Ezekiel 12 5

Ezekiel 12:5 kjv

Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

Ezekiel 12:5 nkjv

Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it.

Ezekiel 12:5 niv

While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it.

Ezekiel 12:5 esv

In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it.

Ezekiel 12:5 nlt

Dig a hole through the wall while they are watching and go out through it.

Ezekiel 12 verses

Ezekiel 12 5 Meaning

Ezekiel 12:5 instructs the prophet to visibly dig a hole through a wall and depart through it, performing a symbolic act witnessed by the exiles. This vivid performance foretold the desperate, undignified escape of King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the city through a breached wall during the impending Babylonian siege, highlighting the futility of their attempts to evade God's certain judgment.

Ezekiel 12 5 Context

Ezekiel chapter 12 details a series of symbolic actions that the prophet is commanded to perform. These actions serve as a vivid and immediate prophetic warning to both the exiles in Babylon and the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem concerning the city's imminent downfall and the forced exile of its people, including its king. The chapter begins with God addressing a "rebellious house" – Israel – and instructing Ezekiel to prepare a "baggage for exile" (vv. 1-4). This initial act, preparing bundles and bringing them out during the day, sets the stage for a dramatic depiction of a sudden and undignified flight. Verse 5 is an integral part of this extended prophetic performance, directly preceding the prophet's public exit. Historically, this scene foreshadows the specific events surrounding King Zedekiah's attempt to escape Jerusalem when the Babylonians eventually breached its walls (as recorded in 2 Kings 25:4-7 and Jeremiah 39:4-7, 52:7-11), making the prophecy remarkably precise in its detail.

Ezekiel 12 5 Word analysis

• Dig (חְתָּר־, ḥatār-)
  • Original Language: The verb is a hiphil imperative, suggesting an action one is caused to do or perform intensely. The root ḥtr implies burrowing, digging, or undermining.
  • Significance: This is not an ordinary exit through a gate. It denotes a desperate, illicit, or secretive breaching of a fortified structure. It signifies the stripping away of normal societal order and security.
• for yourself (לְךָ, ləḵā)
  • Original Language: The dative pronoun attached emphasizes the direct, personal nature of Ezekiel's act, making it a vivid, personal demonstration for him as well as the onlookers.
  • Significance: It highlights the individual nature of the coming suffering and the fact that everyone will experience the crisis personally.
• through the wall (בַקִּיר, baqqîr)
  • Original Language: baqqîr literally means "in/through the wall." In ancient Near Eastern cities, the wall was the primary symbol and physical guarantor of security, strength, and community.
  • Significance: Breaching the wall publicly signals a complete breakdown of defense and safety. It points to invasion, defeat, and the humiliation of a city's protected status. It mocks any false sense of security Jerusalem's inhabitants might have held.
• in their sight (לְעֵינֵיהֶם, ləʿênêhem)
  • Original Language: This phrase emphatically means "before their eyes" or "while they watch."
  • Significance: This element is crucial to the prophetic sign. The act's public nature ensured that the message could not be ignored or misinterpreted as a private affair. It underscores God's intention that the people recognize His hand in the coming judgment.
• and go out (וְהוֹצֵאתָ, wəhōṣēʾtā)
  • Original Language: The verb yāṣāʾ (to go out) with the hiphil form (to cause to go out or lead out) indicates an intentional, deliberate act of exit.
  • Significance: The combination with "dig through the wall" changes its character from an ordinary departure to an escape – one necessitated by extreme duress and impending capture.
• through it (בּוֹ, bō)
  • Original Language: The suffix refers back directly to the "wall."
  • Significance: Reaffirms that the path of exit is through the breached defense, not a normal gate.

• "Dig for yourself through the wall in their sight": This phrase combines intense personal effort, a direct challenge to communal security, and the necessity of public witness. It creates an image of a desperate, undignified escape performed openly, making it undeniable and deeply shameful.
• "and go out through it": This final instruction emphasizes the objective: to exit, but only through this broken, exposed path, underscoring the future mode of exile as a hurried and vulnerable flight, not an organized departure.

Ezekiel 12 5 Bonus section

This prophetic action goes beyond mere foretelling; it is a dramatic reenactment that carries profound psychological impact. It served as a stark visual aid for the "rebellious house," demonstrating God's complete sovereign power over their defenses and leadership. The act's undignified nature (digging through a wall like a thief or prisoner) was a deliberate symbolic judgment against Zedekiah's pride and his broken covenant with Babylon, as well as God. This performance aims to break through the people's spiritual blindness and compel them to recognize the impending judgment as divine justice, not mere political misfortune. It highlights the divine attribute of meticulous foresight, revealing details of the future escape method long before it occurs.

Ezekiel 12 5 Commentary

Ezekiel 12:5 commands a stark, performative prophecy designed to shock the complacent people of Judah. By instructing Ezekiel to physically dig through a wall in plain view, God vividly dramatizes the ignominious end awaiting Jerusalem and its leaders. This act directly prefigures the desperate flight of King Zedekiah from the besieged city, escaping through a hidden passage in the wall only to be captured shortly thereafter. The "wall" of an ancient city represented security and strength, so its public breaching signifies the complete failure of human defenses against divine judgment. The phrase "in their sight" is critical, ensuring the exiles witness the prophet's unsettling actions and understand the inescapable nature of God's word, designed to shatter their illusions of safety and quick return. This public humiliation underscores the extent of God's sovereignty, dictating even the method of the king's attempted escape and capture. The verse conveys God's deep knowledge and ultimate control over the events, fulfilling His warnings despite the people's stubborn disbelief.