Judah is expressly mentioned beside Israel. The prophet employs,
throughout, the name of Israel with a certain ambiguity; so that it
would be vain to attempt to determine whether it be used in the wider,
or in the more limited sense. Wherever he wishes to be distinctly
understood as speaking of the ten tribes, he speaks of Joseph and
Samaria. Still less would the prophet have employed the names of Jacob
(iii. 13, vi. 8, vii. 2, 6) and of Isaac (vii. 9, 16), which were quite
uncommon as a designation of the ten tribes,[3] [Pg 371] if it had been
of importance, and intentional on his part strictly to separate the
boundaries of Judah from those of Israel, and, if there were not
everywhere here, only a special application to the ten tribes of that
which concerned the whole who were connected by a common fate. But it
is especially suitable, that just the close of the whole should, in a
remarkably distinct manner, bring into view the two kingdoms, the
destinies of which were so intimately connected.--_Hitzig_, further,
with a view to favour the reference to the temple in Bethel, adduces
the consideration that this vision is connected with the close of viii.
14, and forms a kind of explanation of it. But we have here an entirely
new beginning, just as in chap. viii. in its relation to chap. vii. The
three visions are altogether independent of, and co-ordinate with each
other.--[Hebrew: nbc] with [Hebrew: el] is commonly used of a prominent
position _at the side of_: Gen. xviii. 2; 1 Sam. iv. 20; compare
[Hebrew: emd] with [Hebrew: el] 1 Kings xiii. 1. In Ezek. ix. 1 also,
the angels stand at the side of the brazen altar, [Hebrew: ncb] can, of
course, never signify "_to be suspended_."--[Hebrew: hkptvr] is a
species of ornament at the top of the pillars; and [Hebrew: hspiM],
"the thresholds," are contrasted with each other, in order to give
expression to the thought that the building was to be shaken, and
destroyed from the highest part of it to the lowest,--from the top to
the bottom. The shaking of the thresholds occurs also in Is. vi. to
denote that the shaking extended to the deepest foundations. The
greater number of interpreters translate: "Strike the knop _so
that_ ... tremble," etc.; but the [Hebrew: virewv] must be viewed
rather as co-ordinate with [Hebrew: hK]: "And they may tremble,"
equivalent to "Make to tremble."--The suffix in [Hebrew: bceM] refers
to the knops and threshold, or to the entire building, which is ma