Ezekiel 5:12

Eze 5:12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

Ver. 12. A third part of thee, &c.] See Eze 5:2.

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.

The judgments Eze 5:12-17 of “famine, pestilence,” and the “sword,” were precisely those which attended the coming siege of Jerusalem (Jer 15:2 ff). The “drawing out the sword after them” indicates that the anger of God will follow them even to the land of their exile (compare Jer 42:19-22; Lev 26:25), and that the horrors of the Babylonian siege are but the beginning of the sorrows of the nation.

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

From this to the end of the chapter we have a particular and more express declaration how God would execute these severe judgments upon this people.

With pestilence; no doubt, though it were not mentioned or threatened, as Jer 34:17, we might conclude it could not but be in such a besieged city, where blood, putrifying carcasses, &c. annoy.

With famine; signified by fire, for it parcheth and withereth men.

Shall fall by the sword round about thee; as they did in their assailing the besiegers round about the walls, and as they did fall under the assault, when the enemy attempted to take the city, &c. See further Eze 5:12. of this chapter.

I will draw out a sword after them; when the Babylonians’ sword hath cut off all about Jerusalem, I will draw out my sword, and pursue the rest which Nebuchadnezzar could not reach.

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

Eze 5:12-13. A third part of thee, &c. — In this verse is given an explication of what the burning of the hair, the smiting of it with a knife, &c., signified: see on Eze 5:2. And I will draw out a sword after them — My anger shall still pursue them, even into the countries whither they shall be banished and carried captives. As this was particularly fulfilled in those that went into Egypt, (see on Eze 5:4,) so it has been remarkably verified in the several persecutions and massacres they have undergone at different times in most of the countries of Europe, in latter ages: see note on Deu 28:65. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished — My anger shall be appeased toward them, after I have executed due punishment upon them for their sins. And I will cause my fury — Or rather, my wrath, or indignation, as, חמתיshould be rendered, for to apply the word fury to God, is highly improper and indecent: to rest upon them —

To be satisfied in punishing them. And I will be comforted — Here we have a strong instance of the metaphor called anthropopathia, by which the qualities of men are ascribed to God. As men sometimes find some sort of ease and rest in their minds upon venting their anger on just occasions, and bringing offenders to condign punishment; so God is here described as feeling ease and satisfaction in executing his justice on obstinate offenders: compare Eze 16:42; Eze 21:17; and see note on Isa 1:24. They shall know that I have spoken it in my zeal — Out of a just concern for my own honour and authority, which they have slighted and despised.

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

Statement in plain terms of what was intended by the symbols (Eze 5:2; see Eze 6:12; Jer 15:2; Jer 21:9).

draw out . . . sword after them-- (Lev 26:33). Skeptics object; no such thing happened under Zedekiah, as is here foretold; namely, that a third part of the nation should die by pestilence, a third part by the sword, and a third be scattered unto all winds, and a sword sent after them. But the prophecy is not restricted to Zedekiah's time. It includes all that Israel suffered, or was still to suffer, for their sins, especially those committed at that period (Eze 17:21). It only received its primary fulfilment under Zedekiah: numbers then died by the pestilence and by the sword; and numbers were scattered in all quarters and not carried to Babylonia alone, as the objectors assert (compare Ezr 1:4; Est 3:8; Oba 1:14).

pestilence . . . and famine--signified by the symbol "fire" (Eze 5:2). Compare Isa 13:8; Lam 5:10; plague and famine burning and withering the countenance, as fire does.

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 12. A third part of thee] See Clarke's notes on Eze 5:1-4.

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

Now he explains without a figure what he had previously proposed figuratively. For he had been commanded to shave off the hairs of his head and of his beard with a razor, and to divide them so that the pestilence should consume one part, the sword another, and the famine a third. Now he repeats the same thing but in another manner. Hence God explains why he had offered a vision of this kind to his servant. But he shortens what we formerly saw, because he omits the fourth member; for he was commanded to take some portion and to hide it under his armpit, or in the hem of his garment: but here there is no mention of that part, and yet it was not spoken in vain, but God speaks in various manners, and that by his own right. Meanwhile, both the figure and its application agree, because God was consuming the whole people by either famine, pestilence, or the sword. What was said concerning the fourth part was not in vain, but it was not necessary to repeat it. To this end then the Prophet tended, since some were survivors it might seem that they were exempt from the common slaughter: that he might take away that hope, he said, that they also, or at least many of them, should perish by burning, so that they should light up a fire in the whole people of Israel. For it happened through the unconquerable obstinacy of the people, that the wretched exiles were more hated; those who had already spared them began afresh to rage against them with cruelty, because the name of the people became detestable among all men. Because, therefore, the remnant of the citizens who remained at Jerusalem perished, hence it happened that the burning penetrated to the ten tribes, and to those wretched exiles who were captives in remote lands. But now our Prophet is silent on this point. In the meanwhile, he comprehends whatever we saw before, although more briefly: only that explanation was wanting, which, although it was formerly useful, yet ought not of necessity to be repeated. A third part, therefore, shall die by pestilence, and shall perish by hunger in the midst of thee; then a third part shall perish by the sword around thee, and a third part shall be scattered towards every wind: although God claims this for himself, I will scatter, says he, the third part, and draw out the sword after them, so that they also shall perish in their dispersion. Now that dispersion is by itself miserable, but God pronounces that he would not be content with that moderate punishment until he utterly consumed them. 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.

12. Explanation of the symbol Eze_5:1-4.

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.

A third part of them shall die with the pestilence,.... This, with what follows, explains the division of the hair into the three parts, and what was done with them; and shows that the burning of one third part denotes their being destroyed by the pestilence, mentioned along with burning coals, Hab 3:5; and by famine, as follows:

and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and though there is no account of the former, yet there is of the latter; and no doubt but the pestilence raged, as well as the famine, at the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar:

and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; signified by the third part of the hair, smitten with a knife; and intends such as perished by the sword of the Chaldeans at the taking of the city, and when they fled out of it; and so are properly said to fall round about it:

and I will scatter a third part into all the winds; the greatest part of which were carried into Babylon, and others into other parts; See Gill on Eze 5:2;

and I will draw out a sword after them; particularly after them that went into Egypt. The Septuagint and Arabic versions read a "fourth part" in each clause, as before; and make it out thus, "a fourth part of thee shall be consumed with death (the pestilence); and a fourth part of thee shall be consumed with famine in the midst of thee; and a fourth part of thee I will scatter to every wind; and a fourth part of thee shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will draw out the sword after them".

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

Pestilence. Septuagint, "death;" so they usually denote pestilence. They add, "and a fourth part of thee shall be," &c., ver. 2. (Haydock)

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).

12. See Eze_5:1-4; compare Jer_15:2. Dav. Hein. Muller, Ezekiel Studien, 1893, has pointed out the very curious resemblance which this verse bears to many cuneiform inscriptions where sword, famine, and pestilence are joined together. For instance, Assur-banipal, who might almost be called a contemporary of Ezekiel, saw a divine decree written upon the disk of the moon: “By the iron sword, by the burning fire, by famine, and by pestilence I will make an end of his life.” Because of such coincidences Dr. Muller believes Ezekiel, even if he had not studied the cuneiform literature in detail, must at least have had some one “read to him the standard inscriptions.” His proof, however, hardly sustains his conclusions, while Eze_3:5-6, would intimate that Ezekiel was not well acquainted with the Babylonian language.

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

A third part of thee, etc. (see note on ver. 2). The strange symbolic act is now interpreted. I will draw out a sword, etc. The phrase recurs in Eze_12:14, and is found in Lev_26:33 an echo, like so many other passages in Ezekiel, from what seems to have been his favourite storehouse of thought and language (Leviticus 17-26.).

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