Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. EAT THIS ROLL, AND GO SPEAK. God's messenger must first inwardly appropriate God's truth himself, before he "speaks" it to others (note, ). Symbolic actions were, when possible and... [ Continue Reading ]
_SO I OPENED MY MOUTH, AND HE CAUSED ME TO EAT THAT ROLL._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. IT WAS IN MY MOUTH AS HONEY FOR SWEETNESS - ; ; , where, as here, , the "sweetness" is followed by "bitterness," - the form... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE SAID UNTO ME, SON OF MAN, GO, GET THEE UNTO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, AND SPEAK WITH MY WORDS UNTO THEM._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; THOU ART NOT SENT TO A PEOPLE OF A STRANGE SPEECH AND OF AN HARD LANGUAGE - (see margin, Hebrew, 'deep of lip and heavy of tongue'-i.e, men speaking an obscure and unintelligible tongue). E... [ Continue Reading ]
Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. NOT TO MANY PEOPLE. It would have increased the difficulty had he been sent not merely to one but to "many people," differi... [ Continue Reading ]
But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. THEY WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO THEE; FOR THEY WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO ME - (). Take patiently their rejection of thee, because I thy Lord bear it along with... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. BEHOLD, I HAVE MADE THY FACE STRONG AGAINST THEIR FACES. His name, "Ezekiel," means one 'strengthened by God.' Such he was in godly firmness, in spite of his people's opposition, according t... [ Continue Reading ]
As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. AS AN ADAMANT HARDER THAN FLINT HAVE I MADE THY FOREHEAD. So Messiah, the antitype (; cf ; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. ALL MY WORDS ... RECEIVE IN THINE HEART, AND HEAR WITH THINE EARS. The transposition from the natural order, namely, first receiving with the ears, then in the heart,... [ Continue Reading ]
And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. THY PEOPLE - who ought to be better disposed to hearken to thee, their fellow-countryman, than hadst thou... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. THE SPIRIT TOOK ME UP. So in . Ezekiel's abode heretofore had not been the most suitable for his work. He therefore is guided by the spirit to Tel-abib, the chie... [ Continue Reading ]
I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. I HEARD ALSO THE NOISE OF THE WINGS OF THE LIVING CREATURES THAT TOUCHED ONE ANOTHER - "touched," literally, kissed-i.e, closely em... [ Continue Reading ]
So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. I WENT IN BITTERNESS - sadness on account of the impending calamities of which I was required to be unwelcome messenger. But the "hand," or powerful impu... [ Continue Reading ]
Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. TEL-ABIB. Tel means an 'elevation.' It is identified by Michaelis with Thallaba on the Chabour. Perhaps the name expressed the Jews'... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE END OF SEVEN DAYS, THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO ME, SAYING,_ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. I HAVE MADE THEE A WATCHMAN. Ezekiel alone among the prophets is called a "watchman," not merely to sympathize, but to give timely warning of danger to his people... [ Continue Reading ]
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. THOU GIVEST HIM NOT WARNING, NOR SPEAKEST TO WARN... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. IF ... HE TURN NOT FROM HIS WICKEDNESS, NOR FROM HIS WICKED WAY. "Wickedness" and "wicked way" express internal wickedness of heart and exter... [ Continue Reading ]
Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at... [ Continue Reading ]
_NEVERTHELESS IF THOU WARN THE RIGHTEOUS MAN, THAT THE RIGHTEOUS SIN NOT, AND HE DOTH NOT SIN, HE SHALL SURELY LIVE, BECAUSE HE IS WARNED; ALSO THOU HAST DELIVERED THY SOUL._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS THERE UPON ME - (). GO FORTH INTO THE PLAIN - in order that he might there, in a place secluded from unbelieving men, receive a fresh manif... [ Continue Reading ]
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. THE GLORY OF THE LORD STOOD THERE - (. "This was the appearance of the likeness glory of the Lord").... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. SET ME UPON MY FEET - having been previously prostrate and unable to rise until raised by the divine power. SHUT THYSELF WITHIN THINE HOUSE - implying that, in th... [ Continue Reading ]
But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: THEY SHALL PUT BANDS UPON THEE - not literally, but spiritually the binding, depressing influence which their rebellious conduct would exert on his spirit. Their p... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. I WILL MAKE THY TONGUE CLEAVE TO THE ROOF OF THY MOUTH, THAT THOU SHALT BE DUMB. Israel had rejected the prophets, therefore God deprives Isr... [ Continue Reading ]
But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house. WHEN I SPEAK WITH THEE, I WILL OPEN THY MOUTH - opposed to the silence imposed on the... [ Continue Reading ]