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Commentary on Ezekiel 4 verses 9–17
The best exposition of this part of Ezekiel's prediction of Jerusalem's desolation is Jeremiah's lamentation of it, Lam 4:3, Lam 4:4, etc., and Lam 4:10, where he pathetically describes the terrible famine that was in Jerusalem during the siege and the sad effects of it.
I. The prophet here, to affect the people with the foresight of it, must confine himself for 390 days to coarse fare and short commons, and that ill-dressed, for they should want both food and fuel.
1.His meat, for the quality of it, was to be of the worst bread, made of but little wheat and barley, and the rest of beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, such as we feed horses or fatted hogs with, and this mixed, as mill corn, or as that in the beggar's bag, that has a dish full of one sort of corn at one house and of another at another house; of such corn as this must the prophet's bread be made while he underwent the fatigue of lying on his side, and needed something better to support him, Eze 4:9. Note, It is our wisdom not to be too fond of dainties and pleasant bread, because we know not what hard meat we may be tied to, nay, and may be glad of, before we die. The meanest sort of food is better than we deserve, and therefore must not be despised nor wasted, nor must those that use it be looked upon with disdain, because we know not what may be our own lot.
2.For the quantity of it, it was to be of the least that a man could be kept alive with, to signify that the besieged should be reduced to short allowance and should hold out till all the bread in the city was spent, Jer 37:21. The prophet must eat but twenty shekels' weight of bread a day (Eze 4:10), that was about ten ounces; and he must drink but the sixth part of a hin of water, that was half a pint, about eight ounces, Eze 4:11. The stint of the Lessian diet is fourteen ounces of meat and sixteen of drink. The prophet in Babylon had bread enough and to spare, and was by the river side, where there was plenty of water; and yet, that he might confirm his own prediction and be a sign to the children of Israel, God obliges him to live thus sparingly, and he submits to it. Note, God's servants must learn to endure hardness, and to deny themselves the use of lawful delights, when they may thereby serve the glory of God, evidence the sincerity of their faith, and express their sympathy with their brethren in affliction. The body must be kept under and brought into subjection. Nature is content with a little, grace with less, but lust with nothing. It is good to stint ourselves of choice, that we may the better bear it if ever we should come to be stinted by necessity. And in times of public distress and calamity it ill becomes us to make much of ourselves, as those that drank wine in bowls and were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph, Amo 6:4-6.
3.For the dressing of it, he must bake it with a man's dung (Eze 4:12); that must be dried, and serve for fuel to heat his oven with. The thought of it would almost turn one's stomach; yet the coarse bread, thus baked, he must eat as barley-cakes, as freely as if it were the same bread he had been used to. This nauseous piece of cookery he must exercise publicly in their sight, that they might be the more affected with the calamity approaching, which was signified by it, that in the extremity of the famine they should not only have nothing that was dainty, but nothing that was cleanly, about them; they must take up with what they could get. To the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. This circumstance of the sign, the baking of his bread with man's dung, the prophet with submission humbly desired might be dispensed with (Eze 4:14); it seemed to have in it something of a ceremonial pollution, for there was a law that man's dung should be covered with earth, that God might see no unclean thing in their camp, Deu 23:13, Deu 23:14. And must he go and gather a thing so offensive, and use it in the dressing of his meat in the sight of the people? "Ah! Lord God," says he, "behold, my soul has not been polluted, and I am afraid lest by this it be polluted." Note, The pollution of the soul by sin is what good people dread more than any thing; and yet sometimes tender consciences fear it without cause, and perplex themselves with scruples about lawful things, as the prophet here, who had not yet learned that it is not that which goes into the mouth that defiles the man, Mat 15:11. But observe he does not plead, "Lord, from my youth I have been brought up delicately and have never been used to any thing but what was clean and nice" (and there were those who were so brought up, who in the siege of Jerusalem did embrace dunghills, Lam 4:5), but that he had been brought up conscientiously, and had never eaten any thing that was forbidden by the law, that died of itself or was torn in pieces; and therefore, "Lord, do not put this upon me now." Thus Peter pleaded (Act 10:14), Lord, I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. Note, it will be comfortable to us, when we are reduced to hardships, if our hearts can witness for us that we have always been careful to abstain from sin, even from little sins, and the appearances of evil. Whatever God commands us, we may be sure, is good; but, if we be put upon any thing that we apprehend to be evil, we should argue against it, from this consideration, that hitherto we have preserved our purity - and shall we lose it now? Now, because Ezekiel with a manifest tenderness of conscience made this scruple, God dispensed with him in this matter. Note, Those who have power in their hands should not be rigorous in pressing their commands upon those that are dissatisfied concerning them, yea, though their dissatisfactions be groundless or arising from education and long usage, but should recede from them rather than grieve or offend the weak, or put a stumbling-block before them, in conformity to the example of God's condescension to Ezekiel, though we are sure his authority is incontestable and all his commands are wise and good. God allowed Ezekiel to use cow's dung instead of man's dung, Eze 4:15. This is a tacit reflection upon man, as intimating that he being polluted with sin his filthiness is more nauseous and odious than that of any other creature. How much more abominable and filthy is man! Job 15:16.
