Book of the Prophet Ezekiel

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Ezekiel prophesied during the Babylonian captivity, and began to prophesy in the fifth year after the captivity of King Jehoiakim of Judah; this was the second captivity, during which Ezekiel himself was taken captive to Babylon. He entered into the prophetic ministry when he was thirty years old, and prophesied for twenty years, five hundred and seventy-seven years before the coming of the Messiah. “And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, that I was in the midst of the captivity at the time of Chebar: and the heavens were opened, and I saw the vision of God” (Ezek. 1:1). So, on the fifth day of the fourth month, called Tammuz, when Ezekiel was among the captives of Judah, resettled on the banks of the Chebar River, the heavens were opened, and he saw a vision of God; that is, the heavenly gates were opened to the prophet’s mind, and with the spiritual eye of his understanding he contemplated the highest and most hidden mysteries. The words: “in the thirtieth year” show that Ezekiel was thirty years old when he began his prophetic ministry. For it is in accordance with order that the grace of teaching the word and the priesthood should be entrusted to a person of thirty years old, as if he had reached the age of perfect manhood. This also foreshadowed the fact that Emmanuel, at the age of thirty, received baptism and after baptism began to teach and show powers and miracles. For Christ did not perform a single sign before His baptism. “On the fifth day of the month, this was the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiakim of Judah, and the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest in the land of Chaldeans at the time of Chebar” (Ezekiel 1:2-3). It says here that Ezekiel began to prophesy in the fifth year after the captivity of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and this was the second captivity, during which the prophet Ezekiel himself was taken into captivity. “And their faces and their wings were in their four countries; they walked always, each one walking straight on his face and not turning back” (Ezek. 1:9). The Holy Spirit showed the prophet a chariot driven by Cherubim, who appeared not in their own form, but in the form of birds and animals, revered by us on earth as nobler and stronger. “And this is the vision of them, for the likeness of a man is in them” (Ezek. 1:5). The appearance as “the likeness of man” is the humiliation of Christ in the crucifixion; “the appearance of a man from above” (Ezek. 1:26) on a chariot means the glory of Christ. “And the face of a lion on the right hand is four, and the face of the bodies and... the face of an eagles... is clothed with four" (Ezek. 1:10). The face of the lion, which is considered the king of animals, represents to us the kings and princes of this age who will take over themselves under the yoke of the Church, depicted as a chariot, or they will submit to the Gospel, which is also depicted as a chariot. “The face of Orley” indicates that He who has to come will come from above. Together, the faces of birds and animals represent peoples and tribes with different morals, but all of them, as soon as they accept the Gospel, will begin to strive in spiritual work. “And the hand of man is under their (Cherubim) wings.” The human hand, which is under the wings of the Cherubim (Ezek. 1:8), shows us that by the power of Him who became the Son of Man, the chariot is carried, which He took upon Himself. This hand allows us to understand that Christ the Savior will be clothed with human flesh. And yet, the human hand under the wings of the Cherubim means that the foundation of the Church is supported by the right hand of Christ. “And... a stake in a wheel” (Ezek. 1:16), that is, strength within strength, kingdom within a kingdom. “And every man walketh straight to his own face” (Ezek. 1:11), because His Church is before His face, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). “They marched across four countries... like a vision of radiance.” Wherever their faces turned, there they went... “and did not turn... their ridges, and their heights. And they saw and their ridges were filled with four feathers around” (Ezek. 1:17, 14, 18). They marched in four directions, that is, to the four cardinal points, and faces were on four sides. Each face faces one of the four sides. One, being on its side, saw the west, the other, next to it, saw the north, the third - the east, and the one next to it - noon. And wherever they walked, each face had before its eyes the country of the world to which it was turned. The ox was associated with animals of prey, the clean was among the unclean. And with surprise we see that there are three unclean ones, and one pure one. This meant that few of the circumcised would be called apostles to preach among the pagans. The four sides represent the four parts of the world. The cherubim applaud and cry: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place” (Ezek. 3:12), that is, in all nations, for “the whole earth is the Lord’s, and its fulfillment” (Ps. 23:1). It is said: “a vision of brilliance,” that is, like the flash of lightning or like a falling star. “And it was spread out... over the heads of the animals, like the likeness of a majestic crystal” (Ezek. 1:22). “And they stood forever, their wings resting.” All these visions—the vision of brilliance, the vision of animals and crystal, as well as the vision of “sapphire stone” (Eze. 1:24, 26) and the likeness of a throne, and the vision of the Son of Man above the firmament, as well as the previous vision of the Son of Man—depict Immanuel. For He, having made man, appeared to be “above all” (Rom. 9:6). Understand other visions this way: in the vision of the throne, see the Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim; in the vision of the sapphire stone, which has the color of heaven, see the Powers, Powers and Dominions, and in the vision of the crystal - Angels, Archangels and Principalities, and the animals represent the saints of the earthly. “And I saw, and behold, a hand was stretched out towards me, and in it was a scroll of books: and unfold it before me, and in it was written... weeping and pity and grief” (Ezek. 2:9-10). “And he spoke to me... this scroll snowed” (Ezek. 3:1). Thus God showed His favor to the prophet; He stretched out His right hand to him, and concluded a prophecy in a scroll, and with this he comforted and strengthened the prophet, so that, having become a partaker of the mysteries of God, he would also participate in the humiliation of the Lord of the prophets, and just as the Lord suffered reproach when His people violated His commandments, so the prophet would become like the Lord. “And I ate it, and it became in my mouth like sweet honey” (Ezek. 3:3). The scroll in the mouth of the prophet became sweet as honey, and what was written in Ezekiel was fulfilled: “Your word is sweeter to my throat than honey to my mouth” (Ps. 119:103). “For you are not sending to people who are deep-spoken and tongue-tied... lower to people... whose words you would not understand.” Look, as if God says, I sent you only to the sons of your people, whose language you know. And if, like Jonah, I had sent you to one of the pagan nations, “then they too would listen to you” (Ezek. 3:5-6). “And lo... I strengthen... your forehead.” “Your forehead,” says God to the prophet, “I have made... I am as much... stronger than their forehead as a diamond... (adamant) is stronger than flint” (Ezek. 3:8-9). “And he breathed into the captives,” into the village of captives on the hill of Khib by the Chebar River (Ezek. 3:15). Here, perhaps, the captive Jews heard from the prophet what would happen to their city, to their church, and to the sacred vessels. “Son of man, I have given you as a watchman to the house of Israel, that you may hear the word from My mouth and warn them” (Ezek. 3:17). Behold, I have appointed you to warn and rebuke the people, so that you would proclaim to both the righteous and the sinner what is commanded to you, and the vigilance of the righteous would increase, and the readiness for repentance would increase in the sinner. “And go out into the field, and there they will speak to you” (Ezek. 3:22). The Lord made the prophet a sign for the people. And on this day the prophet was commanded to go out into the field, hear there what would be said by God, and again see the same vision that he saw at the river Chebar. “Go down and shut yourself in the midst of your house” (Ezek. 3:24). The Lord made the prophet a sign for the people, and what the prophet, according to the word of the Lord, did to himself, the Jews had to see what they would suffer from their enemies. The prophet shut himself up in his house, just as the Jews were shut up in the city. “Behold, chains have been given to you, and they will bind you with them” (Ezek. 3:25). The bonds placed on the prophet and preventing him from going signify the Babylonians who surrounded Jerusalem and its inhabitants, and took away their ability to leave and enter the city. “And I will bind your tongue to your throat” (Ezek. 3:26). And this represents the image of the besieged Jews, who, due to thirst, were like dumb, deprived of the ability to speak. “Take yourself a plinth (brick) and lay it before your face.” By this, God secretly (mysteriously) reminds the Jews of their previous humiliation in Egypt. “And let thou write on it the city of Jerusalem... and let thou build a city over it... and let thou make orders” (Ezek. 4:1-2). This shows the disasters with which the Jews and their city Jerusalem are threatened by the besiegers who will come and oppress them. Visors are called tall buildings, like towers, on which the besiegers stand, as if on a wall, and they see not only those standing on the city walls, but the very interior of the city, and the streets and houses in it. In a spiritual sense, Jerusalem represents the likeness of a soul that has lost its heavenly beauty and fallen to the ground, and is written on clay plinth, meaning earth. And the visor is an image of those passionate movements and lusts that Satan sows in the thoughts of the soul, and with which the building of heavenly beauty is trampled and crushed in the soul. “Take yourself an iron pan, and put it in the wall between you and the city” (Ezek. 4:3). God represents the misfortune of the Jews in the image of a frying pan in which their hearts seem to be baked from the sorrow that befell them. “Let you write on your left side... three hundred and ninety days... And I gave you two of their iniquities for the number of days, three hundred and ninety days... and not be changed from your side to your side” (Ezek. 4:4-5, 8). The prophet was commanded to remain on one side in a painful position for such a number of days to indicate that for the same number of years God was offended by the wickedness of the house of Israel. “Take for yourself wheat and barley... and millet and... spelt... And you will drink water by measure, and a sixth of other grains” (Ezek. 4:9, 11). This was said so that the people would see the invisible God in the visible prophet. As the prophet suffered from vile food, and from time to time drank a little water, and as he suffered for three hundred and ninety days without turning from one side to the other, so God was offended by the wickedness of the house of Judah and Israel for four hundred and thirty years, and endured. And indeed, God tolerated the wickedness of Judah and Israel for four hundred and thirty years. For from the first year of the reign of Solomon, when the foundation of the church was laid, to the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, when the church was burned, four hundred and thirty-three years and a half passed. “And I will bring down the unleavened barley bread, and hide the blood of men (on human feces) before their eyes... and you will sleep on your right sides... forty days... Behold, I have given you the blood of beef instead of the blood of men" (Ezek. 4:12, 6, 15), because "the fathers they will devour the children among you” (Ezek. 5:10). With this command to the prophet, God foretells to the Jews that just as the prophet ate unleavened bread baked on fire with bloodworms (feces) of men, and returned to the unleavened bread what he vomited, so the Jews will eat what came from them, that is, the children born to them. “So they eat their bread unclean among the nations, and perhaps I will scatter it” (Ezek. 4:13). This is said either about the time when the king of Babylon scattered the Jews and brought a people against them, and the children of Jerusalem among them ate their bread in uncleanness, or about the time when the Jews also ate their bread in uncleanness among the Edomites, Moabites, Philistines and other nations. “Behold, I will erase the grain foundation in Jerusalem” (Ezek. 4:16), that is, the prophecy will be stopped and the teaching will cease, which is represented by the image - “the grain foundation.” For the affirmation on which spiritual bread grows, the bread that feeds the soul, is the ear that bears fruit for the prophets. “But you, son of man, take for yourself a sharp sword... and put it on your head and on your bridle, and take the weight of the scales, and measure it into three parts” (Ezek. 5:1). The hair that grew during your seclusion, divide into three parts, weighing it on the scales; burn one part in the middle of the city - this represents those Jews who will be in the sanctuary when the church will burn. “The other part will be crushed ... around it,” and this represents the killed inhabitants of Jerusalem who will fall outside the city walls. “And the third part will be scattered by the wind” (Ezek. 5:3), and the smiting sword will pass after them. And this represents those who will be taken captive and beaten with the sword. “And thou shalt take them away from there, a small number of them, and bind them into thy garment... I will rest... my wrath upon them, and I will be comforted” (Ezek. 5:4, 13). Here we mean those who were delivered from the general destruction of the children of Israel, remained safe, unharmed, and returned alive to Jerusalem. “This is Jerusalem, in the midst of the nations that have built it, and all the cities around it” (Ezek. 5:5). Based on these words, some believed that Jerusalem was in the midst of the earth, like a heart in the midst of its members. For from Jerusalem came the law, the commandments of which all nations obeyed; and in Jerusalem the Cross was erected, which with its good deeds conquered all the ends of the earth. “And throughout your entire village the cities will be desolate, and your high places will perish, for your brethren will be consumed and destroyed, your idols will be crushed, your images will be broken. And plagues will fall in the midst of you... And I will leave you to escape from the sword among the nations" (Ezek. 6:6-8). God shows that those Jews will be saved who, by their repentance, justify before the pagans God's righteousness, which punished them among the pagans and then gathered them from among them. When I crush the adulterous heart of those who have departed from Me, then “they will smite their faces” (Ezek. 6:9), that is, for their sins, a grave disaster will be sent to them, and their heart will become numb, and their faces will be saddened from the sorrow that will befall them during the invasion of enemies. “And under the hay oak and under every thicket tree” (Ezek. 6:13). This depicts the madness of those who placed vain hope in their gods, whom they placed on every high mountain under every hay-leaved and broad-branched tree. For such is the custom of lying - to decorate oneself with external, borrowed beauty. “From the wilderness of Devlath” (Ezek. 6:14). Divlaf (Devlaf) is Daphnis, which is near Antioch. “The end will come upon you, and I will smite you” (Ezek.7:6). “The goat that dwells on...the earth will come upon you” (Dan.8:5). This is either Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who, like a goat, was alienated from people, “until... they will change over him,” as it is said, “...seven times” (Dan.4:20); or God calls Nebuzaradan, the chief of the bodyguards of Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Jerusalem, a goat. “The goat comes out and advances on you, and the rod prospers, but reproach grows” (Ezek. 7:10–11). Vengeance is near. “And iniquity will rise upon the rod of the wicked,” because a criminal people is being punished for its sins. “And not... from them..., not from their... clothes and pangs” (Ezek. 7:11). The prophet says this because the Babylonians will not do all this with their own strength. “The time has come, the end is near: let him who buys not rejoice, and let him who sells not mourn” (Ezek. 7:12), because the desolators will soon come to them and take away all their possessions. “And they will remain safe from them... on the mountains, like doves on the rocks” (Ezek. 7:16). The prophet says that few will survive, and that those who escape will be like doves moaning on the rocks. “All hands will weaken... They will cast their silver on piles.” This signifies the sorrow that will befall the Jews during captivity. “The hands will weaken,” so that the Jews will not be able to fight and save their property. “And all the tribes will flow out with water” (Ezek. 7:17, 19), that is, they will sweat out from painful sorrow. In Hebrew it reads: “all the flanks are scalded with wetness.” “And I will bring shepherds of the tongues, and their houses will inherit.” The prophet calls the kings who were with the Babylonians shepherds of the tongues. “And I will turn the glory of the mighty into the humiliation of captivity... I will seek visions from the lying prophets, and there will be no” (Ezek. 7:24, 26), because in the confusion, when they are taken into captivity, they will perish for interpreters of the law, priesthood and prophetic vision. “And it came to pass in the sixth year in the sixth month..., that is, the reign of King Joachim, and he took me from the midst of the earth and from the midst of heaven, and led me to Jerusalem in the vision of God.” The prophet speaks of the prophetic spirit, with which his mind was delighted, because not with the body, but “in the vision of God” he was transferred to the entrance of the inner gate facing north, “where there were no pillars of ... jealousy” (Ezek. 8: 1, 3). So, instead of the sacred pillar of God, the Jews erected vile idols. The pillar mentioned here is probably some kind of image that served as a witness between the buyer and the seller, similar to what was in the story of Jacob and Laban (Gen. 31:44-48). “And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and in e deh, and behold, one well in the wall... Jezoniah the son of Saphan... standing... and seventy men from the elders of the congregation with him" (Ezek. 8: 7, 11). The one who captivated the prophet commanded him to dig even more into the wall, and when the prophet dug it, the spirit led him into the church, where the prophet saw images of all kinds of reptiles and beasts of burden written on the walls; he also saw seventy eminent men and elders with Jezania the son of Saphan, a man renowned for piety; in their hands were censers, and the smoke of their incense ascended to the images written on the walls. “And I saw the women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz” (Ezek. 8:14). The one who delighted the prophet leads him to other doors of the house of the Lord and shows him the wives sitting in the sanctuary and weeping for Tammuz. “And he took my spirit, and brought me into the east door of the house of the Lord, and I saw twenty and five men standing there, giving their backs to the church of the Lord, and their faces were straight toward the east: and they worshiped the sun toward the east” (Ezek. 8:16). The one who delighted the prophet leads him into the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, “between Elam and between the altar,” and shows him twenty-five men who stand with their backs to the church and face to the east, and bow to the rising sun. Thus they mock the sanctuary, showing it disrespect, and honor the sun by worshiping it. For if they had not intended to mock the church, they would have worshiped the sun in another place, and not between Elam and the altar. “Draw near, you who avenge the city from ... behold, six men of the city... and every one has vessels of vengeance in his hand” (Ezek. 9:1-2), God, when he showed the prophet the wickedness of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, calls to the Angels with a great voice and says: “Draw near, you who avenge the city,” and by this makes it clear to the prophet that the city will be destroyed because of the guilt of its inhabitants, and not by the force of its enemies. “And the glory of God ... rose from the Cherubim that stood over the corner of the house” (Ezek. 9:3), that is, over the altar, which was built in the corner of the house of the Lord. “And the Lord spoke to... the man who was clothed in the robe (the robe of the high priest): go through the midst of the city... and put a sign on the faces of the men who groan and are sick because of all the wicked who are among them" (Ezek. 9:4, 3). And to those who were with this man, the Lord said: “cut off people of every age” (Ezek.9:5). Circumcision was not enough; God abolished it, and instead erected the sign of the Cross. And the sign placed on “those who mourn” is the thought of those who are sick about their evil deeds, for before God a thought is the same as a deed, in accordance with what has been said: “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). “Begin at the sanctuary” (Ezek. 9:6), that is, from the priests who have profaned the sanctuary, and from those wicked who between Elam and the altar worship the sun. “And he said to the man clothed with the utensils: Go down into the midst of the wheels, even under the Cherubim, and fill your handfuls with coals of fire... and scatter them on the hail.” Since the man, clothed “in utensils (linen clothing),” could not do this, then one of the Cherubim “stretched out... his hand into the midst of the fire that was in the midst of the Cherubim, and took and went into the hand of the one clothed with utensils... and took and went out” (Ezek. 10: 2, 7) to do what was commanded. “Coals of fire s" mean those rewards and punishments for apostasy that, through the mediation of Angels, will befall the foolish. In addition, the "coals of fire" and the man "clothed with utensils" who entered and threw coals on the people, mysteriously signify the priest of God, through whom the living coals of the Life-giving Body of the Lord are distributed. And by the fact that another Cherub stretches out his hand and gives coals to the man dressed in linen, it means that the priest himself cannot make bread with Flesh, but another performs this Sacrament, namely the Holy Spirit; the priest, as a mediator, only raises his hands and offers prayers and petitions with his lips, like a pleading slave. “They say: is not the house built in it? This is konob, but we are meat” (Ezek. 11:3). We will not perish by the sword, nor will we be taken into captivity. And if we die, then death is peace for us, because before our eyes we have the disasters that our ancestors endured in slavery. “And it came to pass that I prophesied, and Phaltia... died” (Ezek. 11:13). As death snatched away Phaltia, so shall your brothers, the sons of Levi, be snatched away. “And I will be for their sanctification a little in the countries, and maybe they will go in there” (Ezek. 11:16). This speaks of the return of the Jews from Babylon and all other countries in which they were scattered. “And I will give them a foreign heart and a new spirit” (Ezek. 11:19), that is, for the godly and righteous deeds that they do, God will give them the land of Israel and a new heart and a new spirit. “And be taken captive during the day... And take your bag for your shoulder,” because the noblest of you in Jerusalem will have to bear the same burden. God again makes the prophet a sign, depicting the flight of Zedekiah and his nobles from the Chaldeans, saying to the prophet: “Make for yourself vessels of captivity, and be taken captive by day before them... Dig for yourself a wall... you will go out in the evening before them... and take your bag for your shoulder and cover your... thy face” (Ezek. 12:3-6). “And I will cut off My nan, and it will be... and I will bring him into Babylon... and he will not see her” (Ezek. 12:13), because they will blind him; he calls it a snare (mrezhei) that Zedekiah will be taken and imprisoned by those who captivate him, and they will deprive him of his sight, and he will not see the land of his resettlement. “Like foxes in the desert, your prophets were to Israel!” (Ezek. 13:4) The former prophets, although you had no more than one of them, prayed for you, and with their prayers asked for your forgiveness. And of the present prophets, although you have many of them, there is not one who would represent Israel in the day of trouble. “And this one builds the wall, and they anoint it, it will fall” (Ezek. 13:10), that is, their false prophecies brought to destruction the city, the salvation of which the true prophets cared about. “And I will bring down a destroying storm with fury... and I will dig up the wall that is anointed, and it will fall, and I will lay it on the ground, and its foundations will be revealed” (Ezek. 13:13-14). The prophet rises up against the false prophets who presented their fortune-telling as truth, and adds: “Woe to those who sew together the heads of the heads with every piece of their hands.” These were magical bags tied to the hands, with the help of which, when telling fortunes by hand, they gave answers to those who asked, as soothsayers and sorcerers do. “And to them that make veils over every head of every age, to corrupt the souls” (Ezek. 13:18), so that those led into error do not try to see, and do not see themselves or the truth. “Souls... you catch my people, and you provide for your own souls.” You support your life, but you desecrate them; “for the sake of a handful of barley and for the sake of a crust of bread, to bruise the souls” (Ezek. 13:18-19), who should not have grieved, and who did not deserve death. “Behold, I am at your head... I will tear you away from your arm” that you will be taken captive. “And I will send the souls to freedom” (Ezek. 13:20), which you caught with your sorcery and charms. “For the heart of the righteous is corrupted by unrighteousness” (Ezek. 13:22). You strike the heart of a simple man with your predictions and sorceries, for because of such a prediction Jeremiah was thrown into a pit (Jer. 38:6), and with your deceit you bring into sorrow the heart of the righteous, whom I did not plunge into sorrow, because he was not bound by Me in chains, and I send down disasters on those of My people who have sinned, and not on those who lament the iniquity of people. Mine. “And if a prophet be deceived and speak a word, the Lord deceived that prophet... - that is, He forbade him to be deceived, - and I will consume him from among My people” (Ezek. 14:9), because he himself deceived himself and was confirmed in the deception of his heart, and prophesied and said what was not told to him. “And if ... in the midst of her, ... Noah and Daniel and Job ... neither their sons nor their daughters will be saved” (Ezek. 14:14, 16) while I will bring four vengeances on them. Neither Noah, who saved his sons and their wives, nor Job, who sought mercy for his friends, nor Daniel, who saved the wise men and his companions in Babylon, although they were heard in their time, would have saved either sons or daughters. Behold, I bring “four vengeances” (Ezek. 14:21), that is, four terrible disasters on Jerusalem. “They will come out to you... and comfort you: until then you will see their ways and their plans” (Ezek. 14:22-23), that is, after Jerusalem is struck by the sword, famine, fierce beasts and death (pestilence), the saved righteous will give birth to sons and daughters like them, and you will see the deeds of their sons and be comforted. “What would a vine tree be of all trees?” (Ezek.15:2). The vine among the oak trees is Israel; the vine branches are his tribes; oak trees are pagans. “He destroyed two vines” (Ezek. 15:4), that is, either the house of Ephraim and the house of Reuben, or Israel and Judah, or the kingdom and the priesthood. The core is damaged so that it cannot grow and bear fruit. “They will come out of the fire, and the fire will engulf them” (Ezek. 15:7), that is, they will escape the sword, and the sword will overtake them; will be saved from Egypt and will be enslaved in Babylon. “Take witness to Jerusalem of her iniquity” (Ezek. 16:2), let her know that she is no longer Abraham’s daughter. “Your root and your origin are from the land of Canaan.” Since the Jews boasted that they had Abraham as their father, God says: “Your root is the same as the root of the Canaanites,” for the children of Abraham do the works of Abraham. “Your father is an Amorite and your mother a Hittite” (Ezek. 16:3); and you yourself were born in uncleanness, and your ancestors remained in uncleanness. “And she who gave birth to you on the same day was born, not cutting off your navel... nor adding salt to it, nor hanging it in swaddling clothes” (Ezek. 16:4). Suppose that in the desert there was no salt, no swaddling clothes, or anything else to help you with this, but even your mother’s eye did not spare you. “And you were rejected on the face of the field by the rebellion of your soul.” The Lord points to cruel slavery in Egypt and to the inhuman command of Pharaoh, and says: “Although I saw you in your humiliation, when you were like an imperfect fetus spewed out of your mother’s womb, contaminated with your blood, yet My soul was not disturbed by you, but blessed you, “rekokh you... live... Multiply, like the vegetation of the village... and you multiplied... and you entered into the cities of cities" (Ezek. 16:5-7), that is, you took possession of the fortresses and cities of the Amorites, and inherited them. And you grew up and became a maiden. “And I saw you... and I swore to you” (Ezek. 16:8). When I brought you out of Egypt, then I saw that you had grown and reached the years of youth, but you were naked, that is, you had no law. “I swear to you,” and you swore to Me. “And I washed you from your uncleanness” (Ezek. 16:9), with My pure sprinkles I washed you from the filthiness of Egypt. “And I clothed you in variegated clothes, in the clothing of the Egyptians, which I gave you, and shod you in scarlet” (Ezek. 16:10), in shoes that do not wear out (morocco sandals). “And I put a bracelet on your hand and a coin on your neck... and you were adorned with gold and costly stones... and your garments were fine linen... and silk... and specks” (Ezek. 16:11, 13). The Lord lists the gains and ornaments that His people brought out of Egypt, and says: “I gave this to you as a reward for the labors you suffered from the Egyptians.” “And thou hast committed fornication... and thou hast poured out thy fornication upon everyone that passeth by” (Ezek. 16:15); I have provided you with everything that is suitable for newlywed wives, both clothing and gold jewelry; You “thou hast committed fornication” and gave yourself over to everyone who passed by you. “And she made for herself graven images, and committed fornication with them” (Ezek. 16:16); With my clothes I decorated the idols you made, that is, idols, “and committed fornication... with them.” “And you made