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About Google Book Search Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http://books.google.com/ 1 WESTMINSTERCOMMENTABIES EDITEDBYWALTERLocxD.D. IRELANDPEDFKSSOROFTHEEXEGESIS OFHOLYBCEIPI'URE THEBOOKOFTHEPROPHET EZEKIEL THEBOOKOFTHEPROPHET EZEKIEL WITHINTRODUCTIONANDNOTES BY HENRYA.REDPATHD.LI'1'1‘.,M.A. BONITIIBGRXNFIELDLECIURIRONTHESEPTUAGXFTINTHE UNIVERSITYOFOXFORD METHUEN81CO. 36INSEXSTREEI‘W.C. LONDON FirstPulllis/lcziinl907 CubinN(4'3two“ PREFATORYNOTEBYTHEGENERALEDITOR HEprimaryobjectoftheseCommentariesistobe exegetical,tointerpretthemeaningofeachbookof theBibleinthelightofmodernknowledgetoEnglish readers.TheEditorswillnotdeal,exceptsubordinately, withquestionsoftextualcriticismorphilology;buttaking theEnglishtextintheRevisedVersionastheirbasis,they willaimatcombiningaheartyacceptanceofcriticalprinciples withloyaltytotheCatholicFaith. in TheserieswillbelesselementarythantheCambridge BibleforSchools,lesscriticalthantheInternationalCritical -'l\ Commentary,lessdidacticthantheExpositor’sBible; andit ishopedthatitmaybeofusebothtotheologicalstudents andtotheclergy,aswellastothegrowingnumberof educatedlaymenandlaywomenwhowishtoreadtheBible ‘1' intelligentlyandreverently. (.L{LGGL1..1_17 Eachcommentarywillthereforehave (i)AnIntroductionstatingthebearingofmodern criticismandresearchuponthehistoricalcharacterofthe book,anddrawingoutthecontributionwhichthebook,asa O_I\.\\L~.'devme whole,makestothebodyofreligioustruth. (ii)Acarefulparaphraseofthetextwithnotesonthe moredifficultpassagesand,ifneedbe,excursusesonany “an1w \1.l5 'k”.' a vi PREFATORYNOTE pointsofspecialimportanceeitherfordoctrine,orecclesi asticalorganization,orspirituallife. ButthebooksoftheBiblearesovariedincharacterthat considerablelatitudeisneeded,astotheproportionwhichthe variouspartsshouldholdtoeachother.TheGeneralEditor willthereforeonlyendeavourtosecureageneraluniformity inscopeandcharacter:buttheexactmethodadoptedin eachcaseandthefinalresponsibilityforthestatementsmade willrestwiththeindividualcontributors. BypermissionoftheDelegatesoftheOxfordUniversity PressandoftheSyndicsoftheCambridgeUniversityPress theTextusedinthisSeriesofCommentariesistheRevised VersionoftheHolyScriptures. WALTERLOCK PREFACE thecompilationofthisvolumeI haveendeavouredfirst ofalltoarriveatopinionsconcerningthemeaningand purposeoftheprophetindependently,asfaraspossible,of thosewhohaveprecededme.Itwasonlywhenthishad beendonethatI haveconsultedpreviouscommentators, inordertoseeifanypoints,whichoughttobenoted,had beenoverlooked;and,inallimportantcases,acknowledg mentsofindebtednesshavebeendulymade. InthestudyofanybookoftheBibleextremelyvaluable helpcanbeobtainedfromadiscreetuseofthemarginal referencestobefoundinmanyeditionsoftheRevised Version.IhaveconstantlyconsultedvariousDictionariesof theBibleaswellasthenewOxfordHebrewLexicon.No studentcanproperlymeasurethediflicultiesconnectedwith theHebrewtextofEzekiel,exceptbyacarefuluseofthe Septuagintversionwhichisinvaluableforthegreaterpart ofthisbook,eventhoughthetranslatorhasfailedtograsp, inpart,themeaningofsomeofthelaterchapters. ThedescriptionoftheidealTemplecanscarcelybe understoodwithouttheassistanceofillustrations,andfor thosetobefoundinthisvolumeI owegreatgratitudeto myfriendMrW.HiltonNash,F.R.I.B.A.,whosedrawings, carefullymadetoscale,will,I hope,materiallyassistthe reader.Conjectureshavehadtobehazardedoncertain