Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 7:12

The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath [is] upon all the multitude thereof.

12. The inhabitants shall be overwhelmed in a common ruin, in which all social relations shall be forgotten the buyer shall not rejoice nor the seller sorrow. A universal “wrath” shall be on all classes, involving them in a common destruction. Cf. Isa 24:2, “It shall be as with the buyer so with the seller, as with the lender so with the borrower,” &c.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The day – Either of temporal or final judgment.

It was grievous for an Israelite to part with his land. But now the seller need not mourn his loss, nor the buyer exult in him gain. All should live the pitiful lives of strangers in another country.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn] Such is now the state of public affairs, that he who through want has been obliged to sell his inheritance, need not mourn on the account; as of this the enemy would soon have deprived him. And he who has bought it need not rejoice in his bargain, as he shall soon be stripped of his purchase, and either fall by the sword, or be glad to flee for his life.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The time is come: see Eze 7:2,3,6,7. Though the buyer honestly possess what his money purchased, yet let him not hug himself in the thought of his riches.

Nor the seller mourn: men usually part with their estates grieving that they must transmit their right to others, but let sellers now think how little a while they could have kept them, and how little time they shall keep them who have bought them. Wrath; such wrath from God, an offended Judge, and from insolent enemies, that buyer and seller shall find their state much alike.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

12. let not . . . buyerrejoicebecause he has bought an estate at a bargain price.

nor . . . sellermournbecause he has had to sell his land at a sacrificethrough poverty. The Chaldeans will be masters of the land, so thatneither shall the buyer have any good of his purchase, nor the sellerany loss; nor shall the latter (Eze7:13) return to his inheritance at the jubilee year (see Le25:13). Spiritually this holds good now, seeing that “thetime is short”; “they that rejoice should be as though theyrejoiced not, and they that buy as though they possessed not”:Paul (1Co 7:30) seems to alludeto Ezekiel here. Jer 32:15;Jer 32:37; Jer 32:43,seems to contradict Ezekiel here. But Ezekiel is speaking of theparents, and of the present; Jeremiah, of the children, and of thefuture. Jeremiah is addressing believers, that they should hope for arestoration; Ezekiel, the reprobate, who were excluded from hope ofdeliverance.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The time is come, the day draweth near,…. According to the Targum, the time of the recompence of iniquities, and the day of punishment of sins; of the sins of the Jews, by the Chaldean army, which no doubt is true; but it seems chiefly to refer to what follows: and the sense is, the time was coming on, in which

let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; it is usual for the buyer of houses or lands to rejoice, because an addition is made to his estate, and especially when he has made, as he thinks, a good purchase; and the seller, he mourns because he is obliged to part with his estate to pay his debts, and so is reduced in his circumstances; but now the time was coming when the one would have no occasion to rejoice, nor the other to mourn; not the buyer rejoice, because, being carried captive, he cannot enjoy his possessions; nor the seller mourn, because, if he had not sold his house or field, he must have left it:

for wrath [is] upon all the multitude thereof; upon the whole body of the Jewish nation, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, buyer and seller; those that are in good circumstances, and those that are in bad ones; so that hereby they were all upon a level, in the same case and condition.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Prophet now uses another kind of speech. Meanwhile he teaches that there should be such a change that all things should be so mixed as if there were no difference between the rich and the poor. Yet such a change does not happen unless God were grievously offended, and so did not exact ordinary vengeance as he had formerly denounced. Paul indeed exhorts all the pious to pass through this world as if they were pilgrims in it, (1Co 7:29,) and thus he says is our faith proved, as with the buyer so with the seller, as with the married so with the single. This general doctrine is prescribed to all the children of God, since the fashion of this world passes away, that they may pass through it, without having their minds fixed on these perishing things. But the meaning of our Prophet is different, because God will so disturb all things among the Israelites, that there shall be no difference between buyer and seller. He who acquires rejoices, and he who is compelled to sell suffers some degree of sorrow; and sometimes the man who is deprived of his lands and possessions tears out as it were his own entrails. It is natural therefore for the buyer to rejoice, and for the seller to lament. Now God shows that the confusion in the kingdom of Israel was so great, that neither poverty nor riches afford the material for sorrow or grief. Now we understand the Prophet’s meaning. He says, the time has come, the day has approached, in which the buyer will not rejoice, and the seller will not lament: because, says he, indignation is upon all this multitude Here that reason of Paul is not brought forward, that the fashion of this world passes away, but a concussion, or rather ruin of that land is pointed out, so that nothing remains safe. For although, whilst we travel through the world, we ought always to erect our minds and senses towards heaven, yet the political faculty remains and flourishes even among the faithful. For the sons of God, though they are poor in spirit, yet possess what God has conferred upon them: they exist, as Paul exhorts them, as it were not possessing but yet enjoying their goods. But the Prophet here signifies, that when the kingdom of Israel shall have been overturned, there will be no use for either money or lands, because all being cast out of their country shall be reduced to want. And he follows up the same sentiment —

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

12. All classes of the population are involved in one calamity. Real estate will only move at panic prices, but no buyer need rejoice and no seller need mourn at the bargain, for both buyer and seller shall be dragged away in the same captivity. (Compare Jer 32:6-16; Mic 2:2; Isa 5:8.)

