Ezekiel 12:20

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

12:17-20 The prophet must eat and drink in care and fear, with trembling, that he might express the condition of those in Jerusalem during the siege. When ministers speak of the ruin coming upon sinners, they must speak as those that know the terrors of the Lord. Afflictions are happy ones, however grievous to flesh and blood, that improve us in the knowledge of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The people of the land - Chaldaea.

Of the inhabitants - In respect to "the inhabitants."

Desolate from, all that is therein - i. e., stripped of all its inhabitants and of all its wealth.

At one and the same time, Jeremiah was prophesying in Jerusalem, and Ezekiel in Chaldaea; the prophecies of the former were sent to the exiles, and those of Ezekiel to the dwellers at Jerusalem, that the guiding hand of One God in different places might be made clear (Jerome).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. the cities—left in Judea after the destruction of Jerusalem.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The cities, the lesser cities up and down the land, which now are and will be inhabited when Jerusalem is destroyed,

shall be wasted with the sword, as the word seems to imply. Then shall you, who are now in Chaldea, know how the goodness of God brought you hither, that you had no real cause to complain that your condition was worse than your brethren’s in Judea. You shall know the truth and severity of God against sinners.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste,.... Not only the city of Jerusalem, but the other cities of Judea; as they were by the Chaldeans, which were then full of inhabitants:

and the land shall be desolate; the whole land of Judea be destitute of men and cattle, and lie uncultivated, and become barren and unfruitful:

and ye shall know that I am the Lord; who were then captives in Babylon, as well as those who should be dispersed among the nations would; see Ezekiel 12:15.

Geneva Study Bible

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

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Ezekiel 12:20

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Sign Depicting the Terrors and Consequences of the Conquest of Jerusalem

Ezekiel 12:17. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ezekiel 12:18. Son of man, thou shalt eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and trouble; Ezekiel 12:19. And say to the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in the land of Israel, They will eat their bread in trouble, and drink their water in amazement, because her land is laid waste of all its fulness for the wickedness of all who dwell therein. Ezekiel 12:20. And the inhabited cities become desolate, and the land will be laid waste; that ye may learn that I am Jehovah. - The carrying out of this sign is not mentioned; not that there is any doubt as to its having been done, but that it is simply taken for granted. The trouble and trembling could only be expressed by means of gesture. רעשׁ, generally an earthquake or violent convulsion; here, simply shaking, synonymous with רגזה, trembling. "Bread and water" is the standing expression for food; so that even here the idea of scanty provisions is not to be sought therein. This idea is found merely in the signs of anxiety and trouble with which Ezekiel was to eat his food. אל־אדמת equals 'על־אד, "upon the land," equivalent to "in the land." This is appended to show that the prophecy does not refer to those who had already been carried into exile, but to the inhabitants of Jerusalem who were still in the land. For the subject-matter, compare Ezekiel 4:16-17. למען indicates not the intention, "in order that," but the motive, "because."