Ftches, in English, is another spelling of vetches, is plant having tendrils. But the Hebrew - kaseemeth is defined as trlticum spetla, or spelled, a kind of eon), always distinguished from wheat, barley, &c. Compare Ex. Eze 9:32 .Isaiah 28:25 . Here, in plural. read more
"Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof; according to the number of days that thou shalt lie on thy side, even three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. And thy food which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. And thou shalt drink water by measure, the sixth part of a bin.' from time to time shalt thou drink."In this... read more
Ezekiel 4:9. Take—wheat, &c.— In time of scarcity, it is usual to mix a great deal of the coarse kinds of grain with a little of the better sort, to make the provisions last the longer. Ezekiel was commanded to do this, to signify the scarcity which the inhabitants should suffer during the siege. The twenty shekels, in the next verse, amount to about ten ounces; and the sixth part of an hin, Eze 4:11 is about a pint and a half. See Cumberland's Weights and Measures. read more
9. wheat . . . barley, c.—Instead of simple flour used for delicate cakes ( :-), the Jews should have a coarse mixture of six different kinds of grain, such as the poorest alone would eat. fitches—spelt or dhourra. three hundred and ninety—The forty days are omitted, since these latter typify the wilderness period when Israel stood separate from the Gentiles and their pollution, though partially chastened by stint of bread and water (Ezekiel 4:16), whereas the eating of the polluted bread in... read more
The prophet was also to make provisions so that he would have adequate food to eat and water to drink as he lay on his side for the first 390 days. The Lord prescribed just what and how much he should consume each day: one and one-third pints of water and eight ounces of bread. These were famine rations. His bread was to be a combination of six grains rather than just one, similar to how people during a siege would have to make their bread. They would mix small amounts of whatever they could... read more
The food 4:9-17This second dramatization took place while Ezekiel was acting out the first 390 days of the siege of Jerusalem with the brick and the plate (Ezekiel 4:1-8). Whereas the main drama pictured the siege as a judgment from God, this aspect of it stressed the severe conditions that would exist in the city during the siege. read more
Symbolic Actions Representing Jerusalem's Siege and CaptivityEzekiel is commanded to perform four remarkable actions setting forth the coming siege withits hardships, and the approaching captivity with its evils. It is uncertain whether these actions were literally performed or not. Symbolic methods of this-kind were certainly used by various prophets, but some of those in Ezekiel 4:0 are so extraordinary that many suppose that they were not actually carried out, but only imagined and... read more
§ 2. The Overthrow of the Jewish Kingdom Foretold (Ezekiel 4-7)The great theme of the first part of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry was the certainty of the complete downfall of the Jewish state. Though Zedekiah had been set on the throne by Nebuchadrezzar after the first captivity, there was no hope for the kingdom. Zedekiah’s reign was viewed by Ezekiel, as well as by Jeremiah, only as a temporary respite, to be followed by a second captivity which would bring the state to an end. Ezekiel 4-7... read more
(9) Take thou also unto thee wheat.—The grains enumerated are of all kinds from the best to the worst, indicating that every sort of food would be sought after in the straitness of the siege. If the mixing of these in one vessel and making bread of them all together was not against the exact letter of the law, it was, at least, a plain violation of its spirit (Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:9), thus again indicating the stern necessity which should be laid upon the people.Three hundred and... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 4:1-17
4:1-7:27 JUDGMENT AGAINST JERUSALEMSiege and exile (4:1-17)Prophets often acted their messages instead of, or in addition to, speaking them. Ezekiel drew a rough picture of Jerusalem on a brick, placed the brick on the ground, then with sticks, stones, clay and markings in the sand, he modelled a siege of the city. The message to the exiles was that they had no chance of an early return to Jerusalem. On the contrary, Jerusalem could expect further attack. God would not defend the city; rather... read more