The prophecy B. C. 588. CHAPTER XXXI. A. M. 3416. in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. 8 The cedars in the f garden of God could not hide him: the fir-trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut-trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 10 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; sent to Pharaoh. B. C. 588. hand of the mighty one of the hea- A. M. 3416. 13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches : 7 14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, m to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, 11 I have therefore delivered him into the with them that go down to the pit. Genesis ii. 8; xiii. 10; Chapter xxviii. 13. 20.- - Hebrew, in doing he shall do unto him.xxviii. 7. - Daniel v. i Chap. xxxii. 5; xxxv. 8.- k Isa. xviii. 6; Chap. xxxii. 4. h Chapter Or, stand upon themselves for their height. Psa. lxxxii. 7. m Chap. xxxii. 18. All the trees of Eden, &c.-All the kings of the East envied him, and his greatness. So the Chaldee paraphrast. great and famous city, and put an end to that part of the Assyrian empire, Nabopolassar having before possessed himself of the other part, which was properly called the Babylonian empire. See Dr. Verses 10-14. Because thou hast lifted up thyPrideaux, p. 45. In this remarkable catastrophe the self-Because thy pride hath still increased with thy prophecies of Jonah, Nahum, and Zephaniah, fore- prosperity. I have delivered him into the hand of telling the destruction of Nineveh, were fulfilled. the mighty one of the heathen-Or, the mighty one His top was among the thick boughs-He overtop of the nations, as the word " is rendered in the ped all the other flourishing trees. The waters next verse. The word x, eel, here rendered mighty made him great-" As trees flourish by a river side, one, though generally spoken of God, yet is someso the traffic of the several branches of the river times applied to heroes, (see chap. xxxii. 21,) someTigris, upon which Nineveh was situate, made that times to angels, as excelling in strength, as Psalm city and kingdom rich and populous, and she im- lxxxix. 6. So God here says, he delivered the Asparted her wealth and stores among the neighbour- || syrian into the hand of Nabopolassar, king of Babying provinces."-Lowth. Therefore his height was lon, who, joining his forces with those of the king of exalted, &c.-He became greater than all the kings|| Media, made himself master of Nineveh, and of the about him. The greatness of Nebuchadnezzar's king of Assyria, whose seat it was. And the terrible power and kingdom is set forth under the same em- of the nations have cut him off-The armies of the blem, Dan. iv. 10, &c. All the fowls made their kings of Babylon and Media shall utterly destroy nests in his boughs-Several nations applied to him him and his empire, and leave him without life or for protection, and thought themselves and all their power. Upon the mountains, &c., his branches are concerns safe under his government. Under his || fallen-As the limbs of a tree are broken by the branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth,|| fall, and those that rested under its shadow are &c.-Under the protection of his extensive empire did the people increase, and the countries become more populous. The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him, &c.—He overtopped the goodly cedars, called in the Hebrew the cedars of God, Psa. lxxx. 9; such fair ones as might be supposed to have grown in paradise. The expressions are all allegorical, signifying the supereminent greatness of the king of Assyria, and how much more powerful he was than any other of the kings of that time. || frighted away and forsake the place, so the Assyrian's power was overthrown in all the places of his dominion. Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, &c.-As the birds sit upon the boughs of a tree cut down, and the beasts browse upon its branches, so his dominions shall be a prey to the conquerors: or, his armies that are slain shall become meat to the birds and beasts. To the end that none of all the trees exalt themselves—That his destruction may be a warning to other kings and The dreadful destruction B. C. 588. EZEKIEL. A. M. 3416. 15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 8 potentates, to deter them from priding themselves in the time of their prosperity. For they are all delivered unto death-The mighty men of the Assyrians were delivered to death as well as those of the meaner sort. The fall of the Assyrian was thus largely spoken of to convince the king of Egypt, if he would be instructed, that no human power, however great, was able to secure its possessor from the wrath of God and his judgments, or to maintain itself against his attacks. Verse 15. In the day when he went down to the grave-This, and the following verses, are an elegant description of that consternation that seized the|| king of Assyria's allies, at the suddenness of his downfall; the same metaphor being still pursued. I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him || -The deep, that is said to have raised up this fair tree, verse 4, is now described as mourning at his downfall. I restrained the floods, and the great, waters were stayed-As if the streams had stopped their usual course on purpose to lament his fate. The meaning seems to be, that the great nations and numerous people under his dominions, or his confederates and allies, were all struck with astonish- || ment at his fall. I caused Lebanon to mourn for him-By Lebanon is probably signified Syria, which was in alliance with the king of Assyria. All the trees of the field fainted for him-All the neighbouring princes lamented his ruin, and were disheartened at having lost their protector. of the king of Egypt. B. C. 588. 