John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 20:34

"and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out;" — Ezekiel 20:34 (ASV)

He confirms the same sentiment and, at the same time, indicates the manner of His dominion. For when the Jews were dispersed in captivity, they were like strangers to God’s jurisdiction: they were mixed with the Gentiles, and their condition seemed very much like an exemption from God’s power. Now God signifies that when He wishes to recover His right, He had a way at hand, since He will bring them out from the Gentiles, and gather them from the lands through which they were dispersed.

We are aware, as we have often said before, that it was a kind of abdication when God expelled the ten tribes from the land of Canaan and also a part of Judea. Since they were then disinherited, they, for their part, thought themselves free and no longer regarded the authority of God, as they ceased to be His special heritage when they were deprived of the promised land.

Here God reminds them that although He had emancipated them for a time, yet they were, in a sense, still under His control, since He would gather them again and so subdue them that they could not escape His authority. I will draw you back, He says, and gather you with an outstretched arm and with a strong hand. But what He adds concerning the fury of His wrath does not seem consistent with this.

For it was a sign of favor to gather them again, although harsh and sorrowful slavery awaited them; yet they could perceive some taste of divine goodness in His gathering them from exile. We know the bitterness of their captivity, especially under the Chaldaeans, by whom they were subdued.

But the phrase wrath could relate as much to the Gentiles as to the Israelites themselves. Yet, I am more inclined to explain it as referring to the Israelites because, although God in reality shows that He did not entirely neglect them, He nevertheless asserts His right as a deeply offended master.

It is like a person who, having lost a slave, might later receive him back into his house; yet that house could be like a sepulcher for the slave, because he is either thrown into a deep dungeon, or far more is demanded of him than he can bear.

Therefore, God declares that although He may gather the Israelites again under His hand, they will still feel His displeasure, since He will nevertheless require punishment for their impiety. This will be better understood from the context that follows.