for yourself images... and committed fornication with them" (Ezek. 16:17); from the gold of the pagans, which I gave you, you made male images, and committed fornication with them. God calls it fornication that the synagogue became, as it were, betrothed to the idols of the pagans, chose them as husbands, rulers, trustees and saviors, and worshiped them and indulged the abominations of idolatry. The Jews reasoned about false gods: “One god loves one thing, another delights in another, and the third delights in sacrifices.” In all this, the synagogue has gone astray, and abandoned God, who loves chastity and holiness. “The honey... and the oil... and the seven dal... which I gave you... thou didst place before them in the stench of the aroma” (Ezek. 16:19). I gave you oil, honey, flour, and you brought all these fragrances to your gods, sculptured and made by hand. “And... thy sons and thy daughters that thou hast given birth to” (Ezek. 16:20), she sacrificed, and slaughtered, and gave to idols, when she indulged in fornication with them. Those sons and daughters that I gave you, while you recognized Me as your head and father, and until you began to be lascivious and turned to idols, you mercilessly sacrificed those sons and daughters and offered them for destruction to your gods in the fury of your unclean love for them. And at the same time, “you did not remember the days of your infancy, when you were naked... and mixed with blood” (Ezek. 16:22), when you were in poverty, standing by the dirt, and the Egyptian guards forced you to wear coffers with plinths. “And you have built for yourself a church of robbers” (Ezek. 16:24), that is, the church of the gods of intemperance, who steal from you everything that I have given you. “What will I condemn to your daughter, says Adonai the Lord, when you always do all these things... When did you reward your fornication at the beginning of every path?” (Ezek.16:30–31). What will I award to Samaria, your daughter, who acted like you, because you yourself built idol churches on your piles. “And thou hast given hire... for my fornication with thee... And I will deliver thee into their hand, and they will dig up thy whoredom, and destroy thy high place... and will do... for vengeance upon thee” (Ezek. 16:33, 39, 41). Since you rewarded your lovers so that they would come to you and defile themselves with you, I will deliver you into the hands of your enemies, and they will take everything you have and dig up the house of your whoredom, that is, they will destroy your high place. And by the captivity of your sons they will take vengeance on you in the sight of many women, that is, in the sight of many nations. “And the sisters of your sisters” and those who dwell beyond the river, that is, Samaria and the tribes that dwell beyond the Jordan. “Your mother is a Hittite, and your father is an Amorite” (Ezek. 16:45), and not Rebekah or Isaac. “Besides, this is the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride in the abundance of bread and the abundance of...rest and you...to shame and...accept your dishonor" (Ezek. 16:49, 52), because your enemy took captives captive in you. Among the captives, God also names the sister of Jerusalem, and calls Sodom his sister; by the name Sodom he means the tribes who lived across the river Jordan. Just as Jerusalem was previously called the daughter of the Hittite woman, although Jews lived in it, so the tribes of Trans-Jordan were called Sodomites, because the deeds of Sodom were going on among them, although they were not Sodomites, but brothers of the Jews by their father Isaac. And subsequently it was not Sodomites, but Jews, who were returned from captivity. “A great eagle, great-winged, long in length, with thick nails and thick feathers, went into Lebanon” (Ezek. 17:3). This is Nebuchadnezzar, who came to Lebanon, “and took the chosen cedar (removed the top from the cedar),” that is, King Jehoiachin. “And the heights of the softness of the prison.” These tops of young shoots, which he cut off “and brought ... into the land of Canaanite,” mean Zedekiah. “I have placed merchants in the city,” that is, in Jerusalem. “And... from the seed of the earth, and from the fruit of the land... over many waters” (Ezek. 17:4-5). These are the Jews who remained in Jerusalem. “It was seen that this was done... And the grapes became weak and small in majesty... And there was another great eagle, great-winged... and behold, these grapes entwined about him" (Ezek. 17:5-7) He calls the king of Egypt a weak grape, that is, a weak one, who placed his trust in the king of Egypt and made an alliance with the Egyptians. Therefore, as the Lord says, Zedekiah, who despised My oath and transgressed My covenant, will die in Babylon: because he left the Babylonians and gave himself up to the Egyptians, he will die in Babylon (Ezek. 17:16). In another sense, the core and top of the cut tree is Immanuel, who was taken from the Jews and planted on the spiritual mountain of spiritual Israel, to bring not perishable blessings, but saving commandments and life-giving medicines, to produce not fruits that nourish the mortal womb, but grapes of hope and the fruit of life, and not to be such a cedar that would be like those growing on the mountains at the borders of the promised land, but which would be sufficient to enshrine all those gifted with reason with His glory, and on which would find peace not the birds, fixing their gaze to the earth in order to satisfy their greed with food scattered on the earth, but the birds that acquired wings in the holy waters of saving Baptism, raising their gaze to the One from heaven, and living on the branches of this Divine tree, soaring to Him on the acquired wings of grace and those who have found refuge in Him. “And I will take from the elect a tall cedar... and will plant... on the mountain... of Israel... and... from the head... of their hearts I will cut off” (Ezek. 17:22–23). “The chosen ones of the cedar” mean the leaders in the clans and hosts of Judah, through whom the seed of blessing and clusters of bounties were transmitted. In another sense, “the chosen ones of the cedar” were the priest Jesus and Zerubbabel. “And lead away every tree of the field, for the Lord humbleth the high tree, and lifteth up the humble tree” (Ezek. 17:24). The Lord denotes all pagan nations by the trees of the field; They will know, as God says, that I have humbled the high tree, Zedekiah, and exalted the lowly tree, Zerubbabel. “Why do you say: the fathers poisoned the tart, but the teeth of their children set the teeth on edge?” This is not true. “The soul that sins will die. A person who is righteous... does not force a person, does not harm anyone... does not take advantage of theft... does not take profit... he does not die. If his father insults him with grief and takes him away with theft... and dies in his iniquities.” Since the Jews said: “Our fathers sinned, and we bear their sins,” God says to them: “This is not true, because you are suffering punishment for your own sins, and everyone who has a goiter will have their teeth set on edge” (Ezek. 18:2, 4-5, 7-8, 18, 21). “And I said: the way of the Lord will not be established” (Ezek. 18:25), this is how the sons of the house of Israel reasoned, who knew that their ancestors sinned, but were not taken into captivity for this. And this they said to those who were about to go into captivity; and when the captivity announced to them should have aroused them to repentance, they grumbled that God was acting unjustly in predicting captivity for them. “Why is your mother a lioness?” Mother is the kingdom of Judah, it is “in the midst of lions” (Ezek. 19:2), that is, among the neighboring kingdoms. “One grew up from her lionesses and became a lion, and learned to delight in admiration”; this is Jehoahaz, the son of King Josiah of Judah, he learned to “delight in admiration”; Pharaoh Necho, having killed Josiah, took Jehoahaz to Egypt and killed him there; therefore it is said: and ... brought him the Gentiles in a bridle into Egypt" ( Ezek.19:3-4). After this, it is said about King Jehoiachin: “And took his mother from her lionesses and made him a lion.” And about the captivity of Jehoiachin it is said: “And the Gentiles put him in a cage, and brought him to the king of Babylon.” It is also predicted that Jehoiachin will die in Babylon and not return, and it is about his non-return from captivity that the prophet predicts in the following words: “Let no one hear his voice on the mountains of Israel” (Ezek. 19:5, 9). “Your mother planted grapes on water with her blood, and her fruit and herb were abundant from the water” (Ezek. 19:10). The prophet calls Jerusalem, which was stained with the blood of its inhabitants, the mother planted with her own blood; “his branch,” that is, his sons and daughters grew up under the waters of prophetic teaching. “And he was given a rod of strength over the tribe of the elders” (Ezek. 19:11). These are the elders who were first exalted by God and then destroyed in captivity. “And fire went out from the rod... it... strong... and it ate the fruit thereof” (Ezek. 19:14). This indicates that Jerusalem was taken because of the treachery of Zedekiah. “The men came from the elders of the house of Israel to inquire of the Lord.” And the prophet answers them in the name of the Lord: “Food, ask Me, are you coming?” Ezekiel does not listen to the elders and does not give them an answer, but begins to narrate how God allowed them to know Himself in Egypt and commanded them to put away the abominations of Egypt from before their eyes; but they, as the Lord says, “do not want to listen to Me, every one of them has not put away the abominations from their own hands” (Ezek. 20: 1, 3, 8). “And My commandments have given them that are not good, and My excuses that they shall not live in” (Ezek. 20:25). These commandments “are not good” are those four fierce vengeances listed earlier that the Lord sent to Jerusalem (Ezek. 14:21), that is, “sword, and famine, and fierce beasts, and death (pestilence).” In addition, God calls the commandments of the law, justifications and ungood commandments, which were given to the Jews as little children, even as rebellious slaves, and not as those who had reached adulthood and sons, because God condescended to their weakness and gave them a law and justifications, which, according to His judgment, were “not good.” “And when your fathers angered Me... I brought you into the land... I lifted up My hand to give to them: and when they saw every high hill of the earth and every tree that was planted there, they devoured there... their sacrifices. And I said to them, “What is Abbamah, because you are going in there” (Ezek. 20:27-29). Abbamah is an elevation, a stone that served as an altar on which sacrifices were made to idols. “And I will take away from you the wicked and those who have rejected Me” (Ezek. 20:38), that is, upon their return from captivity, the wrath of God will increase against those whom punishment and captivity will not change. “Son of man, establish your face in the south... and the prophets in the midday oak grove (forest of the southern field).” The midday oak grove is Jerusalem, which lies at noon from Babylon. “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and will burn up every tree in you,” that is, both the guilty and the innocent (Ezek. 20:46–47). “Son of man... set your face against Jerusalem... and speak to the land of Israel... Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath,” that is, My inexorable wrath, not restrained by mercy. “And I will require from you the righteous and the wicked” (Ezek. 21:2-3). Either the law calls righteous, or those Jews who considered themselves righteous, and the rest of the host is called lawless. “I sword, I sword! be sharp... so that you will be... ready... for the slaughter of the tribe... of My son”, for the complete destruction of the tribe of My son Israel. “Cast away every tree,” that is, every person (Ezek. 21:9–10). “Cry and lament, son of man” (Ezek. 21:12), because this is the decree and commandment concerning your people. “And clasp your hands,” because it is fitting for such a judgment of righteousness to be fulfilled, and it will be fulfilled, “and the sword will become stronger” (Ezek. 21:14). “Let their heart be broken” (Ezek. 21:15), that is, the sword will be drawn and fall on them. “There is a third sword of plagues,” because the Jews were taken into captivity three times: during the reign of Joachim, when Daniel and his comrades were also taken into captivity; then in the days of Jeconiah, when Ezekiel was resettled in the land of the Chaldeans; and finally when Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem. “The sword is great and terrifying to the plagues” (Ezek. 21:14), because God will terrify them with hunger. “Do not cease to act, My right hand, even if My face is turned” (Ezek. 21:16), that is, against Jerusalem, in order to completely crush and devastate it. “Make... a way so that the sword may be brought against Rabbah af the sons of Ammonih” (Ezek. 21:19–20), that is, pave the way “so that the sword may be brought” to the king of Babylon. “From one country will come two beginnings,” that is, two paths. “And the hand of the chosen one ... at the beginning of the path of the chosen city” - this is the current Antioch. “On Rabbath of the sons of Ammonih”, that is, Nebuchadnezzar will come to the Ammonite city of Rabbah by the sea shore from Antioch. For Nebuchadnezzar came and encamped at Emus, also called Emi, a city that is near Antioch. Therefore adds: “the king of Babylon... will stand at the beginning of both paths, - at the beginning of both paths, - to cast magic with magic... and he will shoot an arrow, and ask the sculpted... to build a fort around... Jerusalem, and to open his mouth with a cry.” where should he go, whether to Tire to the north, or towards Antioch and from there to Jerusalem “And there came... magic upon Jerusalem” (Ezek. 21:19-22). “And likewise he performed magic before them” (Ezek. 21:23). The Babylonians were deceived in their fortune telling about the victory, which was very remote; they hoped that Jerusalem would be taken in a few days. But they spent the winter under its walls and conquered the city only after nineteen months, when the inhabitants were exhausted from hunger. “And you, the filthy one, the lawless one, the elder of Israel... your day is coming, ... the end" (Ezek. 21:25). This is Zadok, who was the high priest at the time of the capture of Jerusalem. "I will take off your turban and put off your crown" so that you no longer enter the church for sacred rites. "He lifted up the humble," that is, Jesus, the son of Yozedek, “thou humbled the high things,” that is, Zadok (Ezek. 21:26). “And this I will do in wickedness and unrighteousness, ... until He comes, He is worthy, and I will deliver it to Him” (Ezek. 21:27). This long-suffering, which I showed to the priesthood, although the Jews used it to greater malice and wickedness, I will continue until My Son Christ comes, to Whom the priesthood belongs, and to Whom I will hand it over by the hand of John on the Jordan. “Behold, Adonai the Lord speaks to the sons of Ammonim... the sword prepared for the end... refined and shining against your vain vision” (Ezek. 21:28-29), that is, against the vision of your vain power. “I will put you on the neck... of the wicked” (Ezek. 21:29), that is, the Ammonites. “Return to your sheath... to the place in which you were born” (Ezek. 21:30). Or the prepared sword is kept in its scabbard until the time is fulfilled; or tells the Ammonites to stay in their land, trusting in the land of origin. “You will judge the city of blood, and show it all its iniquities.” God again returns to the enumeration of the iniquities committed by Jerusalem when he says: “You will judge the city of blood” (Ezek. 22:2). “The Prophet and his rebel against Me... in the midst of him, like lions roaring, delighting with admiration, souls with violence,” that is, with the power that they lawlessly appropriated to themselves. “They accept the glory of their palaces” (Ezek. 22:25), that is, they collect according to how large or small their dwellings are. “And his priests rejected My law and desecrated My holy, through their negligence, there was no separation between the holy and the profane” (Ezek. 22:26), that is, they did not believe in any difference between the holy and the unsanctified. “The princes among him are like oxen, ravishing... the people of the earth, oppressing them with unrighteousness” (Ezek. 22:27, 29), that is, the princes and those who are called those who know My law, rob the poor. “Two women are the daughters of one mother” (Ezek. 23:2). Under the name of two women, and daughters of one mother, Samaria and Jerusalem are depicted in the form of a parable, unanimous in that they committed adultery together, worshiping calves. “And you were a harlot in Egypt, in your youth you were a harlot; there you corrupted their breasts, and there you corrupted their virginity” (Ezek. 23:3), because in Egypt they discovered idolatry and the service of false gods. “The names of the names are Oolah, the oldest, and Olibah, the youngest” (Ezek. 23:4). These symbolic names denote Samaria and Jerusalem, that is, Samaria - Oholah (Oola) and Jerusalem - Oholibah (Ooliva), and these names are given to them not in honor, but in desecration. “And keep Ool away from Me, worshiping the calf, and put your trust... in the Assyrians who come near to her” (Ezek. 23:5). This is talking about Samaria. “And there was reproach among women... corrupting her virginity” (Ezek. 23:10, 8). Samaria clung to the Assyrians, the people neighboring her, and clung to the Assyrian idols, because she primarily tried to please the Assyrians; she committed adultery and corrupted herself, clinging to idols, and therefore became a laughing stock for the allied cities. “And she saw her sister Olive... and multiplied her fornication more than the fornication of her sister... And she saw that one way was defiled” (Ezek. 23:11, 13). Jerusalem, depicted under the name of Oholibah, saw that Samaria had suffered punishment, but he himself indulged in fornication with the Assyrians and was not content with fornication with men, but even became addicted to the images of husbands painted on the walls. “And they saw men written on the wall... girded with stripes about their loins, and with great colors on their heads... and they were defiled in them” (Ezek. 23:14–15, 17), that is, with those called to the love bed from Babylon. “And at times I slain my children with my idol, and entered into my holy place on that day that I defile” (Ezek. 23:39). This is said about the women of Jerusalem. Therefore, turning to the prophet, the Lord says: “bring a host against them” (Ezek. 23:46), bring about judgment for the fact that the children born for Me are burned with fire as a sacrifice to their idols. “And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month... son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, from which the king of Babylon was strengthened against Jerusalem... set up a konob, instruct and pour water into it, and cast into it... good slaying and fatness" (Ezek. 24:1-4). God represents Jerusalem to the prophet under the image of a konob, its inhabitants under the image of slaughter, and its enemies under the image of fire (“I will kindle fire”) (Ezek. 24:10). “The lot will not fall on him. For there is his blood in his midst” (Ezek. 24:6–7). They will not cast lots over Jerusalem, but everything that is in it will be given to plunder. “I put his blood on a smooth stone that could not be covered” (Ezek. 24:8), because their sin will remain obvious until the day when their final punishment befalls them. After this, God announces to the prophet that his wife will suddenly die. “Behold, I will take away from you the desires of your heart in defeat, do not weep, weep below, let tears come to you” (Ezek. 24:16); “Do not entwin yourself ... around your mouth” (Lev. 13:45), God speaks to the prophet about the death of his wife, so that by the death of his wife, called the desire of the eyes, he could depict the burning of the holy church, so longed for by the soul of every Jew; He also commands that he should have neither sorrow nor crying, and that he should not even reveal sadness and lamentation in a word. “On that day, one who survives will come to you and tell you in your ears. On that day your mouth will be opened” (Ezek. 24:26–27). Then you will finally open your mouth and begin to preach publicly, because your prophecy is justified by its very fulfillment, and you will not be dumb. “Son of man, set thy countenance against the children of Ammon... for thou mayest rejoice in... my saints, for they have been defiled” (Ezek. 25:2-3). You said with joy: “The sanctuary of God has been desecrated by the invasion of foreigners and the blood of the Jews, the land of Israel is desolate.” “And I will give the city of Ammon to the flock of sheep, and the children of Ammon to feed the sheep... since you have splashed your hand and trampled under your