Noisome beasts are one of the great plagues or armies that God hath always at his command. <\/P>
To pass through the land; to range over the land, and spoil their cattle, devour their servants and children, and destroy travellers, and make it as a wilderness. <\/P>
No man may pass through without much danger, and great guards that may repel the wild ravening beasts. <\/P> <\/p>\n
15-21.<\/B> The argument iscumulative. He first puts the case of the land sinning so as to fallunder the judgment of a famine (Eze14:13<\/span>); then (Eze 14:15<\/span>)”noisome beasts” (Le26:22<\/span>); then “the sword”; then, worst of all,”pestilence.” The three most righteous of men shoulddeliver only themselves in these several four cases. In Eze14:21<\/span> he concentrates the whole in one mass of condemnation. IfNoah, Daniel, Job, could not deliver the land, when deserving onlyone<\/I> judgment, “how much more” when all four<\/I>judgments combined are justly to visit the land for sin, shall thesethree righteous men not deliver it.<\/P><\/p>\n If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land<\/strong>,…. Evil and hurtful ones; not so much those that are poisonous as pernicious; such, as lions, tigers, foxes, wolves, and bears, that are very ravenous and devouring, and especially in a time of famine before threatened; though sometimes God makes use of lesser creatures to do damage to a land, and the fruits of it, as locusts, caterpillars, c. but the former seem to be intended here, which sometimes God threatens and sends to a people disobedient and rebellious see Le 26:22<\/span>;<\/p>\n and they spoil it<\/strong>; or, “make it childless” x; they or I bereave the inhabitants of it of their children; or bereave it of other cattle that are tame, as sheep and oxen, as well as of men and women also, and even destroy the fruits of the earth:<\/p>\n so that it be desolate<\/strong>; having neither men nor cattle, corn or tillage, or any other fruit; all being destroyed by the evil beats, who have commission to pass through it, and lay it waste wherever they come, without control:<\/p>\n that no man may pass through because of the beasts<\/strong>; for fear of them: not only the inhabitants of the land should be destroyed by them, but even travellers, such as come from other countries, would not choose to pass through it because of the beasts; so that it would on this account be destitute both of inhabitants and of travellers; and must be a most desolate place, where only wild beasts were to be seen, ranging about at pleasure.<\/p>\n x “orbaturas eam”, Pagninus, Montanus; “orbaturas eam”, Junius Tremellius, Polanus “orbam fecere illam”, Cocceius, Starckius.<\/p>\n Now he mentions the second kind of punishment. For we said that God’s four scourges were here brought before us, which are more familiarly known to men through frequent use. They are hunger and wild beasts, war and pestilence. The Prophet has spoken of famine; he now comes down to wild beasts. This kind of scourge is rarely used in Scripture; for God more frequently mentions the sword, pestilence, and famine; but when he distinctly treats, of his scourges, he adds also savage beasts. Now therefore he says, if he had sent wild beasts to lay waste the land, and Noah, Job, and Daniel, had been in that land, they would be free from the common slaughter, but that their righteousness would not profit others. He expresses a little more clearly what he had spoken briefly and obscurely when he treated of the famine. If, says he, I shall cause an evil beast to pass through and injure the land, so as to lay it waste, that no one may pass through on account of the wild beasts, as I live, says he, if these three men shall free their sons and their daughters. This passage teaches what I lately touched upon about the famine, namely, that the beasts did not break in by chance to attack and rage against men, but that they are sent by God. Thus God follows out his judgments no less by means of lions, and bears, and tigers, than by rain and drought, the sword and the pestilence: and surely this may be understood, if we reflect upon the great savageness of these beasts; first, when hunger arouses them they are carried along by a ravenous impulse; and then, without the compulsion of necessity, they are hostile to the human race, and without doubt they would urge themselves on to tear to pieces all whom they met with, unless restrained by God’s secret instinct. If, therefore, God restrains the wild beasts, thus also he sends them forth as often as it pleases him, to exercise their ferocity against mankind, and in this way to become his scourges. But here an oath is interposed that God may inspire confidence in his sentence, so God swears by his own life. This is the meaning of the phrase as I live; that is, I swear by my life. This is indeed spoken improperly, but elsewhere we have seen that God swears by his life; that is, just as if he swore by himself, because he has no greater by whom he can swear, as the Apostle says (Heb 6:13<\/span>); and as often as we swear by the name of God we attribute the supreme power to him, and thus we profess our life to be in his hand, and he to be our only Judge. When, therefore, he swears by himself, he admonishes us at the same time that his name is profaned if we swear by any others: then he shows how much religion is to be exhibited in oaths. Let us follow, therefore, God’s example, when our speech needs confirmation, by calling in a witness and judge: next, that we should not use his name rashly and falsely, but that our oath should be truly a testimony to our piety. But here in truth a question arises, — How God can say that the land should perish which has been once subjected to wild beasts? For sometimes wild beasts have infected many regions, and God has immediately restrained them, and so their cruelty has passed away like a storm. <\/p>\n Again, we knew that the prayer of the saints are not superfluous when they pray for others; but God seems here to deny what is clearly manifest. But the solution is easy. For since he does not inflict his judgments equably but variably, and at one time hastens punishments and at another suspends them: at one time punishes men’s sins and at another delays doing so, he fixes for himself no sure law by which he is always bound, but he speaks of the land which he has destined to destruction. God therefore will strike one region with famine, another with war, a third with pestilence, a fourth with wild beasts, and yet he can mitigate his own rigor, and when men begin to be terrified, he can withdraw his hand. But if it has been once decreed that any land must perish, all the saints would run together in vain, because no one would be a fit intercessor to abolish that inviolable decree. We now understand the Prophet’s intention, for he does not speak generally of any lands whatever, but he points out the very land which was devoted to final destruction. It follows — <\/p>\n (15-20) In these verses the same declaration is repeated, for the sake of emphasis, with each one of three other instruments of punishment, with only such variations of phraseology as are required for rhetorical reasons. The phrase their own souls <\/em>is here also simply equivalent to themselves. The judgments mentioned are all taken from the warnings in Leviticus 26<\/span>, the famine from Lev. 26:26<\/span>, the wild beasts from Lev. 26:22<\/span>, the sword and also the pestilence from Lev. 26:25<\/span>.<\/p>\n 15<\/strong>. <\/strong> Noisome beasts <\/strong> Remembering that serpents, according to Scripture language, were included among these “hurtful beasts” (Gen 3:14<\/span>), it is a suggestive circumstance that over twenty thousand people die in India every year of snake bite, notwithstanding the excessive population and the carefulness of British officials, and notwithstanding the fact that the government kills five hundred thousand of these reptiles every year ( Victoria Institute, <\/em> 26:89, 111). In Syria, where the serpent was reverenced as possessing superhuman powers, its ability to “bereave” the land would be great.<\/p>\n “If I cause dangerous wild beasts to pass through the land, and they despoil it so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts, though these three men were in it, as I live says the Lord Yahweh, they will deliver neither sons nor daughters. They only will be delivered, but the land will be desolate.”<\/p>\n The presence of such wild beasts indicates a land deserted by man, and thus one already under judgment, to be taken over by the wild beasts who would despoil what was left. The mention of sons and daughters probably has both Noah’s and Lot’s stories in mind, when their children were delivered. This judgment is to be worse in its effect than that of Sodom, with none deliberately spared except the exceptionally righteous.<\/p>\n Eze 14:15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:<\/p>\n Ver. 15. If I cause noisome beasts.<\/strong> ] As lions, wolves, bears, serpents, &c. Great hurt hath been done not only by such, as Num 21:6<\/span> 2Ki 2:24<\/span> ; 2Ki 17:25-26 Jos 24:12<\/span> ; but also by tamer creatures when set on by God. Rebellis facta est, quia homo numini, creatura homini.<\/em> a<\/em> Rats, conies, frogs, wasps, moths, have done much mischief. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n a<\/em> Augustine.<\/p>\n If I cause noisome beasts, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Lev 26:22). App-92. <\/p>\n noisome = annoying, hurtful. <\/p>\n Eze 14:15-20<\/p>\n Eze 14:15-20<\/p>\n “If I cause evil beasts to pass through a land, and they ravage it, and make it desolate, so that no man pass through because of the beasts; though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and beast; though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast; though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.”