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3,811 commentary entries
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
God Acknowledged in Affliction; Jerusalem's Complaint. (b. c. 588.)
GOD ACKNOWLEDGED IN AFFLICTION; JERUSALEM'S COMPLAINT. (B. C. 588.) The complaints here are, for substance, the same with those in the foregoing part of the chapter; but in these verses the prophet, in the name of the l…
Cause, Extent, and Greatness of Zion's Calamities. (b. c. 588.)
CAUSE, EXTENT, AND GREATNESS OF ZION'S CALAMITIES. (B. C. 588.) It is a very sad representation which is here made of the state of God's church, of Jacob and Israel, of Zion and Jerusalem; but the emphasis in these vers…
Complicated Sorrows. (b. c. 588.)
COMPLICATED SORROWS. (B. C. 588.) Justly are these called Lamentations, and they are very pathetic ones, the expressions of grief in perfection, mourning and woe, and nothing else, like the contents of Ezekiel's roll, E…
The Prophet's Personal Affliction. (b. c. 588.)
THE PROPHET'S PERSONAL AFFLICTION. (B. C. 588.) The title of the Psalm 102:1-28 might very fitly be prefixed to this chapter—The prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his complaint before the Lo…
Words of Comfort to Israel; The Benefit of Afflictions; Comfort to the Afflicted. (b. c. 588.)
WORDS OF COMFORT TO ISRAEL; THE BENEFIT OF AFFLICTIONS; COMFORT TO THE AFFLICTED. (B. C. 588.) Here the clouds begin to disperse and the sky to clear up; the complaint was very melancholy in the former part of the chapt…
The Duties of the Afflicted. (b. c. 588.)
THE DUTIES OF THE AFFLICTED. (B. C. 588.) That we may be entitled to the comforts administered to the afflicted in the Lamentations 3:21-36, and may taste the sweetness of them, we have here the duties of an afflicted s…
Complaining to God. (b. c. 588.)
COMPLAINING TO GOD. (B. C. 588.) It is easier to chide ourselves for complaining than to chide ourselves out of it. The prophet had owned that a living man should not complain, as if he checked himself for his complaint…
God's Goodness Acknowledged; An Appeal to God. (b. c. 588.)
GOD'S GOODNESS ACKNOWLEDGED; AN APPEAL TO GOD. (B. C. 588.) We may observe throughout this chapter a struggle in the prophet's breast between sense and faith, fear and hope; he complains and then comforts himself, yet d…
Desolate Condition of Jerusalem; Effects of Famine in Jerusalem; Destruction of Jerusalem. (b. c. 588.)
DESOLATE CONDITION OF JERUSALEM; EFFECTS OF FAMINE IN JERUSALEM; DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. (B. C. 588.) The elegy in this chapter begins with a lamentation of the very sad and doleful change which the judgments of God h…
Cause of Jerusalem's Sorrows. (b. c. 588.)
CAUSE OF JERUSALEM'S SORROWS. (B. C. 588.) We have here, I. The sins they were charged with, for which God brought this destruction upon them, and which served to justify God in it (Lamentations 4:13-14): It is for the…
Comfort for Zion. (b. c. 588.)
COMFORT FOR ZION. (B. C. 588.) David's psalms of lamentation commonly conclude with some word of comfort, which is as life from the dead and light shining out of darkness; so does this lamentation here in this chapter.…
An Appeal to God; Complicated Sorrows. (b. c. 588.)
AN APPEAL TO GOD; COMPLICATED SORROWS. (B. C. 588.) Is any afflicted? let him pray; and let him in prayer pour out his complaint to God, and make known before him his trouble. The people of God do so here; being overwhe…
Unchangeableness of God; Prayer for Mercy and Grace. (b. c. 588.)
UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD; PRAYER FOR MERCY AND GRACE. (B. C. 588.) Here, I. The people of God express the deep concern they had for the ruins of the temple, more than for any other of their calamities; the interests of G…
Ezekiel's First Vision by the River Chebar. (b. c. 595.)
EZEKIEL'S FIRST VISION BY THE RIVER CHEBAR. (B. C. 595.) The circumstances of the vision which Ezekiel saw, and in which he received his commission and instructions, are here very particularly set down, that the narrati…
Vision of the Four Living Creatures. (b. c. 595.)
VISION OF THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES. (B. C. 595.) The visions of God which Ezekiel here saw were very glorious, and had more particulars than those which other prophets saw. It is the scope and intention of these vision…
The Vision of the Wheels. (b. c. 595.)
THE VISION OF THE WHEELS. (B. C. 595.) The prophet is very exact in making and recording his observations concerning this vision. And here we have, I. The notice he took of the wheels, Ezekiel 1:15-21. The glory of God…
The Vision of the Divine Throne. (b. c. 595.)
THE VISION OF THE DIVINE THRONE. (B. C. 595.) All the other parts of this vision were but a preface and introduction to this. God in them had made himself known as Lord of angels and supreme director of all the affairs…
The Prophet Commissioned to Reprove. (b. c. 595.)
THE PROPHET COMMISSIONED TO REPROVE. (B. C. 595.) The title here given to Ezekiel, as often afterwards, is very observable. God, when he speaks to him, calls him, Son of man (Ezekiel 2:1), Son of Adam, Son of the earth.…
The Prophet Cautioned Not to Fear; Charge Given to the Prophet. (b. c. 595.)
THE PROPHET CAUTIONED NOT TO FEAR; CHARGE GIVEN TO THE PROPHET. (B. C. 595.) The prophet, having received his commission, here receives a charge with it. It is a post of honour to which he is advanced, but withal it is…
The Prophet Ordered to Eat the Roll; Instructions Given to the Prophet; The Prophet's Instructions; Ezekiel's Reluctance to Be a Reprover. (b. c. 595.)
THE PROPHET ORDERED TO EAT THE ROLL; INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO THE PROPHET; THE PROPHET'S INSTRUCTIONS; EZEKIEL'S RELUCTANCE TO BE A REPROVER. (B. C. 595.) These verses are fitly joined by some translators to the foregoing…
The Watchman's Office. (b. c. 595.)
THE WATCHMAN'S OFFICE. (B. C. 595.) These further instructions God gave to the prophet at the end of seven days, that is, on the seventh day after the vision he had; and it is very probably that both that and this were…
The People's Contumacy Predicted. (b. c. 595.)
THE PEOPLE'S CONTUMACY PREDICTED. (B. C. 595.) After all this large and magnificent discovery which God had made of himself to the prophet, and the full instructions he had given him how to deal with those to whom he se…
The Representation of a Siege. (b. c. 595.)
THE REPRESENTATION OF A SIEGE. (B. C. 595.) The prophet is here ordered to represent to himself and others by signs which would be proper and powerful to strike the fancy and to affect the mind, the siege of Jerusalem;…
The Representation of a Famine. (b. c. 595.)
THE REPRESENTATION OF A FAMINE. (B. C. 595.) The best exposition of this part of Ezekiel's prediction of Jerusalem's desolation is Jeremiah's lamentation of it, Lam. iv. 3, 4, &c., and v. 10, where he pathetically descr…