Ezekiel 12:14

Eze 12:14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that [are] about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

Ver. 14. And I will scatter toward every wind.] His bodyguard, σοματοφυλακες. Esquires of his body, auxiliaries. I will put him into a helpless condition. {Psa 146:3} If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? said that king to her that cried to him for help. {2Ki 6:27}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

all . . . about him--his satellites: his bodyguard.

bands--literally, "the wings" of an army (Isa 8:8).

draw out . . . sword after them--(See on Eze 5:2; Eze 5:12).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

He confirms the verse above, and says, that although Zedekiah had many soldiers as a garrison, and accustomed the people to bear arms, yet all this would not profit him, since God would disperse all the guards in whom he trusted. He says then, that he would scatter to every wind all who were around Zedekiah For unbelievers were deceived when they saw the king surrounded by auxiliaries, and the people of the city trained to warfare: and since Zedekiah was so armed for the defense of the city, they thought it could never be taken by the Chaldeans. God, therefore, here first of all teaches that the war was carried on under his auspices, and then that there was no doubt of his taking the city. He does not speak of the Chaldeans, lest unbelievers should institute a comparison — “it is true indeed that the Chaldeans are besieging the city with a strong and numerous army, but the city is impregnable, and besides it is defended with great spirit, and the king has forces sufficiently strong for his defense.” Lest this opinion should foolishly deceive the disbelievers, God comes into the field and turns their attention away from the Chaldeans. For this reason he ascribes to himself the conduct of the enemy: hence we gather that profane nations are in God’s hands, since he not only governs them by the spirit of regeneration, but compels even the impious, who desire to abolish his authority, to obey his commands. God does not draw his sword from heaven, nor do angels openly appear with drawn swords; the Chaldeans do that; but as it is said in Isaiah, (Isaiah 10:15,) Shall the ax boast itself against its owner? Since thus the vigor of the Chaldeans was nothing in itself, God armed them and then afforded them the success which he wished. It follows —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(14) I will scatter toward every wind.—The people of Judah were not carried captive to Babylon only, but many of them were scattered wherever they could find refuge; and, finally, the remnant left in the land by Nebuchadnezzar, after the murder of his governor Gedaliah, escaped into Egypt (Jeremiah 41-43).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14–16. All the armies and aids of the king shall be dispersed and pursued with the sword. They shall be scattered among the nations, and their history shall bring to their knowledge what Jehovah, their God, truly is. A remnant of them shall be spared among the nations that they make known to them their abominations, and these also shall learn what the God of Israel is. Jerusalem and Israel is set in the midst of the nations round about (ch. Eze_5:5), its history is a drama enacted before the eyes of mankind, and the drama when finished will reveal, not only to Israel but the nations of the world, Jehovah in his fulness. Cf. ch. Eze_14:22-23, Eze_17:24, Eze_20:9, Eze_38:23, Eze_39:23; Isa_5:16; Jer_22:8.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But I will leave a few men of them,.... Or, "men of number" (x); of a small number, such as are easily reckoned up; which will require no great skill in numbers, nor trouble to count them:

from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; during the siege of Jerusalem, and at the breaking of it up; but then they should be carried captive into other countries:

that they may declare all their abominations among the Heathen whither they come; who, observing their calamities, and distresses, would read their sin in their punishment; and conclude they must have been guilty of great enormities, who were punished in such a manner; so that their punishment was a visible and standing declaration to the Heathens of the abominable sins they had been guilty of: or else the end of reserving a few of them from the above capital judgments was, that they being brought to a sense of their sins by their afflictions, might freely confess them, express their repentance for them, and justify God in his proceedings towards them:

and they shall know that I am the Lord; not the Heathens, among whom this declaration would be made; but the Jews, brought under a conviction of their sin, and of the justice of God in his dealings with them.

(x) "viros numeri", Montanus, Vatablus; "homines numero", Starckius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Them. Many joined Godolias, chap. v. 2. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

All that are about him; either the Egyptians who came to help him; or rather, those that did flee with him, as the choice and flower of his valiant and trusty servants, who would guard him through all dangers in the flight, till he might rest some where in safety. This was verified, 2Ki 25:4,5; Jer 39:5.

All his bands; whether auxiliaries or his own trained soldiers.

Draw out the sword after them; send the enemy after them with drawn swords, wherewith they shall be slain, Jer 42:22; 43:10,11.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14, 15. See notes Eze_5:1-13. To Ezekiel Jehovah (Lord) was the equivalent of justice and holiness; and when he said, “They shall know Jehovah,” he meant that the divine justice and holiness would then be demonstrated.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 14, 15. And I will scatter. The capture of the king would naturally be followed by the dispersion of his adherents, some of whom would fall by the sword, while a few (Hebrew, men of number, i.e. easily counted) would escape to some neighbouring country, where they might hope to find a refuge. There they would have to tell their tale of shame, and to let the heathen know that Jehovah was thus punishing their abominations. (comp. Eze_14:22, Eze_14:23) The prophecy ends with the familiar formula, They shall knew that I am the Lord.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I will send out a sword after them

The word "sword" is a metonym for enemy armies who will attack with their swords. AT: "I will send armies to pursue them with swords" (See: Metonymy)

know that I am Yahweh

When Yahweh says that people will know that he is Yahweh, he is implying that they will know that he is the one true God who has supreme authority and power. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 6:7. AT: "understand that I am Yahweh, the one true God" or "realize that I, Yahweh, have supreme power and authority" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands

These two phrases mean basically the same thing. AT: "when I cause them to separate from each other and live in different nations" (See: Parallelism)

I will spare ... from the sword, famine, and plague

The word "sword" is a metonym for soldiers who kill people using swords. You may need to make explicit that they will not die from famine or plague. AT: "I will keep ... from dying in battle, from starving to death, and from dying of disease" (See: Metonymy and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

sword

Yahweh

nation

disperse

famine

plague

abomination

know

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

and all his officers Heb. אֲגַפָּיו, his officers, and Menachem (p. 15) interpreted it as an expression of wings (גף).

I will scatter to every direction Heb. אֱזָרֶה, epandre in Old French, to disperse, and they are Johanan the son of Kareah and the officers of the armies, who were exiled to Egypt, where the sword of Nebuchadnezzar overtook them when he destroyed Egypt.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.