The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel 36
Chapter XXXVI · Vol. III, pp. 1363–1366
1 The land of Israel is comforted, both by the destruction of the heathen, who spitefully used it, 8 and by the blessings of God promised unto it. 16 Israel was rejected for their sin, 21 and shall be restored without their desert. 25 The blessings of Christ's kingdom.
1 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountainsa of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the bword of the LORD.
2 Thus saith the Lord GOD, cBecause the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even dthe ancient high places are eours in possession;
3 Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Because1 they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen,2 and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers,3 and are an infamy of the people:
4 Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus saith the Lord GOD to the 4mountains and to the hills, to the rivers5 and to the valleys, to gthe desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to hthe residue of the heathen that are round about;6
4 Whole land of Israel, De.11.11. ver.6.
5 Or, bottoms or dales.
g 2 Ch.36.17-21. Je.25.9-13;29.10. ch.6.6,14. Is.24.1.
h ver.36. Je.25.20,21;47.4. ver.3. Ps.79.4.
6 The fulfilment of the prophecy recorded in ch.vi. is here regarded as complete; the prophetic judgments pronounced against the heathen are also taken as fulfilled; and the residue of the heathen—those remaining from the general desolation, are represented as glorying over the ruin of Israel. This is the occasion of the utterance of the prophecy in this chapter, the fulfilment of which is still to a large extent future, for complete restoration of the Jewish people is predicted, and complete national devotion to the service of Jehovah.—P.
5 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Surely iin the fire of my jealousy have I spoken jagainst the residue of the heathen, and against all kIdumea, which have appointed lmy land into their possession7 withn the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
6 Prophesy, therefore, concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because oye have borne the shame of the heathen.
o ch.34.29;35.12,13. Ps.123.3,4.
7 Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD, pI have lifted up mine hand, qSurely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
p ch.20.5,15. De.32.40. He.6.13,17.
q Je.25.9-11,20,21; xlix. ch.xxv.-xxxv. Is.xv.-xxiii. Zep.ii.
8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, rye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are sat hand to come.8
r ver.9,11. Is.4.2. Ho.2.21. Am.9.13,14. Ps.65.9-13;85.12.
A.M. cir. 3417. B.C. cir. 587.
8 This is a prophecy of the approaching deliverance from Babylon—a type and foretaste of the greater deliverance yet to be effected when God will gather the remnant of his people from all nations in which he has scattered them. See ver.24.—C.
9 For, behold, I am for you, tand I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown.
t Ps.99.8. De.11.12. Ho.2.21-23. Joel 3.18.
10 And uI will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:9
11 And vI will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit; and xI will settle you after your old estates, and willy do better unto you than at your beginnings;1 and zye shall know that I am the LORD.
x Ob.19,20. Je.30.18. ch.xlvii. xlviii., with Jos.xiii.-xxi.
y Joel 3.17. Is.24.23;54.7-10. He.8.7;9.16.
1 See note * below.
z ch.37.6,13. Is.52.4-6. Ho.2.20. Je.31.34. 1 Jn.2.20,27;5.20. Jn.17.3.
* This promise evidently extends to a period and to a state subsequent to the restoration from Babylon; for the prosperity of the nation under Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, Ezra, the Maccabees, &c., has never equalled their 'beginnings' under Joshua, their triumphs under David, or their prosperity under Solomon. It is yet to come under a greater, even Christ (see ver.12), which points the prophecy to a period after which there shall be 'no more bereavement.' See ver.14,15.—C.
12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and athey shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou bshalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.
13 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Because they say unto you, Thou land cdevourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;2
14 Therefore thou shalt devour men dno more, neither bereave3 thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.
d Is.25.8. ch.37.25.
3 Or, cause to fall, ver.12,13,15.
15 Neither will I cause men eto hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the greproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall4 any more, saith the Lord GOD.
e ch.34.29; ver.6. Is.49.23;54.4. Zep.3.19.
g Ps.89.50,51. Zep.2.8.
4 Thou shalt neither cause the nations 'to fall' into idolatry 'any more' by thy example and influence, nor into God's displeasure because of copartnership in thy sins, or their share in scourging thee as the rod of his judgment. See ver.17,18.—C.
17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, ithey defiled it by their own way, and by their doings: their way was before me as the juncleanness of a removed woman.
i Le.18.25-28. Is.24.5. ch.37.23; i.-iii. v. Is.xxiv. lix. Je.ii.-xix. ch.vi.-xxiv. Ho.i.-xiii. Am.ii.-viii. Mi.i.-iii. vi. Zep.i.-iii. 2 Ki.17.7-23. Ne.ix. Ezr.ix. Ps.lxxviii. cvi. Ju.i. to 2 Ch.xxxvi.
18 Wherefore kI poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols5 wherewith they had polluted it:
k ch.16.36,38;23.37. Is.24.25. 2 Ki.21.16. Je.xv. xxxix. lii. 2 Ki.xxiv. xxv.
5 Dung gods.
19 And I lscattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: accordingn to their way, and according to their doings, I judged them.
20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they oprofaned my holy name,6 when they said to them, pThese are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
21 But qI had pity for mine holy name,7 which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD, rI do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
23 And I will sanctify8 my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and sthe heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be tsanctified in you before their9 eyes.
24 Foru I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 Then will vI sprinkle xclean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: yfrom all your filthiness, and from zall your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A anew heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And bI will put my spirit within you, cand cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
b Pr.1.23. Is.44.3,4. Ro.8.9,15. 1 Co.3.16. Ep.1.13,14. 1 Jn.3.24. Tit.3.5,6. ch.37.14.
c Ga.5.16. Col.2.6. 1 Jn.1.6,7. 2 Jn.6. Je.10.23. ch.37.24. 2 Th.3.5. Phi.2.12,13.
28 Andd ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; eand ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I gwill also save you from all your uncleannesses; hand I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
g Is.45.17,22,24,25;1.18;43.25;44.22. Je.33.8. Ho.14.4,8. Zec.13.1. Ro.11.26;6.14. Mat.1.21. 1 Jn.3.5,8. ver.25-27.
h ch.34.27,29; ver.8,9. Ho.2.21-23. Ps.65.9-13. Mat.6.33. 1 Ti.4.8.
30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
31 Theni shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall jloathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities, and for your abominations.
i ch.6.9;16.61,63;20.43. Job 42.5,6. Is.64.6;6.5. Ho.14.8. Je.31.18-20. Ezr.ix. Da.ix. Ne.ix. Je.31.19. Ro.2.4. 2 Co.7.1,10,11.
j Ro.6.21.
32 Notk for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: lbe ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.1
k See ver.22. De.9.5. Da.9.19. Ro.11.28.
l ver.31; ch.16.63. Ezr.9.6.
1 'It is manifest,' says Henderson, 'from the whole tenor of the language employed by the prophet, that temporal and spiritual blessings are beautifully intermixed with each other. The Israelites are again reminded that it was not for any good thing in them meriting the divine favour, that such blessings were to be conferred upon them. Looking back on their rebellious conduct, they should discover nothing but what was calculated to fill them with shame and confusion of face. Merit, therefore, was entirely out of the question.' It shows the pride of the human heart, and its deceitfulness, when such a warning as that contained in this verse is requisite.—P.
33 Thus saith the Lord GOD, In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, nI will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.
n Zec.8.7,8. Ro.8.30,32. Mat.6.33. 1 Ti.4.8. 1 Co.3.22. ver.10. Je.3.18;23.3,8. ch.37.21. Am.9.14,15.
34 Ando the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
o ver.9,10, with ch.6.14. Je.25.9-11. 2 Ch.36.21. De.29.23-28.
35 Andp they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like qthe garden of Eden; and the waste, and desolate, and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
36 Thenr the heathen, that are left round about you, shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will dos it.
37 Thus saith the Lord GOD, tI will yet for this be inquired of by the house of uIsrael, to do it for them;2 I will increase them with men like a flock.
t Zec.10.6,9;13.9. He.4.16. 1 Jn.5.14. Ps.10.17. Je.29.13. Is.45.11,19. Ps.102.17;65.2,4. Mat.7.7. Phi.4.6. Am.5.14. Pr.3.5,6.
u ch.20.31. He.10.21,22.
2 The necessary connection between prayer and divine blessing is here indicated. Prayer is a part of God's great plan for the government of the world, and more especially of his church. Divine omniscience, the divine decrees, and divine promises, do not in any way set aside the duty or interfere with the rightful place of prayer.—P.
38 As the holy flock,3 as the vflock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts, so xshall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
3 Heb. flock of holy things, Ro.12.1.
v Ex.23.17;34.23. De.16.16. 2 Ch.30.5,13;7.8;35.18. Ac.2.5,9-11. Zec.8.20-23.
x ver.33,3; ch.34.31. Je.30.19;31.27,28;33.12,13. Is.49.19,20. Zec.2.5,11;8.4,5,20-23. Jn.10.16. Mat.8.11. Re.7.4,9.
Notes
Ver. 2, 3, 6. When the Chaldeans, and afterwards the Romans, desolated Judea, the Edomites, and other neighbouring heathens that survived the common calamities, made a scorn and by-word of the Jews, and assisted to ruin them, in hopes of getting their country. 25, 26, 29. By my Word and Spirit I will apply to your souls the blood of Christ for removing the guilt and filth of your iniquities, and will reform you from your idolatry and other wickedness; I will renew your hearts, subdue your indwelling lusts, implant in you new principles of holiness, and by my Spirit dwelling and acting in you will daily persuade and enable you to render a cordial and universal obedience to all my commandments.
Ver. 2. The ancient high-places—where the idolatrous rites of the heathen were celebrated—the recovery of which the idolatrous Idumeans, ver 5, looked upon as a peculiar favour from their gods, and cause of glorying over the Jews. C.
Ver. 25. Then will I sprinkle, &c. Does the word 'then' apply to the time of gathering, or comes it after they are brought into their own land? Some think the Jews will be restored to their own land while still rejecting Jesus as Messiah, and will there be nationally converted to faith in him. Others think they will first be converted and then restored. But may it not be inferred from Eze. 20. 34-43, that they will be gathered from the heathen while still in unbelief; dealt with in a transition state, as were their fathers in the wilderness, by mercies and judgments, till 'the rebels be purged' from among them; and that 'they (the unbelievers) shall not enter into the land of Israel;' but they being purged out, 'all the (remaining) house of Israel shall serve' the LORD, and he 'will accept them.' That is, being converted to the gospel, they are made accepted in Jesus the Beloved, Ep. 1. 6. C.
Ver. 37. It is carefully to be noted that the promise here made is to 'the house (the whole house) of Israel.' But the restoration under Zerubbabel was merely of Judah and Benjamin, and of a very few of the ten tribes. The promise, therefore, though it began to be fulfilled before our Lord appeared in the flesh, still continues its progress, and will not have its completion until 'all Israel shall be saved,' Ro. 11. 26. C.
Reflections.—God takes the most compassionate notice of the deplorable condition of his people; and severe are his resentments of the insults and injuries done to them. But numerous, and infallible in accomplishment, are his promises of grace towards them. What an honour for our earth to be made serviceable to the people of God, and to be improved by them to the ends of his glory! The kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is a growing kingdom. Though for a time it be diminished, it quickly recovers, and is replenished. When God returns in mercy to his people, and makes them return in duty to him, their grievances are effectually redressed, and their honour retrieved. Marvellously does grace much more abound where sin had abounded; and, even from the wickedness and misery of men, his perfections are more abundantly glorified. What multitudes of rich blessings are, in excellent order, connected together in the new kingdom! And the infinte freedom and riches of God's favours powerfully lead men to repentance, holiness, earnest prayer, and abundant devotion.