13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. 15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, sticks united. A. M. cir. 3417. Ol. XLVIII. 2. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 30. one stick, and write upon it, B. C. cir. 587. For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. g 18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? h 19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, 16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the Verse 13. When I have opened your graves] When I shall have done for you what was beyond your hope, and deemed impossible, then shall ye know that I am Jehovah. Verse 14. And shall put my Spirit] ruchi. Here ruach is taken for the Holy Ghost. They were living souls, animal and intellectual beings, when they had received their souls, as mentioned above: but they could only become spiritual, holy, and obedient creatures by the Spirit of God actuating their spirits. See the notes on chap. xxxvi. 25, 26, 27. As to the spiritual uses of this curious vision, I must leave them to preachers. I have given the literal meaning, and what the different parts refer to; and if they found their observations on these, they may profit their hearers. Verse 16. Son of man, take thee one stick] The two sticks mentioned in this symbolical transaction represented, as the text declares, the two kingdoms THREE degrees or processes have been remarked in of Israel and Judah, which were formed in the days this mystic vision. When the prophet was commanded to prophesy-to foretel, on the authority of God, that there should be a restoration to their own land, 1. There was a noise, which was followed by a general shaking, during which the bones became arranged and united. 2. The flesh and skin came upon them, so that the dry bones were no longer seen. 3. The spirit or soul came into them, and they stood up perfectly vivified. Perhaps these might be illustrated by three periods of time, which marked the regeneration of the Jewish polity. 1. The publication of the edict of Cyrus in behalf of the Jews, which caused a general shaking or stir among the people, so that the several families began to approach each other, and prepare for their return to Judea, Ezra i. 2, 3. But though partially restored, they were obliged to discontinue the rebuilding of their temple. 2. The edict published by Darius in the second year of his reign, Ezra iv. 23, 24, which removed the impediments thrown in the way of the Jews. Ezra vi. 6, 7, &c. 3. The mission of Nehemiah, with orders from Artaxerxes to complete the building of the temple of Rehoboam, and continued distinct till the time of the captivity. The kingdom of Judah was composed of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites; all the rest went off in the schism with Jeroboam, and formed the kingdom of Israel. Though some out of those tribes did rejoin themselves to Judah, yet no whole tribe ever returned to that kingdom. Common sufferings in their captivity became the means of reviving a kinder feeling; and to encourage this, God promises that he will reunite them, and restore them to their own land; and that there shall no more be any divisions or feuds among them. To represent this in such a way as would make it a subject of thought, reflection, and inquiry, the prophet is ordered to take the two sticks mentioned above, to write on them the distinguishing names of the divided kingdoms, and then by a notch, dovetail, glue, or some such method, to unite them both before the people. He did so; and on their inquiry, showed them the full meaning of this symbolical action. Verse 19. The stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim] Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes, was an Ephraimite. Joseph represents the ten tribes in general: they were in the hand of Ephraim, that is, under the government of Jeroboam. Verse 22. I will make them one nation] There was no distinction after the return from Babylon. Gracious promises to A. M. cir. 3417. EZEKIEL. tribes of Israel his fellows, and with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. the spiritual Israel, A. M. cir. 3417. Ol. XLVIII. 2. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, 20 And the sticks whereon thou writest | do them.. shall be in thine hand a before their eyes. 21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land : e d 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but 'I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. a Ch. xii. 3.- -b Ch. xxxvi. 24.- c Isai. xi. 13. Jer. iii. 18. 1. 4. Hos. i. 11.—d Ch. xxxiv. 23, 24. John x. 16. e Ch. xxxvi. 25.- Ch. xxxvi. 28, 29.- - Isai. xl. 11. Jer. xxiii. 5. xxx. 9. Ch. xxxiv. 23, 24. Hos. iii. 5. Luke i. 32. h Ver. 22. John x. 16. Ch. xxxvi. 27.- Ch. xxxvi. 28. And one king shall be king to them all] Politically speaking, they never had a king from that day to this; and the grand junction and government spoken of here must refer to another time-to that in which they shall be brought into the Christian church with the fulness of the Gentiles; when JESUS, the King of kings and Lord of lords, shall rule over all. Verse 24. And David my servant shall be King] That this refers to Jesus Christ, see proved, chap. xxxiv. 23. and 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children 'for ever: and " my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a "covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. Isai. Ix. 21. Ver. 24. John Joel iii. 20. Amos ix. 15. Verse 25. The land that I have given unto Jacob my servant] Jacob means here the twelve tribes; and the land given to them was the whole land of Palestine; consequently, the promise states that, when they return, they are to possess the whole of the Promised Land. Verse 26. Covenant of peace] See this explained chap. xxxiv. 