“Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:”
Israel. The restoration of the Jews and the redemption of Christ, constitute this fourth division. (Worthington) — Edom has seized parts of the country, as if I had abandoned my people for ever.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:”
Heights. Septuagint, “deserts.” The mountains are often styled eternal, as being the best symbols of durability, Deuteronomy xxxiii. 15.
“Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: Because: Heb. Because for because are: or, ye are made to come up on the lip of the tongue”
Reproach. This God had repeatedly threatened, Deuteronomy xxviii. 37., (Calmet) and Jeremias xxiv. 9. — People talked of their distress. (Worthington)
“But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.”
Israel. Some apply what follows to the captives returning; others, perceiving that the expressions were not then literally verified, have recourse to the reign of 1000 years. Others again explain the whole of Christ’s Church. But some expressions refer to it, and others to the captives; which, though mixed together, induce no confusion, as what belongs to the Jews was a figure of what regarded Christ; and the predictions of the Messias might be applied to the Jews in an hyperbolical sense. (St. Augustine, Doct. iii. 34.) (St. Jerome) (Menochius) (Tirinus) (Calmet)
“And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
Greater. Septuagint, “similar.” (Haydock) — It would be difficult to shew that the Jews arrived at greater eminence after the captivity than before, (Calmet) though they were less addicted to idolatry. Their kingdom was not independent: they had no prophets, &c. But the superior numbers and excellence of the Christian Church is manifest.
“Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.”
Them. Antiochus and the Romans laid waste the country; (Calmet) and Adrian would not allow the Jews to come near Jerusalem. (St. Jerome) (Eusebius, [History of the Church] iv. 6.) — The people were not indeed removed together, as they had been. But all this is verified only in the Church, which in the midst of persecutions always subsists. Theodoret thinks these promises were conditional with regard to the Jews.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;”
Men. This remark was very ancient, Numbers xiii. 33. Wars had almost always raged in the country. (Calmet)
“Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.”
More. This whole promise principally relates to the Church of Christ, and God’s perpetual protection of her; for as to the carnal Jews, they have been removed out of their land these sixteen hundred years. (Challoner)
“Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:”
Blood of their own children, and of the innocent, chap. xvi. 36., and xxii. 2., and xxxiii. 25.
“And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.”
Land. Yet their conduct was no better than that of infidels. Thus they throw the blame on the law, and upon God himself, Jeremias xlviii. 9., &c. (Calmet) — The Jews had provoked God to punish them with captivity; and hence the nations took occasion to blaspheme, that he could not protect them. (Worthington)
“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.”
Holy, that my attributes of justice and mercy may be confessed, Isaias xlviii. 2., Daniel iii. 49., and Judith viii. 24.
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”
Water. R. David and the Chaldean explain this of the remission of sin; and all Christians understand it of baptism in water, remitting all offences, Ephesians v. 26., and Titus iii. 5. (Worthington) — He alludes to the purification of the Jews, which prefigured baptism and penance, in which the blood of Christ is applied to our souls. This of course was only fulfilled in his church.
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Flesh. The Jews at their return fell not so often into the sins of idolatry, &c., of which the prophets complained. But yet they were far from answering this character. Great irregularities prevailed under Nehemias, and in the days of the Machabees the priests publicly worshipped idols, 1 Esdras ix., and 2 Esdras v., and viii., and 2 Machabees iv., and v. Christ enables his servants to act with purity unto the end, by the influence of his all-powerful grace. (Calmet)
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
Do them. Hence the efficacy of grace appears, (St. Augustine; Haydock) and hereby some keep the commandments. (Worthington) — God assists our free-will. (Theodoret) (Cornelius a Lapide) (Calmet)
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.”
Find. Hebrew, “seek.” I will cause great multitudes to come to the solemn feast. This was seen still more after the conversion of the Gentiles. (Calmet)