John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 5:1
And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife ,.... Or, "sword" F13 חרב "gladium", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus, Starckius. . The word signifies any sharp instrument, by which anything is cut off, or cut asunder; what is here meant is explained by the following: take thee a barber's razor . The Septuagint and Arabic versions read this in conjunction with the former, thus, "take thee a knife", or "sword, sharper than a barber's razor"; and so the... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 5:1-4
We have here the sign by which the utter destruction of Jerusalem is set forth; and here, as before, the prophet is himself the sign, that the people might see how much he affected himself with, and interested himself in, the case of Jerusalem, and how it lay to his heart, even when he foretold the desolations of it. He was so much concerned about it as to take what was done to it as done to himself, so far was he from desiring the woeful day. I. He must shave off the hair of his head and... read more