THE BOOK OF
EZEKIEL

Title

The book has always been named for its author, Ezekiel (1:3; 24:24), who is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture. His name means “strengthened by God,” which, indeed, he was for the prophetic ministry to which God called him (3:8, 9). Ezekiel uses visions, prophecies, parables, signs, and symbols to proclaim and dramatize the message of God to His exiled people.

Author and Date

If the “thirtieth year” of 1:1 refers to Ezekiel’s age; he was twenty-five when taken captive and thirty when called into ministry. Thirty was the age when priests began their office, so it was a notable year for Ezekiel. His ministry began in 593/92 B.C. and extended at least twenty-two years until 571/70 B.C. (cf. 29:17). He was a contemporary of both Jeremiah (who was about twenty years older) and Daniel (who was about the same age), whom he names in 14:14, 20; 28:3 as an already well-known prophet.

Like Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1) and Zechariah (cf. Zech. 1:1 with Neh. 12:16), Ezekiel was both a prophet and a priest (1:3). Because of his priestly background, he was particularly interested in and familiar with the temple details, so God used him to write much about them (8:1–11:25; 40:1–47:12).

Ezekiel and his wife (who is mentioned in 24:15–27) were among ten thousand Jews taken captive to Babylon in 597 B.C. (2 Kin. 24:11–18). They lived in Tel-Abib (3:15) on the bank of the Chebar River, probably southeast of Babylon. Ezekiel writes of his wife’s death in exile (Ezek. 24:18), but the book does not mention Ezekiel’s death, which rabbinical tradition suggests occurred at the hands of an Israelite prince whose idolatry he rebuked around 560 B.C.

The author received his call to prophesy in 593 B.C. (1:2), in Babylon (“the land of the Chaldeans”), during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, which began in 597 B.C. Frequently, Ezekiel dates his prophecies from 597 B.C. (8:1; 20:1; 24:1; 26:1; 29:1; 30:20; 31:1; 32:1, 17; 33:21; 40:1). He also dates the message in 40:1 as 573/72, the fourteenth year after 586 B.C., i.e., Jerusalem’s final fall. The last dated utterance of Ezekiel was in 571/70 B.C. (29:17).

Prophecies in chapters 1–28 are in chronological order. In 29:1, the prophet regresses to a year earlier than in 26:1. But from 30:1 on (cf. 31:1; 32:1, 17), he is close to being strictly chronological.

Background and Setting

From the historical perspective, Israel’s united kingdom lasted more than 110 years (c. 1043–931 B.C.), through the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. Then the divided kingdom, Israel (north) and Judah (south), extended from 931 B.C. to 722/21 B.C. Israel fell to Assyria in 722/21 B.C. leaving Judah, the surviving kingdom for 135 years, which fell to Babylon in 605–586 B.C.

In the more immediate setting, several features were strategic. Politically, Assyria’s vaunted military might crumbled after 626 B.C., and its capital, Nineveh, was destroyed in 612 B.C. by the Babylonians and Medes (cf. Nahum). The neo-Babylonian Empire had flexed its muscles since Nabopolassar took the throne in 625 B.C., and Egypt, under Pharaoh Necho II, was determined to conquer what she could. Babylon smashed Assyria in 612–605 B.C., and registered a decisive victory against Egypt in 605 B.C. at Carchemish, leaving no survivors according to the Babylonian Chronicle.

Also in 605 B.C., Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar, began the conquest of Jerusalem and the deportation of captives, among them Daniel (Dan. 1:2). In December of 598 B.C., he again besieged Jerusalem, and on March 16 of 597 B.C. took possession. This time, he took captive Jehoiachin and a group of ten thousand, including Ezekiel (2 Kin. 24:11–18). The final destruction of Jerusalem and the conquest of Judah, including the third deportation, came in 586 B.C.

Religiously, King Josiah (c. 640–609 B.C.) had instituted reforms in Judah (cf. 2 Chr. 34). Tragically, despite his effort, idolatry had so dulled the Judeans that their overall awakening was only skin deep. The Egyptian army killed Josiah as it crossed Palestine in 609 B.C., and the Jews continued on in sin, racing toward judgment under Jehoahaz (609 B.C.), Jehoiakim (Eliakim) (609–598 B.C.), Jehoiachin (598–597 B.C.), and Zedekiah (597–586 B.C.).

Domestically, Ezekiel and the ten thousand exiles lived in Babylonia (2 Kin. 24:14), more as colonists than captives, being permitted to farm tracts of land under somewhat favorable conditions (Jer. 29). Ezekiel even had his own house (3:24; 20:1).

Prophetically, false prophets deceived the exiles with assurances of a speedy return to Judah (13:3, 16; Jer. 29:1). From 593–585 B.C., Ezekiel warned that their beloved Jerusalem would be destroyed and their exile prolonged, so that there was no hope of immediate return. In 585 B.C., an escapee from Jerusalem, who had evaded the Babylonians, reached Ezekiel with the first news that the city had fallen in 586 B.C., about six months earlier (33:21). That dashed the false hopes of any immediate deliverance for the exiles, so the remainder of Ezekiel’s prophecies related to Israel’s future restoration to its homeland and the final blessings of the messianic kingdom.

Historical and Theological Themes

The “glory of the Lord” is central to Ezekiel, appearing in 1:28; 3:12, 23; 10:4, 18; 11:23; 43:4, 5; 44:4. The book includes graphic descriptions of the disobedience of Israel and Judah, despite God’s kindness (ch. 23; cf. ch. 16). It shows God’s desire for Israel to bear fruit which He can bless; however, selfish indulgence had left Judah ready for judgment, like a torched vine (ch. 15). References are plentiful to Israel’s idolatry and its consequences, such as Pelatiah dropping dead (11:13), a symbolic illustration of overall disaster for the people.

Many picturesque scenes illustrate spiritual principles. Among these are Ezekiel eating a scroll (ch. 2); the faces on four angels representing aspects of creation over which God rules (1:10); a “barbershop” scene (5:1–4); graffiti on the temple walls reminding readers of what God really wants in His dwelling place, namely holiness and not ugliness (8:10); and sprinkled hot coals depicting judgment (10:2, 7).

Chief among the theological themes are God’s holiness and sovereignty. These are conveyed by frequent contrast of His bright glory against the despicable backdrop of Judah’s sins (1:26–28; often in chs. 8–11; also 43:1–7). Closely related is God’s purpose of glorious triumph so that all may “know that I am the LORD.” This divine monogram, God’s signature authenticating His acts, is mentioned more than sixty times, usually with a judgment (6:7; 7:4), but occasionally after the promised restoration (34:27; 36:11, 38; 39:28).

Another feature involves God’s angels carrying out His program behind the scenes (1:5–25; 10:1–22). A further important theme is God’s holding each individual accountable for pursuing righteousness (18:3–32).

Ezekiel also emphasizes sinfulness in Israel (2:3–7; 8:9, 10) and other nations (throughout chs. 25–32). He deals with the necessity of God’s wrath to deal with sin (7:1–8; 15:8); God’s frustration of man’s devices to escape from besieged Jerusalem (12:1–13; cf. Jer. 39:4–7); and God’s grace pledged in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:1–3) being fulfilled by restoring Abraham’s people to the land of the covenant (chs. 34; 36–48; cf. Gen. 12:7). God promises to preserve a remnant of Israelites through whom He will fulfill His restoration promises and keep His inviolate Word.

Interpretive Challenges

Ezekiel uses extensive symbolic language, as did Isaiah and Jeremiah. This raises the question as to whether certain portions of Ezekiel’s writings are to be taken literally or figuratively, e.g., being bound with ropes (3:25); whether the prophet was taken bodily to Jerusalem (8:1–3); how individual judgment can be worked out in chapter 18 when the wicked elude death in 14:22, 23 and some of the godly die in an invasion (21:3, 4); how God would permit a faithful prophet’s wife to die (24:15–27); when some of the judgments on other nations will occur (chs. 25–32); whether the temple in chapters 40–46 will be a literal one and in what form; and how promises of Israel’s future relate to God’s program with the church? These issues will be treated in the study notes.

The book can primarily be divided into sections about condemnation/retribution and then consolation/restoration. A more detailed look divides the book into four sections. First, there are prophecies on the ruin of Jerusalem (chs. 1–24). Second, prophecies of retribution on nearby nations are detailed (chs. 25–32), with a glimpse at God’s future restoration of Israel (28:25, 26). Thirdly, there is a transition chapter (33) which gives instruction concerning a last call for Israel to repent. Finally, the fourth division includes rich expectations involving God’s future restoration of Israel (chs. 34–48).

I. PROPHECIES OF JERUSALEM’S RUIN (1:1–24:27)

A. Preparation and Commission of Ezekiel (1:1–3:27)

1. Divine appearance to Ezekiel (1:1–28)

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, south of Babylon. visions of God. This scene has similarities to the visions of God’s throne in Isaiah 6; Revelation 4; 5, where the emphasis is also on a glimpse of that throne just before judgment is released.

1:2 fifth year. This is 593 B.C. The king, Ezekiel, and ten thousand 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 verse 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 north, and later did come from Babylon in 588–586 (Jer. 39, 40). Its terror is depicted by a fiery whirlwind emblematic of God’s judgments and the golden brightness signifying God’s dazzling glory.

1:5 four living creatures. Four angels, most likely the cherubim 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 four may have respect to the four corners of the earth, implying that God’s angels execute His commands everywhere.

1:6 four faces. See note on verse 10. four wings. Four wings instead of two symbolize an emphasis on 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.

The MacArthur Study Bible, by John MacArthur (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997) 1154.©1993 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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

1:9 did not turn. They were able to move in any direction without needing to first turn, giving swift access to do God’s will. Apparently, all were synchronized 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 Chronicles 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. verses 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 unerringly in judgment. 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 crashing 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. Psalm 103:19; Revelation 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. His 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 Revelation 1:17, had the same reaction on seeing the glory of the Lord.

2. Divine assignment to Ezekiel (2:1–3:27)

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

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

2:5 The people cannot plead ignorance.

2:6 briers and thorns . . . scorpions. Cf. 3:7, 9; 22:29. God used these figures of speech 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; Jeremiah 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 chapters 2–32.

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 Revelation 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”). God will enable the prophet to live up to his name which means “strengthened by God.” Cf. 2:2; 3:14, 24; Isaiah 41:10; Jeremiah 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 corresponding “hardness” to 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; 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 ten tribes taken long before in the conquering of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Second Kings 17:6 may indicate this (“Habor” is the same river as Chebar). remained . . . seven days. Ezekiel sat with the sorrowing people for seven days, the usual period for showing 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 a 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 Samuel 18:24–27 and 2 Kings 9:17–20. See notes on 33:1–20.

3:18–21 See notes on chapter 18.

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; Ezekiel 18:1–20 is particularly devoted to this emphasis. no warning . . . die. People are not to assume that ignorance, even owing to the negligence of preachers, will be any excuse to save them from divine punishment. Cf. Romans 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 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; Proverbs 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 Genesis 9:5. The apostle Paul had this passage (and Ezek. 33:6, 8) in view in Acts 18:6 and 20:26. Even for contemporary preachers, there is such a warning in Hebrews 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. Psalm 119:165 announces, “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 reports it is better to obey and “live.” Cf. 1 Corinthians 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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 chapters 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 paralleled Ezekiel’s receiving a refugee’s report of Jerusalem’s fall (24:25–27; 33:21, 22). He also spoke about judgments on other nations (chs. 25–32).

B. Proclamation of Jerusalem’s Condemnation (4:1–24:27)

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.

1. Signs of coming judgment (4:1–5:4)

4:1–3 portray . . . Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s object lesson employed 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 north, illustrated God’s applying judgment to Israel; and facing south pointed to judgment on Judah. It is not necessary to assume that Ezekiel was in the prone position all the time. He was also doubtless upright 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 her punishment.

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

4:6 forty. Judah was also guilty, but the forty cannot represent less guilt (cf. 23:11). It may extend the time beyond the 390 day/years to 430 day/years or they may run concurrently, but the exact duration 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 eighteen-month siege especially necessitated the mixing of all kinds of grain for bread. The “twenty shekels” would be about eight 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 verse 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), so 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).

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).

2. Messages concerning judgment (5:5–7:27)

5:5 Jerusalem. Here, the great city alone was not meant, but was used representatively 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 (2:22; 4:10) reveals how literally these promises were realized. Down through the centuries had come the threats of Leviticus 26:29 and Deuteronomy 28:53; they were taken up by Jeremiah (Jer. 19:9; 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 fourteen times in this book. Their greatest sin was defiling the sanctuary, showing the height of their wickedness.

5:12 The four 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 six 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. verses 13, 15 for the same expression, which was God’s personal signature on their doom.

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 verses 10, 13, 14 and sixty 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 Leviticus 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 masses of people were rejected, but grace and mercy were given to a godly remnant 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 Isaiah 1:9; 10:20; Jeremiah 43:5; Zephaniah 2:7; 3:13; Zechariah 10:9; Romans 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, east and south of the Dead Sea.

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), while 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 describes 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) and 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 the high priest could only enter once a year 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. Genesis 18:25.

3. Visions concerning abomination in the city and temple (8:1–11:25)

8:1 the sixth year. This occurred during 592 B.C. (cf. 1:2) in August/September, 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 chapter 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, this was 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. A greater abomination than the secret cult involved Israel’s worship of Babylonian deity 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. The basest immoralities were connected with the worship of this idol.

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 twenty-five represent the twenty-four 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 LXX 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).

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 preincarnate 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. It then leaves to the front door (9:3; 10:4), later to the east gate by the outer wall (10:18, 19), and finally to the Mount of Olives to the east, 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, not unlike blood on the lintel to protect Israel from the Lord’s judgment in Egypt (Ex. 12:21–30). 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 preincarnate Christ. He was marking the elect (cf. Ex. 12:7). Malachi 3:16–18 indicates a similar idea. Cf. Revelation 7:3; 9:4. The marked ones were penitent and thus 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.

10:1 a throne. It rises above God’s angelic servants, the same four as in chapter 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) should reach into the war machine and fill his hands with fiery coals in the presence of the angels of chapter 1. These coals picture the fires of judgment which God’s angels are to “scatter” on Jerusalem. In Isaiah 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 chapter 1 and here in verse 4.

10:4 This verse explains how the “cloud” of verse 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 verse 2.

10:7 cherub . . . put it into the hands. One of the four cherubim of 1:5ff. and verse 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 four angels (cf. 1:15–21) were 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 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 Samuel 4:21; 10:18, 19.

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 verse 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 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 seventy 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; see note on Jeremiah 31:31–34.

11:23 the mountain . . . east. The glory of God moved to the Mount 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 physically remained 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).

4. Explanations of judgment (12:1–24:27)

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, i.e., 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 people 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 7 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 Kings 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 would use the enemy as His rod of correction, and only a few would be left.

12:22 this proverb. Delay had given the people the false impression that the stroke of judgment would never come. In fact, a proverbial 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) in their place.

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

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 verses 1–16. Then, His attention turns to lying prophetesses in verses 17–23. The test of a prophet is found in Deuteronomy 13:1–5 and 18:21, 22.

13:2, 3 heart . . . spirit. Spurious spokesmen prophesy subjectively, 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 that 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 Isaiah 2:12.

13:9 A threefold 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 a false sense of security. Phony peace promises, while sin continued on the brink of God’s judgment, was a way 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 Revelation 2:20.

13:18, 19 charms . . . veils . . . handfuls of barley . . . bread. Apparently these sorceresses employed all these items in their divinations, hunting down people 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 seventy 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).

14:1–3 elders . . . came. These leaders came pretending to seek God’s counsel (v. 3; cf. Ps. 66:18), as God reveals to the prophet, who saw through their façade and indicted them for determining to pursue their evil way and defy God’s will. False prophets of chapter 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 rather a message directly from the Lord in the form 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 those back at Jerusalem and the exiles tolerating the same things, were to repent by turning away from idols to God.

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

14:9 induced. God will deceive 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 Romans 1:18–32 (cf. 1 Kin. 22:20–23; 2 Thess. 2:11).

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

14:13–20 My hand against. God promised four acts in His drama of judgment (cf. summary, v. 21). In none could the three 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 three OT heroes mentioned in this section exhibited the power of intercession on behalf of others (cf. Gen. 6:18; Job 42:7–10; Dan. 1, 2) at strategic points in redemptive history, but even they could not deliver anyone but themselves. Even the presence and prayers of the godly could not stop the coming judgment. Genesis 18:22–32 and Jeremiah 5:1–4 provide rare exceptions to the principle that one person’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.

15:1–3 Then the word . . . came. Israel, often symbolized by a vine (17:6–10; Gen. 49:22; Jer. 2:21), had become useless. 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), having 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).

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 chapter 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 chapter 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, the history of Israel is recounted 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 her 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, describing 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 Mount Sinai (cf. Ex. 19:5–8). Making a covenant pictures 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 immoral deeds. But 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 stoning them were well-known customs in ancient Israel, making prostitutes 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 judgments for sin were 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).

17:1 This chapter is dated about 588 B.C. (two years before the destruction of Jerusalem). The history of the period is recounted in 2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 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 behind in Judah (597 B.C.), who could prosper as a tributary to the conqueror.

17:6 a spreading vine. This refers to Zedekiah (c. 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 (Hophra) (588–568 B.C.). Zedekiah turned to him for help in revolting 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 east 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), but 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 a protector of his army (v. 21).

17:22, 23 one of the highest branches. This messianic prophecy states 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 at 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 Judah’s humbling judgment, i.e., Judah’s remnant, from which He came (cf. Is. 6:13), would yet prosper.

18:1–32 One of the foundational principles of Scripture is presented in this chapter. (cf. Deut. 24:16; 2 Kin. 14:6): Judgment is rendered according to individual faith and conduct. God had foretold national punishment, but the basis for it 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 shifting of blame and evasion of responsibility.

18:4 The soul who sins shall die. God played no favorites, but was fair in holding each person accountable for his own sin. The death is physical death which, for many people, 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 specifically in verses 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. See note on Exodus 20:5, 6.

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 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 convesion. 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.

19:1–14 lamentation. This is an elegy in typical lamentation meter (v. 14b), dealing with the captivity of Jehoahaz (609 B.C.) and Jehoiachin (597 B.C.), plus 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 verse 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 three 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 verse 9 (2 Kin. 24:6–15). Though he reigned only three 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 thirty-seven years, releasing him at the age of fifty-five (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.

20:1 the seventh year. C. 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. verses 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. verse 32, “We will be like the Gentiles.” Cf. Psalm 81:11, 12; Romans 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 Corinthians 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, being 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, and separates 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 at 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), saved (Rom. 11:26, 27), and 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 verse 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 south is Palestine, particularly Judah, usually invaded from the north. Though Babylonia was to the east (19:12), its army would swing west toward the Mediterranean Sea and then come south out of the north 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.

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 north to south, 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 verse 13. Possibly, this affirmed that God’s sword, so overwhelming in verse 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. It can also be translated, “beat your breast.” With either wording, it refers to 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 portrays 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. First, he shook arrows and let them fall, then read a conclusion from the pattern; second, he looked at Teraphim (idols); or third, he 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 east 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 (597–586 B.C.)

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 threefold mention of “overthrown” expresses the se- verest degree of unsettled and chaotic conditions. Israel was to experience severe instability, even the kingly privilege will be revoked 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. The Ammonites were 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.

22:2 the bloody city. Cf. verses 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13. This phrase 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 seventeen kinds of sin appear in this indictment of Jerusalem’s blood guiltiness, with more in verses 25–29. The only restraint on their evil was the limits of their ability to sin. They did all the evil they could, and shedding blood seemed to be the most popular.

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

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

22:14–16 Ezekiel saw not only the punishment in the immediate future, but the worldwide dispersion of the Jews still going on, 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), His people were to be refined (v. 20), and the sinful ones were to be removed as dross (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. Second, the people in general were accused.

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, 36; 19:15). Only God’s Messiah, God Himself, will have the character and the credentials sufficient to do what no mortal man can do, i.e., intercede for Israel (cf. Is. 59:16–19; 63:5; Rev. 5). Christ 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).

23:2–4 two women. This chapter 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 military, politcal union for fulfillment and security purposes with idolatrous, young, wealthy, attractive Assyria, who turned on Israel (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. Their social and political alliance led to spiritual defection.

23:17 into the bed of love. The description graphically portrays spiritual unfaithfulness (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 the 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 the Babylonians would include facial dismemberment, the 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.

24:1, 2 this very day. The time was January 15, 588 B.C. (dating from 597 as in 1:2). The Babylonians began the eighteen-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, using the besieger to 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), the prophet 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. A person 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 amounted to 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 (beginning in ch. 25).

II. PROPHECIES OF RETRIBUTION TO THE NATIONS (25:1–32:32)

A. Ammon (25:1–7)

25:1 The word of the LORD came. Ezekiel 25:1–32:32 proclaims judgments on seven other nations, similar to the series in Jeremiah 46–51. Four of them are singled out in this chapter for vindictive jealousy and hate toward Israel. It is fitting, after devoting chapters 1–24 to calamity on His chosen nation, that God should reveal His impartiality toward all sinners and provide the prophet with 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, east of the Jordan River and north 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 east 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 River.

25:5 Rabbah. This important Ammonite capitol (cf. Amos 1:14), now called Amman, is about twenty-five miles northeast of the upper tip of the Dead Sea, east of the Jordan River.

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

B. Moab (25:8–11)

25:8–11 Moab and Seir. The origin of these people is given in Genesis 19:37, 38. Their land was the area south of the Arnon River along the lower region of the Dead Sea. Cf. Isaiah 15; 16; Jeremiah 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.

C. Edom (25:12–14)

25:12 Edom. Cf. chapter 35; Isaiah 21:11, 12; Jeremiah 49:7–22; Amos 1:11, 12; Obadiah; Malachi 1:3–5. These people lived south of Moab from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah. These people had been almost annihilated by David (2 Sam. 8:14), but they won back independence during the reign of Ahaz (c. 735–715 B.C.). Their revenge was hostility toward 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, calling out “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 of the 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 three of these nations (Ammon, Moab, and Edom) have disappeared as separate nations, being absorbed into the Arab peoples.

25:13 Teman; Dedan. This reference is to key Edomite towns. Teman (Teima) was possibly two hundred miles east of the Dead Sea in the Arabian Desert, located in the northern expanse of Edom’s territory. Dedan was thought to be located one hundred miles south of Teman, yet far east of the Red Sea.

D. Philistia (25:15–17)

25:15–17 the Philistines. Cf. Isaiah 14:29–33; Jeremiah 47; Joel 3:4; Amos 1:6–8; Obadiah 19; Zephaniah 2:4–7; Zechariah 9:5. The reason for their judgment was perpetual enmity, and vengefulness against Israel, which perpetuated the “old hatred” from as far back as Judges 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).

