The basic claim is clear in verse 24. And as it was of great use to the oppressed captives themselves to have a prophet with them, so it was a testimony to their holy religion against their oppressors who ridiculed it and them. . . II Chronicles "Visitation," peculiarly the land of "judgment"; in a double sense: actively, the inflicter of judgment on Judah; passively, as about to be afterwards herself the object of judgment. Ezekiel and Daniel are the only writing prophets of the Old Testament who lived and prophesied any where but in the land of Israel, except we add Jonah, who was sent to Nineveh to prophesy. 41. bed--divan. The miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege is found in Isaiah 37. What does it mean to be fearfully made? Psalm 139:14, Which biblical scriptures verify that God's servants like Abraham Moses Noah etc will not be part of heavenly class? The result is disaster. I Samuel thy lewdness--that is, its penal consequences ( Proverbs 1:31 ).

make . Thus are historys horrors couched in allegory. May 2016 The historical background is clear: the king of Babylon (the first eagle) comes first to Lebanon (Jerusalem). To both Jews and gentiles? So, allegorically as to Judah, the spiritual adulteress. In the long allegory that precedes our text, Ezekiel offers two poems. The answer is a resounding no. ( Ezekiel 23:17 Ezekiel 23:18 , 16:37 ). Philol. He takes the top shoot of the cedar (Jehoiachin, king of Jerusalem) and brings him to the land of trade (Babylon). 14:1, 3.

(South Africa), In Acts 3:25, Peter said that the Jews were heirs of the covenant God made with Abraham. I don't understand the parable of the fig tree? clothes--whereby she attracted her paramours ( Ezekiel 16:39 ). . There is a broad and important lesson in Ezekiel 23., Ezekiel 23:2-3 there were two women, the daughters of one mother: And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth We need not wonder who these two daughters were: one was Samaria, the capital of the ten-tribe kingdom called Israel, and the other was Jerusalem, the capital of the two-tribe kingdom called Judah. I Corinthians (Kenya), What brought about the division of the United Kingdom Israel? Did he refer to the restoration of political Israel or spiritual Israel, since 'Jesus came to his own and the people rejected him'? . Anytime a text from Ezekiel is thrown up by the lectionary, most preachers hope against hope that it is the dry bones passage from chapter 37. (Ghana), Is Star of David a satanic symbol? cast me behind thy back--( 1Kings 14:9 , Nehemiah 9:26 ). Allegories, by their very natures, do not always reveal their detailed meanings, especially when so many centuries separate their composition from our own time. . . Shoa . princely." Answering to the stones hurled by the Babylonians from engines in besieging Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 23:4) The nature of their whoredoms (adultery) began even before they left Egypt in the Exodus and their sexual excesses are described in graphic detail., Both Samaria and Jerusalem sought cultural and military alliances with Egypt. that all . . If only Jesus had provided a blueprint, a constitution or at least a tourists brochure. Illicit love, soon or late, ends in open hatred ( 2Samuel 13:15 ). Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible, by Matthew Henry, at sacred-texts.com. 1. What are the sealed book and the marvelous works and wonder? Those who would apply the comforts to themselves must apply the convictions to themselves. If we may give credit to the tradition of the Jews, he was put to death by the captives in Babylon, for his faithfulness and boldness in reproving them; it is stated that they dragged him upon the stones till his brains were dashed out. At least there one can reflect on new life and new hope in the midst of exile, thus avoiding the complex and contentious scholarly battles about the actual location of and reasons for the prophets words and work. Are the Gentiles named as a blessed people? 33:31), and that he was occasionally consulted, for we read of the elders of Israel who came to enquire of the Lord by him, Ezek. Under the shade of this huge tree and in its vast network of branches, every kind of bird will live and winged creatures of every kind will find their place of safety (Ezekiel 17:22-23). Article Images Copyright 2022 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. (United States), In the Parable of the Fig Tree of Matthew 24:32-34, what is the fig tree; what is it; and what is the generation that will not pass until it is all accomplished? .

