20 And when they entered H935 unto the heathen, H1471 whither they went, H935 they profaned H2490 my holy H6944 name, H8034 when they said H559 to them, These are the people H5971 of the LORD, H3068 and are gone forth H3318 out of his land. H776
Now therefore, what have I here, saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 that my people H5971 is taken away H3947 for nought? H2600 they that rule H4910 over them make them to howl, H3213 saith H5002 the LORD; H3068 and my name H8034 continually H8548 every day H3117 is blasphemed. H5006
For G1063 the name G3686 of God G2316 is blasphemed G987 among G1722 the Gentiles G1484 through G1223 you, G5209 as G2531 it is written. G1125
Considerest H7200 thou not what this people H5971 have spoken, H1696 saying, H559 The two H8147 families H4940 which the LORD H3068 hath chosen, H977 he hath even cast them off? H3988 thus they have despised H5006 my people, H5971 that they should be no more a nation H1471 before H6440 them.
And Moses H4872 besought H2470 H6440 the LORD H3068 his God, H430 and said, H559 LORD, H3068 why doth thy wrath H639 wax hot H2734 against thy people, H5971 which thou hast brought forth H3318 out of the land H776 of Egypt H4714 with great H1419 power, H3581 and with a mighty H2389 hand? H3027 Wherefore should the Egyptians H4714 speak, H559 and say, H559 For mischief H7451 did he bring H3318 them out, to slay H2026 them in the mountains, H2022 and to consume H3615 them from the face H6440 of the earth? H127 Turn H7725 from thy fierce H2740 wrath, H639 and repent H5162 of this evil H7451 against thy people. H5971 Remember H2142 Abraham, H85 Isaac, H3327 and Israel, H3478 thy servants, H5650 to whom thou swarest H7650 by thine own self, and saidst H1696 unto them, I will multiply H7235 your seed H2233 as the stars H3556 of heaven, H8064 and all this land H776 that I have spoken H559 of will I give H5414 unto your seed, H2233 and they shall inherit H5157 it for ever. H5769
Now if thou shalt kill H4191 all this people H5971 as one H259 man, H376 then the nations H1471 which have heard H8085 the fame H8088 of thee will speak, H559 saying, H559 Because the LORD H3068 was not H1115 able H3201 to bring H935 this people H5971 into the land H776 which he sware H7650 unto them, therefore he hath slain H7819 them in the wilderness. H4057
Neither let Hezekiah H2396 make you trust H982 in the LORD, H3068 saying, H559 The LORD H3068 will surely H5337 deliver H5337 us, and this city H5892 shall not be delivered H5414 into the hand H3027 of the king H4428 of Assyria. H804
Who are they among all the gods H430 of the countries, H776 that have delivered H5337 their country H776 out of mine hand, H3027 that the LORD H3068 should deliver H5337 Jerusalem H3389 out of mine hand? H3027
Thus shall ye speak H559 to Hezekiah H2396 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 saying, H559 Let not thy God H430 in whom thou trustest H982 deceive H5377 thee, saying, H559 Jerusalem H3389 shall not be delivered H5414 into the hand H3027 of the king H4428 of Assyria. H804 Behold, thou hast heard H8085 what the kings H4428 of Assyria H804 have done H6213 to all lands, H776 by destroying them utterly: H2763 and shalt thou be delivered? H5337 Have the gods H430 of the nations H1471 delivered H5337 them which my fathers H1 have destroyed; H7843 as Gozan, H1470 and Haran, H2771 and Rezeph, H7530 and the children H1121 of Eden H5729 which were in Thelasar? H8515
But I will leave H3498 a few H4557 men H582 of them from the sword, H2719 from the famine, H7458 and from the pestilence; H1698 that they may declare H5608 all their abominations H8441 among the heathen H1471 whither they come; H935 and they shall know H3045 that I am the LORD. H3068
Now H3705 if H2006 ye be H383 ready H6263 that at what time H5732 ye hear H8086 the sound H7032 of the cornet, H7162 flute, H4953 harp, H7030 H7030 sackbut, H5443 psaltery, H6460 and dulcimer, H5481 and all H3606 kinds H2178 of musick, H2170 ye fall down H5308 and worship H5457 the image H6755 which I have made; H5648 well: but if H2006 ye worship H5457 not, H3809 ye shall be cast H7412 the same hour H8160 into the midst H1459 of a burning H3345 fiery H5135 furnace; H861 and who H4479 is that God H426 that shall deliver H7804 you out of H4481 my hands? H3028
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Ezekiel 36
Commentary on Ezekiel 36 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 36
We have done with Mount Seir, and left it desolate, and likely to continue so, and must now turn ourselves, with the prophet, to the mountains of Israel, which we find desolate too, but hope before we have done with the chapter to leave in better plight. Here are two distinct prophecies in this chapter:-
Eze 36:1-15
The prophet had been ordered to set his face towards the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them, ch. 6:2. Then God was coming forth to contend with his people; but now that God is returning in mercy to them he must speak good words and comfortable words to these mountains, v. 1 and again v. 4. You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord; and what he says to them he says to the hills, to the rivers, to the valleys, to the desolate wastes in the country, and to the cities that are forsaken, v. 4. and again v. 6. The people were gone, some one way and some another; nothing remained there to be spoken to but the places, the mountains and valleys; these the Chaldeans could not carry away with them. The earth abides for ever. Now, to show the mercy God had in reserve for the people, he is to speak of him as having a dormant kindness for the place, which, if the Lord had been pleased for ever to abandon, he would not have called upon to hear the word of the Lord, nor would he as at this time have shown it such things as these. Here is,
Eze 36:16-24
When God promised the poor captives a glorious return, in due time, to their own land, it was a great discouragement to their hopes that they were unworthy, utterly unworthy, of such a favour; therefore, to remove that discouragement, God here shows them that he would do it for them purely for his own name's sake, that he might be glorified in them and by them, that he might manifest and magnify his mercy and goodness, that attribute which of all others is most his glory. And, the restoration of that people being typical of our redemption by Christ, this is intended further to show that the ultimate end aimed at in our salvation, to which all the steps of it were made subservient, was the glory of God. To this end Christ directed all he did in that short prayer, Father, glorify thy name; and God declared it was his end in all he did in the immediate answer given to that prayer, by a voice from heaven: I have glorified it, and I will glorify it yet again, Jn. 12:28. Now observe here,
Eze 36:25-38
The people of God might be discouraged in their hopes of a restoration by the sense not only of their unworthiness of such a favour (which was answered, in the foregoing verses, with this, that God, in doing it, would have an eye to his own glory, not to their worthiness), but of their unfitness for such a favour, being still corrupt and sinful; and that is answered in these verses, with a promise that God would by his grace prepare and qualify them for the mercy and then bestow it on them. And this was in part fulfilled in that wonderful effect which the captivity in Babylon had upon the Jews there, that it effectually cured them of their inclination to idolatry. But it is further intended as a draught of the covenant of grace, and a specimen of those spiritual blessings with which we are blessed in heavenly things by that covenant. As (ch. 34) after a promise of their return the prophecy insensibly slid into a promise of the coming of Christ, the great Shepherd, so here it insensibly slides into a promise of the Spirit, and his gracious influences and operations, which we have as much need of for our sanctification as we have of Christ's merit for our justification.