“Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.”
Eat this book, and go speak to the children of Israel. By this eating of the book, was signified the diligent attention and affection with which we are to receive and embrace the word of God; and to let it as it were, sink into our interior by devout meditation. (Challoner) — The revelation came from God, ver. 10. (Worthington)
“So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.”
Book, in spirit; (Calmet) or in reality, he chewed the volume. (Haydock)
“And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.”
Mouth. I readily accepted the commission, but soon found the difficulties to which it would expose me, ver. 12., Jeremias xv. 16., and Apocalypse x. 10.
“Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. of a: Heb. deep of lip, and heavy of language Surely: or, If I had sent thee, etc. would they not have hearkened unto thee?”
Unknown. Hebrew, “heavy.” (Calmet) — Protestants, “hard.” (Haydock) — It is not above thy strength, Deuteronomy xxx. 12. — To thee. He insinuates that the Gentiles would obey the apostles. (St. Jerome) — But the time was not yet come. (Calmet) — From this text and Matthew xi. 21., it appears that “the same grace” is accepted by some and rejected by others, as “more grace is added to the former, which was sufficient before, and by this….is made effectual” through God’s mercy, Romans ix. (Worthington) — Those who reject the first grace, can blame only themselves, if they receive no more. The same grace falling on a heat better prepared by God, like seed on good soil, is more fruitful.
“But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted . impudent: Heb. stiff of forehead, and hard of heart”
Hard. Literally, “rubbed” like a stone, or brass; attrita. (Haydock) — God’s ambassadors (Ephesians vi. 20.; Calmet) must do their utmost. (Haydock) — The success must not puff them up, nor the failure too much depressed them, as all regards God, (Matthew x. 40.) who will know how to make things conduce to his own glory. They must only bewail the blindness of sinners. (Calmet) — The care of them, and not the cure, will be required at their hands, ver. 19. (Haydock)
“Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.”
Harder. If they will not blush, thou shalt not be ashamed to lay their disorders before their eyes, though they be such as ought not to be mentioned, as becomes saints. (Haydock) See chap. xvi., and xxii. (Calmet)
“Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.”
Spirit; wind (Hugo) or angel, took me through the air; (Prado.) or, I went willingly. (St. Jerome) — Commotion, like an earthquake, (Hebrew; Septuagint) occasioned by the motion of the chariot, or the voice of the cherubim, ver. 13.
“So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. in bitterness: Heb. bitter heat: Heb. hot anger”
Spirit, resolved to rebuke (Calmet) sinners. Septuagint, “the spirit of the Lord also lifted me….and I went aloft (like a meteor; meteoros) by the impulse of my spirit; for the hand of the Lord upon me was strong; and I went loft, to the captivity, and passed through them….conversing in the midst of them.” (Haydock)
“Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.”
The heap of new corn. It was the name of a place; in Hebrew, Telabib, (Challoner) as the Chaldean leaves it (Menochius) with the three Greek interpreters. (Calmet) — Tel means “a heap,” and abib “new corn.” (Haydock) — There was no new wheat in the fourth month, but rather in May or June, chap. i. 1. Ptolemy places Thelda near the Chaboras. — Mourning; or Protestants, “astonished,” like Job’s friends, for people dead in sin. (Haydock) — Many suppose that he never spoke. Yet this is not certain, (ver. 11.; Calmet) though probable from ver. 16. (Haydock)
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
Watchman: the usual title of those placed over others, chap. xxxiii. 2., and Isaias xxi. 6. Let none perish through thy neglect. (Calmet) — “He (the pastor) kills the man whom he delivers up to death by silence.” (St. Gregory, hom. xi. 9.)
“Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. righteousness which: Heb. righteousnesses”
Iniquity, for want of thy instruction; (Haydock) or, if thou neglect to reclaim him, (Calmet) and he perish, or owe his conversion to another, when duty requires thee to take care of him, thou shalt answer for the possible bad consequences. Thy sin is great, whatever become of him. But if he be damned, though he must blame himself chiefly, yet the blood of his soul shall cry for vengeance more than Abel’s. (Haydock) — Before him, taking away my grace in punishment of his revolt. (Worthington) — If thou neglect to attempt reclaiming him, thou shalt perish with him; (St. Gregory) or if he be exposed to trial, and thou abandon him, (Vatable) or if thou neglect to husband well the precious moments, when I open his eyes, and fill him with apprehensions of his dangerous state, I will require, &c. (Origin; St. Jerome) — Remembered. Ingratitude causes the fruits of virtue to decay, and former crimes to revive, in some sense. (St. Thomas, [Summa Theologiae] iii. p. q. 88. a. 1.) (Matthew v. 26.) (Calmet)
“Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”
Warn. It is the duty of a pastor to warn the just as well as sinners. (Worthington) — It will not suffice to do this publicly: sometimes we must go from house to house, like St. Paul, and compel those who are in the hedges to enter the marriage feast, by the most persuasive arguments. (Haydock)
“But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:”
Bands. It is uncertain whether by his order, or they supposed he was deranged, as our Saviour’s brethren meant to treat him, Mark iii. 21. The Chaldean explains it figuratively of God’s order, attaching the prophet to his service. (Calmet) — But real chains would more forcibly shew the future captivity of Juda (Haydock) which the prophet declared both by words and actions. (Calmet)
“And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover : for they are a rebellious house. a reprover: Heb. a man reproving”
House. “When there is a multitude of sins, (or sinners; peccatorum) the offenders are unworthy of being corrected by the Lord.” (St. Jerome) — The prophet’s silence might suffice to admonish them. (Calmet) — He heard the Lord’s commands to chap. xi. 24., before he spoke to the people. (Menochius)
“But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.”
Forbeareth. Septuagint, “disbelieveth, let him disbelieve.” So we read, He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; (Apocalypse xxii. 11.) which denotes the most desperate condition. (Haydock) — Aquila (2 edition) has, “he who abandons, shall be abandoned.” (St. Jerome) — The man who makes good use of grace shall receive more; but he who despises the offers of God, shall be justly deprived of them in his greatest need. (Calmet)