25. Verse 27. My tabernacle] Jesus Christ, the true tabernacle, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. CHAPTER XXXVIII. The sublime prophecy contained in this and the following chapter relates to Israel's victory over Gog, and is very obscure. It begins with representing a prodigious armament of many nations combined together, under the conduct of Gog, with the intention of overwhelming the Jews after having been for some time resettled in their land subsequent to their return from the Babylonish captivity, 1-9. These enemies are further represented as making themselves sure of the spoil, 10-13. But in this critical conjuncture when Israel, to all human appearance, was about to be swallowed up by her enemies, God most graciously appears, to execute by terrible judgments the vengeance threatened against these formidable adversaries of his people, 14-16. The prophet, in terms borrowed from human passions, describes, with awful emphasis, the fury of Jehovah as coming up to his face; and the effects of it so dreadful, as to make all the animate and inanimate creation tremble, and even to convulse with terror the whole frame of nature, 17—23. Gog, and the land of Magog, A. M. cir. 3417. B. C. cir. 587. OL. XLVIII. 2. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 30. CHAP. XXXVIII. AND the word of the LORD b came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal : 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: enemies of God's people. 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. k A. M. cir. 3417. B. C. cir. 587. OI. XLVIII. 2. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 30. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 8 'After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; of them. all of them with shield and helmet: I have already remarked in the introduction to this book that there are but two opinions on this subject that appear to be at all probable: 1. That which makes Goo Cambyses, king of Persia; and 2. That which makes him ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, king of Syria. And between these two (for one or other is supposed to be the person intended) men are much divided. Calmet, one of the most judicious commentators that ever wrote on the Bible, declares for Cambyses; and supports his opinion, in opposition to all others, by many arguments. Mr. Mede supposes the Americans are meant, who were originally colonies of the Scythians, who were descendants of Magog, son of Japheth. Houbigant declares for the Scythians, whose neighbours were the people of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, that is, the Russians, Muscovites, and Tybareni or Cappadocians. Several eminent critics espouse this opinion. Rabbi David Kimchi says the Christians and Turks are meant and of later opinions there are several, founded in the ocean of conjecture. Calmet says expressly, that Goo is Cambyses, king of Persia, who on his return from the land of Egypt, died in Judea. The Rev. David Martin, pastor of the Waloon church at Utrecht, concludes, after examining all previous opinions, that Antiochus Epiphanes, the great enemy of the Israelites, is alone intended here; and that Gog, which signifies covered, is an allusion to the well-known character of Antiochus, whom historians describe as 9 Thou shalt ascend and come 14. Like Isai. viii. 9, xlix. 1. Deut. iv. 30. 12. Ch. xxxiv. 13.Ch. xxviii. 26. xxxiv. 9 like a an artful, cunning, and dissembling man. See Dan. viii. 23, 25; xi. 23, 27, 32. Magog he supposes to mean the country of Syria. Of this opinion the following quotation from Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. v., c. 23, seems a proof; who, speaking of Cœle-Syria, says: Cole habet Apamiam Marsyia amne divisam a Nazarinorum Tetrarchia. Bambycem quam alio nomine Hierapolis vocatur, Syris vero Magog. "CœleSyria has Apamia separated from the tetrarchy of the Nazarenes by the river Marsyia; and Bambyce, otherwise called Hierapolis; but by the Syrians, MAGOG." I shall at present examine the text by this latter opinion. Chief prince of Meshech and Tubal] These probably mean the auxiliary forces, over whom Antiochus was supreme; they were the Muscovites and Cappadocians. Verse 4. I will turn thee back] Thy enterprise shall fail. Verse 5. Persia] That a part of this country was tributary to Antiochus, sec 1 Macc. iii. 31. Ethiopia, and Libya] That these were auxiliaries of Antiochus is evident from Dan. xi. 43: "The Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his steps." Verse 6. Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah] The Cimmerians and Turcomanians, and other northern nations.-Calmet. Verse 8. In the latter years thou shalt come] This was fulfilled about four hundred years after.-Martin. The expedition of Cambyses against Egypt was about twelve years after the return of the Jews from Babylon.-Calmet. Verse 9. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm] It is observable that Antiochus is thus spoken of by Daniel, chap. xi. 40: The king of the north-Antiochus, shall come against him (the king of the south is the king of Egypt) like a whirlwind. k Gog and his army. A. M. cir. 3417. Ol. XLVIII. 2. thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19 For in my jealousy * and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, bb and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 13 Sheba, and ' Dedan, and the merchants "of Tarshish, with all the young lions" and the mountains shall be thrown down, thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? 