unto the righteous, *" He shall surely live;" and he trusteth in his righteousness, and doeth iniquity; all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity which he hath committed, even for it shall he die. 14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, "Thou shalt surely die;" and he turneth from his sin, and doeth 15 judgment and justice, and the wicked returneth the pledge, giveth that again which he had taken by violence, walketh in the statutes of life so as not to commit iniquity; 16 he shall surely live, he shall not die: all his sins which he hath || committed shall not be remembered unto him; he hath done judgment and justice, § he shall surely 17 live. Yet the sons of thy people say, "The way of the Lord is not equal." But as for them, their way is not 18 equal. When the righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall die ** because of it. And when the wicked turneth from his 19 *H. Living he shall live.' || H. sinned. § H. living he shall live. in Syr. Houbigant thinks it beyond a doubt that the true reading is, pyn пply, as at the beginning of the verse, and in opposition to "And as for the righteousness of the righteous, he ורשעת הרשע shall not be able to live thereby" &c. —of his sin.-See ó. MS. Al. 13. -all his righteousnesses.' be remembered. 15. —and the wicked.―y 4 MSS. 3 edd. MSS. edd. See c. xviii. 24. is wanting in 2 MSS. ó. Ar. Syr. but it seems to be repeated with elegance. 16. 17. 25, 29. 18. -he shall surely live.- for 1 MSS. Houb. so again, v. 16. —his sins.—un, i. e. 1'71807, MSS. edd. the Lord.-Here, and v. 20, some MSS. have ; as c. xviii. —because of it.—12 Houb. avrŷ sc. àvoμíạ. ó. MS. Al. See also Syr. Arab. But V. 6. MS. V. and Chald. render plurally. But see on c. xviii. 26. Dathius observes, "numerus sæpe sensum, non verba, respicit." wickedness, and doeth judgment and justice, he shall 20 live because of them. Yet ye say, "The way of the Lord is not equal." I will judge you every one according to his ways, O house of Israel. 21 Now IT came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, 22 saying, The city is smitten. And the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening before he that had escaped came; and he had opened my mouth until he came unto me in the morning; * and my mouth was opened, and I was no longer dumb. 23 And the word of Jehovah had come unto me, saying; *Or, he even opened my mouth. 20. -I will judge.-Compare c. xviii. 30. At the end of this v. ó. MS. Al. Ar. and MS. Copt. add, "saith the Lord." 21. —twelfth year.-Eleventh year: Syr. and 8 MSS. reading 'nwy for '. which, says Dathius, Doederlein approves of: and it seems preferable. In ó. ed. Ald. and Sixti Quinti, we find the tenth year, a plain mistake; as the Babylonish army entered Jerusalem in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month. 2 Kings xxv. 3, 4. -in the tenth month.-Twelfth month : ó. MS. V. Al. but the tenth, ed. Ald. If we read the eleventh year, near six months will pass between the taking of Jerusalem and the communication of that event to Ezekiel. As the Hebrew text now stands, the interval must be one year, five months, and twenty-six days. 22. and my mouth was opened.-Chald. furnishes a very good reading; 81, and I opened. See c. xxiv. 25, 26, 27. If in c. xxxii. 17, we read the twelfth year, the first month, and the fifteenth day of the month, the interval between the revelation recorded v. 24 and the immediately preceding one is eight months and twenty days. 24 Son of man, they that inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel * speak, saying; 25 Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many unto us is the land given for an inheritance. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah : Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, 26 and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? Ye stand with your swords, ye commit abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the 27 land? Thus shalt thou say unto them: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely they that are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him that is † in the open field I will give to the beasts || to be devoured ; and they that are in the strong holds, and in the caves, 28 shall die of the pestilence. And I will make the land a deso H. say. H. on the face of the field. H. I will give him. 24. This seems to be the word spoken by Ezekiel before the messenger came. -waste places.—The country and the city had been now laid waste by the Babylonians. -unto us.