:9, 10; Jer. 5:21; cf. Matt. 13:13–15; Acts 28:26, 27).

12:3 prepare…for captivity. This dramatic object lesson by the prophet called for carrying belongings out in a stealthy way as an act that depicted baggage for exile, just the bare necessities. His countrymen carried out such baggage when they went into captivity, or sought to escape during Babylon’s takeover of Jerusalem (vv. 7, 11). Some attempting to escape were caught as in a net, like King Zedekiah who was overtaken, blinded, and forced into exile (vv. 12, 13; 2 Kin. 24:18—25:7; Jer. 39:4–7; 52:1–11). Verse 9 indicates that Ezekiel actually did what he was told.

12:5 This section depicts those in desperation trying to escape from their sun-dried brick homes.

12:6 cover your face. This was to avoid recognition.

12:10–13 the prince. This is a reference to King Zedekiah, who was always referred to by Ezekiel as prince, never king. Jehoiachin was regarded as the true king (cf. 17:13), because the Babylonians never deposed him formally. All the house of Israel, however, shared the calamity to fall on Zedekiah. How literally these prophecies were fulfilled can be seen from the account in 2 Kin. 25:1–7. The “net” and “snare” (v. 13) were the Babylonian army. He was taken captive to Babylon, but he never saw it because his eyes had been put out at Riblah.

12:14–16 God’s hand was to be with the enemy as His rod of correction, with only a few left.

12:22 this proverb. Delay had given the people the false impression that the stroke of judgment would never come. In fact, a saying had become popular, no doubt developed by false prophets who caused the people to reject Ezekiel’s visions and prophecies (cf. v. 27) and gave “false divinations” (vv. 23, 24).

12:25 in your days. The prophet is explicit about the present time for fulfillment, i.e., in their lifetime.

Ezekiel 13

13:2 against the prophets. False prophets had long flourished in Judah and had been transported to Babylon as well. Here God directs Ezekiel to indict those false prophets for futile assurances of peace (as Jer. 23) in vv. 1–16. Then His attention turns to lying prophetesses in vv. 17–23. The test of a prophet is found in Deut. 13:1–5 and 18:21, 22.

13:2, 3 heart…spirit. Spurious spokesmen prophesy subjectively out of their minds while claiming to have revelation and authority from the Lord (cf. v. 7).

13:4 like foxes. False prophets did not do anything helpful. Rather, like foxes, they were mischievous and destructive.

13:5 to build a wall. The false prophets did nothing to shore up the spiritual defenses the people so needed in the face of judgment. The enemy had made “gaps” but the false prophets never encouraged the people to repent and return to the Lord. Those who would were called for in 22:30. The “day of the Lord” came in 586 B.C. when the theocracy fell. See note on Is. 2:12.

13:9 A 3-fold judgment is given to the false prophets: 1) they would not be in the council of God’s people; 2) their names would be wiped from the register of Israel (Ezra 2:62); and 3) they would never return to the Land (cf. 20:38).

13:10, 11 builds a wall. False prophets had lulled the people into false security. Phony “peace” promises, while sin continued on the brink of God’s judgment, was a way, so to speak, of erecting a defective “wall” and whitewashing it to make it look good. Such an unsafe “wall” was doomed to collapse (v. 11) when God would bring His storm, picturing the invaders’ assault (v. 11).

13:11–16 These descriptions are all images belonging to the illustration of the wall, not meant to convey real wind, flood, and hail. The Babylonians were the actual destroyers of Israel’s hypocritical false spirituality.

13:17–23 Although women are rebuked by Isaiah (3:16—4:1; 32:9–13) and Amos (4:1–3), this is the only OT text where false prophetesses are mentioned. Sorcery was practiced mainly by women. Jezebel is called a false prophetess in Rev. 2:20.

13:18, 19 charms…veils…handfuls of barley…bread. Apparently these sorceresses employed all these things in their divinations, hunting down souls for their advantage (v. 20).

13:22 with lies. Predators had saddened the righteous by a false message leading to calamity which involved great loss even for them (cf. 21:3, 4). They had encouraged the wicked to expect a bright future, and saw no need to repent to avoid death.

13:23 I will deliver My people. Certainly this was true in the restoration after the 70 years in Babylon, but will be fully true in Messiah’s kingdom. God’s true promise will bring an end to sorcery and false prophecy (cf. Mic. 3:6, 7; Zech. 13:1–6).

Ezekiel 14

14:1–3 elders…came. These leaders came insincerely seeking God’s counsel (v. 3; cf. Ps. 66:18), as God reveals to the prophet, who thus saw through their facade and indicted them for determining to pursue their evil way and defy God’s will. False prophets of chap. 13 were thriving, as the civil leaders and populace whom they represented set a welcoming climate and inclination for the delusions.

14:4 I the LORD will answer. They received no verbal answer, but an answer directly from the Lord in the action of judgment.

14:6 turn away. The Lord answered the two-faced inquiry in only one way, by a call to repent. The seekers were turned away from Him to idols (v. 6b), and He must be turned away from them (v. 8a). The guilty, including both those back at Jerusalem and the exiles tolerating the same things, were to repent, turning away from idols to God.

14:8 The punishment echoed the warnings of Lev. 20:3, 5, 6 and Deut. 28:27.

14:9 induced. God will deceive (entice) a false prophet only in a qualified sense. When one willfully rejects His Word, He places a resulting cloud of darkness, or permits it to continue, hiding the truth so that the person is deceived by his own obstinate self-will. This fits with the same principle as when God gives up Israel to evil statutes (20:25, 26), counsel that they insist on as they spurn His Word (20:24, 26). When people refuse the truth, He lets them seek after their own inclinations and gives them over to falsehood (20:39). This is the wrath of abandonment noted in Rom. 1:18–32 (cf. 1 Kin. 22:20–23; 2 Thess. 2:11).

14:12 The word…came again. Ezekiel answered a deception that God would never judge the people of Judah, since some righteous were among them. God would honor the presence of the godly (vv. 14, 20).

14:13–20 My hand against. God promised 4 acts in His drama of judgment (cf. summary, v. 21). In none could the 3 heroes avert tragedy as advocates. These were: 1) famine; 2) ravages by wild beasts; 3) the sword; and 4) pestilence.

