Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 14:13
Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
13. when the land ] Rather: a land. The whole of Eze 14:13 is supposition: when a land sinneth and I stretch and break and send and cut off.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. By trespassing grievously] Having been frequently warned, and having refused to leave their sin, and so filled up the measure of their iniquity.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
When; at what time soever.
The land, put for the men that dwell in the land.
By trespassing grievously; as a hypocritical, backsliding people, that give fair promises, but perform them not, rather act contrary to their professions, as the Hebrew intimateth.
Upon it; against it. Break the staff of the bread: scarcity and famine are effects of the power of God, which makes that barren for the sins of a people which otherwise would be fruitful.
Will cut off man and beast from it; make the land utterly desolate by famishing the cattle as well as their owners.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. staff of . . . breadonwhich man’s existence is supported as on a staff (Eze 4:16;Eze 5:16; Lev 26:26;Psa 104:15; Isa 3:1).I will send a famine.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously,…. That is, the inhabitants of the land, when they are in general become sinners against God and his law; and not merely sinners, as all men are, but grievous ones, notorious sinners, guilty of very gross enormities, of great prevarication, perfidy, and treachery; for God is a God longsuffering, and has great patience with a people; and does not usually come forth in his judgments against nation, until sin has universally prevailed among them, and they are guilty of grievous abominations, and those continued in: but when this is the case,
then will I stretch out mine hand upon it; his hand of vindictive wrath and justice, and cause it to fall heavily, and men to feel it:
and will break the staff of the bread thereof; take away bread corn from the nation, the support of human life; which is that unto it, and the stay of it, as a staff is to a decrepit old man, that cannot walk without one; or take away the virtue of it, so as though it might be had and eaten, yet not be nourishing; see Eze 4:16;
and will send famine upon it; by causing a drought, restraining rain, sending mildew, locusts, caterpillars, c. to eat up the fruits of the earth:
and will cut off man and beast from it the latter for the sake of the former, and both through want of food.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The next verse thought to be joined: for some interpreters altogether pervert the Prophet’s sense by finishing the sentence there, as if he had said, I will extend my hand over it, &e. But the sentence is dependent, as we shall see —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) When the land sinneth.The definite article is not in the Hebrew, and should be omitted, as the proposition is a general one. Also the future tenses throughout the verse should be rendered as present, in accordance with this character of a general statement: When a land sinneth . . . and I stretch out . . . and break the staff . . . and send famine . . . and cut off. The particular judgment of famine was threatened in the warnings of the law (Lev. 26:26; Deu. 28:38-40), and also, in immediate connection with it, all the other woes here mentioned.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE CERTAINTY OF PUNISHMENT PROPHESIED AND A STATEMENT OF THE DIVINE LAW GOVERNING IT, Eze 14:12-21.
13. Then will and will Literally, and.
Trespassing grievously Literally, committing unfaithfulness.
Eze 14:13-14. When the land sinneth against me The design of this and the following verses is, to shew that when the inhabitants of a land have filled up the measure of their iniquities, and God ariseth to execute judgment upon them, the few righteous among them shall not be able to deliver the nation from the judgments determined against it. They shall deliver but their own souls, as we see in the case of Sodom, where there were none righteous except Lot and his family; those just persons were saved, but no intercession could prevail with the Almighty to spare the city. Noah, Daniel, and Job, were eminent for their piety; Noah and his family were saved from the universal deluge, and obtained a promise from the Most High, that he would never again destroy the world by water. Daniel interceded with the Almighty for the whole nation of the Jews, and obtained a promise of their restoration. See Daniel 9. And Job was appointed by God himself to make intercession for his three friends: but when the Almighty is finally determined to punish a rebellious nation, even the prayers of such favourites of heaven would be ineffectual to procure its deliverance. The prophet, in this allusion to Abraham’s intercession for Sodom, declares from God, that when his judgments come up against the land of Judea, the righteous found in it should only deliver their own souls; which plainly shews a Providence extending to all, but more particularly to the truly pious. See Div. Leg. vol. 4: Lowth, and Calmet. The reader will find in Peters’s Dissertation on Job, p. 146 a strong proof of the antiquity of the Book of Job, deduced from this passage. Instead of, when the land, we should read, when a land.
