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Extermination of the wicked population of Jerusalem (in vision) The threat expressed in Ezekiel 8.18 for the desecration of the church and the country is now carried out by the Lord. But to do this with one’s own hand would be unworthy of Him, and therefore His servants appear here. With the careful selection of the pious, the population of the city is killed (chapter IX) and the city itself is burned (chapter X). With the speed of lightning, God's command is fulfilled, but the prophet rightly refuses the immediate description of the terrible action of heavenly power; it takes place behind the scene of the vision, and in the interval the reader is occupied once by the intercession of the prophet for those being killed (Ezek.9.8–10), and another time (Ezek.10.8–22) by a new description of the cherubic chariot (Smend). Ezek.9:1. And he cried in my ears with a great voice, saying: Let the punishers of the city draw near, each with his destructive weapon in his hand. "He proclaimed". Intentional omission of the subject. See explanation. to Ezek.2.1 and Ezek.8.7. - “In my ears.” As in 5 tbsp. and as “before my eyes” Eze.10.2, 19 - an addition aimed at drawing attention to the reality of the vision not only in important, but also in more insignificant details (Ezek.10.13). - “Great voice”, corresponding to the degree of anger of the Speaker and the importance of the command given. - “Let them come closer.” In euros verb form, which also allows the meaning of past. vr., why slav. "come closer"; for pov. incl. says that the command of God must be communicated earlier than the action caused by it is described; Wed Art. 5 – “Punisher”, lit. “visiting” (Vulg.: visitationes), “demanding”, Greek. εκδικησις, "vengeance"; since punishing angels appear in response to this call (v. 2), then, therefore, it is an abstract concept to see here a specific, personal meaning, which is permissible in Hebrew. language (Isa 60.17). This meaning is required with necessity and further: “everyone (lit.; “male”) with a destructive weapon in his hand.” This is a weapon, literally. "murder weapon", slav. “vessels of destruction” is not more precisely designated either here or further (although in the following. in the verse it is mentioned again) perhaps because it was unlike our weapons and indescribable; However, see the explanation of this word in the following. Art. Ezek.9:2. And behold, six people are coming from the upper gate, facing the north, and each has his destructive weapon in his hand, and among them is one dressed in linen, who has a scribe's instrument at his belt. And they came and stood near the bronze altar. “Six people” are angels in human form (others: the leaders of Nebuchadnezzar’s army), who are often the executors of God’s judgments (Dan 4.14, etc.). Together with the “husband” who was among them and had a special purpose, there were 7 of them the sacred number of the highest angels, first mentioned (more precisely: implied) here; Wed Comrade 12.15; Zech 4.10; Open 4:5, 8:2, 15:6–7. But it is significant that the direct perpetrators of punishment are angels in numbers that do not have sacred fullness in even numbers (cf. 2 angels who burned Sodom, 4 heavenly punishments). – “They come from the upper gates facing the north,” undoubtedly those mentioned in Ezekiel 8.3–5 under the name of the inner gates and the gates of the altar; The gates of the inner courtyard were called “upper” in contrast to the gates in the outer wall of the church (called lower in Ezek. 40.19), because the inner courtyard rose as a terrace above the outer one, thanks to which the worship performed on it could be visible to the people; here such a new name is attached to this gate to show that the angels coming from the outer court had to rise up, which is why perhaps they were not visible before. The punishing angels enter through this gate, perhaps because Jehovah, coming from the north, brought these servants with him and, passing through the church, left them in the outer court until they were needed, or as a sign that the disaster they bring is coming from the north and that the Chaldeans will come from the north and invade the city from this side. "Destructive weapon". LXX here is already “axe” (cf. v. 1). apparently simply for the purpose of giving some idea of ​​the weapon; according to euro the name “instrument of destruction” allows us to imagine these tools in the form of a hammer (Jer 51.20). - “And among them one”, obviously, stood out so much among those six that he could hardly be counted among their number, why the total number is not shown 7. Nevertheless, the subordinate and official position that “one” occupies in relation to Jehovah and according to which he rises little above his companions, forces us to recognize in him only an angel, albeit a higher one, the performer of a more pleasant, but also more difficult mission (marks of the righteous), but not the Angel of the Covenant. The closest guesses about him are impossible. "Dressed in Linen Clothes". Linen clothing, Heb. “baddim” (lit. “fiber”, “strand of linen”) was clothing assigned to priests, who were strictly forbidden to perform sacred services in woolen clothing (Lev. 6:10, 16:4; Ezek.44.17); white in color and capable of frequent washing, such clothing was a good symbol of the purity and holiness that was required of the priest; therefore, starting from the present place of Ezekiel, it is assimilated to the inhabitants of heaven, not only to the angels, moreover, the highest ones (Dan 12.6, 7), but also to the Son of God (Ezek.10.6). The linen fabric that was used for the clothes of the priests and especially the high priest was, of course, of the highest quality, of extraordinary fineness and dazzling whiteness, which is why it should have shone no worse than a silver eyelet (Rev 15.6); Linen fabric of this quality was probably later called fine linen (Rev 19.8); Perhaps for the sake of this shine, linen clothes were adopted by the celestials; and when the latter appear to appear shining (angels at the tomb of Christ) or white (Rev. 4:4, 7:13; cf. Mk 9.3) clothes, then these clothes should be thought of only as fine linen (the weaving of the ancients stood at such a height, not yet reached by modern manufacture!). LXX here is free: “clothed with a garment”, as in Eze. 10.6, where they call the same clothing: “holy utensils”; and Dan has Heb. the word is translated into Greek. simple transcription: βαδδιν, and only in the Pentateuch exactly through “linen”, λινον. The white robes of the seventh angel, reminiscent of priestly ones, indicated the ministry of this angel as an instrument of God’s mercy, reconciliation (the prophet did not see the clothes of 6 punitive angels) and foreshadowed the same future ministry of the Savior. This was also indicated even more closely by the “scribe’s device”, lit. “a scribe’s cup”, i.e. an inkwell (Vulg.: atramentarium) this angel has “at his belt”, where this thing is still worn in the East (LXX instead of “a scribe’s utensil at the belt” - “a belt of sapphire”, reading “sofer” “scribe” as “safir”; cf. Dan 10.5). This device could remind the prophet of the “book of life” (Exodus 32.32 et al. Isa 4.3; Dan 12.1; Ps 68:29, 139:16; Phil 4.3), although it was primarily needed for the litter of the pious in the city, v. 4. “And they stood near the brazen altar,” that is, the altar of burnt offerings, which was called brass (1 Kings 8.64) in contrast to the golden incense altar in the sanctuary. Coming from the north gate, the angels could stop at the north side of the altar. At this altar the forgiveness of sins was given; therefore, he had punitive angels, according to the explanation of the blessed one. Jerome, in order to see whose sins have not been forgiven and who is therefore subject to the Divine sentence and death. Just as the priests at this altar were the conductors of the sanctification of the people, so the angels, who had to carry out the destruction of the city and its population, actually acted for the sanctification of Jerusalem through the punishment of sinners and performed sacred rites. Ezek.9:3. And the glory of the God of Israel descended from the Cherubim on which it was to the threshold of the house. And He called a man dressed in linen, who had a scribe's instrument at his belt. “And the glory of God (Elohim, as in Eze. 8.4; see there) of Israel (not just: the Lord; see Eze. 8.4) descended from the Cherubim (the first time in the Old Testament this word is in the singular, but clearly in a collective meaning), on which it was, to the threshold of the house,” i.e., the building of the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies; slav.: “into the uncovered house”, i.e., into the uncovered portico, the porch of the sanctuary. The presence of the glory of God in the tabernacle and church was manifested in the cloud (Shekinah); in this form it should be here that the glory of the Lord changed its place, as can be seen from Ezek.10.3–4. But from which cherubim or cherubim did the glory of God descend: from the cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant, or those who appeared and stood according to Ezekiel 10.3 on the right side of the inner courtyard? The fact that the prophet had not yet called the mysterious animals of the vision cherubim and that only in Ezekiel 10.15, apparently, was he