John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 6:12

"He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my wrath upon them." — Ezekiel 6:12 (ASV)

Now the Prophet explains how the Israelites were to be destroyed by famine, the sword, and pestilence, namely, those who shall be far off shall die by pestilence; that is, after they think they are hidden in secret places, so that no danger or hardship can reach them, they will die there by pestilence.

For when they were dragged into distant exile, they thought they were completely remote from all harm. But pestilence, he says, will attack them even if the sword ceases. Then those who are near, that is, those who remain at home, the sword will consume. Now the remnant, he says, who had been besieged and surrounded, will die by famine.

And so he confirms what we previously saw, that there should be no reason for the Israelites to be at ease in their sins when God spared them: because if they do not all perish by the sword, God has other means of punishing them; for he has pestilence and famine in his hand, so that he can extinguish those who are far off, since pestilence will pursue them even there; then if any are left, they will perish—even in the midst of peace—nevertheless, because God will destroy them by famine and want.

Then he adds, I will fulfill my burning wrath against them: By these words, God signifies that he had patiently endured that impious people until now, but also that, if he ever chose to exercise severity, he had not yet exacted sufficient punishment for their wickedness.

Therefore, God finds fault with them. Though he had patiently endured them until now, and although he had sometimes struck them with his rods, he was not a harsh judge; instead, he admonished them as a father to return to the right way.

But since they had so obstinately abused God’s forbearance, he now pronounces that his final act was approaching. For this reason, he speaks of the fulfilling of his burning anger: thus the Prophet deflects any resentment from God, so that the Israelites should not accuse him of cruelty; thus, he shows them that whatever evils they had suffered were only a prelude to a horrible slaughter that was imminent and which they still despised.