Ezekiel 4

The prophet is commanded by God to portray the siege of Jerusalem upon a tile plate vers 1 c also the time of God forhearance with the backsliding of Israel and Juda 4 likewise the great famine that should be in Jerusalem during the siege 9,c.

1. And thou child of man take thee a tile [meaning a flat smooth table made of tile or brick were on a man might write engrave or make a draught of anything as with us slates are used for such purpose]and lay it before thy face and portray the word signifieth here properly to cut in to delineate to engrave with the graver compare below chap 23 .14 ]upon it the city of Jerusalem .

2. And lay siege against it [to wit in portraying or delineating] and build forts against it [see of the Hebrew rendered here fort s 2 Kings 25 on vers 1] and cast up [Heb puore out] a mount [see 2 Sam 20. on vers 15]against it and set camps against and set battering rams [to wit whereby the walls and the forts of cities were battered and broken down called by the latins arietes .the word signifieth also captain or commanders in war as 2 Kings 11:4 ,19 in which sense it is also taken by some as below chap 21.22.]against it round about .

3. Moreover take unto thee an iron pan [to wit a token of Gods firm and unmovable resolution which he had to destroy Jerusalem and not to spare it] and set it for an iron wall between thee and between that city and set thy face against it [that is have a strong resolution to destroy it by the siege compare the phrase with Levit 17.10 and see the annotate The prophet is here commanded by the way of portraying to do that work against Jerusalem which God himself intended to do Jerem 21.10]that it besieged [Heb that it be in siege]and thou shalt destroy it let this be a token to the house of Israel [to wit that Jerusalem shall be besieged ,taken and destroyed]

4. Lie thou thou also down upon thy left side [to wit for a token that God was so long as it was still a sleeping bearing with the iniquities of his people .Now it is conceived that this was not really done to the prophet in his own person but only in a prophetical vision and representation thereof which he in preaching was to shew unto the people .But some are of opinion that there was also some what of this really shewed unto the people upon thy left side to wit to signifie thereby that this first lying down was in respect of the children of Israel though some understand here not only the ten tribes but also Juda in regard of community of their fins especially of their idolatry whose chief city Samaria was to them that stood between it and Jerusalem with their faces towards the east on the left side that is northward as Jerusalem the chief city of the Jews was on the right side that is southward or understand by the left side that the Israelites were unworthiest of Gods people because they were under the reign of Jeroboam fallen off from the true worship of God [see below vers 6] and lay upon it the iniquity of the house of Israel according to this word is here inserted from the next vers the number of days that thou shalt he upon it thou shalt hear their iniquity .[to wit not as Christ did to take away the guilt and the punishment of iniquity by satisfaction but as a divine token and represented unto them by this portraiture signifying Gods long suffering and forebearance whereby he had born many years with their obstinacy and willfulness and also the grievousness of the punishment which they now had to expect.]

5. For I have given thee the years of their iniquity according to the number of days [that is I have appointed ordained and commanded thee to bear their iniquity so many days as those years are the years of which are here declare by the days of the prophets lying down as followeth .They are in a number three hundred and ninety beginning from the defection of the ten tribes under Jeroboam 1 Kings 12:26 , 2 Chron 12.1 and ended with the siege and taking of the city of Jerusalem and the destruction ,of the temple of Nebuchadnezzar .2Kings 25 2 Chron 36 with this proviso that among three hundred and ninety years are also comprehended the forty years mentioned in the former vers of the beginning whereof see there this maybe gathered from the ninth vers following were thew prophets provision is prescribed only for three hundred and ninety days .Some begin to count the years signified by these days from the twenty seventh year of king Solomon when he had the land began to fall into fallen idolatry 1 Kings 11 .4] three hundred and ninety days [their number is here punctually set down because the strong and the strength siege of Jerusalem should continue so long agreeing with the time of years wherein the Israelites and the Jews had defiled themselves with idolatry for a public evidence of Gods righteous judgment by Jerem 52.4,5,6it appeareth that more days were expired from the beginning of the siege was intermitted a while because of the marching up of the Egyptian ,Jereem 37.5 which time is here passed by and not counted by Ezekiel]that thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Israel [compare numbers 14.34.]

6. Now when thou shalt have accomplished these [that is when thou shalt not be far from the accomplishing of these days having finished those three hundred and fifty so that but forty remain] lie down the second time [see above on vers 4.this second lying down was in respect of the fins of the Jews the Jews had above the Israelites lay southward that is on the right side of the world see above on vers 3 the right side may also signifie the dignity and excellency which the Jews had above the Israelites because with them was the temple and the service of God and the house of David]that should bear the iniquity of the house of Juda [see above on vers 4] forty years these days which signify forty years as followeth begin the eighteenth year of Jofias reign wherein the Jews renewed their covenant with God but so as that they straight way again fell to idolatry and end with siege and destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple or the last carrying away of the Jews captive to Babel by Nebuzaradan 2 Kings 25] I have given thee each day of each year [Heb a day for a year ,a day for a year see Gen 7 on vers 2 and Levit 24 on vers 8 .]

7. Therefore thou shalt set thy face against siege of Jerusalem [that is against Jerusalem that is besieged see above on vers 3] thine arm shall be made bare ;[to signify that the Chaldeans shall be very ready active and forward to take Jerusalem suddenly by force and violence compare Jerem 21.5]and thy shalt prophesie against it.

8. And behold I will lay thick ropes upon thee that thou shalt not turn thee about from thy one side to thy other side ,[Heb from thy side to thy side]till thou hast ended the days of thy siege [It is called his either because the potraying and prediction thereof was enjoyned to him or because they concerned his city .Others sieges with the plural number because at that time they were at that time two sieges of the city of Jerusalem .For when the Chaldeans had heard that the king of Egypt came to help king Zedekia they left the siege ,but when they understood that he was returned to Egypt they reassumed the siege .In this eight vers the Lord showeth that his decree of destroying the city was unalterable and that therefore the prophet must persevere in this his prophesying and in his propounding his prophetical portraiture .]

9. And take thou for thyself wheat and barley and beans and lentils and millet [otherwise called hiose]and spelte and put the in one vessel that is not every fort in a several vessel but all mingled together in one vessel which was wont to be done in time of need when there is great want of bread –corn ]and make them unto thee for Bread according to the number of days that thou shalt lie down upon thy side [by these and the following words is shewed the great distress and famine that should come upon those that should be besieged in Jerusalem]three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat it [that is the siege of Jerusalem shalt last about fourteen months]

10. Now thy meat which thou shalt eat shll be in weight twenty shekels a day [understand common or shekels whereof one made about a quarter of the Ryx –dollars Gen 20 on vers 16 four of these made the weight of an ounce that is of a Ryx-dollar so then the weight of a shekels was five ounce from time to time shalt thou eat it [That is thou shalt everyday eat but so much to signifie the famine that shall be in Jerusalem so in the next vers of the daily drink compare 2 King 25.3 Jerem 37.20.]

11. Thou shalt also drink water by certain measures the sixth part of an hin [a measure of moist commodities containing as much as may go into three score and twelve common egg-shells see Levit 19 on vers 36 so that the measure of drink was as much as might go into twelve hen eggs]from time to time shalt thou drink it

12. And thou shalt eat a barley cake,[Others thou shall eat it as barley cake meaning the meat mentioned on vers 9, 10 that is prepared and made up in such a fashion as barley cakes are]and thou shalt bake it a dung of a man excrement [which should be fain to serve them instead of wood to boil their meat withal ;or also to bake their cakes on an hearth or in an oven heated with mans dung .So that hereby is signified that in the siege they should have great want of wood ;yeah also of cattle because the dung thereof was held to be less loathsom]before their eyes [hence some do gather these things were not only shewed by God unto prophet in a vision but that he also shewed them unto the people in a visible resemblance]

13. And the Lord said thus shall the children of Israel [that is the Jews with those of the ten tribes that dwelt around them see 2 Chron 21 on vers 2] eat their unclean bread [it is called so because of the aforementioned boiling or baking compare Duet 23.12]among the Gentiles wither I will drive them [meaning the Chaldeans ,among whom the Jews should be besieged and afterwards carried away captive by them]

14. Then said I, Ah Lord LORD behold my soul [that is my person see 1 Kings 19 on vers 4] hath not been polluted ;[to wit by any ceremonial uncleanness which was manifold whereof three forts are named here ,among with all the rest are to be understood , and those that are forbidden to the priest Levit 21 and 22]for from my youth up until now have I not eat a dead carcase of this fort of uncleanness Levit 11.40 ] or that which is torn into pieces [see of this fort Exodus 22:31] neither came there loathsome flesh [Heb flesh of loathsomeness or of stink [ se Levit 7 on vers 18 into my mouth .

15. And h said unto me ,Lo, behold I have give thee ox dung for mans dung therefore thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. [Thus the Lord matigateth his former command is the respect of the prophets own person that was to portray this before the eyes of the people above vers 12 but not in respect of the Jews that should be besieged in Jerusalem .]

16. After that he said unto me, Thou child of man , behold , I break the staff of bread [See Levit 26 on vers 26 and also Isaiah 3:1 below chap 5.16 and 14.13]in Jerusalem and they shall eat bread by weight ,[as God had threatened ,Levit 26.26 .] and carking ,[to wit whereby they shall be so cast down as that they shall stand like despairing men .]

17. That they may want bread and water [Or so that they shall want bread and water] and be astonished one with another [Heb the man and his brother]and consume away in their iniquity .[compare Levit 26.39 Ezekiel 23:24 and 33.10.