Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 20:38

"and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah." — Ezekiel 20:38 (ASV)

I will purge out. —The discipline of affliction should have the effect of separating the rebellious in heart from the purified remnant, so that they should not return with them to the land of their fathers. A striking instance of the way in which Divine purposes are fulfilled through the operations of ordinary laws occurred on the return of the Jews from their exile. After a residence of more than two generations in Babylonia, they had made homes for themselves there and had become prosperous and contented. Jerusalem and Judea were utterly desolated and surrounded by their persistent enemies.

The journey there was long, attended with hardships and danger, and at its end lay the toilsome and self-sacrificing work of pioneers. When, therefore, the permission was given for the return, only those who were most earnest in their zeal for the home and religion of their fathers were ready to avail themselves of the opportunity. A great sifting of the people thus took place from the very circumstances of the case, and only a comparatively small portion, constituting the better part, returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.