Ezekiel 32 - Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Twelfth year — Of the captivity of Jeconiah.

Like a young lion — Spoiling all thou canst. Crocodile — The crocodiles lay in the rivers, though sometimes they went down the river to the sea. With thy rivers — Raisedst mighty armies, and didst lead them out against thy neighbours. The waters — The people, and kings near thee. Thy feet — With thy soldiers. Fouledst — Didst spoil all the conveniences of thy neighbours.

With a company — In the countries, where these creatures were hunted, they went in mighty companies.

Leave thee — This was literally fulfilled in the deserts of Lybia, where the slain of Hophra's army, were left to be devoured by fowls and beasts.

With thy height — With the carcasses of thy princes.

Even to the mountains — Blood shall be poured forth, as if it were to rise to the very mountains. Full of thee — O thy blood, and of thy carcasses cast into them.

Put thee out — As a torch is extinguished. Cover the sun — Probably some unusual darkness was seen in the heavens, and on the earth, about that time.

Thy destruction — The fame of it. Not known — Such as were strangers to Egypt, shall be troubled with apprehension of what mischief may come upon the world from so mighty a conqueror.

Shall tremble — Be greatly afraid, lest Nebuchadnezzar, who is God's sword, should smite them. Every man — Every one of the kings, whose kingdoms are near to Egypt.

All the beasts — The sheep, and oxen devoured, or driven away: the horses taken up to mount the horsemen, whose own horses were tired, or spoiled. Great waters — The pasture lying along the river side. Trouble them — There shall be so few men left in Egypt, that they shall not as formerly, disturb the waters by digging, swimming, or rowing on them. Nor the hoofs — So few horses or cows, that they shall not at watering — times, or in the heat of the day, foul the waters.

Like oil — A figurative expression, signifying, there shall be such an universal sadness and heaviness upon the whole nation, that the very rivers which used to flow briskly, shall grow deep, and slow, and heavy.

Of that — Men and women, cattle, wealth, and peace.

This is the lamentation — This mournful account, which the prophet has given of Egypt.

Wail — Prepare the funeral ceremonies at the burial of Egypt. The daughters — And celebrate the funerals of other cities and kingdoms that lie buried in their own ruins. The nether parts of the earth — A well known description of the state of the dead. The pit — The Egyptians affected to be buried in the Pyramids, and their kings, and great ones, would be laid by themselves; but Ezekiel provides them their grave among common people, being buried just where they fall.

Whom — Art thou better than others that thou shouldest not die, and be laid in the dust, as well as they. Go — Go down like others. With the uncircumcised — Among profane and loathed carcasses, such the uncircumcised were in the opinion of the circumcised, as were the Egyptians.

They — The Egyptians. She — The whole Egyptian kingdom. Draw — And throw them together into the pit.

Him — The king of Egypt. The grave — Where they lie without strength, as dead mortals, tho' while they lived, they bore themselves, as gods. That help — His helpers, dead before him, shall speak to him. Gone down — To the grave. They lie — Neglected, and forgotten.

Ashur — The famous, warlike, king of Assyria. Is there — In the state of the dead, in the land of darkness and oblivion. Her company — Princes, soldiers, subjects, and confederates. Are about him — They are about him, who were slain with him.

Whose graves — Here is supposed a spacious vault, in the midst whereof the king of Ashur lies, and round the vault, his familiar captains and commanders. Her company — The common subjects of the Assyrian empire, all buried undistinguished about her. Her grave — The ruins of an empire are its grave. In the land — While they were in the land of the living.

Elam — The Persians, and their famous kings, who lived in former days. Their shame — God, and man poured contempt upon them, and turned their glory into shame.

A bed — The Persians had their coffins, in which with balms and spices, the dead were kept, in the midst of places provided for them; in such is the king of Elam here placed with his slaughtered captains about him. All the honour he can now pretend to, is to be buried in the chief sepulchre.

Her multitude — With the Cappadocians and Albanians, the Scythians may be included, many of whom were next neighbors to them.

They — The leaders of these Scythians were not buried with a pomp like that of Ashur, or Elan, but surprised by Halyattes and Cyaxares, were cut off with all their multitude, and tumbled into pits with the rabble. With their weapons — A ceremony observed in pompous funerals of great captains, to have their weapons, and their armour carried before the hearse. Laid their swords — In their graves, as if they could sleep the sweeter there, when they laid their heads on such a pillow: These barbarous Scythians were not so buried. Their iniquity — The exemplary punishment of their iniquity shall be seen upon their bones unburied.

Thou — Chief of Mesech, and Tubal. Shalt be broken — Shalt be killed with the rest of thy wicked followers. Shalt lie — Without regard, hurled into the pit with common soldiers.

With the uncircumcised — The Edomites retained circumcision, being of the seed of Abraham. But that shall stand them in no stead: they shall lie with the uncircumcised.

Of the north — Tyrians, Assyrians, and Syrians, who lay northward from Judea, now swallowed up by the Babylonian. Of their might — When it appeared too weak to resist the enemy. Uncircumcised — Scorned, and cast out as profane and loathsome.

Comforted — Poor comfort! Yet all that he will find!

My terror — These tyrants were a terror to the world by their cruelty; and God hath made them a terror by his just punishments; and so, saith God, will I do with Pharaoh. Come and see the calamitous state of human life! See what a dying world this is! The strong die, the mighty die; Pharaoh and all his multitude! But here is likewise an allusion to the final and everlasting death of impenitent sinners. Those that are uncircumcised in heart, are slain by the sword of Divine Justice. Their iniquity is upon them, and they bear their shame for ever.