9. [Pass away before the fruits of the field.] They die before there is any failure of sustenance, and thus do not experience the distress of famine.*

14. If they did them no other injury, they defiled them by touching them.

15. They misbehaved not only at home, but even in a state of captivity, which brought farther ill treatment upon them.† 20. This means king Zedekiah.‡

21. This is an ironical mode of address,"§ intimating that they had no cause of joy, as their punishment was approaching.

V. 4. After the return from Babylon, it appears, from Nehem. ii. 8, that timber was not cut without leave, whereas before, it is thought that certain forests were open to all

persons.

6. They submitted to the Egyptians and Assyrians, in consequence of their distresses.

9. They were exposed to the incursions of the Arabs.|| 12. That is, by the hand of their enemies.

EZEKIEL.

EZEKIEL was a priest carried captive in the reign of Jehoiakim, and from this captivity his prophecies are dated. He, together with many others, was settled at Tel-abib, or some other place on the river Chebar, the Chaboras of the Greeks, which runs into the Euphrates on the east side at Carchemish (Circesium), near two hundred miles north of Babylon. Near this river was the scene of Ezekiel's prophecies, which continued through a course of twenty-two years. Though he was contemporary with Jeremiah, who was in the land of Judah, and with Daniel, who lived in Babylon, he does not appear to have had any communication with either of them. The latter, however, is mentioned by him (or rather by the Divine Being) in his writings, with extraordinary respect.

Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel expostulates with his countrymen on their idolatry and vices, and he predicts the fate of the

Blayney, p. 474.

+ See Lowth's Isaiah (lii. 11), p. 236.

Blayney, p. 473; Josiah in 2 Chron. xxxv. 25-27. See Josephus, Antiq. B. x. Ch. v. Sect. i.

"Like that Eccles. xi. 9." Blayney, p. 475.

"Who might not improperly be called the sword of the wilderness. See Harmer, I. pp. 87-89." Blayney, pp. 476, 477.

Archbishop Newcome's Ezekiel, 1788, p. vi. See Wall, II.

p. 168.

neighbouring nations, and the prosperous state of his own, with a more circumstantial account of their final settlement in their country, than any of the preceding prophets.

CHAP. I. I. This thirtieth year was perhaps that of the prophet's own age. The paraphrase of Jonathan makes it to be thirty years from the finding of the book of the law, in the eighteenth year of Josiah. But though there was this space of time between that event and the fifth of the Captivity in the reign of Jehoiakim, it does not appear to have been an epoch from which any events were dated. Scaliger supposes it to be the year of the reign of Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar. But neither does this appear to have been an epoch referred to on any other occasion.

4. A luminous cloud was the usual symbol of the Divine presence; and in general it was not accompanied by any other appearance. But here it has many accompaniments, seemingly that of a chariot, or throne, under which were wheels, and cherubim; and on the throne was a human form, resembling the appearance of the Ancient of Days, or the Supreme Being, in the visions of Daniel [vii. 13].

6, 10. The word rendered faces may signify forms, or likenesses in general, and some suppose that the cherubim had not the faces of the four animals, but the head of a man, the shoulder and mane of the lion, the wings of the eagle, and the body and legs of an ox.†

11. Cherubim were emblematical figures, and not the likeness of any thing that really existed, but always compounded of several creatures; but what was signified by them is very uncertain. The cherubim in the books of Moses had each two wings; those of Isaiah, called seraphim, had six; and these had four. Another circumstance peculiar, as far as we know, to these, was their having feet resembling those of a calf. They had also human hands under their wings. All the animals which they resembled, are such as are generally considered as the perfect, having some distinguishing excellence; as, the lion, denoting courage; the bull, strength; the eagle, swiftness; and the man, intelligence. In the Revelation, the four living creatures, which seem to be of the same nature with these, represent the church of Christ in a state of glory; but here they do not seem to have any such meaning, but to have an office similar to that of angels.

12. In the opening of this vision the prophet saw a stormy

Houbigant in Newcome, p. 1.

+ Spencer, p. 865. (P.)

wind coming from the north, and this magnificent appearance accompanied that wind, and it is the same word that is here rendered spirit. It must therefore signify that these cherubim accompanied that wind wherever it went.

13. The LXX. makes a better sense than the Hebrew of this verse: And among the living creatures there was an appearance like burning coals of fire. It went up and down among the living creatures.*

14. Besides the refulgent appearance of these cherubim, flashes of fire were seen darting among them.

20. Thither was their spirit to go, is wanting in several MSS. and the LXX.†

These wheels are not so clearly described as to give us a distinct idea of their position or use, but they seem to have accompanied a chariot, supporting a throne.

21. Or, according to the LXX., a living spirit was in the whole. They appeared to be animated, and accordingly they were full of eyes.

