_BY THE FLYING ROLL, IS SHEWED THE CURSE OF THIEVES AND FALSE SWEARERS: THE PROPHET SEES A WOMAN SITTING IN AN EPHAH, WHICH TWO OTHER WOMEN CARRY INTO THE LAND OF SHINAR._ _Before Christ 519._ THE visions represented in this chapter are of a very different kind from the preceding ones. Hitherto al... [ Continue Reading ]
A FLYING ROLL— See Ezekiel 2:9. Revelation 10:10. This _flying roll_ inclosed an account of the sins and punishments of the people, and is described as flying, to denote the swiftness of God's judgments.... [ Continue Reading ]
OVER THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH— _Over the face of the whole land: for, on one hand, every thief shall be purged out according to it; and, on the other hand, every swearer shall be purged out according to it._ Instead of, _shall be cut off,_ Houbigant reads, _shall be punished. This is the curse,_... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS AN EPHAH THAT GOETH FORTH— _The ephah that is going forth._ An ephah was a dry measure containing somewhat less than our bushel, consequently too small for a woman to sit in; we must therefore understand here a measure in the form only of an ephah, but of a larger size. And this is implied i... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THIS IS A WOMAN, &C.— _And this is one woman who sitteth,_ &c. This woman denotes _the wickedness,_ or _the wicked one,_ as the angel deciphers it in the next verse. As corrupt societies are expressed by harlots, and women of lewd characters; so here the corrupt state of the Jews is figured by a... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS WICKEDNESS— _The wicked one._ That is, the wicked one representing the wicked nation. Her being driven back within the ephah denotes the check given to her farther progress; and the weight of lead, the weight of God's judgments falling upon her. _AND HE CAST IT_— _And he drove her back,_ &c... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN LIFTED I UP MINE EYES— There are great difficulties in explaining this part of the vision, and commentators are very much divided upon it. Calmet says, that the woman inclosed in the ephah denoted the iniquity of Babylon; the mass of lead which fell down upon her was the vengeance of the Lord;... [ Continue Reading ]
TO BUILD IT— _To build her her._ The woman mentioned Zechariah 5:7. A house denotes a fixed and settled habitation, See Jeremiah 29:5. _THE LAND OF SHINAR_— That is, the land of Babylon, Genesis 11:2. But this does not necessarily imply, that Babylon would be the scene of the next captivity; but onl... [ Continue Reading ]