The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 455

Ver. 30.-The goings ont of the oity. i.e. for all time to come (Ew11ld), or "from These were not, e.s Hitzig, Gesenius, Ewald, henceforth," i.e. from thnt dny on, i.e. from Schroder, e.nd Currey he.ve supposed, the the day of the city's building (Hengsten- oitv erits, or gates, which are afterwards berg), which seems the most natural inter- referred t.o, but, as Kliefoth, Keil, Heng- pretation. Kliefoth nnd Keil prefer to stenberg, and Smend suggest, the exten• conjoin "from that day" with the clause sions or boundary-lines of the city, in other following, and expound the prophet's state- words, the city walls in which the gates ment as saying that the city's name should should be placed, and which are mee.sured be, "" Henceforward J ehove.h is t.here, or before the gates are specified_ The north thither." Ewe.Id, Hitzig, Keil, and Smend, we.II, with which the rest should correspond, with the two En~lish Versions, decide for sbonld be four thousand and five hlllldred "there," lfa.vemiok, Hengstenberg, Kliefoth, measures; literally, ffoe hundred and four and Schroder for "thither," as the sense of tlwusand (not cubits, as Ewald states, but il~rt- That "thither" is the ordinary import reeds) by measure. of ii~~ is undoubted; but that by Ezekiel Vers. 31-34.-The gates of the oity. (see eh. xxiii. 3; xxxili. 29, 30) and others These should be twelve in number, three on (Jer. xviii. 2; Ps. cxxii. 5; 2 Kings xxiii. 8) ea.eh side, e.nd named after the twelve tribes it is used as "there " is also correct (see Ge- (comp. Bev. xxi. 12). The gates leading senius, 'Lexicon,' sub -voce). Happily, which- northward slionld be those of Reuben, ever rendering be adopted, the difference in Judah, and Levi, all children of Leah (Gen. significance is not material. If" there," the xxiL 32, 35), e.s Keil observes, "the first- sense is that Jehovah will henceforth reside born in e.ge, the firstborn by virtue of the in the city ; if "thither," that he will pe.tri&rche.l blessing, e.ud the one chosen by henceforth direct his regards t.owe.rds the Jehovah for his own service in the place of city. To object against the former view the firstborn." The ea.me three occupy the that Jehovah was in the future to reside in first three places and in the so.me order in the temple rather than in the city is the bleBBing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii. 6-8). hypercritical, since, if Jehovah should make Towa.rds the east should lead the gates of the temple his peculiar habitation, it would Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan, the first and be for the sa.ke of the city; if the latter second sons of Re.chel, and the third a son view be taken, Kliofoth's explanation must of Re.chel's handmaid (Gen.. xxx. 6, 24; be set aside that" from this day on Jehovah nxv. 18). In the blessing of Mo~~-s would direct himself towards the city ; that Benjamin precedes Joseph (Dent. xxxm. the city and all concerning it may come t.o 12, 13). The south gates receive the ~ames pass." As Keil observes, the name Jehova11 of Simeon, I ssachar, and Zebulun, e.gam all Shammah was not to be given t.o the city sons of Leab_ The west gates are those of before but after it we.a built ( comp. Isa. Ix. Gad, ABher, and Ne.phte.li, that is, two sons 14). of Lee.h's handmaid and one of Ilachel's. It is observable that in the naming of the gates Levi resumes his place among the tribes, NOTE. which necessitates the substitution of Joseph the original tribe-father instead of Ephraim On the significance of the tempk-1,ision. and Manasseh his two sons. (On the phrase, The substance of wb11t bo.s been nscer- one gate of J'uda.h, literally, the gate of tained in the foregoing Exposition mo.y thus Judah one, see on ver. 1.) Ver. 35.-The entire circuit of the city be1.setAccording forth. to the vision shown to the should, according to the above measurement prophet, on returning to take possession of of the walls, be eighteen thousand reeds, i.e. their own land in o.ccordo.nce with promises 18,000 x 6 (cubits) x l½ (feet) = 162,000 previously given ( eh_ xxxiv. 13; xxxvi. 24; feet= 30 miles. Josephus(' Wars,' v. 4. 3) 1 xxxvii. 12, 21, 25), the tribes of restored u.nd reckoned the circnit of Jerusalem in his day reunited Israel should first sepo.ru.te from to be thirty-three stadia, or four miles. The the soil a holy heave, or terumah, ns n portion no.me of the oity from that day should be, for Jehovah (eh. xiv. 1-8). This terumah The Lord is there. It is debated whether they should divide into three parallel tracts : "from that day" (o,•r;i) should be connected assigning thnt on the north, two-fifths of with the preceding or the succeeding words, the whole, to the Levites for chambers and and likewise whether ~It should be trans- for lands; that in the middle, also two-fifths lated "there" or "thither." The Authorized of the whole, t.o the priests, for the sanctuary, 11.nd Revised Versions, Ewald, Hli.vernick, which should occnpy its centre, and for Hengstenberg, Schroder, and Smend agree houses in which they might reside; and thot that oi•t? belongs to the antecedeut clause, in the south, one-fifth of the whole, for the but differ as t.o whether it should be llllder- city, which also should sta.nd in its middle, atood as e4uivalent to" from this time forth," for dwellings and for suburbs (oh. xlviii. 15). on. nvnr. 1-35.J 'l'HE BOOK OF TllE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 471