That way, the memory of his murdered sons will follow him vividly to his exilic grave. . 1:1-3:27; the reproofs and threatenings Ezek. ears--Adulteresses were punished so among the Egyptians and Chaldeans. STOP delaying to get to know the Bible better! Is it wrong to give my tithe to the poor needy? Romans Such speculation is to me false, foolish, and dangerous. Philippians (India), What did Jesus mean in Acts 1:6-7? leave thee naked--as captive females are treated. What was the role of a priest in the Bible? In a later messianic interpretation, both Matthew 1:12-13 and Luke 3:27 trace the ancestry of Jesus through Zerubbabel. Hebrews noble"; descriptive of Babylon in her prosperity, having all the world's wealth and dignity at her disposal. The learned Selden, in his book Deut. The two portions of Psalm 92 chosen by the lectionary each offer interesting possibilities for interpretation and connection to the life of the church, and interpreters may find it useful to focus on one or the other. . These waters of the sanctuary still grow deeper; so far are they from being fordable that in some places they are scarcely fathomable; yet, deep as they are, out of them flow streams which make glad the city of our God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. (India), What is the doctrine of Jerusalem to Christians? Not a geographical name, but descriptive of Babylon. It has, in fact, been transplanted into good soil by abundant waters, where the second eagle hopes it becomes a noble vine, bearing much fruit (Ezekiel 17:7-8). Copyright 2022, Bible Study Tools.

The Assyrian adultery ended in disaster. Song Of Solomon. But our text, in the face of such misery and death, offers another sort of allegory altogether. But in this case, I do not think we are bound completely to the exact history that may or may not lie below this imaginative prophecy.

Will they, &c.--Is it possible that paramours will desire any longer to commit whoredoms with so worn-out an old adulteress? Good king Hezekiah set the boastful letter from the Assyrians before the Lord, and the Lord executed judgment on the Assyrian army. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. desirable young men--strong irony. . . Furious and eager for revenge against the traitorous vassal, Babylon returns to Jerusalem, destroys the city, and drags its leaders, including Zedekiah, off to exile in Babylon. Sabeans--Not content with the princely, handsome Assyrians, the sisters brought to themselves the rude robber hordes of Sabeans ( Job 1:15 ). March 2015, All In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel denounces King Saul for violating the rules of Holy War by sparing the king of the Amalekites and keeping booty from Israels war against them. 4:1), Come up hither; but, when we enter upon the prophecy of this book, it is as if the voice said, Come up higher; as we go forward in time (for Ezekiel prophesied in the captivity, as Jeremiah prophesied just before it), so we soar upward in discoveries yet more sublime of the divine glory. . The Jews had not accepted Jesus. 40. messenger was sent--namely, by Judah ( Ezekiel 23:16 , Isaiah 57:9 ). Chaldeans" in the first hemistich; "Pekod" meaning "prefects"; Shoa .

(United States), In Zechariah 14:4, will the Mt. July 2015 . bear . Egypt was unified and led by the all-powerful Pharaoh. New International Version (NIV). This so-called noble vine will be pulled up by its roots, its fruit will rot and wither. It may be surprising at how direct and blunt the scriptures are.

(Uganda). mine incense--which I had given thee, and which thou oughtest to have offered to Me ( Ezekiel 16:18 Ezekiel 16:19 , Hosea 2:8 ; compare Proverbs 7:17 ). lewdness to cease--The captivity has made the Jews ever since abhor idolatry, not only on their return from Babylon, but for the last nineteen centuries of their dispersion, as foretold ( Hosea 3:4 ). I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of EgyptI was a husband to them, says the LORD, Jeremiah 31:32., These two Jewish nations later sought alliance with Assyria. Though the visions here be intricate, such as an elephant may swim in, yet the sermons are mostly plain, such as a lamb may wade in; and the chief design of them is to show Gods people their transgressions, that in their captivity they might be repenting and not repining. The ten-tribe kingdom was conquered and physically removed from the land by the Assyrians, and the two-tribe kingdom nearly fell to Assyria. Jonah



Will it not also prompt the soul to look to God continually for grace, that by his Holy Spirit we may mortify the deeds of the body, and live in holy conversation and godliness. Ezekiel 23:1-49 . December 2015 . I Chronicles . (John 11:48) This adultery is held responsible even for crucifying Jesus (Revelation 11:8). He offers Israel military support against Babylon, again in good soil by abundant waters, this time the Nile.

(Zambia), Why did the nation of Israel need a king? Thus . Lamentations His peripatetic ramblings between Babylon and Jerusalem, either in reality or in his unstable mind, have caused many readers to experience whiplash, finding themselves spectators at a prophetic ping-pong match. by bitter suffering. In the second poem, another eagle sees that the spreading vine of the first eagle has turned toward him.

Ezekiel too often has been examined as a man who is little less than psychotic. 27. Egypt was very conservative, unconquerable or so it seemed and predictable., The two sisters also committed adultery with Assyria. . April 2016 . And this is to say nothing of the downright crude allegories of chapters 16 and 23, writings more appropriate for a brown paper bag than a Bible! 46. a company--properly, "a council of judges" passing sentence on a criminal [GROTIUS]. Ezekiels name was answered when God said (and no doubt did as he said), I have made thy face strong against their faces. Ezekiel was a man of God for his own time, surely at the beginning of and during the exile of Israel to Babylon in the early decades of the sixth century BCE.

