Ezekiel: A Bible Commentary; Chapters 4-5 By Charles R. Sabo

?

Ezekiel:?A Bible Commentary

??????????Chapter 4

?????Chapter 4 is a continuation of the initial service instructions for Ezekiel to carry out in front of his people, who are also being called his own house of Israel. So far, chapter 3 provided him with the first thing to say to them, “Thus saith the Lord God,” along with an orientation of what he was to expect in response from them (2:5). They were a rebellious house, and were not going to listen to Ezekiel, because they had not listened to anything said to them before the captivity (2:5-6; 3:9, 26-27).

As chapter 4 picks up, we know what Ezekiel’s opening words were to be. He was to first declare: “Thus saith the Lord God,” so that they knew that he was a prophet of God among them. The Lord then provided Ezekiel in chapter 4 with instructions for the demonstrations of what they should expect to have happen upon the third and final Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. This is before the third wave of captivity by the King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, thus the Lord was using Ezekiel as his mouthpiece to assure them that Jerusalem was to be destroyed (587 B.C.).

Ezekiel 4:1 You also, son of man, take you a tile, and lay it before you, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: The Hebrew noun that the translators interpreted as “tile” is “l??ēna,” which is defined as “brick, tile.” The Lord continued to command Ezekiel with an additional task (You also) of laying a tile in front of him, as a hypothetical imaginary city, which represented Jerusalem. Ezekiel used the Hebrew verb “?āqaq,” which can mean: “portray, set, or govern.”

So far, Ezekiel spoke out to the people of the Babylonian Captivity and said: “Thus says the Lord God,” then set a hypothetical imaginary city upon a tile. A scenario was being conveyed, while using a smaller scaled city, in order for the Lord to demonstrate the fate of Jerusalem.?

Ezekiel 4:2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Just like kids playing in the dirt, Ezekiel was to show the people a hypothetical situation, thus demonstrating to the people, what God was planning to do to Jerusalem in the near future. In hindsight, we know that King Nebuchadnezzar had in fact laid siege against Jerusalem in 587 B.C. (Jer. 39:1-3).

The typical military maneuvers in besieging a city was building a fort near by the city, building up higher ground (mount)to look down upon the city, setup a camp of soldiers, along with numerous battering rams to bomb the city with boulders. A blockade is also used to stop food and supplies from coming in, which eventually causes desperation and eventually cannibalism.

Ezekiel 4:3 Moreover take you unto you an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. God was using imagery in this aspect of the sign to the captives of Israel. Since God had Ezekiel playing in the dirt, He had him set an iron pan to represent the power of the Babylonian military. It would besiege the city of Jerusalem like a wall of Iron had hit it. Since God had Ezekiel setting up the pan of iron, he had him face towards the imaginary city set up on the tile, as if he was Nebuchadnezzar laying siege against Jerusalem.

Since the initial thing conveyed to the Israelis in captivity was “Thus Says the Lord God,” the actions performed by Ezekiel were to be a sign or prophecy of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.

?Ezekiel 4:4 Lay you also upon your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that you shall lay upon it you shall bear their iniquity. God commanded Ezekiel to act out bearing the inequities of the house of Israel. We must first understand that the “house” of Israel consists of all 12 tribes; Ezekiel was to lay upon his left side next to his hypothetical city of Jerusalem (4:1-3). The timeframe, which Ezekiel was to lay upon his left side, was 390 days representing 390 years (4:5) of inequities. The inequity being addressed is not very specific, so pinpointing timeframes being represented is very ambiguous. Please see verse 5 for a more detailed explanation.

Ezekiel 4:5 For I have laid upon you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shall you bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. Verse 5 begins with the conjunction “for,” which is interchangeable with the conjunction “because,” which means this is the reason explained by the Lord that Ezekiel must lay upon his left side. Ezekiel was to lay upon his left side (next to the hypothetical city) because the Lord laid the years of the inequity of the house of Israel upon him; this was to be three-hundred and ninety days, which represented the 390 years of Israel’s inequities.

Since it is to be determined that all twelve tribes of the house of Israel were guilty of inequity, then pinpointing the 390 years is very difficult. It cannot be the time spent in Egypt, nor the wilderness journey, because the Lord already punished those children of Israel in the wilderness journey. They did not carry inequity into the Promised Land. We also know this 390 years of inequity cannot be the time that the northern kingdom (Israel) was in existence, because it only existed 255 years.

King Solomon succeeded his father, David, in approximately 1016 B.C. as per Christian historian, J.R. Church.[1] The believed dates are presented by secular historians as 970 B.C. There is much ambiguity concerning the exact years of events, since the separation between B.C. and A.D. has caused some historians to speculate different dates. Author/Historian J.R. Church presents a sound argument towards a conspiracy of bogus dates in history, in order to cover up the accuracy of the Bible and the first advent of the Messiah. The sins of Israel and their idolatry began actually under King Solomon:

11?Wherefore the?Lord?said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely rend the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.

12?Notwithstanding in your days I will not do it for David your father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of your son. (1 Kings 11:11-12)

We will use the ending date, which was the destruction of the Temple of Solomon and the city of Jerusalem, which was Av 9, 587 B.C.;[2] we will add the 390 years to 587 B.C. and will come up with 977 B.C. J.R. Church indicates that Solomon died in 977/976 B.C.[3] He was succeeded by his son Rehoboam, who caused the division between ten tribes and two in Judah. Jeroboam took ten tribes to the northern areas of the land and was the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

??????????When King Solomon had been committing idolatry against God, the Lord prophesied to Jeroboam that he was going to give him ten of the twelve tribes to rule over.

And it shall be, if you will hearken unto all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto you. (1 Kings 11:38)

As the Bible states, Jeroboam caused Israel to sin, when he caused the ten tribes to rebel against the authority of the house of David. He caused the ten tribes to reject David's lineage and rebel against God’s authority. Second, Jeroboam created high places and golden calves as idols for the ten tribes to worship; he did not want the Israelites to worship in Jerusalem, or in God's Temple. This signified a more complete rejection of God and of His theocratic system.?“Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the?Lord?God of Israel to anger.” (1 Kings 15:30)

The Northern Kingdom continued to walk in the ways of Jeroboam through their entire 255 years, until the Assyrians invaded their land and destroyed their cities, while carrying many off into captivity in 722/721 B.C. The influence of idolatry echoed throughout the land even after the Assyrian invasion, and even brought their religious practices to many in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. God has indicated in five verses of his disgust in what Jeroboam had done: 1 Kings 14:16, 1 Kings 15:30, 2 Kings 10:29, 2 Kings 14:24, 2 Kings 15:18. The 390 years of inequity should be associated with what Jeroboam had done to Israel, which years range from 977 B.C. to 587 B.C., when God destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. The end of the 390 years was on the 9th of Av, 587 B.C., when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians, and the people of the Southern Kingdom went into captivity.

Ezekiel 4:6 And when you have accomplished them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed you each day for a year. The Lord then had Ezekiel roll over onto his right side, to bare the inequities of the house of Judah for forty days, which represented forty years of inequity. Once again, this inequity is ambiguous within this verse, so we must first exclude what forty years it is not. It is not the forty years in the wilderness journey, because the forty years was a curse being put upon the disbelief of the Jews, therefore the punishment had been afflicted: God only punishes once for inequities. It is not inequities performed by the wicked kings of Judah, because their years add up to more than forty years, since we know King Manasseh reigned forty-five years after his father Hezekiah died, while there were several other wicked kings of Judah. We also know that God included all of the years of Judah within the three-hundred ninety years of inequity within the previous verse.

Ezekiel was a prophet whom God used to convey many insights into future sins and recompenses for those sins. There was to be a forty-year period in the future, when the house of Judah would sin a great sin. We know that when Messiah Jesus arrived into Jerusalem in A.D. 30 (born 3 B.C., died at age 33), he was riding the colt of an ass, and was rejected by the people of the house of Judah (Luke 19:35-40). He was crucified, tombed, and resurrected (Jn. 19:30-44, 20:1-31). He was seen by hundreds of witnesses after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:6). His sin atonement was accepted by God the Father, but rejected by Judah. For the next forty years, the house of Judah continued to sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem, until A.D. 70. In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed the Temple and the city. The great sin was their disbelief in God’s Son, who was sent to be an atonement for sins. The Temple was no longer to be used for sin atonement. This forty-year sin, and destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, was a fulfillment of this Ezekiel 4:6 prophecy. It is very interesting that both punishments were the same, being the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, while both being accomplished on the 9th of Av.

Ezekiel 4:7 Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. If you will notice, Ezekiel was to “set his face towards the siege of Jerusalem;” in both cases, whether on his left side or right, his face was set towards the siege. In both the three-hundred ninety year sin, and the forty year sin, the siege of Jerusalem occurred and the Temple destroyed.

In the case concerning Ezekiel’s arm, God was not specific to us whether he was to keep his right arm uncovered only when on his left side, or if it was his arm while on either side. Since we do know that this was prophecy and imagery being spoken by the Lord, we can refer to other places in the Scriptures concerning God’s arm of wrath. Many places refer to God’s right hand, but when it comes to His arm, there is never a designation towards right or left, therefore we must consider this to be both sides of Ezekiel’s time was his arm to be uncovered.

Or has God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the?Lord?your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (Deut. 4:34)

You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your strong arm. (Ps. 89:10)

The pronoun “it” is connected to the proper noun “Jerusalem” here. The act of laying on both his right side and his left side, and keeping his left or right arm uncovered, was acted out imagery as prophecy; this was an illustration to Jerusalem concerning its future, which included two different destructions (Babylonian [587 B.C.] and Roman [A.D. 70]). The imagery used was letting Jerusalem know that God’s face was set towards it (his full attention), while He was to bring His mighty arm against it, resulting in siege and destruction.

Ezekiel 4:8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon you, and you shall not turn you from one side to another, till you have ended the days of your siege. God was addressing Ezekiel, but within this prophecy, He was (hypothetically) speaking to Jerusalem. Ezekiel was to not move from the right to the left, except when the 390 days had expired, but Jerusalem is being addressed here prophetically. The “bands” spoken of represented the coming captivities (Babylonian and Roman), otherwise “bands of restraint.” Israel would be without their land and living under other kings, having no control over their situations, until God’s siege was over.

God has metaphorically used the expression “turn not from the right, nor the left” in many occasions. It typically means to stay on God’s designated path, and to not sway to the left of center, nor the right. ?

Only be you strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper withersoever you go. (Josh 1:7)

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk you in it,” when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left. (Is. 30:21)

In both sieges and destructions of Jerusalem, the children of Israel ended up in captivity, as well as scattered without their Promised Land. Here in Ezekiel 4:8, God had commanded them to stay on His designated path, while maintaining their obedience in Him. The Roman destruction of Jerusalem, and the Temple, kept them from the Promised Land for 1,878 years. They maintained their identities as children of Israel, and have re-established Jerusalem in the last century.

Ezekiel 4:9 Take you also unto you wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make you bread thereof, according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon your side, three hundred and ninety days shall you eat thereof. The prophecy is blended with the time of inequity (390 years) and the result of God’s “bands” of captivity. A prophecy by the Prophet Jeremiah revealed to Israel that the Babylonian Captivity was to last seventy years (Jer. 29:10), therefore the food that Ezekiel was to eat would represent the prison food of captivity for that seventy years.

God commanded Ezekiel to eat this bread of desperation, while he laid on his side for the three-hundred ninety days. The three-hundred ninety days were the number of years of inequity, and so we should assume that Israel did not eat this during their disobedience, but during their punishment. The bread was probably low quality at times, while other times was mediocre at best; prison food isn’t supposed to be enjoyable. The captives of the future sieges were going make their bread just the way Ezekiel was going to do it within his demonstration.

?Ezekiel 4:10 And your meat which you shall eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time shall you eat it. Mankind needs a source of protein every day, in order to live. God was to have the Babylonians make sure that they would be getting a rationed portion from time to time, so they did not fall into starvation mode, which would cause cannibalism. This was not animal flesh being called meat here, but the bread described in the previous verse. Common sense tells us that the captors were not going to slaughter livestock, in order to feed all of their captives. The beans with the grains were an adequate source of protein, therefore one should realize that the previous verse is linked here to this one. The twenty shekels was a little more than ten ounces, which they would be given to eat from time to time. This was as close to starvation, without dying, as God was going to take them.

Ezekiel 4:11 You shall drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time shall you drink. Once again, the pronoun “you” is addressed towards Ezekiel, while Ezekiel is acting out the imagery of what the captives will suffer in the Babylonian Captivity that was coming; though there were not as many captives in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, times were still very harsh for those taken captive.

A “hin” was a unit of measure or container equaling about five quarts, therefore from time to time, the captives would be given one sixth of a hin, or 5/6 of a quart of water. The designated timeframe (time to time) is unclear, which most likely is because it could have ranged from one day to even three days of time between rationings.

Ezekiel 4:12 And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it with dung that comes out of man, in their sight. The pronoun “you” pertained to Ezekiel, while he acted out the imagery of what the captives were going to suffer during the two different captivities (Babylonian and Roman [4:4-8]).

Ezekiel was commanded to eat the mixture specified in 4:9, thus being called barley cakes. Since it can be construed that the captors were only going to supply them with the ingredients of verse 9, Ezekiel was to demonstrate (in their site) the method of preparation, which the captives were going to resort to in preparing their bread (barley cakes [meat]). They were going to have to bake their bread (barley cakes) most likely in a baking pan over an open flame. Since there was not going to be much brush, wood, or even coal for such a magnitude of people to burn for their fire, their fuel would have to be dried feces (dung). There would be no livestock to gather dried feces from, so the reality would be that the captives would have to dry their own feces for fuel.

Ezekiel 4:13 And the?Lord?said, “Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, wherever I will drive them.” Though the Laws of Moses never prohibited the use of feces as fuel for baking their breads, God still recognized the uncleanness of its use. The Hebrew word used by Ezekiel for “defiled” was “?āmē',” which can also mean “unclean place” over the dirty fuel.?

The children of Israel (Jacob) were destined to live like this for seventy years of the Babylonian Captivity, as well as an undeterminable time after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. They would be living among the Gentiles for both times periods; one should notice that the Lord did not specifically provide a location (wherever I will drive them), because they would be scattered in several areas during the seventy years, as well as uncountable places all over the world during the 1,879 years of their exile after the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 4:14 Then said I, “Ah Lord?God! Behold, my soul has not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.” It was commonplace for people of the middle-east to use animal dung as their fuel for their fires, due to the fact that they lived in deserts with very little brush or trees. Therefore it was not such an offense for a priest to do as well, but Ezekiel was offended by the use of human feces (dung) as fuel, thus complained to the Lord for putting such a burden upon him.

