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, Genesis 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 God's 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 Jeremiah 15:1. We may observe here how early the fame of Daniel's 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, (Daniel 1:1,) who, after this, reigned eight years, 2 Kings 23:36. And this prophecy, as appears from chap. Ezekiel 8:1, was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and only reigned three months.
Related Commentaries of Ezekiel 14:13
Ezekiel 14:13-14
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:
14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.