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The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 12

Ezekiel 12: the baggage carried through the wall and the proverb of delayed visions

General context

The Lord says the prophet lives among "a rebellious house" with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear. He is to prepare "stuff for removing," carry it out by day in their sight, go out at evening "as they that go forth into captivity," dig through the wall, bear the load on his shoulders in the twilight, and cover his face so he cannot see the ground, "for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel." The prophet reports, "I did so as I was commanded," digging through the wall with his hand at evening. In the morning the word comes: when the rebellious house asks "What doest thou?" he is to say the burden concerns "the prince in Jerusalem" and all the house of Israel; "I am your sign"; they will go into captivity, and the prince will bear his load in the twilight, go out through a hole in the wall with his face covered, be taken in the Lord's net and brought "to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there." His helpers will be scattered; a few will be left to declare their abominations among the heathen. A second word has the prophet eat with quaking and drink with trembling, as Jerusalem's inhabitants will, "because of the violence." A third word takes up the proverb "The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth" and replaces it with "The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision"; no more vain vision or flattering divination; the Lord will speak and perform "in your days." A fourth answers those who say the vision is "for many days to come": no word will be prolonged any more.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 12:2, Ezekiel 12:3, Ezekiel 12:4, Ezekiel 12:5, Ezekiel 12:6, Ezekiel 12:7, Ezekiel 12:9, Ezekiel 12:10, Ezekiel 12:11, Ezekiel 12:12, Ezekiel 12:13, Ezekiel 12:14, Ezekiel 12:16, Ezekiel 12:18, Ezekiel 12:19, Ezekiel 12:22, Ezekiel 12:23, Ezekiel 12:24, Ezekiel 12:25, Ezekiel 12:27, Ezekiel 12:28

Ezekiel 12 (KJV)

1The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

3Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

4Then 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.

5Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

6In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

7And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

8And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

9Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

10Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

11Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.

12And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

13My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

14And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

15And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

16But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

17Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

18Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

19And 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.

20And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

21And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

22Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

23Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

24For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

25For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.

26Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

27Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.

28Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.

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Historical context

Unlike the signs of chapters 4 and 5, this one is reported as performed: "I did so as I was commanded." The word of the Lord is said to come five times, at 12:1, 12:8, 12:17, 12:21 and 12:26, the first two belonging to the one sign and its explanation; none is dated. The sign is explained the next morning and aimed at "the prince in Jerusalem," who is not named; the text says he will go out through the wall with his face covered, be brought "to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans," not see it and die there. Babylon is named here for the first time in the book; the earlier chapters spoke of "the land of the Chaldeans" and "Chaldæa." The prophet's audience is "the house of Israel" among whom he dwells, that is, the captives, while the message concerns Jerusalem, so the people watching the sign are not the people it predicts for. The word "sign" is applied to the prophet himself, "I am your sign." Verse 16's survivors are left "that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen," a stated purpose rather than a promise of restoration. The two proverbs, "The days are prolonged" and "for many days to come," are quoted as what the house of Israel says; the text does not give the prophet's own view of timing beyond the Lord's answer "in your days." What the phrase "yet shall he not see it" means for the prince is not explained in this chapter.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 12:7, Ezekiel 12:8, Ezekiel 12:17, Ezekiel 12:21, Ezekiel 12:26, Ezekiel 12:13, Ezekiel 12:2, Ezekiel 12:15, Ezekiel 12:22

Literary context

The first half is built on the phrase "in their sight," repeated in nearly every verse of the command and again in the report, so the audience's watching is written into the act; this answers the opening charge that they "have eyes to see, and see not." The command is then replayed twice more with the same details, shoulder, twilight, wall, covered face, once as the prophet's performance and once as the prince's future, and the phrase "like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them" makes the match explicit. The eating and drinking sign echoes the rationed bread of chapter 4, now with "quaking" and "trembling." The last two words are a pair: a proverb is quoted and reversed word for word, "The days are prolonged" against "The days are at hand," "every vision faileth" against "the effect of every vision," and the final word repeats the point with "prolonged" again. The Lord's "I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass" pits his speech against the people's sayings. The chapter opens and closes on "rebellious house," and the recognition formula appears three times in the middle section.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 12:3, Ezekiel 12:6, Ezekiel 12:11, Ezekiel 12:19, Ezekiel 12:23, Ezekiel 12:25, Ezekiel 12:20, Ezekiel 12:16

Key moments

  1. Eyes that see not (Ezekiel 12:2). The Lord describes the rebellious house as having eyes and ears that do not work.
  2. Stuff for removing (Ezekiel 12:3). The prophet is told to pack for exile and move in their sight.
  3. Through the wall at twilight (Ezekiel 12:7). He digs through the wall with his hand and carries his load on his shoulder.
  4. I am your sign (Ezekiel 12:11). He is to tell them that what he did will be done to them.
  5. The prince to Babylon (Ezekiel 12:13). The prince will be taken in the Lord's net to Babylon and die there without seeing it.
  6. Bread with quaking (Ezekiel 12:18). The prophet is told to eat and drink with trembling as Jerusalem will.
  7. The days are at hand (Ezekiel 12:23). The Lord reverses the proverb that visions fail and days are prolonged.

For reflection

The prophet carries his baggage through the wall in front of people who are told to say, "What doest thou?" What does it ask of an audience to be made to watch a sign before being told what it means?

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