Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 11 · Verses 1-3 – Verse 2
VERS. 1, 2, 3.
Moreover the Spirit lift me up, and brought me unto the Eaſt gate of the Lords houſe which looketh Eaſt-ward: and behold, at the doore of the gate five and twenty men: among whom I ſaw Jaazaniah the ſonne of Azur, and P…latiah the ſonne of Benaiab, Princes of the people.
Then ſaid he unto me, Sonne of man, theſe are the men that deviſe miſchiefe, and give wicked counſell in the City.
Which ſay, it is not near, let us build houſes: this City is the couldron, and we be the fleſh.
EZEKIEL as you have heard was in a viſion at Jeruſalem, Chap. 8.3. the 9. and 10. Chapters were parts of that viſion, and ſo alſo is this Chap. In it you have two parts,
1. A further addition to the viſion our Prophet had to the 24. v.
2. The concluſion of the viſion, from the beginning of the 24. verſ. to the end.
In the firſt part you have theſe things:
1. A manifeſtation unto Ezekiel of thoſe gave ill counſell, and ſeduced the people in the 3. firſt verſes.
2. Denunciation of judgement againſt thoſe evill councellors and ſeducers, from the 3d v. to the 13. wherein the death of one of the chiefe of them is laid down.
3. The Prophets complaint, verſ. 13.
4. The Lords anſwer to his complaint, verſ. 14, 15.
5. Comfort for the captives, from verſ. 15. to the 22.
6. The departure of the glory out of the Citie, v. 22, 23.
In the verſe read we have the manifeſtation of the ill counſellors and ſeducers to our Prophet, where theſe ſeverall particulars fall into conſideration.
1. The efficient cauſe ſhewing the Prophet theſe ill Counſellors, the ſpirit.
2. The place where he ſaw them, at the Eaſt gate, &c.
3. The number of theſe men, 25.
4. The names of two of them, deſcribed alſo from their parents, Jaazaniah, &c. and Pelatiah, &c.
5. Their dignity, Princes of the people, and all theſe in the firſt verſe.
6. The complaint made againſt them, which is ſet downe.
1. In generall, v. 2.
2. Specially, v. 3.
The Spirit lift me up.
It pleaſed the ſpirit of God to take Ezekiel and carry him to Jeruſalem, and there to remove him from place to place; he did nothing of his own head, but as the Spirit ordered him, the Spirit mov'd the wheels, the living creatures, and our Prophet alſo; it was not an Angell nor his owne ſpirit mov'd him, but the Spirit of God.
And brought mee to the Eaſt-gate which looketh Eaſt-ward.
The Hebrew is foreign Pol. renders it ad ortum ſolis. Piſc. orientalem ventum verſus, towards the Sun-riſing ſaith one, towards the Eaſt wind ſaith the other. Sanctius thinks this gate was in the innner Court, and therefore it's call'd the gate of the Lords houſe to which the Prophet was brought; not as being out of the Temple, but remov'd from another place thither. But our Prophet was in the inner Court before, Chap. 8.16. and we find not that he was removed from that place till now. It's not evident therefore that this Eaſt gate ſhould be in the inner Court, and other gates were called the gates of the Lords houſe, Chap. 8.14. The North-gate was cal'd the gate of the Lords houſe, that is therfore no argument to prove it to be in the inner Court. Others therefore more judiciouſly conceive, that our Prophet having ſeene the ſlaughter of all in the Temple by the ſix men, Chap. 9. and heard the ſentence of burning the City, by ſcattering of coales, chap. 10. and that in the inner Court; he was now removed out of the Temple to the Eaſt gate of the outward Courts whither the glory was gone, chap. 10.19. This gate was famous and very obvious to view Eaſt-ward, North-eaſt & Southeaſt; here ſtood the glory of the Lord now, here were the Cherubims under the glory, here were the wheels under the Cherubims, and hither was the Prophet brought; there he ſeeing God going away, might ſhortly declare the mind of God againſt the Jewes at Jeruſalem.
Behold at the doore of the gate 25. m…n.
Here is the number of them. In Ch. 8. v. 16. were 25. men mentioned, and the quaere is, whether theſe be the ſame. Some affirme they were the ſame, but I incline to think otherwiſe.
1. Becauſe our Prophet had ſeene them formerly, and why ſhould he ſee them again.
2. They were in the Temple, worſhipping the Sunne with their faces towards the Eaſt, and theſe were out of the Temple at the Eaſt gate: and if it be ſaid they might returne from their Idolatrous Sun-worſhip within to this Eaſtern gate where the Prophet now ſaw them: we muſt rem…mber that the Prophet ſaw thoſe in the Sanctuary ſlain, Chap. 9. 6. the deſtroying Angels were to begin at the Sanctuary, and they began at the antient men which were before the houſe: and though they were but viſionally ſlain, yet that was ſufficient to keepe them from being preſented to the Prophets view the ſecond time.
