Hath not the house of Israel said That is, I know they have said; as the words, “are they not written in the book of Chronicles, &c.?” mean, they are written there. What doest thou, &c. They have inquired by way of derision and contempt, what these signs mean. Say This burden concerneth the prince, &c. Namely, King Zedekiah, chap. Ezekiel 7:27. The prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder, &c. Their king shall even be forced himself to carry what he can out of the city, in the dusk of the evening. They shall dig through the wall, &c. His retinue shall make a private way to get out of the city, that they may not be discovered: see Jeremiah 39:4; Jeremiah 52:7. It is probable that the king and his companions fled through a breach made by themselves in the wall. Or the gate through which they fled might have been walled up during the siege. He shall cover his face, &c. See note on Ezekiel 12:6, and on 2 Kings 25:7. My net also will I spread upon him Though he thinks to escape, yet I will bring his enemies upon him, who shall encompass him, and stop his flight, as when a wild beast is entangled in a net. I will bring him to Babylon, yet shall he not see it Neither the land nor the city; for his eyes will be put out at Riblah: see notes on 2 Kings 25:5-7. I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him Either the Egyptians, who came to assist him, or those that fled with him. And I will draw out the sword after them I will cause them to be pursued by the sword and slain, whithersoever they go. But I will leave a few men Hebrew, מספר אנשׁי, men of number: that is, populus numerabilis utpote parvus, a people easily numbered, as being few: Hor., Ars Poet., 50: 206. From the sword &c ., that they may declare all their abominations May confess that they were justly punished for their idolatries and immoralities: or that they may declare the cause (namely, their heinous wickedness) why the city of Jerusalem, and the temple dedicated to Jehovah there, were delivered up to destruction, and thereby may justify my proceedings. And they shall know that I am the Lord Namely, the Chaldeans shall know it. See how God brings good out of evil! The dispersion of sinners, who had done God much dishonour and disservice in their own country, proves the dispersion of penitents, who shall do him much honour and service in other countries.
Ezekiel 12:9-16
9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?
10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.
11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.
12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
16 But I will leave a fewd men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.