14:14–20 Noah, Daniel, and Job. Jeremiah 7:16 and 15:1–4 provide a close parallel to this passage. According to Jeremiah, even Moses and Samuel, well known for their power in intercessory prayer, would not prevail to deliver Jerusalem and the people. The 3 OT heroes mentioned in this section exhibited power in intercession on behalf of others (cf. Gen. 6:18; Job 42:7–10; Dan. 1, 2) at strategic points in redemptive history, and even they could not deliver anyone but themselves if they were there praying earnestly. Even the presence and prayers of the godly could not stop the coming judgment. Genesis 18:22–32 and Jer. 5:1–4 provide rare exceptions to the principle that one man’s righteousness is no protection for others.

14:22, 23 their ways. An ungodly Jerusalem remnant, brought as captives to join exiled Jews in Babylon, were to be very wicked. Exiles already there, repulsed by this evil, were to realize God’s justness in His severe judgment on Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 15

15:1–3 Then the word…came. Israel, often symbolized by a vine (17:6–10; Gen. 49:22; Jer. 2:21), had become useful for nothing. Failing to do the very thing God set her apart to do—bear fruit—she no longer served any purpose and was useless (v. 2). Other trees can be used for construction of certain things, but a fruitless vine is useless (v. 3). It has no value. In every age the people of God have their value in their fruitfulness.

15:4, 5 thrown into the fire. The burning of the fruitless vine symbolized judgment in the deportations of 605 B.C. and 597 B.C. leading up to the final conquest in 586 B.C. Isaiah made the same analogy in his prophecy (Is. 5:1–7), saying Israel produced only useless sour berries.

15:6–8 Therefore. The prophet applies the symbol to Israel and predicts the desolation of the city and the land. In the time of the Great Tribulation, it will be so again (cf. Rev. 14:18).

Ezekiel 16

16:1–7 This section covers the period from Abraham entering Canaan (cf. Gen. 12) through the exile in Egypt (cf. Ex. 12).

16:1 the word. This longest chapter in Ezekiel is similar to chap. 23, in that both indict Judah as spiritually immoral (v. 2). The story of Israel’s sin and unfaithfulness to the love of God is told in all its sordid, vile character. The chap. is so sad and indicting that some of the ancient rabbis did not allow it to be read in public.

16:3–5 Israel was like an abandoned child. In 16:4–14 we see the history of Israel from her conception to her glory under Solomon.

16:3 birth…Amorite…Hittite. Cf. 16:45. These names identify the residents of Canaan who occupied the land when Abraham migrated there (cf. Gen. 12:5, 6). Jerusalem had the same moral character as the rest of Canaan.

16:4, 5 Israel, in the day of its birth, was unwanted and uncared for.

16:6 Live! The time intended here is probably the patriarchal period of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when God formed His people.

16:7 thrive. This refers more to the people than to the land. It seems to refer to the time of Israel’s growth during the 430 year stay in Egypt; wild but flourishing and beautiful Israel was “naked,” without the benefits of culture and civilization (Gen. 46-Ex. 12; cf. Ex. 1:7, 9, 12).

16:8–14 This is best taken as the time from the Exodus (Ex. 12ff.) through David’s reign (1 Kin. 2).

16:8 the time of love. This refers to the marriageable state. Spreading his “wing” was a custom of espousal (cf. Ruth 3:9) and indicates that God entered into a covenant with the young nation at Mt. Sinai (cf. Ex. 19:5–8). Making a covenant signifies marriage, the figure of God’s relation to Israel (cf. Jer. 2:2; 3:1ff.; Hos. 2:2–23).

16:9–14 These gifts were marriage gifts customarily presented to a queen. The crowning may refer to the reigns of David and Solomon, when Jerusalem became the royal city. Israel was actually a small kingdom but with a great reputation (cf. 1 Kin. 10). This refers to the time from Joshua’s conquest of Canaan (Josh. 3ff.) through David’s reign (cf. 1 Kin. 2) and into Solomon’s time (before 1 Kin. 11).

16:14 My splendor. The nation was truly a trophy of God’s grace (cf. Deut. 7:6–8). The presence and glory of the Lord provided Jerusalem with her beauty and prominence.

16:15–34 Continuing the marriage metaphor, this section describes the spiritual harlotry of Israel from Solomon (cf. 1 Kin. 11:1) all the way to Ezekiel’s time.

16:15–19 A general summary of the nation’s idolatry as she gave herself to the religious practices of the Canaanites. Every gracious gift from God was devoted to idols.

16:20–22 sons…daughters. This refers to the sacrifices of children to pagan gods (cf. 20:25, 26, 31; 2 Kin. 16:3; 21:6; 23:10; 24:4). God had expressly forbidden this (cf. Deut. 12:31; 18:10). Still, the children were first slain, then burned (cf. Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35; Mic. 6:7) until Josiah’s abolition of it. It had been reinstated in Ezekiel’s day.

16:23–30 This section, partly woe and partly lament, spoke to Judah’s obsession with idolatry and her being influenced by Egypt (v. 26), the Philistines (v. 27), Assyria (v. 28), and Babylon (v. 29).

16:27 ashamed. The wickedness and gross evil of the Jews even scandalized pagan Philistines.

16:29 Chaldea. They even prostituted themselves with the Babylonians (cf. 2 Kin. 20:12–19).

16:31–34 It is wicked to solicit and then be paid for immorality. Israel engaged in far worse behavior—she solicited and even paid her idol consorts. This refers to the heavy tribute Israel had to pay to the godless nations.

16:35–40 I…will uncover your nakedness. Public exposure of profligate women and the stoning of them were well-known customs in ancient Israel, making them a shameful spectacle.

16:42 By exacting the full penalty on Israel’s sins in the destruction by Babylon, God’s wrath was to be satisfied.

16:44, 45 Like mother, like daughter! Judah has followed in the pagan footsteps of her beginnings (cf. 16:3).

16:46–59 Judah is compared to Samaria and Sodom, whose judgment for sin was great. Judah was more corrupt (v. 47), multiplied Samaria’s and Sodom’s sin (v. 51), and committed more abominable sin (v. 52).

16:60 I will remember My covenant. God is gracious and He always finds a covenant basis on which He can exercise His grace. The Lord will remember the Abrahamic Covenant (cf. Gen. 12:1ff.) made with Israel in her youth. Restoration will be by grace, not merit. an everlasting covenant. This is the New Covenant, which is unconditional, saving, and everlasting (cf. 37:26; Is. 59:21; 61:8; Jer. 31:31–34; Heb. 8:6–13). The basis of God’s grace will not be the Mosaic Covenant, which the Jews could never fulfill, even with the best intentions (cf. Ex. 24:1ff.). When God establishes His eternal covenant, Israel will know that God is the Lord because of His grace.

