Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Ezekiel · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
AFTER the siege of Jerusalem, shewed ch. 4. and the famine, here the destruction which then should be made, and by what means is further shewed, and by a figure also. He must cause his hair to be shaven, and dividing V. 1.it into 3 parts burn one, smite with a knife about the other, and cast the third forth to be blown about by the wind, the signification whereof is shewed v. 12. viz. that a third part of them should die by the famin before spoken V. 12.of, a third part by the sword, and a third by being scattered into all parts, or quarters of the world, as it came to passe in the Babyl. Captivity.
And thou shalt take a few of them, and bind them in thy skirt and then cast them V. 3.into the fire: This, saith Lyra, is spoken of Zedekiah and Ahab, two adulterous Lyra. Jer. 29. Calvin.false Prophets, whom Nebuchadnezzar is said therefore to have burnt in the fire. But Calvin better, hereby is shewed, that when this great destruction should come to the Jews, some few of them should yet be preserved, as some hairs kept close in the skirt of a mans garment, when all V. 14.else are put into the fire; so it is said often, that of the Jews a remnant should be saved, yet of this remnant some again are cast in also; to shew that in time of common danger, wherein most perish, but some yet escape, even they shall not all escape, but of these few, some shall suffer afterwards; as indeed it fell out to Gedaliah and some others left in the land, when others were destroyed or carryed away by means of Ishmael and his adherents Jer. 41.slaying them, as Jeremiah sheweth, for thereof shall a fire come forth to all the house of Israel; that is, so none of all the wicked shall escape of all the children of Israel; but shall perish first or last; which should make them that have been in danger, but are yet escaped, to fear and repent, seeing they are Note. still liable to the like destruction, not one mothers son of all the wicked shal finally escape.
Because yee have multiplyed more then the nations round about you; But before V. 7. V. 5.this it is to be noted, that he saith, This is Jerusalem, I have set her …n the midst of the nations: whereby he both expresly sheweth what people he meant by the haires before spoken of, and layeth a foundation of aggravating her sin by speaking of her site and excellency, her site being in the midst of the earth, as Ierome and others observe, so that she could not bee Hieron.hid, nor her evil doings, but all nations round about saw them, whereby their God who dwelt there had the greater dishonour, his name being by this means blasphemed amongst the Gentiles, as is said Rom. 2. 17. And Ierusalem is also said to be in the midst of the nations, to denote the excellency thereof above them all for Gods special favours to that City above all others, setting it up as a light; and therefore expecting for his law and service being amongst them, that they should by vertuous living have given light all Calvin.about, to which effect almost Calvin. But loe contrariwise, as here v. 7. followeth, they multiplyed more then other nations; that is, their sins, the V. 7.word signifyeth to multiply, although some (saith Calvin) expound it by tumultuating; but the word foreign hath no such signification: The Vulgar renders it superastis, yee have exceeded all nations round about, expounded likewise by Ierome of sin. Some taking it Passively; will have the Jews multiplying in children, and in wealth, hereby meant, but not to the purpose. Next, he chargeth them that they had not walked in the judgments of the Heathen, which may seem, forsomuch as the Prophets are often in reproving them for walking according to their statutes. But the meaning here is, that they were not so constant to their God, although the onelyonly true God of heaven and earth, as the Heathens to theirs; in which respect Ieremiah plainly reproveth them saying, Will any nation change their Gods? but Jer. 2.yee have changed me.
I, even I am against thee; that is, not men who shall come of themselves V. 9.seeking to destroy thee, for so thou mightest hope notwithstanding to escape, but I will come with them against thee, and they shall bee but my instruments to doe execution upon thee. For that hee meant not hereby, that he would immediately by his judgments from heaven destroy them, appeareth, because he did it by the Caldees, so that they are much Calvin.mistaken that expound it of his immediate judging of them, as some (saith Calvin) doe. And these his judgments he saith shall be so great, that the like hath not been formerly done, nor shall be done hereafter; and then coming to shew more particularly the judgments, he saith, Fathers shall V. 10.eat their Sons, and the Sons shall eat their Fathers: How this was everfulfilled according to the letter, some doubt; and because it appeareth not when, they expound it mystically, as meant of that which our Lord saith, The Father shall bee against the Son, and the Son against the Father; that is, the Hieron.Master against the Scholar, &c. But touching Mothers eating their Children in the straightnesse of the siege by the Caldees, it is spoken, Lament. Ioseph. l. 7. de bello Iud. c. 8.4. 10. & 2. 20. And again, when Ierusalem was besieged by the Romanes: And before this, 2 King. 6. 28. in Samaria, when that City was besieged, and in other Histories; in Sancerra in France, ann. 1572. two women in the Flarim. Hemun. de antich. c. 7.straightnesse of the siege did the like. And in the days of Honorius the Emperour, men did buy and sell, and eat the flesh of men in Rome, and it was commonly Procopius de bell. Goth. l. 2.cryed, Pone pretium humanae carnis. And Deut. 28. 53, 54, 55, &c. it is threatned, that both Fathers and Mothers should doe so; and therefore it is not to be doubted but that it was done accordingly, and so they suffered the extremity of punishment as is here threatned. Wherefore wee shall not here need to flee to Allegories, as Ierome doth, or otherwise expound it with Vatablus of the Fathers taking away the meat from their Childrens Vatabl.mouths, and Childrens taking it from their Fathers, they being by this means famished and dying: for although this were not a direct eating of one another, yet it was in effect an eating and devouring of one another; in which sense our Lord charged the Pharisees that they devoured Widows Matth. 