pointsas,forinstance,wheretheactualpositionofsomeof viii PREFACE thechambersisnotgiven.Butnounnecessarytampering withthetexthasbeenattempted,norindeedisitrequired. Myworkhasbeenalabouroflovespreadoverseveral years.Itmust,fromthenatureofitssubjectmatter,be imperfect;butIhopethatitmayhelptomakethemeaning ofthisgreatprophetclearer.Suchasitis,I praythat itmaycontribute,initssmallmeasure,tothegloryofGod andthegoodofHisChurch. HENRYA.REDPATH CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUOTIOE: l. TheProphetEzekiel,hislifeandcharacter. xi 2. ThetextoftheBook. xiv 3. TheChronologyoftheBook.. xv 4. Ezekiel’sstyle. xvi IllustrationsofEzekiel’sstyle . xvii 5. EzekielandthePentateuch. xxi 6. EzekielandtheBookofJeremiah. xxiv 7. EzekielandtheBookofDaniel. xxv 8. EzekielandtheApocalypseofStJohn. xxv 9. EzekielandtheBookofCommonPrayer. xxix THETHEOLOGYorEZEKIEL: (a)Ezekiel’sideaofGod. xxx (b)Manandman’ssinfulness. xxxiv (0) Angels. xxxvi (d)Ezekiel’sDayoftheLord. xxxvi (0) Lifeafterdeath. xxxvi (f)Ezekiel’sMessianicIdeas. xxxvii THECONDITIONorTHE.11stINTHETIMEorEZEKIEL. xxxviii COMMENTARY. 1 INDEX. 269 PLANS I. GROUNaPLANorwasTEMPLEANDrrsCoun'rs. AtEnd II.SscrronorCHAMBERS. ,, ,, III.SnmELEVATIONorwasAurmorBURNTOrrssmos,, ,, ERRATUM Page19,col.2,line4. ForZechariahreadZedekiah. INTRODUCTION 1. TheProphetEzekiel,hislifeandcharacter.Of EzekielwhoisreckonedasthethirdofthegreaterProphets,so calledinallprobabilityfromtheamountofpropheciesattributedto themwhichhavesurvived,weknowbutlittle.Ini. 2,3,an explanatorynoteinsertedtomakeclearwhoitisthatisspeakingin i. 1,heisdescribedas‘thepriest,thesonofBuzi.’Hisname, meaning‘Godstrengthens,’isnotacommonone,andonlyoccurs besides,inRV.undertheformJehezkel,asthatoftheleader ofthetwentiethofthetwenty-fourcoursesofpriestswhosenames aregivenin1 Chr.xxiv.16. ThenameHezekiah,‘Jehovahl strengthens,’isacorrespondingonewiththeotherdivineappella tionasitslastportion.OfBuzinothingisknown:theform suggestsa familyratherthananindividual’.SomeJewish authoritiesidentifyBuziwithJeremiah,whowascertainlyaprophet, perhapsbecauseoftheacquaintancewhichEzekielshewswiththe propheciesoftheelderprophet.Weknownothingofhisearly years,butfromhiswayofspeakingof‘ourcaptivity’21) wegatherthathewasoneofthosecarriededwithJehoiachin (2K.xxiv.10,11).Astohisageatthattimewecannotspeak withcertainty.Somehaveconsideredthatthethirtiethyearof i.1meantthethirtiethyearoftheprophet’slife,andholdthatit wasmostsuitablethattheprophet’scallandcareershouldhave begunattheverytimeofhislifeatwhich,hadhebeenatJerusalem, 1 TheDivineNameisprintedinthisformthroughoutthisvolume,asbeing themostfamiliartothereader. "' TheonlypersonsbearingthenameofHimintheQT.are(a)asonof Nshor(Gen.xxii.21);and(b)amanbelongingtothetribeofGad(1Chr.v.14). a. b xii INTRODUCTION hewouldhavecommencedtodischargehissacerdotaloflice.In Babyloniahewasplantedwithothersofhisownnationbythe banksofoneoftheirrigatingcanals,whichwascalledChebar,ata placecalledTel-abib(iii.15),wherehehadhisownhouse(viii.1). Theexactsiteofthisplaceisunknown.Hewasamarriedman, andthelossofhiswife,inasuddenandunexpectedway,wasmade, bydivineinstruction,alessontothepeople(xxiv.15—27).He spenttwenty-twoyearsinthedischargeofhispropheticaloflice. Beyondthat,andastothelengthofhislifeweknownothing. Theonlyallusiontohimintherestofthescripturesisthatmade bythesonofSirach(Ecclus.xlix.8,9):— ItwasEzekielwhosawthevisionofglory, WhichGodsheWedhimuponthechariotofthecherubim.