1 The word of Yahweh also came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, you dwell in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and don't see, who have ears to hear, and don't hear; for they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore, you son of man, prepare your stuff for moving, and move by day in their sight; and you shall move from your place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house. 4 You shall bring forth your stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for moving; and you shall go forth yourself at even in their sight, as when men go forth into exile. 5 Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your stuff out that way. 6 In their sight you shall bear it on your shoulder, and carry it forth in the dark; you shall cover your face, so that you don't see the land: for I have set you for a sign to the house of Israel. 7 I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for removing, and in the even I dug through the wall with my hand; I brought it forth in the dark, and bore it on my shoulder in their sight. 8 In the morning came the word of Yahweh to me, saying, 9 Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, What are you doing? 10 Say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: This burden (concerns) the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel among whom they are. 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity. 12 The prince who is among them shall bear on his shoulder in the dark, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, because he shall not see the land with his eyes. 13 My net also will I spread on him, and he shall be taken in my snare; and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. 14 I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 15 They shall know that I am Yahweh, when I shall disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries. 16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come; and they shall know that I am Yahweh. 17 Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with fearfulness; 19 and tell the people of the land, Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness, and drink their water in dismay, that her land may be desolate, (and despoiled) of all that is therein, because of the violence of all those who dwell therein. 20 The cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be a desolation; and you shall know that I am Yahweh. 21 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 22 Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision fails? 23 Tell them therefore, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but tell them, The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. 24 For there shall be no more any false vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am Yahweh; I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall be performed; it shall be no more deferred: for in your days, rebellious house, will I speak the word, and will perform it, says the Lord Yahweh. 26 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he sees is for many day to come, and he prophesies of times that are far off. 28 Therefore tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: None of my words shall be deferred any more, but the word which I shall speak shall be performed, says the Lord Yahweh.
The prophet proceeds, by a variety of types and parables, to convince those of the captivity that their brethren who were left behind to sustain the miseries of a siege and the insults of a conqueror, would be in a much worse condition than they who were already settled in a foreign land. In the beginning of this chapter he foretells the approaching captivity of Judah by action instead of words, Ezekiel 12:1-7. He predicts particularly the flight, capture, captivity, and sufferings of Zedekiah and his followers, Ezekiel 12:8-16, compared with Jeremiah 52:11. He is to eat his food with trembling and signs of terror, as an emblem of the consternation of the Jews when surrounded by their enemies, Ezekiel 12:17-20; and then he answers the objections and bywords of scoffers and infidels, who either disbelieved his threatening or supposed the accomplishment of them very distant, Ezekiel 12:21-28. Josephus (Antiq. 11:10) tells us that Zedekiah thought the prophecy of Ezekiel in the thirteenth verse inconsistent with that of Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 34:3), and resolved to believe neither. Both, however, were literary fulfilled; and the event convinced him that they were not irreconcilable. Thus, blinded by infidelity, sinners rush on to that destruction against which they are sufficiently warned.
INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 12
In this chapter, under the sign of the prophet's removing household goods, is represented the removal of the king of Judah and his people from their own land into captivity; and under another sign, of the prophet's eating and drinking with quaking, and trembling, and carefulness, is set forth, either the famine that should be during the siege of Jerusalem, or the desolations following the taking of it; and the chapter is concluded with a reproof of the Jews flattering themselves that these prophecies respected times a great way off, and therefore hoped they would never be accomplished. The preface to the first sign is in Ezekiel 12:1; which describes the people of the Jews as rebellious, and given up to judicial blindness and hardness; and suggests the cause of all their calamities: the order to prepare goods for removing, to show to the people; for digging a wall; carrying the stuff out in their sight, on his shoulders, at twilight; and covering his face when he did it, is in Ezekiel 12:3; the execution of this order, which is declared in part for the whole, is in Ezekiel 12:7; then follows the explication of this sign, Ezekiel 12:8; and the application of it, first to King Zedekiah, in whom should be fulfilled several of the particulars mentioned, Ezekiel 12:12; and to the people about him, and his army that should be scattered and fall by the sword, Ezekiel 12:14; the end of which should be, that the Lord should be known, his power, truth, and righteousness, by a few that should escape the famine, pestilence, and sword, Ezekiel 12:15. The second sign, with the explication and application of it, is in Ezekiel 12:17; and the chapter is closed with a reproof of the Jews; the proverbial expression they used, and which the Lord resented, is cited Ezekiel 12:21; and the prophet is bid to assure them that it should cease, or there should be no room for it; and also every vain vision and flattering divination, Ezekiel 12:23; and that the word of the Lord should not be prolonged, but should quickly and certainly be accomplished; and that their hopes of the contrary were in vain, Ezekiel 12:25.
(v. 1-16) The approaching captivity.
(Ezekiel 12:17-20) An emblem of the consternation of the Jews.
(Ezekiel 12:21-28) Answers to the objections of scoffers.
Departure of the King and People; and Bread of Tears
The words of God which follow in Ezekiel 12-19 do not contain any chronological data defining the exact period at which they were communicated to the prophet and reported by him. But so far as their contents are concerned, they are closely connected with the foregoing announcements of judgment; and this renders the assumption a very probable one, that they were not far removed from them in time, but fell within the space of eleven months intervening between Ezekiel 8:1 and Ezekiel 20:1, and were designed to carry out still further the announcement of judgment in Ezekiel 8-11. This is done more especially in the light thrown upon all the circumstances, on which the impenitent people rested their hope of the preservation of the kingdom and Jerusalem, and of their speedy liberation from the Babylonian yoke. The purpose of the whole is to show the worthlessness of this false confidence, and to affirm the certainty and irresistibility of the predicted destruction of Judah and Jerusalem, in the hope of awakening the rebellious and hardened generation to that thorough repentance, without which it was impossible that peace and prosperity could ever be enjoyed. This definite purpose in the prophecies which follow is clearly indicated in the introductory remarks in Ezekiel 12:2; Ezekiel 14:1, and Ezekiel 20:1. In the first of these passages the hardness of Israel is mentioned as the motive for the ensuing prophecy; whilst in the other two, the visit of certain elders of Israel to the prophet, to seek the Lord and to inquire through him, is given as the circumstance which occasioned the further prophetic declarations. It is evident from this that the previous words of God had already made some impression upon the hearers, but that their hard heart had not yet been broken by them.
In Ezekiel 12, Ezekiel receives instructions to depict, by means of a symbolical action, the departure of the king and people from Jerusalem (Ezekiel 12:3-7), and to explain the action to the refractory generation (Ezekiel 12:8-16). After this he is to exhibit, by another symbolical sign, the want and distress to which the people will be reduced (Ezekiel 12:17-20). And lastly, he is to rebut the frivolous sayings of the people, to the effect that what is predicted will either never take place at all, or not till a very distant time (Ezekiel 12:21-28).
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.