Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 40:2
In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which [was] as the frame of a city on the south.
2. visions of God ] ch. Eze 1:1, Eze 8:3, Eze 11:24.
a very high mountain ] The site is the ancient hill of Zion, but it is now exalted above the hills, Isa 2:2; Zec 14:10, cf. Eze 17:22; Eze 20:40.
by which frame of a city ] lit. upon which was as it were a building of a city, i.e. a city-like, or, citadel-like building. The ref. is to the Temple, with its complex of buildings ( Eze 40:3).
on the south ] The pre-exile Temple at any rate occupied the southern slope of the hill, and possibly Ezek. recalls this. For “on the south” LXX. read fronting me (neged for negeb).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By which – Better as in the margin. (compare Eze 43:12).
As the frame of a city – It is not a city which is seen, but a building (the temple and its courts) like a city in its construction, surrounded by massive walls.
On the south – southward, i. e., on the southern slope, just as the temple actually stood on Mount Moriah. The temple was at the northeast corner of the city – part of the western portion of the city being more to the north, but no part directly north of the temple.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eze 40:2-3
A measuring reed.
The measuring reed
It is a complex and mysterious thing,–this human life which it is appointed us to live. At first glance it seems as if it were simply the outflowing of ourselves from day to day, very much as water flows from a jar, without effort or design or law of movement, Take the history of a day, or the larger history of a life from the cradle to the grave; what subtle breaths of desire, of affection and repulsion determine its movements! What accidents, casual contacts, unexpected pressures of circumstance carve its outlines! Day by day the tapestry is woven. We cannot stop the play of the loom. But what a wilderness of aimless lines comes out in the fabric! What a blur of unfinished patterns, overlying each other! What a tangle of broken threads! But a deeper glance reveals to us the persistent and inexorable action of law in the shaping of our life. Indeed it is easy to formulate a theory of life in which it seems as if it were all law, nothing but law, law that crushed all freedom and spontaneity out of life. This happens when you try to reduce life to a department of physics. You find everywhere law; only the law lies not so much in the life as in the things that press upon it and give it direction. The water that flows from a jar falls and sparkles and runs on the ground with no choice of its own. Every drop is the slave of law. So it seems when we look upon life and treat it as a chapter of mechanics; as if it were simply the product of the forces that beat upon it, as if the measure of the forces gave the measure of the life, as if the colours and shapes it takes in its outflow were all determined by the angle of the sunbeam that strikes it, and the lay of the ground where it falls. It is evident that this conception of life is inadequate and false. It is all the more dangerous, because it falls in with a current fashion of thought and contains a half-truth. We read so much nowadays of force and law, that it is natural to speak of the energy of life under these terms; only, if we take our conceptions of force and law entirely from the physical world, we reduce all the intricate and mysterious movement of life to the irresponsible throbbings of a machine. The life which each of us is living is neither a formless, accidental jumble of thoughts, words and deeds, which link themselves together without any compelling force or law of combination; nor is it the fixed and inevitable result of forces that lie outside the domain of the will, and that beat resistlessly upon our life for good or evil. There is both freedom and law in our life; freedom working within law, along the lines of law. Every human life is a structure like that temple in the prophets dream. It is built up stone by stone. And every stone has a meaning. It falls into its place in obedience to a law. The design of the structure determines the position of the stone. The building grows according to the law of the design. But what determines the design? Here is where the element of choice comes in. We can choose one design or another. But the design once chosen determines the character of the building. It gives the law of measurement to every stone and door post and pinnacle. It is like a man with a measuring reed standing in the gate. Now there are certain things which, you will agree with me, fall entirely within our choice, which have such power and influence in the shaping of character that they become the measuring reeds of life. They give the design on the lines of which the structure of the life is built. One of these things is a mans estimate of himself. What a man holds himself to be, he tries to be, and in the long run becomes. If he count himself a cur, his life will be a kennel, whatever money he may lavish on it and however richly he may decorate it. If he recognise and hold himself true to a royalty of soul, his life will be a palace. Though it have the dimensions of a hut, and the roof cover but a single room, that room will be a throne chamber. Have you never noticed how Christ, in His effort to lift men to higher levels of life, kept in sight this law? Never was such dignity dreamed for human nature as He gave to it. He called men Gods children. And all, that He might win them to a life that had the purity and beauty of God in it, a life that should be worthy of the sons of God. Christ recognised the law: man is the measure of his life. His estimate of his own worth gives the quality of his daily deed and word. The law runs from the sublime heights to which Christ carried it, to the beaten paths where men pass to and fro on the business of the world. If you hold yourself copper, your life will be copper. If you count yourself gold and diamond, your life will be gold and diamond. You must first estimate yourself as something cheap and mean, before you can sell yourself to a cheap and mean sin. But there is another measuring reed of life. As he goes on with the years, every man makes not only an estimate of himself, but also a philosophy of life. If we choose to explain life as a selfish, brutal struggle for existence, as a dull, lingering misery to be borne simply with patience or defiance, as a hunt for pleasurable sensations, as a plot for the mastery of our fellows, as a school for the education of character, as an opportunity of lighting up this earth with something of the life that pulses in the heart of God; in every case, life rises up and answers: Yes, that is my explanation of myself. I can furnish proofs of your theory. You have translated the cipher on my heart. Take me, read me, treat me as you choose; I will supply you with plenty of facts to substantiate your philosophy of me. Life echoes back our own answer. She comes to us and sits down by us and goes to and fro over our threshold, in the very feature, step, and accent of our theory. The smallest details of life take tone and colour from our creed. Our life makes a constant effort to adjust itself to our theory. How can it be otherwise? Our theory is a measuring reed, with which we stand in the gate, and which we apply to every stone and beam that go into the structure of our life. Is it any wonder that the whole structure is simply a sort of flower, which has blossomed on the stalk of our measuring reed? (W. W. Battershall, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 2. Set me upon a very high mountain] Mount Moriah, the mount on which Solomon’s temple was built, 2Ch 3:1.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In the visions: by this it appears it was not a corporeal transumption of the prophet: see Eze 8:3.
Brought me: see Eze 40:1.
Into the land of Israel; the land of Canaan was in a scheme represented to him.
Set me upon a very high mountain; placed him in the most convenient situation for prospect. It were vain to inquire what mountain this was, since this is a vision; probably it was Mount Moriah here signified.
Was the frame, the portrait and model,
of a city; a goodly, fair city, or, by way of eminence,
the city, or of that city which fourteen years ago was burnt.
On the south; on the south of the mountain where the prophet was set, and this was the situation of Jerusalem, on whose north was Mount Zion, Psa 48:2.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. visions of Goddivinelysent visions.
very high mountainMoriah,very high, as compared with the plains of Babylon, still more so asto its moral elevation (Eze 17:22;Eze 20:40).
by whichEzekiel comingfrom the north is set down at (as the Hebrew for “upon”may be translated) Mount Moriah, and sees the city-like frame of thetemple stretching southward. In Eze40:3, “God brings him thither,” that is, close up toit, so as to inspect it minutely (compare Re21:10). In this closing vision, as in the opening one of thebook, the divine hand is laid on the prophet, and he is borne away inthe visions of God. But the scene there was by the Chebar, Jehovahhaving forsaken Jerusalem; now it is the mountain of God, Jehovahhaving returned thither; there, the vision was calculated to inspireterror; here, hope and assurance.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel,…. Or by the spirit of prophecy, as the Targum again; that is, being under the impressions of the Spirit of God, it appeared to him, in a visionary way, as if he was really brought out of Chaldea, and set in the land of Israel; see Eze 8:3, as John was carried away in the spirit to see the New Jerusalem, Re 21:10:
and set me upon a very high mountain; as John also was, that he might have a view of this large city and temple, which were to fill the whole world: thus Christ was taken up to an exceeding high mountain, to be shown the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, Mt 4:8, it is needless to inquire what this mountain was, whether Moriah, on which the temple was formerly built, or any other mountain near Jerusalem, since no material temple is exhibited to be built upon it; nor would such a mountain, especially Zion or Moriah, have been a proper place, if material temple at Jerusalem was here designed, which must have stood upon it; but this is visionary, as well as the city and temple; if it respects anything, it may the strength, the visibility, and exalted state of the church of Christ in the latter day; see Isa 2:2:
by, which was as the flame of a city on the south: the prophet in the vision, and as to his view of things coming from Babylon, which lay north of Judea, has a prospect of the south of the city and temple; and, first, there appeared to him, to the south of the mountain on which he stood, the plan of a city; or which was as one, for the city is not described till last; the description is of the temple first; and which for its wall, gates, courts, and towers, looked more like a city than a temple; nothing is more common than for the church of Christ to be compared to a city, especially as in the latter day; see Ps 87:3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(2) In the visions of God.This expression presupposes that what follows is an ideal description rather than an account of anything that ever had or ever should have a literal existence. The same expression has been used in the same sense in regard to Ezekiel 1-3, and again Ezekiel 8-11. It always refers, not to an actual image of existing things, but to a symbolic representation of their substance.
Upon a very high mountain.Comp. Isa. 2:2; Mic. 4:1. This cannot apply literally to the hill of Moriah, surrounded by greater heights, but is frequently used to mark the spiritual importance of the Temple site. (Comp. Eze. 17:22-23; also Rev. 21:10.)
