KJV
Click to Change
Return to Top
Ezek. 4:1–24:27 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. The oracles of chs. 4–24 come before Jerusalem’s downfall in 587 b.c. Although the sequence appears to be chronological, there is also some grouping by theme and type of literature: chs. 4–7 include several symbolic actions; chs. 8–11 comprise the second major vision sequence in the book, Ezekiel’s first “temple vision”; chs. 15–23 are dominated by “parables” and extended metaphors. Almost the only hopeful statement comes in 11:14–21, which anticipates the latter half of the book. Yet even that passage includes the familiar warnings against sin.
Ezek. 4:1–5:4 Ezekiel is called upon to dramatize his prophecy, using actions rather than words to convey the divine message. As in most cases in the book, only the instructions are recorded, and not the report of the performance and its reception.
Ezek. 4:1–2 The symbolic actions in these verses describe a siege in miniature form. Brick was the common building material in Babylon, though not in Jerusalem. Repeating against it five times emphasizes the danger for the city.
Ezek. 4:3 The sign ensures that the siege, which could have been interpreted as God’s passive neglect, will be understood as his deliberate hostility against his people.
Ezek. 4:4 The number of the days, as specified in vv. 5–9, corresponds to periods of exile for Israel and Judah. Compare the announcement of the 40 years of wilderness wandering in Num. 14:33–34.
Ezek. 4:7 The arm bared (compare Isa. 52:10) suggests the “outstretched arm” (e.g., Ex. 6:6; Ezek. 20:33–34) with which the Lord acts on behalf of his people. In this situation, however, the Lord is acting against Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s silence (3:26) gives way to speech when he is told to prophesy against the city.
Ezek. 4:10 The twenty shekels ration of bread amounts to just 8 ounces (0.23 kg).
Ezek. 4:11 The sixth part of a hin is roughly equivalent to 1.4 pints (0.6 liters).
Ezek. 4:12–15 Ezekiel objects when he is told to use human dung for fuel. Animal dung was a common fuel (v. 15; see 1 Kings 14:10), but Ezekiel, as a priest, regards food as holy (e.g., Lev. 22:7–8) and excrement as defiling (Deut. 23:12–14).
Ezek. 4:16 Supply of bread in Hebrew is “staff of bread” (see esv footnote), which probably refers to a method of storage. To break the staff (see 5:16; 14:13; also Ps. 105:16) is synonymous with famine.
The ESV Global Study Bible
Copyright © 2012 by Crossway.
All rights reserved.
Used by permission.
|
Line-By-Line Order:
 Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseSeparate LineVerse OnlyReference Only |
Reference Delimiters:
None — Jhn 1:1 KJV Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]Curly — {Jhn 1:1 KJV}Parens — (Jhn 1:1 KJV) |
|
Paragraph Order:
Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseReference-Only |
Number Delimiters:*
No NumberNo Delimiter — 15Square — [15]Curly — {15}Parens — (15) |
|
Other Options:
 Abbreviate Books Use SBL Abbrev.En dash not Hyphen |
Quotes Around VersesRemove Square BracketsSort Canonically |
* 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order'
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding.
Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
©2024 Blue Letter Bible | Privacy Policy
Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs.
Loading
Loading
| Interlinear |
| Bibles |
| Cross-Refs |
| Commentaries |
| Dictionaries |
| Miscellaneous |
