They that are in the wastes - He seems to speak of those Jews who had fled to rocks, caves, and fortresses, in the mountains; whose death he predicts, partly by the sword, partly by wild beasts, and partly by famine. read more
Right, not might, the foundation of stable empire. The shortest path to gaining empire over men seems to be might, or might conjoined with cunning. But "things are not what they seem." The throne whose foundations have been well and slowly laid will attain to greater permanence. The oak that has been rooting itself for a hundred years will resist many a howling tempest. Things unseen are the things that endure. I. WE HAVE AN INSTANCE OF DIVINE CHASTISEMENT UNHEEDED .... read more
Ill-grounded hope. The address of the prophet is delivered to that "miserable fraction in Judaea who dwelt among its desolations, and who, notwithstanding all they had seen and suffered of the righteous judgments of God, were still wedded to their sinful ways, and cherishing the most groundless hopes They were appealing in the most confident manner to their connection with Abraham, and on that ground assuring themselves of their right to possess the land of Canaan. ' He, though but one,... read more
The powerlessness of privilege to save. At length the prophet's lips are opened; and he who for so long has been dumb, so far as ministration to his own people was concerned, is set free to testify to the sons of Abraham. While silenced as regards Israel, Ezekiel has prophesied concerning the heathen nations. Now he again addresses his countrymen, and it is interesting to observe to what purpose he uses his recovered liberty of speech. Always candid, fearless, and faithful, the prophet... read more
They that inhabit thou wastes of the land . The utterance that follows was probably the direct result of what Ezekiel heard from the messenger. He it was who reported the boastful claims of those who had been left in the land by the Chaldean armies—the "bad figs" of Jeremiah's parable, the least worthy representatives of the seed of Abraham. the assassins of Gedaliah ( Jeremiah 41:1 , Jeremiah 41:2 ), who in these "waste places," the dens and eaves in which they found a refuge, led the... read more
The right of the many. The idea seems to be—though Abraham was but one man, yet he was promised Canaan; much more, then, must his descendants have a right to the land, since they now form a numerous nation. This plea is urged against the threat that the Jews shall be expelled from their land. It is not difficult to discover its hollowness. But it is propped up by common fallacies against which we need to be on our guard. I. THE PLEA . It stands on two grounds. 1. That children... read more
Ye eat with the blood . It is characteristic of Ezekiel that the first offence which he names with horror should be a sin against a positive commandment. He felt, as it were, a sense of loathing at what seemed to him a descent into the worst form of pollution, forbidden, not to the Jews only (Le Ezekiel 17:10 ; Ezekiel 19:1-14 :26; Deuteronomy 12:16 ), but to mankind ( Genesis 9:4 ); compare the scene in 1 Samuel 14:32 . The same feeling shows itself in Zechariah 9:7 and Acts... read more
Ye stand upon your sword . The words point to the open assertion of the law that might is right. Men relied on the sword, and on that only, for their support. Assassinations, as in Jeremiah 41:1-18 ; were, so to speak, as the order of the day. Ye work abomination . The noun, Ezekiel's ever-recurring word, indicates both the act of idolatry and the foul orgiastic rites that accompanied it. The verb, curiously enough, has the feminine suffix. Was it used intentionally, either as pointing... read more
They that are in the wastes . The words paint, with a terrible vividness, what was passing in Ezekiel's fatherland. Did the fugitives of Judah seek the open country? they were exposed to the sword of the Chaldeans or of marauding outlaws. Did they seek safety in fortresses or caves? they were exposed, crowded together as they were under the worst possible conditions, to the ravages of pestilence. read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 33:26
Ye stand upon your sword - Ye live by plunder, rapine, and murder. Ye are every way impure; and shall ye possess the land? No. read more