By which.The margin is more accurate, upon which. This proposition and the one just before translated upon are different in the original, but upon is the proper sense of this one, while the former has the meaning of unto. The structure which the prophet sees is upon the mountain, and is not the city, but in size and with walls, &c., as the frame of a city; in fact, it was the greatly enlarged Temple, as the whole following description snows.
On the south.The prophet, although transported only in vision, has in mind the usual way of entering Palestine from Chalda, viz., at the north. Hence he sees the Temple on the south.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. The prophet seems in his vision (compare Eze 1:1; Eze 8:3; Eze 11:24) to be brought to the old home land and placed upon the lofty mountain “whereon was a city like mass of buildings,” the new temple.
On the south As the prophet was supposed to come from the north, the Greek renders, “opposite me.” For a general impression of the temple see frontispiece and the picture introducing chapter 8. These representations do not claim to be necessarily correct in every feature, but they are the best possible with our present knowledge of ancient architecture.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 40:2. Set me upon a very high mountain The expression points out mount Moriah, whereon the temple was built. It is here called a very high mountain, because it represents the seat of the Christian church foretold by the prophets, that it should be established upon the top of the mountains. We are to remember that all this passed in vision. Houbigant renders the last clause of this verse, In which there were on the opposite side as the buildings of a city.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 40:2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which [was] as the frame of a city on the south.
Ver. 2. Brought he me, ] i.e., The Spirit brought me, who is called God’s hand, Eze 40:1 quia a Patre Filioque quasi marius dimanat: so he is called the “finger of God” Exo 8:19 – that is, his power.
And set me upon a very high mountain.
By which was the frame of a city.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
visions of God. Compare Eze 1:1; Eze 8:3; Eze 43:3.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
the land of Israel. One of the three occurrences in Ezekiel with ‘erete instead of ‘admath. See notes on Eze 27:17; and compare note on Eze 11:17.
upon a very high mountain. Compare Eze 17:22, Eze 17:23. Isa 2:2.
by: or, upon
frame = fabric; or structure.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the visions: There can be little doubt, that the grand outlines of the description of the temple, in the following extraordinary vision, were taken from that of Solomon’s, with all the additions made to it in after ages; and we may suppose that Zerubbabel and the other Jews had respect to it, as far as circumstances would permit, in rebuilding the temple after the captivity. There are, however, many circumstances which conclusively shew, that something infinitely superior to either the first or second temple was intended; and that the external description must be considered as a figure and emblem of spiritual blessings. Probably the more immediate accomplishment of the prophecy will be subsequent to the conversion and restoration of the Jews, the destruction of Gog and Magog, and the pouring out of the Spirit, mentioned at the close of the last chapter; but whether there will be any external forms analogous to these cannot be determined, though in some respects it seems improbable. Eze 1:1, Eze 8:3, Dan 7:1, Dan 7:7, Act 2:17, Act 16:9, 2Co 12:1-7
a very: Eze 17:22, Eze 17:23, Isa 2:2, Isa 2:3, Dan 2:34, Dan 2:35, Mic 4:1, Rev 21:10
by: or, upon
as the: Eze 48:30-35, Gal 4:26, Rev 21:10-23
frame: 1Ch 28:12, 1Ch 28:19
on the south: Isa 48:2, Isa 14:13
Reciprocal: Deu 34:1 – showed him 1Ki 18:12 – the Spirit of the Lord 2Ki 2:16 – the Spirit Eze 3:12 – spirit Eze 7:2 – unto Eze 11:1 – the spirit Eze 41:1 – he brought Eze 42:1 – he brought Eze 43:5 – the spirit Eze 43:12 – Upon Mat 4:1 – of the spirit Act 10:10 – he fell
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 40:2. Ezekiel did not go bodily into the land of Israel, hut went only in the visions of Gad. This is similar to the experience of John in Rev 1:10; Rev 4:1-2, who never actu-ally left the island of Patmos, but saw and heard things in a vision. The prophet was shown the things in a vision and he saw a very high mountain (mountain meaning kingdom in symbolic language) and near it was a city.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord took Ezekiel in his vision to the land of Israel and set him on a high mountain there (cf. Eze 1:1; Eze 8:3). Today Mount Scopus, on the north end of the Mt. Olivet ridge, rises slightly higher than the temple mount, as was true also in biblical times. Looking south Ezekiel saw a structure that resembled a city. As the vision unfolds, what he saw proved to be a temple complex with walls, courtyards, and various structures, probably on the site of Solomon’s temple.
Ezekiel’s transportation in a vision back to Israel amounted to a kind of homecoming for him. He had previously been in Babylon in his visions (Eze 3:14-15; Eze 8:3; Eze 11:24), but now the Lord took him, as He would later take all the Israelites, back to the Promised Land. [Note: Parunak, pp. 61-62.]