The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 433

to encompass the world. Hengstenberg, default of better, the last is best. Ewald Kliefoth Keil, and Currey, who adopt the changes the duo.I into c~r;,~, a singular latter c~nstruction, borrow '19 from the with a suffix, while Hitzig me.kcs of it 11 antecedent clause, and translate, "To the plural; but neither of these devices is satis- sea (oome or go) the waters that have been factory. As a further evidence tbe.t the brought forth," with whioh accords the waters of the sea should be healed by the Revised Version. The last words record the inflowing into them of the waters of the effect which should be produced by their river, it is stated that the sea should there- cutering into the sea. The waters shall after contain a very great multitude of fish be healed, i.e. rendered salubrious, from (literally, and the fish will be very many), of being hurtful (comp. Exod. xv. 23, 25; which previously itcontainednone. The next 2 Kings ii. 22). The translation of the clauses supply the reason of this abundance LXX., v-y,ci.u« -re 38,mi, is inaccurate. The of fish, beoanse these waters (of the river) un"holesome character of the Dead Sea. is shall-or, are (Revised Version) come thither described by Tacitus: "Lacus immenso -(into the waters of the sea.), for (litcre.lly, ambitu, Bpecie maris sapore corruptior, gram- and) they, the latter, shall be (or, are) healed, fate odoris accolis pestifer, neque 11e11to impel- and everything shall live (or, connecting litur neque pisces aut sueuu aquis 11olucres this with the foregoing clause, and every- patitur" ('Hist.,' v. 6). Von Rau.mer (p. 61) thing shall be healed, and live) whithersoever writes, "The sea is called Dead, because the river cometh-the river, namely, that there is in it no ~reen plant, no water-fowl proceedeth from the temple. in it no fish, no shell. If the Jordan carry Ver. 10.-As another consequence of the fish 'into it they die." "According to the inflowing of this river into the Dead Sea, testimony ~f all antiquity and of most it is stated that the fishers (rather, fisher', modern travellers," says Robinson (' Bihl. without the article) should stand upon its Res.,' ii. 226)," there exists within the waters banks, from Engedi, even unto Enegle.im ; of the Dead Sea no living thing, no trace, there shall be a place to spread forth nets. indeed, of animal or vegetable life. Our The Revised Version more correctly renders, own experience goes to confirm the trnth of jiahers shall stand by it ; from Engedi even this testimony. We perceived no sign of unto Eneglaim, shall be a place for the life within the waters." spreading of nets; or, more literally, a place Ver. 9.-The nature of the healing is of spreading out for nets (comp. eh. xxvi next described as an impe.rtation of such 5). Engedi, ''.IJ )'!!, meaning "Fountain salubrity to the waters that everything that of the kid,'' originally styled Hazezon-Tamar liveth, which moveth-better, e11ery living (2 Chron. xx. 2), now called '.din Jidy creature which BWarmeth ( comp. Gen. i 20, (Robinson,• Bihl. Res.,' ii. 214), was situated 21; vii 21)-whithersoever the rivers in the middle of the west coast of the Dead (literally, the two rfoers) shall oome, shall Sea, and not at its southern extremity, live. The meaning cannot be that every- as Jerome supposed. Eneglaim, c:??V., )')!., thing which liveth and swa.rmeth in the sea. whither the rivers come shall live, signifying "Fountain of two co.Ives,'' was becauoe the Dead Sea contains no fish (see located by Jerome, who calls it En Gallim, above), 1,ut whithersoever the rivers come, o.t the northern extremity of the Dead Sea, there liviug and swarming creatures of every and is usually identified with the modern kind shall spring into existence, shall come '.A.in Feshkhah, or " Fountain of mist," at the northern end of the west coast, where the to life and flourish. Tl1e dual form, c:?!]~, ruins of houses and a 1,mall tower have been has been acconntei for by Maurer, as having discovered (Robinson, 'Bihl. Res.,' ii. 220), been selected on account ofits resemblance to Ewald oites lea. xv. 8 to show tbnt En- C;I?; by Ilivernick e.nd Currey, as pointing eglaim was on the eastern shore of the De~d to the junction of another river, the ~edron Sea, which, Smend notes, was given up by (Hii.vernick), the Jordan (Currey), with the the prophet to the sons or the East. temple-stream before the latter, sbf?uld fall Ver. 11.-The miry places thereof (u;ntiq1, into the sea; by Kliefoth, as alluding to a an incorrect reading for \'I)\~~. the plural di vio-ion of the river watera after entering the sea.; by N eu.mann and Schroder, a.a referring with suffix of.,,~. "a marsh, or swamp," as to tl,e waters of the sea and the waters of the in Job viii. 11 ; xl. 21) and the me.rahes river, which should henceforth be united; thereof. 1•~;;u," its pools and sloughs" (comp. and by Hengstenberg, with whom Keil and Isa. xu. H, where the term signifies a Plumptre agree, as a dual of intensification reservoir for water, or cistern), were the low (e.s in Jer. 1. 21), signifying "double river," tracts of laud upon the borders of the Dead with allusion to its gr~atness, or the strength Sell, which in the rainy see.Mon, when its of its current. None of these interpretations waters overflowed, became covered with j~ froe fro111 objection ; though probably, in pool1 (see Rob~on, 'Bihl. Res.,' ii 225). oH. XLVII.1-23.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 449