Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 7 · Verses 10-11
CHAP. VII.
10. Behold the day, behold, it is come, behold it is come, the morning is gone forth, the Rod hath bloſſomed, Pride hath budded.
11. Violence is riſen up into a rod of wickedneſſe: none of them ſhall remaine, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs, neither ſhall there be wailing for them.
IN theſe Verſes he goes on to ſhew the approach and extent of their Ruine, it was at hand, and none of them ſhould remaine, and likewiſe the cauſes thereof, Pride and Violence: Of morning was ſpoken in the ſixth Verſe, but I muſt open ſomething here, for the words are difficult.
The Rod hath bloſſom'd.
By Rod, ſundry Interpreters underſtand Nebuchadnezzar, whom they conceive ſo called, Jer. 1.11. and that in Iſa. 10.5. O Aſſyrian the Rod of mine anger, refers not onelyonly to Senacherib, but alſo to Nebuchadnezzar:
A Rod in the Scripture ſenſe denotes,
Firſt, Power, ſtrength, Psal. 2.9. a Rod of Iron.
Secondly, Afflictions, heavy Judgements, Pſal. 89.32. I will viſit your tranſgreſſions with a Rod.foreign
Thirdly, Rigid and harſh Government, Iſa. 14.5. The Lord hath broken the ſtaffe, or Rod of the wicked: That is, their rigorous and cruell Government; Nebuchadnezzar had great ſtrength, ſorely afflicted the Land of Judah, he was an Iron Rod that brake them in pieces, and rul'd them rigidly in Babylon, Jehoiakim was kept 37. yeares in priſon, Jer. 52.31. The rod bloſſometh: That is, was in a readineſſe to come and ſmite Jeruſalem; after bloſſoming comes fruit, and the fruit that this Rod bare, was fruit unto death.
Pride hath budded.
This King and people lifted up themſelves above others,Vir Superbiae Vatablus turnes it, and meanes it of Nebuchadnezzar. and prided themſelves in their greatneſſe, ſtrength, riches and victories, Jer. 50.31. God ſaith of Babylon, I am againſt thee O thou moſt proud. The Hebrew is, I am gainſt thee Pride. Theſe Babilonians were pride it ſelfe; in Dan. 4.30. You may heare the King priding himſelfe in this language; Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the houſe of the Kingdome, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my Majeſty?
Both King and people were proud, and their pride budded forth and appeared to all, when they put out Zedekiah's eyes, ſlew his ſonnes before his face, and ſaid, ſing us one of the ſongs of Zion, Pſal. 137.3.
Others by Rod underſtand the ſtate of Judah and Jeruſalem: ſo the word Rod is uſed in Scripture, Jer. 48.17. How is the ſtrong ſtaffe broken, and the beautifull Rod: That is, the ſtate and dignity of Moab, and thus we may underſtand it.
The word for Rod ſignifies a Tribe, as in Num. 1.4.16.21.foreign Either becauſe they grew out of the ſtock of Jacob, as branches doe out of a Tree, or becauſe the names of the 12. Tribes were written upon rods, Num. 17.2. and the word being Hammatteh, the Tribe, the rod carries me to conceive its meant of Judah, rather than of Nebuchadnezar: And the ſenſe runs in a continued allegory, Judah is compared to a tree that bloſſoms, buds, and brings forth its fruit, it had bloſſom'd or flouriſhed: ſo the word is, Pſalm 90.6. And now the fruit was growing ripe, their ſins were great, the meaſure of them almoſt full, and puniſhment grew near and weighty.
The ſinnes mentioned are, 1. Pride.foreign
That pride: So the Hebrew is, there was eminency in it, Judah was grown very proud, Jer. 13.9.The Rulers were ſcore ful. Iſa. 28.14. I will marre the pride of Judah & the great pride of Jeruſalem. And wherein appeared this great pride, verſ. 10. They refuſe to heare Gods word, they walked in the imaginations of their owne hearts after other Gods, to ſerve and worſhip them, the proud men told Jeremiah be ſpake falſely, Jer. 43.25:
This ſin reigned among men and women alſo, Iſa. 3.16. The daughters of Sion are haughty, and walke with ſtretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they goe, making a tinckeling with their feete; They had great bravery, tinkling ornaments, Caules, round moon tires, chaines, bracelets, muflers, bonnets, leg-ornaments, headbands, rings, eare-rings, noſe-jewels, changeable ſuites of apparell, mantles, criſping pins, glaſſes, fine linnen, hoods and vailes. They were cloathed with pride, their children carried themſelves proudly againſt the Antients, and the baſe againſt the honourable; ſo great and generall was the pride of Jeruſalem, that it made the Prophet weep in ſecret places, Jer. 13.17. Their pride budded and bloſſom'd, ſo that the Prophets eye ſeeing it, affected his heart, fetcht rivers of teares from him, ſeeing their deſtruction now at hand.
foreign.The Septuagint renders this place of our prophet thus; Injury hath riſen up, pride is an injurious thing to God and man, it riſes up againſt him, and thruſts him out of his worſhip, Ordinances, wayes; it diſquiets Kingdomes, and the meek of the earth: It's injurie it ſelfe.
foreignBudds;
That is, puts forth, is green and growing, as a tree, Cant. 7.12. Puts out buds, in every part of it in the Spring, ſo as a foule puts out feathers all over: ſo did Judah's pride bud forth in all rancks and conditions of people.