<\/p>\n In this paragraph, it is clear enough why Ezekiel used Job as the climax of his list of three; it was not due to chronology, but to the fact that Job alone fit the oft repeated expression, “delivered neither sons nor daughters” (Eze 14:16; Eze 14:18; Eze 14:20). Daniel could not qualify, for as a eunuch, he had no posterity. Noah could not qualify, for he saved his sons; but Job was able to save neither sons nor daughters! Therefore, the holy prophet made him the climax of this list. Also, see the comment under Eze 16:46.<\/p>\n Notice the fourfold judgments against Jerusalem that are mentioned in this chapter: famine, wild beasts, sword, and pestilence (Eze 14:13; Eze 14:15; Eze 14:17; Eze 14:19). Jeremiah is apparently the first prophet to assemble this quadruple list (Jer 15:2 f). We believe there are overtones in this that reflect the teaching of Amos (Amos 1-2) that, “For three transgressions of Damascus (repeated for a list of eight nations), yea for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, etc.” Right here is given the fulfillment of Amo 2:4-8.<\/p>\n “Thus saith Jehovah, For three transgressions of Judah, yea for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers did walk. But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n “Thus saith Jehovah, For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes – they that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek; and a man and his father go in unto the same maiden to profane my holy name: and they lay themselves down by every altar upon clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of such as have been fined” (Amo 2:4-8).<\/p>\n Bunn also noted the strong resemblance to this business of “three transgressions, yea for four” as used by Amos, adding that its use, “indicated completeness. The prophecy of Amos stressed the fourfold transgressions of God’s people; and Ezekiel here stressed the appropriate fourfold judgments which their transgressions merited.<\/p>\n noisome: Eze 5:17, Lev 26:22, 1Ki 20:36, 2Ki 17:25, Jer 15:3 <\/p>\n spoil: or, bereave <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Lev 26:6 – rid Deu 32:24 – the teeth Job 5:23 – beasts Psa 50:11 – wild Isa 45:7 – I make Peace Jer 9:10 – so Eze 14:21 – my four<\/p>\n Eze 14:15. Noisome is from a Hebrew word that means “evil or bad,” and here it is applied to beasts that are fierce and destructive, God sometimes used such means to punish persons who were guilty of wrong, (See 1Ki 13:24; 2Ki 2:24.)<\/p>\n Eze 14:15-21. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of food in the deserts, or by some other means, influenced these wild beasts to make incursions into Judea, in great numbers, which they otherwise were not wont to do. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, &c. If I deliver a land into the hand of a cruel enemy. The conquerors sword is often called the sword of the Lord, in the prophets, because they are the executioners of Gods judgments. So that I cut off man and beast from it Men are destroyed by the sword, and the cattle are driven away by the enemy; or else consumed by pestilence, arising from the airs being corrupted through the stench of dead bodies. Or I send pestilence, and pour out my fury in blood With great destruction of mens lives, Eze 38:22; for every kind of sudden and immature death is called blood in the Hebrew. How much more Shall there be an utter destruction; when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem If it is just, with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment, how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions? And if the intercessions of such holy men as those above mentioned could not prevent the execution of one of these four judgments upon those that had filled up the measure of their iniquities, how much less would they be able to keep off all the four, when I commission them all to come at once?<\/p>\n If God’s judgment by wild beasts resulted in the depopulation of the land, including the children (cf. Lev 26:22; Deu 32:24), the righteousness of Noah (cf. Gen 6:9), Daniel (cf. Dan 6:4-5; Dan 6:22), and Job (cf. Job 1:1; Job 1:8; Job 2:3) would not deliver even their own family members from divine judgment. God would spare just these men alone. God had spared Noah’s family for his sake (Gen 6:18), and he had spared Daniel’s friends for his sake (Dan 1:6-20; Dan 2:17-18; Daniel 3) and Job’s friends for his sake (Job 42:7-10), but he had not spared Job’s children. Probably the order of these names is climactic. It is not chronological.<\/p>\n If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: Noisome beasts are one of the great plagues or armies that God hath always at his command. To pass through the land; to range over the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 14:15”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20757\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"