14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel P dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 21 And I will call for dd a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: "every man's sword shall be against his brother. ff 22 And I will plead against him with " pestilence and with blood; and hh I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. ii 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and **sanctify myself; " and I will be known in the eyes sof many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. Ps. lxxxix. 46. a Jer. iv. 13. Ver. 16.- bOr, conceive a mischievous hands.- - Ch. xxxvi. 5, 6. xxxix. 25.purpose. - Jer. xlix. 31.- d Ver. 8. -e Or, confidently. Hag ii. 6, 7. Rev. xvi. 18. -Hos. iv. 3. Heb. To spoil the spoil, and to prey the prey. Ch. xxix. 19. 24. Nah. i. 5, 6.—-bb Or, towers, or stairs.cc Ps. cv. ¡6 5 Ch. xxxvi. 34, 35.Ver. 8.Heb. navel. Judg. ix. du Ch. xiv. 17.- ee Judg. vii. 22. 1 Sam. xiv. 20. 2Chron. Ch. xxvii. 15, 20.- Ch. xx. 23.- ff Isai. lxvi. 16. Jer. xxv. 31.- -65 ('h. v. 17. O Isai. iv. 1. -P Ver. 8. hh Ps. xi. 6. Isai. xxix. 6. xxx, 30.—— Ch. xiii. 11. Rev. $ Ver. 9. t Ver. 8. xvi. 21.- _kk Ch. xxxvi. 23.—" Ps. ix. 16. Ch. xxxvi Heb. by the 28. xxxix. 7. Ver. 16. 37. Ch. xxvii. 22, 23.- Verse 10. Shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought] Antiochus purposed to invade and destroy Egypt as well as Judea; see Dan. xi. 31, 32, 36. This Calmet interprets of Cambyses, his crueltics in Egypt, and his evil design to destroy the Israelites. Verse 12. To take a spoil-and a prey] When Antiochus took Jerusalem he gave the pillage of it to his soldiers, and spoiled the temple of its riches, which were immense. See Joseph. WAR, B. i. c. 1. Verse 13. Sheba, and Dedan] The Arabians, anciently great plunderers; and Tarshish, the inhabitants of the famous isle of Tartessus, the most noted merchants of the time. They are here repre sented as coming to Antiochus before he undertook the expedition, and bargaining for the spoils of the Jews. Art thou come to take a spoil, to carry away silver and gold, cattle and goods? Verse 16. When I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog] By the defeat of his troops under Lysia, Continuation of prophecies CHAP. XXXIX. against Gog and his army. his general. 1 Mac. iii. 32, 33, &c., and chap. | under Lysias, making a horrible carnage.-Martin. vi. 6. Verse 17. Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time] This prophecy concerning Antiochus and the Jews was delivered about four hundred years before the events took place.-Martin. Calmet maintains that Cambyses is spoken of, and refers to ancient prophecies, especially Isai. xiv., xv., xvi. 20, 21. Verse 21. I will call for a sword against him] Meaning Judas Maccabeus, who defeated his army Cambyses had no wars in the mountains of Israel. Verse 22. Great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.] These are probably figurative expressions, to signify that the whole tide of the war should be against him, and that his defeat and slaughter should be great. Abp. Newcome supposes all the above prophecy remains yet to be fulfilled. Where such eminent scribes are divided, who shall decide! CHAPTER XXXIX. The prophet goes on to denounce the divine judgments against Gog and his army, 1—7; and describes their dreadful slaughter, 8—10, and burial, 11—16, in terms so very lofty and comprehensive, as must certainly denote some very extraordinary interposition of Providence in behalf of the Jews. And to amplify the matter still more, the prophet, with peculiar art and propriety, delays the summoning of all the birds and beasts of prey in nature to feast on the slain (in allusion to the custom of feasting on the remainder of sacrifices), till after the greater multitudes are buried; to intimate that even the remainder, and as it were the stragglers of such mighty hosts, would be more than sufficient to satisfy their utmost rapacity, 17-20. The remaining verses contain a prediction of the great blessedness of the people of God in gospel times, and of the stability of the kingdom of Christ, 21-29. It will be proper to remark that the great northern expedition against the natural Israel, described in this and the preceding chapter, is, from its striking resemblance in the main particulars, put by the writer of the Apocalypse (chap. xx. 7—10) for a much more formidable armament of a multitude of nations in the four quarters of the earth against the pure Christian church, the MYSTICAL Israel; an event still extremely remote, and which it is thought shall immediately precede the destruction of the world by fire, and the general judgment. A. M. cir. 3417. B. C. cir. 587. Ol. XLVIII. 2. a A. M. cir. 3417. O. XLVIII. 2. THEREFORE, thou son | Israel, thou, and all thy bands, of man, prophesy against and the people that is with Gog, and say, Thus saith the thee: I will give thee unto Lord GOD; Behold, I am the ravenous birds of every against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of sort, and to the beasts of the field to be deMeshech and Tubal; voured. cir, annum 30. b 2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring upon the mountains of Israel: thee d 3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. or, k m 6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7 "So will I make my holy name known in 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of the midst of my people Israel; and I will not e Ch. xxxviii. 2, 3.- b Or, strike thee with six plagues; draw thee back with a hook of six teeth, as ch. xxxviii. 4. Ch. xxxviii. 15.- d Heb. the sides of the north. e Ch. Xxxviii. 21. Ver. 17. f Ch. xxxiii, 27. - - Heb. wing. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIX. Verse 2. And leave but the sixth part of thee] The margin has, strike thee with six plagues; or, draw thee back with a hook of six teeth. Verse 3. I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand] The Persians whom Antiochus had in his army, chap. xxxviii. 5, were famous as archers, and they may be intended here. The bow is held by the left |