Ezekiel 11:19

And: this may be understood causally, and so gives an account how the reformation, mentioned Ezekiel 11:18, should be effected. I; the Lord himself, and he assumeth it to himself thrice in this verse. Will give: of free grace it is that this renewed heart is in any one; length, soreness, and multiplicity of troubles will not, cannot work it, unless God frame and renew it. Will give them one heart: they were scattered abroad through the Babylonish kingdoms, were under various circumstances which might divide them, and keep them from each other, and from centering in a return; but I will stir up their heart, and with one heart they shall gather together, when the return shall be proclaimed. Cyrus shall first give them leave, and I will next give them a heart to return; and on their way shall there be great unity; and when come to Jerusalem, they shall own me, and my laws, &c.; they shall with one consent build Jerusalem, the temple, and restore true religion; as Jeremiah 32:39 Ezekiel 36:26. One heart; that is, judgment and understanding, mind and will, affections and conscience; all fixed only on God, and their obedience to him, as Ezekiel 11:20. This one heart is called a new spirit. A new spirit; an excellent, regenerate, holy, and sincere soul; they were of a base, corrupt, and hypocritical spirit, dividing between God and idols; but when God brings them back, they shall be of another frame, quite changed, and made new. The stony heart; that hard, inflexible, undutiful, incorrigible disposition which was in their fathers, who refused to be amended; I will take that away. Out of their flesh: flesh in Scripture sometimes speaks an unrenewed, carnal, sinful state, as Romans 7:18, sometimes for the body, as Psalms 38:3, sometimes for the whole man; so Luke 3:6 Romans 3:20; and thus in this place speaks the persons and whole man. An heart of flesh; not like the old, hard and stony, but counsellable, tractable, that will hear, consider, obey, do commanded good, and forbear forbidden evils, submit to my law, and reform on admonitions. All which in part, and so far as concerned those times, was fulfilled in the Jews that did return from Babylon, and is more fully made good to us in these gospel days.