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Ezekiel 9

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The Executioners Are Summoned 1–2

1
Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. ​
2
And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. ​

The Mark of Preservation 3–4

3
And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn by his side. ​
4
And Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. ​

The Judgment Commences 5–7

5
And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; ​
6
slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house. ​
7
And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city. ​

Ezekiel Intercedes for Israel 8–11

8
And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord Jehovah! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem? ​
9
Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of wresting of judgment: for they say, Jehovah hath forsaken the land, and Jehovah seeth not. ​
10
And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head. ​
11
And, behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ezekiel 9

Verse 1

them that have charge over the city — Pequddah is oversight, and also 'visitation', the word of Isa 10:3 and Jer 8:12, 'in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down'. 'Destroying' (mashcheth) occurs only here. The LORD himself calls the men with 'a loud voice' in Ezekiel's ears, so the visitation comes at his command.

Verse 2

clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn — Six men with slaughter weapons and a seventh in linen make seven. Linen (bad) is the priests' holy dress (Lev 16:4), and 'a certain man clothed in linen' appears in Dan 10:5. Qeseth, 'inkhorn', is found only in 9:2, 3, 11. They come by the higher gate (2 Kgs 15:35) and stand beside the brasen altar.

Verse 3

gone up from the cherub — The glory moves from the cherub, which Ezekiel later calls 'the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel' (10:20), to 'the threshold of the house'. The same step is told in 10:4. It then goes to the door of the east gate (10:19) and last of all to the mountain east of the city (11:23).

Verse 4

set a mark upon the foreheads — Tav, 'mark', is found only here, in v.6 and in Job 31:35. The mark goes to 'the men that sigh and that cry' (anach, anaq, words of groaning) for the abominations. The blood on the doorposts of Israel's houses likewise set them apart (Ex 12:7), and Rev 7:3 speaks of servants 'sealed… in their foreheads'.

Verse 5

let not your eye spare — The LORD's own sentence, 'neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity' (5:11; cf. 7:4; 8:18), is now given to the six as a command. They go 'after him', so the marking comes first and the slaying follows. Under Moses the sons of Levi were told to 'go in and out from gate to gate' with the sword at the LORD's word (Ex 32:27).

Verse 6

begin at my sanctuary — The mark protects: 'come not near any man upon whom is the mark'. The judgment starts with 'the ancient men which were before the house', the same word as 'the ancients' of 8:11–12. Peter gives the principle, 'judgment must begin at the house of God' (1 Pet 4:17), and the LORD says of Jerusalem, 'I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name' (Jer 25:29).

Verse 7

Defile the house — 'Defile' is tame', the verb of 5:11, where the LORD charges Judah, 'thou hast defiled my sanctuary'. The slain now fill the courts of the house they had made unclean. Chronicles records the fulfilment, that the king of the Chaldees 'slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary' (2 Chr 36:17).

Verse 8

Ah Lord GOD! — Ezekiel is left alone, falls on his face and pleads for 'all the residue of Israel'. It is the cry of 4:14, 11:13 and 20:49. In 11:13 he asks the same of the LORD when Pelatiah dies, 'wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?' 'Pouring out of thy fury' recalls 7:8, 'will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee'.

Verse 9

the city full of perverseness — Muttah, a bending or distortion, occurs only here. The iniquity is charged to 'Israel and Judah' together, and the land 'full of blood' matches the 'bloody crimes' of 7:23. The excuse is the one the LORD quoted in 8:12, 'the LORD hath forsaken the earth', with the added claim that he 'seeth not'.

Verse 10

mine eye shall not spare — The answer to 'The LORD seeth not' is the LORD's own eye, which 'shall not spare'. 'Recompense' is nathan, to give, so their way is given back 'upon their head', as in 7:4, 'I will recompense thy ways upon thee'. The same sentence is passed in 11:21 on those whose heart follows their abominations.

Verse 11

I have done as thou hast commanded me — 'Reported the matter' is literally 'returned the word'. Only the man in linen reports, and he is the one sent again in 10:2 to fill his hand with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city, so the work of judgment on Jerusalem continues into the next chapter.