foot... and I will consume you from men”; “I will give you as an inheritance to the Babylonians who came from the east; they will eat your fruit, and they will drink your milk” (Ezek. 25:5–7, 4). “This is what Adonai the Lord says: Because Moab and Siir said: Behold, like all the nations, the house of Israel and Judah, for this reason, behold, I will relax the arm of Moab from the cities” (Ezek. 25:8-9), that is, I will put an end to the kingdom of Moab. “Thou shalt wreak vengeance on Edom... against the sons of Israel, and I will make the remembrance of your malice and... your envy a waste, and from Teman to Dedan... they will fall by the sword” (Ezek. 25:12-13), because they harbored anger against the house of Judah. “Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the foreigners... and I will destroy those who are left who live on the seaside... having created the foreigners... vengeance rejoicing with all my soul” (Ezek. 25:16, 15), in order to dissolve the friendship, which was an oath from time immemorial, established between Abimelech and Abraham. “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, said to the prince of Tire: Are you wiser than Daniel?” Why do you exalt yourself in small things, when Daniel, having great things, deepened his humility? “They will mock your glory... they will bring you down to Sheol” (Ezek. 28:1-3, 7-8). “Thou art the seal of likeness” (Ezek. 28:12). God calls the King of Tire a seal of likeness, because he tried to prove his kinship with the house of Judah, although in fact he did not descend from the seed of Judah. “You were the crown of kindness in the sweetness of God’s paradise,” that is, in Tire and Jerusalem. “You adorned yourself with every precious stone, sardium and topazium,... amefist... and emerald... and virillium... and sapphire, and aspis, and crystal, and pearls, and gold, you filled your treasures and... with precious stones... your storehouses, and you were You are with the anointed cherub,” that is, with the cherub David, whom Samuel anointed and who overshadowed all Israel. In the historical sense, the prophet either says this about Hiram, who reigned during the time of David, or laughs at the people and the kingdom of Tire and at another king who departed from the truth. In the spiritual and mysterious sense, these words can be applied to the devil, who was adorned with all spiritual adornments, like semi-precious stones, and anointed with holiness with the Cherubim, but, through the pride of his heart, he forgot his Creator and fell from the mountain of God. “You walked among the stones... and... cast you down... from the mountain of God” (Ezek. 28:12–14, 16). The fiery stones are priests and prophets. “Thou art blameless in thy days” (Ezek. 28:15), until, by the abundance of thy trade, thy greed led thee into sin. “And I will destroy you, O anointed cherub who overshadows, from the midst of the fiery Kamyks” (Ezek. 28:16). He calls him anointed because there was a king, although unanointed. Yet this, like the previous one, must be understood both in a historical and in a spiritual sense. “Behold, I am upon you, Sidon,” because you also mocked the children of Israel. “And I will be glorified in you” (Ezek. 28:22), that is, I will be glorified by others for the punishment that I will impose on you. “Behold, I will bring upon you, O Pharaoh... the great serpent, who sits among his rivers, saying, “The rivers are mine...,” that is, my dominion, “And I will put a bridle in your jaws, and I will cleave the fish of your river,” that is, your army, “to your wings and, and I will bring you up from the midst of your river... , - that is, I will force you to leave my country, - and I will cast you... on the faces of the field... and you will not gather yourself” (Ezek. 29: 3-5). I will overthrow you and all your army, represented in the form of fish. “And you will not be gathered together,” that is, you will not be buried in a tomb. “Before you was the rod of the reeds of the house of Israel: when I struck you with my hand, you pierced their hands, and when you touched you, you were worn out and broke them” (Ezek. 29:6-7), because such you were for the Israelites at all times, and such you are now. “In that day the horn of salvation will rise up for all the house of Israel,” because the horn that kept them in bondage will be broken. “And I will give you a mouth to open among them” (Ezek. 29:21), when your words are actually fulfilled and your prophecy about the Egyptians will come true. “And a sword will come against the Egyptians, and there will be a rebellion in Ethiopia... when they take his wealth,” they will captivate him and plunder his spoils. "The Ethiopians, the Phuteans (Libyans), and the Libyans, and all Arabia, and the Qubeans (Hub'ei) and the sons of the land of the covenant... with them... will fall... I will give fire to Egypt... and I will destroy the land and its fulfillment... I will kill those who are from the house of Paphros, and I will give fire to Zoan (Tanis ), and I will take vengeance in No" (Ezek.30:4–5, 8, 12, 14), that is, in Diospolis; a sword will come against Egypt, Ethiopia will be horrified, and the Phutei and Libyans, together with other sons of the north, will take possession of the wealth of Egypt. “And the supports of Egypt will fall” (Ezek. 30:8), that is, its hordes, on which the Egyptians relied and considered themselves safe. “On that day messengers will come from My presence” (Ezek. 30:9), that is, a decree will come from My presence to devastate carefree Ethiopia. “And I will give fire,” that is, I will send a sword to Egypt, “and... Sais (Sin) will rebel,” mourning the death of his priests. “In Diospoli (But) there will be a chasm, Memphis will turn into ruins, and in Taphnes the day will be darkened” (Ezek. 30:16, 18), that is, Taphnes will be put to the sword. “In the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, I have cut off the muscles of Pharaoh the king of Egypt... and... do not... apply a plaster to him... And I will break his strong muscles.” I will crush the muscles of the pharaohs. The muscles depict the military stature of the pharaoh. “I will crush his strong arms,” that is, his hordes (Ezek. 30:20–22). “And I will scatter Egypt into the nations... and I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and I will put My sword in his hand, so that he will cut off the arms... of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh will weep before his murderers with the lament of the mortally wounded" (Ezek. 30:23-24). “And it came to pass in the tenth year, in the third month... the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh... and unto his multitude: unto whom havest thou likened thyself in thy height? Behold, Assur, the cedar of Lebanon, good to the branches.” This, and what is said below, under the image of a cedar, depicts the greatness of the kingdom of Assyria. “And the top of it is in the midst of the compressed mountains,” that is, among the kingdoms (Ezek. 31:1–3). “And he lifted up his branches above all the trees of the field ... all the multitude of languages dwelt under his canopy” (Ezek. 31:5-6). This depicts the great power of the Assyrian kingdom over all, which is why it is said: “all the multitude of languages dwelt under his canopy.” "The cedars did not exceed it in the paradise of God." There is not a single king who is more glorious than the king of Assyria. “And the pines are not like their branches” (Ezek. 31:8), that is, the princes of other kingdoms are not equal to the princes of the Assyrian kingdom, “Before you were great in majesty, that is, in your power, you gave him into the hand of the mighty of the nations” (Ezek. 31:10-11), that is, he handed over his kingdom into the hands of the king of Babylon, powerful among the nations, and created it for him according to his wickedness. “And his branches were cut off... his branches fell... and all the people of the nations came down from his covering” (Ezek. 31:12), and they left him, deprived of royal power. “Under its branches all the beasts of the forest were born... I created goodness in its many branches, and all the trees of paradise were jealous of the sweets of God” (Ezek. 31:6, 9). When he fell, the birds of the air and the beasts of the field settled on him to devour him who was glorious, ruling the kingdom and the strength of his armies; Because of this, the kings of the nations envied him and hated him, fought with him, and trampled on his crown, because the Lord betrayed him for his sins. “And its branches will be erased from all the fields of the earth... all the birds of the air will swarm on it, and under its stems... all the wild animals of the village, for lest all the trees even in the water be exalted in their majesty.” trees even in the water, under the image of which the kings are represented. “And they will not hide their tops and ... their midst and thick branches” (Ezek. 31:12-14), that is, they will not be puffed up with pride among their hordes. “This says Adonai the Lord: on that day he will be brought down to hell, I will weep for him... When he was brought down to hell... all the sweet trees were comforted,” that is, all the kings who died before were comforted by his fall. “And the chosen one... drinking the water... who was brought down to hell... the chosen and good one of Lebanon” (Ezek. 31:15-16), that is, everyone who extolled themselves like him, like him, will go down to hell to those who are plagued by the sword. “And his seed, and them that dwell under his cover” (Ezek. 31:17). After the kingdom was taken away from the king of Assyria, the peoples subject to him began to live under the shadow of other peoples, namely the Babylonians. “And it came to pass in the tenth year, in the second tenth month, on the one day of the month: the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up lament against Pharaoh the king of Egypt... to a lion... thou art likened unto a great serpent, which is also in the sea, and thou hast struck with thy horns in thy rivers, and troubled “Thou art the water of thy feet” (Ezek. 32:1-2). You said that with your armies, depicted in the image of rivers, you scattered the armies of the nations and, like the sea serpent, who hides his life in the waters out of fear, you wanted to become like the lion, the strong king of all animals. Therefore, you will humble yourself before the power of the Assyrians and Babylonians, and the cities and kingdoms of the nations will mourn for you. So, having sent a great multitude of Babylonians against you, “I will lay My nets on you... and I