New King James Version
Ezekiel 4:14
14So I said, “Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth.”
Ezekiel 4:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
- New International Version (NIV)Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth."
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law.”
Context of Ezekiel 4:14
12And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.” 13Then the Lord said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.” So I said, “Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth.” 15Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.” 16Moreover 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,
Read all of Ezekiel 4Ezekiel 4:14 word by word
וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲהָהּ֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה הִנֵּ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י לֹ֣א מְטֻמָּאָ֑ה וּנְבֵלָ֨ה וּטְרֵפָ֤ה לֹֽא־אָכַ֙לְתִּי֙ מִנְּעוּרַ֣י וְעַד־עַ֔תָּה וְלֹא־בָ֥א בְּפִ֖י בְּשַׂ֥ר פִּגּֽוּל׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I, Ahאֲהָהּ'ăhâhh · alas!H162
- Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
- behold, my soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: myselfH5315
- hath not been pollutedטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- for from my youthנְעוּרִיםnâ‛ûr nâ‛ûr ne‛ûrâh · youthH5271
- up even till now have I not eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- of that which dieth of itselfנְבֵלָהnebêlâh · carcassH5038
- or is torn in piecesטְרֵפָהţerêphâh · torn animalH2966
- neither cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- there abominableפִּגּוּלpiggûl piggûl · refuseH6292
- fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- into my mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
Cross-references for Ezekiel 4:14
- Ezekiel 9:8So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”
- Ezekiel 20:49Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ”
- Jeremiah 1:6Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
- Acts 10:14But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
- Exodus 22:31“And you shall be holy men to Me: you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
- Leviticus 11:39‘And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 17:15“And every person who eats what died naturally or what was torn by beasts, whether he is a native of your own country or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean.
- Leviticus 19:7And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted.
- Deuteronomy 14:3“You shall not eat any detestable thing.
- Isaiah 65:4Who sit among the graves, And spend the night in the tombs; Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
- Isaiah 66:17“Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,” says the Lord.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 4:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14My soul hath not been polluted - There is a remarkable similarity between this expostulation of the prophet and that of St. Peter, Acts 10:14.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Abominable flesh - Flesh that had become corrupt and foul by overkeeping. Compare Leviticus 19:7.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. 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. 1414. Ezekiel, as a priest, had been accustomed to the strictest abstinence from everything legally impure. Peter felt the same scruple at a similar command (Ac 10:14; compare Is 65:4). Positive precepts, being dependent on a particular command can be set aside at the will of the divine ruler; but moral precepts are everlasting in their obligation because God cannot be inconsistent with His unchanging moral nature. abominable flesh--literally, "flesh that…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 4:14
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries