Ezekiel 4:14

Eze 4:14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

Ver. 14. Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted.] Neither had it been here by eating suchlike bread, because God bade him do it, and his command legitimateth anything. But a good soul feareth and deprecateth all kind of pollution: "Keep thyself pure"; {1Ti 5:22} "Abstain from all appearance of evil." {1Th 5:22} The prophet in this prayer of his is very pathetic, Ah Domine Iehovi: not Iehova, but Iehovi. See the similar passage in Gen 15:2; Gen 15:8 Deu 3:24; Deu 9:26.

For from my youth up.] Let us be as careful of spiritual uncleanness; sin is the devil’s excrement, the corruption of a dead soul. {a} Constantinus Copronymus is reported to have delighted in stench and filth. The panther preferreth man’s dung before any meat; so do many feed greedily on sin’s murdering morsels.

{a} Polan.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Eze 4:14-15. Then said I, Ah, Lord God, &c. — He deprecates this, and entreats it may not be enjoined him. Behold, my soul hath not been polluted — I have always carefully observed the distinction between meats clean and unclean: I beseech thee, command me not now to eat any thing so contrary to my former practice. Neither came their abominable flesh into my mouth — The Hebrew word, פגול, abominable, is used of such meats as were forbidden by the law, as the learned reader may see, Lev 7:18; Lev 19:7; Isa 65:4. Then he said, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung, &c. — This indicated, that even the pious would suffer greatly during the siege of Jerusalem; and that all the circumstances of things would admit of, would be a very small distinction between them and the wicked; for Ezekiel, God’s prophet, could only obtain the exchange of a somewhat less offensive kind of fuel for one extremely offensive.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14, 15. Ezekiel, a priest, was well acquainted with the Levitical legislation (Lev_17:15; Lev_22:8), and had been an ardent keeper of the law (Lev_7:18; Lev_7:24; Lev_11:39-40; Lev_19:7). When he heard this commandment to defile himself he burst out with a pathetic appeal for mercy, and because his conscience would have been defiled by eating (Eze_4:14), the Lord heard him and changed the most objectionable requirement.

Abominable flesh — This may mean spoiled flesh (Lev_19:7), or other unclean meats (Deu_14:3-21), or possibly flesh offered to idols (Acts 15; 1 Corinthians 7).

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4:14-15 The prophet protested that he had never eaten anything unclean. The Lord relented, allowing Ezekiel to cook his food over cow dung and to follow the law regarding disposal of human excrement (see Deut 23:12-14).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Much less such vile corruption.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Ezekiel, as a priest, had been accustomed to the strictest abstinence from everything legally impure. Peter felt the same scruple at a similar command (Act 10:14; compare Isa 65:4). Positive precepts, being dependent on a particular command can be set aside at the will of the divine ruler; but moral precepts are everlasting in their obligation because God cannot be inconsistent with His unchanging moral nature.

abominable flesh--literally, "flesh that stank from putridity." Flesh of animals three days killed was prohibited (Lev 7:17-18; Lev 19:6-7).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 14. My soul hath not been polluted] There is a remarkable similarity between this expostulation of the prophet and that of St. Peter, Ac 10:14.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Prophet here inserts the answer which he received to his request that God would relax his severe command: for it was abominable to eat flesh cooked with human dung, not only on account of the stench, but because religion forbade it: though the Prophet did not regard the taste of his palate, but objects that it was not lawful for him, and relates how anxiously he had abstained during his whole life from all polluted food. For if he had formerly dared to feed promiscuously on all sorts of food, he could not pray against it as he now does, that he should not be compelled to eat polluted bread: but he shows here that he had abstained throughout his whole life from all polluted food. My soul, says he, never was polluted: for soul is often put for the belly: then never have I tasted of a carcass, or of what has been torn in pieces By the figure a part put for the whole, he intends all unclean meats, which were unlawful food, according to the commandments of the law. (Leviticus 9.) For because a carcass is mixed with blood, God forbade them to touch the flesh of an animal which died by itself, because it had not been strangled, then if a wild beast should tear a sheep or an ox, that cruelty ought to be detestable to men. Since, therefore, both a carcass and torn and lacerated flesh are unclean food, the Prophet here says, that from his childhood even to that time he had kept the commands of God with his utmost endeavors: hence he obtains, as I have said, some mitigation. Yet he is compelled to eat his flesh cooked with the dung of oxen. This was done by vision, as I said yesterday: but meanwhile God did not change what he had determined concerning the people: viz. that they should eat their bread polluted among the Gentiles. For a cake cooked in the dung of oxen was unclean according to the Law. Hence God shows his own decree was fixed that the Israelites should be mingled among the Gentiles, so that they should contract pollution from their filth. It follows —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