will plant all the wild beasts and birds of the air on you, and with you I will satisfy all the beasts of all the earth: and I will overthrow your flesh on the mountains... And I will anger the hearts of many people... So then their waters will be silent”, because with the fall of the Egyptians, the peoples with whom the Egyptians were calmed down. in constant war, and who were kept in constant fear. I will make sure that “their rivers will flow like oil” (Ezek. 32:3-5, 9, 14), that is, with the fall of the Egyptians, the armies of the nations will calm down. “There is mourning... and the daughters of the pagans will mourn over him, over Egypt and over all her power they will mourn” (Ezek. 32:16), as soon as what is determined by the truth of God is accomplished over Egypt. “The word of the Lord came to me saying... weep for the strength of Egypt... and they will bring his people... into the depths of the earth with those who go down into the abyss... There is Assyria and all his host... around his tomb" (Ezek. 32:17-18, 22). And, wanting to show that such cruel disasters befell the Egyptians for the children of Israel, the prophet adds: “who gave their fear to the lands of the living” (Ezek. 32:23), that is, in Jerusalem, which is called the land of the living, because the law was proclaimed in it, which preaches about the heavenly life in God and teaches it. “There Elam and all his strength are around his tomb... There Mosoch and Tobel and all his strength were given around his tomb” (Ezek. 32:24, 26). These are the Elamites and the sons of Gog, who waged war against Jerusalem, led by the leader of the Assyrian army, Holofernes, and for whom the tomb was built by the cunning and prayer of Judith. “He will not rest with the uncircumcised who went down to Sheol” (Ezek. 32:27), that is, neither Mosoch (Meshech), nor the other uncircumcised who went down to hell, will gain peace for themselves with military weapons, because “they have given their fear to the lands of the living” (Ezek. 32:23). “Our charms and our iniquities are within us, and we melt in them” (Ezek. 33:10), that is, as long as our unrighteousness persists, until then our repentance will not be accepted. “And you will be to them like the voice of a singer.” The Jews will listen to your words like a sweet song, they will begin to enjoy your broadcasts like the pleasant sounds of a lyre, but when the disasters and final punishment that you foretell come to them, then they will know that “you are a prophet among them” (Ezek. 33:32-33). “Ole, shepherds of Israel!.. do not the shepherds feed the sheep?.. did not feed the weak and heal the sick... and My sheep were... to be devoured by all the wild beasts” (Ezek. 34:3-5). The prophet condemns the priests and rulers of the people of Israel, because of whose negligence and negligence the people forgot the laws and commandments of the Lord, as a result of which they were possessed by the wild beasts of the field, in whose image the Babylonians and Assyrians are represented, that is, the peoples who, like the prowling beasts of the field, wandered outside the path of the law of God. “Before My flock was destroyed” (Ezek. 34:8), that is, through the negligence of the shepherds, My people fell from sinful lusts. “Behold, I... will seek My sheep... and will greet them, as a shepherd greets his flock... I will seek the sheep... out of their hands, and I will lead them into captivity, and I will leave them alone,” and they will not feed My sheep; having returned from captivity, “from I took My sheep out of their mouth” (Ezek. 34:10–12). “I will feed my sheep and I will give me rest” (Ezek.34:15). This is said about the Church in which our Lord, the Shepherd of all the nations of the world, is known; and in Him, our God, is the refuge and rest of the sheep of His pasture, according to what is written: “Lord, you have been our refuge for generations and generations” (Ps. 89:2). “And I will gather ... my sheep, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel” (Ezek. 34:13). By the mental mountains of Israel we mean the contemplation of that which is original and above all that exists. “And they will feed in fat pastures” (Ezek. 34:14). Upon their return, I will give all the benefits promised to them. “Behold, I will judge between the sheep and the sheep..., - because each other, - with the ribs... the ribs and the horns... the gore" (Ezek. 34:17, 21), that is, I will judge between the synagogue that crucified Christ, and between the Church of the Gentiles. “And I will reason... between a ram and a ram” (Ezek. 34:22), that is, between the Jews, the accomplices of Caiaphas, and between the people of God, gathered from various nations into a single host of worshipers of the Crucified One. “And I will raise up for them a shepherd... My servant David” (Ezek. 34:23), that is, Zerubbabel. This was completely fulfilled in our Lord. He is the true Shepherd of the flock, gathered from the pagans, and he is called a servant and David because he became a man and took on the form (image) of a servant from the family of David. “And the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me in the midst of the field: and it was full of human bones” (Ezek. 37:1). The Spirit of God gives the prophet Ezekiel some revelation about the resurrection of the dead. “The hand of the Lord be upon me,” - this is how the prophet depicts the visit of the Spirit, by which he was led in a vision into a wide field filled with bones, scattered members and dead bodies, although in fact there were no dead or slain people there. For where is it written that there, in the land of Babylon, the people of Israel were destroyed? This vision was shown to the prophet by the Spirit of God, because the Jews who lived in captivity in their own eyes seemed to be dead and buried in the place of their imprisonment, in the country of Babylon. “And I circled around them, and I saw, behold, many green fields, and behold, very dry ones,” and soon he added: “and I copulated bones, bone to bone, each one to its own composition” (Ezek. 37:2, 7). In this revelation, under the image of the dead, who had died so long ago that the skin had peeled away from their bones, the Spirit shows the prophet the deliverance of the Jews from captivity and imprisonment, and their return to the land of Israel, in commemoration of which he shows him how the compositions of the bones copulate and are connected, form from themselves the completeness of the human body, receive life, are resurrected, and numerous hosts of the living stand on their feet. “And I will put in you... the spirit... and you will live... And the spirit of life will come into you, and you will live.” This is how God tells the prophet about the resurrection on the field shown to him by the Spirit in a vision. And although the resurrection of the dead, both in vision and in reality, is equally possible for God’s omnipotence, because both, by a single wave of God, can be accomplished without difficulty, yet God performs the resurrection in vision, signifying the lack of faith in the Jews, who said: “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost” (Ezek. 37:6, 10-11). For if the Jews said: “Our bones are dried up,” this means that they were not dead, and if they were dead, how could they speak? So, the Lord denounces the living, who murmur against God, and speaks not to the dead, deprived of the gift of speech and feelings: “And you will know that I am the Lord, to open your graves at some time, and to raise you up from your graves” (Ezek. 37:13). This promise to take the Jews out of the land of Babylon, as if from the grave, and return them to the land of Israel, will be seen fulfilled by those who said: “We are dead, perished, all hope of returning to the holy land of Jerusalem has disappeared; and the land of our enemies, to which we were taken into captivity long ago, will be our grave after our death.” As a consolation to those who said this, God brings the prophet in a vision to a field with bones thrown down and scattered, and shows them being assembled and revived, so that the prophet, having seen all this in revelation, would encourage the sons of his people with the hope of returning, confirming that God has already prepared their resurrection, that is, their return to Judea. “Son of man, take for yourself one rod, and write on it Judah and the sons of Israel who are near him: and take the second rod, and write on it Joseph, the rod of Ephraim.” By the image of the two rods, God means two kingdoms, which, upon the return of the Israelites from captivity, will constitute one kingdom. For he says: “Take yourself one rod and write on it Judah and... I am Israel” (Ezek. 37:16). “And they will... be one rod... in your hand... and I will gather... and I will give it into a tongue... one... in the mountains of Israel.” So the prophet, explaining what is represented by the image of the rods, says: “And I will gather... and I will give into the tongue... one... in the mountains of Israel” (Ezek. 37:17, 21-22), “And my servant David is a prince among them” (Ezek.37:24). God calls Zerubbabel His servant David, who became the ruler of the people of God. In reality, this prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, who, by His coming in the flesh, granted salvation to the world, reconciled the people of Israel and the pagan nations, heavenly and earthly, and reigned over them. But for our sake He also calls Himself a slave, because He, the Lord and God, became man and took upon Himself the form (image) of a slave. “Behold, I am upon you, Gog... the ruler, and... the prince of Mosokh (Meshech) and Fovel... Homer and all his strength, the house of Forgamagne... From many days... you were predestined, and in the last summer you will come... take captivity, take gain... and I will put a bridle in your jaws, and from I lead you and all your great strength" (Ezek. 38:2-3, 6, 8, 12, 4). Gog and Magog are the names of the nations that oppressed the Jews shortly after their return from Babylon. But many claim that Gog is the name of Holofernes, the commander of the army of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Assyria. For with him many nations from the land of the north entered the land of Israel, and were exterminated there. Therefore, interpreters add that with the shafts of weapons and spears of the army of Holofernes, the inhabitants of the cities of Israel lit a fire in the sanctuary for seven years, and this was done in memory of the victory. That is why it is said in Ezekiel: “and they will burn fire for seven years” (Ezekiel 