Ezekiel 4:16

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

14I answered, “Almighty Lord, I have never dishonored myself. From the time I was young until now, I have never eaten an animal that died by itself or was killed by other wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.” 15He said to me, “I will let you use cow manure in place of human excrement. Bake your bread over it.” He also said to me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the bread supply in Jerusalem. People will anxiously eat rationed bread and fearfully drink rationed water. 17They will be shocked at the sight of each other because of the lack of food and water. They will waste away because of their sin.”

Ezekiel 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 shoot my destructive arrows of famine at you, I will shoot to kill you. I will bring more and more famines into your land, and I will cut off your food supply.
• Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals.
• Leviticus 26:26I will destroy your food supply. Ten women will need only one oven to prepare your food. You will eat and go away hungry.
• Psalms 105:16He brought famine to the land. He took away their food supply.
• Isaiah 3:1See now, the Lord, the Lord of Armies, is going to take from Jerusalem and Judah every kind of support and their entire supply of food and water.
• Ezekiel 4:10The food that you eat should be weighed. Eat eight ounces of food every day at set times.
• Ezekiel 12:18“Son of man, shake as you eat your food. Tremble and be worried as you drink your water.
• Psalms 60:3You have made your people experience hardships. You have given us wine that makes us stagger.
• Lamentations 1:11All the people are groaning as they beg for bread. They trade their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. ‘O Lord, look and see how despised I am!’ ”
• Lamentations 4:9Those who were killed with swords are better off than those who are dying from starvation. Those who were stabbed bled to death. The others are dying because there is nothing in the fields to eat.
• Lamentations 5:9To get our food, we have to risk our lives in the heat of the desert.

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

• Bread
• Famine
• Instruction
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Son of man
• Care
• Cherub
• Living creatures
• Agabus
• Break
• Hosea
• Measure; Measures
• Staff

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