‏ Ezekiel 20:35-37

Verse 35. I will bring you into the wilderness of the people] I will bring you out of your captivity, and bring you into your own land, which you will find to be a wilderness, the consequence of your crimes.

There will I plead with you] There I will be your king, and rule you with a sovereign rule; and the dispensations of my justice and mercy shall either end you or mend you.

Verse 37. I will cause you to pass under the rod] This alludes to the custom of tithing the sheep. I take it from the rabbins. The sheep were all penned; and the shepherd stood at the door of the fold, where only one sheep could come out at once. He had in his hand a rod dipped in vermillion; and as they came out, he counted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine; and as the tenth came out, he marked it with the rod, and said, "This is the tenth;" and that was set apart for the Lord.

I will bring you into the bond of the covenant] You shall be placed under the same obligations as before, and acknowledge your selves bound; ye shall feel your obligation, and live according to its nature.

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