- -Who are many; and preferable in the sight of God to Abraham, a single individual. They thought that they should remain unmolested in the land, when the Babylonians had left them in it; not expecting to suffer those severe calamities which ensued in consequence of Gedaliah's murder. Jer. xli. 25. ——————with the blood.-Contrary to the law: Deut. xii. 16. —your eyes.—'y, the ancients, MSS. edd. 26. ·with your swords.-Ready to commit acts of violence on every one that passes. But Houb. reads by, in your street, openly practising idolatry. 1, contra socium vestrum, i. e. populares vestros impugnatis. Doederlein apud Dathium. 27. unto them.-, MSS. edd. -I will give.—The verb is converted by the distant vau. -caves.—In the mountains; which caves were the usual places of refuge in times of danger. lation and an astonishment, and the pride of its strength shall cease: and the mountains of Israel shall be made deso29 late, that none shall pass over. Then shall they know that I am Jehovah, when I make the land a desolation and an astonishment, because of all their abominations which they have committed. 30 * And as for thee, O son of man, the sons of thy people speak concerning thee near the walls, and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, even every man to his neighbour, saying; Come, I pray you, and hear 31 what is the word that goeth forth from Jehovah. And my people come unto thee, † according to the manner in which the people come, and sit before thee, and hear thy words, but do them not: for they make mockings with 32 their mouths, and their heart goeth after gain. And, lo, thou art unto them as a song that is sung to musical H. brother. H. according to the coming of the people. ‡ H. of musical instruments. 30. -near the walls &c.-" Dr. Pococke informs us that the Coptics spend their holydays-sitting under their walls in the winter. The better sort of houses in the east have porches, or gateways, according to Dr. Shaw, with benches on each side, where the master of the family receives visits." Harmer i. 22. 31. -one to another.—778, 1 MS. Houb. -the people come.-Syr. omits 120, and ó. MS. Al. read 'y, whence arises this version: “And my people come unto thee, and my people sit before thee." -mockings.—Chald. suggests Day, jests, marg. Engl. vers. In ó. suggested as the כזבים or,כזב is omitted, and המה עשים .Ar. Syr true reading. "For a lie is [or, lies are] in their mouth." See on c. viii. 17. -and-after-1 6. Ar. Syr. V. 8 MSS. 32. They were struck with his eloquence, without regarding his exhortations and admonitions. “ Μὴ γὰρ ἄλλως αὐτὰ ἀνεγνώκατε ἢ ὡς ᾠδάρια; Arr. Epict. L. iii. c. 23. p. 478. ed. Upton. Vid. et Aul. Gell. 1. v. c. i. neque illic philosophum loqui, sed tibicinem canere." Secker. instruments, of one that hath a pleasant voice, and that can play well on an instrument: and they hear thy words, 33 but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it shall come to pass,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. CHAPTER XXXIV. 1 2 THE WORD of Jehovah came also unto me, saying; Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them; 33. O ye shepherds, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe unto -this cometh to pass.-Sc. 277, this matter, this event; the destruction of Jerusalem. lo, it shall come to pass.-See a like parenthesis proposed, c. xxxii. 20. 1. came also unto me.- "It is probable that this prophecy immediately followed the preceding. At or before the arrival of the news that Jerusalem was conquered, the prophet was to speak of the tyranny and carelessness of the governors, and to promise the return of the people." Michaelis. "Ezekiel still continues his prophetic cares and foresight toward those who survived the desolation of Jerusalem, both those who continued in Jerusalem and also the captives elsewhere. Of the former some false hopes seem to have been formed by the captive Jews, that this remnant would be still able to preserve the existence of the Jewish state in Palestine. c. xxxiii. 24." Obs. on books. ii. 199. "The negligence of the governors being pointed out as a cause of the incredulity of the people, the transition here is natural, and the connexion close between this prophecy and the foregoing one; as also between the beginning of this prophecy and its conclusion. For, considering that in part the people suffered for the faults of their shepherds, mercy now urged the prophet to declare from God that he would judge between them-save the flock, and-set up one shepherd over them, who should feed them, even his servant David. Ib. 201, 2. 2. ——shepherds." The king, his counsellors, and the heads of the people." Michaelis. O ye shepherds.-Houbigant reads '; which is confirmed by Syr. |