John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 21

Ver. 1. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying.
] Upon the Ezekiel 21:2

Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem
Which shows that this city was meant by "the south", (Ezekiel 20:46).

and drop your word toward the holy places ; which also are meant by the south in the passage referred to, even the holy land, holy city, and holy temple; or the temple itself is only meant, with the courts adjoining to it; or as consisting of three parts, as Kimchi, the porch, the temple, and the oracle; or the outward court, the holy place, and the holy of holies; and it may respect all other places for sacred worship, as their synagogues, both in city and country; which were not to be spared any more than the temple, nor were they, (Psalms 74:7Psalms 74:8).

Jarchi thinks that the destruction both of the first and second temple is here intended; and which sense Kimchi also mentions.

And prophesy against the land of Israel :
by which it appears that this is intended by the "forest of the south field": even the numerous inhabitants of it in general, as well as the city of Jerusalem, (Ezekiel 20:46).

What [is] my strength, that I should hope ?
&c.] For a perfect restoration of health, suggested by Eliphaz; since it was so sadly weakened by the present affliction, which made death more desirable than life lengthened out in so much weakness, pain, and sorrow; or "that I should bear" ^F23 , such a weight and heavy load that lay upon him, and crushed him, and to which his strength was not equal; or continue and endure ^F24 ;

what [is] mine end, that I should prolong my life ?
what end can be answered by living, or desiring a long life? His children were gone, and none left to take care of and provide for; his substance was taken away from him, so that he had not to support himself, nor to be useful to others, to the poor; he had lost all power, authority, and influence, among men, and could be no more serviceable by his counsel and advice, and by the administration of justice and equity as a civil magistrate; and as to religious matters, he was reckoned an hypocrite and a wicked man by his friends, and had lost his character and interest as a good man; and so for him to live could answer no valuable end, and, therefore, he desires to die; for what is here, and in (Job 6:12Job 6:13) said, contain reasons of his above request.

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: (lxya yk) (oti upomenw) , Sept. "ut sustineam", V. L.
• F24: "Ut durem", Junius & Tremellius.

And say to the land of Israel The inhabitants of it, signified by the "forest of the south field", (Ezekiel 20:47) : thus says the Lord, behold, I am against you ; and sad it is to have the Lord against a people, a nation, a city, or a family, or a particular person; for there is no contending with him, or standing before him; there is always a reason for it, it is for sin when God is against a people, even his own professing people: and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath ; bring the Chaldean army out of Babylon; which interprets what is meant by the "fire" he would kindle in the land of Israel, (Ezekiel 20:47) , namely, the sword of the enemy, which he would bring upon it; or war, with all its desolating train of judgments: and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked ; meant by the green and dry tree, (Ezekiel 20:47) , who, though they shall not perish everlastingly together, yet may fall together in temporal calamities; the one may be chastised, and the other condemned; or the one be carried captive for their good, as Ezekiel and Daniel and others be cut off by sword and famine; and such as were captives, never the better for their captivity. The Targum is, I will remove out of you your righteous ones, that I may destroy your wicked ones. Some think that only such who were righteous in appearance, or in their own sight, are here meant. R. Saadiah Gaon, as Kimchi quotes him, interprets them of such as were righteous to Baal, and served him continually, in distinction from such as were wicked to him, and did not serve him continually; and both were wicked before the Lord, and therefore justly cut off.

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the
wicked
Some by the sword, some by famine, some by pestilence, and others by captivity; and, upon the whole, none spared, but the land left desolate: therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh,
from the south to the north ;

the Chaldean army shall go out of their own land against all the inhabitants of Judea, from Beersheba to Dan; this explains what is meant by all faces being burnt from the south to the north, (Ezekiel 20:47) , namely, the general destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans.

That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath The same with kindling a fire in Judea, (See Gill on Ezekiel 20:48): it shall not return any more ; that is, into its sheath, until it has done all its work; meaning that the Chaldean army should not return to their own land until they had executed the whole will of God upon the Jews; this is the fire that should not be quenched, (Ezekiel 20:48) and here ends the explanation of the said prophecy.