17 They also went down into hell A. M. 3416. with him, unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. 18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees. of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD. t of wealth and other worldly enjoyments; shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth-The deceased princes, confederates to the Assyrians, described here as so many stately trees and cedars, shall feel some mitigation of their calamities, when they see thee brought down as low as themselves: compare chap. xxxii. 31, and see notes on Isaiah xiv. 8-16, a passage exactly parallel to this. They also went down into hell-Or, the grave; with him -His allies underwent the same fate with himself, and were cut off in the common destruction. And they that were his arm-His auxiliaries; that dwelt under his shadow-Who lived under his protection; in the midst of the heathen-Or, the nations: see on verse 11; namely, in several countries and provinces: see Lam. iv. 20. When the Assyrian power was overthrown, it was easy for the Chaldeans to subdue all its allies. Verse 18. To whom art thou thus like in glory? &c.-To whom, among the great princes of the || world, canst thou, O king of Egypt, be so fitly compared, with all thy glory and greatness, as to this king of Assyria, since, like him, thou shalt be thrown down from all thy pomp and grandeur to the lowest state of humiliation and ruin. Thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised-Thou shalt be put among those of whom God makes no account. "Nations that admitted circumcision, held the uncircumcised in the utmost contempt. The Egyptians, at least the priests and the learned among them, were Verses 16, 17. I made the nations to shake at the circumcised; but now they shall lie among the unsound of his fall-Through fear and terror. When circumcised."-Michaelis. This is Pharaoh and I cast him down to hell-Rather, to the grave; with || all his multitude, saith the Lord God-In this verse them that descend into the pit-That die and are the latter part of verse 2 is resumed, and the alleburied. All the trees of Eden, &c.-The greatest gory, under which the Assyrian is represented, is kings on earth. All that drink water-That partake || applied to Pharaoh. CHAPTER XXXII. We have in this chapter a further description of the lamentable destruction of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, which is set forth under two similitudes. (1,) The killing of a mischievous lion, and a whale, crocodile, or some such devouring creature, 1–16. (2) The funeral of a great commander, or captain-general, brought down to the grave with the nations of the uncircumcised, 17-32. A. M. 3417. AND it came to pass in the twelfth || year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, C 1 2 Son of man, a take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. 3 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore *spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net. 4 Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to re Chapter xxvii. 2; Verse 16.- b Chap. xix. 3, 6; xxxviii. 13.- - Chap. xxix. 3.- -1Or, dragon.- - Chap. xxxiv. 18. • Chapter xii. 13; xvii. 20; Hosea vii. 12.- Chapter xxix. 5. Chap. xxxi. 13.- Chap. xxxi. 12. NOTES ON PSALM XXXII. Verses 1, 2. In the twelfth year-Namely, of Jehoiachin's captivity, about which time Amasis began to set up himself against the king of Egypt, concerning whom this prophecy is. Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh-"To the preceding funeral panegyric over Assyria, the fate of which was past, Ezekiel prophetically subjoins a similar panegyric over Egypt, though its fate was still future; making plainly here a happy variation in the oratorical figure, by which past events are brought down and represented as now present before our eyes; whereas, on the contrary, by this prophetic figure future events are anticipated, and represented as already past.”—Obs. on Books, ii. 188. Thou art like a young lion of the nations-Thou art like a beast of prey, devouring far and near. Thou art as a whale in the seas-By the word tannim we may fitly understand a crocodile, as has been observed upon chap. xxix. 3, and the description that follows agrees very well to a crocodile, but cannot be applied to a whale. And thou camest forth with thy rivers, &c.-Or rather, Thou rushedst forth through thy streams, and didst trouble the waters, &c.; that is, thou wentest beyond the bounds of thine own kingdom, and didst trouble and tread down, or subdue, the neighbouring cities and nations. Verses 3-6. I will spread out my net over thee, &c.-I will bring thine enemies upon thee, who shall encompass thee on every side, and master thee as a wild beast or monstrous fish is taken in a net. Then will I leave thee upon the land-That is, leave thee to certain destruction, or take away from thee all means of recovery. For Pharaoh being here spoken of as a water animal, leaving him upon the land, signified leaving him to certain death, without the means of escaping it; for a fish left upon the ( 44 ) VOL. III. of the king of Egypt. B. C. 587. main upon thee, and I will fill the A. M. 3417. beasts of the whole earth with thee. 5 And I will lay thy flesh h upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height. 6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee. 2 land must needs die, let it struggle as it will, water being absolutely necessary to its life. This was literally fulfilled when, making war upon the Cyrenians, he was vanquished, and his army cut in pieces, and left a prey to the fowls and beasts in the deserts of Libya and Cyrene: see note on chap. xxix. 4, 5. And I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee-With the flesh of thy vast armies. Or rather, understanding the words figuratively, I will enrich all nations with thy spoils. And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, &c.-Thy people shall be slain, both upon the mountains and in the valleys, and their carcasses lie unburied there. I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest— The land of Egypt, wherein thou bearest rule; even to the mountains-The mountains shall be wet with it, as well as the lower grounds: compare Isaiah xxxiv. 3. And the rivers shall be full of thee-All places, both high and low, both land and water. All the expressions in these verses are hyperbolical, signifying the vast slaughter that should be made of the Egyptians, and the immense booty that should be obtained by their enemies. Verses 7-10. And when I shall put thee outWhen I shall cast thee down from thy power, and extinguish all thy glory. I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark-It is well known that the downfall of states and kingdoms, kings and princes, is often expressed in the Scriptures by these or such like metaphors: see notes on Isaiah xiii. 10; xxiv. 23; xxx. 26. But here the expressions may mean, I will make every thing look sad and dismal, or will cause a universal sorrow; for to men amidst great calamities and afflictions every thing appears dark and gloomy, and even the light itself seems little different from darkness; and therefore it is usual to express a state of great sorrow by the 689 3 The dreadful fall EZEKIEL. B. C. 587. of the king of Egypt. A. M. 3417. 10 Yea, I will make many people || cause their rivers to run like oil, saith A. M. 3417. B. C. 587. amazed at thee, and their kings the Lord GOD. shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. 15 When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. 16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD. 17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts 14 Then will I make their waters deep, and of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. heavens being covered, and the stars darkened. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee-I will involve thy whole land in trouble and distress, making every thing in it look dismal. I will ver the hearts, &c., when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations-When thy exiles shall be dispersed into foreign countries, (see chap. xxix. 12,) and relate the miserable circumstances of thy destruction, it shall cause grief and consternation in all that hear it. Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings, &c.-The kings and princes of Africa, who lay near to Egypt, seem here to be spoken of; for the destruction of Egypt could not but fill them with fear for themselves, lest the victor should make them suffer the same fate. Verses 13, 14. I will also destroy the beasts|| thereof Their horses, in which they trusted so much, Isa. xxxi. 3, and other cattle, feeding in their rich pastures by the river sides. Neither shall the foot of man, nor the hoofs of beasts, &c.-The country shall be so deserted that the waters of the river shall not be fouled by man or beast. But we may understand the prophet here as speaking metaphorically, and by the beasts of Egypt, intending its armies, which had frequently troubled the neighbouring nations, but which, it is here said, should trouble them no more; for when Egypt should be made desolate, and the number both of men and beasts should be diminished by their wars and confusions, then they should neither have the will nor the power to give their neighbours any further molestation; but the nations around them should enjoy quietness, like that of a river which smoothly glides along, and never has its streams fouled or disturbed: see verse 2. Then will I make their waters deep, &c.-The nations which used to be harassed and troubled by 690 the Egyptians, shall then enjoy great peace and quietness. Verse 15. When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, &c.-When I shall bring the fore-mentioned dreadful calamities upon it. Then shall they know that I am the Lord-The awful and destructive visitation shall be sanctified to those that survive: it shall yield them important instruction, and they shall give glory to my power and justice, while a sensible conviction of the vanity of the world, and of the fading and perishing nature of all things in it, shall draw their affections from it, and from all that it contains, and induce them to seek an acquaintance with me as their portion and happiness. Verse 16. This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her-This is the substance of the lamentation, which may be properly used to bewail the calamities which Egypt shall suffer: see note on verse 2. The daughters of the nations shall lament her-That is, the people of the neighbouring countries shall use such like words as these when they hear of Egypt's calamities: thus the daughter of Zion and of Babylon signifies the inhabitants of those cities. This verse alludes to the mourning women, whose office it was to lament at funerals. Verses 17, 18. It came to pass, in the fifteenth day of the month-Namely, of the month before mentioned, which was a few days after the time of the preceding revelation. The word of the Lord came unto me-Giving me further directions how to improve the fall of Egypt. Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt-Prepare the funeral ceremonies at the burial of Egypt, and compose an elegy suitable to the sad occasion. Bishop Lowth observes, that "this prophetic ode is a master-piece in that species of writing which is appropriated to the ex( 44* ) 3 citing terror." And cast them down, even her, &c. -Houbigant renders this clause, And thrust them down with the daughters of the nations; thrust them down to the lower parts of the earth, to those who are gone down to the lake. And he observes, that "the prophet is commanded to thrust the Egyptians down to the shades below; that is, to exhibit, by an hypotyposis, familiar with the prophets, the ruin of the Egyptians, similar to the ruin of the people who have been destroyed and gone down to the regions of the dead." The reader will observe that this figure of speech is a representation of things painted in such strong and bright colours as may cause the imagination of the hearers to conceive of them rather as present to their view than described in words. Such is the representation which the prophet here gives of the calamities of the Egyptians. The expressions, Unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit, denote utter destruction, and are parallel to those elsewhere used, of being brought down to heil, to the grave, or into silence. The Egyptians affected to be buried in their pyramids, and their kings, princes, and nobles would be laid by themselves, but Ezekiel provides them their graves among common people, to lie just || where they fell. of the king of Egypt. 22 z Asshur is there and all her A. M. 3417. B. C. 587. company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: 23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. 9 24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircum z Verses 24, 26, 29, 30. d Isa. xiv. 15.-b Chap. xxvi. 17, -9 Or, dismaying. Le Jer. xlix. like so many carcasses, which are buried without any solemnity. The words seem to be spoken to the Babylonians, the executioners of God's judgments upon Egypt. Verse 21. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him-Namely, to the king of Egypt; out of the midst of hell-Or, the pit, as Bishop Newcome renders the word: see verse 23. The passage is “a poetical description of the regions of the dead; where the ghosts of deceased tyrants, with their subjects, are represented as coming to meet the king of Egypt and his auxiliaries, upon their arrival at the same place. Hell signifies here the state of the dead."-Lowth. See note on Isa. xiv. 9. They are gone down-The warriors, famous in their time for their exploits, have undergone the same fate with other men of blood, and are gone down to the grave by violent deaths. Verses 22, 23. Asshur is there and all her company The Assyrians, both king and people, whose destruction is represented in the foregoing chapter: though famous, warlike, and victorious, that mighty monarch fell. His graves are about him-The graves of his soldiers slain in the war. This expression, and that in the next verse, her company is round about her grave, seem to signify no more than a universal destruction of high and low, and that death had made them all equal. The masculine and feminine genders are promiscuously used in the following verses. The masculine referring to the prince, whose subjects the deceased were; the feminine to the nation or country to which they belonged. Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit-Here is supposed a spacious vault, in the midst whereof the king of Asshur lies, and round the vault, in receptacles hewn about its sides, his famous captains and commanders. And her company is round about her grave-Like lesser graves placed round the monument of some person of great quality. All of them slain, which caused terror, &c.--Who were a terror while they were alive to their neighbours. Verses 19, 20. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? -What reason hast thou to prefer thyself before others? Art thou better than they, that thou shouldest not die and be laid in the dust as well as they? Go down-Namely, to the regions of the dead; and be laid with the uncircumcised—Among profane and loathed carcasses, such as the bodies of the uncircumcised were in the opinion of the circumcised: see notes on chap. xxviii. 8-10, and xxxi. 18. The circumcised, in Scripture, being put for those for whom God had a peculiar regard, and this being one of the distinguishing characteristics of his peculiar people, therefore the term uncircumcised seems to be used for those whom God had rejected,|| that is, for the wicked and profane. They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword Verses 24, 25. There is Elam and all her multi-Thy people shall not die the common death of all tude-Which was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar: men, but shall be cut off by an extraordinary judg- see note on Jer. xlix. 36. The nations mentioned in ment from the hand of God himself: they shall be this and the following verse were probably confedslain by the sword. Draw her and all her multi-erates with the Assyrians, and fell when they did. tude-Carry her and her people away to the grave,|| Which caused terror-yet have they borne their |