@Eze 5:1-17. VISION OF CUTTING THE HAIRS, AND THE CALAMITIES FORESHADOWED THEREBY.
1. knife . . . razor--the sword of the foe (compare @Isa 7:20).
This vision implies even severer judgments than the Egyptian afflictions
foreshadowed in the former, for their guilt was greater than that of
their forefathers.
thine head--as representative of the Jews. The whole hair being shaven
off was significant of severe and humiliating (@2Sa 10:4,5)
treatment. Especially in the case of a priest; for priests (@Le 21:5)
were forbidden "to make baldness on their head," their hair being the
token of consecration; hereby it was intimated that the ceremonial must
give place to the moral.
balances--implying the just discrimination with which Jehovah
weighs out the portion of punishment "divided," that is, allotted to
each: the "hairs" are the Jews: the divine scales do not allow even one
hair to escape accurate weighing (compare @Mt 10:30).
2. Three classes are described. The sword was to destroy one third of the people; famine and plague another third ("fire" in @Eze 5:2 being explained in @Eze 5:12 to mean pestilence and famine); that which remained was to be scattered among the nations. A few only of the last portion were to escape, symbolized by the hairs bound in Ezekiel's skirts (@Eze 5:3 Jer 40:6 52:16). Even of these some were to be thrown into the fiery ordeal again (@Eze 5:4 Jer 41:1,2, &c. @Jer 44:14, &c.). The "skirts" being able to contain but few express that extreme limit to which God's goodness can reach.
5, 6. Explanation of the symbols:
Jerusalem--not the mere city, but the people of Israel generally, of
which it was the center and representative.
in . . . midst--Jerusalem is regarded in God's point of view as center
of the whole earth, designed
to radiate the true light over the nations in all directions. Compare
Margin ("navel"), @Eze 38:12 Ps 48:2 Jer 3:17. No center in the
ancient heathen world could have been selected more fitted than Canaan
to be a vantage ground, whence the people of God might have acted with
success upon the heathenism of the world. It lay midway between the
oldest and most civilized states, Egypt and Ethiopia on one side, and
Babylon, Nineveh, and India on the other, and afterwards Persia,
Greece, and Rome. The Phoenician mariners were close by, through whom
they might have transmitted the true religion to the remotest lands;
and all around the Ishmaelites, the great inland traders in South
Asia and North Africa. Israel was thus placed, not for its own selfish
good, but to be the spiritual benefactor of the whole world. Compare
@Ps 67:1-7 throughout. Failing in this, and falling into idolatry,
its guilt was far worse than that of the heathen; not that Israel
literally went beyond the heathen in abominable idolatries. But
"corruptio optimi pessima"; the perversion of that which in itself is
the best is worse than the perversion of that which is less perfect: is
in fact the worst of all kinds of perversion. Therefore their
punishment was the severest. So the position of the Christian
professing Church now, if it be not a light to the heathen world, its
condemnation will be sorer than theirs
(@Mt 5:13 11:21-24 Heb 10:28,29).
6. changed . . . into--rather, "hath resisted My judgments wickedly"; "hath rebelled against My ordinances for wickedness" [BUXTORF]. But see on Eze 5:7, end.
7. multiplied--rather, "have been more abundantly outrageous";
literally, "to tumultuate"; to have an extravagant rage for idols.
neither have done according to the judgments of the nations--have not
been as tenacious of the true religion as the nations have been of the
false. The heathen "changed" not their gods, but the Jews changed
Jehovah for idols (see @Eze 5:6, "changed My judgments into
wickedness," that is, idolatry, @Jer 2:11).
The Chaldean version and the Masora support the negative.
Others omit it (as it is omitted in @Eze 11:12),
and translate, "but have done according to the
judgments," &c. However, both @Eze 11:12 and also this verse are
true. They in one sense "did according to the heathen," namely, in all
that was bad; in another, namely, in that which was good, zeal for
religion, they did not. @Eze 5:9 also proves the negative to be
genuine; because in changing their religion, they have not done as
the nations which have not changed theirs, "I (also) will do in thee
that which I have not done."
8. I, even I--awfully emphatic. I, even I, whom thou thinkest to be asleep, but who am ever reigning as the Omnipotent Avenger of sin, will vindicate My righteous government before the nations by judgments on thee.
9. See on Eze 5:7.
that which I have not done--worse than any former judgments
(@La 4:6 Da 9:12). The prophecy includes the destruction of Jerusalem
by the Romans, and the final one by Antichrist (@Zec 13:8,9 14:2),
as well as that by Nebuchadnezzar. Their doom of evil was not exhausted
by the Chaldean conquest. There was to be a germinating evil in their
destiny, because there would be, as the Lord foresaw, a germinating evil
in their character. As God connected Himself peculiarly with Israel, so
there was to be a peculiar manifestation of God's wrath against sin in
their case [FAIRBAIRN]. The higher the privileges the greater the
punishment in the case of abuse of them. When God's greatest favor, the
gospel, was given, and was abused by them, then "the wrath was to come
on them to the uttermost" (@1Th 2:16).
10. fathers . . . eat . . . sons--alluding to Moses words (@Le 26:29 De 28:53), with the additional sad feature, that "the sons should eat their fathers" (see @2Ki 6:28 Jer 19:9 La 2:20 4:10).
11. as I five--the most solemn of oaths, pledging the self-existence
of God for the certainty of the event.
defiled my sanctuary--the climax of Jewish guilt: their defiling
Jehovah's temple by introducing idols.
diminish--literally "withdraw," namely, Mine "eye" (which presently
follows), that is, My favors; @Job 36:7 uses the Hebrew verb in the
same way. As the Jews had withdrawn from God's sanctuary its
sacredness by "defiling" it, so God withdraws His countenance from
them. The significance of the expression lies in the allusion to
@De 4:2, "Ye shall not diminish aught from the word which I
command you"; they had done so, therefore God diminishes them. The
reading found in six manuscripts, "I will cut thee off," is not so good.
12. Statement in plain terms of what was intended by the symbols
(@Eze 5:2; see @Eze 6:12 Jer 15:2 21:9).
draw out . . . sword after them--(@Le 26:33). Skeptics object; no
such thing happened under Zedekiah, as is here foretold; namely, that a
third part of the nation should die by pestilence, a third part by the
sword, and a third be scattered unto all winds, and a sword sent after
them. But the prophecy is not restricted to Zedekiah's time. It includes
all that Israel suffered, or was still to suffer, for their sins,
especially those committed at that period (@Eze 17:21). It only
received its primary fulfilment under Zedekiah: numbers then died by the
pestilence and by the sword; and numbers were scattered in all quarters
and not carried to Babylonia alone, as the objectors assert (compare
@Ezr 1:4 Es 3:8 Ob 1:14).
pestilence . . . and famine--signified by the symbol "fire"
(@Eze 5:2). Compare @Isa 13:8 La 5:10; plague and famine burning
and withering the countenance, as fire does.
13. cause my fury to rest upon them--as on its proper and permanent
resting-place (@Isa 30:32, Margin).
I will be comforted--expressed in condescension to man's conceptions;
signifying His satisfaction in the vindication of His justice by His
righteous judgments (@De 28:63 Pr 1:26 Isa 1:24).
they shall how--by bitter experience.
14. reproach among the nations--They whose idolatries Israel had adopted, instead of comforting, would only exult in their calamities brought on by those idolatries (compare @Lu 15:15).
15. instruction--literally, "a corrective chastisement," that is, a striking example to warn all of the fatal consequences of sin. For "it shall be"; all ancient versions have "thou," which the connection favors.
16. arrows of famine--hail, rain, mice, locusts, mildew (see
@De 32:23,24).
increase the famine--literally, "congregate" or "collect." When ye
think your harvest safe because ye have escaped drought, mildew, &c., I
will find other means
[CALVIN], which I will congregate as the
forces of an invading army, to bring famine on you.
17. beasts--perhaps meaning destructive conquerors (@Da 7:4).
Rather, literal "beasts," which infest desolated regions such as
Judea was to become (compare @Eze 34:28 Ex 23:29 De 32:24 2Ki 17:25).
The same threat is repeated in manifold forms to awaken the careless.
sword--civil war.