14. abominable flesh] This word “abomination” is applied to the sacrificial flesh kept over till the third day (Lev_7:18; Lev_19:7), and in Isa_65:4 broth of “abominations” is coupled with swine’s flesh. The meaning seems to be “carrion.” The word occurs only these four times.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then said I, ah, Lord God!.... The interjection "ah" is expressive of sighing and groaning, as Jarchi; or of deprecation, as the Targum, which paraphrases it,

""and I said", receive my prayer, O Lord God:''

behold, my soul hath not been polluted; not meaning that his soul had not been polluted with sin, or with an evil thought, as Kimchi interprets it; but by his soul he means the inward part of his body, his stomach and belly; which had not been defiled by taking in meats which were unclean by the law, as follows:

for from my youth up, even till now, have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; these were forbidden to be eaten by the law; and such that did were defiled, and obliged to bathing in water, Lev 17:15; and from those the priests more especially were careful to abstain, as Kimchi observes; and such an one was the prophet; see Act 10:14;

neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth; corrupt or, putrefied, or whatsoever was unclean by law, as swine's flesh, or any other. The argument is, that since he had never eaten of anything forbidden by the law of God, he could by no means think of eating that which was abhorrent to nature; as bread baked with men's dung was.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Abominable flesh - Flesh that had become corrupt and foul by overkeeping. Compare Lev 19:7.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ah. He makes the same exclamation as Jeremias, i. 6. Hebrew aha. Theodotion, "Oh!" Septuagint and Symmachus, "by no means." (Haydock) --- God forbid. Excrements make a person legally unclean, Deuteronomy xxiii. 12. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Ah Lord God he deprecateth this, and entreats it may not be enjoined him. He proposeth his legal purity, as one argument; in obedience to ceremonial precepts, he had kept himself clean, and now prays that he may not have his obedience tried by enjoining to eat what is abominable.

From my youth up; he took early care of this, and had persevered to this age; therefore prays mitigation, and some change in his diet or dressing of it.

That which dieth of itself; forbidden as polluted, Exo 22:31; Lev 17:15; Eze 44:31.

Torn in pieces; forbidden by the law also, as Exo 22:31.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then said I, Ah, Lord God! etc. The formula is, curiously enough, equally characteristic of Ezekiel (Eze_9:8 Eze_11:13 Eze_20:49) and of his teacher and contemporary. (Jer_1:6 Jer_4:10 Jer_14:13 Jer_32:17) The Vulgate represents it by A, a, a. His plea, which reminds us at once of Dan_1:8 and Act_10:14, is that he has kept himself free from all ceremonial pollution connected with food. And is he, a priest too, to do this? That be far from him! Anything but that! The kinds of defilement of which he speaks are noted in Exo_22:31; Lev_7:24 Lev_11:39, 40 17:15. The "abominable things" may refer either to the unclean meats catalogued in Deu_14:3-21 (as e.g. in Isa_65:4) or as in the controversy of the apostolic age (Ac 15; 1Co_8:1; Rev_2:20) to eating any flesh that had been offered in sacrifice to idols. The prophet"s passionate appeal is characteristic of the extent to which his character had been influenced by the newly discovered Law of the Lord, (2Ki 22 2Ch 34) i.e. probably by the Book of Deuteronomy.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Alas, Lord Yahweh

"Lord Yahweh, it would be wrong for me to do that." Ezekiel is very troubled by what the Lord has told him to do.

Lord Yahweh

See how you translated this in Ezekiel 2:4. Here Ezekiel is speaking to the Lord.

foul meat has never entered my mouth

"I have never eaten foul meat"

foul meat

"disgusting, unclean meat." This refers to meat that is unclean because it has come from an animal that has died of sickness or old age or was killed by another animal. The word "foul" shows his disgust over meat like this.

Look

"Listen" or "Pay attention to the important thing I will tell you now"

I have given you

"I will allow you to use"

cow manure

solid waste from cows. Your language may have a polite way of expressing this.

human dung

solid waste from humans. Your language may have a polite way of expressing this. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 4:12.

translationWords

Lord Yahweh

clean

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

O An expression of sighing.

my soul has not been defiled I did not entertain erotic thoughts by day, bringing myself to nocturnal pollution.

neither have I eaten from an animal that died by itself and was torn The flesh of a dying animal, which resembles an animal that died by itself and an animal that was torn by beasts.

loathsome meat An animal [of debatable status] upon which a rabbi ruled [permissively]. This cannot mean an animal that actually died by itself or that was torn [by beasts, injuring it so that it could not live for a year], because if so, what was the greatness of Ezekiel?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.