Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins [be] upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
Ver. 10. Thus ye speak.] a But not well, while ye have hard thoughts of God and heavy thoughts of yourselves, as if your sins were unpardonable, and that ye were already ruined beyond relief; whereas true repentance is a ready remedy, a plank after shipwreck, that would set you safe, and render you right again. This they had been told before, Eze 18:25-32 but to little purpose: the word was not mingled with faith in their hearts, and did therefore run through them, Heb 2:1 as water runs through a riven vessel.
And we pine away in them.] Ita punimur ut pereamus. And so be punished and perish. This the prophet had threatened, Eze 24:23 and they still stomachfully object it to him: it lay as hard meat, and they raise a cavil upon it, whereto the Lord answereth,
a Refricat verba desperantium. Omnis restitutionis species et spes a Deo nobis praecisa est.