What is the meaning of Ezekiel 4:16? Then He told me God Himself is speaking. Ezekiel is not reporting rumor or conjecture; he is passing along a direct word from the Lord (Ezekiel 1:3; 3:10-11). The phrase underscores divine authority, reminding us that prophecy carries the same weight as any other portion of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21). Because the message comes from God, every detail will unfold exactly as stated, just as earlier warnings in Leviticus 26:14-26 had come to pass in Israel’s history. Son of man This familiar title, used for Ezekiel over ninety times (Ezekiel 2:1; 3:17), stresses the prophet’s humanity in contrast to God’s sovereignty. It keeps the focus on the Lord rather than the messenger. The same contrast shows up when Isaiah says, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8), and when John is told, “Write what you see” (Revelation 1:19). God employs frail people to deliver perfect truth, highlighting His power and grace. I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem • The impending siege will choke off provisions, fulfilling earlier covenant curses (Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 28:49-57). • Historically this took place when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem; “By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe that there was no food for the people of the land” (2 Kings 25:3). • The statement shows both judgment and mercy: judgment because sin has consequences (Ezekiel 5:7-9), and mercy because God warns before He strikes (Amos 3:7). • Christ later echoed the same pattern of warning before destruction when He foretold the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Luke 19:41-44). They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight • Anxiety flows from scarcity. When bread is weighed, every crumb matters (Ezekiel 4:10-11). • The picture recalls Leviticus 26:26: “When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole it out by weight.” • Lamentations 4:9-10 records the horrifying reality after the prophecy came true—people desperate enough to resort to unthinkable measures. • In the New Testament, Jesus teaches His disciples not to worry about food (Matthew 6:25-33), a promise rooted in obedience; the anxiety pictured here is sin’s fallout when a nation rejects God’s reign. and in despair they will drink water by measure • Water, normally abundant, becomes a measured commodity (Isaiah 3:1; Lamentations 5:4). • Despair accompanies each swallow—an emotional as well as physical drought. Psalm 107:33-34 shows God turning “rivers into a desert” because of wickedness. • The controlled portions anticipate even harsher sieges recorded later (Jeremiah 14:1-3). • Yet God’s ultimate plan is restoration. Ezekiel 36:25 promises, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean,” contrasting the measured, bitter water of judgment with the abundant, cleansing water of renewal. summary Ezekiel 4:16 delivers a sober, literal warning: Jerusalem’s rebellion will bring a siege so severe that bread and water—the staples of life—are weighed and measured with fear and despair. God speaks; Ezekiel listens; the people are called to repent. The verse underscores covenant faithfulness on God’s part: blessings for obedience, discipline for sin. Even in judgment, the Lord’s Word offers hope, foreshadowing a future restoration when scarcity and anxiety will be replaced by abundance and peace for those who return to Him. |
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