2. foreignThe other ſin is violence. The vulgar tranſlates it iniquitie, the Greeks, unrighteouſneſſe; others, rapine, injurie: but the Hebrew is emphaticall,foreign. that violence, that iniquity, &c. It ſignifies open wrong, as Mercer obſerves upon Gen. 6.11. This ſin was in ſtrength among this people, Iſa. 59.6. Their workes are workes of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands, they oppreſſe the poore, they robbe and ſpoile them, and that openly. The act, even the things they have taken from them are in their hands, Amos 3.10. They know not to doe right, who ſtore up violence and robbery in their pallaces: The Rulers and great men that dwelt in pallaces, they oppreſſed, they robbed, and ſtored up what they got in their pallaces, that it was known to all, and cryed out of by the Prophet, Mic. 3.1, 2, 3. He tels you of the Heads and Princes doings, who above others ſhould have ſeene to the execution of juſtice: and they were the men pluckt off the skin from the people, and their fleſh from their bones; they flaied, brake, chopt them in pieces as for the pot.
The peoples eſtates and livelihoods were as their skin, fleſh, bones unto them, but the great ones wrung them from the people, and did live upon the ſpoile: They ate the bread of wickedneſſe, and dranke the wine of violence, Prov. 4.17. And this ſinne ſtaid not in the heads, but deſcended to the body; the people generally, they that were rich oppreſſed the poore, Amos 8.4. They ſwallowed up the needy, they made the Epha ſmall, and the Sheckle great, they falſified the Ballances, ſold the poore for ſilver, and the needy for ſhooes, verſ. 5, 6. Men indued with immortall ſoules, worth all the world, they ſold for old ſhoes, and filled the land with violence, Ezek. 8.17.
Riſen up into a rod of wickedneſſe.
The phraſe imports thus much, that their injuſtice and oppreſſion had prepared and brought forth Judgment.
A rod of wickedneſſe, that is a rod, the fruit of wickedneſſe, out of their great ſinnes hath ſprung up this rod, or thus, a rod of wickedneſſe; that is, a rod to correct and puniſh wickedneſſe withall; in both ſenſes it may be called a rod of wickedneſſe, both becauſe it buds from wickedneſſe, and ſerves to beate wickedneſſe. If wee refer violence to Nebuchadnezar, then the meaning is, God will raiſe up him to be the rod of his anger to beate the Jewes for their iniquity; he ſhall riſe up into a rod of wickedneſſe. If we referre it to the Jewes, then the meaning is, their own wickedneſſe is riſen up into a rod, into judgment, and that rod will be their ruine; ſuch a phraſe there is in Pro. 14.3. In the mouth of the fooliſh is a rod of pride. That is, the proud ſpeeches in the mouths of fools, offend others, provoke God, produce ſhame, trouble, danger to themſelves, and ſo their own ſin is a rod to themſelves.
Obſer. 1 That pride is a fore-runner of deſtruction; Judgment, utter ruine was comming upon them: but pride had budded, they were grown exceeding proud and haughty, their pride teſtified to their faces, as the phraſe is, Hoſ. 5.5. Therefore ſhall Iſrael and Ephraim fall in their iniquity, Judah alſo ſhall fall with them.
Is Iſrael proud, ſo is Judah? muſt Iſrael fall, ſo muſt Judah? Pride ſtruts before, and ruine follows at the heels, Prov. 16.18. Pride goeth before deſtruction, and a haughty ſpirit before a fall. Haman was haughty, he thought ſcorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone, he will have the blood and bones of all the Jewes to ſatisfie his pride, Eſt. 3.6. And quickly after hee was hanged, Eſt. 7.10. Before the worms did eate Herod, his heart was ſwoln with pride, Acts 12 23. Nebuchadnezar, Dan. 4.30, 31. David in the pride of his hear… numbers the people, and the plague ſweeps away 70000. of them preſently after. Abſolom, Adonijah aſpire, but deſtruction was their end. Pride affects to goe before; but its before a fall, before deſtruction: If you find pride in the premiſſes, you ſhall certainly finde deſtruction in the concluſion; pride preceded the grand fall of our firſt Parents, they would be like to Gods knowing good and evill, Gen. 3.5. And pride preceded the Angels fall in Heaven; ſome gather from that in 1 Tim. 3.6. It was ſo from the beginning, and will be a truth to the end, Luke 14.11. Whoſoever exalteth himſelfe ſhall be abaſed, & he that humbleth himſelf ſhall be exalted: Be they particular perſons, Cities, or Kingdomes; if they exalt themſelves through pride, God will throw them downe, Jer. 50.29, 30. Babylon hath been proud againſt the Lord, againſt the holy one of Iſrael, and therefore ſhee ſhould be ruined. I believe the Kingdomes that are ruining now, have been proud againſt the Lord and his worſhip; they have provoked God with that ſin, and he will plague them with his Judgements; God threatned Jeruſalem for this ſin, Jer. 13.9. I'le marre the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jeruſalem. And how, you may ſee in Iſa. 3.24. Inſtead of ſweet ſmells there ſhall be a ſtinke, and inſtead of a girdle, a rent: Inſtead of well-ſet haire, baldneſſe: Inſtead of a ſtomacher, a girding with ſackcloath, and burning inſtead of beauty: Thus God would marre it, Iſa. 23.9. The Lord of Hoſts hath purpoſed to staine the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth: He hath purpoſed, and is powerfull to doe it.
