The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 383

aotion wae meant to leo.d to questions. at naught, reject every tree;" and the latter, Who.t did it mean? And then he is to "'fhou who guidest the sceptre of my son, answer tho.t he does it "for the tidings" thou hast out down." On the whole, (1) which nro to him o.e certain o.e if they had seems to rest on better ground than the alroo.dy come. He ie but <loing what o.11 others. would do, wl!en the messenger brought Ver. 12.-Terrors by reason of the sword; word, as in eh. xxxiii. 21, five yea.re later, better, as in the Revised Version and margin tho.t the city wne at le.st smitten. of the Authorized Version, They (the princes Yore. 8, 9.-A sword, e. sword, etc. The of Judah, corresponding to the "rod" of new section (vere. 9-17) rises out of the ver. 10) are delivered over to the sword with thought of the unsheathed sword in ver. 3. my people. At this stage, in contemplating More tho.n most other portions of Ezekiel's the destmction alike of princes and of writings, it assumes e. distinctly lyrical people, the prophet is bidden to make hie character, and might be bended, "The Lay gestures of lamentation yet more exJ;trP.ssive, of the Sword of Jehovah." 'l'he opening "crying, howling, smiting on his thigh" wor<ls are probably e.n echo of Deut. x.xxii. (Jer. xxxi. 19). 41. The dazzling brightness of the sword Ver. 13.-Becauee it is a trial, etc. The is added to its sharpness as o. fresh element verse has received as many interpretations, of terror. and is just as obscure as ver. 10, with which Ver. 10.-The soeptre of my son, etc. it is obviously connected. I begin as before The clause is obscure, possibly corrupt, and with that which seems most probable. (I) ho.a received many interpretatiqns. (1) Keil : For the trial is made, and what if the 'faking the received text, the most pro- despising sceptre shall not come f The " de- bable explanation is that given by Keil and spising sceptre" is the kingdom of Judah, Kliefoth: Shall we rejoice (saying), The and the prophet asks, "What will happen, sceptre of my son despiBeth all woods. Here what extreme of misery is to be looked for, the "rod" is the "sceptre" of the tribe of if that kingdom shall not appear, if Judah Judah (Gen. xlix. 10), and the words o.re shall be left without a rnler? (2) Ewald: supposed to be spoken by those who hear For it ia tried-and what t Whether it is of tbe destroying sword. They need not also a soft rod ! That will not be. Sc. dread the sword, they say, because the men will find on trial that the sword of sceptre of the house of David, whom Jeho- Jehovah is not a soft rod, but the sharpest vah recognizes as his son, despises all wood, of all weapons. (3) Hengstenberg: .And looks on every other rod that is the symbol how? Shall the despising rod that outstript of sovereignty, with scorn. It is urged, all other punishments not be f i.e. shall the in favour of this interpretation, that ver. 27 sword of Jehovah not do its work effectively? contains an unmistakable reference to the (4) Cornill, in part following Hitzig, age.in prophetic words of Gen. xlix. 10. (2) rewrites the text, and gets the meaning: Ewald: It is no weal, rod of 'm'JI son, the How should I judge with favourf They softest of all wood; i.e. the sword of Jehovah have not turned themselves from their pol- is no weak weapon such as might be used lution. The1; shall find no place. (5) The for the chastisement of a child (Prov. x. 13; Authorized Version inserts the word "sword," xiii. 24 ). (3) Hengstenberg: Shall we re- apparently with the meaning that the" trial" joice over the rod of my son, despising even; will show that the sword of the Lord con- ti·ee? There is no cause for anything but temns the rod, i.e. the sceptre of Judah, the reverse of joy in the rod, the punish- and ,that that rod shall be no more. (6) ment which God appoints for Israel as hie The Authorized Version (margin): When son, and which surpasses nil others in its the trial hath been, what then 'i Shall not severity. (4) Tbe Authorized Version and they also belong to the despising rod 'i may Revised Version (rnnrgiu) make the" sword" havo had a meaning for those who adopted the nominative, anci the words are those of it, but I fail to find it. (7) 'l'he Revised J ehovnh: It contemneth the rod (i.e. the Version relegates the Authorized Version sceptre) of my son, as it contemns every other text into the margin, and substitutes, For tree (i.e. as in eh. xx. 4), every other national there is a trial, and what if eoen the rod that ~overeignty. (5) The Revised Version and contemneth (i.e. the sceptre of Judah) shall Authorized Version (margin): It (the sword) beno moref (8) The LXXand Vulge.te con- is the rod of my son (appointed for his chas- nect "because there is a trio.I" with the tisement), and it despisetli every tree, in preceding clause, rendering it respectively, so.me sense as in (4). (5) Cornill, altering "for it has been juslified (8•8,1<,&iwTa<)," and the text, almost rewriting it, gets the "becunse it has been tested (probatW1)," meaning: It (the sword) is fen· men who and translate what follows -the LXX., murder and plunder, and regard not any "What if even a tribe be repulsed? It shall strength. Neither the LXX. nor the Vul- not be;" aud the Vulgate, "And this when go.te help us, the former giving, "Slay, set it (the sword 1) has overturned the kingdom, EZEKIEL, 2 o  THE BOOK OF THE PROPHE1' EZEKlEL. [on. lll. 1-32.