Ezekiel 4:11 kjv
Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.
Ezekiel 4:11 nkjv
You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink.
Ezekiel 4:11 niv
Also measure out a sixth of a hin of water and drink it at set times.
Ezekiel 4:11 esv
And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from day to day you shall drink.
Ezekiel 4:11 nlt
Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times.
Ezekiel 4 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 4:11 | Take water by measure... eat your bread by weight... | (Direct Parallel) |
| Jeremiah 5:17 | They shall eat and leave nothing remaining... | (Consequence of judgment) |
| Lamentations 5:4 | We have to buy our water... | (Deprivation and suffering) |
| Isaiah 30:20 | Though the Lord gives you... bread of adversity and water of affliction... | (Symbolic description of trial) |
| Leviticus 26:26 | You shall eat, one woman shall boil her father’s own son with her bread. | (Extreme scarcity in judgment) |
| Deuteronomy 28:56 | the tenderness and delicacy... will not eat it for fear of God. | (Deprivation of sustenance) |
| 2 Kings 7:1 | you shall not eat any of it. | (Skepticism leads to judgment) |
| Hosea 3:4 | without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar... | (Loss of religious and political) |
| Amos 8:11 | not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words. | (Spiritual famine as judgment) |
| Matthew 24:7 | and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. | (Signs of the end times) |
| Luke 21:25 | men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking at what is coming. | (Distress of nations) |
| Revelation 6:6 | a quart of wheat for a penny, and three quarts of barley for a penny... | (Economic hardship) |
| Psalm 33:8 | Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. | (Fear of God) |
| Isaiah 1:7 | your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire... | (Consequences of sin) |
| Jeremiah 14:12 | When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer... burnt offering | (Rejection of prayer) |
| Ezekiel 5:16 | the evil arrows of famine that are for destruction, which I will send. | (Famine as a divine instrument) |
| Ezekiel 14:13 | If Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, by their righteousness they could only deliver themselves. | (No intercession possible) |
| Isaiah 10:2 | and to turn aside the needy from justice... | (Oppression of the weak) |
| Proverbs 25:27 | It is not good to eat much honey... | (Moderation in all things) |
| Habakkuk 3:17 | Though the fig tree does not blossom... | (Devastation of nature) |
Ezekiel 4 verses
Ezekiel 4 11 Meaning
This verse describes a specific action within a symbolic prophecy delivered by Ezekiel to the Israelites. It details how a certain amount of food will be eaten by weight and water will be drunk by measure. This controlled consumption represents a period of severe scarcity and affliction during the impending siege and exile of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 4 11 Context
Ezekiel chapter 4 depicts Ezekiel performing symbolic actions as a direct sign to the house of Israel concerning the impending judgment of God. These actions are intensely personal and vivid, meant to convey the severity and duration of the suffering that will befall them. Verse 11 follows descriptions of Ezekiel lying on his side for extended periods and the prescribed limited intake of food and drink. This verse focuses specifically on the measurement and weighing of sustenance, highlighting the intense scarcity and strict rationing that will characterize the siege of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 4 11 Word Analysis
- וְקָצַבְתָּ (və·qā·ṣa·ḇə·tā) - "And you shall measure" or "And you shall cut." This verb comes from the root qatsav, meaning to cut off, hew, or cut by measure. It emphasizes the precise and limited distribution of provisions.
- מַ֖יִם (ma·yim) - "water." Essential for life, but here measured, signifying severe lack.
- בְּמִדָּֽה (bə·mî·ḏāh) - "by measure." This indicates a rationed and insufficient quantity. It’s not freely available.
- וְהִכְרַתָּ (wə·hiḵ·rǎ·tā) - "And you shall cut off" or "and you shall cause to be cut off." From the root kārat, it signifies cutting off, destroying, or decreeing. Here it relates to the decreed scarcity of water.
- בְּמִשְׁקָל (bə·miš·qāl) - "by weight." Similar to "by measure," this implies strict accounting and limited supply, emphasizing controlled consumption.
- לֶחֶם (le·ḥem) - "bread." Staple food.
- בְּשָׂם (bə·śā·mô) - "in it," or "with its aroma/in its presence." Referring to the bread.
- וְקָצַבְתָּ (wə·qā·ṣa·ḇə·tā) - Repeated from the start of the verse, "And you shall measure/cut." Reinforces the methodical nature of the restriction.
- לֹאכְלֶֽךָ (lō·ḵə·lĕ·ḵā) - "for your food" or "for you to eat." Specifically referring to what Ezekiel would consume.
Group Analysis:
- "water by measure" and "bread by weight": This pairing underscores the total breakdown of normal provision. Both liquid and solid sustenance are subjected to strict rationing. The use of both "measure" (for water) and "weight" (for bread) highlights the completeness of the control and the profound scarcity that would exist, where even basic necessities are precisely allocated in meager amounts.
- The verbs qatsav (measure/cut) and karat (cut off/decree): These verbs carry a sense of finality and divine imposition. It is not merely a lack of food, but a divinely decreed and measured absence.
Ezekiel 4 11 Bonus Section
The symbolic actions performed by Ezekiel in this chapter were meant to be observed and understood by the exiles in Babylon, not by the people in Jerusalem at that moment. This communication of God's word through prophecy and symbolic action is a recurring theme in Ezekiel's ministry, often requiring significant personal sacrifice and vivid representation to convey God's message of judgment and eventual restoration. The specific quantities mentioned (e.g., 1/6 of a hin of water, 20 shekels of bread) carry deep symbolic meaning, reflecting the precise nature of God's justice and the limited reprieve that would be granted. The actions serve as a constant reminder of the covenant consequences for disobedience.
Ezekiel 4 11 Commentary
This verse is a stark portrayal of the grim realities of siege warfare and God's judgment. The meticulous measurement of water and weight of bread signifies a complete disruption of normal life and an extreme deprivation of sustenance. This was not just a natural famine but a divinely ordained restriction, indicating God's hand in the suffering. For the Israelites, accustomed to abundant provision, this controlled scarcity was a profound sign of God’s displeasure and the severity of the coming punishment. It was a visual prophecy of hunger, thirst, and the resulting despair and desperation that would grip Jerusalem and its inhabitants during the Babylonian siege.