Ezekiel 12:4 kjv
Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.
Ezekiel 12:4 nkjv
By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity.
Ezekiel 12:4 niv
During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile.
Ezekiel 12:4 esv
You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile.
Ezekiel 12:4 nlt
Bring your baggage outside during the day so they can watch you. Then in the evening, as they are watching, leave your house as captives do when they begin a long march to distant lands.
Ezekiel 12 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 20:2-4 | "The Lord said, 'Just as my servant Isaiah has walked... as a sign...' " | Isaiah's prophetic nakedness for exile sign. |
| Jer 13:1-7 | "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist..." | Jeremiah's hidden belt, symbolic of Judah's defilement. |
| Jer 19:1-11 | "Go and buy a clay jar... Then break the jar while men are watching..." | Jeremiah shatters jar, symbolizing Jerusalem's destruction. |
| Ezek 4:1-17 | "Take a brick... portray the city of Jerusalem on it..." | Ezekiel depicts siege on a brick. |
| Ezek 5:1-4 | "Take a sharp sword and use it as a barber's razor... divide the hair." | Ezekiel's hair acts out population division. |
| Deut 28:49-57 | "The LORD will bring a nation against you... and will besiege you." | Warnings of siege and scattering. |
| 2 Kgs 24:14-16 | "He carried into exile all Jerusalem and all the leaders..." | Historical record of the first deportation. |
| 2 Kgs 25:1-12 | "On the seventh day of the fifth month... Nebuzaradan... burned the house of the LORD and the royal palace..." | Fall of Jerusalem and final deportation. |
| Jer 20:4-6 | "For I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends..." | Jeremiah foretells exile of Judah and Zedekiah. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "This whole country will become a desolate wasteland... 70 years." | Prophecy of 70-year Babylonian exile. |
| Jer 39:4-7 | "When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled..." | Zedekiah's flight and capture fulfilled. |
| Lam 1:3 | "Judah has gone into exile, after suffering affliction..." | Poetic confirmation of the exile. |
| Amos 5:27 | "I will send you into exile beyond Damascus." | Earlier prophetic warning of northern kingdom's exile. |
| Num 16:35 | "And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men." | Visible divine judgment on disobedient. |
| Jer 28:10-11 | "Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah... broke it." | False prophet's counter sign-act emphasizing visual communication. |
| Luke 12:3 | "Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight." | Thematic of public disclosure of hidden truths. |
| Matt 5:16 | "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds." | Thematic of visible witness in one's life. |
| Gen 12:1 | "Go from your country, your people and your father’s household." | Divine call to Abraham for a great journey. |
| Jer 29:1-7 | "This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles..." | Divine counsel for life in exile. |
| Dan 1:1-2 | "Nebuchadnezzar... came to Jerusalem and besieged it... some of the articles from the temple." | Historical account of taking people and temple vessels to Babylon. |
| Rev 18:4 | "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: 'Come out of her, my people'." | Thematic call to separate from impending judgment. |
Ezekiel 12 verses
Ezekiel 12 4 Meaning
Ezekiel 12:4 instructs the prophet to bring his personal belongings, characteristic of baggage prepared for forced displacement, out of his dwelling in broad daylight and in full view of the community. This divinely commanded act was a powerful visual prophecy, simulating the impending and public removal of Jerusalem's inhabitants from their city and land into exile.
Ezekiel 12 4 Context
Ezekiel chapter 12 details a series of dramatic sign-acts that God commands the prophet to perform before the Judean exiles in Babylon. These acts were intended to visually and tangibly communicate the inescapable judgment awaiting those remaining in Jerusalem, specifically focusing on the city's siege and the capture and forced removal of King Zedekiah. The people in Jerusalem, holding onto false security after the first deportation, were skeptical of prophetic words predicting complete destruction and clung to the belief that God would never allow His temple and city to fall. Ezekiel's dramatization, performed in exile but representing events for Jerusalem, was a confrontational method designed to break through their spiritual apathy and stubborn disbelief, forcing them to confront the imminent reality of their displacement. The context also highlights the tension between God's truth proclaimed by His prophets and the false assurances offered by other prophets, contributing to the people's "rebellious house" attitude.
Historically, this prophetic action occurred during the interval between the first Babylonian deportation (597 BC, which included Ezekiel) and the final destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC). While Ezekiel was with the exiles by the Chebar Canal, his ministry often reached back to those still in Jerusalem, urging repentance and announcing the certainty of divine judgment and the coming complete exile.
Ezekiel 12 4 Word analysis
- וְהוֹצֵאתָ (və-ho-t͡se-'ta): "And you shall bring out." This Hiphil imperfect form functions as an imperative, signifying a direct, authoritative command from God. It indicates Ezekiel is to be the active agent in this highly visible action, emphasizing divine orchestration of the prophetic event.
- כֵלֶיךָ (kê-le-ḵa): "your baggage" or "your equipment/vessels." Derived from the Hebrew word keli, which generally means an article, utensil, or vessel. In this specific context of "exile," it carries the strong connotation of personal belongings and essential provisions prepared for a forced, sudden journey.
- בַּיּוֹם (bay-yom): "by day" or "in the day." This phrase emphatically dictates the timing of the action. It implies execution in broad daylight, ensuring maximum public exposure and leaving no doubt as to the prophet's actions or intent, contrasting with clandestine activities.
- לְעֵינֵיהֶם (lə-ʿê-nê-hem): "in their sight" or "before their eyes." This stresses the imperative of visibility. The performance of the sign-act was not for Ezekiel's private reflection, but for a public demonstration to the exiles gathered around him, ensuring they were direct witnesses. This underscores God's desire for an undeniable witness to His word.
- כִּי לְכֵלֵי גּוֹלָה (kî lə-ḵê-lê go-la): "as baggage for exile." This phrase explains the specific nature and symbolic purpose of the preceding action.
- כִּי (ki): "as," serves here as a conjunction introducing a comparison or analogy, clarifying how the baggage is to be treated—namely, in the manner characteristic of preparing for exile.
- לְכֵלֵי (lə-ḵê-lê): "for the baggage of," indicating the destination or ultimate purpose of these packed items. They are specifically designated for a journey of banishment.
- גּוֹלָה (golah): "exile" or "captivity." This term denotes the forced displacement of a population from their homeland. It is a defining term for the Judean experience of this period and is the specific fate that Ezekiel's act is prophesying.
Ezekiel 12 4 Bonus section
The active performance of such a command, even when inconvenient or humiliating, underscores the prophet's total submission to divine instruction. This principle resonates with Jesus' later command for His disciples to "take up their cross" (Matt 16:24), implying a readiness to openly embody their calling, whatever the cost. For the exiles observing Ezekiel, the mundane act of bringing out bags took on immense eschatological significance, making the abstract idea of national catastrophe deeply personal and relatable, a crucial method for overcoming their spiritual blindness and hearing God's urgent message of judgment and future hope.
Ezekiel 12 4 Commentary
Ezekiel 12:4 encapsulates God's strategy of using dramatic, tangible prophecy to pierce the spiritual apathy of a rebellious people. The command for Ezekiel to publicly prepare "baggage for exile" was not merely a symbol but an embodied pre-enactment of the imminent reality awaiting Jerusalem. By performing this visible, unsettling act in the full light of day and "in their sight," God removed any ambiguity or claim of misunderstanding regarding His warning. This prophecy spoke to both audiences: to the exiles in Babylon, confirming the future destruction of their homeland and king; and, by proxy, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, reiterating the inescapable fate of forced displacement and the breakdown of their false security. This specific, uncomfortable performance underscored the personal and communal upheaval that judgment brings, demonstrating God's sovereign hand in orchestrating historical events as consequences for unfaithfulness.