New English Translation
Ezekiel 4:16
16Then he said to me, “Son of man, I am about to remove the bread supply in Jerusalem. They will eat their bread ration anxiously, and they will drink their water ration in terror
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
14And I said, “Ah, sovereign Lord, I have never been ceremonially defiled before. I have never eaten a carcass or an animal torn by wild beasts; from my youth up, unclean meat has never entered my mouth.” 15So he said to me, “All right then, I will substitute cow’s manure instead of human excrement. You will cook your food over it.” Then he said to me, “Son of man, I am about to remove the bread supply in Jerusalem. They will eat their bread ration anxiously, and they will drink their water ration in terror 17because they will lack bread and water. Each one will be terrified, and they will rot for their iniquity.
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 5:16I will shoot against them deadly, destructive arrows of famine, which I will shoot to destroy you. I will prolong a famine on you and will remove the bread supply.
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply, cause famine to come on it, and kill both people and animals.
- Leviticus 26:26When I break off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight, and you will eat and not be satisfied.
- Psalms 105:16He called down a famine upon the earth; he cut off all the food supply.
- Isaiah 3:1Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah every source of security, including all the food and water,
- Ezekiel 4:10The food you eat will be eight ounces a day by weight; you must eat it at fixed times.
- Ezekiel 12:18“Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with anxious shaking.
- Psalms 60:3You have made your people experience hard times; you have made us drink intoxicating wine.
- Lamentations 1:11All her people groaned as they searched for a morsel of bread. They exchanged their valuables for just enough food to stay alive. “Look, O Lord! Consider that I have become worthless!” ל (Lamed)
- Lamentations 4:9Those who died by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, those who waste away, struck down from lack of food. י (Yod)
- Lamentations 5:9At the risk of our lives we get our food because robbers lurk in the countryside.
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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