John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 9:1

"Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." — Ezekiel 9:1 (ASV)

Now the manner of that vengeance which was recently mentioned is expressed. Therefore, the Prophet says, God exclaimed, so that His command reached the Chaldeans, who were to be executors of His vengeance. For this reason, I prefer the imperative mood for the Prophet's words: Approach, therefore.

Those who consider it in the past tense render it as “visitations,” and they cannot do otherwise, because no sense can be drawn from the words if interpreted as “to have approached the prefecture of the city.”

But if we read it in the imperative mood, the sense fits very well: Approach the prefecture: Here, the office (prefecture) stands for the persons in charge, or it may be understood as referring to the men. Thus פקדות, phekdoth, may be taken in the genitive case.

As for the general meaning, God commands His servants, who held authority over the doomed city, to approach, or apply themselves, or be ready to fulfill His work. And, He says, let each, have his instrument of destruction:

Here, “destruction” is taken actively. For God does not mean that the Chaldeans were armed for their own destruction, but for that of the Jews and the ruin of the city.