Ezekiel 4:15

Ezekiel 4:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
• New International Version (NIV)“Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said to me, "See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”

Context of Ezekiel 4:15

13Then the Lord said, “Thus the children of Israel will eat their bread unclean and defiled among the nations where I will banish them.” 14But I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold (hear me), I have never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died on its own or was torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth.” Then He said to me, “See, I will let you use cow’s dung instead of human dung over which you shall prepare your food.” 16Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold (listen carefully), I am going to break the staff of bread [that supports life] in Jerusalem; and they shall eat bread [rationed] by weight and [eat it] with anxiety and fear, and drink water by measure and [drink it] in horror [of the impending starvation], 17because bread and water will be scarce; and they will look at one another in dismay and waste away [in punishment] for their wickedness.

Ezekiel 4:15 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י רְאֵ֗ה נָתַ֤תִּֽי לְךָ֙ אֶת־צְפִיעֵ֣י הַבָּקָ֔ר תַּ֖חַת גֶּלְלֵ֣י הָֽאָדָ֑ם וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ אֶֽת־לַחְמְךָ֖ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto me, Loרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: behold!H7200
• I have givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• thee cow’sבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
• dungצָפִיעַtsephûa‛ · dungH6832
• for man’sאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• dungגֵּלgêlel · dungH1561
• and thou shalt prepareעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• thy breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899

Commentaries on Ezekiel 4:15

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 The bread which was Ezekiel's support, was to be made of coarse grain and pulse mixed together, seldom used except in times of urgent scarcity, and of this he was only to take a small quantity. Thus was figured the extremity to which the Jews were to be reduced during the siege and captivity. Ezekiel does not plead, Lord, from my youth I have been brought up delicately, and never used to any thing like this; but that he had been brought up…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-15The prophet said he had never eaten anything unclean. The Lord agreed, letting Ezekiel cook his food over cow dung. He also followed the law for disposing of human waste (see Deuteronomy 23:12–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. cow's dung--a mitigation of the former order (Eze 4:12); no longer "the dung of man"; still the bread so baked is "defiled," to imply that, whatever partial abatement there might be for the prophet's sake, the main decree of God, as to the pollution of Israel by exile among Gentiles, is unalterable.Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 4:15

• Bread
• Instruction
• Prayer
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

• Bullock
• Care
• Cherub
• Dung
• Fuel
• Living creatures
• Agabus
• Hosea
• House
• Zedekiah (2)

Commentaries on Ezekiel 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings