And he said unto me, son of man
Now follow his mission and commission, and an account of the persons to whom he was sent: I send thee to the children of Israel;
that were captives in Babylon, in Jehoiakim's captivity; so Christ was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, ( Matthew 15:24 ) ; to a rebellious nation, that hath rebelled against me;
or, "rebellious Gentiles", F21; not the nations of the earth, though Ezekiel did prophesy many things concerning them; but the Jews, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; or the twelve tribes of Israel, called Gentiles, because they joined with them in their idolatries; and, as Kimchi says, were divided in their evil works; some worshipping the gods of the Ammonites; and some the gods of the Moabites; and all guilty of rebellion and treason in so doing against the God of heaven: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, [even] unto this
very day;
which is an aggravation of their rebellion; their fathers had sinned, and they had followed their ill examples, and had continued therein to that day; and as they, did to the times of Christ, when they were about to till up the measure of their iniquity, ( Matthew 23:31 Matthew 23:32 ) .