39:9). If the winners had taken the weapon shafts for themselves, they would not have set them on fire. If they were burned, then this was done by the command of God, and the priests brought part of their weapons into the church as a souvenir, and with the shafts of these weapons they lit fire for seven years to burn incense, according to the word of God, on holidays and new moons. “In the seventh month... I will be buried... Everyone who traverses the earth and sees a man’s bone will do a sign in it” (Ezek. 39:12-13, 15). From what has been said that the slain will be buried in seven months, we can conclude that on the day of the defeat itself there was no opportunity to bury them, perhaps because the whole people greedily rushed to the spoils, and perhaps because the bodies of the slain quickly rotted and it was impossible to approach those who, as the prophet Zechariah says, “still stood on their feet” (Zechariah 14:12) melted away the flesh. Therefore, the Jews, in order not to torment themselves on the day of deliverance and not to touch the rotting bodies of their enemies, postponed their burial until the time when the scorching heat would crush (crushes) the flesh, and the animals would eat them and the birds hungry for such prey would peck them, so that after that they could collect and bury the bodies, dried up by the air and the sun. Therefore, the burial will take place in the seventh month. “Whoever passes through the earth and sees a bone of a man will do a sign with it” (Ezek. 39:15), that is, the scattered bones, whatever remains, will be buried by those passing by. The words: “he will perform a sign with her” can be explained in another sense; he will create a sign (monument) who, having met a person who is in paganism or Judaism, instead of a sign built from sensual stones, will put into his ear the words of the Holy Scriptures, and through them will act to reprove and correct him; therefore, if the listener is ready to accept the word, he will quickly come to the land of the living. “And... if the Spirit of Mine comes out upon all the house of Israel” (Ezek. 39:29), the Children of Israel will turn to Me and believe in Me. “And it came to pass in the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourth ten years after the destruction of the city” (Ezek. 40:1). The first number is taken not from Josiah, but from Jehoiachin, for it is said: “in the fourth ten years after the destruction of the city,” and the city was destroyed in the eleventh year under Zedekiah. This year, in which the Jews were given the promise to rebuild the church, was a jubilee, because another jubilee was in the eighteenth year under Josiah, when Jerusalem was still prosperous. For adding up the remaining thirteen years of the reign of Josiah and the three months of the reign of Jehoahaz, the eleven years of Jehoiakim, the eleven years of Zedekiah and the fourteen years after the destruction of the city, we get the fiftieth year, that is, the jubilee. In this year, Ezekiel announces to the Jews the restoration of the church and their return from captivity. “And behold, husband... and in the husband’s hand there is a measure of a reed of six lakotas and a single hand, and measure the door of the door with a cane, the width of the door is five lakotas..., and the door of the door... of a single cane, and the windows inward are wide and narrow on the outside, and the gate to the courtyard... looking towards the gates of the north and east m. And the porch... in Elam... the gates, two meals about this country and two... about it, so that you could offer burnt offerings on them" (Ezek. 40:3, 5-7, 16, 23, 39). Just as during the final destruction of the city and the taking into captivity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the extreme misfortunes of the people, the prophet saw the removal of the glory of God and was saddened, so now, on the day the spirit saw the prophecy about the reconstruction of the city and the church, the entry of glory is revealed to him and rejoices him. Ezekiel saw that the glory of God was entering through the same eastern gates through which it had departed. Just as the prophet said before that the glory of the Lord departed from the house of God and stood over the Cherubim, and came out through the eastern gates of the house of the Lord, so now he says that the glory of God entered through the gates facing the east. “And measure the length... even to the windows" (Ezek. 41:15-16). The windows in the house of the Lord, narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, are images of things that are subject to the senses, which for us serve as doors, so that through them a person can enter and approach the contemplation of the heavenly, spiritual, inaccessible to the senses. The husband, who, as Ezekiel saw, had a measuring stick in his hand, depicts Immanuel, who measured, ordered and put in order all the visible and invisible creatures. The reed, containing in itself six lacs (a lac is a measure from the cubit to the end of the middle finger, about ten and a half vershoks), means the six limits of the world; the single hand in the reed, which is half a lac, is the world of spirits. And everything that is said about the house of God and about everything that is in this house and that he saw. Ezekiel, understand about the Holy Church of Christ: the priests of the house of God represent the apostles; the slain calves are the image of Immanuel Himself. By the fact that he who enters to worship God through the northern gates leaves through the southern gates, it is made clear that a person should not return to the bad, but is obliged to strive for the best and move forward along the path of good. When the prophet says that it is necessary to separate the holy from the unsanctified, then he calls unsanctified everything that is outside the fence of the house of God. “And give the firstfruits of your lives to the priest” (Ezek. 44:30), that is, give to the priests the firstfruits of all your food. “Severe away the firstfruits of the Lord... and... the consecrated things of the sanctuaries” (Ezek. 45:1, 4). This is what the prophet says to the Jews returning from Babylon, and to the builders who will rebuild Jerusalem. The Prophet commands that one place be set aside for the priests and the church, another for the Levites, a third for the people, and a fourth for the prince. What was said by the prophet: “measure... the water, and the water will come up to... the tears (ankles),” means the workers who have been working in the morning. The words: “measure... and the water comes up to the knees” (Ezek. 47:3–4) indicate workers who began work from the third hour. And an even greater increase in the water in the stream (up to the waist) implies those who began work at the ninth hour. Finally, the water in the stream became so high that it was impossible to cross this stream - this marks those who came at the eleventh hour. These are the meanings of these measurements. “And you brought me through the water even to the point of stinging” (Ezek.47:3). The Jews are represented here under the image of a stream of water. What is said that “water came out from under the altar” means that service to God is performed on this altar. The Prophet says: the height of the stream increased; “lead me through the water... to the waist... and the stream shall not pass away” (Ezek.47:3-5). All these images - that is, that the stream is at first small and can be crossed, because the water reaches only the ankles, and then the height of the stream increases, so that the water gradually reaches the knees and the waist, and, finally, with the increasing height of the waters, the stream can no longer be crossed - mean those who multiplied, became stronger and conquered the Edomites, the house of Gog and other surrounding nations. But you will also recognize a different, mysterious meaning if you read the words of the prophet again: “And you will bring me through the water... And the water will come up... up to the eyes (ankles) ... to the knees... even to the loins... they (the stream) will not pass away” (Ezek. 47: 3-5). These words indicate the beginning of the Gospel sermon. For at first there were few preachers, and then their number grew and multiplied, as can be seen from what the Lord said: “Fear not, little flock” (Luke 12:32), and from the likening of the Kingdom of Heaven to “a pea seed... even the least of all the seeds is eaten: and when it grows, there is more (of all) potions” (Matt. 13:31–32 ). At first there were only twelve apostles, later seventy and two were added to them; then three thousand were added, and the countless number of preachers kept growing, like a stream that grew so strong that it was impossible to cross it. The water flowing into the valley, “even to the east” (Ezek. 47:8), and descending to the north, depicts the teaching of the apostles, which came out, was communicated to the pagans and delighted them. “The water... goes down to the sea into corrupt waters, and the waters heal: and every soul that is born in every place will find... this river will live: and there will be many fish there, because this water will come there and heal” (Ezek. 47:8-9). “Many fishes” depict zealots, ready for the work of preaching and standing at the head of faithful nations. “And the river will rise up, and on its surface there will be both branches, every food tree... and their fruit will be for food, and their vegetation will be for health” (Ezek. 47:12). This is what the prophet says about those who are perfect in deed and word, who bring sacrifices, tithes and gifts on their new moons and their holidays, and who are held and bound by God’s power. On these trees at the beginning of each month there will be new fruit, for the waters that they drink come from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their growth (growth) for health. This signifies life-giving and saving laws. And those who wash themselves in these waters, that is, do not deviate from the law, will be like tall trees growing on the banks of a stream, and will be “like a tree planted by the waters that come out, which will yield its fruit” (Ps. 1:3). It is noteworthy that God sixty-two times calls Ezekiel “son of man,” and fifteen times calls the house of Israel “the one who grieves.” This part of the works of St. Ephraim the Syrian (except for the last four articles) was translated from the Syriac language. The accepted texts of Scripture say “fourth” – Editorial of the “ABC of Faith” There is no interpretation for this chapter. You might be interested in: