Ezekiel 12:5
New International Version
While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it.

New Living Translation
Dig a hole through the wall while they are watching and go out through it.

English Standard Version
In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it.

Berean Standard Bible
As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it.

King James Bible
Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

New King James Version
Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it.

New American Standard Bible
Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and go out through it.

NASB 1995
“Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and go out through it.

NASB 1977
“Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and go out through it.

Legacy Standard Bible
In their sight, dig a hole through the wall and go out through it.

Amplified Bible
Dig through the wall as they watch and go out through the hole.

Christian Standard Bible
As they watch, dig through the wall and take the bags out through it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
As they watch, dig through the wall and take the bags out through it.

American Standard Version
Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

Contemporary English Version
Dig through the wall of your house and crawl out, carrying the bag with you. Make sure everyone is watching.

English Revised Version
Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Dig a hole through the wall of your house, and leave through it.

Good News Translation
While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it.

International Standard Version
While they continue to watch, dig a hole for yourself in the wall and enter through it.

Majority Standard Bible
As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it.

NET Bible
While they are watching, dig a hole in the wall and carry your belongings out through it.

New Heart English Bible
Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your stuff out that way.

Webster's Bible Translation
Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

World English Bible
Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your baggage out that way.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You dig through the wall before their eyes, and you have brought forth by it.

Young's Literal Translation
Before their eyes dig for thee through the wall, and thou hast brought forth by it.

Smith's Literal Translation
Before their eyes break through to thee in the wall, and bring forth by it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Dig thee a way through the wall before their eyes: and thou shalt go forth through it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Dig for yourself through the wall, before their eyes. And you shall go out through it.

New American Bible
While they watch, dig a hole through the wall and go out through it.

New Revised Standard Version
Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry the baggage through it.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Make a breach through the wall in their sight and go forth through it.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And break through the wall in their sight and come out in it
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Dig for thyself into the wall of the house, and thou shalt pass through it in their sight:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Signs of the Coming Captivity
4Bring out your baggage for exile by day, as they watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out like those who go into exile. 5As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it. 6And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”…

Cross References
Jeremiah 39:4
When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah.

2 Kings 25:4
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,

Jeremiah 52:7
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,

Ezekiel 24:27
On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 4:3
Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 3:25-26
And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. / I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel 33:21-22
In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!” / Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.

Jeremiah 38:28
And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

Jeremiah 32:24
See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see!

2 Chronicles 36:17-20
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, / who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials. / Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value. ...

Matthew 24:43
But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

Luke 12:39
But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

John 10:1
“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

1 Thessalonians 5:2
For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Revelation 3:3
Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.


Treasury of Scripture

Dig you through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

Dig thou [heb] Dig for thee.

2 Kings 25:4
And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

Jeremiah 39:2-4
And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up…

Jump to Previous
Belongings Carry Dig Eyes Forth Hole Sight Thereby Wall Watch
Jump to Next
Belongings Carry Dig Eyes Forth Hole Sight Thereby Wall Watch
Ezekiel 12
1. Under the type of Ezekiel's removing
8. is shown the captivity of Zedekiah
17. Ezekiel's trembling shows the Jews' desolation
21. The Jews' presumptuous proverb is reproved
26. The speediness of the vision














As they watch
This phrase indicates that Ezekiel's actions were meant to be a public demonstration. In the context of prophetic ministry, such symbolic acts were often used to capture the attention of the people and convey a message from God. The audience, likely the exiled community in Babylon, would have been familiar with the role of prophets as both messengers and performers of divine signs. This public act was intended to provoke thought and reflection among the observers.

dig through the wall
The act of digging through a wall symbolizes a clandestine escape, suggesting urgency and desperation. In ancient Near Eastern cities, walls were both protective barriers and symbols of security. Ezekiel's action would have been shocking, as it implied a breach of safety and the futility of relying on physical defenses. This act foreshadows the impending siege and fall of Jerusalem, where inhabitants would attempt to escape the city under dire circumstances. It also serves as a metaphor for the spiritual breaches in Israel's relationship with God.

and carry your belongings out through it
Carrying belongings through a hole in the wall signifies exile and displacement. This imagery would resonate with the exiles in Babylon, who had already experienced the trauma of being uprooted from their homeland. The act of carrying possessions suggests a journey into the unknown, highlighting the theme of judgment and the consequences of disobedience to God. This phrase connects to the broader biblical narrative of exile and return, seen in the experiences of figures like Joseph and the Israelites in Egypt, and later, the return from Babylonian captivity. It also prefigures the ultimate deliverance and restoration found in Jesus Christ, who provides a way out of spiritual exile and into the kingdom of God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their exile in Babylon. He often used symbolic actions to convey God's messages.

2. The Israelites
The people of God who were in exile in Babylon due to their disobedience and idolatry. They are the primary audience of Ezekiel's prophetic actions and messages.

3. Babylon
The place of exile for the Israelites. It represents a period of judgment and reflection for the people of God.

4. Jerusalem
The city that is under siege and will eventually fall, as prophesied by Ezekiel. It symbolizes the spiritual and physical state of the Israelites.

5. The Wall
Represents the barriers and defenses that the Israelites relied on, which would ultimately be breached due to their disobedience.
Teaching Points
Symbolic Actions as Prophetic Messages
Ezekiel's actions were not just for show; they were a divine method to communicate God's message. We should be attentive to how God might use unconventional means to speak to us today.

The Consequences of Disobedience
The digging through the wall symbolizes the inevitable consequences of Israel's disobedience. It serves as a reminder that our actions have repercussions, and we must align ourselves with God's will.

God's Patience and Warnings
Despite the Israelites' continued rebellion, God sent prophets like Ezekiel to warn them. This demonstrates God's patience and desire for repentance, encouraging us to heed His warnings in our lives.

The Reality of Judgment
The act of carrying belongings through a breached wall signifies the reality of impending judgment. It challenges us to live in a way that is prepared for Christ's return and the final judgment.

Hope Beyond Judgment
While Ezekiel's message was one of impending doom, it also pointed to the hope of restoration. We can find hope in God's promises of redemption and restoration through Christ.(5) Dig thou through the wall.--This is a sub sequent action, as shown by Ezekiel 12:7. The wall was probably of adobe, sun-dried brick, the common building material of the country, and there was, therefore, no great difficulty in digging through it; but this way of entering the house indicates something of stealth and secrecy. He was to carry forth his goods openly through his door during the day, and then to re-enter at evening, and secretly to carry forth those things which he would not otherwise be allowed to take away.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
While they watch,
לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם (lə·‘ê·nê·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - cdc | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

dig
חֲתָר־ (ḥă·ṯār-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 2864: To force a, passage, as by burglary, with oars

through the wall
בַקִּ֑יר (ḇaq·qîr)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7023: A wall

and carry [your belongings]
וְהוֹצֵאתָ֖ (wə·hō·w·ṣê·ṯā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

out through it.
בּֽוֹ׃ (bōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew


Links
Ezekiel 12:5 NIV
Ezekiel 12:5 NLT
Ezekiel 12:5 ESV
Ezekiel 12:5 NASB
Ezekiel 12:5 KJV

Ezekiel 12:5 BibleApps.com
Ezekiel 12:5 Biblia Paralela
Ezekiel 12:5 Chinese Bible
Ezekiel 12:5 French Bible
Ezekiel 12:5 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Ezekiel 12:5 Dig you through the wall in their (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 12:4
Top of Page
Top of Page