Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 13:5
Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
5. gone up into the gaps ] Or, breaches. Ezekiel turning to the prophets themselves uses “ye” a frequent change of person in animated speech.
made up the hedge ] Or, fence, R.V. If they had been true prophets they would have done two things: stood in the breach, and made a wall of defence for Israel. Without figure: these prophets knew neither what measures to adopt to stop the way of the invading dangers, nor what protective methods to recommend that the state might be successfully defended. They are hardly charged with want of personal courage when it is said they go not up into the breach; rather they wanted wisdom and insight, they had no measures to suggest which would repair or protect the fortunes of the people. Another prophet with more pathos describes the incompetence of Israel’s leaders in the day of her distress: “there was none to guide her among all the sons which she had brought forth; neither was there any to take her by the hand of all the sons that she had brought up” (Isa 51:18). No doubt the one measure to adopt was repentance and trust in the Lord; Amo 5:14, “Seek good, and not evil and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For – Or, before. In a time of siege when there are gaps or breaches in the walls, it is the part of the leaders to go up to defend them, and to throw up works to stop the in-road of the enemy. Yahweh is now assailing His people as an enemy (compare Isa 63:10; Job 16:11-13), and where are those who claim to be prophets, leaders of the people?
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Ye have not gone up into the gaps] Far from opposing sinners, who are bringing down the wrath of God upon the place, you prevent their repentance by your flattering promises and false predictions. Ye have neither by prayers, example, nor advice, contributed any thing for the preservation of the place, or the salvation of the people’s souls.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ye, vulpine prophets. As in a besieged city whose wall is broken down and the enemy ready to enter, a valiant, faithful, and vigilant soldier would run up into the breach to repel the enemy; so true prophets do partly by prayer, and partly by doctrine, and partly by personal reformation, labour to preserve Gods people. But, fox-like, they have shifted out of harms way.
Neither made up the hedge: the house of Israel is the Lords vineyard, through the hedge whereof many breaches are made, through which wild and wasting beasts come in and devour the grapes, and spoil the vines; but you have not stopped those breaches, but, fox-like, come in and pulled off the tender grapes, and done the most mischief; you have increased sin and danger thereby. And when the Lords wrath shall give up the city, you will not stand to oppose the enemy breaking in; so useless will these be at last.
To stand; not with arms, but with fasting, prayers, repentance, laying hold on the arm of the Lord, and interceding for his people.
In the battle, which God will by the Chaldeans fight against the house of Israel. In that day of the Lord the weapons of war will not prevail against the Chaldeans, unless prayers, tears, and amendment prevail with the Lord to withdraw the battle, and be at peace with Israel.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. not gone up into . . .gapsmetaphor from breaches made in a wall, to which thedefenders ought to betake themselves in order to repel the entranceof the foe. The breach is that made in the theocracy through thenation’s sin; and, unless it be made up, the vengeance of God willbreak in through it. Those who would advise the people to repentanceare the restorers of the breach (Eze 22:30;Psa 106:23; Psa 106:30).
hedgethe law of God(Psa 80:12; Isa 5:2;Isa 5:5); by violating it, thepeople stripped themselves of the fence of God’s protectionand lay exposed to the foe. The false prophets did not try to repairthe evil by bringing back the people to the law with good counsels,or by checking the bad with reproofs. These two duties answer to thedouble office of defenders in case of a breach made in a wall: (1) Torepair the breach from within; (2) To oppose the foe from without.
to standthat is, thatthe city may “stand.”
in . . . day of . . . LordInthe day of the battle which God wages against Israel for their sins,ye do not try to stay God’s vengeance by prayers, and by leading thenation to repentance.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ye have not gone up into the gaps,…. Or “breaches” d; so the Targum. The allusion is to breaches made in the walls of a city when besieged; at which time those within gather together in great numbers to meet the enemy, and prevent his entrance by the breaches. These words are either spoken to the princes of Israel, the civil magistrates; or to the prophets, who seeing the sins of the people, like a mighty torrent, opening a breach for the wrath and judgments of God to pour in upon them, should have called them, and importunately pressed them to repentance and reformation, and to have put up their prayers, and made intercession to God for them; neither of which they did, and therefore are here blamed; see Eze 22:30;
neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel; or a “fence”, a fortification. The Vulgate Latin renders it, “a wall”; a new wall, which is generally made by the besieged within, when a breach is made upon them: it signifies the same as before. Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of repentance and good works; and so the Targum, which paraphrases the words thus,
“neither have ye done for yourselves good works, to deprecate for the house of Israel, to stand to pray for them:”
to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord: when he came forth in battle array against them, with great wrath and indignation, in the way of his righteous judgments. The Targum is,
“when warriors come up against them in the day of the wrath of the Lord;”
when the Chaldeans came against them by the will of God, he being angry with them.
