Ezekiel — Chapter 9
God commands six men with weapons of destruction to pass through Jerusalem, preceded by a man clothed in linen who marks with the letter Tau (tav) the foreheads of those who mourn over the city's abominations — they alone are spared. Lapide sees the Tau as a type of the Cross, and the marking as baptism and the sign of faith.
Verse 4
The mark of Tau on the foreheads of the just: Lapide develops an extensive typology — Tau is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, shaped like a cross (T or +), and its marking on the forehead pre-figures baptism, Confirmation, and the seal of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). He cites Origen, Jerome, and Tertullian's De Baptismo.
Verse 6
'A sanctuario meo incipite' — judgment begins at the sanctuary. Lapide applies 1 Pet. 4:17 ('tempus ut incipiat iudicium a domo Dei') and warns that those with greater spiritual gifts and knowledge will be judged more severely. He draws a pointed application to clergy and religious.