Yechezkel 9:6

6 Slay utterly zaken (old man) and bochur (young man), betulah, little children, and nashim; but come not near any ish upon whom is the TAV; and begin at My Mikdash. Then they began with the anashim hazekenim which were before the Beis [HaMikdash][1K 4:17].

Yechezkel 9:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 9:6

Slay utterly old [and] young, both maids, and little children,
and women
All, of them objects of compassion, because of their age and sex; and yet none to be spared; and which orders were exactly obeyed; see ( 2 Chronicles 36:17 ) ; but come not near any man on whom [is] the mark;
these were not to be slain; and though some were carried captive, as Daniel, and others; yet it was for their good and God's glory; see ( Revelation 7:3 Revelation 7:4 ) ( Revelation 9:3 Revelation 9:4 ) ; and begin at my sanctuary;
the temple, the house of God, and the priests and Levites that dwelt there. The Septuagint version is, "begin at my saints"; those who professed themselves to be the saints of the Lord, and were separated and devoted to his service; and so the Rabbins say F25, do not read (yvdqmm) , "at my sanctuary"; but (yvdwqmm) , "at those that sanctify me", or "my sanctified ones"; which they interpret of those that keep the whole law, from "aleph" to "tau"; see ( 1 Peter 4:17 ) ; then they began at the ancient men which [were] before the house;
the seventy elders of Israel, who offered incense to the idols portrayed upon the walls of the chambers of the temple, ( Ezekiel 8:10 Ezekiel 8:11 ) ; these they slew first.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 4. 1.

Yechezkel 9:6 In-Context

4 And Hashem said unto him, Go through the midst of the Ir, through the midst of Yerushalayim, and put a TAV upon the mitzekhot (foreheads) of the anashim that grieve and lament for kol hato’evot that are being done in the midst thereof.
5 And to the others He said in mine hearing, Go ye through the Ir after him [i.e., the man with the scribal kit], and strike down; let not your eye have pity, and do not spare;
6 Slay utterly zaken (old man) and bochur (young man), betulah, little children, and nashim; but come not near any ish upon whom is the TAV; and begin at My Mikdash. Then they began with the anashim hazekenim which were before the Beis [HaMikdash][1K 4:17].
7 And He said unto them, Make the Beis [HaMikdash] tameh, and fill the khatzerot (coutyards) with chalalim (slain ones); go ye forth. And they went forth, and slaughtered in the Ir.
8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried out, and said, Ah, Adonoi Hashem! Wilt Thou destroy kol She’erit Yisroel in Thy pouring out of Thy chemah (wrath, fury) upon Yerushalayim?
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