d “in fracturas”, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version; “rupturas”, Calvin, Piscator, Starckius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Hence he pursues the same sentiment, but presses the false prophets harder. He has said generally that they were sacrilegious, making a false use of God’s name when speaking entirely in their own. He now separates them by another mark from the approved and faithful servants of God, namely, they had not gone up into the breach, nor built up a hedge to protect the house of Israel, that they might stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah. This verse is variously explained: some refer what is here said to prayer; others twist it according to different imaginations, but I restrict it to their teaching. (4) Ezekiel not only blames their inner and hidden perfidy, he not only strikes their minds, so as to convince them that they had no desire for piety, and no zeal for God’s glory, but he shows that their teaching must be altogether rejected, because they did not propose to themselves the right object. But what is the mark at which all God’s servants thought to aim? Surely to consult the public safety; and when they see signs of God’s wrath, to meet them, and prevent the urgent calamity. These impostors saw the people not only impious, but rebellious, so that there was no hope of their repentance. On the other hand, they saw God threatening; and although they were blind, yet they could behold the signs of God’s reproaching vengeance. Hence it was their duty to go up to the breaches. Hence, also, we understand what the Prophet means by “breaches,” namely, as an approach is open to an enemy to storm a city when a breach is made in the wall, so also, when the iniquity of the people overflows like a deluge, a rupture is already made, by means of which God’s wrath is able to penetrate immediately, and to lay everything waste till it is reduced to nothing.
As often, then, as we see God offended by the people’s wickedness, let us learn that a breach has been made, as if we had been destined to destruction. Hence those who desire to discharge the office of teaching faithfully ought to hasten to the breach, to recall the people from their impiety, and to exhort them to repentance. Thus the wall becomes restored, because God is appeased, and we are able to rest in quietness and security. What follows has the same object — they have not restored the hedge. For when a people breaks through all rights, and violates God’s law, it is just as if they laid themselves bare in every part from the protection of God, as Moses reproves them when speaking of the molten calf: Behold, says he, this day you are naked; that is, because they had hurled themselves into destruction. (Exo 32:25.) So the Prophet says that these traitors did not run up to restore the hedge when the house of Israel was exposed to robbers, thieves, and wild beasts, because it was no longer protected by the hand of God. What follows has the same object, that they should stand in the battle in the day of the Lord; that is, to oppose themselves to God’s vengeance. This relates to prayers, when mention is made of Phinehas, in Psa 106:30, and also in the same psalm, Psa 106:23, where it is said of Moses, Unless Moses had stood in the breach to turn away God’s wrath. Here also, as I have said, the Prophet looks rather to doctrine. For here he sharply rebukes the folly of false prophets who had promised wonderful things. Now, when God approached in earnest, all their prophecies vanished: he says, therefore, they stood not in the battle in the day of Jehovah; for, if they had diligently exhorted the people to repentance, those sinners had reconciled God to themselves: for we turn aside his judgment beforehand when we turn to him in time, as Paul teaches. (1Co 11:31.) If, therefore, the people had been thus diligently advised, they had stood in the battle; that is, their teaching would have been a bulwark against the breaking out of God’s wrath to destroy them utterly. Now, therefore, we see the meaning of Ezekiel, namely, to show how the fallacies of the false prophets could be perceived, since by their blandishments and flatteries they destroyed the people,. Now it follows —
(4) CEeolampadius takes a different view: he says, “ principibus et prophetis juxta quadrat: eorum est animam ponere pro ovibus contra pseudoprophets.” he then quotes Joh 10:0, “ Vident lupum venientem et fugiunt.” The remainder of his comment on this verse is worthy of perusal.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Ye have not gone up into the gaps.The change of person is frequent enough in prophecy, and especially common in Ezekiel. It is changed back in Eze. 13:6, and changed again in Eze. 13:7. The gaps refer to the breaches in the wall made by the enemy, which became the rallying point of every brave leader (see Eze. 22:30), and the following words express essentially the same thought. The word hedge should rather be translated wallneither have ye built up the wall. The false prophets, like the hireling shepherds of Joh. 10:12, were only selfish, and had no care for the flock. The whole language is figurative, the breaches in the material walls representing the moral decay of the people.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for These false prophets, whom Ezekiel now addresses, do not protect or construct; they only succeed in tearing down. They cannot repair the gap (breach) nor build such a hedge for (before) the house of Israel as will save them in the day of battle (Isa 5:5; Isa 58:12). They never have done this, notwithstanding their patriotic pretensions; they never can do it. (See Eze 22:30.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 13:5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
Ver. 5. Ye have not gone up into the gaps. ] Reclaimed the people from their impieties, those inlets of plagues, nor interceded for them by your prayers to God to turn away wrath, but hastened it. Ye have built indeed a wall, and daubed it with mortar, but such as is untempered, Eze 13:10 arena sine calce, like ill architects.
Neither made up the hedge.
To stand in the battle.
a Turkish History, 417.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
gaps = breaches.
hedge = fence or wall of a vineyard (Num 22:24.
Psa. Eze 80:12. Isa 5:5).
saying, ‘ The LORD saint ‘
= saying [it] is Jehovah’s oracle.
they would confirm the word = their word would be confirmed.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
have not: Eze 22:30, Exo 17:9-13, Exo 32:11, Exo 32:12, Num 16:21, Num 16:22, Num 16:47, Num 16:48, 1Sa 12:23, Psa 106:23, Jer 15:1, Jer 23:22, Jer 27:18, Mal 1:9
gaps: or, breaches, Isa 58:12, Lam 2:13, Lam 2:14
made up the hedge: Heb. hedged the hedge
to stand: Job 40:9, Psa 76:7, Isa 27:4, Eph 6:13, Eph 6:14, Rev 16:14, Rev 20:8, Rev 20:9
the day: Eze 30:3, Isa 2:12, Isa 13:6, Isa 13:9, Isa 34:8, Joe 1:15, Joe 2:1, Joe 2:31, Joe 3:14, Amo 5:18-20, Zep 1:14-18, Zep 2:2, Zep 2:3, Mal 4:5, 1Th 5:2, 2Pe 3:10, Rev 6:17
Reciprocal: 1Ki 11:27 – the breaches Jer 28:2 – I Amo 4:12 – prepare
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 13:5. These prophets should have been concerned about the conflict threatening their city, even as a true husbandman would be, concerning the gaps he discovered in the hedge surrounding his vineyard. Instead, they not only were indifferent about the city’s danger, but were even denying that there were any gaps to be closed,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 13:5. Ye have not gone up into the gaps Or stood in the gap, or breach, as it is expressed Eze 22:30; Psa 106:23. Ye have not exercised your prophetical office, and framed your own conduct, so as to stop the wrath of Jehovah, by admonitions and exhortations to the people, and by personal piety and prayer to God. The place alludes to the intercession which Moses made for the Israelites, whereby he withheld Gods hand, as it were, when it was just stretched out to take vengeance upon the people for their heinous sin in making the golden calf, Exo 32:10-11. The phrase is taken from those who put a stop to the enemy, when he is just entering in at a breach. In like manner it was the office and duty of those prophets, if they had truly been what they pretended to be, by their endeavours to reform the people, and their intercessions with God, to avert his displeasure, and prevent the vengeance which was just ready to be poured out on a sinful people. Neither made up the hedge The Vulgate renders it, neque opposuistis murum pro domo Israel, nor made up a wall for the house of Israel; another expression taken from people besieged in a city, who, if a breach be made in the wall, presently make it up, or build up a new one within it, to prevent the enemy from entering and becoming masters of the place. To stand in the battle in the day of the Lord When God shall come, like a general at the head of his army, to execute his judgment upon his enemies.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
13:5 {c} Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
(c) He speaks to the governor and true ministers that would have resisted them.