And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it ,.... Not only the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea should see the hand of the Lord in their destruction; but even all the neighbouring nations, the case was so clear and plain, the matter so visible: it shall not be quenched ; no stop put to it by all the art and power of man; so that it was a clear point that it was the Lord's doing. read more
All flesh - All the people shall see that this war is a judgment of the Lord. It shall not be quenched - Till the whole land shall be utterly ruined. read more
The forest in flame. In a nation, men's minds are in every stage of development; a hundred phases of feeling prevail. Hence God, in his kindness, sent his instructions in every possible form, and adapted his reproofs to every state of mind—to children as well as to men of riper years. I. THE PARABLE IMPLIES A RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN MEN AND FOREST TREES . Amid many differences, there are some resemblances, and it is on one of these resemblances that this admonition... read more
and Ezekiel 21:1-7 A parable of judgment. "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy lace towards the south," etc. Another chapter should certainly have been commenced at the forty-fifth verse of the twentieth chapter, as indeed it is in the Hebrew, LXX ; and Vulgate. The first seven verses of the twenty-first chapter in the Authorized Version are an explanation of the parable of the preceding five verses. I. THE AUTHOR OF THIS JUDGMENT . ... read more
This paragraph is in the Hebrew text, Septuagint and Vulgate the beginning of Ezekiel 21:0 to which it belongs, as it contains a prophecy delivered in a form which is there explained. It may, however, be regarded as a link between the foregoing and following prophecies, being a general introduction to seven words of judgment about to be pronounced in development of that which has just been delivered.Ezekiel 20:46In this verse occur three Hebrew synonyms for “south,” denoting:(1) the region on... read more
Ezekiel 20:45-49. Moreover, the word of the Lord, &c. Here we have a new prophecy, with which Houbigant, following many learned commentators, begins the xxist chapter, and that very properly; for what is contained in that chapter is only an explanation of what is contained in the remainder of this. Son of man, set thy face toward the south The prophets were generally commanded to turn themselves toward the places concerning which they were going to prophesy; and Ezekiel being now in... read more
Babylon’s terrifying attack (20:45-21:17)The usual way to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem was by a semi-circular route that avoided the Arabian desert by following the Euphrates River to the north-west then turning south towards Judah. (See map ‘Near East in the time of Jeremiah.) Ezekiel put himself in the position of the Babylonian army as it moved south into Judah, overrunning and destroying the country as an uncontrollable bushfire. None would escape its terror (45-48). But the people did... read more
And all flesh shall see. See the Structure above. flesh. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Part), App-6 , for the whole person. All flesh = all people, every one. read more
45-49. An introductory brief description in enigma of the destruction by fire and sword, detailed more explicitly in :-. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 20:45-48
We have here a prophecy of wrath against Judah and Jerusalem, which would more fitly have begun the next chapter than conclude this; for it has no dependence on what goes before, but that which follows in the beginning of the next chapter is the explication of it, when the people complained that this was a parable which they understood not. In this parable, 1. It is a forest that is prophesied against, the forest of the south field, Judah and Jerusalem. These lay south from Babylon, where... read more