II. Now this sign is particularly explained here; it signified,
1.That those who remained in Jerusalem should be brought to extreme misery for want of necessary food. All supplies being cut off by the besiegers, the city would soon find the want of the country, for the king himself is served of the field; and thus the staff of bread would be broken in Jerusalem, Eze 4:16. God would not only take away from the bread its power to nourish, so that they should eat and not be satisfied (Lev 26:26), but would take away the bread itself (Isa 3:1), so that what little remained should be eaten by weight, so much a day, so much a head, that they might have an equal share and might make it last as long as possible. But to what purpose, when they could not make it last always, and the besieged must be tired out before the besiegers? They should eat and drink with care, to make it go as far as might be, and with astonishment, when they saw it almost spent and knew not which way to look for a recruit. They should be astonished one with another; whereas it is ordinarily some alleviation of a calamity to have others share with us in it (Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris), and some ease to the spirit to complain of the burden, it should be an aggravation of the misery that it was universal, and their complaining to one another should but make them all the more uneasy and increase the astonishment. And the event shall be as bad as their fears; they cannot make it worse than it is, for they shall consume away for their iniquity; multitudes of them shall die of famine, a lingering death, worse than that by the sword (Lam 4:9); they shall dies so as to feel themselves die. And it is sin that brings all this misery upon them: They shall consume away in their iniquity (so it may be read); they shall continue hardened and impenitent, and shall die in their sins, which is more miserable than to die on a dunghill. Now, (1.) Let us see here what woeful work sin makes with a people, and acknowledge the righteousness of God herein. Time was when Jerusalem was filled with the finest of the wheat (Psa 147:14); but now it would be glad of the coarsest, and cannot have it. Fulness of bread, as it was one of Jerusalem's mercies, so it had become one of her sins, Eze 16:49. The plenty was abused to luxury and excess, which were therefore thus justly punished with famine. It is a righteous thing with God to deprive us of those enjoyments which we have made the food and fuel of our lusts. (2.) Let us see what reason we have to bless God for plenty, not only for the fruits of the earth, but for the freedom of commerce, that the husbandman can have money for his bread and the tradesman bread for his money, that there is abundance not only in the field, but in the market, that those who live in cities and great towns, though they sow not, neither do they reap, are yet fed from day to day with food convenient.
2.It signified that those who were carried into captivity should be forced to eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles (Eze 4:13), to eat meat made up by Gentile hands otherwise than according to the law of the Jewish church, which they were always taught to call defiled, and which they would have as great an aversion to as a man would have to bread prepared with dung, that is (as perhaps it may be understood) kneaded and moulded with dung. Daniel and his fellows confined themselves to pulse and water, rather than they would eat the portion of the king's meat assigned them, because they apprehended it would defile them, Dan 1:8. Or they should be forced to eat putrid meat, such as their oppressors would allow them in their slavery, and such as formerly they would have scorned to touch. Because they served not God with cheerfulness in the abundance of all things, God will make them serve their enemies in the want of all things.