E. Tyre (26:1–28:19)

26:1 the eleventh year. In 586 B.C., the eleventh 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 three chapters (26–28), indicating its importance to God. Cf. Isaiah 23; Amos 1:9, 10. Tyre was an ancient city of the Phoenicians, appearing for the first time in Joshua 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 as 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 later attacks. The Grecian attackers “scraped” all the remaining “dust” and rubble and dumped it into the sea, building a causeway to the island nearly one-half mile out. They also brought ships and overcame the fortress defenders in a devastating assault on Tyre. The predictions in chapters 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 of the other rulers were subject to him. God had given Nebuchadnezzar universal rule (cf. Dan. 2:37). Verses 8 and 9 describe the siege, and verses 10–14 describe the devastation.

26:12 They will plunder. After Nebuchadnezzar in verse 7 and “he” and “his” in verses 8–11, “they” in verse 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 Isaiah 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.

27:1–11 a lamentation for Tyre. The whole chapter 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 northeast of 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 north of Byblos; and Gebal (v. 9), a name also used for Byblos, north of today’s Beirut. “Ashurites” (v. 6) were the Assyrians, who had skilled woodworkers.

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

27:11 Arvad. See note on verses 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 northeast Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey.

27:15 Dedan. A better textual reading would be Rhodes.

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

27:18 Helbon. Today it is called Halbun, thirteen miles north of Damascus.

27:19 Dan. A Jewish Danite area is not meant; this possibly refers to the city of Aden on the Persian Gulf. cassia. A perfume.

27:20 Dedan. See note on 25:13

27:21 Kedar. Refers to nomadic Bedouin tribes.

27:22 Sheba and Raamah. These were cities in the southwest 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 Isaiah 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 Sea.

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 east (cf. 13:11–13).

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

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

28:1–19 This section concerning the king of Tyre is similar to Isaiah 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 verse 2 is the “king” in verse 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. ch. 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. Matthew 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 had such wealth and beauty, wisdom, and perfection at his creation than this earthly king would have had 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 would lie before the gaze of other kings. From Isaiah 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 seven years. The Romans made it a capital of the province. Gradually, it disappeared and its location is not prominent.

F. Sidon (28:20–24)

28:21 Sidon. Sidon (vv. 20–24) is a sister seaport to Tyre in Phoenicia, twenty-three miles north. 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 (chs. 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.

Excursus: The Restoration of Israel (28:25, 26)

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

G. Egypt (29:1–32:32)

29:1 the tenth year. 587 B.C. is the tenth year after Jehoiachin’s deportation. It is a year and two days after Nebuchadnezzar had come to Jerusalem (24:1, 2; 2 Kin. 25:1) and seven months before its destruction (2 Kin. 25:3–8). This is the first of seven oracles against Egypt (cf. 29:17; 30:1; 32:1; 32:17).

29:2 against all Egypt. Cf. Isaiah 19; Jeremiah 46:1–26. Egypt was to fall, even though it could be pictured as a water monster (vv. 3–5), a towering tree like Assyria (31:3), a young lion (32:2), and a sea monster (32:2–8). The judgment looks ahead to 570 B.C. when the Greeks of Cyrene defeated Pharaoh (Apries) Hophra and 568/67 B.C. when Babylon conquered Egypt.

29:3 great monster. Most likely, the crocodile is the figure used for the king. Crocodiles were worshiped by the Egyptians, and lived in their rivers. Rahab is a general term used for a monster which often symbolized Egypt. See notes on Psalms 87:4; 89:10; Isaiah 30:7.

29:4 fish of your rivers. This figuratively represents the people who followed Pharaoh and who were a part of God’s judgment on Egypt as a whole (vv. 5, 6a).

29:6 a staff of reed. The Israelites had depended on Egyptians in military alliances in the same manner as people lean on a staff that gives way, failing them. Egypt had betrayed the confidence of Israel as God said they would (cf. Jer. 17:5, 7). Because Israel never should have trusted Egypt, it does not lessen Egypt’s judgment.

29:9 The River. The Nile River was the water supply for all Egypt’s crops. See note on verse 19.

29:10 from Migdol to Syene. This distance covered the entirety of Egypt, since Migdol (Ex. 14:2) was in the north and Syene in the southern border of Ethiopia.

29:11, 12 uninhabited forty years. Although difficult to pinpoint this time reference, one possibility is that this period was when Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, reigned supreme in Egypt (vv. 19, 20), from c. 568/67 B.C. to c. 527 B.C. after Cyrus gained Persian control.

29:13–16 I will gather the Egyptians. Egypt eventually regained normalcy, but never again reached the pinnacle of international prominence she once enjoyed.

29:17 the twenty-seventh year. This is 571/70 B.C. as counted from the captivity of Jehoiachin in 597 B.C., about seventeen years after the prophecy in verses 1–16.

29:18 labor . . . against Tyre. In c. 585–573 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for thirteen years before subduing the city (cf. Ezek. 26:1–28:19). Tyrians retreated to an island bastion out in the sea and survived, not giving Babylon full satisfaction in their acquired spoils (“wages”), which would be expected after such a long struggle.

29:19 I will give the land of Egypt. To make up for Babylon’s lack of sufficient reward from Tyre, God allowed a Babylonian conquest of Egypt in 568/67 B.C. Babylon’s army had worked as an instrument which God used to bring down Egypt.

29:21 I will cause the horn . . . to spring forth. Cf. 23:25, 26. God caused Israel’s power to return and restored her authority as the power in an animal’s horn (cf. 1 Sam. 2:1). Though other nations subdued her, Israel’s latter end in messianic times will be blessed. I will open your mouth. Most likely, this refers to the day when Ezekiel’s writings would be understood by looking back at their fulfillment. His muteness had already ceased in 586/585 B.C. when Jerusalem fell (cf. 33:21, 22).

30:3 the day of the LORD is near. This is a common expression for God’s judgment, especially His future judgment (cf. Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:14; Zech. 14:1; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). God’s judgment day for Egypt embraces a near fulfillment in Babylon’s 568/67 invasion (v. 10; 32:11), as well as the distant day of the Lord in the future tribulation period when God calls all nations to judgment (Dan. 11:42, 43). See note on Isaiah 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:2.

30:5 Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia. See notes on 27:10, 11; 29:10. Chub. An unidentified nation, along with the “mingled people” and “men of the lands.” These also may have been mercenaries in Egypt’s army, like the previous ones in this verse.

30:6 Migdol . . . Syene. See note on 29:10.

30:8 helpers. All of Egypt’s alliances and their arms will be useless in the day of God’s judgment.

30:9 Apparently, the Egyptians will flee the horrors to Ethiopia and increase that nation’s fear of its own inevitable judgment.

30:10, 11 Nebuchadnezzar was God’s instrument.

30:12 rivers dry. Apart from the Nile River and its branches, Egypt was a barren desert. Her life depended on an annual inundation of the land by the flooding Nile.

30:14 Pathros. The large region south of Memphis. Zoan. This key city of the Nile delta’s eastern portion was called Tanis by Greeks.

30:15 Sin. The name referred to ancient Pelusium, a key city at the tip of the Nile River’s eastern arm near the Mediterranean Sea. Since, (1) “No” (Thebes) and “Sin” were at opposite borders of Egypt and (2) so many cities are named, the passage speaks of judgment on the entire land.

30:17 Aven. Ancient Heliopolis. Pi Beseth. The city was on the northeast branch of the Nile River where cats were mummified in honor of the cat-headed goddess, Ugastet.

30:18 Tehaphnehes. This city, named after the Egyptian queen, was a residence of the pharaohs.

30:20 the eleventh year. C. 587/586 B.C., eleven years after the deportation of Judah in 597 B.C.

30:21 I have broken the arm. God figuratively depicted His act of taking power from Egypt through Nebuchadnezzar, resulting in defeat and dispersion (vv. 23, 26).

30:22 break his arms. Both the defeat of Pharaoh Hophra (cf. Jer. 37:5ff.) and the earlier defeat of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish (cf. 2 Kin. 24:7; Jer. 46:2) are in view.

30:26 People often don’t learn that God is Lord until His judgment falls.

31:1 the eleventh year. C. 587/586 B.C. Two months after the oracle of 30:20–26.

31:2–18 Whom are you like? Ezekiel filled this chapter with a metaphor/analogy comparing Egypt to a huge tree that dominates a forest to a king/nation that dominates the world (cf. 17:22–24; Dan. 4:1–12, 19–27). He reasoned that just as a strong tree like Assyria (v. 3) fell (c. 609 B.C.), so will Egypt (c. 568 B.C.). If the Egyptians tend to be proud and feel invincible, let them remember how powerful Assyria had fallen already.

31:3 cedar in Lebanon. The trees were as high as eighty feet and were an example of supreme power and domination, particularly the great cedars which grew in the mountains north of Israel.

31:8, 9 garden of God . . . trees of Eden. (36:35; Gen. 13:10; Is. 51:3; Joel 2:3). Since Assyria was in the vicinity of the Garden of Eden, Ezekiel used the ultimate of gardens as a point of relative reference by which to describe tree-like Assyria.

31:10 Because you. Ezekiel shifted from the historical illustration of Assyria’s pride and fall to the reality of Egypt. God was using Assyria to teach the nations the folly of earthly power and might.

31:14–16 the Pit. The scene shifts from earth and the garden of God to the grave (cf. 32:18), as God again refers to the destruction of Assyria and all her allies (“all the trees,” “all that drink water”).

31:18 will you . . . be likened? Egypt, like all the other great nations including Assyria, will be felled by God.

32:1 the twelfth year. 585 B.C., twelve years from the deportation of Judah in 597 B.C.

32:2 like a young lion. The picture describes Egypt’s deadly, energetic, stalking power in her dealings with other nations. She was also violent, like the crocodile (cf. 29:3).

32:3–6 spread My net over you. God will trap Egypt as a net snares a lion or crocodile, using many people (soldiers). The Egyptians will fall, their corpses gorging birds and beasts, their blood soaking the earth and waters.

32:7, 8 light. This is likely a reference to Pharaoh, whose life and power is extinguished, and all the rest of the leaders and people basking in his light are plunged into darkness.

32:11, 12 The sword of . . . Babylon. This is the definite identification of the conqueror, as in 30:10 when Nebuchadnezzar is actually named (cf. 21:19; 29:19; Jer. 46:26).

32:13, 14 With no men or beasts to stir up the mud in the Nile River and its branches, the water will be clear and flow smoothly. Since the river was the center of all life, this pictures the devastation graphically.

32:17 the twelfth year. 585 B.C. reckoned from 597 B.C.

32:18 the famous nations. All other countries which have been conquered. the Pit. This refers to Sheol/grave (cf. 31:14–16).

32:19–21 The prophet followed Egypt and her people beyond the grave. The king of Egypt is addressed by the other nations in “hell,” taunting him as he is on the same level with them. This shows that there is a conscious existence and a fixed destiny beyond death. See Luke 16:19–31.

32:22 Assyria is there. The slain of several nations are pictured in the afterlife: Assyria (vv. 22, 23), Elam (vv. 24, 25), Meshech and Tubal (vv. 26–28; cf. 38:1, 2; see notes there ), and Edom (vv. 29, 30). Although mighty for a time on earth, the fallen lie as defeated equals in death, all conquered by God and consigned to eternal hell (v. 21).

32:31, 32 Pharaoh . . . comforted. A strange comfort coming from the recognition that he and his people were not alone in misery and doom.

III. PROVISION FOR ISRAEL’S REPENTANCE (33:1–33)

33:1–33 Again the word . . . came. This chapter is a transition between God’s judgments against Jerusalem and the nations (chs. 1–32) and Israel’s bright future when she is restored to her land (chs. 34–48). It provided God’s instructions for national repentance, and is, thus, the preface to the prophecies of comfort and salvation which follow (chs. 34–39).

33:2–20 speak to . . . your people. This was given to prepare the exiles’ minds to look on the awful calamity in Jerusalem as a just act by God (cf. 14:21–23). He had faithfully warned, but they did not pay heed. Ezekiel had been forbidden to speak to his people from the time of 24:26, 27 until Jerusalem was captured. Meanwhile, he had spoken to the foreign nations (chs. 25–32).

33:2–9 watchman. Such men as Jeremiah and Ezekiel (cf. 3:16–21) were spiritual watchmen (33:7–9), warning that God would bring a sword on His people so that they had opportunity to prepare and be safe. This analogy came from the custom of putting guards on the city wall watching for the approach of danger, then trumpeting the warning. For the function of a watchman, cf. 2 Samuel 18:24, 25; 2 Kings 9:17; Jeremiah 4:5; 6:1; Hosea 8:1; Amos 3:6; Habakkuk 2:1. See notes on 3:17–21.

33:4 his blood . . . on his own head. Once the watchman did his duty, the responsibility passed to each person. See notes on chapter 18, where each person is accountable for his own response to God’s warnings, whether to die in judgment or to live as one who heeded and repented. Ezekiel had been a very faithful and obedient watchman.

33:8, 9 his blood I will require. A prophet who sounded the warning of repentance for sin was not to be judged (v. 9), but the one who failed to deliver the message was held accountable (v. 8). This referred to unfaithfulness on the part of the prophet for which he bore responsibility and was chastened by God. See notes on chapter 18; cf. Acts 20:26.

33:10–11 how can we then live? The Israelites reasoned that if they were liable to death in judgment that was inevitable, they were in a hopeless condition and had no future. God replied that He had no pleasure in seeing the wicked die for their sin, but desired them to repent and live (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9). The divine answer to the human question is, “Repent and be saved!” (cf. 18:23, 30–32). Here was a blending of divine compassion with the demands of God’s holiness. Repentance and forgiveness were offered to all.

33:12–20 See notes on 18:19–29. One of the basic principles of God’s dealing with His people is presented here: judgment is according to personal faith and conduct. The discussion is not about eternal salvation and eternal death, but physical death as judgment for sin which, for believers, could not result in eternal death. The righteous behavior in verse 15 could only characterize a true believer, who was faithful from the heart. There is no distinction made in the matter of who is a true believer in God. There is only a discussion of the issue of behavior as a factor in physical death. For those who were apostate idolaters, physical death would lead to eternal death. For believers who were lovers of the true God, their sin would lead only to physical punishment (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28–31; 1 John 5:16, 17). Righteous and wicked are terms describing behavior, not a person’s position before God. It is not the “righteousness of God” imputed as illustrated in the case of Abraham (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3–5), but rather one’s deeds that are in view (vv. 15–19).

33:17, 20 not fair. They blamed God for their calamities, when actually they were being judged for their sins.

33:21 The city has been captured! A fugitive or fugitives (the Hebrew could be a collective noun) who escaped from Jerusalem reached Ezekiel with the report on January 8, 585 B.C., almost six months after the fall on July 18, 586 (Jer. 39:1, 2; 52:5–7). Ezekiel 24:1, 2 and 33:21 show a thirty-six month span from the outset of the siege on January 15, 588, to the report in 33:21.

33:22 opened my mouth. God exercised control over the mouth of Ezekiel (see note on 3:26, 27 ).

33:23–29 There is no date attached to the prophecies from 33:23–39:29, but the first message after the fall of Jerusalem was a rebuke of Israel’s carnal confidence. This prophecy was against the remnant of Judah who remained in the land of promise after the fall of Jerusalem. Ezekiel warns the survivors that more judgment will come on them if they do not obey God. By some strange reasoning, they thought that if God had given the land to Abraham when he was alone, it would be more securely theirs because they were many in number—a claim based on quantity rather than quality (v. 24). But judgment will come, if they turn and reject God again (vv. 25–29).

33:30–33 Here was a message to exiles, who had no intention of obeying the prophet’s messages. They liked to listen, but not apply the prophet’s words. They finally knew by bitter experience that he had spoken the truth of God. The people appreciated the eloquence of Ezekiel, but not the realty of his message.

IV. PROPHECIES OF ISRAEL’S RESTORATION (34:1–48:35)

A. Regathering of Israel to the Land (34:1–37:28)

1. Promise of a true shepherd (34:1–31)

34:1 From this chapter on, Ezekiel’s messages are mostly comforting, telling of God’s grace and faithfulness to His covenant promises.

34:2 prophesy against the shepherds. The reference is to preexilic leaders such as kings, priests, and prophets, i.e., false leaders who fleeced the flock for personal gain (vv. 3, 4), rather than true leaders who fed or led righteously (as 22:25–28; Jer. 14, 23; Zech. 11). This stands in contrast to the Lord as Shepherd in Psalms 23; 80:1; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Luke 15:4, 5; John 10:1ff.

34:5 food for all the beasts. The beasts pictured nations that prey on Israel (cf. Dan. 7:3–7), though it could possibly include actual wild beasts, as in 14:21. Cf. 34:25, 28; see notes there.

34:9, 10 This was no idle threat, as proven by the case of King Zedekiah (cf. Jer. 52:10, 11).

34:11 I . . . will search. God, the true Shepherd, would search out and find His sheep in order to restore Israel to their land for the kingdom which the Messiah leads (vv. 12–14).

34:12 a cloudy and dark day. This refers to the Day of the Lord judgment on Israel (cf. Jer. 30:4–7).

34:12–14 Here is the promise of a literal regathering and restoration of the people of Israel to their own land from their worldwide dispersion. Since the scattering was literal, the regathering must also be literal. Once they are regathered in Messiah’s kingdom, they will not lack anything (vv. 15, 16).

34:15, 16 I will feed My flock. In contrast to self-indulgent leaders who took advantage of the sheep, God will meet the needs of His sheep (people). This is clearly reminiscent of Psalm 23 and will be fulfilled by the Good Shepherd (John 10:1ff.), who will reign as Israel’s shepherd.

34:17–22 judge between. Once He has judged the leaders, God will also judge the abusive members of the flock as to their true spiritual state. This passage anticipates the judgment of the people given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:31–46. The ungodly are known because they trample the poor. The Lord alone is able to sort out the true from the false (cf. Christ’s parables of Matt. 13), and will do so in the final kingdom.

34:23 one shepherd . . . David. This refers to the greater One in David’s dynasty (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12–16), the Messiah, who will be Israel’s ultimate king over the millennial kingdom (31:24–26; Jer. 30:9; Hos. 3:5; Zech. 14:9).

34:24 the LORD. This is God the Father. a prince. The word can at times be used of the king himself (37:34, 35; cf. 28:2, 12), as here.

34:25 covenant of peace. This refers to the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31–34 (cf. 37:26) in full operation during the millennial kingdom. wild beasts. Actual animals will be tamed in the kingdom. See Isaiah 11:6–9; 35:9; Hosea 2:18.

34:26 My hill. Jerusalem and Zion are in view, where the Jews will come to worship the Lord. showers of blessing. Cf. the “times of refreshing” in Acts 3:19, 20, when the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15–68 are lifted.

34:27 The faithfulness of the land is also indicated in Amos 9:13.

34:28, 29 no longer be a prey. God will stop other nations from subjugating the people of Israel.

34:30 I . . . their God. An oft-repeated OT theme (cf. Gen. 17:7, 8), this phrase speaks of the ultimate salvation of Israel as in Romans 11:25–27.

2. Punishment of the nations (35:1–36:7)

35:2 against Mount Seir. Cf. Isaiah 21:11, 12; Jeremiah 49:7–22; Amos 1:11, 12; Obadiah. This is another name for Edom (cf. v. 15; Gen. 32:3; 38:6), also threatened with judgment in 25:12–14 (see notes there ). Edom, Israel’s most inveterate and bitter enemy (cf. Ps. 137:7; Mal. 1:2–5), was located east of the Arabah from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah. The main cities were Teman and Petra, now in ruins.

35:3, 4 This prediction (cf. vv. 6–9) came to pass literally, first by Nebuchadnezzar and later in 126 B.C. by John Hyrcanus. There is no trace of the Edomites now, though their desolate cities can be identified as predicted by Obadiah (Obad. 18) and Jeremiah (Jer. 49:13). Cf. verses 6–9.

35:5 Because. God will judge Edom because of (1) her perpetual enmity against Israel since Esau’s hatred of Jacob (Gen. 25–28), and (2) Edom’s spiteful bloodshed against the Israelites trying to escape the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

35:10 Because. A further reason for Edom’s doom was her design to take control of the territory occupied by “two nations,” i.e., Israel (north) and Judah (south). They plotted to take over these nations for their own gain (v. 12), but were prevented from doing this and subsequently destroyed because “the LORD was there.”

35:11, 12 anger . . . envy . . . blasphemies. Here were more reasons for Edom’s destruction.

35:13 you . . . boasted against Me. Still another reason for judgment was Edom’s proud ambitions that were really against God (cf. v. 10, “although the LORD was there”).

35:15 As you rejoiced. This final reason for their doom was Edom’s joy over Israel’s calamity. they shall know. The ultimate aim in Edom’s judgment was that “the whole earth” may know He is the Lord and see His glory. Sadly, sinners find this out only in their own destruction. Cf. Hebrews 10:31.

36:1 This chapter presents the prerequisite regeneration which Israel must experience before they can enter into the promised blessings. This chapter must be understood to speak of a literal Israel, a literal land, and a literal regeneration, leading to a literal kingdom under Messiah. prophesy to the mountains. Cf. verses 1, 4, 6, 8. Ezekiel addresses Israel’s mountains, as symbolic of the whole nation. He promises: (1) to give these mountains again to dispersed Israel (v. 12); (2) to cause fruit to grow on them (v. 8); (3) to rebuild cities and to multiply people there (v. 10); and (4) to bless in a greater way than in the past (v. 11). These promises that she has not yet experienced can only be fulfilled in future millennial blessings for Israel because they include the salvation of the New Covenant (vv. 25–27, 29, 31, 33).

36:2–15 This section continues the prophecy against Edom from chapter 35.

36:2 Because the enemy has said. God will restore these areas to Israel which their enemies claimed to possess (cf. Gen. 12:7). They will pay for their spite against Israel.

36:7 raised My hand in an oath. God testifies, as a formal pledge, that He will bring a turnabout in which the nations that seized the land will be shamed.

3. Purposes of restoration (36:8–38)

36:8–15 Israel’s land will be productive (vv. 8, 9), populated (vv. 10, 11), and peaceful (vv. 12–15). These features will be fully realized in the Messiah’s kingdom. The return from Babylon was only a partial fulfillment and foreshadowing of the fullness to come in the future kingdom.

36:16–19 Ezekiel gives a backward look to underscore why Israel had suffered past judgments by the Lord. Because the Jews had “defiled” their land by their sins, the Lord purged it. He likened such a defilement to a menstrual condition (v. 17).

36:20 they profaned My holy name. Even in dispersion, the Israelites tainted God’s honor in the sight of the heathen, who concluded that the Lord of this exiled people was not powerful enough to keep them in their land.

36:21–23 for My holy name’s sake. Restoring Israel to the land that God pledged in covenant (Gen. 12:7) will sanctify His great name, and move other peoples to “know that I am the LORD.” This glory for God is the primary reason for Israel’s restoration (cf. v. 32).

36:24 bring you into your own land. God assured Israel that He will bring them out of other lands back to the Promised Land (v. 24), the very land from which He scattered them (v. 20). It is the same “land that I gave to your fathers” (v. 28), a land distinct from those of other nations (v. 36), and a land whose cities will be inhabited by those who return (vv. 33, 36, 38).

36:25–27 I will cleanse you. Along with the physical reality of a return to the land, God pledged spiritual renewal that included: (1) cleansing from sin; (2) a new heart of the New Covenant (cf. Jer. 31:31–34); (3) a new spirit or disposition inclined to worship Him; and (4) His Spirit dwelling in them, enabling them to walk in obedience to His word. This has not happened, because Israel has not trusted Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior, but it will before the kingdom of Messiah (cf. Zech. 12–14; Rom. 11:25–27; Rev. 11:13).

36:25–31 This section is among the most glorious in all Scripture on the subject of Israel’s restoration to the Lord and national salvation. This salvation is described in verse 25 as a cleansing that will wash away sin. Such washing was symbolized in the Mosaic rites of purification (cf. Num. 19:17–19; Ps. 119:9; Is. 4:4; Zech. 13:1). For the concept of sprinkling in cleansing, see Psalm 51:7, 10; Hebrews 9:13; 10:22. This is the washing Paul wrote of in Ephesians 5:26 and Titus 3:5. Jesus had this very promise in mind in John 3:5.

What was figuratively described in verse 25 is explained as literal in verses 26 and 27. The gift of the “new heart” signifies the new birth, which is regeneration by the Holy Spirit (cf. 11:18–20). The “heart” stands for the whole nature. The “spirit” indicates the governing power of the mind which directs thought and conduct. A “stony heart” is stubborn and self-willed. A “heart of flesh” is pliable and responsive. The evil inclination is removed and a new nature replaces it. This is New Covenant character as in Jeremiah 31:31–34.

The Lord will also give His “Spirit” to the faithful Jews (cf. 39:29; Is. 44:3; 59:21; Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:16ff.). When Israel becomes the true people of God (v. 28), the judgment promise of Hosea 1:9 will be nullified. All nature will experience the blessings of Israel’s salvation (vv. 29, 30). When the Jews have experienced such grace, they will be even more repentant—a sign of true conversion (v. 31).

Ezekiel profoundly proclaims the doctrines of conversion and spiritual life. He includes forgiveness (v. 25), regeneration (v. 26), the indwelling Holy Spirit (v. 27), and responsive obedience to God’s law (v. 27). These are all clearly presented as he prophesies Israel’s conversion. As a nation, they will truly know their God (v. 38), hate their sin (vv. 31, 32), and glorify their Savior (v. 32).

36:32 Not for your sake. God’s glory and reputation among the nations, not Israel’s, causes this restoration to be promised (cf. Ps. 115:1; Acts 5:41; Rom. 1:5; 3 John 7).

36:35 the garden. Millennial conditions will be similar (not identical) to those in Eden (cf. 47:1–12; Is. 35:1, 2; 55:13; Zech. 8:12).

36:37 inquire of Me to do this. God will sovereignly work this return/renewal, yet give Israelites the human privilege of praying for it to be realized. This prophecy was to stir up the people’s prayers.

36:37, 38 increase their men. There will be an increase in the population during the millennium. When the male population came to Jerusalem, they brought vast numbers of animals for sacrifice. That was small compared to future kingdom conditions.

4. Pictures of restoration—dry bones and two sticks (37:1–28)

37:1 brought me . . . in the Spirit. Another vision appears in 37:1–14. God does not change Ezekiel’s location but gives him a vivid, inward sense that he has been taken to a valley “full of bones.” (For other visions, cf. 1:1–3:15; 8:1–11:24; 40:1–48:35.) This passage, part of a series of revelations received during the night before the messenger came with the news of the destruction of Jerusalem, was to ease the gloom of the people. in the midst of the valley. It no doubt represents the world area wherever Israelites were scattered (cf. v. 12).

37:2 very dry. This language pictures the dead nation lifeless, scattered, and bleached, just as a dry tree (17:24) pictures a dead nation, to which only God can give life.

37:3 can these bones live? The many dry bones (v. 2) picture the nation of Israel (v. 11) as apparently dead in their dispersion, and waiting for national resurrection. The people knew about the doctrine of individual resurrection, otherwise this prophecy would have had no meaning (cf. 1 Kin. 17; 2 Kin. 4; 13:21; Is. 25:8; 26:19; Dan. 12:2; Hos. 13:14).

37:4–6 Prophesy to these bones. Ezekiel is to proclaim God’s pledge to reassemble Israelites from all over the world, restore the nation of Israel to life (v. 5), and give them His Spirit (v. 14) in true salvation and spiritual life. Clearly, God is promising the resurrection of Israel as a nation and its spiritual regeneration (cf. 36:25–27).

37:7–10 In the vision, Ezekiel did as he was told and the dead bones became a living nation (v. 10).

37:11–13 This passage contains the key to unlock the interpretation of the vision. It is the resurrection and salvation of Israel.

37:14 I will put My Spirit in you. See note on 36:25–27. performed it. God’s reputation is at stake in the restoration and regeneration of Israel to the land. He must do what He promised so all will know that He is Lord.

37:15–23 The vision ended and Ezekiel was given an object lesson that his people observed (vv. 18, 20). This drama of uniting two sticks offered a second illustration that God will not only regather Israelites to their land, but will for the first time since 931 B.C. (the end of Solomon’s reign, 1 Kin. 11:26–40) restore union between Israel and Judah (vv. 19, 21, 22) in the messianic reign (cf. Is. 11:12, 13; Jer. 3:18; Hos. 1:11).

37:21–23 God made three promises that summarized His future plans for Israel: (1) restoration, verse 21; (2) unification, verse 22; and (3) purification, verse 23. These promises bring to fulfillment: (1) the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Gen. 12); (2) the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7); and (3) the New Covenant (cf. Jer. 31), respectively.

37:22 one king. This leader (cf. vv. 24, 25) is the Messiah-King-Shepherd, often promised for David’s dynasty (34:23, 24; Jer. 23:5–8; 30:9; Dan. 2:35, 45; 7:13, 14, 27), who is the one king of Zechariah 14:9 (cf. Matt. 25:31, 34, 40).

37:23 cleanse them. This is provided by the provisions of the New Covenant (cf. 36:27; 37:14; Jer. 31:31–34).

37:24, 25 David. This is to be understood as Jesus Christ the Messiah, descendant of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:8–17; Is. 7:14; 9:6, 7; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 1:1, 23; Luke 1:31–33).

37:25 land that I have given to Jacob. It is natural to see this physical land, verified here, as the very land God originally gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:7; 26:24; 35:12).

37:26 covenant of peace. Cf. 34:25. This is the New Covenant in full force. Israel has never yet been in a state of perpetual salvation peace; this awaits fulfillment in the future kingdom of the Messiah who is the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). an everlasting covenant. The everlasting nature of the Abrahamic (cf. Gen. 17:7), Davidic (2 Sam. 23:5), and new (Jer. 50:5) covenants are joined together in the redeemed who experience the millennial kingdom “forever” (used four times in vv. 25–28). The Hebrew word for “everlasting” may refer to a long time or to eternity. It is also true that these covenants will continue to be fulfilled after the millennium in the eternal state. My sanctuary. The Spirit of God begins to prepare for the great reality that God will have a sanctuary in the midst of His people and will dwell with them (cf. Zech. 6:12, 13). God promised to dwell with man on earth (47:1–12). This has been God’s desire in all epochs: (1) before Moses (Gen. 17:7, 8); (2) in the Mosaic era (Lev. 26:11–13); (3) in the church era (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19); (4) in the Millennium (Ezek. 37:26–28); and (5) in eternity future (Rev. 21:3).

37:27 Paul quotes this text in 2 Corinthians 6:16.

B. Removal of Israel’s Enemies from the Land (38:1–39:29)

1. Invasion by Gog to plunder Israel (38:1–16)

38:1–39:29 These chapters tell of a coming northern confederacy of nations who will invade the Promised Land.

38:2 against Gog. This name is found in 1 Chronicles 5:4. The LXX used Gog to render names such as Agag (Num. 24:7) and Og (Deut. 3:1), possibly showing that though it was a proper name, it came to be used as a general title for an enemy of God’s people. Gog most likely carries the idea of “high” or “supreme one,” based on the comparison in Numbers 24:7. It refers to a person, described as a prince from the land of Magog, who is the final Antichrist. See note on Revelation 20:8, where Gog and Magog are referred to again. These titles are used there symbolically of the final world uprising against Jerusalem, its people, and Messiah King. This attack comes not just from the north, but from the four corners of the world, as a world of sinners at the end of the one-thousand-year kingdom come to fight the saints in the “beloved city” of Jerusalem. On that occasion, there is only one weapon used—divine fire. This is the climax to the last battle with Satan and his armies, whose eternal destiny is set. It is followed by the final judgment of all the ungodly before the Lord (Rev. 20:11–15) and the creation of the eternal, sinless state (Rev. 21:1). See notes on chapter 39. Magog. Some see this people as derived from Japheth (Gen. 10:2), later called the Scythians. Others propose a people in southeast Anatolia, later known as Asiatic people such as the Mongols and Huns. Others see Magog as an overall term for barbarians, north of Palestine, around the Caspian and Black Seas. the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. This should be translated “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” because: (1) Rosh (more than six hundred times) in the Hebrew OT is an adjective, “chief,” often in reference to the “chief priest” (2 Kin. 25:18); (2) most ancient versions took it to mean “chief “ or “head”; and (3) in all places other than chapters 38 and 39 where both Meshech and Tubal are mentioned, Rosh is not listed as a third people (27:13; 32:26; Gen. 10:2; 1 Chr. 1:5). This is also descriptive of the Antichrist, who rises to world dominance in the coming time of tribulation (cf. Dan. 9:24–27; 11:36–45; Rev. 13:1–17; 19:20). Meshech, and Tubal. Two peoples were recognized on ancient Assyrian monuments: one called Mushki (Mushku) and the other Tubali (Tabal). Both were in Asia Minor, the area of Magog, modern-day Turkey. In summary, a chief prince, who is the enemy of God’s people, will lead a coalition of nations against Jerusalem. The details of this enemy force and its destruction are given by Ezekiel in the rest of chapters 38 and 39.

38:4 I will . . . lead you out. Just as God used Assyria (Is. 8) and Babylon (21:19) as human invaders for His judgments, He aims to use this army. Here, He brings the invaders to Palestine so that He may visit judgment (v. 8) on the invaders themselves (38:18–23; 39:1–10). He, thus, uses the language of hooks in the jaws, as in judging Egypt (29:4). From the aggressors’ perspective, they think that it is their plan only to seize the spoil which draws them to Palestine (vv. 11, 12).

38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya. The invasion involves a coalition of powers from the east and south of Palestine. Persia is modern Iran, Libya is in north Africa, west of Egypt; and Ethiopia is south of Egypt.

38:6 Gomer. Today the area is Armenia, which also was known as Cappodocia, having a people called Gomer in Assyrian inscriptions. Togarmah. Today’s eastern Turkey (see note on 27:14 ).

38:7, 8 This is the great time of Israel’s cleansing, salvation, and spiritual life (cf. 39:22, 27, 28; Zech 12:10–13:9), getting them ready for Messiah’s return and kingdom (Zech. 14).

38:8 In the latter years. In the context of Israel’s restoration (Ezek. 34–39), the invaders will make their final bid for the land. those brought back from the sword. This refers to Israelites who have been returned to their land, after the sword had killed or scattered many of their people. The Hebrew word for brought back means “to return” or “restore” (Gen. 40:13; 41:13). gathered. This word also frequently refers to God’s final regathering of Israel (37:21; Is. 11:12; 43:5; Jer. 32:37). It has begun historically and will continue until the latter days. In the final millennial kingdom, there will occur the full national and spiritual regathering, when all Israel is saved to enter their promised kingdom (cf. Zech. 12–14; Rom. 11:25–27). dwell safely. This term occurs in several contexts devoted to the Israelites’ blessed estate after God has brought them back to their land (28:26; 34:25, 28; 39:26; Jer. 32:37; Zech. 14:11).

38:9 You will ascend. The time of this invasion is best understood as the end of the future Tribulation period of seven years. Israel will have been under a false peace in treaty with the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27; 11:22, 24), before he turns on them in the “abomination of desolation” (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15). The false peace will end in hostility lasting to the completion of the seven years (Zech. 14:1–3). When this final war occurs (cf. Rev. 16:12–16), Christ will ultimately conquer the beast, the false prophet, and all the ungodly forces (Rev. 19:11–21) in order to establish His millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:1–10).

38:10–13 This describes the peace in Israel during the period of Antichrist’s short-lived treaty with them (Dan. 9:27) in the first half of Daniel’s seventieth week. References to “unwalled villages” refer to that period of three and one-half years when Israel is secure under the protection of the world-ruling “prince that shall come,” called Antichrist (cf. Dan. 9:27). After Antichrist turns on Israel, there is an escalation of hostility until the end of the seven-year time when this great force comes to plunder Jerusalem and the Promised Land (v. 12).

38:12 to take plunder . . . booty. Antichrist takes over the world for his own power and possession. The wealth of his empire is described in Revelation 18.

38:13 Dedan, Tarshish. See note on Jonah 1:3.

38:15 riding on horses. These could be actual horses used in war, if tribulation judgments (seals, trumpets, vials) in Revelation 6–16 have dealt drastic blows to industries producing war vehicles and weaponry. Or, some see horses and weapons here (39:3, 9) being used symbolically to represent that which would be easy to grasp in Ezekiel’s day, but which would be fulfilled in the future time with different war forms actually suitable to the time.

38:16 that the nations may know Me. The phrase, frequent in Ezekiel, is part of the theme “to glorify God and show His sovereign power” (cf. Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes). God is the victor who will be “hallowed” by fire (cf. v. 19).

2. Intervention of God to protect Israel (38:17–39:29)

38:17 Are you he? See notes on 38:2. This refers to the general references to this time and the participants (cf. Joel 3:9–17; Amos 5:11, 12; Zeph. 3:8). Even Daniel (Dan. 2:41–44) referred to this time at least three decades prior to Ezekiel 38. The nature of the question presupposes that the previous generalities are now being particularized in the person of Gog.

38:18–23 My fury will show. God’s patience will be exhausted with the repeated attempts to annihilate Israel since the “abomination” by Antichrist (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15), and He will employ a great earthquake in Israel; panic will seize the invading soldiers (v. 21), who will turn and use their weapons against one another (cf. 2 Chr. 20:22, 23). He will further decimate the invading ranks by pestilence, a deluge of rain, large hailstones, plus fire and brimstone. The descriptions here are identical to that of the last half of the seven-year Tribulation in Revelation 6:12–17; 11:19; 16:17–21; 19:11-21.

39:1–10 I am against you. This scene of the army’s ruin adds detail to 38:18–23 such as: (1) the disarming of soldiers (v. 3); (2) their fall in death (vv. 4, 5); (3) the gorging of birds and beasts on the corpses (v. 4); (4) fire sent also on others besides the army (v. 6); and (5) the burning of weapons by Israelites (vv. 9, 10).

39:1 Gog. See note on 38:2. The Gog and Magog assault in Revelation 20:7–9 at the end of the Millennium is another assault on Jerusalem patterned after certain images of the invasion here (chs. 38; 39), but it is a distinct event one thousand years after the Millennial kingdom begins. See note on Revelation 20:8, 9.

39:9, 10 burn the weapons. There is enough equipment to provide fuel for seven years.

39:9 seven years. A vast army (cf. “many,” 38:15) would have much weaponry, requiring seven years to burn. Since this likely occurs at the end of the time of Tribulation, synonymous with the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16; 19:19–21), the burials would extend into the millennial kingdom.

39:11–16 give Gog a burial place. Israelites moving east from the Mediterranean Sea, with the sea to their backs and the Jezreel Valley before them, bury bodies. Further, people in the whole land help in the massive interment, which takes seven months. The description fits the time after Christ’s Second Advent extending into the millennial era as those who go into His kingdom do the work (cf. Rev. 20:1–10).

39:11, 16 Hamon Gog. Lit. “the multitude of Gog.” See note on 38:2. In verse 16, a city in the area will be named Hamonah, “multitude” (cf. a similar idea in Joel 3:14).

39:17–20 Speak to . . . bird and . . . beast. God’s word summons carrion birds and carnivorous animals to consume the fallen flesh as described in Revelation 19:21.

39:17, 18 My sacrificial meal. Since God describes the feast by the imagery of a sacrificial meal, the warriors who fell (v. 19) are described figuratively in words such as rams and other animals used in sacrifice.

39:21–29 I will set My glory. God vanquishes Israel’s foes to show His glory so that His enemies and Israel will all know that He is the Lord (vv. 6, 22). This is Israel’s salvation spoken of in Zechariah 12:10–13:9; Romans 11:25–27.

39:29 poured out My Spirit. God’s provision of His Spirit at the Second Advent complements the regathering (cf. 36:27; 37:14; Joel 2:28).

40:1–48:35 Following the great battle at the end of the Tribulation time, this section provides explicit details about Christ’s millennial reign which follows, giving more detail about the one-thousand-year kingdom than all other OT prophecies combined. It is the “holy of holies” among millennial forecasts. As has been done with the previous thirty-nine chapters, this concluding portion will also be approached in a literal, historical manner which best serves the interpreter in all Scripture. In many ways these chapters are the most important in the book since they form the crowning reality, the climax of Ezekiel’s prophecy and Israel’s restoration. The section includes: (1) the new temple (40:1–43:12); (2) the new worship (43:13–46:24); and (3) the new apportionment of the land (47:1–48:35).

C. Reinstatement of True Worship in Israel (40:1–46:24)

1. New temple (40:1–43:12)

40:1 the twenty-fifth year. 573 B.C., in the first month of the ecclesiastical year, Nisan. The tenth day was the start of preparations for Passover.

40:2 In the visions of God He took me. Ezekiel 40–48 narrates another vision, as before in 1:1–3:27; 8–11; 37:1–14. The characterization of the prophecy as a vision in no way detracts from its literal reality, any more than Ezekiel’s visions of Jerusalem’s sins, idolatry, and destruction did. into the land of Israel. The vision pertains to Israel, as did chapters 1–24; 33; 34–39. a very high mountain. The mountain is not named; however, it is most likely Mt. Zion (cf. 17:22; 20:40; Is. 2:2; Mic. 4:1), lifted up from its surroundings by a great earthquake (Zech. 14:4, 5, 10). like the structure . . . a city. God will be explaining details relating to Israel’s spiritual future (vv. 2, 4), so this must be the temple in particular and Jerusalem in general. This new and glorious temple will stand in contrast to the desecration and destruction of Solomon’s temple (chs. 8–11).

40:3 a man. An angel conducted a tour of all the details seen by the prophet, appearing in the form of a man (e.g., Gen. 18; Ezek. 9), appearing like bright, gleaming bronze. He could be understood as the Angel of the Lord since he is called “LORD” (44:2, 5; see note on Ex. 3:2 ). His “line of flax” was for larger measurements, the “rod” for shorter ones (cf. Rev. 11:1; 21:5). In each case, God measured what belonged to Him.

40:4 Declare . . . everything you see. Ezekiel 1–24 refers to Israel’s historical removal from her land, chapters 25–32 to historical judgments against other nations, and chapter 33 to a historical call to repentance and the fall of Jerusalem. So in chapters 34–39, Israel’s literal, future return to the same land as a reversal of the historical dispersion is the most natural way to interpret the chapters. Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe a future, historical invasion of Israel and its aftermath during the time just before Messiah’s return. Therefore, chapters 40–48 would then be thought to continue the historical, prophetic pattern, describing the millennial conditions after Messiah comes and destroys the ungodly (Rev. 19:11ff.), under which Israel will live and worship. Believing Gentiles will also be in the kingdom as sheep of the Great Shepherd (cf. Matt. 25:31–46), while all unbelievers are destroyed. Ezekiel is to write down all the details.

40:5 a wall all around. This outer wall is later described as a separation of the holy areas (42:20). the temple. See 1 Kings 6 and 7 to compare with details of Solomon’s temple. This could not be the heavenly temple since Ezekiel was taken to Israel to see it (v. 2). It could not be Zerubbabel’s temple since the glory of God was not present then. It could not be the eternal temple since the Lord and the Lamb are its temple (cf. Rev. 21:22). Therefore, it must be the earthly, millennial temple built with all of the exquisite details that are yet to be outlined. measuring rod six cubits long . . . a handbreadth. The rod extended six royal (long) cubits of twenty-one inches for a total of ten and one-half feet, each cubit being made up of a standard width of eighteen inches and a handbreadth of three inches.

40:6, 7 the gateway . . . east. The buildings of the east gate are first because this will be in the direct line of approach to the temple. Each opening was 10.5 feet across. Chambers (rooms) in the wall are 10.5 x 10.5 feet Precise measurements describe a literal temple, not a symbolic one.

40:8–16 The chambers described here are accommodations for the ministering priests and temple officers who care for the temple.

40:16 beveled window frames. Since they had no glass, these are lattices (cf. 41:16–26). on each gatepost . . . palm trees. These depict God’s desire for fruit in Israel. Palms are symbols of beauty, salvation, and triumph (cf. Zech. 14:16ff.; Rev. 7:9). Palms are on the inner court’s gateposts as well (v. 31).

40:17 the outer court. This court is farthest out from the temple proper and enclosed by the outer walls.

40:17–37 Here is a further blueprint for the temple area, with more precise measurements. The numbers 5, 25, 50 and 100 are frequently used. The sanctuary formed a square of some 500 cubits.

40:38–47 This section describes “chambers” for the priests, and raises the question of sacrifices in the millennial kingdom. They will exist as verses 39–43 indicate, but will be no more efficacious here than they were in OT times. No sacrifice before or after Christ saves. They only point to Him as the one true Lamb who takes away sin. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial that looks back to Calvary and in no way diminishes the Cross. Israel rejected their Messiah, but when they have received Him and are in His kingdom, they will have a memorial of sacrifices that point to Him. They will have missed the memorial of the Lord’s Supper, but will then have their own memorial sacrifices for one thousand years.

40:39 burnt . . . sin . . . trespass offering. For their OT background see: (1) Leviticus 1:1–17; 6:8–13; (2) Leviticus 4:1–35; 6:24–30; and (3) Leviticus 5:1–6:7; 7:1–10, respectively. Cf. Ezekiel 43:18–27; 45:13–25; 46:1–15, 19–24.

40:41 tables on which they slaughtered. Four tables are on either side of the inner court’s north gate, used for commemorating the death of Christ by offering burnt, sin, and trespass offerings.

40:44 singers. Provision is made for the praises of the redeemed in music.

40:46 sons of Zadok. Proper names tie the vision to historical reality, calling for literal interpretation. This Levitical family descended from Levi, Aaron, Eleazar, and Phinehas (1 Chr. 6:3–8). In accord with God’s covenant with Phinehas (Num. 25:10–13), and because of Eli’s unfaithfulness (cf. 1 Sam. 1, 2) and Zadok’s faithfulness to David and Solomon (1 Kin. 1:32–40), Zadok’s sons serve as priests in the millennial temple. Other references to sons of Zadok are in 43:19; 44:15; 48:11.

40:47 measured the court. The court around the temple was a square, around the square temple (41:1). The altar. This is the bronze altar where offerings occur. Cf. 43:13–27.

40:48, 49 vestibule. This refers to the temple porch, which is similar to that of Solomon’s temple.

41:1 into the sanctuary. Precise descriptions continue for the temple proper, its sanctuary or holy place (here called “tabernacle”), and side chambers for priests’ quarters (vv. 5–11). This chapter can be studied in the light of 1 Kings 6 and 7 to note differences from Solomon’s temple.

41:4 the Most Holy Place. The Holy of Holies, which the high priest entered annually on the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 16). These dimensions are identical to Solomon’s (1 Kin. 6:20), and twice those of the tabernacle in the wilderness.

* Is. 56:7.66:20-23; Jet. 33:18 further confirm the burnt and grain offerings.

The MacArthur Study Bible, by John MacArthur (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997) 1211. ©1993 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

41:5–11 This section describes the wall and side chambers.

41:12 building . . . at its western end. Beyond the western end of the temple proper was a distinct building with space that serves the temple, possibly housing supplies.

41:13 measured the temple. Cf. 40:47. It was about 175 feet square.

41:15 galleries. These were terraced buildings with decorations (vv. 18–20).

41:18 cherubim and palm trees. Figures of angels (cf. chs. 1; 10) with palms between them (possibly to depict life and fruitfulness of God’s servants) were on the walls of the temple proper and on the doors (v. 25). Each cherub (unlike that of chs. 1; 10 which had four faces) had the face of a man and of a lion, possibly to represent the humanity and kingship of Messiah.

41:22 This was the altar of incense (cf. Ex. 30:1–3; 1 Kin. 7:48).

42:3 gallery against gallery. Priestly rooms are described (vv. 3–12), situated along the south, north, and west walls of the sanctuary and Most Holy Place, in three stories. Priests eat the holy offerings (cf. Lev. 2:3, 10; 6:9–11; 10:12) and dress there (vv. 13, 14).

42:15–20 out through the gateway. The angel measured the height and thickness of the outside wall (40:5); then, the outer court (40:6–27); next, the inner court with the chambers (40:28–42:14); and finally, the extent of all the temple buildings outside. Measurements of the outer wall, five hundred rods each way, were approximately one mile on each of the four sides. Much too large for Mt. Moriah, this scheme will require changes in the topography of Jerusalem, as Zechariah predicted (14:9–11).

43:2 the glory of the God of Israel. In earlier chapters of this prophecy, emphasis was given to the departure of God’s glory from the temple (see chs. 8–11). Thus, the Lord abandoned His people to destruction and dispersion. Here, in the millennial temple, the glory of God returns to dwell. His glory will be manifest in fullness in the future kingdom, after the Lord’s Second Advent, which is also to be glorious (Matt. 16:27; 25:31). Verses 1–12 describe God’s glorious entrance into the sanctuary. came from . . . the east. The glory had been in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34, 35) and the temple (1 Kin. 8:10, 11), though not in Zerubbabel’s temple. Here, the Lord returns to be Israel’s King. The glory departed to the east from Israel (11:23) when God judged them, so the glory returns from the east when He has regathered them and is restoring their worship.

43:3 like the . . . vision. This appearance of God to Ezekiel is glorious, just as the vision in chapters 8–11, which pictures His coming, by angels, to judge Jerusalem (cf. 9:3–11; 10:4–7). like the vision . . . by the River Chebar. God’s appearance is also glorious as in the vision of 1:3–28. I fell on my face. Just as in the other visions of God’s glory (1:28; 9:8). Cf. Revelation 1:12–17.

43:5 the glory . . . filled the temple. The future kingdom glory of God will fill His temple (Zech. 2:5), as He filled Moses’ tabernacle (Ex. 40:34) and later Solomon’s temple (1 Kin. 8:11; Ps. 29:9).

43:7 the place of My throne. The King of glory (Ps. 24:7–10) claims the millennial temple as His place to dwell. Cf. 1 Chronicles 29:23; Zechariah 6:13. There will be human, unresurrected people in the kingdom, who entered when Christ returned and destroyed all the wicked. They will worship at this actual temple.

43:8, 9 The future temple will be most holy, protected from (1) harlotry such as the Israelites had engaged in (2 Kin. 23:7) and (2) defiling tombs of kings that Israel had allowed in the sacred temple area (Ezek. 21:18).

43:10–12 Here is the key to the entire vision of chapters 40–48. These glorious future plans show how much Israel forfeited by their sins. Every detail should produce repentance in Ezekiel’s hearers and readers.

2. New worship (43:13–46:24)

43:13–27 the altar. The measurements of the altar of burnt offering are given in verses 13–17, then the offerings are described (vv. 18–27). These offerings are not efficacious, nor were the OT sacrifices. They were all symbolic of death for sin. They do not take away sin (cf. Heb. 10:4). They were prospective; these will be retrospective.

43:19 a young bull for a sin offering. Exact offerings, in language just as definitive as the literal descriptions in Moses’ day, are also just as literal here. They are of a memorial nature; they are not efficacious any more than OT sacrifices were. As OT sacrifices pointed forward to Christ’s death, so these are tangible expressions, not competing with, but pointing back to the value of Christ’s completely effective sacrifice, once for all (Heb. 9:28; 10:10). God at that time endorsed OT offerings as tokens of forgiving and cleansing worshipers on the basis and credit of the great Lamb they pointed forward to. He alone could take away sins (John 1:29). The tangible expressions of worship, which the Israelites for so long failed to offer validly (cf. Is. 1:11–15), will at last be offered acceptably, then with full understanding about the Lamb of God to whom they point. The bread and the cup, which contemporary believers find meaningful, do not compete with Christ’s Cross, but are tangible memorials of its glory. So will these sacrifices be. seed of Zadok. Cf. 40:46 and 44:10, and see notes there.

43:24 salt. Cf. Leviticus 2:13. burnt offering. As the sin offering is a part of future millennial worship (v. 19), so there are other offerings also (cf. Lev. 1–7). The burnt offering, denoting full consecration to God is one; the peace offering expressing gratitude for peace with God in covenant bonds is another (v. 27).

43:25 without blemish. Commemorative of Christ’s unblemished perfection.

44:1, 2 the outer gate . . . was shut. The Lord has returned from the direction in which He departed (10:18, 19). The gate is kept closed, in honor of the Lord’s glory having returned through it for the millennial worship and indicating that the Lord will not depart again as in chapters 8–11 (cf. 43:1–5). This eastern gate of the temple should not be confused with the modern sealed eastern gate of the city (cf. 45:6–8).

44:3 the prince . . . may sit in it. The designation prince is used at least fourteen times in chapters 44–47. He is not the Lord Jesus Christ, but someone distinct from Him (cf. “eat bread before the LORD”); he has sins for which he offers sacrifice (45:22), and fathers sons (46:16–18). He cannot enter by the east gate which the Lord used, but he is allowed to come in and go out by the gate’s vestibule, and eat bread by the gateway. He cannot perform priestly duties (45:19) as Messiah will (cf. Ps. 110:4; Zech. 6:12, 13), and he must worship the Lord (46:2). Most likely the prince is one who is neither a priest nor the king, but rather one who administrates the kingdom, representing the King (the Lord Jesus Christ) on one hand, and also the princes (14:8, 9) who individually lead the Twelve Tribes. Possibly, he will be a descendant of David.

44:5–9 Mark well who may enter. Since the Lord’s glory fills the temple, it is sanctified (v. 4), and God is particular about what kind of people worship there. Sins of the past, as in chapters 8–11, must not be repeated and, if they are, will exclude their perpetrators from the temple. Only the circumcised in heart may enter (Deut. 30:6; Jer. 4:4; Rom. 2:25–29), whether of Israel or another nation (vv. 7, 9). Many other peoples than Jews will go into the kingdom in unresurrected bodies, because they have believed in Jesus Christ and were ready for His coming. They will escape His deadly judgment and populate and reproduce in the one-thousand-year kingdom. Such circumcision pertains to a heart which is sincere about removing sin and being devoted to the Lord (cf. Jer. 29:13). In the Millennium, a Jew with an uncircumcised heart will be considered a foreigner (v. 9). “Uncircumcised in flesh” refers to sinners and “foreigner” identifies rejecters of the true God.

44:10 Levites . . . shall bear their iniquity. God makes distinctions. Levites in the line of those unfaithful before the judgment can minister in temple services, but they cannot make offerings or enter the Most Holy Place (vv. 11–14). Only Zadok’s line can fulfill these ministries (vv. 15, 16). The reason for this is the value which God attaches to the faithfulness of Zadok in the past (1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 15:24ff.; 1 Kin. 1:32–40; 2:26–35). See note on 40:46.

44:16 My table. This is the altar of burnt offering (cf. 40:46; 41:22).

44:17–27 it shall be. Various standards govern priestly service, such as moderation (v. 20) and sobriety (v. 21). They will model holy behavior as they teach the people to live their lives set apart to God (vv. 23, 24). Minutia about dress (such as forbidding the uncleanness of sweat resulting from wearing wool), marriage (cf. Lev. 21:14), contact with dead bodies, etc. point more naturally to a literal fulfillment than to a generalized blurring of details in a symbolical interpretation.

44:28–31 I am their possession. As the priests had no possession in the land when it was originally apportioned, so in the future God will be their portion.

45:1–5 a district for the LORD. This sacred land, set apart at the heart (center) of Palestine, is separate from allotments designated for various tribes, seven to the north and five to the south (cf. ch. 48). Though the whole earth is the Lord’s (Ps. 24:1), this area is meaningful to Him in a special sense, providing for special purposes which 45:2–8 goes on to define. This holy rectangle (8.5 miles by 3.3 miles) corresponds to 48:8–22, which describes this portion as between Judah to the north and Benjamin to the south, extending from the Mediterranean Sea east to the border. It is the area for the priestly homes (v. 4) particularly, but is also for the benefit of all worshipers.

45:2 a . . . plot for the sanctuary. At the heart of the special allotment is the temple area (48:10), which serves all Israelite tribes, and also is the worship center for those of the whole world, who visit (Is. 4:2, 3; Zech. 14:16–19). It is one mile square (cf. 42:15–20). As a center for those in Palestine and for the world, the area is appropriately larger than past temples that served Israel.

45:5 to the Levites. Distinct from the land devoted to temple and priestly homes is another portion for Levites, who assist in temple service. This portion is also about 8.5 miles by 3.3 miles and lies north of the temple/ priest allotment. Cf. 48:13, 14 for more details.

45:6 property of the city. On the south of the central sanctuary plot is the city of Jerusalem with an area of about 8.5 miles by 1.65 miles Cf. 48:15–20 for more details.

45:7 The prince shall have a section. See note on 44:3. This administrator of the kingdom under Christ will have his territory in two parts, one to the west and the other to the east of the temple, priest, and city portions in verses 1–6. Cf. 48:21, 22 for more details.

45:8 My princes shall no more oppress. God pledges a kingdom era free from civil leaders selfishly taking advantage of the people, i.e., seizing their land (cf. 22:27; Num. 36:7–9; 1 Kin. 21; Is. 5:8; Hos. 5:10; Mic. 2:1, 2). The princes most likely are the leaders of each tribe. No one will be deprived of his possession under Messiah’s rule.

45:9–12 The leaders of the land are urged to be thoroughly honest in their commercial dealings. This warning shows that there will be sin in the Millennium. The believing Jews who entered the one-thousand-year reign of Christ on earth and inherited the promised kingdom will be fully human and, therefore, capable of such sins. There also will be children who do not necessarily believe, as the final rebellion against King Messiah and His temple proves (cf. Rev. 20:7–9).

45:10 scales. Relates to selling by weight. ephah. Relates to selling by dry volume. bath. Relates to selling by liquid volume.

45:11 ephah. About .75 bushel. bath. About 6 gallons. homer. In liquid volume, about 60 gallons and in dry volume, about 7.5 bushel.

45:12 shekel. By weight, about .4 ounce made up of 20 gerahs (.02 ounce/each). Sixty shekels (20 + 25 + 15) equal a mina or about 24 ounces (1.5 lbs.).

45:13–17 Here are the offerings for Israel’s prince (v. 16). Because of what the people will give him, he will provide for public sacrifices (v. 17).

45:13 They will give 1/60th of their grain.

45:14 kor. See note on homer in 45:11. They will give one percent of their oil.

45:15 They will give one lamb for every two hundred in the flocks or one-half of one percent.

45:16, 17 prince. See note on 44:3.

45:17 feasts . . . New Moons . . . Sabbaths . . . appointed seasons. These will be discussed in notes on 45:18–46:15.

45:18–25 The annual feasts for the nations are outlined. The millennial feasts include three of the six Levitical feasts: (1) Passover; (2) Unleavened Bread; and (3) Tabernacles. Three Levitical feasts are not celebrated: (1) Pentecost; (2) Trumpets; and (3) Atonement. Most likely, they are excluded because what they had looked forward to prophetically have been fulfilled and now serve no significant remembrance purpose such as Passover and Tabernacle will continue to provide.

45:18–20 atonement. The Day of Atonement is never mentioned, but God institutes a never-before-celebrated festival to start the “new year” with an emphasis on holiness in the temple. The first month, Abib, would be in March/April. The feast appears to last seven days (v. 20). It indicates that there will be sin in the kingdom, committed by those who entered alive and by their offspring.

45:21–24. Passover and Unleavened Bread are combined as in the NT and focus on remembering God’s deliverance of the nation from Egypt and Christ’s death providing deliverance from sin. They continue on into the millennium as a week-long feast of remembrance, which will serve much the same purpose then as the bread and cup do now (cf. Ex. 12–15 for details). The three annual pilgrimage feasts with required attendance under Mosaic legislation were: (1) Unleavened Bread; (2) Pentecost; and (3) Tabernacles (cf. Ex. 23:14–17; Num. 28:16–29:40; Deut. 16:1–17). They have been modified with the three in 45:18–25. Pentecost is replaced by the new feast of verses 18–20. There are also portion differences from the Mosaic Law (cf. Num. 28:19–21), plus the millennial offerings are richer and more abundant, in general.

45:22, 23 the prince. See note on 44:3. Here, he sacrifices for his own sin.

45:24 hin. About one gallon.

45:25 The Feast of Tabernacles continues on into the Millennium as confirmed by Zechariah 14:16–21. This would be a remembrance of God’s sustaining provision in the wilderness. The seventh month, Tishri, would be in September/October and this feast will last for one week, as do the previous two. The prince (“he,” v. 25) once again offers sacrifice.

46:1–15 This section further discusses offerings and deals with: (1) Sabbath and New Moon (vv. 1–8); (2) appointed feast days (9–11); (3) voluntary offerings (v. 12); and (4) daily sacrifices (vv. 13–15). Cf. Numbers 28:1–15 for a summary of former, Mosaic details.

46:1 The gateway . . . shall be shut. Shutting the gate for six days seems to serve the purpose of giving special distinction to the Sabbath and New Moon, when it is open and in use. Israel largely failed and was judged in ancient times in regard to these days (Jer. 17:22–27; cf. 2 Chr. 36:21). The Sabbath will be reinstated for a restored and regenerated Israel. Note here that modern day sabbatarians fail to realize that the Sabbath consisted of far more than just rest from labor, but included specific sacrifices. It is inconsistent to take one part of the Sabbath observance and discard the others.

46:2 The prince. See note on 44:3. He appears five times (vv. 2, 4, 8, 10, 12) in regard to sacrifices. He is to be an example of spiritual integrity to the people (cf. v. 10).

46:6, 7 New Moon. Israel’s calendar was lunar, so the feasts were reckoned according to the phases of the moon.

46:8 When the prince enters. He does not normally use the eastern gate itself, which is for the Lord (44:2). Rather, he enters and exits by the gate’s vestibule. However, verse 12 permits his use of the gate for free-will offerings.

46:9 the people. The people’s entering and exiting for temple worship are to be done in an orderly flow to prevent congestion, since all will be present (cf. Deut. 16:16).

46:10–12 The prince. He sets the example of worship for the people.

46:13–15 daily. The testimony of the OT is that to remove the continual, burnt offering meant an abolition of public worship (cf. Dan. 8:11–13; 11:31; 12:11).

46:16, 17 a gift. This explains inheritance laws governing the prince. A gift to one of his sons is permanent (v. 16), but a gift to a servant lasts only to the year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year (cf. Lev. 25:10–13), and then it returns to him (v. 17).

46:17 the year of liberty. The year of Jubilee.

46:18 the prince shall not take any . . . inheritance. As in 45:8, 9, the prince is not to confiscate others’ property to enlarge his own holdings, as often occurred in Israel’s history when rulers became rich by making others poor (cf. 1 Kin. 21).

The MacArthur Study Bible, by John MacArthur (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997) 1219.©1993 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

46:19–24 chambers. The priests’ kitchen chambers are convenient for managing their parts of the offerings and cooking sacrificial meals for worshipers, possibly close to the inner east gate. The “ministers of the temple” (v. 24) are not the priests, but temple servants.

D. Redistribution of the Land in Israel (47:1–48:35)

1. Position of the river (47:1–12)

47:1–12 This section reinforces the constant emphasis of the prophets that in the final kingdom amazing physical and geographical changes will occur on the earth, and especially the land of Israel. This chapter deals mainly with changes in the water.

47:1, 2 water, flowing . . . east. A stream of water flows up from underneath the temple (cf. Joel 3:18), going east to the Jordan River, then curving south through the Dead Sea area (vv. 7, 8). Zechariah 14:8 refers to this stream as flowing from Jerusalem to the west (Mediterranean Sea) as well as to the east (Dead Sea). Its origin coincides with Christ’s Second Advent arrival on the Mt. of Olives (cf. Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11), which will trigger a massive earthquake, thus creating a vast east-west valley running through Jerusalem and allowing for the water flow. See note on Zechariah 14:3, 4.

47:3–5 he measured. The escorting angel, wanting to reveal the size of the river, took Ezekiel in the vision to four different distances from the temple where the stream was found to be at increasing depths, until it was over his head. Cf. Isaiah 35:1–7 where the prophet says the “desert will blossom like a rose.”

47:7 very many trees. Lush growth from the river.

47:8 waters are healed. The flow east, then south, runs into the Dead Sea and literally refreshes the salty water (more than six times as salty as the sea) that formerly would not support life because of its high mineral content. The Dead Sea is transformed into a “living sea” of fresh water.

47:9 multitude of fish. These fish are said to be the same kinds as in the Mediterranean Sea (v. 10), probably referring to volume rather than species, since the river and the Dead Sea are fresh water.

47:10 En Gedi. See note on 1 Samuel 23:29. The site is on the Dead Sea’s west bank, about halfway along its length, near Masada. En Eglaim. Possibly it is Ein-Feska near Qumran at the northwestern extremity of the sea. Some argue for a site on the east bank, so that fishermen on both sides are in view.

47:11 swamps and marshes. This could supply salt for the temple offerings (cf. 43:24), as well as for food.

47:12 all kinds of trees. Cf. verse 7. The scene describes the blessing of returning to Eden-like abundance (Gen. 2:8, 9, 16). leaves . . . fruit. Cf. verse 7. The fruit is for food and the leaves serve a medicinal purpose, probably both in preventative and corrective senses. The fruit is perpetual, kept so by a continual and lavish supply of spring water from the temple.

2. Portions for the tribes (47:13–48:35)

47:13–23 These are the borders. The picture is that of an enlarged Canaan for all to inhabit. The boundaries are substantially larger than those given to Moses in Numbers 34:1–15. Palestine, promised in God’s covenant with Abraham (v. 14; Gen. 12:7), has specific geographical limits within which Israel will finally occupy tribal areas which differ from the occupation in Joshua’s day (cf. Josh. 13–22). This is the complete fulfillment of the promise of the land in the Abrahamic covenant.

47:13 Joseph . . . two portions. This is in keeping with the promise of Jacob to Joseph (Gen. 48:5, 6, 22; 49:22–26).

47:15–20 The borders of the millennial Promised Land are described: (1) to the north (vv. 15–17); (2) to the east (v. 18); (3) to the south (v. 19); and (4) to the west (v. 20).

47:22 bear children. Children will be born all through the one-thousand-year rule of Messiah. Not all will believe and be saved, as evidenced by the final rebellion (cf. Rev. 20:8, 9).

47:23 stranger. This provision is in keeping with Leviticus 19:34.

48:1–7, 23–29 the tribes. The land pledged to each tribe within the total area described in 47:13–23 fulfills God’s promises to actually restore Israel’s people from around the world to the Promised Land just as they were actually scattered from it (28:25, 26; 34–37; 39:21–29; Jer. 31:33). Dan is first mentioned. Though omitted from the 144,000 in Revelation 7, probably because of severe idolatry, Dan is restored in grace.

48:8–22 the district. Already described in 45:1–8, this unique area includes land allotment for the sentry and the Zadokian priests (vv. 8–12); the Levites (vv. 13–14); the city (vv. 15–20); and the prince (vv. 21, 22).

48:30–35 These are the exits. Twelve city gates, three in each cardinal direction, bear the names of Israel’s tribes, one on each gate.

48:30 four thousand five hundred cubits. All four sides when added together equal 18,000 cubits (cf. v. 16), which is nearly a six-mile perimeter. Josephus, a Jewish historian, reported in the first century A.D. that Jerusalem was approximately four miles in perimeter.

48:35 the name. The city is called YHWH Shammah, “THE LORD IS THERE.” The departed glory of God (chs. 8–11) has returned (ch. 44:1, 2), and His dwelling, the temple, is in the very center of the district given over to the Lord. With this final note, all of the unconditional promises which God had made to Israel in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12); the priestly covenant (Num. 25); the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7); and the New Covenant (Jer. 31) have been fulfilled. So this final verse provides the consummation of Israel’s history—the returned presence of God!

Further Study

Alexander, Ralph H. Ezekiel, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.

Feinberg, Charles L. The Prophecy of Ezekiel: The Glory of the Lord. Chicago: Moody, 1969.