12 "You shall eat it as a barley cake , having baked it in their sight over human dung e ." 13 Then the Lord said , "Thus will the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where e I will banish them." 14 But I said , " Ah , Lord GOD ! Behold , I have never been defiled ; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts , nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth ." 15 Then He said to me, "See , I will give you cow's dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 4:12-15
Commentary on Ezekiel 4:9-17
(Read Ezekiel 4:9-17)
The bread which was Ezekiel's support, was to be made of coarse grain and pulse mixed together, seldom used except in times of urgent scarcity, and of this he was only to take a small quantity. Thus was figured the extremity to which the Jews were to be reduced during the siege and captivity. Ezekiel does not plead, Lord, from my youth I have been brought up delicately, and never used to any thing like this; but that he had been brought up conscientiously, and never had eaten any thing forbidden by the law. It will be comfortable when we are brought to suffer hardships, if our hearts can witness that we have always been careful to keep even from the appearance of evil. See what woful work sin makes, and acknowledge the righteousness of God herein. Their plenty having been abused to luxury and excess, they were justly punished by famine. When men serve not God with cheerfulness in the abundance of all things, God will make them serve their enemies in the want of all things.