Luke of Olives literally be split or is it a symbolic picture? And the angel answeredThese are the four winds of heaven To interpret: these are the powerful forces (ideas) which motivate and drive mankind. August 2016 In this parable, Samaria and Israel bear the name Aholah, "her own tabernacle;" because the places of worship those kingdoms had, were of their own devising. Black paint was spread on the eyelids of beauties to make the white of the eye more attractive by the contrast, so Judah left no seductive art untried. They will fail to bring the blessings they promise.. January 2016 . When we entered upon the writings of the prophets, which speak of the things that should be hereafter, we seemed to have the same call that St. John had (Rev.

There is much in it that is very mysterious, dark, and hard to be understood, especially in the beginning and the latter end of it, which therefore the Jewish rabbin forbade the reading of to their young men, till they came to be thirty years of age, lest by the difficulties they met with there they should be prejudiced against the scriptures; but if we read these difficult parts of scripture with humility and reverence, and search them diligently, though we may not be able to untie all the knots we meet with, any more than we can solve all the phenomena in the book of nature, yet we may from them, as from the book of nature, gather a great deal for the confirming of our faith and the encouraging of our hope in the God we worship. 2. The Babylonians, the objects formerly of their God-forgetting love, but now, with characteristic fickleness, objects of their hatred, shall be made by God the instruments of their punishment. Exile is not the last word, because God is still speaking. June 2015 alienated--( Ezekiel 23:17 ). All rights reserved. God will take another sprig from the topmost cedar and will plant the twig on a high and lofty mountain, a mountain of Israel. The twig itself will bear fruit and will grow into a mighty cedar. These lessons from Israel's history should benefit us as well. Oriental beauties wore ornaments in the ear and nose. Alluding to Ezekiel 23:12 , these "desirable young men" whom thou didst so "dote upon" for their manly vigor of appearance, shall by that very vigor be the better able to chastise thee. A history of the apostacy of God's people from him, and the aggravation thereof. . Assyria was known for its independently-minded calvary. You Can Share a Gift & a Bible With a Fatherless Boy, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Inspirational Bible Verses and Scripture Quotes, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 45. the righteous men--the Chaldeans; the executioners of God's righteous vengeance ( Ezekiel 16:38 ), not that they were "righteous" in themselves ( Habakkuk 1:3 Habakkuk 1:12 Habakkuk 1:13 ). ( Ezekiel 23:27 ). The Bible refers to Israel as "her," why? Ezekiel prophesied in the beginning of the captivity, Daniel in the latter end of it. April 2015 26. strip . paintedst . wilt thou judge--Wilt thou (not) judge. .

sherds--So greedily shalt thou suck out every drop like one drinking to madness (the effect invariably ascribed to drinking God's cup of wrath, Jeremiah 51:7 , Habakkuk 2:16 ) that thou shalt crunch the very shreds of it; that is, there shall be no evil left which thou shalt not taste. Today, Jews are still oppressed. Whatever eagles or great trees are to be found in the world are all under the rule and way of God. Salem Media Group. Did God change his mind several times? And the transplanted vine will also not thrive; it too will wither right at its place of transplantation (Ezekiel 17:9-10). For it is finally God who makes the high tree low and the low tree high, who makes green trees dry and dry trees flourish. It is not finally pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar who has the final word, for I the Lord have spoken; I will do it.. (Zambia), God promised the Jewish people a home, peace, and prosperity (2 Samuel 7:10-11) but then Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD. . (India). Please explain. lib. September 2017 The language and figures are according to those times. Jeremiah While men reclined at table, women sat, as it seemed indelicate for them to lie down ( Amos 6:4 ) [GROTIUS]. Communism, socialism, nihilism, and even anarchy are but a few solutions. All of these isms share one thing in common, they are remedies that have no need for God. What is the meaning of and who wrote Psalm 91? The scholarly debates have now settled, for the most part, on Ezekiels residence in Israel, with his trips to Babylon being flights of prophetic insight.

24. with chariots--or, "with armaments"; so the Septuagint; "axes" [MAURER]; or, joining it with "wagons," translate, "with scythe-armed wagons," or "chariots" [GROTIUS]. are the Israelites? Ezekiel 23:12 states, She (Israel and Judah) doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men., What might horses and horsemen picture? A summing up of the sins of the two sisters, especially those of Judah. thy labour--that is, the fruits of thy labor. If the Lord had been pleased to kill them, he would not have used such apt and proper means to cure them. . 25. take away thy nose .