16:63 an atonement. This looks to the cross of Christ (cf. Is. 53), by which God’s just wrath on sin was satisfied so that He could grant grace to all who believe (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).

Ezekiel 17

17:1 This chap. is dated about 588 B.C. (two years before the destruction of Jerusalem). The history of the period is in 2 Kin. 24; 2 Chr. 36; Jer. 36, 37, 52.

17:3 A great eagle. The king of Babylon, in view here, took royal captives and others (vv. 4, 12, 13). the cedar. The kingdom of Judah.

17:4 topmost young twig. This is Jehoiachin, the king, exiled in 597 B.C. (2 Kin. 24:11–16). Babylon is the “land of trade” (16:29).

17:5, 6 seed. Those whom Babylon left in Judah in 597 B.C., who could prosper as a tributary to the conqueror, turned toward him (v. 6).

17:6 a spreading vine. Refers to Zedekiah (ca. 597–586 B.C.), the youngest son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed king in Judah. The benevolent attitude of Nebuchadnezzar helped Zedekiah to prosper, and if he had remained faithful to his pledge to Nebuchadnezzar, Judah would have continued as a tributary kingdom. Instead, he began courting help from Egypt (2 Chr. 36:13), which Jeremiah protested (Jer. 37:5–7).

17:7 another great eagle. Egypt is meant (v. 15), specifically Pharaoh Apries, a.k.a. Hophra (588–568 B.C.). Zedekiah turned to him to help revolt against Babylon.

17:9, 10 wither. Zedekiah’s treachery would not prosper. The king was captured in the plains of Jericho (Jer. 52:8). The dependence on Egypt would fail, and Judah would wither as the E wind (a picture of Babylon, cf. 13:11–13) blasted her.

17:11–21 put him under oath. The parable is explained in detail. Babylon (v. 12) made Zedekiah a vassal subject to her, took captives, and left Judah weak (vv. 13, 14). Zedekiah broke the agreement (v. 15) in which he swore by the Lord to submit to Babylon (2 Chr. 36:13), and sought Egypt’s help, thus he was taken to Babylon to live out his life (v. 16, 19; Jer. 39:4–7). Egypt was to be no help to him (v. 17) or any protector of his army (v. 21).

17:22, 23 one of the highest branches. This is messianic prophecy stating that God will provide the Messiah from the royal line of David (“the high cedar”) and establish Him in His kingdom (like a mountain, cf. Dan. 2:35, 44, 45). He will be “a high branch” reigning in the height of success. “Branch” is a name for Messiah (cf. 34:23, 24; 37:24, 25; Is. 4:2; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12). Messiah will be “a tender one” (v. 22) growing into a “majestic cedar” (v. 23). Under His kingdom rule, all nations will be blessed and Israel restored.

17:24 made the dry tree flourish. The Messiah would grow out of the dry tree left after humbling judgment, i.e., Judah’s remnant from which He came of a lowly family (cf. Is. 6:13), yet would prosper.

Ezekiel 18

18:1–32 One of the foundational principles of Scripture is presented in this chap. (also taught in Deut. 24:16; 2 Kin. 14:6): Judgment is according to individual faith and conduct. He had foretold national punishment, but the reason was individual sin (cf. 3:16–21; 14:12–20; 33:1–20).

18:2 eaten sour grapes. The people of Judah would not acknowledge their guilt worthy of judgment. Though they were themselves wicked and idolatrous, they blamed their forefathers for their state (cf. 2 Kin. 21:15). The rationalizing is expressed in a current proverb (cf. Jer. 31:29) which means, in effect, “They sinned (ate sour grapes); we inherit the bitterness” (teeth set on edge).

18:3 no longer use this proverb. God rejected their blame shifting and evasion of responsibility.

18:4 The soul who sins shall die. God played no favorites, but was fair in holding each individual accountable for his own sin. The death is physical death which, for many, results in eternal death.

18:5–18 Two scenarios are proposed to clarify the matter of personal guilt: 1) a just father of an unjust son (vv. 5–13); and 2) an unjust father of a just son (vv. 14–18).

18:5 if a man is just. The definition of “just” or righteous is given in specifics in vv. 6–9. Such behavior could only characterize a genuine believer who was “faithful” from the heart.

18:8 exacted usury. This refers to interest on loans (see notes on Deut. 23:19, 20; 24:10–13).

18:9 He shall surely live! The righteous do die physically for many reasons that do not contradict this principle, e.g., old age, martyrdom, or death in battle. While there are exceptions to “surely live” as to temporal life (cf. 21:3, 4), and sometimes the ungodly survive, unlike 18:13 (cf. 14:22, 23), there can be absolutely no exceptions in God’s ultimate spiritual reckoning. In every case, the just die to live eternally and the unjust, who never possessed spiritual life, shall perish physically and eternally (John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:11–15). The just will live no matter what the character of his parents or children. For an explanation of Ex. 20:5, 6, see the note there.

18:10–13 son…a robber. Could such a sinful son claim the merits of his father’s righteousness and live? No! Each person is responsible for his own personal sin.

18:14–18 he shall die for his iniquity. This part features an unjust father and a just son to make the same point. The righteous son shall “surely live” (v. 17).

18:19, 20 The prophet restated the principle of personal accountability.

18:19–29 Cf. 33:12–20.

18:21, 22 if a wicked man turns. The next case involves an unjust person turning to righteousness. He received a clean slate in forgiveness (v. 22), and spiritual life forever.

18:23 Do I have…pleasure. God takes no willful pleasure in the death of the unrighteous (cf. John 5:40; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).

18:24 a righteous man turns. The next scenario is a righteous man turning to a life of sin. His former, apparent righteousness was not genuine (cf. 1 John 2:19), and God did not remember it as a valid expression of faith.

18:25–29 Yet you say. God applied the principle in summary to Israel’s sin problem (cf. vv. 2–4). They, not He, must acknowledge their lack of equity (cf. vv. 25, 29).

18:30 Therefore I will judge. The conclusion is that the just God must judge each person for his own life. But He invites repentance, so that hope may replace ruin (cf. 33:10, 11).

18:31 get…a new heart. The key to life eternal and triumph over death is conversion. This involves repentance from sin (vv. 30, 31a) and receiving the new heart which God gives with a new spirit, wrought by the Holy Spirit (36:24–27; Jer. 31:34; John 3:5–8).