Obſer. 2 The ruine of perſons and Kingdomes is from themſelves, violence is riſen up into a Rod of wickedneſſe, their own injuſtice, oppreſſion, and iniquities brought forth that which was their deſtruction, a rod of wickedneſſe; Davids ſinne was a rod to himſelfe, 2 Sam. 12.9, 10, 11. Thou haſt killed Ʋriah, defiled Bathſheba, now therefore the ſword ſhall never depart from thine houſe, I will raiſe up evill againſt thee out of thine owne bowels. The Sinne and Rod grew out of one ſtock; mens ſinnes prove their rods. Joſephs Brethren ſin'd in Ganaan, and their ſin was a rod to them in Aegypt, Gen. 42.21. Judas treaſon became the halter that hanged him, Matth. 27.25. Adam's eating the forbidden fruit, prepared birch for his owne backe, and all ours; he world is whipt with the Rod of his Sin; Sinne in the Scripture is called a burthen, weight, Gal. 6.5. It's that ſinks into miſery, thornes, bryars, Heb. 6.8. It prickes and ſcratches, Nahum 1.10. Its a ſling, 1 Cor. 15.59. It's that brings terrible pangs and pains to all; a ſnare, Pſalm 9.16. and that will take him, makes and ſets it, and here a Rod that caus'd feare, ſmart, wounds, death. The tree bears a helm for the Axe that cuts it ſelf down, the Garment breeds the moth that devours it, and Judah planted the Rod brake its ſelfe in pieces; while Judah is ſinning, Gods wrath is growing; Nebuchadnezar's comming, the Rod of his indignation. It was Iſraels Idolatrity that ruin'd Her, Hoſ. 13.1. And Judah's injuſtice, oppreſſion, that ruin'd her, Jer. 5.1. Iſa. 5.7.
None of them ſhall remaine.
God would make a generall deſtruction, yet not ſo generall as not any to eſcape; we know divers did, and ſome returned, who had ſeen the glory of the former Temple. Shall Remaine, is not in the Originall, its onelyonly none of them, a defective ſpeech, and refers to the Rod of wickedneſſe, and may thus be ſupplyed, none of them ſhall goe unpuniſhed; they have all ſinned, and ſhall one way or other ſmart all of them: and ſo they did, though all of them were not carryed away, or cut off.foreign
Nor of their multitude.
foreignThe Hebrew is, Tumult, ſound, or company making a noiſe; Where there is a great number, there is tumultuouſneſſe, let their number be never ſo great, none of them ſhall eſcape the Rod; if it deſtroy them not, it ſhall wound them, if not wound them, it ſhall affright them.
Others interpret it of their wealth: None of their wealth, that is, none of it ſhall doe them good, or goe u…plundered.
Nor any of theirs.
The Hebrew is conſiderable two wayes, either from Hem, and that doubled Mehemehem of them, of them, and then the ſenſe is, none of them, I ſay none of them that have thus ſinned, diſhonoured me before the Nations, ſhall goe unpuniſhed; Or thus, none of them, of them, none of their ſeed, none come from ſuch a race ſhall eſcape the ſmart of that Rod is now growing up. All their Poſterity were not quite ruin'd, but they all ſmarted.
Or the Hebrew may be conſiderable from Hamab, which is to make a noiſe: and then the meaning is, none of thoſe men that make a noiſe ſhall goe unbeaten with this Rod; none of the great men that with their honor, wealth, traine, make ſuch ſtirs in the City and Land; none of them that thinke themſelves through their greatneſſe exempt from all Courts, all accompts, all corrections, ſhall be free from the ſtroaks of this Rod, be they never ſo great, be they Prieſts, Prophets, Nobles, Princes, Kings, they ſhall come under the laſh, neither multitude, riches, nor greatneſſe, will priviledge ſinners when the Rod comes. The old worlds multitude, Damaſcus riches, Jeruſalems ſons of pride, men of noiſe, could not protect them from the wrath of God or man.
Neither ſhall there be wailing for them.
Though men of quality, yet ſhall not their friends bewaile them in any ſolemn manner, the deſtructions, miſeries, feares, through power and inſolency of the enemy ſhall be ſuch, that they ſhall not dare to lament the dead openly, nor much minde their death. Jeremiah ſpeakes of this evill, Chap. 16.4. & 25.33. Their ſlain ſhould be ſo many, death ſo common, that they ſhould lye unburied, unbemoaned.