The ground for their opinion is this; It's conceiv'd by ſome of the learned, that the Prophet had the viſion of this 11. Chap. before the 9. and 10. and therefore they read the fi…ſt verſe thus, the ſpirit had lift me up, and had brought me; but this is not ſufficient to perſwade us to be of that judgement, for,
1. In the viſion is ſet out to the Prophet the order of Gods departure from them, Chap. 8.4. the glory of the God of Iſrael was there. Chap. 9.5. It went to the threſhold of the houſe, Chap. 10.4. It went up over the threſhold, then verſ. 19. It departed to the Eaſt gate; after this it went to the midſt of the Citie, and from thence to the mountain out of the City, Chap. 11.23. ſo that the graduall departure of the glory doth evince that this Chap. was not before the 9. and 10. but following, as in order it lyes.
2. The concluſion of the viſion confutes that opinion; for verſ. 24, 25. it's ſaid that the viſion went up from him, that he was carried into Chaldea, and that he ſpake to the Captives what he had ſeen. If this Ch. were to ſucceed the 8. and preced…, the 9. and 10. he had been excluded from a great part of the viſion, and in Chaldea before thoſe parts had beene given in to him.
Theſe 25. men were principall men, and Pradus informs us from the Jewiſh writings, that Jeruſalem had 24. Diviſions or Wards, which were governed by 24. choiſe men, who are in the verſ. cal'd Princes of the people; they with the Governour of the City, who is thought to be a Prince of the houſe of Judah, and for the King, conſidered of the Citie, and State affairs, and theſe 25. were at the Eaſt gate. The Magiſtrates and Gov…rnors were wont to ſit in the gates, and heare cauſes, and conſult of their weighty affairs, Jer. 26.10. When the Princes of Judah heard theſe things, then they came up from the Kings houſe unto the houſe of the Lord, and ſat downe in the Entry of the new gate of the Lords houſe, and there they heard the accuſation of Jeremiah.
Others think they were principall men choſen out of the two remaining Tribes, 12. out of each, and a Preſident amongſt them, who was Ruler of the City.
Jaaz…niah.
This Jaazaniah differs from him in Chap. 8.11. who was the ſonne of Shaphan, and this was the ſonne of Azur, whither it were that Azur mentioned, Jer. 28.1. is not known; that Azur was a Prophet, and if a true one, a helper as his name ſignifies.
Pelatiah the ſonne of Benaiah.
The French hath it Pheltias fils de Benaiat: The Tigurine reads it Pelatiahn the ſonne of Benaiahu moſt neare the Hebrew. This Benaiah might be he mentioned in 2 Chron. 31.13. who was one of the overſeers for the things dedicate to the houſe of the Lord, and ſo according to his name was a builder of the Lords. It's like our Prophet knew not any of the reſt, and therefore mentions theſe only, and this laſt he names, becauſe preſently he was made an example of the juſt judgement of God, verſ. 13.
Princes of the people.
That is, chiefe rulers, Numb. 7.2. The Princes of Iſrael, heads of the houſe of their Fathers, who were the Princes of the Tribes, and were ever them that were numbred: And this was a great honour to be a Prince of the people; when God will honour a man in this life, he is ſaid to ſet him with Princes, even the Princes of his people, Pſal. 113.8.
VERS. 2.
Theſe are the men that deviſe miſchiefe.
HEre begins the complaint againſt theſe men, and the firſt part of it they deviſe miſchief.
2. They give ill counſell.
Deviſe miſchiefe.
The Hebrew word foreign is not ſimply to think, but excogitare to ſet the head and heart on work to finde out ſomething, it carries the intention of the mind with it, Jer. 18.18. Come, let us deviſe devices againſt Jeremie. It's the ſame Heb. word, and they would ſet themſelves wholly, fully to deviſe dev…ces, they would be ſolicitous in it, and to find out ſome way to miſchiefe Jeremiah. Perſeras, treſmanvaiſes cogitations. French Bib.So the word is uſed, Ezek. 38.10. Thou ſhalt thinke an evill thought. The other tranſlation hath it, evill thoughts; it's ſpoken of G…g, who ſhould have many evill thoughts againſt the people of God, and be ſet upon deviſing evill. It notes intention and ſolicitouſneſſe, 1 Cor. 7.32. foreign careth for; the vulg. hath it, ſollicitus eſt, and Cyprian, cogitat, to think of a thing with care, and with intention, this is the word here.
Miſchiefe.
Junius hath it vanity; the Sept. have it foreign vain things, the vulgar, iniquity, and ſo the French, qui preſent iniquitie: ſo the Tigurine, qui cogitant iniquitatem; Caſtalio, qui nefas cogitant; the H…b. is foreign which includes all theſe, and is well rendered miſchiefe, which is ſuch evill as tends to the ruine and deſtruction of a State or Church; ſuch was the device of Haman againſt the Jewes.
And give wicked counſell.
They doe not only deviſe miſchiefe, but give it out being deviſed; the Hebr. runs thus, and counſelling ill Counſell, haioatzim atzah rahechrogn, which the Greeks render foreign Caſtal: qui malum conſilium ineunt: The vulgar, qui tractant conſilium peſſimum: The French, & traittant manvais conſeil.