18:32 I have no pleasure. The death of His saints is precious to God (Ps. 116:15). By contrast, He has no such pleasure when a person dies without repentance. While God is sovereign in salvation, man is responsible for his own sin. turn and live. This was a call to repent and avoid physical and eternal death (cf. Pss. 23:6; 73:24; Is. 26:19–21; Dan. 12:2, 3, 13). Ezekiel was a preacher of repentance and of God’s offer of mercy to the penitent.

Ezekiel 19

19:1–14 lamentation. This is an elegy in typical lamentation meter (v. 14b), dealing with the captivity of Kings Jehoahaz (609 B.C.) and Jehoiachin (597 B.C.), and the collapse of the Davidic dynasty under Zedekiah (586 B.C.).

19:1 the princes of Israel. This refers to the kings of Judah just mentioned.

19:1–9 What is your mother? Judah is the “lioness,” just as in v. 10 she is the “vine.” Her cubs symbolize kings who were descendants of David exposed to the corrupting influences of heathen kings (“young lions”).

19:3, 4 one of her cubs. This refers to Jehoahaz (Shallum), who ruled in 609 B.C. and was deposed by Egypt’s Pharaoh Necho after reigning only 3 months (v. 4; 2 Kin. 23:32–34; 2 Chr. 36:2).

19:5–9 another of her cubs. This refers to Jehoiachin, who in 597 B.C. was carried to Babylon in a cage as in v. 9 (2 Kin. 24:6–15). Though he reigned only 3 months, he was oppressive and unjust. God used the pagan nations of Egypt and Babylon to judge these wicked kings. The Babylonians kept Jehoiachin imprisoned for 37 years, releasing him at the age of 55 (2 Kin. 25:27–30; Jer. 52:31, 32).

19:10–14 Your mother…like a vine. Judah prospered as a luxuriant vine (v. 10), with strong power and eminence (v. 11). God plucked up the vine in judgment, desolating her (v. 12; cf. 13:11–13), exiling her (v. 13), and leaving no strong king (v. 14).

19:14 a rod. The blame for the catastrophe that came to Judah is laid on one ruler, King Zedekiah who was responsible for the burning of Jerusalem because of his treachery (cf. Jer. 38:20–23). The house of David ended in shame and, for nearly 2,600 years since, Israel has had no king of David’s line. When Messiah came, they rejected Him and preferred Caesar. Messiah still became their Savior and will return as their King.

Ezekiel 20

20:1 the seventh year. Ca. 591 B.C.

20:3–44 elders…come to inquire. Cf. the similarity in 14:1–3. The prophet responds with a message from the Lord that gives a historical survey of Israel, featuring its uniform pattern of sin. Israel rebelled in Egypt (vv. 5–9), then in the wilderness trek (vv. 10–26), and the entry into the Land of Promise (vv. 27–32). Through all this, God kept delivering them to save His reputation (vv. 9, 14, 22). Yet sinful obstinacy finally led to His judging them (vv. 45–49). Verses 33–44 speak of His regathering Israel to their land in the future time of Christ’s Second Advent.

20:5 raised My hand…oath. Cf. vv. 5, 6, 15, 23, 28, 42. God promised Israel deliverance from Egypt (cf. Ex. 6:2–8).

20:25, 26 I…gave them up. God allowed the Jews to live in sin. Cf. v. 32, “We will be like the Gentiles….” Cf. Ps. 81:11, 12; Rom. 1:24–28. Like all human beings, the story of the Jews is one long history of rebellion.

20:34 Paul alludes to this in 2 Cor. 6:17. God will someday rule over Israel in the glorious kingdom of Messiah, after the people have repented and been saved (cf. Zech. 12–14).

20:35 wilderness of the peoples. Other lands where the scattered people of Israel live are pictured as a wilderness in which the Jews will suffer. This is analogous to God’s bringing His people from Egypt through the wilderness long ago, before thrusting them into the Promised Land (v. 36).

20:37 pass under the rod. God used a shepherd figure here, apt since He was their Great Shepherd (34:11–13; Jer. 23:5–8). As a shepherd, God brings His sheep home to their fold (cf. Jer. 33:13), has them file in, separating sheep from goats (cf. Matt. 25), passing under His shepherd’s rod to be noted and checked for injury. He will bring them into the bond of the New Covenant by giving them His Spirit with life (36:24–27; 37:14; 39:29). This is Israel’s final salvation (Rom. 11:26–33).

20:38 I will purge the rebels. God will see that no rebel, no one without the renewing by His Spirit in salvation, will come back to Palestine to have a part in the messianic kingdom. All whom He permits to return will serve Him (v. 40), in contrast to those who serve idols (v. 39). The purging takes place during the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), during the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21).

20:39 If they persist in their stubborn idolatry, God will allow them to follow it to their doom. He would also rather have them as out-and-out idolaters rather than hypocritical patronizers of His worship like they had been (cf. Amos 5:21–26).

20:40–42 all…in the land. The promised regathering in Messiah’s earthly kingdom is to the very same land—literal Palestine—from which they were scattered (v. 41), expressly the land given to their fathers (36:28; Gen. 12:7). They will “all” be there, repentant (v. 43) and saved (Rom. 11:26, 27), serving the Lord wholeheartedly, a united nation engaged in purified worship (cf. 27:22, 23; Is. 11:13).

20:44 you shall know. God purposed all of this great restoration so that repentant, renewed Israel knew that He is the Lord, a key theme, as in v. 38. Also, those of other nations will know by this who He is and render Him due reverence (v. 41; 36:23, 36).

20:46–48 preach against the south. The S is Palestine, particularly Judah, usually invaded from the N. Though Babylonia was to the E (19:12), its army would swing W toward the Mediterranean Sea and then come S out of the N to invade Judah. The invader (Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.) will overwhelm the land as a sweeping fire (cf. 15:1–8; 19:12; Zech. 11:1–3), devouring trees indiscriminately, green or dry (cf. 21:3, 4). Palestine had much more “forest” in biblical times.

20:49 This demonstrates the elders’ (v. 1) refusal to comprehend Ezekiel’s clear message. To the unwilling heart, there was no understanding.

Ezekiel 21

21:1–7 the word…came. This is the sign of the sword against Jerusalem (vv. 1–17). God depicts His judgment in terms of a man unsheathing his polished sword for deadly thrusts. God is the swordsman (vv. 3, 4), but Babylon is His sword (v. 19). The historical background for this prophecy is Nebuchadnezzar’s 588 B.C. campaign to quell revolts in Judah, as well as Tyre and Ammon.

