Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 45:8
In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and [the rest of] the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
8. In the land possession ] In the land it shall be to him for a possession, lit. in respect of the land. Others: for a domain it shall be , for a possession. The art. must then be omitted, and the use of “land” in this sense is unnatural.
my princes ] The language my is unusual. In Eze 45:9, “princes of Israel,” and so LXX. here. It is possible that Israel was represented in MS. merely by the initial letter, which is the same as the last letter of “princes” (cons.), and that one of the letters fell out.
the rest of the land ] Read: oppress my people, but shall give the land to the house. On the oppressions of the princes, cf. Eze 22:25; Jer 22:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 8. My princes shall no more oppress my people] By exorbitant taxes to maintain profligate courts, or subsidize other powers to help to keep up a system of tyranny in the earth. The former princes even robbed the temple of God to give subsidies to other states.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In the land; either in that portion of land set out for him, or, as it is added, in Israel, i.e. in the land of Israel.
My princes; who own my favour in their advancement, and my law in their government. All princes are in some sort Gods princes, but all do not regard God as sovereign Lord of them and their people; but God did raise up such at the return out of Babylon, who were and did recognise themselves Gods princes.
Shall no more oppress: both Ezekiel and other prophets did reprove the injustices, cruelties, and oppressive methods of the kings of Israel, and yet they took not off the yoke; but it shall be better after the days of Babylonish captivity are ended.
The rest; after God had his portion, which was that the priests and Levites had, after the city and the prince have theirs, the remainder is to be given to the people.
They; the persons that are officers appointed to divide the land.
The house of Israel; two tribes and ten tribes.
According to their tribes, to the number of the tribes, and their right; we must be restored to them, or they compensated with an equal value.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
In the land shall be his possession in Israel,…. Or, “as for the land, it shall be his for a possession in Israel” a; the people of the land shall be a people for possession, as in 1Pe 2:9 or a peculiar people of his throughout all Israel; all the spiritual Israel, whether Jew or Gentile, shall be Christ’s possession and inheritance:
and my princes shall no more oppress my people; neither ecclesiastical princes, as the Scribes and Pharisees formerly, nor civil magistrates; not the one with false doctrines, carnal rites and ceremonies; nor the other with heavy taxes, and rigorous exactions:
and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes; the spiritual and mystical Israel, Jews and Gentiles, who shall now inherit the earth, and possess all temporal good things, as well as spiritual ones.
a “de terra vel quod attinet ad terram, sive terrae (illud), erit in possessionem in Israel”, Starckius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(8) My princes shall no more oppress.The use of the plural does not imply that more than one prince should reign at a time, nor is it intended to include the family of the prince; but as everything in the future is described in terms of the past, so the royal authority is conceived of as vested in a succession of rulers, although we have been already told that there shall be but one king over them for ever (Eze. 34:23-24; Eze. 37:24-25). The declaration that the princes shall no more oppress my people follows naturally on the assignment of this portion. Former kings of Israel had no domain given them, and this had tempted them to acquire private property by violence and extortion. The people had been forewarned of this (1Sa. 8:14), had often experienced it in their history, and had heard the rebukes of their prophets on account of it (e.g., Jer. 22:13-19).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 45:8. In the land, &c. This shall be his possession of land in Israel. Eze 45:16. Shall give this oblation for the prince] All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this present, or offering, to the prince; not, as some will have it, with the prince, for what the prince was to give follows after.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 45:8 In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and [the rest of] the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
Ver. 8. And my princes shall no more oppress my people. ] As Samuel foretold they would do, 1Sa 8:11-18 and accordingly they did. But in the Christian commonwealth it should be better, as indeed it was in the days of Constantine the Great, Valentinian, and Theodosius, – which three godly emperors called themselves the vassals of Christ, – and is now, blessed be God, among us at this day.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
and my princes: In the predicted period, not only shall the ministers and worshippers of God be liberally provided for, but the princes will be both able and willing to defray the expenses of government, without oppressing their subjects, and will rule over them with equity and clemency, as the vicegerents of God; while the people will submit to them conscientiously, and live in peace, prosperity, and holiness. These things seem to be represented in language taken from the customs of the times in which the prophet wrote. Tithes are not mentioned in part of the vision, which shows that the ritual Mosaic law will not be in force. Eze 19:3, Eze 19:7, Eze 22:27, Eze 46:18, Pro 28:16, Isa 11:3-5, Isa 32:1, Isa 32:2, Isa 60:17, Isa 60:18, Jer 22:17, Jer 23:5, Mic 3:1-4, Zep 3:13, Jam 2:6, Jam 5:1-6, Rev 19:11-16
according: Jos 11:23
Reciprocal: Jos 19:49 – gave 1Sa 8:9 – the manner Isa 1:26 – And I will Eze 44:3 – the prince Eze 48:21 – the residue Zec 12:5 – the governors
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 45:8. Prince is from nasty and Strong defines it, “Properly an exalted one, i.e a king or sheik.” In the King James version of the Bible it has been translated by captain, chief, governor, prince, ruler and others. It may or may not designate an official, but among the Jews it was used for both. The use of it in our present passage means one who has some niie over the people. The Lord predicts that his people would not be oppressed by this class of head men after the return from the captivity.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The rest of the Promised Land would be the portion of the other Israelites (cf. ch. 48). The whole arrangement would contribute to the equitable governing of the Israelites and would discourage rulers from oppressing the people (cf. Eze 11:1-13; Eze 14:1-11; Eze 20:1 to Eze 23:49; Eze 34:1-10).