Ezekiel 4

Ezekiel · Chapter 4

Ezekiel 4:16

1Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:2And 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.3Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.4Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.5For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.6And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.7Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.8And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.9Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.10And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.11Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.12And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.13And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.14Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.15Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.16Moreover 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:17That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
16Moreover 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:Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure.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 fearfulness; and they shall drink water by measure, and in dismay:

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he saidוַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai-YO-merH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

to meאֵלַ֗י'e-LAIH0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

O son ofבֶּן־ben-H1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

humankindאָדָם֙'a-DAMH0120G
man

אָדָם (a.dam) 1) man, mankind 1a) man, human being 1b) man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT) 1c) Adam, first man 1d) city in Jordan valley

here Iהִנְנִ֨יhi-NIH2005
look!

הֵן (hen) interj 1) behold, lo, though hypothetical part 2) if Aramaic equivalent: hen (הֵן "look!" H2006A)

[am] about to breakשֹׁבֵ֤רsho-VERH7665
to break

שָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406)

[the] staff ofמַטֵּה־ma-teh-H4294K
tribe: rod

מַטֶּה (mat.teh) : rod/staff 1) staff, branch, tribe 1a) staff, rod, shaft 1b) branch (of vine) 1c) tribe 1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

breadלֶ֙חֶם֙le-chemH3899H
food

לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) : food(eating) 1) bread, food, grain 1a) bread 1a1) bread 1a2) bread-corn 1b) food (in general)

in Jerusalemבִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םbi-RU-sha-LIMH3389
Ariel

אֲרִיאֵל (a.ri.el) Ariel = "lion of God" or "lioness of God" Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

and they will eatוְאָכְלוּ־ve-'a-khe-lu-H0398
to eat

אָכַל (a.khal) 1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to eat (human subject) 1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds) 1a3) to devour, consume (of fire) 1a4) to devour, slay (of sword) 1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought) 1a6) to devour (of oppression) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be eaten (by men) 1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire) 1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh) 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to cause to eat, feed with 1c2) to cause to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to feed 1d2) to cause to eat 1e) (Piel) 1e1) consume Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

breadלֶ֥חֶםLE-chemH3899H
food

לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) : food(eating) 1) bread, food, grain 1a) bread 1a1) bread 1a2) bread-corn 1b) food (in general)

by weightבְּמִשְׁקָ֖לbe-mish-KALH4948
weight

מִשְׁקָל (mish.qal) heaviness, weight

and in anxietyוּבִדְאָגָ֑הu-vid-'a-GAHH1674
anxiety

דְּאָגָה (de.a.gah) anxiety, anxious care, care

and waterוּמַ֕יִםu-MA-yimH4325G
water

מַי (ma.yim) 1) water, waters 1a) water 1b) water of the feet, urine 1c) of danger, violence, transitory things, refreshment (fig.)

by measureבִּמְשׂוּרָ֥הbim-su-RAHH4884
capacity

מְשׂוּרָה (me.su.rah) measure

and in horrorוּבְשִׁמָּמ֖וֹןu-ve-shi-ma-MONH8078
horror

שִׁמָּמוֹן (shim.ma.mon) horror, dismay, appalment

they will drinkיִשְׁתּֽוּ׃yish-TUH8354
to drink

שָׁתָה (sha.tah) 1) to drink 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to drink 1a1a) of drinking cup of God's wrath, of slaughter, of wicked deeds (fig) 1a2) to feast 1b) (Niphal) to be drunk Aramaic equivalent: she.tah (שְׁתָה "to drink" H8355)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.