22. By an easy transposition it will be, as the colour of transparent crystal, which is more probably the meaning.

This firmament must have been the body of a chariot, which supported the throne, and it was transparent like ice. Notwithstanding the caution so expressly given by Moses to make no representation of God, and it was observed to them that they saw no appearance of any thing on Mount Sinai, but only heard a voice; yet in prophetical visions this appearance of a human form was several times exhibited, and to Abraham it was something more than a vision. Yet these representations did not lead those who saw them to suppose that the Supreme Being had any proper form, or that he was confined to any particular place: for, whatever purpose was answered by these temporary appearances, he is also represented as omnipresent, and omniscient, filling heaven and earth. These splendid appearances, whatever was their particular form, were calculated to impress the mind with sentiments of awe and reverence. Of all the prophets, however, only Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel had this appearance exhibited to them.

23. Every one had two which covered on this side, is wanting in several MSS. and the LXX.§

25. When they stood and had let down their wings, is wanting in several MSS. and the LXX. ||

• Com. and Ess. II. p. 58. See Wall, II. pp. 168, 169.

t Newcome, p. 5. See Wall, II. p. 170.

+ Com. and Ess. II. p. 58.

Newcome, p. 6.

§ See Wall, II. p. 171.

27. Jerome thought that by the word rendered amber, here and Chap. viii. 2, some precious metal was meant.

II. 1. The prophet, awed by the refulgent appearances described above, had naturally prostrated himself on the ground.

The phrase son of man, which is generally synonymous to man, as in Ps. viii. 4, What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? is not usually applied to any of the prophets except to Ezekiel and Daniel, both of whom resided in Chaldea; and it is thought to be an imitation of the phraseology of that country.

3. The charge here given to Ezekiel very much resembles that given to Jeremiah. Indeed the circumstances of these two prophets were in a great measure the same, the Jews in Palestine, and those who had been carried captive, being at that time of the same disposition. The effect of this captivity did not appear immediately, though it was sufficiently remarkable afterwards, curing them of every propensity to idolatry.

6. By scorpion is to be understood a kind of thorn, whose prickles are of a venomous nature, called by the Arabs scorpion thorns.†

9. All this, it is to be observed, passed in vision. The appearance of this hand came, no doubt, from the Supreme Being.

10. "The ancient books were rolled on cylinders of wood or ivory, and usually the writing only on the inside."§

III. 3. The image of eating a book, is not a very natural one. It implies, however, the prophet's receiving, and as it were digesting, the contents of it. The pleasure he at first received from it must have arisen from the honourableness of his mission, and not from the subject of it; for he was apprized that the contents of the book would be the occasion of grief to him.

9. This encouragement is similar to that which was given to Jeremiah.

14. He went in bitterness, from considering the unpleasant message he had to deliver, and the disagreeable circumstances into which it would probably bring him.

15. Though residing near the same river, he must at this time have been at some distance from the place where he now dwelt.

"In the Eastern manner, Chap. i. 28." Newcome, p. 7.

+ See 1 Kings i. 11, Vol. XI. p. 433; Newcome, p. 7.

Scriptus et in tergo necdum finitus Orestes.' Juv. (i. 6), quoted by Grotius." Newcome, p. 8. § Ibid.

|| Secker, MS. in Newcome, p. 8.

16. He was silent, having received no particular commission, but uneasy under the expectation of it, from knowing its general nature.

20. All events are in a certain sense justly ascribed to God, even those by which men's hearts are hardened, and they suffer in consequence of it. Thus God is said to have hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and even to have raised him up for the important design of his providence, such a character as his being wanted for the purpose. But this does not at all lessen the guilt of persons who are actuated by bad motives, and who are therefore the proper subjects of punishment.

24. This might be to represent Jerusalem, shut up by the siege.

25. He was to exhibit in his own person a picture of the future condition of his countrymen, in order, no doubt, to draw the greater attention to it.

26. His being dumb, was perhaps to signify that God would for a time withdraw his communications by the prophets.

IV. 3. This was to represent the state of Jerusalem, which was about to be besieged. The aptness of this emblem is not apparent; and if he was to observe this posture in sleeping only, it could not be known except from himself.

5. This number of years will extend from the siege of Jerusalem, to the beginning of the reign of Jeroboam, when the worship of the golden calves commenced; and though the approaching calamity would more especially affect the tribe of Judah, yet, no doubt, many of the ten tribes, who had been permitted to remain in the country, and who appear to have been subject to the king of Judah, suffered the same fate with them in this captivity. It is computed that the siege of Jerusalem lasted about this number of natural days.

6. This is supposed to be reckoned from the eighteenth of Josiah, when the people, as it were, renewed their covenant with God, and engaged afresh to observe the laws of Moses.† The uncertainty attending these computations is a pretty good proof that the book is no forgery. Had this been the case, no prophecy would have been unfulfilled, or liable to any material objection.

• On the difference in the numbers between the Hebrew and LXX., see Wall, II. p. 172; Newcome, p. 12.

+ See Mede (B. iv.), p. 784; Newcome, p. 12.