Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant - not of righteous persons, but some of the guilty, who should "come forth" from the destruction of Jerusalem to Babylon, to lead a life of hopeless exile there. The reference here is to judgment, not mercy, as Ezekiel 14:23 shows. Ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted - ye, the exiles at the Chebar, who now murmur at God's judgment about to be inflicted on Jerusalem as harsh, when ye shall see the wicked "ways" and character of the escaped remnant, shall acknowledge that both Jerusalem and its inhabitants deserved their fate: this recognition of the righteousness of the judgment will reconcile you to it, and so "ye shall be comforted" under it (Calvin). Then would follow mercy to the elect remnant, though that is not referred to here, but in Ezekiel 20:43-44.