It should seem the prophet was constantly attended (for we read of their sitting before him as Gods people sat to hear his words, Ezek. . (Nigeria), I have been studying a lot about Israel. MAURER suggests that, as descriptive appellatives are subjoined to the proper name, "all the Assyrians" in the second hemistich of the verse (as the verse ought to be divided at "Koa"), so Pekod, Shoa, and Koa must be appellatives descriptive of "The Babylonians and . Why? A plague destroyed 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army in one night (Isaiah 37:36)., However, there is a bigger, symbolic picture here.

It is agreed that they lived much about the same time; and we have reason to think that many of the Greek philosophers were acquainted with the sacred writings and borrowed some of the best of their notions from them. 2 cap. No longer are eagles (world leaders) the active agents; the Lord God will now act. All nations are blessed through Abraham. 49. bear the sins of your idols--that is, the punishment of your idolatry. How old was Timothy when he was ordained by Paul? eyes--( 2Kings 9:30 , Margin; Jeremiah 4:30 ). He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning, his blood shall be upon him.

October 2017 Is God going to fight the Armageddon and the Hamongog wars? . . . The second eagle (the pharaoh of Egypt) then redirects the vine of Israel toward his land, transplanting the vine to Egypt. . "Freely you have received; freely give" - Matthew 10:8 |, The Great Pyramid: Ancient Wonder, Modern Mystery, What is the reason why the Jerusalem temple was built on Mt Zion? 28. He girded up the loins of his mind to the service, and God put strength into him. weels--The unusual height of these increased their formidable appearance ( Ezekiel 1:16-20 ). 48. Isaiah So Hottinger relates, Thesaur.

The Assyrians seem to picture the ideas or proposed remedies for the ills of the world. Also, a preacher applied Isaiah 41:10 to people alive today using an antitypical Cyrus to deliver Israel. Koa, "rich . Jerusalem and Judah bear the name of Aholibah, "my tabernacle is in her," because their temple was the place which God himself had chosen, to put his name there. 22. lovers . How just the retribution, that the features most bejewelled should be mutilated! of June 2016 34. break .

I caricature but not by much. 31. her cup--of punishment ( Psalms 11:6 , 75:8 , Jeremiah 25:15 , &c.). Though the reproofs and the threatenings here are very sharp and bold, yet towards the close of the book very comfortable assurances are given of great mercy God had in store for them; and there, at length, we shall meet with something that has reference to gospel times, and which was to have its accomplishment in the kingdom of the Messiah, of whom indeed this prophet speaks less than almost any of the prophets. What does it mean in Ezekiel 33:5 when it says. I Timothy Let us not look for conservative nor liberal worldly solutions. Whom God calls to any service he will himself enable for it; if he give commission, he will give power to execute it. The Keri, or Margin, reads "drunkards." 42. of .

Try it FREE right now. . (Philippines), Explain about the persecution of Israel. 25:1-35:15), to make way for the restoration of Gods Israel and the re-establishment of their city and temple, which are foretold Ezek. ISRAEL'S AND JUDAH'S SIN AND PUNISHMENT ARE PARABOLICALLY PORTRAYED UNDER THE NAMES AHOLAH AND AHOLIBAH. Can you explain, The afflicted and needy are seeking water, Isaiah 41:17-20? September 2015 This refers to Zedekiahs revolt against his Babylonian masters with the connivance of Egypt early in the second decade of the sixth century BCE. Reference? Mark 38. the same day--On the very day that they had burned their children to Molech in the valley of Gehenna, they shamelessly and hypocritically presented themselves as worshippers in Jehovah's temple ( Jeremiah 7:9 Jeremiah 7:10 ). But by opening the terrors of the Lord he prepares Christs way. 36:1-38 to the end. (United States), Please explain the prophecy from Isaiah 29:11-14. table--that is, the idolatrous altar.

(India), Israel became a nation in 1948, nearly 1800 years after the deaths of all those who knew the land. September 2016 know that I am the Lord God--that is, know it to your cost . How can anyone identify the exact location of Biblical cities and towns today? houses . (Uganda), Why was the Israelites' election necessary? Let us trust in God and obey His wise will. 3. The adultery with Egypt seems to picture the conservative influences of the world that seek the status quo. An Arabic historian says that he was put to death and was buried in the sepulchre of Shem the son of Noah.

March 2016

May 2015 For what purpose did God choose them? Concerning the date of itthe place whence it is dated and the time when. Koa--"rich . Bible Gateway Plus makes it simple. John It was an indication of Gods good-will to them, and his gracious designs concerning them in their affliction, that he raised up prophets among them, both to convince them when, in the beginning of their troubles, they were secure and unhumbled, which was Ezekiels business, and to comfort them when, in the latter end of their troubles, they were dejected and discouraged. pluck off thine own breasts--enraged against them as the ministers to thine adultery.