Ezekiel most likely lived entirely by the Laws of Moses and never defiled himself (my soul has not been polluted), by eating forbidden meats (Deut. 14:7-21). Because of this, Ezekiel pleaded with the Lord God for His mercy upon him.

Ezekiel 4:15 Then He said unto me, “Lo, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread therewith.” Ezekiel was a product of God’s laws and driven to be righteous in His sight. Ezekiel seems to be squeamish of the thought of using human dung as his fuel. The Lord God showed mercy on Ezekiel, and compromised, allowing him to use cow feces (dung) as his fuel for the fire for preparing his bread. There would be a scarcity of animals to acquire feces from, during the seventy years of the Babylonian Captivity; this was also a prophecy pertaining to the desperate Israelites of Judah, after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Ezekiel 4:16 Moreover he said unto me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:” The contexts of the words “staff” and “astonishment” need to be re-evaluated. The Hebrew word used for “staff” was “ma??ê”(??????), which was incorrectly parsed by the translators, and has an infinitive definition: “sign, miraculous signs, wonders.” The first comment should be read as: “I will break the “wonders” of bread in Jerusalem.” It was a wondrous thing of Jerusalem, with their abundance of bread. The Hebrew noun “d?'ā?a” was translated by the translators as “care,” when this Hebrew noun also can mean: “anxiety, or anxious care.” The children of Israel were cold, sick, and starving; it seems that the use of just the words “with care” might be a bit inappropriate, when considering the situation.?These captives would be destined to eat their bread by pre-weighed rations, thus they would eat bread “with anxious care.” The house of Israel had fair warning, even during the time they agreed to the Mosaic Covenant:?

25?And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when you are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

26?And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and you shall eat, and not be satisfied. (Lev. 26:25-26)

As was commented upon in verse 4:11, the captives would be given one sixth of a hin, or 5/6 of a quart of water. The designated timeframe (time to time) is unclear, which most likely is because it could have ranged from one day to even three days of time between rationings. The Hebrew word “?immām?n” was translated as “astonishment,” which is a little misleading, because a person can be positively astonished. The Hebrew word “?immām?n” is better translated as dismay, or appalment. The children of Israel were used to having an abundance of food and water to eat and drink daily, but during the future captivities, they would not eat bread, nor drink water sometimes for days.

Ezekiel 4:17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity. The translators mistranslated the Hebrew verb “?āmēm” as “astonied” because they misused the word “astonishment” in the previous verse. The Hebrew verb “?āmēm” was written by Ezekiel in the niphal form, which should be translated as appalled.

The Lord God announced that He will put the harsh conditions of scarcely rationed bread and water upon the children of Israel, so that they may want their bread and water and be both irritable and appalled with one another; this would be their due punishment for their inequity of unbelief and disobedience in the Lord God of Israel. Here, the Lord indicated that these people would suffer and consume, or waste away in their scarce rations.

????Ezekiel: A Bible Commentary

Chapter 5

As the Lord had been using Ezekiel in demonstrations of what was to come of the remaining children of Israel in Jerusalem, He continued here in chapter 5 to have him further demonstrate the judgments to come upon them. Please keep in mind, his audience was the people of the second wave of the captivity, of which he was a part of. God’s priest was commanded to perform hideous acts to get the people’s attention, as he may have had quite the audience watching. But as the Lord explained to Ezekiel, from the beginning of his call to ministry, the people were not going to listen to his warnings (Ezek. 2:6-7).

Ezekiel 5:1 And you, son of man, take you a sharp knife, take you a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon your head and upon your beard: then take your balances to weigh, and divide the hair. The Lord addressed Ezekiel again as “son of man,” in order to keep him humble, knowing that he is lowly in his own flesh. The translators were terrible theologians and have mistranslated the Hebrew noun “?ere?” as “knife,” when it is contextually meant to be a “sword.” The context of this verse should be expressed as: “take you a sharp sword as a barber’s razor.” The sharp sword represents how portions of the children of Israel will die by the sharp sword of the Babylonians.

Ezekiel was commanded to take the sharp sword and use it upon his own head and beard. Because Ezekiel was a priest, it would have been a horrid act to watch, because priests were not to ever shave their head, nor beard. With the people watching him, Ezekiel took the balances to weigh out his shaved hair and beard, in order to divide it into portions. This sets up the following verses of instruction.

Ezekiel 5:2 You shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and you shall take a third part, and smite about it with a sword: and a third part you shall scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. Referring back to verse 1, Ezekiel had shaved off all of his hair and beard, then weighed it out into portions, which here it says it was into thirds. In this prophecy, the hairs all represent the children of Israel in Jerusalem. Ezekiel was commanded to burn the first third of the hairs in the middle (midst) of the city and burn it with fire; the translation of the second clause seems to be poor English, considering that Ezekiel was to burn the hair before the siege of the city (when the days of the siege are fulfilled).

????????? = mālā' = to accomplish

????? = y'mé = my days

????????? = hammā??r = of the siege

You shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city??“to accomplish my days of the siege.” The context and English seems to fit what is being said by the Lord. One third of the people to die in Jerusalem will be burned with fire during the days of the Lord’s siege of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel was to then take the second third of his hair and smite them with the sword, which meant that God was going to smite the one third of the children of Israel with the Babylonian’s swords. They would die by the sword to accomplish God’s siege of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel was to then take the final third and toss them into the wind, so that they would scatter. One third of the children of Israel, who would die in Jerusalem, would flee from the flames and the Babylonian swords; God implied that He would chase them down and draw the sword over them as well. This was all to be accomplished during God’s siege of Jerusalem. The sum of three thirds equals a whole number, or all, but it is historical that there was a fraction of the inhabitants taken into captivity. This is not an inaccurate prophecy, but should be concluded that the Ezekiel’s shaved hair and beard represented all that would die during the siege.?

Ezekiel 5:3 You shall also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in your?skirt. Ezekiel (you) was to take a few of his shaved hairs and secure (bind) them into his garment (kānāp?). Most likely, he was to gather some of those that had scattered in the wind, to secure them in his garment, since the whole of his shaved hair had already been used. Verse 5:4 discloses what the intent was for this.

Ezekiel 5:4 Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel. The few hairs that Ezekiel had secured in his garment, mentioned in the previous verse, were to be cast into the midst of the fire that he had burning from the first third that were cast into it. This can be construed to be that a small number of those, who had fled the burning of the city and the swords of the Babylonians, were going to be burnt by fire somewhere other than the city.

The last clause needs clarified, because we already know that not all of the children of Israel will be burned with fire. There was also some that were taken into captivity as well. The Hebrew word translated as “fire” is 'ē?,” which can be interpreted also as “God’s anger.” Since God was speaking in the first person, it should be interpreted as “my fire.” The expression “for thereof” can be better spoken in modern English as “therefore.” “Therefore shall My fire come forth into all the house of Israel.”

Ezekiel 5:5 Thus says the Lord?God: “This is Jerusalem; I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.” After the theatrical performance by Ezekiel in verses ??4:1-17 thru 5:1-4, he repeated what he first said in 3:27: “Thus says the Lord?God.” This is God’s manor of saying: “attention, ‘I am’ speaking! Ezekiel spoke to the children of Israel, as God would have him speak, during the performance of 4:1-17 thru 5:1-4. When God desired His prophet to bring special emphasis on important disclosures, He led with the expression: “Thus says the Lord?God.” There are three instances, within verses 5-8, which the Lord opened His dialogue to the people with this staggering lead.

Obviously, Ezekiel’s audience was not in Jerusalem at this time, so when the Lord had implied: “This is Jerusalem,” He was referring to the hypothetical stage that Ezekiel was acting upon in front of them. The focus was upon the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The Lord God was teaching them of facts that they should have already known. He set up their nation of Israel in the middle of many pagan nations, to be an example to them, knowing that Israel worshipped the one true living God. This was all done, while they were given His commandments and statutes for righteous living. Jerusalem was to be the capital city of a “holy nation.” The Messiah was to arrive in the future, and they would have to be waiting for Him. ?

5?Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6?And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel. (Ex. 19:5-6)

Ezekiel 5:6And she has changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. Verse 6 is a continuation of the disclosure, which started in verse 5. The conjunction “and” connects to the fact stated in verse 5, which then becomes the accusation from God of the offense against those who had inhabited Jerusalem, and those who still did. The Hebrew verb “māra” was translated as “changed,” while the definition for this Hebrew verb used in the hiphil form is: “to show rebelliousness, show disobedience, disobey.” ?The feminine pronoun “she” has been used, because the verb was modified in the third person-feminine singular. Typically, when the Lord addresses a church, He refers to it in a feminine gender. God’s church was at this time, the children of Israel. God’s church (Israel) became more wicked than the neighboring nations, because they did not walk in His decrees and caused others to do the same. In a sense, they changed God’s intent for His people, into being wicked examples to all those around them. He had set Jerusalem up to be a holy nation, but instead they were the most-wicked of all. Their unbelief had caused them to reject God’s laws (Mosiac Covenant), and thus did as they pleased and worshiped pagan idols instead. (Because they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them)

Ezekiel 5:7 ?Therefore thus says the Lord?God; Because you multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; The Hebrew word “kēn” was used as a preposition, which then should mean “Therefore, this being so (specific).” The Lord had Ezekiel once again say: “thus says the Lord God,” in order to imply: “attention, ‘I am’ speaking!” He had just opened up with this in verse 5:5, therefore He wanted them to see His emphasis on these following words spoken.

The pronoun “you” was referring to “the House of Israel” from 5:4. Because they were God’s “holy nation,” He caused them to prosper and multiply over and above those nations surrounding them, yet they became more wicked than those nations. The difference between God’s statutes and His judgments, is the statutes are God’s laws, and judgments are to be carried out against those in rebellion. Israel was a very rebellious nation.

The last clause should be realized. “neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you.” The Hebrew noun “mi?pā?” was translated as “judgments,” but has an array of different definitions. A more fitting interpretation, while using the context being spoken, is “act of deciding a case.” The house of Israel did not do as the surrounding pagan nations had, because the house of Israel changed their religion, while the pagans remained the same; the pagans had stronger faith in their religion, than the wicked house of Israel had in Yahweh.?

10?For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

11?Has a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. (Jer. 2:10-11)

?Ezekiel 5:8 Therefore thus says the Lord?God; “Behold, I, even I, am against you, and will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nations.” The Hebrew word “kēn” was used as a preposition, which then should mean “Therefore, this being so (specific).” The Lord had Ezekiel once again say: “thus says the Lord God,” in order to imply: “attention, ‘I Am’ speaking!” He had just opened up with this in verse 5:5, and again in 5:7, therefore He once again wanted them to see His emphasis on these following words spoken. ?

Israel had always known that God was protecting them and that they only had Him to fear. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the?Lord?your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6) When Israel became more wicked than the pagans, the Lord had to slap them around and let them know that He was no longer fighting in their corner. The prophets spoke out to warn the House of Israel for centuries, concerning God’s wrath to come, which went against their schooling and family heritage. The people were at ease, arrogant, and had no fear of the Lord. Because some of the people suspected that the Jeremiah 5:15 prophecy was already in the past, they did not believe that God would ever destroy Jerusalem. The people had to be educated that God was no longer protecting Jerusalem (I, even I, am against you). ??

Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel, says the LORD: it?is?a mighty nation, it?is?an ancient nation, a nation whose language you know not, neither understand what they say. (Jer. 5:15)

The nations that surrounded Jerusalem would be used in the captivity, as well as stand from afar and watch the city of Jerusalem burn to the ground. The House of Israel lived through the protected years under King Solomon, and never feared that things could ever change. Who they once called a friend among the nations, was to be no longer.

1How does the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

2?She weeps sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she has none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

3?Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwells among the heathen, she finds no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. (Lam. 1:1-3)

Ezekiel 5:9 And I will do in you that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all your abominations. Things had changed for the house of Israel! No longer was God their protector, but their adversary. He brought the Assyrians to destroy the Northern Kingdom first (722 B.C.), then the arrogance of Judah and Jerusalem brought themselves into the same status with God; the people of the House of Israel were enemies with God, thus God would not do any more the like of good blessings. Because He had become their adversary, He was to do what a true enemy does, which would be something that He had never done before. After centuries of blessings and protection, there would be no more “Mr. Nice guy.” (I will do in you that which I have not done) The reason being, they had become worse than the pagans, which was an absolute abomination unto Him.

Ezekiel 5:10 Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of you, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in you, and the whole remnant of you will I scatter into all the winds. God presented a warning to the house of Israel, when He first gave them The Mosaic Covenant. They had fair warning, but as they grew in nonbelief, they neglected to fear in their warning.

53?And you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, which the?Lord?your God has given you, in the siege, and in the straightness, wherewith your enemies shall distress you:

54?So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:

55?So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he has nothing left him in the siege, and in the straightness, wherewith your enemies shall distress you in all your gates. (Deut. 28:53-55)?

Because we have the luxury of hindsight, while looking at history, we can see that this prophecy had come true. Cannibalism had hit Jerusalem as planned. The two woman of 2 Kings 6:28-29 reveals to us that it was as if it were commonplace. One woman did not see their cannibalism as the crime, but only that the second woman betrayed their agreement. ?

The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. (Lam. 4:10)

The prophecy of the three-hundred ninety-year inequity had revealed the terrors in store for the House of Israel during the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; the forty-year inequity was yet to occur in the first century A.D., in Judah, when they will have rejected God and His Son. The dismal future for Jerusalem, in A.D. 70, was also as gruesome as the destruction in 587 B.C.

Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. (Zech. 11:9)

?During the months leading up to the Roman’s invasion and destruction of Jerusalem, the Roman military maintained blockades against the city, which caused commerce from coming and going in and out of the city. They burnt the storehouses of grain, which Jerusalem relied upon so heavily. Like the Babylonian Captivity, the lack of food had caused the nonbelieving Jews to feed upon one another through cannibalism. Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus wrote:

??For God had blinded their minds for the transgressions they had been guilty of, nor could they see how much greater forces the Romans had than those that were now expelled, no more than they could discern how a famine was creeping upon them; for hitherto they had fed themselves out of the public miseries, and drank the blood of the city.[4]?

Both the Babylonian and the Roman Captivities of Jerusalem brought God’s judgments against the nonbelieving people of the house of Israel. In both cases, the Lord had scattered these people (all the remnant) into all the winds, otherwise many into the distant and surrounding nations.

?Ezekiel 5:11 “Wherefore, as I live,” says the Lord?God; “Surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all of your detestable things, and with all your abominations, therefore will I also diminish you; neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have any pity.” God is an everlasting God; He shall always exist and is always alive. The certainty that this was to happen to Jerusalem was as sure as God is eternal (Wherefore, as I live). The translators added the conjunction “surely,” due to the certainty expressed previously. The qualifier, or reason that God was going take action, is expressed in back of the reason. God had implied/promised that He would diminish the house of Israel, neither have a sparing eye, nor any pity upon them; the reason for this was because they had defiled (?āmē') His sanctuary (place of worship and prayer) with all of their detestable idols and things used in pagan rituals. “So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.” (Ezek. 8:10) (with all of your abominations)

Ezekiel 5:12 A third part of you shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of you: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about you; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. The demonstration put on by Ezekiel in verses 5:1-4, is explained here. One-third of the inhabitants of Jerusalem (in both the Babylonian and Roman Captivities) were going to die in the flames (be consumed in the midst [5:2]), where the famine would have killed many, while others would be too weak to flee and would perish in the flames. Where there is a lack of food, water, and waste disposal, pestilences do always follow. A second third of them would die by the sword (5:2). The last third would flee and “scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them (5:2). Ezekiel 5:2 was a demonstration for the large audience that Ezekiel had attracted, then was verbalized to the spectators by Ezekiel here in verse 12.

I see this as a double prophecy, seeing that the judgments would be occurring over two different sieges of Jerusalem (Babylonian [587 B.C.] and Roman [A.D. 70]). To strike down an assumption being made by others, the Zechariah 13:8-9 prophecy is proclaimed against the house of Israel, which will occur during the second half of the seven year Seventieth Week of Daniel (still in the future). Some want to connect this with this Ezekiel 5:12 prophecy, since God chooses the third portions in both prophecies. The Zechariah 13:8-9 prophecy specifically reveals that two-thirds of all Israel will be cut off and die, while the last third will be brought through the seven years (fire) and saved by the Lord.

Ezekiel 5:13 ?Thus shall my anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the?Lord?have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them. God’s cup of inequity had filled up against the house of Israel; His anger was to be accomplished against them, while His fury was set or rested upon them. Notice once God has accomplished His wrath of fury upon them, He was to feel comforted. Once the Judge has brought justice, there is a feeling of accomplishment, in that the crimes of the wicked should never go unpunished. “And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.” (Hos. 4:9) The Hebrew verb translated as “recompense” is “?ālam” in the Piel form. In the Piel form, the Hebrew verb is defined as: “to complete, to finish, to repay.” The repayment of the wicked’s inequity can be found throughout the Bible, but Isaiah 65:5-7 really expresses the best example of how angry the Lord is, until He repays the wicked for their sins. ?

5?Which say, Stand by yourself, come not near to me; for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day.

6?Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

7?Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the?Lord, who have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom. (Is. 65:5-7)

Ezekiel 5:14 Moreover, I will make you waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about you, in the sight of all that pass by. The Lord was to make Jerusalem a desolation (waste). The Hebrew noun “?erpa” was translated as “reproach,” which is best defined as: reproach (resting upon condition of shame, or disgrace).”A frightening truth, of the first three captivities of Israel and Judah (722 B.C., 587 B.C., A.D. 70), is that they had been warned over and over of their fate. When it had happened in 587 B.C., the prophet Jeremiah wrote a poetic, but sad, historical account of what he had seen. In every case, the house of Israel was a disgrace among the nations.

15?All that pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, “Is this the city that men call ‘The perfection of beauty,’ ‘The joy of the whole earth?’”

16?All your enemies have opened their mouth against you: they hiss and gnash their teeth: they say, “We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.” (Lam. 2:15-16)

Ezekiel 5:15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about you, when I shall execute judgments in you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the?Lord?have spoken it. Looking back to the previous verse, I revealed a historical account written by an eye witness of this event, as it unfolded before him. Jeremiah sadly mourned the fallen city, and saw the people of the surrounding nations walk by the fallen city; he heard them taunt (g???p?a), which is the act of reviling men, or blaspheming God. “We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.” (Lam. 2:16b)?The people of this fallen city, were looked upon with astonishment. The Hebrew noun used and translated as “astonishment” was “m??amma,” which actually means: “a devastation, a horror.” ?

“All that pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, “Is this the city that men call ‘The perfection of beauty,’ ‘The joy of the whole earth?’” (Lam 2:15)

Though Jeremiah only saw the horror and heard the taunting, as the people were strolling by the destruction, he could not see what was inside their hearts. God had implied here that the nations walking by would see this as an “instruction.” The Hebrew noun used was “m?sār,” which actually is defined as: “discipline, chastening, correction.” At this time, the people of Jerusalem were being punished for their unfaithfulness to God, while the already unfaithful pagans were seeing what God had done to Israel, when He was chastening them for their inequities. This chastening was to be instructional, or an example to the nations, if they did not repent soon. Ezekiel was to prophecy of these pagan nations, and what they would experience, soon after the fall of Jerusalem (Ezek. 25-32).

The last clause of the first sentence in this verse includes a pronoun “you,” which should be identified to be the house of Israel spoken of in chapter 4. The performance of Ezekiel (4:1 thru 5:4) was followed by this long announcement to the Israeli captives “in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar (1:1).” As I had discussed in this commentary in verses 4:4-8, this prophecy concerns the entire house of Israel (northern and southern kingdoms) and their three-hundred and ninety years of inequity, as well as the house of Judah and their forty years. This was to pertain to both upcoming captivities and destructions of Jerusalem, which took place in Av 9, 587 B.C. (Babylonian) and Av 9, A.D. 70 (Roman). ?

This instructional lesson was for the taunting, neighboring nations, when they passed by and saw when the Lord (I) shall execute judgments in the house of Israel (you) in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. As a reminder to the captives, the Lord identified Himself as the One bringing all of the destruction in the future (I the?Lord?have spoken it).

Ezekiel 5:16 ?When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: Realizing that Ezekiel is speaking the word of the Lord to the house of Israel, the pronouns “them and their” must then refer to the neighboring nations, whom will be watching and experiencing an instructional by witness of the destruction?of Jerusalem (see 5:15). The intent here is to provide an insight into the future destruction of the surrounding nations for their terrible inequities as well. The surrounding nations will be sent evil arrows of famine. The imagery of the famine sent as an arrow, presents a precise, piercing hit upon choice groups of people, whom the Lord will seek out to punish. The allegorical arrow hits as if it is evil, because it will bring suffering. Though God uses Satan to do many evil things, this here is not one of them; these people are evil, so why would Satan commit evil against his own evil people? The one-hundred-percent sovereign God was to bring His wrath on these people, because of their wickedness. ?

"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." (Is. 45:7

“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the?Lord?had not done it?” (Amos 3:6)

The piercing blow of famine will bring destruction to the captures aiding in bringing the destruction of Jerusalem. The best way to understand this is to read it in its context. “which shall be for their destruction, who I will send to destroy you.” The translators chose to add the conjunction “and” to this statement after the comma, but in the original Hebrew, it is not there. The relative Hebrew pronoun “??????” can be used as “which” or “who,” depending on the context. In the case here, it reflects upon the neighboring nations, whom the Lord was to bring the evil arrows against. God indicated that the same people of the neighboring nations, who aided the Babylonians in the destruction of Jerusalem (who I will send to destroy you), were to receive His wrath of evil arrows of famine.

The translators had to use the conjunction “and” here in the last two clauses, in order to connect them in this run-on sentence. As was disclosed in verse 4:16, God was going to make things very harsh and break the staff of bread for the entire house of Israel. God had warned them of this during their time of first agreeing to the Mosaic Covenant. “And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and you shall eat, and not be satisfied.” (Lev. 26:26) The Hebrew word used for “staff” was “ma??ê”(??????), which was incorrectly parsed by the translators, and has an infinitive definition: “sign, miraculous signs, wonders.” The last clause should be read as: “and will break your “wonders” of bread.” It was a wondrous thing of Jerusalem, with their abundance of bread.

Ezekiel 5:17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave you: and pestilence and blood shall pass through you; and I will bring the sword upon you. I the?Lord?have spoken it. The ambiguity, used by Ezekiel in the first clause, has been misunderstood by those reading what the translators have determined to be adequate. The translators have used the noun “beasts” for the Hebrew noun “?ay,” which actually is defined as: “anything living.” There is nothing within the Book of Lamentations of animal attacks, nor did Flavius Josephus mention that evil beasts invaded Jerusalem during the fall in A.D. 70. The one constant to this is that there is no size requirement for a living thing to be called a “beast.” The confirmation, of what living things these were, is in the third clause. Since both Ezekiel and the KJV translators were ignorant of microorganisms, we must conclude that these evil beasts were the bacteria that caused the pestilences mentioned in the third clause.

The Lord brought famine and pestilence to Jerusalem in both 587 B.C. and A.D. 70. The Hebrew verb used by Ezekiel was “?ā?ōl,” translated as “bereave;” the definition, of these two verbs, is: “to make childless.” The affliction was going to cause many to watch their children die from disease and starvation. The dysentery was most likely putrid, while the lack of food and water was something that would cause cannibalism. The adults watched their children be eaten, or die of hunger, or disease.?

?9?They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

10?The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. (Lam. 4:9-10)?

For God had blinded their minds for the transgressions they had been guilty of, nor could they see how much greater forces the Romans had than those that were now expelled, no more than they could discern how a famine was creeping upon them; for hitherto they had fed themselves out of the public miseries, and drank the blood of the city.[5]

As we have already covered earlier in verses 5:1-4, one-third of the Israelites were to die by the sword, while the third that fled the city would eventually be cut down by the sword, amongst other things. The bloodbath was set and for sure to happen in both captivities, because the Lord had spoken it. If the Creator of the universe has spoken a thing destined to come to pass, it is a sure thing.

[1] J.R. Church, Daniel Reveals The Blood Line of the Antichrist, (Oklahoma City: Prophecy Publications, 2010). 297.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid, 298.

[4] Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 5, 8:2.

[5] Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 5, 8:2.