Daniel He was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim, Dan 1:1. After this, Jehoiakim reigned eight years, 2Ki 23:36. And this prophesy, as appears from ch. Eze 8:1 was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and reigned only three months. 2Ki 6:8. Therefore at this time Daniel had been fourteen years in captivity.
Eze 14:13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
Ver. 13. Son of man. ] See on Eze 2:1 .
When the land sinneth against me,
By trespassing grievously.
Then will I stretch out my hand.
And will break the staff.
And I will send famine. a Hom. 4, in loc.
the land = a land.
sinneth. Hebrew. chata. App-44.
trespassing. Hebrew ma’al. App-44. Note the Figure of speech Polyptoton (App-6). Hebrew – to trespass a trespass i.e. to trespass exceedingly. See note on Gen 26:28. Reference to Pentateuch (Lev 5:16; Lev 6:2; Lev 26:40. Num 5:6, Num 5:12, Num 5:27). App-92.
break the staff of the bread. Reference to Pentateuch (Lev 26:26. &c.) App-92.
of = that is to say. Genitive of Apposition. App-17.
man. Hebrew. ‘adam. App-14.
when: Eze 9:9, Ezr 9:6, Isa 24:20, Lam 1:8, Lam 1:20, Dan 9:5, Dan 9:10-12
break: Eze 4:16, Eze 5:16, Lev 26:26, Isa 3:1, Jer 15:2, Jer 15:3, Lam 4:9, Lam 4:10
and will cut: Eze 14:17, Eze 14:19, Eze 14:21, Eze 25:13, Gen 6:7, Jer 7:20, Jer 32:43, Jer 36:29
Reciprocal: Rth 1:1 – a famine 2Sa 24:13 – seven 1Ki 8:35 – heaven 2Ki 4:38 – a dearth 2Ch 6:26 – there is no rain Psa 104:15 – bread Jer 21:6 – I will Eze 2:1 – Son Eze 4:10 – General Eze 15:8 – I will Zep 1:3 – and I Rev 6:8 – kill
Eze 14:13-14. When the land, or, when a land sinneth, &c. The meaning of this and the following verses is, that when the inhabitants of a land have filled up the measure of their iniquities, and God ariseth to execute judgment upon them, the few righteous that are left among them shall not be able, by their prayers and intercessions, to deliver the nation from the judgments decreed against it. They shall but deliver their own souls; as we see in the case of Sodom, where there were none righteous but Lot and his family: those just persons saved themselves, but no intercession could avail to save the city. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it All of them persons eminent for piety. Noah, as a reward of his piety, saved eight persons out of the universal deluge, and obtained a promise from God that he would never destroy the world so again, Gen 8:21. Daniel interceded with God for the whole nation of the Jews, and obtained a promise of their restoration, and of the coming of the Messiah, Daniel 9. Job was appointed by God to make intercession for his three friends, and obtained pardon for them, Job 42:8. But when Gods irreversible decree is gone out against a nation which hath filled up the measure of its iniquity, even the prayers of such men will be ineffectual toward their deliverance. For it is only for those that are not arrived to that height of wickedness, that the prayers of the righteous avail: compare Jer 15:1. We may observe here how early the fame of Daniels piety was spread over Chaldea, who at this time was probably not above thirty years of age; he having been carried to Babylon only fourteen years before, when he was very young. For he was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim, (Dan 1:1,) who, after this, reigned eight years, 2Ki 23:36. And this prophecy, as appears from chap. Eze 8:1, was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachins captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and only reigned three months.
14:13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out my hand upon it, {h} and will break the staff of its bread, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
(h) Read Eze 4:16; Eze 5:17, Isa 3:1 .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes