Amplified Bible
Ezekiel 4:16
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],
Ezekiel 4:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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 care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:
- New International Version (NIV)He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Moreover, he said to me, "Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread,
Context of Ezekiel 4:16
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.” 15Then He said to me, “See, I will let you use cow’s dung instead of human dung over which you shall prepare your food.” Moreover, 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.
Read all of Ezekiel 4Ezekiel 4:16 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ הִנְנִ֨י שֹׁבֵ֤ר מַטֵּה־לֶ֙חֶם֙ בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם וְאָכְלוּ־לֶ֥חֶם בְּמִשְׁקָ֖ל וּבִדְאָגָ֑ה וּמַ֕יִם בִּמְשׂוּרָ֥ה וּבְשִׁמָּמ֖וֹן יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Moreover he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto me, Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- behold, I will breakשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- the staffמַטֶּהmaţţeh maţţâh · tribe: supplyH4294
- of breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- in Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- and they shall eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- by weightמִשְׁקָלmishqâl · weightH4948
- and with careדְּאָגָהde'âgâh · anxietyH1674
- and they shall drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- by measureמְשׂוּרָהmeώûrâh · capacityH4884
- and with astonishmentשִׁמָּמוֹןshimmâmôn · horrorH8078
Cross-references for Ezekiel 4:16
- Ezekiel 5:16When I send against them the deadly arrows of hunger which were for the destruction of those whom I will send to destroy you, then I will increase the famine upon you and break your staff of bread.
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, if a land sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it and destroy its source of bread and send famine on it and cut off from it both man and animal,
- Leviticus 26:26When I break your staff of bread [that is, cut off your supply of food], ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will ration your bread; and you will eat and not be satisfied.
- Psalms 105:16And He called for a famine upon the land [of Egypt]; He cut off every source of bread.
- Isaiah 3:1Listen carefully, the Lord God of hosts is removing from Jerusalem and from Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water;
- Ezekiel 4:10The food you eat each day shall be [measured] by weight, twenty shekels, to be eaten daily at a set time.
- Ezekiel 12:18“Son of man, eat your bread with anxiety, and drink your water with trembling and with fear.
- Psalms 60:3You have made Your people experience hardship; You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger and fall.
- Lamentations 1:11All her people groan, seeking bread; They have exchanged their desirable and precious things for food To restore their lives. “See, O Lord, and consider How despised and repulsive I have become!”
- Lamentations 4:9Those killed with the sword Are more fortunate than those killed with hunger; For the hungry pine and ebb away, For the lack of the fruits of the field.
- Lamentations 5:9We get our bread at the risk of our lives Because of the sword [of the Arabs] in the wilderness [who may attack if we go out to harvest the crop].
Commentaries on Ezekiel 4:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16I will break the staff of bread - They shall be besieged till all the bread is consumed, till the famine becomes absolute; see 2 Kings 25:3; : "And on the ninth of the fourth month, the famine prevailed in the city; and There Was No Bread for the people of the land." All this was accurately foretold, and as accurately fulfilled. Abp. Newcome on 2 Kings 25:6; observes: "This number of years will take us back, with sufficient exactness, from the year in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The staff of bread - Bread is so called because it is that on which the support of life mainly depends. With astonishment - With dismay and anxiety at the calamities which are befalling them.Read the comment
- 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. 9-17The near-starvation diet of eight ounces of food and a jar of water each day represents siege rations. This reflects a desperate situation where there was not enough of any one type of grain to make a whole loaf.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. staff of bread--bread by which life is supported, as a man's weight is by the staff he leans on (Le 26:26; Psa 105:16; Is 3:1). by weight, and with care--in scant measure (Eze 4:10).Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 4:16
In the dictionaries
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
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