The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 46

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER II. include both Judah and the remnant of the northern kingdom. They and their fathers. Yer. 1.-Son of man, etc. It is noticeable The words anticipate the teaching of eh. that the phrase (ben adam), as addressed to xviii. The people to whom the prophet was a prophet, occurs only in Ezekiel, in whom sent could not say that they were suffer- we find it not less than eighty times, and in ing for the sins of their fathers, They, in Dan. viii. 17. As used elsewhere, e.fJ. in their own persons, had transgressed up to Numb. xxiii. 19; Ps. viii. 4; Job xxv. 6; the very day on which the prophet received Isa. li. 12; l.i. 2, and in Ezekiel's use of it, his mission. They had rebelled as their it is probably connected with the history of fathers had done in the days of Moses. o.nd Adam, as created from the ground (adamah) Joshua (Numb. xiv. 9; Josh. xxii. 18). in Gen. ii. 7; iii. 19. The prophet is re- Ver. 4.-Impudent ohildren and sti1f- minded, in the very moment of his highest hea.rted j literally, hard of face (i.e. callous ir..spiration, of his Adam-nature with all its to their shame) and stiff of heart. The LXX. infirmity and limitations. In the use of a gives aptly, u1<ll.11po1rp&uonro1 md u1<ll.71po1<cipli,o, like phrase (bar enosh, instead of ben adam) (compare the" past feeling" of Eph. iv. 19). in Dan. vii. 13 we have the same truth Thus saith the Lord God. In the Hebrew, implied. There one like unto man in all Adonai Jehovah; which the LXX. repre- things is called to shlll'e the sovereignty of sents by K6p,os, K6p,os, and Luther by "der the " Ancient of Days," the Eternal One. Herr Herr." The two highest names of the Here the prophet, nothing in himself, is God of Israel were used to denote the called to be the messenger of God to other fulness of the prophet's inspiration. The 110!.lB of men. It is in many ways sugges- same formula occurs in eh. iii. 11, 27; xiii. 8; ti rn that onr Lord sbonld have chosen the xx.ii. 28, and pa~sim. So also in 2 Sam. vii. same formula for constant use when speaking 18, 19, 20, 29; and elsewhere. of himself (Matt. viii. 20, and passim in Ver. 5.-Whether they will hear, or the Gospels). Stand upon thy feet. 'l'he whether they will forbear, etc. The latter attitude of adoration is changed. by the word is used in the sense of " cease" or Divine command, into that of expectant ser- "desist," as in I Cor. ix. 6 and Eph. vi. 9. vice, that of awe and dread for the courage of The same formula meets us in ver. 7; eh. iii. a soldier of the Lord of hosts (compare the pa- 11, 27. The prophet is warned beforehand of rallels of eh. iii. 24; xlili. 3, 5; Dan. viii 18). the (at least) probable failure of bis mission, Ver. 2.-Alld the Spirit, etc. It scarcely wholly or in part. We note the parallelism admits of question (though the Hebrew has of thought, though not language, in 2 Cor. no article, and so far Luther's version, "lch ii. 15, 16. Such, at all times, bas been the ward wieder erquickt," is tenable) that the condition of tho prophet's work. The ex- word is nsed in the same sense as in eh. pectation is grounded upou the antecedent i 20, 21 (comp. eh. iii. 24). The Spirit fact of their being a "rebellious people." which moved the "living creatures" o.nd There is the consolation that in the end, the " wheels" in the mysterious symbol was partly through the fulfilment of his words, now in him. Ezekiel finds in that fuct the partly, it may be, through the witness of ground of his prophetic inspiration (comp. their own conscience, they shall know that Numb. xx.iv. 2; Judg. xi 29; 1 Sam. x. 6, there has been a prophet among them_(comp. 10 ; Isa. xi. 2, et al.). eh. xxxiii. 33; Jer. xxviii. 9). We note that Ver. 3.-To a rebellious nation; literally, it is the first time that Ezekiel claims that with Revised Version, nations that are name for himself. rebellious. The Hebrew word (goim) is that Ver. 6.-Though briers and thome be. used elsewhere for "heathen," and that may with thee. The two Hebrew nouns are not be its B{ense here. As in eh. xxxvii. 22, Judah found elsewhere, and have consequently and Israel may be thought of as having puzzled translators. The LXX. gives two fallen to the level of the heathen. Part of verbs, "1Ta.po,u-rp11uovuw 1<11.l l"IT1uvu-r~uovTa.1 ,.,,.1 Ezekiel'e work was actually addressed to the u~; the Vulgo.te, increduli et subversores. '£he heathen as such (eh. xxv.-xxxii.). 'fho words, however, are formed from roots that word may, however, be used in the plural to imply "pricking" or " burning," &nd the on:. II, 1-10.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 31