_In the tenth year_, &c. The prophecies of Ezekiel, in regard to foreign nations, are not placed according to the order of time in which they were delivered, but according to the respective distances of the nations from Judea, beginning with those which lay nearest to it. And with respect to the pro... [ Continue Reading ]
_Set thy face against Pharaoh_ Pharaoh being a common name to all the kings of Egypt, this prince was called Pharaoh-hophra: by way of distinction, by Jeremiah 44:30, and Apries by Herodotus. The word תנים, _tannim_, signifies any great fish, but seems to be here used to signify the crocodile, a fis... [ Continue Reading ]
_But I will put hooks in thy jaws_ The king of Egypt being spoken of as a great fish, or a crocodile, God here, in pursuance of the same metaphor, tells him that he will put hooks in his jaws, or stop his vain-glorious designs and boastings, by raising up enemies that should gain the mastery over hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel _ This expression, _a staff of reed_, is very emphatical, to signify a confidence which has failed those that depended upon it, or has done them more hurt than good; for if a reed is leaned upon as a staff, it most certainly bends under... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee_ This was fulfilled, first by the civil wars which broke out in Egypt, and next by the invasion of it by Nebuchadnezzar, who carried his victorious arms through the whole country, destroying wherever he came; _and will cut off man and beast_ That is, destroy a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, I am against thee and thy rivers_ Since thou hast opposed me, I will set myself against thee, and bring down the strength and glory of thy kingdom, wherein thou magnifiest thyself so much. _From the tower of Syene, even unto the border of Ethiopia_ If we follow this translation, we must und... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt_ This captivity of the Egyptians, though not taken notice of by Herodotus, is mentioned by Berosus, in one of the fragments of his history, quoted by Josephus, _Antiq., 50._ 10. chap. 11, and published with notes by Scaliger, at the end of his books, _D... [ Continue Reading ]
_It shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel_ At the same time that the Jews put confidence in Egypt they distrusted the promises and assistance of God, and forsook him to comply with the idolatries of their allies. _Which bringeth_ Or, as Newcome translates it, _Calling their iniquity... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass_, &c. The new prophecy, which begins here, is connected with the foregoing, on account of its relating to the same subject, and not on account of its being the next revelation in time which Ezekiel had; for there is nearly seventeen years distance between the date of the foregoi... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall take her multitude, and take her spoil_ Nebuchadnezzar and his army shall have the captives and spoil of Egypt, which they shall utterly pillage and lay waste. _Because they wrought for me, saith the Lord_ The destruction of cities and countries is a work of God's providence, for the effec... [ Continue Reading ]
_In that day_ The phrase frequently denotes, in the prophets, not the same time which was last mentioned, but an extraordinary season, remarkable for some signal events of providence: in this sense it is to be understood here. _I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth _ The horns be... [ Continue Reading ]