(Vrs. 9 ff.) And you will take for yourself wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt; and you will put them into one vessel, and you will make for yourself breads according to the number of days on which you will sleep on your side: three hundred and ninety days you will eat it. But your food that you will eat will be in the weight of twenty shekels a day: from time to time you will eat it. And you will drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from time to time you will drink it. And you shall eat it as barely bread, and cover it with human excrement in their sight. What vice we have interpreted as, which in Hebrew is called Chasamim (): The Seventy and Theodotion placed ὄλυραν, which some interpret as oats, others as millet. But the first edition of Aquila and Symmachus interpreted it as ζέας, or ζείας: which we call either far or spelt in the native language of Italy and Pannonia. They also added pottery to the vase, but the prophet orders a future famine and demonstrates the shortage of the people of Israel. Just as in a scarcity of all things, different types of food and delicacies are not sought after; but rather how the stomach can be filled: thus the prophet now puts wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and oats into one vessel, and makes three hundred and ninety loaves of bread, which will be eaten each day: these loaves weigh twenty sicles, that is, staters. However, a siclus, that is, a stater, has four drachmas. And eight drachmas make one Latin ounce: so that one loaf of bread is said to have ten ounces, by which the soul is more drawn than sustained. The sterility of food is increased by the sterility of water. For it is commanded to drink the sixth part of the Hebrew measure, which is called hin, each day. Furthermore, two chœnixes Attic make one hin: which we can call two Italian sextarii, so that the hin is the measure of the Jewish sextarius and our military, the sixth part of which makes a third part of the Italian sextarius. Food and drink, according to the famous Speaker, not only give strength but also prevent death. What he says, 'From time to time you will eat or drink,' means from evening to evening, although some may mistakenly understand it as from year to year. And these loaves are made like barley bread made with ashes. And it is said to him, that he cover them with human dung, not for those who will eat them (ignorance is accustomed to temper miseries) but for those who see, and in their eyes, to experience horror before enduring nausea. It is also to be noted that, according to the number of days of the left side, three hundred and ninety sub-cinereous loaves are to be made and eaten each day, and there is to be no mention at all of the forty loaves of the right side; so that the holy Scripture may secretly hint that the punishment of the people who have sinned is not the same if they have knowledge of God and of him who has completely departed from the true religion. Furthermore, we can also say, according to spiritual understanding, that the Jewish people, after offending God, still eat sub-cinereous loaves mixed with wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and oats; of which one is the food of men and the other is the food of animals. For in that which they appear to believe in one God, they have something of grain. But what they deny the Son, they are sustained by the barley of animals and beans, by which the stomach of those who eat is inflated, and the mind is said to be oppressed: so much so that even to Pythagoreans, the food is detestable. Because of lentils, Esau lost his birthright (Gen. 25). Millet is the food of peasants, and of wild animals, and of birds. Oats, or vetches and alsike clover, are the food of dumb animals. But what is written, according to the Septuagint, that Elijah fleeing from Jezebel found bread ὀλυρίτην, made of ashes (3 Kings 19), is a sign of persecution and scarcity. Therefore, he is also fed by the ravens, so that because he did not find food in Israel, he would be nourished by unclean foods from the nations. The law itself, which they read but do not understand, is bread made of ashes and covered with human excrement. Therefore, the apostle Paul also says that he considered the gains of the Law and the observance of the former ceremonies as dung, in order to gain Christ (Philippians 3).
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 4:11 presents a stark divine command to the prophet Ezekiel: to consume water in an extremely precise and severely limited quantity—specifically, one-sixth of a hin—and only at designated intervals. This instruction is an integral part of a series of dramatic symbolic actions God commanded Ezekiel to perform, designed to viscerally depict the horrific conditions of famine, scarcity, and parching thirst that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would endure during the impending Babylonian siege, thereby serving as an urgent and undeniable prophetic warning to the exiled Israelites concerning the city's inevitable downfall.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is deeply embedded within a profound prophetic drama that unfolds across Ezekiel chapters 4 and 5. Immediately preceding this command, God instructs Ezekiel to lie on his side for an extraordinary duration—390 days for the iniquity of Israel and 40 days for the iniquity of Judah—symbolizing the respective periods of their punishment and the burden of their sin, with Ezekiel bearing their iniquity (Ezekiel 4:4-8). Following the severe water ration, God further commands Ezekiel to prepare his meager bread using human excrement as fuel, a humiliating act later softened to animal dung, to underscore the extreme defilement and dire scarcity of resources during the siege (Ezekiel 4:12-15). The entire sequence of actions—lying, eating defiled bread, and drinking rationed water—culminates in God's explicit declaration of His intent to "break the staff of bread" in Jerusalem, signifying a devastating famine (Ezekiel 4:16-17). Thus, Ezekiel 4:11 is a critical, intensifying component of this elaborate, performative prophecy, amplifying the portrayal of unimaginable suffering.
Historical & Cultural Context: Ezekiel prophesied during the early stages of the Babylonian exile, addressing a Jewish community that had been forcibly deported to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar's initial sieges of Jerusalem (beginning in 597 BC). Many exiles clung to a false sense of security and held onto unrealistic hopes of a swift return and the preservation of Jerusalem. God's commands to Ezekiel were meticulously designed to shatter these dangerous illusions by vividly depicting the grim reality awaiting those who remained in the city. The "hin" was a widely recognized liquid measure in ancient Israel, typically equivalent to about 3.6 to 6 liters (approximately 1 gallon). Consequently, "the sixth part of an hin" represents an incredibly minuscule daily allowance (less than a liter or about 1.5-2.5 cups), far below the minimum necessary for human survival, especially in the arid climate of the Near East. This severe rationing reflects the typical, brutal conditions of a prolonged military siege, where food and water supplies would dwindle rapidly, leading to extreme deprivation, widespread disease, and mass casualties. Such desperate circumstances were common in ancient warfare, and the prophet's actions served as a visceral, undeniable warning to a people who might otherwise dismiss the severity of God's impending judgment.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Ezekiel. Foremost is the theme of Divine Judgment upon Israel for their persistent idolatry, spiritual adultery, and rebellion against God's covenant. The extreme scarcity of water and food is presented as a direct, tangible consequence of God's righteous wrath, demonstrating His absolute sovereignty and His willingness to use even natural elements to execute His justice. This directly ties into the theme of Scarcity and Deprivation, illustrating the profound physical suffering that inevitably accompanies spiritual unfaithfulness. Furthermore, Ezekiel's unwavering obedience in performing these difficult, humiliating, and personally painful acts highlights the crucial theme of Prophetic Symbolism and Obedience. Ezekiel himself becomes a living parable, embodying the suffering of his people and demonstrating the absolute necessity of heeding God's warnings. His personal hardship underscores the gravity of the divine message and the unswerving nature of God's commitment to His covenant, encompassing both blessings for obedience and severe judgments for disobedience.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 4:11 masterfully employs several powerful literary devices to convey its stark and urgent message. The most prominent is Symbolism, where Ezekiel's personal deprivation of water profoundly symbolizes the extreme thirst, famine, and general suffering that would plague Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege. Water, being absolutely essential for life, becomes a potent symbol of life itself being meticulously drained away from the city and its inhabitants. The precise, minuscule quantity (one-sixth of a hin) functions as a form of Understatement in its stark reality, yet simultaneously as Hyperbole in its shocking inadequacy, emphasizing the severity of the impending famine and the desperation it would cause. The entire act is a quintessential example of Performative Prophecy, where the prophet's physical actions do not merely describe but embody and enact the future judgment, making the message visceral, undeniable, and deeply impactful. Furthermore, the Repetition of "shalt thou drink" and "from time to time" serves to emphasize the continuous, inescapable nature of the hardship and the divine decree behind it, driving home the inescapable reality of the impending suffering.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 4:11 powerfully illustrates the uncompromising severity of God's judgment against sin, demonstrating that divine wrath can manifest as the withdrawal of even the most basic life necessities. This act of rationing water underscores God's absolute sovereignty over creation and His willingness to use even the elements to execute His righteous decrees. The suffering of Ezekiel, and by extension the inhabitants of Jerusalem, serves as a stark reminder that persistent disobedience to God's covenant commands carries dire consequences, leading to a breakdown of societal order, the loss of fundamental provisions, and profound physical and spiritual distress. Yet, even within the context of judgment, there is a prophetic purpose: to warn, to call to repentance, and to preserve a remnant for future restoration, highlighting God's ultimate faithfulness to His long-term redemptive plan, even amidst His righteous indignation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 4:11 confronts us with the stark reality of God's justice and the profound, tangible consequences of persistent rebellion against His holy will. It serves as a potent reminder that our physical well-being, our access to basic necessities like food and water, and indeed life itself, are not guaranteed entitlements but are often expressions of God's sustaining grace and providential care. When we encounter the breaking of the "staff of bread" or the rationing of water in Scripture, it should compel us to reflect deeply on our own spiritual condition and our absolute reliance on God. Do we take His daily provisions for granted, failing to acknowledge Him as the ultimate Giver of all good things? Are we quick to heed His warnings, whether they come through the preached Word, the challenging circumstances of life, or the quiet, convicting voice of the Holy Spirit? Ezekiel's unwavering obedience, even in humiliating, painful, and deeply uncomfortable circumstances, challenges us to consider the true cost of discipleship and the paramount importance of faithfully embodying God's truth in a world that desperately needs to hear and see it. This passage calls us to cultivate a deeper appreciation for God's abundant blessings and to maintain a sober, reverent understanding of the gravity of sin and its inevitable consequences.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was a "hin" and how much water is "the sixth part of a hin"?
Answer: A "hin" (Hebrew: H1969, hîyn) was a standard liquid measure in ancient Israel, roughly equivalent to about 3.6 to 6 liters (or approximately 1 gallon). Therefore, "the sixth part of a hin" would be an extremely small and inadequate amount, approximately 0.6 to 1 liter (or about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) for an entire day's consumption. This meager allowance highlights the severe deprivation and parching thirst that would characterize the siege of Jerusalem, as further described in Ezekiel 4:16-17.
Why did God command Ezekiel to perform such difficult and humiliating symbolic actions?
Answer: God commanded Ezekiel to perform these deeply unsettling actions—including lying on his side for extended periods, eating defiled bread, and drinking severely rationed water—to serve as a vivid, undeniable, and visceral prophetic warning to the exiled Israelites. They were clinging to a false sense of security, believing Jerusalem would remain impregnable and that their exile would be short-lived. Ezekiel's personal suffering and the grotesque nature of his actions were designed to shock them into recognizing the dire severity of God's impending judgment upon Jerusalem and the true, devastating consequences of their persistent sin, idolatry, and rebellion against the covenant (Ezekiel 5:11-12). It was a powerful, living sermon that words alone might not have adequately conveyed, forcing them to confront the grim reality of God's righteous wrath.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 4:11, with its grim depiction of physical scarcity and divine judgment, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in the literal deprivation of water, but in the profound spiritual thirst that only Jesus can truly quench. The severe rationing of water in Ezekiel foreshadows the spiritual famine for the Word of God that plagued Israel, a deep hunger and thirst that could not be satisfied by human efforts, false gods, or empty rituals (Amos 8:11-12). Jesus, however, declares Himself to be the ultimate source of life-giving water, promising in profound terms that "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). While Ezekiel endured physical thirst as a sign of impending judgment, Christ Himself endured the ultimate spiritual and physical thirst on the cross, crying out, "I thirst" (John 19:28), absorbing the full measure of divine judgment for humanity's sin. Through His sacrificial death, He became the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29), offering an unending supply of spiritual refreshment, forgiveness, and eternal life to all who believe, thereby transforming the prophetic sign of judgment into a glorious promise of abundant grace and everlasting satisfaction.