Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 4:15
Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
So soon as he prayed God answered, and condescends to Ezekiel that he should use what was less abominable than mans dung; but it was not granted to the Jews, who in the siege at Jerusalem did much worse things, and more detestable, reduced to it by straits, as Eze 5:10; Lam 1:11; 2:11,12,20.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. cow’s dunga mitigation ofthe former order (Eze 4:12); nolonger “the dung of man”; still the bread so baked is”defiled,” to imply that, whatever partial abatement theremight be for the prophet’s sake, the main decree of God, as to thepollution of Israel by exile among Gentiles, is unalterable.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then he said to me,…. The Lord hearkened to the prophet’s prayer and argument, and makes some abatement and alteration in the charge he gave him:
lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung: that is, allowed him to make use of the one instead of the other, in baking his mingled bread:
thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith; having gathered cow’s dung, and dried it, he was to burn it, and bake his bread with it, which is meant by preparing it. In some parts of our nation, where fuel is scarce, cow’s dung is made use of; it is gathered and plastered on the walls of houses, and, being dried in clots, is taken and burnt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(15) Cows dung.In the scarcity of fuel in the East, cows dung and especially camels dung, is dried, and becomes the common fuel.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘Then he said, “I have given you cow’s dung for man’s excrement, and you shall prepare bread on it.”
God allowed him to use cow dung instead of man’s excrement. Cow dung was a recognised fuel used by many for cooking. Why then should God have required something that he knew would appal Ezekiel, and then made such a concession? The answer must be that it was in order to draw attention to the point in question. The uncleanness in which His people were involved. Once that was done, and the horror of their position had got over to Ezekiel, the concession could be made. It was after all only a symbol. Nothing crucial depended on it. (This brings out that all these actions were seen as symbols and not sympathetic magic. In the latter case the rules could not have been broken or else the magic would not have worked).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 4:15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
Ver. 15. Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung.] This was some mitigation. Something God will yield to his praying people when most bitterly bent against them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lo. Figure of speech Aster’s. App-6.
given. Same word as “appointed”, Eze 4:6.
therewith: or., thereupon. Compare Eze 4:12.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
cow’s dung: Dried cow-dung is a common fuel in the East, as it is in many parts of England, to the present day; but the prophet was ordered to prepare his bread with human ordure, to shew the extreme degree of wretchedness to which the besieged should be exposed, as they would be obliged literally to use it, from not being able to leave the city to collect other fuel. Eze 4:15
Reciprocal: 2Ki 18:27 – eat Lam 1:11 – seek
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:15 Then he said to me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s {m} dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread with them.
(m) To be as fire to bake your bread with.