Marlorate:

1) {Least at any time they should see with}

C. [Calvin] here the Lord might seem to be unwilling to have the reprobate converted which is contrary to this sentence, “I will not the death of the sinner, but rather that he turne from his wickednes and lyue,” [Ezek. 18.]. A [Marlorate] Also Peter says, “The Lorde is paciente to us warde, for so muche as he wolde haue no man loste, but wolde receiuve all men to repentance,” [2 Peter. 3.]. But Peter and Ezekiel dispute not in those places, as concerning the secret purpose of God, but only they do show how God shows himself towards us, calling us by the preaching of the Gospel, to everlasting life. So that it is not contrary to the place of Esaiah: for he calls all by his word, even the reprobate: But the reprobate are so destitute of grace, that they are nothing at all moved by the gentle invitation of God, no, they do not molify their hearts.     Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike and Ecclesiastical Exposition of the Holy Gospel after S. Mathew, gathered out of all the singular and approued Deuines (which the Lorde hath geuen to his Churche) by Augustine Marlorate. And translated out of Latine into Englishe, by Thomas Tymme, Minister, Sene and allowed according to the order appointed (Imprinted at London in Fletestreate near vnto S. Dunstones churche, by Thomas Marshe, 1570), Matt. 13:15; pp., 282-283. [Some spelling modernized.]

2) 3:21. “And I gaue hir time to repent hir of hir whoredome, but she repented not.”

God’s long
sufferance and
gentleness, and also his
rigor.

“And I gaue hir time.” &c. G. [Caspar Megander] The Scripture every where sets out the gentleness and long sufferance of God, where through being forward unto mercy and slow to wrath, he calls sinners to repentance, that they may receive forgiveness of their sins and walk in newness of life. For he would not that the sinner should die, but rather that he should convert and live. Ezek. 18.23. & 2 Peter 3.9. S. [Seb. Meyer] But if they despise his wholesome counsel of amendment, he executes sore punishment upon them, like as a man may see in the world that was before the flood: in the Sodomites: in Dathan, Korah, Abiram: and in the Prophets of Baal: all which perished miserably for taking scorn to amend.

“But she repented not.”

Unrepentantness.

Here is fault found with the wilfulness of all such as having space to repent them of their sins, do utterly neglect it: yea and rather heap sin upon sin, and so hoard up God’s wrath against themselves, according as it is said, Rom. 2.5.     Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct Iohn, (Printed by H. Binneman, for L. Harison, and G. Bishop, 1574),) Rev. 3:21, p., 49b. [Some spelling modernized and formatting modified.]

3) In respect whereof, here is added by and by, “And it was said unto them that they should rest.” That is to wit, by waiting patiently for the day of the resurrection. “Yet a little while.” This is spoken after the manner of Scripture, which promises in many places, that the time of misery and trouble shall be shortened to the elect, Isai. 54.7,8, and Dan. 11.33, and Math. 24.22, and 2 Cor. 4.17, and Hebr. 10.37, and 1 Peter. 1.6, and 5.10. Until their fellow servants were filled up. Ergo, then the delay of vengeance, is made for the elect’s sake also. Hereupon Peter says, “The Lord forstows[?] not his promise as some suppose: but he deals patiently for our sakes, willing that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Peter. 3.9.     Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct Iohn, (Printed by H. Binneman, for L. Harison, and G. Bishop, 1574),) Rev. 6:11, p., 98a.

Greenhill:

1) Ver. 23. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die.” Hebrew is He-Chapets Ae-Chapets is, the radical word signifies to have pleasure in, to affect, delight, to desire and will; therefore some render Do I desire or will the death of a sinner? Others, have I pleasure, or any pleasure? You charge me to punish the children for the fathers sins, and think I take pleasure in the death of sinners, but I neither do the one nor the other; I punish not you for your lathers sins, but for your own: and when I do punish you for your own, I had rather you should repent and live, than be cut off for them.

This seems contradictory to what is written, Prov.i 26, “I will laugh at your calamity, 1 will mock when your fear cometh;” and Ezek. v. 13, “Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted.” If God have no pleasure in the death of sinners, how can these texts be verified? To clear this difficulty, know that it is not absolutely to be taken, that God hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, unless you mean it of the wicked who do repent; but respectively, thus, if they could turn from their wicked ways, and keep his statutes, he should have more pleasure in this, than in their death; but when they do not repent, he hath pleasure in their punishment and death, as it is an act of justice, and work of God, for God hath pleasure in all his works: the destruction and ruin of Babylon is called “his pleasure,” Isa. xlviii. 14, “He will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.”

Some refer this to the antecedent will of God, and say so he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, he wills it not, delights not in it; but in regard of his consequent will he doth.

Obs. 1. Repentance is a turning, and a turning from sin. Ver. 30, “Repent, and turn.” Acts iii. 19; xxvi. 20, repenting, and turning to God, are put together. Sin turns men from God ; Jer. xxxii. 33, “They have turned unto me the back, and not the face.” Repentance is a turning of them again unto God; it turns them from their sinful and wicked ways, 2 Chron. vii. 14; Jer. xxvi. 3; from all sin, and sinful wave, not some few; “if the wicked will turn from all his sins;” so ver. 30, “Turn from all your transgressions;” it turns men from their secret sins, Psal. xix. 12; Isa. Iv. 7. If a man turns not from all, he turns from none in truth, because there is the same reason why a man should turn from all, as well as one, viz. the will and command of God. This turning must he with the whole heart, and therefore it is from all sin, Deut. xxx. 10; Joel ii. 12.

Obs. 2. It is not enough to turn from all sin, but we must turn to all good. “If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do,” &c. Negative righteous ness is no righteousness, negative holiness is insufficient holiness, 2 Kings xvii. 13. We must turn from the commands of sin, Satan, and the world, unto the commands of God. We must turn from worldliness unto heavenly-mindedness, from pride unto humility, from censuring to loving. It suffices not that the tree bears no ill fruit, but it must bring forth good fruit, else it is a barren tree, and must down. The question will be hereafter, What good have you done? 1 Tim. v. 10, “If she have diligently followed every good work.” David fulfilled all the wills of Goo, Psal. cxix. 6, he had respect unto all his commandments ; and Christians must observe all things Christ hath commanded, Matt, xxviii. 20.

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Henry:

1) 1. A fair invitation given to wicked people, to turn from their
wickedness. Assurance is here given us that, if the wicked will turn, he shall surely live, v. 21, 27. Observe…

(3.) What encouragement a repenting returning sinner has to hope for pardon and life according to this promise. He is conscious to himself that his obedience for the future can never be a valuable compensation for his former disobedience; but he has this to support himself with, that God’s nature, property, and delight, is to have mercy and to forgive, for he has said (v. 23): “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? No, by no means; you never had any cause given you to think so.” It is true God has determined to punish sinners; his justice calls for their punishment, and, pursuant to that, impenitent sinners will lie for ever under his wrath and curse; that is the will of his decree, his consequent will, but it is not his antecedent will, the will of his delight. Though the righteousness of his government requires that sinners die, yet the goodness of his nature objects against it. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? It is spoken here comparatively; he has not pleasure in the ruin of sinners, for he would rather they should turn from their ways and live; he is better pleased when his mercy is glorified in their salvation than when his justice is glorified in their damnation. Matthew Henry on Eze 18:23.

2) II. Here are four good arguments used to enforce these calls to repentance:—1. It is the only way, and it is a sure way, to prevent the ruin which our sins have a direct tendency to: So iniquity shall not be your ruin, which implies that, if we do not repent, iniquity will be our ruin, here and for ever, but that, if we do, we are safe, we are snatched as brands out of the burning. 2. If we repent not, we certainly perish, and our blood will be upon our own heads. Why will you die, O house of Israel? What an absurd thing it is for you to choose death and damnation rather than life and salvation. Note, The reason why sinners die is because they will die; they will go down the way that leads to death, and not come up to the terms on which life is offered. Herein sinners, especially sinners of the house of Israel, are most unreasonable and act most unaccountably. 3. The God of heaven has no delight in our ruin, but desires our welfare (v. 32): I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, which implies that he has pleasure in the recovery of those that repent; and this is both an engagement and an encouragement to us to repent. 4. We are made for ever if we repent: Turn yourselves, and live. He that says to us, Repent, thereby says to us, Live, yea, he says to us, Live; so that life and death are here set before us. Matthew Henry on Eze 18:32.

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Murray:

Ezekiel 18:23,32; 33:11.

It does not appear to us in the least justifiable to limit the reference of these passages to any one class of wicked persons. Suffice it now to mention one or two considerations in support of this conclusion. In Ezekiel 33:4-9 the wicked who actually die in their iniquity are contemplated. It is without warrant to exclude such wicked persons from the scope of the wicked spoken of in verse 11. While it is true that a new paragraph may be regarded as introduced at verse 10, yet the new thought of verse 10 is simply the despairing argument or objection on the part of the house of Israel and does not have the effect of qualifying the denotation or connotation of the wicked mentioned in verse 11, a denotation and a connotation determined by the preceding verses. Again, the emphatic negative of the first part of verse 11–” I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked”–admits of no limitation or qualification; it applies to the wicked who actually die in their iniquity. Why then should there be the least disposition to limit those spoken of in the text to any class of wicked persons?

In Ezekiel 18:23 the construction is not without significance. This verse is introduced by the interrogative and then we have the emphatic construction of duplication well known in Hebrew. It might be rendered, “Taking pleasure in, do I take pleasure in?” The question implies, of course, an emphatic negative. It should also be noted that the verb in this case takes a direct object, namely, “the death of the wicked” (moth rasha without any article). In this case we do not have the preposition be as in Ezekiel 33:11. It should be noted that the verb chaphez with such a construction can very properly be rendered by our English word, “desire,” as frequently elsewhere in the Old Testament. Consequently this verse may well be rendered, “Do I at all desire the death of the wicked?” The force of this is obviously the emphatic negative, “I do not by any means desire the death of the wicked,” or to be very literal, “I do not by any means desire the death of a wicked person.”

The interrogative construction is continued in the latter part of the verse. Here, however, it is negative in form, implying an affirmative answer to the question just as in the former part the affirmative form implied a negative answer. It reads, “Is it not rather in his turning from his way (the Massoretes read “his ways”) and live?” The clear import is an emphatic asseveration to the effect that the Lord Jehovah delights rather in the turning of the wicked from his evil way that he may live. The adversative form of the sentence may well be rendered thus: “Do I at all desire the death of the wicked, saith the Lord Jehovah, and not rather that he turn from his way and live?”

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