Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 33

Verse 6

But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

Is taken away — Punished by the Lord for his sin.

Verse 10

Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

Our sins — The unpardoned guilt, and the unsupportable punishment of our sins, in the wasting of our country, burning our city, abolishing the publick worship of God; we shall pine away, ’tis too late to hope.

How — How can it be better with us?

Verse 21

And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.

Smitten — Taken and plundered.

Verse 22

Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

Opened my mouth — Not that the prophet was utterly dumb before, for he had prophesied against many nations, only he was forbidden to say anything of the Jews, But now the spirit moved him to speak, and continued his motion, ’till the messenger came, and ever after.

Verse 24

Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

They — Who were left behind, now come out of their holes, or returned from neighbouring countries, or permitted by the conqueror to stay and plant vineyards.

Wastes — Places once fruitful and abounding with people, but now, made a desolate wilderness.

He inherited — Our father had a right to all this land, when but one; we his children though diminished, are many, and the divine goodness will surely continue to us both right and possession.

Is given — It was given by promise to us, the seed, as well as to our progenitor; nay more, ’tis given us in possession, whereas Abraham had not one foot of it.

Verse 26

Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land?

Ye stand — You trust to your sword; you do all with violence.

Abominations — Idolatry.

Verse 30

Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

The children — Captives in Babylon.

Verse 31

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

They come — As if they were really the people of God.

They sit — So we find the elders of Judah, chap8:1, so the disciples of the rabbis sat at their feet.