Ezekiel4
English Standard Version
1And , of , a and it you, and it a , even .
2And it, and a it, and a it. also it, and it all .
3And , an , and it as an ; and your toward it, and let it be in a state of , and press the it. This is a for the of .
4 your , and the of the of it. For the of the you it, you shall their .
5For to you a of , , equal to the number of the of their . So long shall you the of the of .
6And when you have , you shall a , but your , and the of the of . I you, a for each .
7And you shall your toward the of , with your , and you shall the city.
8And , I will you, so that you one to the , you have the of your .
9And , and , and , and , and them into a and your them. During the of that you your , , you shall it.
10And your you shall be by , a ; you shall it.
11And you shall by , the of a ; you shall .
12And you shall it as a , it in their on .
13And the Lord , shall the of their , I will them.
14Then I , , God! , I have . my up I have what died of or was by beasts, nor has into my .
15Then he to me, , I to you of , which you may your .
16Moreover, he to me, of , , I will the of in . They shall by and with , and they shall by and in .
17I will do this they may and , and at in , and because of their .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 4.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The siege of Jerusalem. (1-8). The famine the inhabitants would suffer. (9-17).
vv1-8
The prophet was to represent the siege of Jerusalem by signs. He was to lie on his left side for a number of days, supposed to be equal to the years from the establishment of idolatry. All that the prophet sets before the children of his people, about the destruction of Jerusalem, is to show that sin is the provoking cause of the ruin of that once flourishing city.
vv9-17
The bread which was Ezekiel's support, was to be made of coarse grain and pulse mixed together, seldom used except in times of urgent scarcity, and of this he was only to take a small quantity. Thus was figured the extremity to which the Jews were to be reduced during the siege and captivity. Ezekiel does not plead, Lord, from my youth I have been brought up delicately, and never used to any thing like this; but that he had been brought up conscientiously, and never had eaten any thing forbidden by the law. It will be comfortable when we are brought to suffer hardships, if our hearts can witness that we have always been careful to keep even from the appearance of evil. See what woful work sin makes, and acknowledge the righteousness of God herein. Their plenty having been abused to luxury and excess, they were justly punished by famine. When men serve not God with cheerfulness in the abundance of all things, God will make them serve their enemies in the want of all things.
Key Words
אַתָּה: thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
לְבֵנָה: a brick (from the whiteness of the clay)
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
פָּנִים: the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
חָקַק: properly, to hack, i.e. engrave (Judges 5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication, to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (gen.) prescribe
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
עִיר: a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
Cross References
Ezekiel 4Explicit biblical precedent for the 'each day for a year' prophetic principle.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Ezekiel's symbolic 'bearing of iniquity' prefigures the ultimate sin-bearer, Jesus Christ.
Supported by JFB
Peter's protest against unclean food mirrors Ezekiel's conscientious plea using almost identical language.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Fulfills the Levitical covenant curse of breaking the 'staff of bread' and eating by weight.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The 'uncovered arm' signifies God baring His holy arm, ready for active judgment.
Supported by JFB
Connects to the earlier divine restriction where 'bands' were figuratively laid on the prophet.
Supported by JFB
Hosea's matching prediction that Israel would eat unclean, defiled food in exile among Gentiles.
Supported by JFB
Calvin highlights that man lives by God's word, not by bread alone, when the staff is broken.
Supported by John Calvin
The actual historical fulfillment of Nebuchadnezzar's building watch-towers and forts against Jerusalem.
Supported by JFB
Law forbidding eating meat torn by beasts, which Ezekiel appeals to as kept from youth.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The legal prohibition against eating anything that dieth of itself, guarding priestly purity.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Levitical law designating stale sacrificial meat as an abomination, which Ezekiel avoided.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The covenant curse of 'consuming away in their iniquity' due to their persistent unfaithfulness.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Demonstrates God's pattern of using prophets to act out symbolic visions and physical parables.
Priestly duty to 'bear the iniquity' of the congregation, aligning with Ezekiel's priestly background.
Poole links Israel's 390 years of apostasy to Jeroboam's establishment of the calf cult.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Repeats the judgment that Jerusalem will eat bread and drink water with astonishment and care.
Parallels the use of 'battering rams' or captains directed against Jerusalem's gates.
Supported by JFB