finally convinced of their identity with the cherubim, seems to provide some basis for understanding here the cherubim of the Holy of Holies. On the other hand, with such desecration of the church as presented in Chapter VIII, was it possible for the Shekinah to be present in the Holy of Holies? As we saw in the explanation of Ezekiel 8.12, the Ark of the Covenant might no longer exist then. It is still possible to understand here both the cherubim, and the meaning of this movement of the glory of God in both cases will be almost the same. If the glory of God moved to the threshold of the church from the Ark of the Covenant, then this was the first step for its removal from the church, and stopping at the threshold could show how difficult it is for the glory of God to leave its beloved habitation: during the vision, the glory of God once again appears on this threshold (Ezek. 10.4) and when leaving the city it stops on the mountain. If she moved from the cherubim of the vision, then God leaves the throne chariot, which was actually intended to remove Him from Jerusalem, and steps once again onto the threshold of his former home, from here to give orders for the destruction of the city and its population or to carry out judgment on Jerusalem (the trial was carried out at the gates of the city); or maybe it was something like a farewell to his former location. Since the cherubim of the Holy of Holies were only images of the real cherubim who now appeared in the church, the glory of God that rested on both could not but be the same, which is why perhaps the prophet does not indicate from which cherubim it passed to the threshold of the church. Moreover, the verb “came down” on the basis that the noun precedes it (“and the glory of God descended” and not “and the glory of God descended”) can be understood as being placed in a long past tense, and in itself it is more appropriate that the glory of God is even before 1 v. changes its place. – “And called” – still without a subject: “He” – insertion of the Russian translator. Ezek.9:4. And the Lord said to him: go through the middle of the city, in the middle of Jerusalem, and make a sign on the foreheads of the mourning people, sighing over all the abominations that are being committed in its midst. “And the Lord (Jehovah) said to him.” For the first time, the active Person in everything that is happening is named, because now the judgment begins, which Jehovah himself must carry out, while until now Jehovah himself may not be leading the prophet, speaking to him and calling the punishers. “In the middle of the city, in the middle of Jerusalem,” this unfortunate Jerusalem; emphasis, cf. Ezek.4.1; but glory. and some Greek: “in the midst of the city of Jerusalem...”. - “On the foreheads.” Not only because the sign was more visible here, but also because this placed a special stamp on the mind and self-determination of a person, the seat of which is considered to be the head. As a result, in ancient times, a special sign of belonging to a certain family or cult was placed on the forehead, according to which the bearer was inviolable (cf. Gen. 4.15; Smith W. R. Kinship and Marrige in early Arabia, 1885, 215). It is therefore interesting to give analogies: the Egyptian Alis had a white triangle or quadrangle on his forehead; the fertile waters of the Ganges are painted on the forehead of Indian Shiva; the sign of Shiva or Vishnu is placed on the forehead of a Hindu who has purified himself in sacred waters; a Japanese pilgrim in the Tenshio Dai Shin temple receives, as a sign of forgiveness, a small square tablet on which the name of God is written in large letters and which he wears on his forehead; on the forehead and on the slaves the name of their owner was branded (inscripti. literati servi); this is where the real image could have been taken, which was later used in Rev. 7.3; Open 14.1. “Those who mourn and sigh over all abominations” - not only those who do not participate in them. According to EUR "tav" may have this meaning and mean the last letter of the Hebrew. alphabet; but since this letter in the ancient alphabets (not only Hebrew, but Samaritan, Phoenician, Ethiopian, Greek and Roman) had the shape of a cross, and the cross has always been the most convenient and accepted sign (and more noticeable than a line or a dot, and the most uncomplicated and natural after both), which is why it is called a “sign”, “tav” in the alphabet, then if “tav” here means “sign”, and not letters (glory: “give signs”), those subject to deliverance were nevertheless marked with nothing more than crosses on their foreheads - the coincidence with the Christian banner of redemption was hardly unintentional, although the prophet himself hardly saw the prophetic meaning of this sign. The rabbis believed that the tav was placed on the forehead, like the initial letter of “Torah” - “law” or “quiet” - “let him live.” Ezek.9:5. And to those he said in my hearing: follow him through the city and smite him; Let not your eye spare, and have no mercy; “In my hearing” - see Art. 1. – “Let not your eye spare and have no mercy.” A warning against the feeling of pity, so natural in angels; if the eye of the Merciful here “does not pity or have mercy” (v. 10; Ezek. 8.18, etc.), then compassion on the part of the angels in this case would mean distrust of the ways of Providence. Ezek.9:6. smite the old man, the young man and the maiden, the child and the women, to death, but do not touch any person on whom the mark is, and begin at My sanctuary. And they began with those elders who were in front of the house. "An old man, a young man and a maiden". Listing according to the degree of innocence and instilled regret in ascending order, which is then replaced by descending order: “both the child and the wives.” - Infants must be killed as having, by virtue of the law of heredity, the inclinations of wickedness, which, having developed, could again destroy the people, and also for the participation that they could not sometimes not take in the sin of their parents; see Jer 7.18. – “Until death” – without the possibility of recovery; but rather simply a pleonasm for expressing a strong affect of anger. - “Begin from my sanctuary,” that is, from those who are in the church and who have sinned more gravely than the rest of the people (LXX freely: “from my sanctified ones,” dedicated to the service of God and who were to be saints). The punishing angels can begin from where they stand: the judgment does not tolerate any delay. - “And they began with those elders who were in front of the house,” i.e., the fire worshipers mentioned in Eze. 8.16, who although they are not called elders there, but simply “men,” but this goes without saying from the place they occupied. Ezek.9:7. And he said to them, Defile the house, and fill the courtyards with the dead, and go out. And they went out and began to kill in the city. “Desecrate the house”: do not be shy about desecrating the church. For a sacred place, it is natural that the shedding of human blood, like the presence of a corpse, constituted the greatest desecration (Numbers 19.11), and the height of tragedy is that Jehovah himself demands the desecration of His church; there is nothing sacred in him anymore: blood will not defile him any more than the abominations of idolatry have defiled him. "House" may mean here, as in v. 6, not the entire building of the church, but only the building of the sanctuary and the holy of holies, because this most holy part of the church could be defiled by the shedding of blood not only in it, but also in front of it. Then further words will not be a repetition, but a continuation of the thought: St. the house will be desecrated if the “courtyards (of the church)” (glorified “paths,” i.e., the streets of the city) are filled with corpses. - “And come out.” A word indicating the speed with which the commandments of God are fulfilled and which is also noted in Art. 5 and 11. The six carry out the order so quickly that the Lord can barely say during this time: “Defile the house”; LXX instead of: “and exit. And they went out and began to kill” have: “cut them out”, thus they do not at all convey the execution of the order as self-evident. Ezek.9:8. And when they killed them, and I remained, then I fell on my face and cried out, and said: O Lord God! will You destroy all the remnant of Israel by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem? “I stayed,” that is, alone in the church. Although it could be self-evident that Ezekiel was not killed by the punishing angels (here one cannot sound, as some think, surprised that he himself escaped murder), it was not self-evident that except for him no one remained alive in the church. From the previous one it is clear that in the city there were still those marked with the sign of salvation, but in the church, therefore, there were no such people. However, the prophet, as the blessed one notes. Jerome does not add “alone” to “remained” so that they would mean: with others who had a sealed forehead. – “He fell on his face” – for fervent intercession, cf. Numbers 16.22. – “The remnant of Israel” is a prophetic designation for the people who had survived the catastrophe, with whom all hopes for the future were pinned. Here this remnant of Israel is called Jerusalem (of which quite little remained after Jehoiachin’s migration); his death was the death of the kingdom of Judah, and it is the last thing left of Israel and on which all the latter’s hopes rested. The prophet is afraid that the Lord will not preserve even such a remnant of Israel as he promised to preserve in Ezek.5.3 and Ezek.6.8–9, he is afraid because, compared with the many victims, the number of those marked and spared is so small that it seems as if the entire nation was destroyed. “The feeling that these words speak of, and the painful sorrow over the fate of Israel, is not common in Ezekiel (cf. Ezekiel 11.13), while in Jeremiah they are a common occurrence; in general, Ezekiel stands cold before his people, discussing their disasters only with reason, and not with feeling; however, it is precisely the present place that shows that this situation cannot be taken to the extreme” (Bert.); This attitude of the prophet towards the people comes from his excess of zeal for God, whose name was so dishonored by Israel. Ezek.9:9. And He said to me, The wickedness of the house of Israel and Judah is great, very great; and this land is full of blood, and the city is full of iniquity; for they say: “The Lord has forsaken this land, and the Lord does not see.” Although God promised to save a small part of the people (marked with a sign), in response to the prayer of the prophet He does not renew this promise, but makes it clear that according to the laws of strict justice, all of Israel certainly deserves destruction. “Israel and Judah” is an infrequent designation in Ezekiel: Ezek.4.4–6; Ezek.25 and Ezek.37.15 et c.; for the most part either “Israel” or “Judas” as synonyms; but here the prophet wants to show that Jerusalem, with its disaster, atones for the sin of not only the kingdom of Judah, but also that of Israel, and that Ezekiel correctly views it as “the remnant of Israel.” - “Great, very great...” - cf. Gen 4.13 about Cain, Gen 18.20 about Sodom, like Lamentations 4.6. “This land is full of blood and the city is full of unrighteousness.” See explanation of Ezek.7.23; the local “court of blood” (Russian translation: “bloody atrocities”) is repeated here in short, “blood”; for the “violence” there – (Ezek. 8.17, but in Russian “wickedness”) their reason is indicated: “untruth”, i.e. judicial. From the constantly repeated reproaches against the “violences” and “untruths” of Jerusalem, it can be concluded that in the city court there probably reigned a strong degree of partiality to the detriment of the poor and helpless. We do not know any direct examples of bloodshed from the life of the Jews at that time, why this may be hyperbolism; and LXX here they read: “the land is filled with many people” (“dam”, “blood” was read as “am”, “people” and the sentence was considered comparative to the following: just as the land is full of people, so “the city is filled with untruths and impurities”). “For they say: “The Lord has forsaken this land and the Lord does not see.” They think that I don't see. A literal repetition of the reasoning of the Zoolaters in Ezek.8.12; only there, at first, it is more important for them: “The Lord does not see us.” – In addition to the sins of bloodshed and offense (practical), in Judea there is added the sin of doubt (theoretical) in Divine providence and providence, from which one step leads to atheism. Ezek.9:10. For this reason My eye will not spare, nor will I have mercy; I will turn their behavior on their heads. “3and even...” Heb. “vegam” – Ezek.8.18, but glory. here “and I am”, and there “and I am.” - “My eye (as if in contrast: “does not see” the previous verse) will not spare, neither will I have mercy” Eze.5.11 (where see explanation) and Eze.7.4, in Hebrew. with slight changes each time. Punishment is merciless, but this is only “their behavior”, “addressed to their heads”; the latter expression, a favorite of Ezekiel (Ezek. 11:21, 16:43, 22:31), may be due to 1 Kings 8.32. Ezek.9:11. And so a man dressed in linen, who had a scribe's instrument at his belt, gave an answer and said: I did as You commanded me. The punishing angels still continued their terrible work, when the protective angel returned: he had little to do in the wicked city. But the fulfillment of the entire command of God required no more time than for its announcement; therefore, the highest angel could, as the leader of the detachment (cf. Joshua 5.1–4), appear to the Supreme Manager with a report on the fulfillment of the assignment by the entire detachment. He alone returns, and because he alone finds further use (burns the city). “The bloody affair is very skillfully transferred off stage, but the reader from the divine dialogue has a complete understanding of it” (Bert.). You might be interested in: