Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking ,.... As one in surprise or fear, or that has got an ague upon him: and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness ; fearing want of it, or as apprehensive of danger of its being taken away; see Ezekiel 4:16 . read more
Eat thy bread with quaking - Assume the manner of a person who is every moment afraid of his life, who has nothing but a morsel of bread to eat, and a little water to drink. Thus signifying the siege, and the straits to which they should be reduced. See this explained, Ezekiel 12:19 ; (note). read more
Deprivations caused by sin. "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking," etc. This paragraph was addressed to Ezekiel's fellow exiles. "Say unto the people of the land;" i.e. of Chaldea. The design was to discourage the false expectations of the captives, who were looking forward to an early season of prosperity for their native land, in which they hoped to share. To this end the prophet shows to them that, in respect to their fellow... read more
Eat thy bread with quaking, etc. No special stress is to be laid on the fact that only bread and water are named. The prophet is not dwelling now on the scarcity of food in the besieged city, as he had done in Ezekiel 4:9-17 , but on the fear and terror which should haunt the lives of the besieged. Here again we can scarcely doubt that, as in Ezekiel 4:11 , Ezekiel was a sign to those among whom he lived. Outwardly and visibly he was seen after his strange flitting, cowering in a corner,... read more
Fear. Ezekiel, in conformity with his new, desperate method of rousing the heedless Jews, is now to dramatize Fear in his own person and action, as a sign of the terror that will seize upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the days of its overthrow. I. FEAR ARISES FROM EVIL CAUSES . The sound and innocent soul in healthy circumstances should not know fear. Observe some of the causes of fear. 1 . Ignorance. "Fear always springs from ignorance," says Emerson. There is a... read more
Trembling anticipations. Frequently was the ministry of Ezekiel a ministry of symbolism as well as of language. Very pictorial and effective must some of the prescribed actions of the prophet have appeared to those who witnessed them. On the occasion referred to in this passage he ate his bread and drank his water with trembling, carefulness, and astonishment. Now, in ordinary cases, the daily meals are partaken by good men with cheerfulness and gratitude. The change from Ezekiel's usual... read more
Here the sign is the exhibition of such terror as the danger of a siege creates. read more
Ezekiel 12:17-19. Moreover, &c. As he was a sign to them in digging through the wall and carrying out his stuff, so he must now be a sign to them in another way. Eat thy bread with quaking, &c. Show all the signs of anxiety and consternation when thou takest thy common sustenance. This he was to do that he might express the calamitous condition of those that should be in Jerusalem during the siege. And say unto the people Thy fellow-captives; Thus saith the Lord of the... read more
Messages to be heeded (12:17-28)Ezekiel’s starvation diet symbolized the shortage of food in Jerusalem during the last great siege (see 4:9-17). He was now told that, when he ate, he was to act as if he were stricken with terror, to emphasize the horror of the events about to overtake Jerusalem (17-20).Many of the exiles doubted the truth of the messages that Ezekiel announced. They argued that days, months, and even years passed, but they did not see his prophecies fulfilled (21-22). God’s... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 12:17-20
Here again the prophet is made a sign to them of the desolations that were coming on Judah and Jerusalem. 1. He must himself eat and drink in care and fear, especially when he was in company, Ezek. 12:17, 18. Though he was under no apprehension of danger to himself, but lived in safety and plenty, yet he must eat his bread with quaking (the bread of sorrows, Ps. 127:2) and drink his water with trembling and with carefulness, that he might express the calamitous condition of those that should... read more