EZEKIEL CHAPTER 32 A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt, EZEKIEL 32:1. The sword of Babylon shall destroy it, EZEKIEL 32:11. It shall be brought down to hell among all the uncircumcised nations, EZEKIEL 32:17. IN THE TWELFTH YEAR of the captivity of Jeconiah. IN THE TWELFTH MONTH, answering t... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE A LAMENTATION: see EZEKIEL 19:1, EZEKIEL 27:2. PHARAOH; Hophra. LIKE A YOUNG LION: of this hieroglyphic see EZEKIEL 19:3,6. OF THE NATIONS; among, or to, the nations round about thee, spoiling all thou canst, a cruel devourer abroad. A WHALE; a crocodile, a devouring dragon in thy rivers at hom... [ Continue Reading ]
MY NET; a large, long, and wide net, drawn out to full extent. OVER THEE; with which both lions and crocodiles might be taken, and in which this lion and crocodile should certainly be taken; for God, whose hand never erreth, will spread the net. WITH A COMPANY OF MANY PEOPLE: in the countries where... [ Continue Reading ]
LEAVE THEE UPON THE LAND; thy beaten army shall be slain: see EZEKIEL 29:5: it was literally fulfilled in the deserts of Libya, where the slain of Hophra's army were left to be devoured by fowls and beasts. Metaphorically it is gathering a mixture of people, soldiers, like ravenous birds and beasts.... [ Continue Reading ]
WILL LAY; throw or cast. THY FLESH; the carcasses of thy slain men and soldiers. UPON THE MOUNTAINS; whither they retired for safety. _Fill the valleys_; not so fill them as to equal them in height with hills, but we say a man fills a place who scatters much or many things though but on the surface;... [ Continue Reading ]
WATER WITH THY BLOOD; most plentifully pour out thy blood, as water is poured out to water land, when men float their grounds. WHEREIN THOU SWIMMEST; either because of the plenty thereof, wherein they swimmed, as we say; or else because this king was a whale or crocodile, his dwelling must be the wa... [ Continue Reading ]
PUT THEE OUT; as a torch is extinguished, ISAIAH 43:17, so I will put out thy light, and turn thee into darkness. COVER THE HEAVEN; either by dark vapours that arise from blood and putrefying carcasses, which darken the heavens; or it is a description of great sorrows, fears, troubles, and perplexit... [ Continue Reading ]
These two foregoing verses contain the same thing four times with a little variation, repeated to affect the hearers, and to impress it the more deeply on their minds.... [ Continue Reading ]
VEX; it speaks a passion mixed and made up with grief for what is done, fear of the consequence of it, anger against him that did it, and an astonishment at the report, and it seizeth the heart and spirits of the hearers. MANY PEOPLE, and great nations. THY DESTRUCTION; either the fame of it, or the... [ Continue Reading ]
MANY PEOPLE, and mighty people too. AMAZED; astonished and puzzled, not knowing what resolutions to take, what advices to follow, or what to do. _Their kings_, who usually are, and in reason should be, undaunted, and discover no signs of fear, shall discover mighty disorders of fear and doubt, both... [ Continue Reading ]
See EZEKIEL 30:24,25. UPON THEE; both king and kingdom of Egypt.... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THE SWORDS OF THE MIGHTY; the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar, helped also by Amasis, and the rebellious Egyptians that joined with Amasis and Nebuchadnezzar against their own king. THE MULTITUDE; the people of the land, which were numerous before they were wasted by these wars. THE TERRIBLE OF THE NA... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE BEASTS THEREOF; the sheep and oxen devoured by hungry Chaldean soldiers, or else driven away; the horses taken up to mount the horsemen of the Chaldee army, whose own horses were tired or spoiled. BESIDE THE GREAT WATERS; the pastures lying along the river's side, and along their canals, sho... [ Continue Reading ]
MAKE THEIR WATERS DEEP: the sense literally this, the waters undisturbed shall be clear, the mud settled at the bottom, and the waters above it of good depth. TO RUN LIKE OIL; smooth and softly, as oil glides along, which will be when neither men nor cattle disturb the rivers: but figuratively, wate... [ Continue Reading ]
The former verse assures us of what it foretold, and the assurance is the word and truth of God; this verse tells us when this shall be. SHALL BE DESTITUTE: this phrase is EZEKIEL 12:19. THAT WHEREOF IT WAS FULL; men and women, cattle, food, wealth, and peace. _When I shall smite by the sword_, the... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS heavy, mournful, and sad account, which the prophet hath given of the state of Egypt, IS THE LAMENTATION, the funeral speech of this kingdom; for this, as a funeral oration, tells us what was their ancient glory, and what is now their miserable reproach and loss. THEY SHALL LAMENT; her friends,... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE TWELFTH YEAR: see EZEKIEL 32:1. THE FIFTEENTH DAY; about the 19th of February new style, or the 1st of March old style.... [ Continue Reading ]
Prepare the funeral ceremonies at the burial of Egypt, compose a suitable song or speech, utter it with a like suitableness to the sad occasion. JEREMIAH 9:17, and AMOS 5:16, use the word, and the places read will explain this. CAST THEM DOWN; either declare that they shall be cast down from their h... [ Continue Reading ]
The whole, from this verse, is a most elegant personating of the dead, as if sensible, and acquainted, and discoursing with, and rejoicing at the fall of proud tyrants, who took not warning by their fall. Such a prosopopoeia you have ISA 14. In this chapter the actors are the prophet, the king of Eg... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the prophet determines concerning the people, which die as others, fall undistinguished, and. as undistinguished, must be laid in the pit. THEY; the Egyptians. In the midst; in battle shall die. BY THE SWORD; either of one another in civil war, or of their neighbours they invaded, or of Babyloni... [ Continue Reading ]
The prophet seems in this verse to introduce the next speakers in this parley, and bringing them in, gives their character. THE STRONG; the powerful, the valiant, whose natural strength of body was great, and their courage greater, those that were strongest. AMONG THE MIGHTY; for feats they did, by... [ Continue Reading ]
ASSHUR, the famous, warlike, victorious kings of Assyria, is there; in the state of the dead, in the land of darkness and oblivion; AND ALL HER COMPANY; princes, captains, soldiers, subjects, and confederates. HIS GRAVES ARE ABOUT HIM; perhaps his the greater, yet a grave, and they about him who wer... [ Continue Reading ]
At least for decorum here is supposed a spacious vault, or pit, in midst whereof the king of Asshur in a stately tomb lies buried, and round about the vault are places to lay others dead with him, and in his cause, some of his more famous captains and commanders. HER COMPANY; the common subjects and... [ Continue Reading ]
ELAM; the Persians, and their great, famous kings, who lived in former days. _All her multitude_: see EZEKIEL 32:22,23. ALL OF THEM SLAIN: see EZEKIEL 32:22. GONE DOWN: EZEKIEL 32:21. UNCIRCUMCISED: see EZEKIEL 32:21. THE NETHER PARTS OF THE EARTH: see EZEKIEL 32:18. THEIR TERROR: see EZEKIEL 32:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
Some conceive the prophet may allude to the manner of burying with the Persians who had their coffins, or sepulchral chests, in which with balms and spices the dead were kept, and these chests placed in midst of places provided for them; in such is the king of Elam here placed with his slaughtered c... [ Continue Reading ]
MESHECH: see EZEKIEL 27:13. TUBAL: see EZEKIEL 27:13; to which interpretation I still adhere, adding that in the full extent of these Moschi and Tibareni, these Cappadocians and Albanians, the Scythians may be included, many of which were next neighbours to them. Junius is of opinion that the Scythi... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL NOT LIE WITH THE MIGHTY; the leaders of these Scythians were not buried with a pomp like that of Asshur or Elam, but, surprised by the fraud of Halyattes and Cyaxares, were cut off with all their multitude, and tumbled into pits with the rabble. _With their weapons_; a ceremony observed i... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU; chief of Meshech and Tubal, though not named. SHALT BE BROKEN; shalt be killed with the rest of wicked followers. SHALT LIE WITH THEM; without regard hurled into the pit with the common soldiers, as thou fallest with them. THAT ARE SLAIN; whose throats were cut after they were taken. WITH THE... [ Continue Reading ]
EDOM; the posterity of Esau, the name of the country too in which they dwelt. HER KINGS; which had been many, and some great warriors. HER PRINCES, or dukes, as GENESIS 36:20,21. WITH THEIR MIGHT; showed in the assistance they gave the Assyrians. ARE LAID BY THEM; are slain, and laid aside to be bur... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE NORTH; of all those countries, Tyrians, Zidonia Assyrians, and Syrians, &c., which lay northward from Judea, now swallowed up by the Babylonian. _With the slain_ conquered and slain. WITH THEIR TERROR; their terror buried with them. ASHAMED OF THEIR MIGHT; when it appeared a vain confidence,... [ Continue Reading ]
Hophra shall go to them by a like destruction, and, as he saw them all ruined as he was, should be comforted, rejoice that others before him met with the same fatal end and whatever comfort this might be, it is all he shall ever have, did he know all those things and persons that are here represente... [ Continue Reading ]
It is God that speaketh, who had punished former tyrants and by a retaliation, that the world might see his just judgments. They were a terror to the world by their cruel oppression, and continued violence, by their covetousness ambition, and pride; and God hath made them a terror his just severitie... [ Continue Reading ]