The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of
the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of
bones,
Three stages in Israel's revival present themselves to the prophet's
eye:
(1) The new awakening of the people, the resurrection of the dead
(Ezekiel... [ Continue Reading ]
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were
very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
LO, THEY WERE VERY DRY - bleached by long exposure to the atmosphere.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I
answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
CAN THESE BONES LIVE? AND I ANSWERED, O LORD GOD, THOU KNOWEST -
implying that, humanly speaking, they could not; but faith leaves the
question of possibility to rest with God, with whom nothing is
i... [ Continue Reading ]
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them,
O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
PROPHESY UPON THESE BONES - i:e., prophesy over them; proclaim God's
quickening word to them. On account of this innate power of the Divine
Word to effect its end, prophets are said to... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath
to enter into you, and ye shall live:
I WILL CAUSE BREATH TO ENTER INTO YOU - so , containing the same
vision, refers primarily to Israel's restoration. Compare as to God's
renovation of the earth and all its creatures hereaft... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and
cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye
shall know that I am the LORD.
YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD - by the actual proof of my divinity
which I will give in reviving Israel.... [ Continue Reading ]
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his
bone.
AS I PROPHESIED, THERE WAS A NOISE - the noise of the bones when
coming in mutual collision. Perhaps referring, to the decree of Cyrus,
or the noise of... [ Continue Reading ]
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,
and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
AND WHEN I BEHELD, LO, THE SINEWS AND THE FLESH CAME UP UPON THEM,
AND THE SKIN COVERED THEM ABOVE - so far, they were only cohering in
order as unsightly skeletons... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
SAY TO THE WIND - rather, 'say to the spirit of life' or life-breath,
(margin) For it is distinc... [ Continue Reading ]
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them,
and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
SO I PROPHESIED, AS HE COMMANDED ME, AND THE BREATH CAME INTO THEM,
AND THEY LIVED, AND STOOD UP UPON THEIR FEET, AN EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY
- such honour God giv... [ Continue Reading ]
Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost:
we are cut off for our parts.
OUR BONES ARE DRIED - () explained by "our hope is lost" (); our
national state is as hopeless of resuscitation as marrowless bo... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up
out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
O MY PEOPLE - in antithesis to "for our parts" (). The hope that is
utterly gone, if looking at themselv... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD, WHEN I HAVE OPENED YOUR GRAVES,
O MY PEOPLE, AND BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF YOUR GRAVES,_
No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it,
For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take
another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,
and for all the house of Israel his companions: TAKE THEE ONE STICK -
alluding to , the tribal r... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JOIN THEM ONE TO ANOTHER INTO ONE STICK; AND THEY SHALL BECOME
ONE IN THINE HAND._
No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,
Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
WHEN THE CHILDREN OF THY PEOPLE SHALL SPEAK UNTO THEE, SAYING, WILT
THOU NOT SHOW US WHAT THOU MEANEST BY THESE? God does not explain the
symbolical prophecy until the Jews have b... [ Continue Reading ]
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick
of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel
his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,
and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
SAY UNTO THEM, THUS SAITH... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE STICKS WHEREON THOU WRITEST SHALL BE IN THINE HAND BEFORE
THEIR EYES._
No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of
Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no
more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any
more at all:
AND I WILL MAKE THEM ONE NATION - (, "The envy also of Ephraim shall
depart, a... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor
with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions:
but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they
have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I
will be their God.
NEIT... [ Continue Reading ]
And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have
one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my
statutes, and do them.
AND DAVID MY SERVANT SHALL BE KING OVER THEM - Messiah (notes,
Ezekiel 34:23.)... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my
servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell
therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children
for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
THEY SHALL DWELL THEREIN, EVEN THEY... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an
everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply
them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
MOREOVER I WILL MAKE A COVENANT OF PEACE WITH THEM - better than the
old legal covenant, becau... [ Continue Reading ]
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
MY TABERNACLE ALSO SHALL BE WITH THEM - as foretold (Genesis 9:27,
"He (God) shall dwell in the tents of Shem;" John 1:14, "The Word ...
dwelt among us" (literally, tabernacled, eskeenoosen (G4637)); fi... [ Continue Reading ]
And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when
my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
THE HEATHEN SHALL KNOW THAT I THE LORD DO SANCTIFY ISRAEL - (, "The
pagan shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified in you
before their eyes").
SANCTIFY... [ Continue Reading ]