EZK 20

Ezekiel 20:48

WEB

All flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it. It will not be quenched.”’”

BSB

Then all people will see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”

KJV

And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

Matthew Henry

Verses 45–49

Ezekiel 20:45–49

We have here a prophecy of wrath against Judah and Jerusalem, which would more fitly have begun the next chapter than conclude this; for it has no dependence on what goes before, but that which follows in the beginning of the next chapter is the explication of it, when the people complained that this was a parable which they understood not. In this parable, 1. It is a forest that is prophesied against, the forest of the south field, Judah and Jerusalem. These lay south from Babylon, where Ezekiel now was, and therefore he is directed to set his face towards the south (Eze 20:46), to intimate to them that God had set his face against them, was displeased with them, and determined to destroy them. But, though it be a message of wrath which he has to deliver, he must deliver it with mildness and tenderness; he must drop his word towards the south; his doctrine must distil as the rain (Deu 32:2), that people's hearts might be softened by it, as the earth by the river of God, which drops upon the pastures of the wilderness (Psa 65:12) and which a south land more especially calls for, Jos 15:19. Judah and Jerusalem are called forests, not only because they had been full of people, as a wood of trees, but because they had been empty of fruit, for fruit-trees grow not in a forest; and a forest is put in opposition to a fruitful field, Isa 32:15. Those that should have been as the garden of the Lord, and his vineyard, had become like a forest, all overgrown with briers and thorns; and those that are so, that bring not forth the fruits of righteousness, God's word prophesies against. 2. It is a fire kindled in his forest that is prophesied of, Eze 20:47. All those judgments which wasted and consumed both the city and the country-sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity, are signified by this fire. (1.) It is a fire of God's own kindling: I will kindle a fire in thee; the breath of the Lord is not as a drop, but as a stream, of brimstone to set it on fire, Isa 30:33. He that had been himself a protecting fire about Jerusalem is now a consuming fire in it. All flesh shall see by the fury of this fire, and the desolations it shall make, especially when they compare it with the sins which had made them fuel for this fire, that it is the Lord that has kindled it (Eze 20:48), as a just avenger of his own injured honour. (2.) This conflagration shall be general: all orders and degrees of men shall be devoured by it - young and old, rich and poor, high and low. Even green trees, which the fire does not easily fasten upon, shall be devoured by this fire; even good people shall some of them be involved in these calamities; and if this be done in the green trees, what shall be done in the dry? The dry trees shall be as tinder and touch-wood to this fire. All faces (that is, all that covers the face of the earth) from the south of Canaan to the north, from Beer-sheba to Dan, shall be burnt therein. (3.) The fire shall not be quenched; no attempts to give check to the dissolution shall prevail. When God will ruin a nation, who or what can save it?

Now observe, 1. The people's reflection upon the prophet on occasion of this discourse. They said, Does he not speak parables? This was the language either of their ignorance or infidelity (the plainest truths were as parables to them), or of their malice and ill-will to the prophet. Note. It is common for those who will not be wrought upon by the word to pick quarrels with it; it is either too plain or too obscure, too fine or too homely, too common or too singular; something or other is amiss in it. 2. The prophet's complaint to God: Ah, Lord God! they say so and so of me. Note, It is a comfort to us, when people speak ill of us unjustly, that we have a God to complain to.

Cross-references: Ezek 20:46 · Deut 32:2 · Ps 65:12 · Josh 15:19 · Isa 32:15 · Ezek 20:47 · Isa 30:33 · Ezek 20:48

Hebrew interlinear

H7200

רָאָהrâʼâh/raw-aw'/

v — see

Derivation: a primitive root;

to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)

KJV: advise self, appear, approve, behold, × certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, × indeed, × joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, × be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), × sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, × surely, × think, view, visions.

רָאָה

vb — see

רָאָה 1315 vb. see

Qal 1141

1.

a. see, subj.

b. see, c. acc. rei

2. see, sq. acc. cl. or phr. of closer design

3. see, so as to learn to know

4. abs. see, have (power of) vision

5. see = perceive

6. look at, see, by direct volition

7. of mental observation

8.

a. c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest

b. see, c. acc. rei

Niph.

1. appear

2. be seen

3. be visible

Pu. appar. his bones are not detected

Hithp. recipr. look at each other

Hiph.

1.

a. cause one to see something, shew

b. cause to experience something

2. cause to look intently at, to behold

Hoph.

1. be caused to see, be shewn

2. be exhibited to

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H1320

בָּשָׂרbâsâr/baw-sawr'/

n-m — flesh, freshness, body, person, pudenda

Derivation: from 1319;

flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man

KJV: body, (fat, lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-) kind, nakedness, self, skin.

בָּשָׂר

n.m — flesh

בָּשָׂר 266 n.m. flesh

1. of the body

2. flesh for the body itself

3. male organ of generation (euphemism)

4. flesh for kindred, blood-relations

5. man over against God as frail or erring

H3588

כִּיkîy/kee/

conj — relative conjunction

Derivation: a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent;

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

KJV: and, (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), but, certainly, doubtless, else, even, except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, (al-) though, till, truly, until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.

כִּי

conj — that

כִּי conj. that, for, when

1. that

2.

a. Of time, when, of the past

b. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם

c. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though

3. Because, since

כִּי אם־

relative conjunction

כִּי אם־

1. each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:

a. that if

b. for if

2. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—

a. limiting the prec. clause, except

b. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

c. after an oath, surely

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

H589

אֲנִיʼănîy/an-ee'/

p — I

Derivation: contracted from 595;

I

KJV: I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, × which, × who.

אֲנִי

pron — I

אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I

H3068

יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/

n-pr — Existent, Jeho-vah

Derivation: from 1961;

(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God

KJV: Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

יהוה

n.pr.dei — God

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

I. יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

II.

1. יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

2. the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

3. יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

H1197

בָּעַרbâʻar/baw-ar'/

v — kindle, consume, be (-come) brutish

Derivation: a primitive root; also as denominative from 1198

to kindle, i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to be (-come) brutish

KJV: be brutish, bring (put, take) away, burn, (cause to) eat (up), feed, heat, kindle, set (on fire), waste.

בָּעַר

vb. denom — be brutish

[בָּעַר] vb. denom. be brutish

Qal be stupid, dull-hearted, unreceptive

Niph. brutish, stupid

Pi. feed, graze

Hiph. cause to be grazed over

בָּעַר

vb — burn

[בָּעַר] vb. burn, consume

Qal burn

Pi.

1. kindle

2. burn

3. fig. consume, utterly remove

Pu. burn (i.e. be supplied with fire), of fire-jar

Hiph.

1. kindle

2. burn up

H3808

לֹאlôʼ/lo/

adv — not, no

Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.

לֹא

adv — not

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

H3518

כָּבָהkâbâh/kaw-baw'/

v — expire, extinguish

Derivation: a primitive root;

to expire or (causatively) to extinguish (fire, light, anger)

KJV: go (put) out, quench.

כָּבָה

vb — be quenched

[כָּבָה] vb. be quenched, extinguished, go out, of fire or lamp

Qal be quenched, extinguished

Pi. quench, extinguish

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