21:3, 4 righteous and wicked. In Babylon’s indiscrimination as an invader, people in the army’s path die, whether righteous or wicked. This occurs from N to S, through the whole span of Israel’s land, tying in with the judgment pictured by fire (20:45–49). Trees green or dry (20:47) probably depict people whether righteous or wicked (21:3, 4; cf. Luke 23:31).

21:8–17 The sword (Babylon) was “sharpened.”

21:10 It despises the scepter. Cf. also v. 13. Possibly this affirmed that God’s sword, so overwhelming in v. 10a, was to despise the Judean royal scepter (cf. Gen. 49:9, 10), which was powerless to stop it and would soon pass away (vv. 25–27). God’s judgment was too strong for this object made of (or partly of) wood, as it holds in contempt all such items of wood. “My son” may refer to Judah (cf. Ex. 4:22, 23), or to the king as God’s “son,” such as was Solomon (1 Chr. 28:6).

21:11 the slayer. God is always the judge and executioner, no matter what He uses.

21:12 strike your thigh. Or it can be translated, “beat your breast.” In either wording, it is an emphatic gesture of grief that the prophet acts out. This accompanies further symbols of grief in his “cry,” “wail” (v. 12), clapping of hands (v. 14), and “beating of fists” (v. 17).

21:18–20 This imagery sees Babylon’s army on the march coming to a crossroads. The sword is the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, who is faced with a decision. One sign points to Jerusalem and Judah, the other to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon. In 593 B.C. Ammon had conspired with Judah against Babylon. The king had to decide which place to attack, so he sought his gods through divination (v. 21).

21:21 the king…stands…to use divination. This means to “seek an omen,” to gain guidance from superstitious devices (cf. Is. 47:8–15). Three methods are available to Babylon’s leader. He shook arrows and let them fall, then read a conclusion from the pattern. He looked at Teraphim (idols), or examined an animal liver to gain help from his gods. Actually, the true God controlled this superstition to achieve His will, the attack on Jerusalem and Judah. Later, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Rabbah in Ammon E of the Jordan (vv. 28–32).

21:22 All the paraphernalia of war were prepared.

21:23 false divination. The people of Jerusalem thought this superstitious decision was not a true divination and would fail. They were wrong (vv. 24, 25).

21:25 wicked prince. Zedekiah.

21:26 Remove…turban…crown. God, in the coming judgment on Judah in 588–586 B.C., removed the turban representing the priestly leadership, and the crown picturing the succession of kings. Neither office was fully restored after the captivity. This marked the commencement of “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24).

21:27 Until He comes. The 3-fold mention of “overthrown” expresses the severest degree of unsettled and chaotic conditions. Israel was to experience severe instability and even the kingly privilege will not be Israel’s again until the Messiah comes, “to whom it rightly belongs,” or “whose right it is”(cf. Gen. 49:10). God will give the kingship to Him (cf. Jer. 23:5–8), the greater “David” (Ezek. 37:24). His “right” is that perfect combination of priestly and royal offices (cf. Heb. 5–7).

21:28–32 concerning the Ammonites. The Babylonian armies also were to conquer this people in 582/81 B.C. (cf. 25:1–7). Their “reproach” was the gleeful disdain they heaped on Jerusalem when the city fell, the temple was profaned, and Judeans were taken captive (25:3).

21:30 Return it to its sheath. This called the Ammonites not to resist Babylon, which would be useless, for they would be slaughtered in their own land.

21:32 You shall not be remembered. Israel had a future (v. 27), but God would not give Ammon mercy at the time and let the devastation occur. After this, they were further devastated by Judas Maccabeus’ army, according to an ancient source (1 Macc. 5:6, 7). Later, according to Jeremiah 49:6, God permitted exiles to return to their land. Finally, they disappeared from the family of nations altogether.

Ezekiel 22

22:2 the bloody city. Cf. vv. 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13. This refers to Jerusalem because of her judicial murders (vv. 6, 9, 23–27), her sacrifice of children, and her rebellion against Babylon (cf. 24:6).

22:4–13 become guilty. At least 17 kinds of sin appear in this indictment of Jerusalem’s blood guiltiness, and more in vv. 25–29. The only restraint on their evil was their ability. They did all the evil they could, and shedding blood seemed to be the most popular.

22:5 Cf. Rom. 2:24. God links His honor to the behavior of His people.

22:9 eat on the mountains. This meant idol worship which the passage clarifies (v. 4), i.e., eating meals at idol shrines, accompanied by sexual sins, such as those described in vv. 10, 11.

22:14–16 Ezekiel saw not only the punishment in the immediate future, but the worldwide dispersion of the Jews still going on today, which continues for the purging of Israel’s sins.

22:16 then you shall know. After the defiling dispersion, when the sin has been purged, Israel will come to know the Lord. Many Jews do know Him now, but the nation will be saved in the future (cf. Zech. 12–14; Rom. 11:25–27).

22:17–22 bronze, tin, iron, and lead. This pictures God’s judgment of Jerusalem as a smelting furnace (cf. Is. 1:22; Jer. 6:28–30; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:2, 3) which burns away dross and impurities, resulting in purified metal. His wrath was the fire (v. 21; an apt term for Babylon’s fiery destruction of the city), and His people were to be refined (v. 20), with the sinful ones removed (cf. 21:13–22). Even in the ultimate day, God will follow this principle in purging His creation of sin (2 Pet. 3:9–14).

22:25–29 conspiracy. The whole nation was wicked. First, all leaders are indicted for their vicious sin: prophets, priests, princes, then the people in general.

22:30 So I sought for a man. Ezekiel and Jeremiah were faithful, but apart from them God sought a man capable of advocacy for Israel when its sin had gone so far. But no one could lead the people to repentance and draw the nation back from the brink of the judgment that came in 586 B.C. (Jer. 7:26, 34; 19:15). Only God’s Messiah, God Himself, will have the character and the credentials sufficient to do what no man can do, intercede for Israel (cf. Is. 59:16–19; 63:5; Rev. 5). He was rejected by them in His earthly ministry, so the effects of this judgment continue today, until they turn to Him in faith (cf. Zech. 12:10; 13:1).

Ezekiel 23

23:2–4 two women. This chap. describes the spiritual infidelity of Israel and Judah, pictured as two sisters, to convey the gravity of sin in Judah. “One mother” refers to the united kingdom, while “two women” refers to the divided kingdom. Oholah, meaning “Her own tabernacle,” as she had her separate dwelling-place apart from the temple, represents Samaria. In the northern kingdom, Jeroboam had set up worship, which God rejected. Oholibah, “My tabernacle is in her,” represents Jerusalem, where God did establish worship.

23:5–10 Oholah played the harlot. The northern kingdom of Israel was a harlot, in a spiritual sense, by seeking union for fulfillment and security with idolatrous, young, wealthy, attractive Assyria. Assyria turned on her (v. 10), conquered her, and deported Israel in 722 B.C. (2 Kin. 17).

23:11–21 more corrupt. Cf. 16:47. The focus is Judah’s (the southern kingdom) craving for Babylonian idolatry that alienated her from God. Judah learned nothing from Israel’s punishment (v. 13).

23:12 Assyrians. Ahaz placed Judah under the protection of Assyria (2 Kin. 16:7–10), a political move denounced by Isaiah (Is. 7:13–17).

23:14–16 Chaldeans. Judah was drawn to portraits of Babylonian men, done in brilliant colors, lusting for the Chaldean lifestyle. Social and political alliance led to spiritual defection.

23:17 into the bed of love. The description portrays spiritual unfaithfulness graphically (v. 30).

23:19 Judah renewed her old sins from the days of Egypt, returning to her first degradation.

23:22–35 stir up your lovers. God’s anger at Judah’s sin prompted His bringing Babylonians and others to deal severely with her. The passage sets forth how Judah’s companion nations were the instruments of her judgment.

23:23 Pekod, Shoa, Koa. Three different Aramean tribes.

23:25 remove your nose…your ears. Atrocities by Babylonians would include facial dismemberment, ancient punishment for an adulteress practiced in Egypt, Chaldea, and elsewhere.

23:32–34 drink of your sister’s cup. Judah was to experience the “cup” of God’s judgment as Samaria had in 722 B.C. (cf. 23:46–49). Often the idea of “drinking a cup” is symbolic of receiving God’s wrath (cf. Ps. 75:8; Is. 51:17–22; Jer. 25:15–29; Matt. 20:22).

23:36–42 The prophet detailed a shameful summary of God’s case against the nation—a double arraignment calling for judgment.

23:45 righteous men. This likely refers to the remnant of godly people in the nation who would affirm the justice of judgment.

Ezekiel 24

24:1, 2 this very day. The time was Jan. 15, 588 B.C. (dating from 597 as in 1:2). The Babylonians began the 18 month siege of Jerusalem (Jer. 39:1, 2; 52:4–12).

24:3–5 utter a parable. The choice cuts of lamb picture God’s flock being boiled in a pot, symbolizing Jerusalem in the heat of the siege. Cf. 11:3. Animal bones were frequently used for fuel.

24:6 Woe to the bloody city. Jerusalem’s populace was guilty of bloody corruption, which was pictured by the boiled scum or rust in the pot (cf. 22:2).

24:7 her blood. The city’s blood (a general symbol of sin) was blatantly open, not hidden, as depicted by exposure on top of a rock. When blood was not covered with dust, the law was violated (Lev. 17:13). God’s vengeance would come by Babylon’s army.

24:9, 10 the pyre great…cuts be burned up. Intensely provoked by sin, God wanted Ezekiel to picture the fire as furious judgment that kills the people.

24:11, 12 set the pot empty. After all pieces (people) were burned up, then the pot was heated empty. This portrayed the Lord’s thorough follow-through by the besieger to totally destroy the city and the temple, with all its residue (cf. the treatment of a leprous house in Lev. 14:34–45).

24:16–27 Ezekiel’s wife died as a sign to Israel. All personal sorrow was eclipsed in the universal calamity. Just as Ezekiel was not to mourn the death of his wife (v. 17), so Israel was not to mourn the death of her families (vv. 19–24). Though the text emphasizes how precious his wife was, the “desire of his eyes” (vv. 16, 21), his “boast” and “delight” (v. 21), he was obedient and submitted to God’s will. He became a heartbreaking sign to his people.

24:25 in the day. This refers to the destruction of the temple.

24:26, 27 on that day. One who escaped the destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) would come to Ezekiel in Babylon and report the story. From that day forward, he was to be silent until the captives arrived; then he could speak of Judah (cf. 3:26, 27). This was about a two year period (cf. 33:21; Jer. 52:5–7), when there was no need to preach judgment because it had come. He did speak of other nations (as recorded beginning in chap. 25).

Ezekiel 25

25:1 The word of the LORD came. Ezekiel 25:1—32:32 proclaims judgments on 7 other nations, similar to the series in Jer. 46–51. Four of them are singled out in this chap. for vindictive jealousy and hate toward Israel. It is fitting, after devoting chaps. 1–24 to calamity on His chosen nation, that God should reveal His impartiality toward all sinners and give the prophet judgments to proclaim on Gentiles. Israel’s sinful failure had profaned God’s honor in the eyes of these peoples (36:21–23), but these nations had falsely assumed that, when Israel was exiled, their God was defeated.

25:2, 3 against the Ammonites. These people lived on the edge of the desert E of the Jordan River and N of Moab. They had joined Babylon against Judah about 600 B.C. (2 Kin. 24:2ff.). In 594 B.C., together with other nations, they tried to influence Judah to ally with them against Babylon (Jer. 27:2ff.). Ezekiel 21:18–20 indicates that Babylon came after them. There is no record of an attack, so they must have surrendered (21:28; Zeph. 2:8–11). They were of incestuous origin (cf. Gen. 19:37, 38) and often hostile toward Judah (cf. Judg. 10; 1 Sam. 11; 2 Sam. 10, 12; Jer. 49:1–6; Lam. 2:15; Amos 1:13–15). God judged this people because of their enmity against Israel (vv. 3, 6). They expressed malicious pleasure at the dishonoring of the temple, desolation of the land, and dispersion of the inhabitants.

25:4 I will deliver you…to the men of the East. Perhaps this meant the coming of Babylon from the E which would devastate Ammon in either 588–86 B.C. or 582/81 B.C. Or it could refer to their land being occupied by the various nomadic tribes living beyond the Jordan.

25:5 Rabbah. This important Ammonite capitol (cf. Amos 1:14), now called Amman, is about 25 mi. NE of the upper tip of the Dead Sea, E of the Jordan River.

25:7 cause you to perish. Ammonites would be destroyed and eliminated from their land. Yet, Jer. 49:6 assures a later return of a remnant of these scattered people.

25:8–11 Moab and Seir. The origin of these people is given in Gen. 19:37, 38. Their land was the area S of the Arnon River along the lower region of the Dead Sea. Cf. Is. 15, 16; Jer. 48; Amos 2:1–3. The Babylonians destroyed cities there in 582/81 B.C. The reason for judgment (v. 8) also included their gloating over Israel’s fall, as well as their scorn in saying Israel was like all other people with no privileged position before God. Both Ammonites and Moabites became absorbed into the Arabian peoples.

25:8 Seir. Another name for the adjacent Edomite area (Gen. 32:3; 36:20, 21, 30), dominated by Mt. Seir and a mountainous, extremely rugged, rocky country. Her judgments are given in 25:12–14.

25:12 Edom. Cf. chap. 35; Is. 21:11, 12; Jer. 49:7–22; Amos 1:11, 12; Obadiah; Mal. 1:3–5. These people lived S of Moab from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah. These people had been almost annihilated by David (2 Sam. 8:14), but won back independence during the reign of Ahaz (ca. 735–715 B.C.). Their revenge was hostility to Israel constantly (cf. Gen. 27:27–41; Is. 34:5–7). The reason for judgment is Edom’s disdain when the Israelites were devastated in 588–86 B.C. They acted like a cheering section for Babylon, “raze it, raze it” (Ps. 137:7; Lam. 4:21, 22).

25:13, 14 against Edom…by the hand of My people Israel. The Arab tribe called Nabateans invaded Edom in 325 B.C.; but it was the Jewish forces of Judas Maccabeus in 164 B.C. and John Hyrcanus in 126 B.C. which fully subjugated Edom. Jews even compelled Edomites to submit to their religion. All 3 of these nations (Ammon, Moab, and Edom) have disappeared as separate nations into the Arab peoples.

25:13 Teman; Dedan. Reference is to key Edomite towns. Teman (Teima) was possibly 200 mi. E of the Dead Sea in the Arabian Desert in the northern expanse of Edom’s territory. Dedan was maybe located 100 mi. S of Teman, yet far E of the Red Sea.

25:15–17 the Philistines. Cf. Is. 14:29–33; Jer. 47; Joel 3:4; Amos 1:6–8; Obad. 19; Zeph. 2:4–7; Zech. 9:5. The reason for their judgment was perpetual enmity, and vengefulness against Israel, which perpetuated the “old hatred” from as far back as Judg. 13–16. They constantly harassed and oppressed Israel until David broke their power during Saul’s reign (1 Sam. 17). They repeatedly rose up and were subdued by Israel. Nebuchadnezzar invaded their land (Jer. 47).

25:16 Cherethites. They originated in Crete and became part of the Philistine nation (see note on 1 Sam. 30:14), with some serving in David’s bodyguard (2 Sam. 8:18; 15:18).

25:17 great vengeance. This was fulfilled at the time of Babylon’s invasion of 588–86 B.C. or 582/81 B.C. (cf. Jer. 25:20; 47:1–7).

Ezekiel 26

26:1 the eleventh year. In 586 B.C., the 11th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, on the tenth day of the fifth month, Jerusalem was captured.

26:3, 4 I am against you, O Tyre. The judgment of this city covers 3 chaps. (26–28), indicating its importance to God. Cf. Is. 23; Amos 1:9, 10. Tyre was an ancient city of the Phoenicians, appearing for the first time in Josh. 19:29. During the reigns of David and Solomon it had great influence. Hiram, its king, was a friend to David (2 Sam. 5:11), who helped him and Solomon in building operations (cf. 1 Kin. 5:1–12; 1 Chr. 14:1; 2 Chr. 2:3, 11). Later, Tyrians sold Jews into slavery (cf. Joel 3:4–8; Amos 1:9, 10). God would move “many nations” to invade Tyre, the commercial center of the Mediterranean (cf. 27:3), in successive attacks pictured by wave following wave. Babylon (v. 7) besieged Tyre from 585–573 B.C.; later came Alexander’s Grecian army in 332 B.C. Babylon had devastated the coastal city, but many Tyrians escaped to an island fortress which withstood attack. The later Grecian attackers “scraped” all the remaining “dust” and rubble and dumped it into the sea, building a causeway to the island nearly a half mile out. They also brought ships and overcame the fortress defenders in a devastating assault on Tyre. The predictions in chaps. 26–28 have been fulfilled with amazing literal accuracy.

26:5, 14 for spreading nets. Tyre became a fishing city, a place to spread fishing nets for centuries, until the Saracens finally destroyed what was left in the fourth century. Since then the once great center of Mediterranean commerce has been a nondescript village.

26:7–14 Here is a vivid description of the original devastation by Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar called “king of kings” (v. 7) because so many other rulers were subject to him. God had given him universal rule (cf. Dan. 2:37). Verses 8 and 9 describe the siege, vv. 10–14, the devastation.

26:12 They will plunder. After Nebuchadnezzar in v. 7 and “he” and “his” in vv. 8–11, “they” in v. 12 appears to broaden the reference to others among the “many nations” (v. 3). At this point, “they” are not only Babylonians, but also Alexander’s army which later heaped debris from the ruins into the sea to advance to the island stronghold (cf. Zech. 9:3, 4).

26:13 songs…harps. According to Is. 23:16, Tyre was famous for musicians.

26:15–18 So important a center of commerce could not be destroyed without affecting all the nearby nations. All the nations around the Mediterranean would consider Tyre’s fall a calamity. According to customs of mourning, rulers would descend from their thrones and disrobe.

26:19–21 Tyre’s destruction is compared to a dead person placed in the grave.

Ezekiel 27

27:1–11 a lamentation for Tyre. The whole chap. is a lamentation, describing Tyre as a great trade ship destroyed on the high seas. The proper names indicate the participants in commerce with Tyre.

27:5–9 fir trees from Senir. The area is the Amorite designation for Mt. Hermon, to the NE from the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Lesser known places were: Elishah (v. 7), believed to be in Cyprus; Arvad (v. 8), an island city off the Mediterranean coast N of Byblos; and Gebal (v. 9), a name also used for Byblos, N of today’s Beirut. “Ashurites” (v. 6) were the Assyrians, who had skilled wood workers.

27:10, 11 men of war. These places provided mercenary soldiers for the Phoenician army to defend Tyre.

27:11 Arvad. See note on vv. 5–9. Gammad. A place often identified as northern Syria.

27:12 Tarshish. This verse begins the description of the commercial glory of Tyre. Most likely this place refers to Tarshishah in southern Spain, a Phoenician colony famous for silver (Jer. 10:9).

