Tree of Life Version
Ezekiel 4:16
16Then he said to me, “Son of man, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, in anxiety, and they will drink water by measure, in horror.
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
14Then I said, “Ah, Adonai Elohim ! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up until now have I not eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts. Tainted meat has never come into my mouth.” 15He said to me, “See, I have given you cow dung instead of human dung. So you will prepare your bread on it.” Then he said to me, “Son of man, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, in anxiety, and they will drink water by measure, in horror. 17On account of their lack of bread and water they will be appalled at one another and waste away in 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 5:16When I send evil arrows of famine upon them, for destruction I will send them to destroy you, and I will intensify the famine upon you and will break your staff of bread.
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a land sins against Me by trespassing grievously and I stretch out My hand over it, break off its staff of bread, send famine upon it and cut it off from man and beast.
- Leviticus 26:26When I break your staff of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.
- Psalms 105:16He called down a famine on the land. He broke the whole supply of bread.
- Isaiah 3:1For behold! The Lord, Adonai-Tzva’ot, takes from Jerusalem and from Judah supply and support, every supply of bread and every supply of water,
- Ezekiel 4:10The food that you will eat will be 20 shekels a day by weight. You may eat from it from time to time.
- Ezekiel 12:18“Son of man, eat your bread with quaking and drink your water with trembling and anxiety.
- Psalms 60:3O God, You have spurned us. You have broken out against us. You have been angry. Turn back to us!
- Lamentations 1:11All her people groan, as they seek bread. They traded their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. “Look, Adonai, and see! For I have become despised!”
- Lamentations 4:9Better are those slain by the sword than those struck down by famine— they waste away, racked with pain, for lack of fruits of the field.
- Lamentations 5:9We get our bread at the peril of our lives because of the sword in 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
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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