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14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.

17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

18 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?

CHAP. XIII.

[prophetesses.

19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GoD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.

21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear,. and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in: your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations; for I will deliver my people out of your hand and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (0)

EXPOSITION.

(0) Awful denunciations against false rophets. This chapter denounces heavy udgments against deceivers, who flattered he people in the midst of sin and dauger, vith false hopes of peace and security.

Themselves, or their attempts rather, re compared to a rude wall of loose stones, adly cemented by mortar not properly repared, (as Professor Michaelis undertauds it,) and which therefore could not vithstand the battering artillery of heaven.

The prophet Ezekiel then reproves the various arts which his opponents employed to seduce the people to idolatry: consisting partly in its indulgences, and partly in its attractions; particularly in the gaiety and splendour of its rites. By these the idle and the voluptuous were seduced (or hunted) into the temples of their idols, where every kind of vice was perpetrated.. destructive to the souls of either priests or people. The absurdity of idolatry is not more evident than its immoral tendency.

NOTES.

Ver. 15. The nall is no more-Heb. "Is not; and hey....are not."

Ver. 17. Out of their own heart.-See ver. 2. Ver. 18. Sew pillows - Or, apply cushions." Sevcome. The Persians and Asiatics are very axarious in cushions, both to sit on, and to support heir arms See Orient. Customs, No. 311.-And inke kerchiefs upon the head of every stature.These kerchiets were probably of silk, very elegant, and adapted to persons of every stature. hink that they were used as amulets, or charms. At least they were intended to attract, and to draw ersons into idolatry. Will ye save the souls

Some

alive that come unto you? - Newcome, "Will ye save your own souls aitve?"

Ver. 19. For handfuls of barley? - that is, for a very small reward. See Prov. xxviii. 21.

Ver. 20. Wherewith ye there hunt the souls.-This alludes to the snares of the sport man, used in hunting To make them fly---Newcome," That they may escape;" that is, the Lord would take away the cushions," and other instruments of seduction, that his people might escape their snares.

Ver. 22. By promising him life --- Heb. "By quickening hitn;" i. e. animating and encouraging. him in his evil ways.

-Ezekiel's sermon]

CHAP. XIV.

EZEKIEL,

THEN HEN came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before

me.

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

3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

5 That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all

your abominations.

7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:

8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet,

[against idolatry.

and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.

12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

13 Son of man, when the land sin neth against me by trespassing griev ously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:

18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

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Ver. 9. I have deceived that prophet "When any false prophet is deceived, the probable event proving contrary to his prophecy; I, Jehovah,

19 Or if I send a pestilence into

have so superintended the course of things as to deceive that prophet." Newcome.

Ver. 13. Then will 1.---*· And I stretch .... and break....and send." Abp. Secker. That is," Whea the inhabitants of a land have filled up the mea、ore of their iniquities, the few righteous shall not de liver it." Mr. Preb, Lowth,

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that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters; behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and

CHAP. XIV.

[the fruitless vine.

ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God. (P)

ΑΝ

CHAP. XV.

ND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?

5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?

6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given

EXPOSITION.

(P) The Idolators exhorted to repentance, in order to avert the judgments threatened.→→ By comparing this with other passages in the same book, it appears that certain of the elders of Israel were so convinced of the divine mission of the prophet, that they attended frequently, if not statedly upon his ministry. (See ch. viii. 1., xx. 1, xxxiii. 31.) Their attendance was, however, merely formal and hypocritical: they had set up their idols on the throne of their heart; and had their images (the stumbling block of their iniquity) before their faces: "Should I be inquired of at all by them?" saith the Lord. Nothing can surely be a greater insult to the Deity than such presumption; and if they receive an answer, it shall be, says the Lord,

ac

cording to the number of their idols:" the more idolatry, the severer vengeance. The most gross Idolators are not, however,

Ver. 16. In it---Heb. " In the midst of it."

beyond the boundary of divine mercy. Let them repent and return, and then will the ear of God be open to their inquiries.

God can only deceive man by ordering the events of his providence contrary to all human expectation, and such disposal of events can in no case excuse man's presumption. Those who predict from appa rent circumstances, will often be thus deceived; but that God is not the proper cause of man's sin, see our Exposition of Jer. iv.

The latter part of the chapter represents the guilt of this nation so aggravated, that neither prophet nor patriarch could be heard on their behalf; though at the same time we are given to understand, that such have great power to prevail with God. We happily, however, have an advocate more powerful than Patriarchs, Prophets or Apostles-whom "the Father heareth always."

NOTES.

Ver. 21. How much more---that is, “If it be just that the good alone should escape punishment; how much more so with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated warnings and admonitions?" Newcome.

Ver. 22. That shall be brought forth --- Houbigant, after the ancient versions, (by the insertion of ayod only) reads, "That shall bring forth sons and daughters."

Ver. 23. When ye see their way---that is, the reformation wrought in them.

CHAP. XV. Ver. 2. What is the vine tree? → Newcome, "What is the wood of the vine more than any (other) branching wood," &c.

Ver. 4. Is it meet --Heb. "Will it prosper for any work?" namely, to build with.

The idolatries of]

EZEKIEL.

[Judah and Samaria. to the fire for fuel, so will I give the upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.

8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD. (Q)

CHAP. XVI.

[Omit in Family Reading.] AGAIN the word of the LORD came unto

4

me, saying, 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion

CHAP. XV.

open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine bair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.. 8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, 1 sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. 11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12 And I put a

EXPOSITION.

(2) The Jews compared to a fruitless vine, fit only to be consumed.-In this and other passages of Scripture, the Jews are compared to a barren and unfruitful vine, which is good for nothing but the fire, and therefore a proper emblem of the Jews and of their approaching destruction.The Psalmist Asaph compares Israel to a vine brought out of Egypt, which shortly filled the land with fruitful branches. (Ps.

1xxx. 8, &c.) In time, however, this vine degenerated from its noble stock, and either brought forth wild and sour fruit, or none at all, when of course it was delivered to the flames: for what is such a vine fit for, but for fuel? Contrary to nature, however, the God of grace can purify his vine by the fire, as well as the pruning knife; and when all the worthless branches shall be destroyed, a remnant shall be spared to serve him. (See the close of the preceding chapter.)

NOTES.

Ver. 7. From one fire, &c --- that is, they shall pass through trial after trial, till they shall know, &c. Ver. 8. Committed---Heb." trespassed a trespass."

CHAP. XVI. Our readers will, we presume, agree with us, that this chapter is not very suitable to be read in families. Many images employed by the Asiatics appear too bold and indelicate for the European taste; while at the same time many of the manners of Europeans are equally revolting to Asiatics. This arises chiefly from the degraded state of females in the Eastern countries. The sexes seldom or never meeting in conversation, the language of men is destitute of refinement, and not guarded against expressions justly offensive to teinale delicacy among us. On the contrary, the Janguage of women is destitute of intelligence, and contined to the frivolities of the Harem. Happily, a revolution is commenced in India, which may spread through all the East. Female education will qualify women for society with the other sex; and an equal interest in the gospel will furnish topies of Conversation, to both alike interesting and important. We are all under infinite obligations to

Christianity; but those of women are peculiary conspicuous.

In this chapter, the mercy of God to the Jewish church and ration is represented by the state of an exposed and deserted female infant, found by a man who takes pity on her, adopts her into his family, brings her up with great tenderness, and, finsly, when she has obtained a mature age, marries ber She proves, however, false and ungrateful, and eves commits adultery, which term here intends idolatry, of which the whole Jewish nation had been guilty, to a great excess.

Ver. 3. Thy birth See Isa. li. 1.

--.

Heb. Thy cutting out."

Ver. 4. Not salted. Galen says, the ancients washed their infants in water, and sprinkled them with salt (or perhaps sprinkled salt into the water the same custom sull obtains among the Crim Ttars. Orient. Lit. No. 1016.

Ver.6. Polluted---Heb. "Kicking in thy blo da** Ver. 7. Caused thee to multiply. Heb. Made thee a great number -As the bud of the fields--that is, of the grass. Excellent ornaments---Hed.

Ornaments of ornaments."

Ver. 8. Spread my skirt.-- See Ruth iii. 21.

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jewel on thy forehead, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it 16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17 Thou hast

was.

also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them; 18 And tookedst thy broidered garments, and coveredst them and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord God. 20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. 23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) 24 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. 25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the

[Judah and Samaria.

28

way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. 26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyriaus, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. 29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. 30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman : 31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which tak eth strangers instead of her husband! 33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

34

35 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: 36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; 37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that

NOTES.

Ver. 12. Forehead-Heb. " Nose." See Note on Isa. tii. 21. A beautiful crown — Heb. "A crown of goodliness."

Ver. 17. Images of men - Heb. "Of a male." See Note on Numb. xxv. 3. This refers to their dolatry, in which they devoted to their idols the sacrifices appointed to Jehovah.

Ver. 19, 20. My meat-Newcome," Food."-For a sweet savour-Heb. "A savour of rest," The L.XX and Arabic here place a full point, and begin The next sentence,- And thus it was- (Newcome and Secker, " And it hath come to pass)....that thou hast taken,” &c.

Ver. 21. To pass through, &c.-See Note on Levit. xx. 2. In addition to what is there said, we quote, From Newcome, the following passage of Dionysius of Halicarnassis: "After this, having ordered that tires should be made before the tents, he brings out the

people to leap over the flames, for the purifying of their pollutions."

Ver. 22. Naked and bare-Heb. "Nakedness and bareness" So ver. 39.-Polluted.-See ver. 6.

Ver. 24. An eminent place-an "arch." or " arched vault," Gesenius. So Newcome. English Marg. Vulgate, and LXX," a brothel," such being employed for that purpose.

Ver. 25 At every head of the way-Newcome, "At the head of every way."

Ver 26. The Egyptians Heb. "The sons of Mizraim."-Great of flesh-that is, lusty and lustful. Ver. 31. In that thou buildest, &c.-See ver. 24. Ver. 33. Hirest-Heb. "Bribest."

Ver. 34. After thy manner-Heb. "According to

thee."

Ver. 38. As women-Heb." With the judgments of women," "&c.—I will give thee blood, &c.-This is thought to allude to the water of jealousy, which

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