CHAPTER 9 Sep. 13 
Death to the Idolaters
Then He cried in my ears with a loud voice saying, Cause those who are in charge of the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. 2Behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate which looks toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in their midst clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side. They went in, and stood beside the bronze altar. 3The glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub upon which it rested, to the threshold of the house: and He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn by his side. 4Yahweh said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in its midst. 5To the others He said in my hearing, Go through the city after him, and strike. Don’t let your eye spare, neither have pity; 6kill utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but don’t come near any man on whom is the mark. Begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house. 7He said to them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the dead. Go forth! They went forth, and struck in the city. 8It happened, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell on my face and cried, and said, Ah Lord Yahweh! Will You destroy all who remain of Israel in Your pouring out of Your wrath on Jerusalem? 9Then He said to me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perversion; for they say, Yahweh has forsaken the land, and Yahweh doesn’t see. 10As for Me also, My eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their behaviour on their heads. 11Behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as You have commanded me.

Commentary

9:2 One man… with a writer’s inkhorn by his side- Ezekiel was seeing himself in the vision.
9:4 Foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations- In some ways we can do nothing about the state of things in the world or amongst the people of God, because we cannot change other people. But what marks us out as God’s people is that in our deepest minds [symbolized by the forehead], we weep for it all. This was the characteristic which saved Lot when Sodom was destroyed (2 Pet. 2:8).
9:5 This is reminiscent of the Passover Angel sealing the faithful Israelites against the destruction of the “Destroyer” Angel. But now, unfaithful Israel were no better than the Egyptians.
9:8 Ezekiel’s intercession was after the pattern of Abraham pleading for Sodom and Moses for Israel. Their examples inspired Ezekiel in prayer, as they should us. But it wasn’t heard at this time; for in the end, wilful sin just has to be punished, and no mediator or intercession can change things.