23.houses, and for a colour made long prayers; and the Apostle some, that, they did bite and devour one another; yet if it be thus onelyonly taken, the sense will not be that which here it is, the very eating of the flesh of one another, most stupendiously and unnaturally. But although Ierome erred here in pending the sense to an Allegory, yet there was no such cause for this to taxe him as proud and wicked as Calvin doth, and to be taken heed of as dangerous, but onelyonly to try all things delivered by him, and to hold fast that which is good; without which Caveat Calvin himself is not to be read, in his Determinations about the sense of Scripture, as may appear in many places, wherein I have laid open his mis-interpretations also, which it may be feared came also from the same fountain, for which he blameth Ierome, arrogancy of spirit transporting him by reason of his great acumen, and high esteem in which he was had of all men; in saying which, yet let me crave thy charitable censure of me (O judicious Reader) that come so far short of him in learning and judgment; but truth is truth touching men of greatest abilities, and we are not for Modesties sake to forbear to utter it when need requireth. But to return to the text in hand, it being clear, that it is to be understood according to the Letter: It may yet be demanded, How so understood it can be true, that the like was never done before, nor should bee after? I answer, the meaning is not without all limitation of place or time; for it is said onelyonly, I will doe in thee that which I have not done, neither will I doe the like any more; the meaning being, that in Jerusalem the like was never before done, nor after in Jerusalem which then stood, for it was burnt and broken down by the Caldees at the end of that siege. Therefore although the like judgment had come before upon Samaria, and afterwards in the time of the Romanes, upon Jerusalem rebuilt, yet it makes nothing against this Prophesie. The Jews then living, by this strange judgment amongst them, being thus Deut. 28. 46.made a sign and a wonder to the nations about, that should see it. And this judgment was more then ever befell any other Heathen people that ever we read of before or since; in which regard it is also thus spoken, and a reason why it should be so is premised, v. 7. because they had multiplyed their sins more. Which yet is not so to be understood, as if the Heathens committed not the same abominations that they did, for they also were grosse Idolaters, and otherwise notoriously wicked: But the excesse of the Jews was in this, that they having an holy God revolted from him, and so the Heathen did not by their impure gods, and did these abominations in the light of the Word amongst them, these in the darknesse of ignorance and blindnesse. For hereby the sins of any people are aggravated above the sins of Note. others, if they have means of teaching and instruction in the right way, but others are without, as Sodom and Gomorrah; and likewise particular persons Matth. 11.are counted greater sinners, that have most knowledge, then the simple and ignorant.
Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest in them. V. 13.Here by resting, some (saith Calvin) understand an end of Gods …udgments against the Jews, but erroneously, as appeareth by the next words, And they shall know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal, when I have acc…mplished my fury upon them; for these shew plainly, that by his furies resting in them, the continuance of his judgments is meant, and that they should not be sharp onelyonly for a little while, as they might hope in regard of Gods great mercy. But he saith, that he will continue his judgments upon them so long, that they shall know to their cost that which they would not know nor acknowledge before, that what was spoken by the Prophets in threatning them came from God, whereas they would not beleeve but that they spake so of their own heads; yea, and that God spake so by them out of his zeal or anger against their abominable sins, and therefore that he was not a God composed all of mercy, as the wicked imagine, but hot and zealous to be avenged upon them, or any else that doe such things: Whence note, that God is Note. zeal and fire to the wicked, as well as grace and mercy to the penitent. 2. That they shall be made to know this by experience, that will not otherwise beleeve it at the hearing of his Word. 3. That a little suffering will not work them to this through their hard-heartednesse, but judgments of long continuance. 4. They lay a foundation of such grievous and long lasting judgments to themselves, who will not beleeve the Word preached against their sins, and the bitter threatnings of his Ministers to come from God, but from themselves, and therefore sleight and contemn them. But what is it that he saith further here, I will be comforted, when hee had said that he would make his anger to rest in them? is vengeance taking upon the wicked, a comfort to God, who professeth to be unwilling with their death? Sol. There is a like passage, Esay 1. 24. Ah I will ease me of mine adversaries, …t is spoken according to the manner of men, to whom other men being grievous enemies, but by them subdued, they now rejoice and are comforted, whereas before they were sad and passionate through anger. Not that it is so with God, to whom no passions are incident, but to affect us men the more, who cannot conceive otherwise of the Lords wrath against sin, but when he thus condescendeth in speaking of himself to our weaknesse.
And thou shalt be a reproach, astonishment and instruction to all nations round V. 15.about. This is spoken according to Deut. 28. 37. onelyonly the word Instruction is here inserted more; whereby he meaneth, that their sufferings should stir up even the nations round about to fear God, who brought such judgments upon them, although they themselves were so stupid, that they would not profit thereby, being such yet as knew the laws of God, when the nations Note. about were ignorant. And this use we should all make of the judgments that befall others, to be stirred up thereby to repentance, that so their coming upon us may be prevented.
And I will increase the famin upon you; Hebr. I will adde the famin: whereas V. 16.before hee had said, I will send the evill arrows of famin; whereby wee may understand either droughts, or superabundance of rain, or mildew, &c. which commonly are the means whereby famins are brought upon a land. Now he further sheweth, that in ease none of these evills befall them, but they had plenty, yet the Lord had other ways to bring a famin, viz. by enemies shutting them up till all their provision was consumed, and they starved with hunger.
So, I will send upon thee famin and evill beasts, and they shall bereave thee. V. 17. Lyra.By Evill beasts Lyra understandeth venemous Serpents; Theodoret, the Caldees, like such beasts as devour and lay waste places where they come; others Lions Theodor.and Bears destroying the Jews, which fled from the Caldees, and lurked in desert places: Let the Reader take it which way he pleaseth, but I preferre that of Theodoret, because cruell enemies are often set forth under the simile of beasts.