27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech. Javan was Ionia, a large area in Greece. The other two, in Asia Minor, may be the Tibarenoi and Moschoi mentioned by the writer Herodotus, or slave-trading cities called Tabal and Mushku by the Assyrians.

27:14 house of Togarmah. Beth-Togarmah is identified with Armenia in NE Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey.

27:15 Dedan. Probably Rhodes.

27:17 Minnith. An Ammonite town (Judg. 11:33).

27:18 Helbon. Today it is called Halbun, 13 mi. N of Damascus.

27:19 Dan. A Danite area is not meant; but translators are not sure which areas are designated by this and Javan. cassia. A perfume.

27:21 Kedar. Refers to nomadic Bedouin tribes.

27:22 Sheba and Raamah. These were cities in the SW extremity of Arabia (Gen. 10:7; 1 Chr. 1:9).

27:23 Haran, Canneh, Eden. All were Mesopotamian towns; Canneh may have been in northern Syria, the Calneh of Amos 6:2, or the Caino of Is. 10:9. Assyria…Chilmad. These were also in Mesopotamia.

27:25 ships of Tarshish. The large cargo carrying sea ships that sailed across the Mediterranean.

27:26, 27 the east wind broke. This pictures Tyre’s fall aptly as a shipwreck on the seas. The sea, the place of her glory, will be her grave. “The east wind” is a picture of Babylon in its power from the E (cf. 13:11–13).

27:28–35 the cry. This maintains the metaphor of Tyre as a ship and turns particularly to men lamenting her ruin, for their livelihood has been tied to the commerce she represents. Verses 30–32 describe common actions signifying mourning.

27:36 There will be some who scorn with malicious joy.

Ezekiel 28

28:1–19 This section concerning the king of Tyre is similar to Is. 14:3–23 referring to the king of Babylon. In both passages, some of the language best fits Satan. Most likely, both texts primarily describe the human king who is being used by Satan, much like Peter when Jesus said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Matt. 16:23). The judgment can certainly apply to Satan also.

28:2 to the prince of Tyre. Since “prince” is sometimes used to mean “the king” (37:24, 25), the “prince” in v. 2 is the “king” in v. 12, Itto-baal II. The prophet is dealing with the spirit of Tyre more than just the king. This prophecy is dated shortly before the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar (585–573 B.C.). I am a god. Many ancient kings claimed to be a god, and acted as if they were (v. 6). When this king claimed to be a god, he was displaying the same proud attitude as the serpent who promised Adam and Eve they could be like God (Gen. 3:5).

28:3–5 wiser than Daniel. This is said in sarcastic derision of the leader’s own exaggerated claims. Here is an indicator that Daniel, who had been captive for years in Babylon, had become well known.

28:6–10 strangers against you…aliens. The reference is to invading Babylonians, and later the Greeks. (cf. chap. 26). God was the true executioner.

28:11–19 This lament over “the king of Tyre” reached behind to the real supernatural source of wickedness, Satan. Cf. Matt. 16:21–23, where Peter was rebuked by the Lord, as under Satanic control and motivation.

28:12 the seal of perfection. The Lord led Ezekiel to address the king as the one to be judged, but clearly the power behind him was Satan. This phrase must be associated with Satan as one perfect in angelic beauty before he rebelled against God. But, it can also relate to “perfection” in the same context of Tyre’s enterprise, topmost in its trade to the ancient world (27:3, 4, 11), glorious in her seafaring efforts (27:24), and the crowning city (Is. 23:8), i.e., “perfect” as Jerusalem also is said to be (16:14; Lam. 2:15). Full of wisdom. This referred to Satan’s wisdom as an angel and to Tyre’s wisdom (skill) in trade (cf. 27:8, 9; 28:4).

28:13 You were in Eden. This could be Satan in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1–15), or it might refer to Tyre’s king in a beautiful environment, a kind of Eden. Every precious stone. This depicts Satan’s rich investiture (Gen. 2:12), and/or Tyre’s king possessing every beautiful stone as Solomon had (1 Kin. 10:10). workmanship of your timbrels. This could refer both to Satan’s once being in charge of heavenly praise and to Tyre’s beautiful musical instruments used in celebration (26:13). you were created. Satan, however, is more likely to have such wealth and beauty, wisdom, and perfection at his creation than this earthly king would have at his birth.

28:14 anointed cherub. This refers to Satan in his exalted privilege as an angel guarding (i.e., covering) God’s throne, as cherubim guarded Eden (Gen. 3:24). Satan originally had continuous and unrestricted access to the glorious presence of God. I established you. This was true of both Satan, by God’s sovereign permission, and Tyre’s king. You were on the holy mountain. A high privilege is meant, whether referring to Satan before God in His kingdom (mountain, cf. Dan. 2:35), or Tyre’s monarch described in a picturesque analogy, as Assyria can be described as a cedar in Lebanon (31:3) to convey a picture of towering height.

28:15 perfect in your ways. This verse was not completely true of the king, but it was accurate of Satan before he sinned. Till iniquity was found in you. Satan’s sin of pride (cf. Is. 14:14; 1 Tim. 3:6) is in view here.

28:16 The description transitions to feature the king of Tyre, describing his demise, as he followed the pattern of Satan himself.

28:17–19 I laid you before kings. It would be difficult to relate this to Satan. The earthly king of Tyre, in his downfall, would be knocked or cast to the ground, cut down, and lie before the gaze of other kings. From Is. 23:17 there is the implication of a revival under Persian rule (Neh. 13:16). Two hundred and fifty years after Nebuchadnezzar, Tyre was strong enough to hold off Alexander for 7 years. The Romans made it a capital of the province. Gradually it disappeared and its location is not prominent.

28:21 Sidon. Sidon (vv. 20–24) is a sister seaport to Tyre in Phoenicia, 23 mi. N. Even in the time of the judges (Judg. 10:6), the corrupting influence of this place had begun. It was the headquarters for Baal worship.

28:22, 23 judgments in her. God is to bring bloodshed and pestilence on people there, probably at the time He brings an invasion against Tyre.

28:24 no longer…a pricking brier. This is a summary of the judgment scenarios so far revealed (chaps. 25–28). The enemies of Israel would be so devastated by God that 1) they would no longer be pestering Israel, and 2) they would see that the God who judges them is the true God of Israel.

28:25, 26 When I have gathered. In this brief excursus of hope, God promised to restore Israel to the land of Palestine (cf. chaps. 34, 36–39; Is. 65:21; Jer. 30–33; Amos 9:14, 15). This looks to Messiah’s earthly kingdom.