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“The time is come, the day draws near. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn. For wrath is on all their abundance (‘the multitude’ of their possessions).”

Again it is emphasised that God’s time has now come. His day draws near. Jerusalem may be at present a busy market place but trade relations will cease. They will be no more. Buyers will no longer gloat over their bargains, sellers will no longer pretend to regret that they did not charge a higher price. For all that they possess will be under the wrath of God against sin. Note the continued emphasis on their abundance, ‘the multitude of their possessions’ (Eze 7:11-12) (which becomes the multitude of people in Eze 7:13-14). All they have lived for, all they care for, all their riches, will be taken away.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Eze 7:12. For wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. For my wrath it upon all their riches. Houbigant.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Eze 7:12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath [is] upon all the multitude thereof.

Ver. 12. The time is come, the day draweth near. ] Advenit illud tempus, pertigit ilia dies. Let this voice ever sound in the ears of those negligent spirits who cry Cras Domine, tomorrow Lord, wiling away their time as she in Rev 2:21 , and so fooling away their own salvation, as those virgins. Mat 25:1-12

Let not the buyer rejoice. ] He shall have no such great joy of his purchase, since the enemy shall shortly take all, et qui latifundia habuerunt, ne latum pedem retinebunt, and those who have large estates will not keep back enough for a foot, and no man shall be master of his own, nay, not of a molehill.

For wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. ] Or, Upon all the wealth thereof. To like purpose the apostle in 1Co 7:29 ; “This, then, I say, brethren, The time is short,” or trussed up, contracted. “Let them that have wives be as though they had none, they that weep as though they wept not, they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not, and they that buy as though they possessed not,” &c. Rebus non me trado sed commodo, said the wise heathen. a Hang loose to all things here below, and labour after that undefiled and unfadable inheritance. 1Pe 1:4-7

a Sen.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Eze 7:12-13

Eze 7:12-13

“The time is come, the day draweth nigh: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall escape; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.”

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES SHALL CEASE

This stresses the uselessness and futility of all buying and selling. “The whole multitude,” the whole nation of Israel is doomed to the triple disasters of sword, pestilence, and famine that will leave only a remnant; and they shall be scattered to the winds.

Some have supposed that the reference to the buyer is made with respect to the approaching year of jubilee; but Cook stated that, “There is no evidence in the times of Ezekiel that the year of jubilee any longer existed as a social institution. What is meant was stated by Jamieson, namely, that neither the buyer nor the seller will any longer have a claim upon any part of the land; all of it will belong to the Chaldeans.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

time: Eze 7:5-7, Eze 7:10, 1Co 7:29-31, Jam 5:8, Jam 5:9

let: Isa 24:1, Isa 24:2, Jer 32:7, Jer 32:8, Jer 32:24, Jer 32:25

for: Eze 7:13, Eze 7:14, Eze 6:11, Eze 6:12, Isa 5:13, Isa 5:14

Reciprocal: Job 20:18 – and he shall Isa 21:12 – The morning Jer 47:4 – the day Eze 7:7 – the time Eze 30:3 – the day is Joe 2:1 – for the Zep 1:14 – it is Jam 4:13 – and buy

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Eze 7:12-13. Transactions In real estate will not be important, whether a buyer thinks he has obtained a bargain or a seller imagines he had to sell at a sacrifice. The foreign nation will have charge of the land and no deals will be of any iorce.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Eze 7:12-15. Let not the buyer rejoice, &c. The buyer will have no reason to rejoice, because he will not enjoy what he hath bought; nor the seller have cause to mourn for having been obliged to part with his possessions, of which the approaching desolation of the country and the captivity would otherwise have deprived him. For the seller shall not return to that which was sold, &c. The year of jubilee shall be no advantage to the sellers; for though they should live till it come, yet they shall not enjoy the benefit of the law, (Lev 25:13,) nor be restored again to their possessions, as the Chaldeans will have seized upon their lands, who will pay no regard to the year of jubilee, with respect to restoring to every one his old inheritance. For the vision Or the prophecy; is touching the whole multitude Is concerning the whole people; which shall not return Or, as Bishop Newcome reads it. It, that is, the vision or prophecy, shall not return, namely, unfulfilled; or, it shall not be void. Neither shall any strengthen himself in iniquity Neither shall any one secure himself by acting wickedly. Or, And though they harden themselves in sin, and shut their eyes against the judgments which hang over their heads, these will at last unavoidably overtake them. They have blown the trumpet The house of Israel have summoned in all fit for arms: see Jer 6:1. But none goeth to the battle There is not a man going to the war. For the peoples hearts fail them Looking upon themselves as given up to destruction. For my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof That displeasure which takes away their courage. The sword is without In the countries; and the pestilence and the famine within The besieged city. He that is in the field Whoever is in the field; shall die with the sword Of the Chaldean soldiers. And he that is in the city Whither he had fled for safety; famine and pestilence shall devour him Shall eat him up. You, O Jews, shall be food for these insatiable destroyers.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

7:12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer {i} rejoice, nor the seller {k} mourn: for wrath [is] upon all its multitude.

(i) For the present profit.

(k) For he will lose nothing.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes