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3,811 commentary entries
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
The Elders of Israel Rebuked; The Prophet's Address to the Elders. (b. c. 593.)
THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL REBUKED; THE PROPHET'S ADDRESS TO THE ELDERS. (B. C. 593.) Here is, I. The address which some of the elders of Israel made to the prophet, as an oracle, to enquire of the Lord by him. They came, and…
Destruction of the People Determined; The Variety of the Divine Judgment; A Remnant Preserved. (b. c. 593.)
DESTRUCTION OF THE PEOPLE DETERMINED; THE VARIETY OF THE DIVINE JUDGMENT; A REMNANT PRESERVED. (B. C. 593.) The scope of these verses is to show, I. That national sins bring national judgments. When virtue is ruined and…
Jerusalem a Condemned Vine. (b. c. 593.)
JERUSALEM A CONDEMNED VINE. (B. C. 593.) The prophet, we may suppose, was thinking what a glorious city Jerusalem was, above any city in the world; it was the crown and joy of the whole earth; and therefore what a pity…
The Meanness of Judah's Origin. (b. c. 593.)
THE MEANNESS OF JUDAH'S ORIGIN. (B. C. 593.) Ezekiel is now among the captives in Babylon; but, as Jeremiah at Jerusalem wrote for the use of the captives though they had Ezekiel upon the spot with them (Ezekiel 29:1-21…
God's Kindness to Israel. (b. c. 593.)
GOD'S KINDNESS TO ISRAEL. (B. C. 593.) In there verses we have an account of the great things which God did for the Jewish nation in raising them up by degrees to be very considerable. 1. God saved them from the ruin th…
Ingratitude of Israel; Shameful Idolatry of Israel. (b. c. 593.)
INGRATITUDE OF ISRAEL; SHAMEFUL IDOLATRY OF ISRAEL. (B. C. 593.) In these verses we have an account of the great wickedness of the people of Israel, especially in worshipping idols, notwithstanding the great favours tha…
Grievous Punishment of Israel; Punishment Threatened. (b. c. 593.)
GRIEVOUS PUNISHMENT OF ISRAEL; PUNISHMENT THREATENED. (B. C. 593.) Adultery was by the law of Moses made a capital crime. This notorious adulteress, the criminal at the bar, being in the foregoing verses found guilty, h…
The Wickedness of Jerusalem; Punishment of Jerusalem. (b. c. 593.)
THE WICKEDNESS OF JERUSALEM; PUNISHMENT OF JERUSALEM. (B. C. 593.) The prophet here further shows Jerusalem her abominations, by comparing her with those places that had gone before her, and showing that she was worse t…
Mercy in Reserve; Promise of Mercy. (b. c. 593.)
MERCY IN RESERVE; PROMISE OF MERCY. (B. C. 593.) Here, in the close of the chapter, after a most shameful conviction of sin and a most dreadful denunciation of judgments, mercy is remembered, mercy is reserved, for thos…
The Parable of the Eagles; The Parable Explained; Ruin of Zedekiah Predicted. (b. c. 593.)
THE PARABLE OF THE EAGLES; THE PARABLE EXPLAINED; RUIN OF ZEDEKIAH PREDICTED. (B. C. 593.) We must take all these verses together, that we may have the parable and the explanation of it at one view before us, because th…
Promises of Mercy. (b. c. 593.)
PROMISES OF MERCY. (B. C. 593.) When the royal family of Judah was brought to desolation by the captivity of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah it might be asked, "What has now become of the covenant of royalty made with David, th…
Proverb of the Sour Grapes; Reply to the Sour Grapes; Divine Judgments Vindicated. (b. c. 593.)
PROVERB OF THE SOUR GRAPES; REPLY TO THE SOUR GRAPES; DIVINE JUDGMENTS VINDICATED. (B. C. 593.) Evil manners, we say, beget good laws; and in like manner sometimes unjust reflections occasion just vindications; evil pro…
The Ways of God Justified; God's Vindication of Himself. (b. c. 593.)
THE WAYS OF GOD JUSTIFIED; GOD'S VINDICATION OF HIMSELF. (B. C. 593.) God, by the prophet, having laid down the general rule of judgment, that he will render eternal life to those that patiently continue in well-doing,…
Encouragement to Repentance. (b. c. 593.)
ENCOURAGEMENT TO REPENTANCE. (B. C. 593.) We have here another rule of judgment which God will go by in dealing with us, by which is further demonstrated the equity of his government. The former showed that God will rew…
Warning against Apostasy. (b. c. 593.)
WARNING AGAINST APOSTASY. (B. C. 593.) We have here the conclusion and application of this whole matter. After a fair trial at the bar of right reason the verdict is brought in on God's side; it appears that his ways ar…
The Fall of the Royal Family; Fall of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim. (b. c. 593.)
THE FALL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY; FALL OF JEHOAHAZ AND JEHOIAKIM. (B. C. 593.) Here are, I. Orders given to the prophet to bewail the fall of the royal family, which had long made so great a figure by virtue of a covenant o…
The Fall of the Royal Family. (b. c. 593.)
THE FALL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. (B. C. 593.) Jerusalem, the mother-city, is here represented by another similitude; she is a vine, and the princes are her branches. This comparison we had before, Ezekiel 15:1. Jerusalem i…
The Prophet Consulted by the Elders. (b. c. 592.)
THE PROPHET CONSULTED BY THE ELDERS. (B. C. 592.) Here is, 1. The occasion of the message which we have in this chapter. That sermon which we had Ezekiel 18:1-32 was occasioned by their presumptuous reflections upon God…
God's Gracious Dealings with Israel. (b. c. 592.)
GOD'S GRACIOUS DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL. (B. C. 592.) The history of the ingratitude and rebellion of the people of Israel here begins as early as their beginning; so does the history of man's apostasy from his Maker. No so…
The Privileges and Sins of Israel. (b. c. 592.)
THE PRIVILEGES AND SINS OF ISRAEL. (B. C. 592.) The history of the struggle between the sins of Israel, by which they endeavoured to ruin themselves, and the mercies of God, by which he endeavoured to save them and make…
The Rebellions of Israel. (b. c. 592.)
THE REBELLIONS OF ISRAEL. (B. C. 592.) Here the prophet goes on with the story of their rebellions, for their further humiliation, and shows, I. That they had persisted in them after they were settled in the land of Can…
The Sins of Israel. (b. c. 592.)
THE SINS OF ISRAEL. (B. C. 592.) The design which was now on foot among the elders of Israel was that the people of Israel, being scattered among the nations, should lay aside all their peculiarities and conform to thos…
Judgment and Mercy. (b. c. 592.)
JUDGMENT AND MERCY. (B. C. 592.) 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 tha…
Threatenings against Israel; Judgments Predicted. (b. c. 592.)
THREATENINGS AGAINST ISRAEL; JUDGMENTS PREDICTED. (B. C. 592.) The prophet had faithfully delivered the message he was entrusted with, in the close of the foregoing chapter, in the terms wherein he received it, not dari…