Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 12:19
And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [and] of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
19. Jerusalem and of the land ] Rather: Jerusalem in (lit. upon) the land.
because of the violence ] The punishment of violence is violence. The internal wrong and oppression shall be avenged by a crushing violence and destruction from without. Amo 3:9-11. The phrase “desolate from all that is therein,” lit. from its fulness, means desolate and emptied of its fulness.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The people of the land – Chaldaea.
Of the inhabitants – In respect to the inhabitants.
Desolate from, all that is therein – i. e., stripped of all its inhabitants and of all its wealth.
At one and the same time, Jeremiah was prophesying in Jerusalem, and Ezekiel in Chaldaea; the prophecies of the former were sent to the exiles, and those of Ezekiel to the dwellers at Jerusalem, that the guiding hand of One God in different places might be made clear (Jerome).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Explain the meaning of this unusual and uncomfortable manner of eating and drinking
unto the people; the common sort of people, distinguished from rulers, of the land of Chaldea, in which the Jews were captives. Tell thy fellow captives who grudge and repent their coming hither, where they have much sorrow, yet some safety, plenty, and rest.
Of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who are not yet captivated; their sorrows are coming, and their state will be worse than yours.
Of the land of Israel; nor will it be better with, those that dwell in the countries round about Jerusalem, they will flee for refuge into Jerusalem, and there perish. Eat their bread with carefulness; their very comforts shall be uncomfortable to them.
Her land; Jerusalems land, so called because it was the head city thereof.
May be desolate; because that it is already, or shortly shall be, waste, emptied, though it was full of inhabitants, wealth, and plenty.
Violence; injustice, oppression, and tyranny of the Jews toward one another, Jer 6:7; 20:8; Eze 7:23; and this grown an epidemical sin, Eze 22:9,12, from highest to lowest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19. people of the landtheJews “in the land” of Chaldea who thought themselvesmiserable as being exiles and envied the Jews left in Jerusalem asfortunate.
land of Israelcontrastedwith “the people in the land” of Chaldea. So far from beingfortunate as the exiles in Chaldea regarded them, the Jews inJerusalem are truly miserable, for the worst is before them, whereasthe exiles have escaped the miseries of the coming siege.
land . . . desolate from allthat is thereinliterally, “that the land (namely, Judea)may be despoiled of the fulness thereof”; emptied of theinhabitants and abundance of flocks and corn with which it wasfilled.
because of . . . violence(Ps 107:34).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And say unto the people of the land,…. Of Chaldea, where the prophet now was; not the natives of the land, but the Israelites, who were captives in it; who were ready to murmur and repine at their own case, as miserable; and at that of the Jews at Jerusalem, as happy; and therefore they are taught by this sign, as well as by the following prophecy, that they were mistaken:
thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; or to them, or “concerning” them y; whom the captives in Chaldea thought lived so happily, and would continue so:
[and] of the land of Israel; or, “upon the land of Israel” z; inhabitants on it; to this sense the Targum and Septuagint Version interpret it, and also Kimchi:
they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment; meaning at the siege of Jerusalem, when they could not eat and drink in peace; but, while they were eating and drinking, were disturbed and put into fear and surprise by the besiegers; and also, hearing that their provisions would not hold out, were careful how they ate and drank, and were frightened with the thoughts of being reduced to extreme want:
that her land may be desolate from all that is therein; or, “from its fulness” a; men and cattle, cities, towns, houses, vineyards, fields, fruits, and plenty of all good things. Jarchi expounds it of riches:
because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; not the violence of the Chaldeans, making a prey of all they met with, plundering cities and towns, and making forage of the fruits of the earth, by which means the land was desolate; but the rapine, oppression, and injustice of the Jews, which were the cause of all these calamities which came upon their country.
y “habitatoribus Hierosolymorum”, Montanus, Starckius; “de habitatoribus”, Piscator; “de habitantibus Hierosolymam”, Cocceius. z , Sept. “super terram Israel”, Calvin; “in terram Israelis”, Junius Tremellius, Polanus so Ben Melech. a “a plenitudine sua”, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Starckius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(19) Unto the people of the land,i.e., of the land of Chalda: Ezekiels fellow-captives. All these prophecies, though concerning Jerusalem and its people, were immediately addressed to the exiles, and their teaching was primarily for them. It is not unlikely, however, as St. Jerome says, that all these prophecies of Ezekiel were sent to Jerusalem, and the corresponding utterances of Jeremiah, made in Jerusalem, were sent to Chalda.
From all that is therein.The margin, which is the literal rendering, explains this: The land shall be stripped of its richness and excellence, of all that makes it desirable.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“And say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the land of Israel. They will eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with dismay, because her land will be desolate from all that is in it because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. And the cities that are inhabited will be laid waste, and the land will be a desolation, and you will know that I am Yahweh.’ ”
His actions would depict what was to come on Jerusalem and Judah. ‘The people of the land’ is a regular phrase indicating all the people, the common folk. The lack of administration would result in even more violence in the land, with no one to curb evildoers. Some would desolate the land by their activities. Thus the ordinary people would be burdened with care and would live in constant dismay. It is a picture of constant unrest and lawlessness, with its inevitable consequences. They had ignored Yahweh’s covenant and laws, now they would experience the consequences of doing so.
Both cities and land would be desolated. None would escape. That they might be made to recognise that their God was the God Who made moral demands, and exacted judgment when those moral demands were ignored. They would be made to recognise that it was indeed Yahweh, the living, present God, with Whom they had been dealing and whom they had been ignoring and treating casually.
In Spite of the Apathetic Attitude of the People The Warning Prophecies Will Be Fulfilled.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 12:19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [and] of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
Ver. 19. They shall eat their bread with carefulness. ] Better fast than feed on such bread. Men may sooner by their carking care add a furlong to their grief, than a cubit to their comfort, saith one.
Because of the violence.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
of the inhabitants = to the inhabitants.
the land, &c. = concerning the land, &c. Hebrew admath. See note on Eze 11:17.
her. Some codices, with one early printed edition, read “their”.
all. The 1611 edition of the Authorized Version omitted this “all”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
with carefulness: 1Ki 17:10-12
that her: Eze 6:6, Eze 6:7, Eze 6:14, Eze 36:3, Isa 6:11, Jer 4:27, Jer 9:10, Jer 9:11, Jer 10:22, Jer 18:16, Jer 32:28, Jer 33:10, Jer 33:12, Mic 7:13, Zec 7:14
all that is therein: Heb. the fulness thereof, Psa 24:1, 1Co 10:26, 1Co 10:28
because: Eze 7:23, Gen 6:11-13, Psa 107:34, Jer 6:7, Mic 3:10-12
Reciprocal: Deu 28:51 – which also Deu 28:65 – the Lord 1Ki 17:12 – that we may eat it Job 6:7 – as my sorrowful meat Lam 5:9 – General Eze 4:16 – eat Eze 19:7 – the fulness
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 12:19. People of the land meant the Jews then in Babylon with the prophet, and inhabitants of Jerusalem were those still in the city but who were doomed to be soon removed. Ere that event took place they were to undergo the pangs of famine.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
He was then to explain to his audience that the Jews in Jerusalem would eat and drink like he had done. The Lord would strip their land of its abundance because the people had committed so much violence contrary to His law. He would also desolate the inhabited cities and the countryside of Judah. Then His people would know that He was the Lord. He loved them enough to discipline them (cf. Heb 12:5-11).