Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 4:13
And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
13. eat their defiled bread ] Rather: eat their bread unclean. This is the meaning of the symbol: the food which the people shall eat among the nations will be unclean. In a pathetic passage of Hosea it is said: “they shall not dwell in the Lord’s land; but Ephraim shall eat unclean food in Assyria. They shall not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall their sacrifices be pleasing unto him; their bread shall be unto them as the bread of mourners, all that eat thereof shall be polluted; for their bread shall be for their appetite; it shall not come into the house of the Lord” (ch. Eze 9:3-4 R.V. marg.). A foreign land was in itself unclean (Amo 7:17), no presence of Jehovah sanctified it; all food eaten in it was also common for it was not hallowed by part of it being brought into the house of the Lord and offered to him. Food eaten among the heathen was as the bread of mourners in Israel, all who partook of it were polluted. But as the words of the prophet suggest ( Eze 4:14) in addition to this general uncleanness the people were forced in their straits or induced to eat many things actually prohibited by the Law, such as that which died of itself or was torn by wild beasts (ch. Eze 44:31; Lev 17:15; Deu 14:21. Comp. Isa 65:4). And it is natural that in the sore famine during the siege such unclean food was eaten, as indeed more terrible practices prevailed (ch. Eze 5:10). Eze 4:13 appears in a shorter form in LXX., but there is no reason to regard the whole verse as a gloss.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The ceremonial ordinances in relation to food were intended to keep the nation free from idolatrous usages; everywhere among the pagan idol feasts formed a leading part in their religious services, and idol meats were partaken of in common life. Dispersion among the Gentiles must have exposed the Jews to much which they regarded as common and unclean. In Ezekiels case there was a mitigation Eze 4:15 of the defilement, but still legal defilement remained, and the chosen people in exile were subjected to it as to a degradation.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
This verse is a key to the former.
Even thus; scanty, mean, ill-dressed, and polluted in the very dressing, loathsome to any but starved bellies.
The children of Israel; not only the house of Judah, but all the rest of the children of Israel; not in the siege only, but this misery should pursue them.
Among the Gentiles; who would be ready enough to upbraid them, and twit them, as breaking the rules of their religion to fill their bellies: thus their sins would bring them to extremest want and shame.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. Implying that Israel’speculiar distinction was to be abolished and that they were to beoutwardly blended with the idolatrous heathen (Deu 28:68;Hos 9:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord said, even thus shall the children of Israel,…. Not the ten tribes only, or those who were among the other two, but all the Jews in captivity:
eat the defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them; so called, not because mixed, but baked in the above manner; which was a symbol of the defilements which they should contract upon various accounts, by dwelling among the Gentiles; so that this foretells their captivity; their pollution among the nations of the world; and that they should not be the holy people to the Lord they had been, and had boasted of. The Jews k cite this passage to prove that he that eats bread without drying his hands is as if he ate defiled bread.
k T. Bab. Sota, fol, 4. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(13) Eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles.The Mosaic law purposely so hedged the people about with detailed precepts in regard to their food and its preparation, that it was impossible for them to share the food of the Gentiles without contracting ceremonial defilement; and the declared object of this symbolism is to teach that the Israelites should thus be forced to contract defilement. Their sins had brought them to that pass, which is so often the result of continued and obdurate sin, that it should be impossible for them to avoid further transgression. Ezekiel shows by his reply, in Eze. 4:14, that like St. Peter, in Act. 10:14, he had ever been a scrupulous observer of the law. To St. Peter, however, it was made known that in the breadth of the Christian dispensation this ceremonial law was now done away, while to Ezekiel it still remained in full force.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And Yahweh said, “Even thus will the children of Israel eat their food unclean among the nations whither I will drive them.” ’
The eating of food in this way would not only indicate the coming siege, it would also act as a reminder that because of their rebelliousness His people would be driven from the land of their inheritance to live in foreign lands that were seen as unclean. This signified that they would no longer be enjoying in full God’s provision for them through His covenant. While they would still be His covenant people, and be expected to live under the terms of the covenant, a major part of the privilege would have been lost. They would no longer have their own land, and their own holy city and temple, and the privilege of living fully in ritual cleanness. They would be defiled until their period of punishment was over.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 4:13. Eat their defiled bread, &c. The prophet, speaking above of eating and drinking by weight and measure, foretels the famine in Jerusalem; now, in the bread baked with dung is pre-signified the unclean bread which the children of Israel were to eat among the Gentiles; as also the three hundred and ninety days in the different actions of the prophet adumbrated, as we have observed, both how many years the children of Israel should be punished, and how many days the famine should continue in Jerusalem. It is remarkable, that the prophet foretels that the children of Israel should eat defiled bread among the Gentiles, but not those of Judah, who were to preserve themselves more pure. Hosea threatens the Israelites in the same manner, ch. Eze 9:3. See Calmet and Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 4:13 And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
Ver. 13. Eat their defiled bread. ] Not able now to observe that ceremonial purity in their meats which God had commanded. This was just upon them for their worshipping those their dungy deities.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
children = sons.
Gentiles = nations.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 1:8, Hos 9:3, Hos 9:4
Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:25 – an ass’s head 2Ki 18:27 – eat Isa 30:20 – the bread Eze 4:9 – wheat Amo 7:17 – die
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 4:13. Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles The prophet, speaking above of eating and drinking by weight and measure, foretels the famine in Jerusalem; now in the bread baked with dung is also pre-signified the unclean bread which the children of Israel were to eat among the Gentiles. For their circumstances in their captivity would not permit them to observe the rules of their law relating to unclean meats; and they would be constrained to partake of meats, part of which had been offered to idols. Compare Hos 9:1-3; Dan 1:8. Bread is often used in the Hebrew for all sorts of food.