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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Ezekiel 4:12 And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people."</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/4-12.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/5/26_Ezk_04_12.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Ezekiel 4:12 - The Defiled Bread" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/ezekiel/4-12.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/ezekiel/4-12.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/ezekiel/">Ezekiel</a> > <a href="/ezekiel/4.htm">Chapter 4</a> > Verse 12</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad12.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/ezekiel/4-11.htm" title="Ezekiel 4:11">◄</a> Ezekiel 4:12 <a href="/ezekiel/4-13.htm" title="Ezekiel 4:13">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/4.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/ezekiel/4.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/ezekiel/4.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Prepare and eat this food as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/ezekiel/4.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/4.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/ezekiel/4.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it <i>as</i> barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/ezekiel/4.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />And you shall eat it <i>as</i> barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/ezekiel/4.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked <i>it</i> in their sight over human dung.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/ezekiel/4.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human dung.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/ezekiel/4.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“And you shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked <i>it</i> in their sight over human dung.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/ezekiel/4.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked <i>it</i> in their sight over human dung.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/ezekiel/4.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />You shall eat your food as barley cakes, having baked it in their sight over human dung.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/ezekiel/4.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You will eat it as you would a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/ezekiel/4.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You will eat it as you would a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight.&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/ezekiel/4.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in their sight with dung that cometh out of man.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/ezekiel/4.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Use dried human waste to start a fire, then bake the bread on the coals where everyone can watch you. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/ezekiel/4.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in their sight with dung that cometh out of man.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/ezekiel/4.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Eat the bread as you would eat barley loaves. Bake the bread in front of people, using human excrement for fuel."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/ezekiel/4.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/ezekiel/4.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />You are to eat it as barley cakes and bake it right in front of them, using dried human dung for cooking fuel." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/ezekiel/4.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people.?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/ezekiel/4.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />And you must eat the food like you would a barley cake. You must bake it in front of them over a fire made with dried human excrement."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/ezekiel/4.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />You shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it in their sight with dung that comes out of man."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/ezekiel/4.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with human excrement in their sight.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/ezekiel/4.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />You shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it in their sight with dung that comes out of man.” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/ezekiel/4.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And you eat it [as] barley-cake, and it with dung—the filth of man—you bake before their eyes.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/ezekiel/4.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> A barley-cake thou dost eat it, and it with dung -- the filth of man -- thou dost bake before their eyes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/ezekiel/4.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it cakes of barley, and it shall be baked with dung coming forth of man, before their eyes.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/ezekiel/4.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it as barley bread baked under the ashes: and thou shalt cover it, in their sight, with the dung that cometh out of a man. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/ezekiel/4.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And you shall eat it like barley bread baked under ashes. And you shall cover it, in their sight, with the dung that goes out of a man.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/ezekiel/4.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />And the barley cake you eat you must bake on human excrement in the sight of all.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/ezekiel/4.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall eat it as a barley-cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/ezekiel/4.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And you shall eat it as if you ate barley cakes, having baked it in their sight with the dung that comes out of men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/ezekiel/4.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And you shall eat a flat cake of barley that is baked on the dung of a son of man in their sight<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/ezekiel/4.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in their sight with dung that cometh out of man.'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/ezekiel/4.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And thou shalt eat them <i>as</i> a barley cake: thou shalt bake them before their eyes in man's dung.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vET3Gmwku4s?start=817" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/4.htm">The Defiled Bread</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">11</span>You are also to measure out a sixth of a hin of water to drink, and you are to drink it at set times. <span class="reftext">12</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/398.htm" title="398: tō·ḵă·len·nāh (V-Qal-Imperf-2ms:: 3fse) -- To eat. A primitive root; to eat.">And you shall eat</a> <a href="/hebrew/1931.htm" title="1931: wə·hî (Conj-w:: Pro-3fs) -- He, she, it. ">the food</a> <a href="/hebrew/8184.htm" title="8184: śə·‘ō·rîm (N-fp) -- Barley. Or snowrah; and; also s or; or s-owr; from sa'ar in the sense of roughness; barley.">as you would a barley</a> <a href="/hebrew/5692.htm" title="5692: wə·‘u·ḡaṯ (Conj-w:: N-fsc) -- A disc or cake of bread. From uwg; an ash-cake.">cake,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5746.htm" title="5746: tə·‘u·ḡe·nāh (V-Qal-Imperf-2ms:: 3fse) -- To bake. A primitive root; properly, to gyrate; but used only as a denominative from uggah, to bake.">after you bake</a> <a href="/hebrew/120.htm" title="120: hā·’ā·ḏām (Art:: N-ms) -- Man, mankind. From 'adam; ruddy i.e. A human being.">it over dried human</a> <a href="/hebrew/1561.htm" title="1561: bə·ḡel·lê (Prep-b:: N-mpc) -- Dung. A variation of galal; dung.">excrement</a> <a href="/hebrew/6627.htm" title="6627: ṣê·’aṯ (N-fsc) -- Filth, human excrement. From yatsa'; issue, i.e. excrement."></a> <a href="/hebrew/5869.htm" title="5869: lə·‘ê·nê·hem (Prep-l:: N-cdc:: 3mp) -- An eye. Probably a primitive word; an eye; by analogy, a fountain.">in the sight of the people.”</a> </span><span class="reftext">13</span>Then the LORD said, “This is how the Israelites will eat their defiled bread among the nations to which I will banish them.”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/leviticus/26-29.htm">Leviticus 26:29</a></span><br />You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/28-53.htm">Deuteronomy 28:53</a></span><br />Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/6-28.htm">2 Kings 6:28-29</a></span><br />Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ / So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/19-9.htm">Jeremiah 19:9</a></span><br />I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/4-10.htm">Lamentations 4:10</a></span><br />The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/9-3.htm">Hosea 9:3-4</a></span><br />They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria. / They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him, but will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat will be defiled. For their bread will be for themselves; it will not enter the house of the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/36-12.htm">Isaiah 36:12</a></span><br />But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_kings/14-10.htm">1 Kings 14:10</a></span><br />Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/18-27.htm">2 Kings 18:27</a></span><br />But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/16-4.htm">Jeremiah 16:4</a></span><br />“They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/24-7.htm">Matthew 24:7</a></span><br />Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/13-8.htm">Mark 13:8</a></span><br />Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/21-11.htm">Luke 21:11</a></span><br />There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/6-8.htm">Revelation 6:8</a></span><br />Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/10-14.htm">Acts 10:14</a></span><br />“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it with dung that comes out of man, in their sight.</p><p class="hdg">No references listed for this verse.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/isaiah/44-15.htm">Bake</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-19.htm">Baked</a> <a href="/1_chronicles/9-31.htm">Baking</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-9.htm">Barley</a> <a href="/isaiah/38-21.htm">Cake</a> <a href="/jeremiah/44-19.htm">Cakes</a> <a href="/1_chronicles/9-31.htm">Cooking</a> <a href="/jeremiah/25-33.htm">Dung</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-10.htm">Eat</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/23-13.htm">Excrement</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-18.htm">Eyes</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-20.htm">Filth</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-10.htm">Food</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-58.htm">Fuel</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-26.htm">Human</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-2.htm">Sight</a> <a href="/jeremiah/31-5.htm">Using</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/4-15.htm">Bake</a> <a href="/daniel/2-33.htm">Baked</a> <a href="/genesis/19-3.htm">Baking</a> <a href="/ezekiel/13-19.htm">Barley</a> <a href="/hosea/7-8.htm">Cake</a> <a href="/ezekiel/27-17.htm">Cakes</a> <a href="/ezekiel/11-3.htm">Cooking</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-15.htm">Dung</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-13.htm">Eat</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/23-13.htm">Excrement</a> <a href="/ezekiel/5-8.htm">Eyes</a> <a href="/ezekiel/24-6.htm">Filth</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-13.htm">Food</a> <a href="/ezekiel/15-4.htm">Fuel</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-15.htm">Human</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-17.htm">Sight</a> <a href="/ezekiel/5-1.htm">Using</a><div class="vheading2">Ezekiel 4</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/4-1.htm">Under type of a siege is shown the time from the defection of Jeroboam to captivity</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/4-9.htm">By the provision of the siege, is shown the hardness of the famine</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ezekiel/4.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ezekiel/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/ezekiel/4.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake</b><br>This phrase indicates a symbolic act commanded by God to Ezekiel. Barley was a common grain in ancient Israel, often associated with the food of the poor. This act symbolizes the dire conditions and scarcity of food that would occur during the siege of Jerusalem. Barley cakes were a staple, simple to make, and represented basic sustenance. The use of barley here underscores the theme of judgment and the humbling of the people.<p><b>after you bake it over dried human excrement</b><br>The use of human excrement as fuel for baking is a shocking and defiling act, intended to convey the severity of the coming judgment. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, using human waste was considered unclean and abhorrent, highlighting the desperation and degradation that would accompany the siege. This act serves as a vivid illustration of the defilement and impurity that the Israelites would experience due to their disobedience. It also reflects the extreme conditions of famine and the lack of resources.<p><b>in the sight of the people.</b><br>Ezekiel's actions were to be performed publicly, serving as a prophetic sign to the people of Israel. This public demonstration was meant to capture attention and provoke reflection on their spiritual state and the consequences of their actions. The visibility of the act emphasizes the role of the prophet as a messenger and a living symbol of God's warnings. It also serves as a call to repentance, urging the people to recognize the seriousness of their situation and turn back to God.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/e/ezekiel.htm">Ezekiel</a></b><br>A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. Known for his symbolic and often dramatic prophetic acts.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a></b><br>The people of God who are in exile in Babylon due to their disobedience and idolatry. They are the primary audience of Ezekiel's prophecies.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/b/babylon.htm">Babylon</a></b><br>The place of exile for the Israelites, representing a period of judgment and purification for the nation.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/s/symbolic_act.htm">Symbolic Act</a></b><br>Ezekiel's act of baking bread over human excrement is a symbolic gesture commanded by God to illustrate the defilement and desperation that the Israelites will experience.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/s/symbolism_of_defilement.htm">Symbolism of Defilement</a></b><br>The use of human excrement in baking symbolizes the extreme defilement and desperation that sin brings. It serves as a vivid reminder of the consequences of turning away from God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_in_judgment.htm">God's Sovereignty in Judgment</a></b><br>God's command to Ezekiel highlights His control over the circumstances of His people, even in their judgment. It reminds us that God is just and His judgments are purposeful.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/c/call_to_repentance.htm">Call to Repentance</a></b><br>The shocking nature of the act is meant to awaken the Israelites to their spiritual condition and prompt repentance. It challenges us to examine our own lives for areas needing repentance.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_beyond_judgment.htm">Hope Beyond Judgment</a></b><br>While the act is a sign of judgment, it also points to the need for purification and eventual restoration. It encourages us to trust in God's redemptive plan even in difficult times.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_ezekiel_4.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 4</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_foods_are_mentioned_in_the_bible.htm">What foods are mentioned in the Bible?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_cow_dung_align_with_purity_laws.htm">Ezekiel 4:12–15: How could using cow dung rather than human waste reconcile the apparent conflict with Jewish purity laws? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/was_ezekiel's_'siege_bread'_real.htm">Ezekiel 4:9–12: Is there any historical evidence that this specific type of “siege bread” was actually made and consumed in ancient times? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_are_the_signs_of_the_end_times.htm">What are the signs of the end times?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/ezekiel/4.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(12) <span class= "bld">As barley cakes.</span>--These were commonly cooked in the hot ashes, hence the especial defilement caused by the fuel required to be used. Against this the prophet pleads, not merely as revolting in itself, but as ceremonially polluting (<a href="/ezekiel/4-14.htm" title="Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul has not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.">Ezekiel 4:14</a>; see <a href="/leviticus/5-3.htm" title="Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled with, and it be hid from him; when he knows of it, then he shall be guilty.">Leviticus 5:3</a>; <a href="/leviticus/7-21.htm" title="Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain to the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.">Leviticus 7:21</a>), and a mitigation of the requirement is granted to him (<a href="/ezekiel/4-15.htm" title="Then he said to me, See, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread therewith.">Ezekiel 4:15</a>).<p><span class= "bld">In their sight</span>--This is still a part of the vision. The words have been thought to determine that the whole transaction was an actual symbolic act and not a vision; but this does not follow. It need only have been a part of the vision that what was done was done publicly.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/ezekiel/4.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 12.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Thou shall bake it with dung</span>, etc. The process of baking in ashes was as old as the time of Abraham (<a href="/genesis/18-6.htm">Genesis 18:6</a>), and continues in Arabia and Syria to the present day. The kneaded dough was rolled into thin flat cakes, and they were placed upon, or hung over, the hot wood embers of the hearth or oven. But in a besieged city the supply of wood for fuel soon fails. The first resource is found, as still often happens in the East, in using the dried dung of camels or of cattle. Before Ezekiel's mind there came the vision of a yet more terrible necessity. That supply also might tail, and then men would be forced to use the dried contents of the "draught houses" or cesspools of Jerusalem. They would be compelled almost literally to fulfil the taunt of Rabshakeh (<a href="/isaiah/36-12.htm">Isaiah 36:12</a>). That thought, as bringing with it the ceremonial pollution of <a href="/leviticus/5-3.htm">Leviticus 5:3</a>: 7:21, was as revolting to Ezekiel as it is to us; but like Dante, in a like revolting symbolism ('Inf.,' 18:114), he does not shrink from naming it. It came to him, as with the authority of a Divine command, that he was even to do this, to represent the extreme horrors of the siege. And all this was to be done visibly, before the eyes of his neighbours at Tel-Abib. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">And you shall eat</span><br /><span class="heb">תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֑נָּה</span> <span class="translit">(tō·ḵă·len·nāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_398.htm">Strong's 398: </a> </span><span class="str2">To eat</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[the food]</span><br /><span class="heb">וְהִ֗יא</span> <span class="translit">(wə·hî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1931.htm">Strong's 1931: </a> </span><span class="str2">He, self, the same, this, that, as, are</span><br /><br /><span class="word">as you would a barley</span><br /><span class="heb">שְׂעֹרִ֖ים</span> <span class="translit">(śə·‘ō·rîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8184.htm">Strong's 8184: </a> </span><span class="str2">Barley</span><br /><br /><span class="word">cake,</span><br /><span class="heb">וְעֻגַ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(wə·‘u·ḡaṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5692.htm">Strong's 5692: </a> </span><span class="str2">A disc or cake of bread</span><br /><br /><span class="word">after you bake</span><br /><span class="heb">תְּעֻגֶ֖נָה</span> <span class="translit">(tə·‘u·ḡe·nāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5746.htm">Strong's 5746: </a> </span><span class="str2">To bake</span><br /><br /><span class="word">it over dried human</span><br /><span class="heb">הָֽאָדָ֔ם</span> <span class="translit">(hā·’ā·ḏām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_120.htm">Strong's 120: </a> </span><span class="str2">Ruddy, a human being</span><br /><br /><span class="word">excrement</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּגֶֽלְלֵי֙</span> <span class="translit">(bə·ḡel·lê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1561.htm">Strong's 1561: </a> </span><span class="str2">Dung</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in the sight [of the people].”</span><br /><span class="heb">לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃</span> <span class="translit">(lə·‘ê·nê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - cdc | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5869.htm">Strong's 5869: </a> </span><span class="str2">An eye, a fountain</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/ezekiel/4-12.htm">Ezekiel 4:12 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/ezekiel/4-12.htm">OT Prophets: Ezekiel 4:12 You shall eat it as barley cakes (Ezek. Eze Ezk) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/ezekiel/4-11.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Ezekiel 4:11"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Ezekiel 4:11" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/ezekiel/4-13.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ezekiel 4:13"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ezekiel 4:13" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>