John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 19:7

"And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring." — Ezekiel 19:7 (ASV)

He again confirms what he said about the cruelty of King Jehoiakim, but the phrase is mixed, as he retains only a part of the simile and then speaks plainly about palaces and cities. Although interpreters lean towards a different opinion and translate it as 'and took notice of his widows,' and if the remaining words had been suitable, this reading would have been better; however, I do not see how such different things as destroying cities and noticing widows can be united.

First, those who adopt this interpretation are obliged to accept the notion that Jehoiakim destroyed the men and violated their widows, since he could not possess them freely until they were widows. Everyone will admit that this is far-fetched. But the word 'afflict' suits tolerably well. And truly, the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, where Christ is said to be bruised for our grieves, cannot be better explained (Isaiah 53:3). Some translate that he experienced sorrows, or knew them, or was acquainted with them, in the passive sense.

But those who say that he saw sorrows, or experienced them, do not consider how it suits the passage; and those who say that he was cognizant of grieves, meaning his own, also distort the Prophet’s words. I do not doubt, therefore, that in this passage it means 'to afflict.' Regarding the noun, I suppose the letter ל (l) is taken for ר (r); and in Isaiah 13:22 this word is used for palaces: Wild beasts shall howl, says the Prophet, באלמנותיו, bal-meno-thiv, that is, 'in her palaces'.

The word cannot mean 'widows' here, and all are agreed to take it as 'palaces.' When the Prophet adds, that he destroyed cities, the subject shows us that in the former clause the palaces were afflicted, and then the cities were destroyed. The Prophet asserts this plainly and without figurative language, though he soon returns to the simile, that the land was reduced to a desert by the voice of roaring.

Again, he compares King Jehoiakim to a lion, from which it follows, as I said, that the Prophet’s language is mixed. Elsewhere, also, the prophets reprove the pride of their king (Jeremiah 22:15; Jeremiah 36:30). For although he was contemptible, yet he exalted himself above other kings; hence he is derided, since he was not content with the condition and moderation of his father—who ate and drank, that is, lived like ordinary human beings—but he desired to raise himself above the human race.

For this reason the Prophet now says, that cities were destroyed by him, and palaces afflicted by him. There is a change of number in the pronouns, because the singular is used for 'palaces,' and the plural for 'cities.' But we know how frequently this change occurs in the Hebrew language. As for the sense, there is no obscurity, for King Jehoiakim was like a fierce and cruel beast, because he destroyed cities and pulled down palaces.

But afterwards he adds, the land was laid waste and made solitary by the voice of his roaring. Here the Prophet elaborates on the atrocity of that king, since by his roaring alone he had reduced the land to a desert. He does not speak of claws or teeth, but says that they were all so frightened at the sound of his roaring that the land became waste and solitary.

He adds, the fullness of the land, an expression by which Scripture usually denotes the adornments of a country. The word includes trees, fruits, and animals, as well as inhabitants. For a land is empty and bare without that 'clothing'; that is, if trees and fruits are taken away, as well as people and animals, the face of the land is deserted and deformed, and its state reveals its emptiness.

It afterwards follows: