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nury the Ciry ſhould be brought ro. f Some ſay five Ounces, others
{ay ren Ounces,. the greater of the two fcarce enough to maintain Life, | }
and yer 'tis probable enough 'twas but five Ounces of Bread which was his Allowance. A hard caſe, when the Law of the 12 Tables allowed a Pound of Bread ro Priſoners daily for their Diet. But here the Pro-
er harh but half that Allowance if the rwenty Shekels were Shekel: of the SanCtuary ; and he hath bur a quarter of that Allowance if they were common Shekels, by which his Allowance was weighed. g Ar {-r hours this was weighed our, and no more could be had at any ocher time, whether Moraing or Evening, once in four and twenty Hours, or once in twelve Hours, ſtil] ar che appointed Hour, and poſſibly there might be different Hours appointeg to different Perſons, and every one muſt obſerve his ownrime.
11 Thou ſhalt drink alſo 4 water by meaſure, the ; fixth part of an hin : from time to time thou ſhalt
rink. : : Not Wine or cordial Drinks, but cold and thin Water, nor a Bel- ly full of this. - Abour fix Ounces of Water, and that meaſured out by others to bim that drinks it, ſcarce enough to keep the Man alive. Such Proportions of Bread and Water rather fed Death than the Man F yet more could not be had when the Beſiegers were Maſters of both
Fields and Fountains, and cut off all from the City.
12 And thou ſhalt eat it 2s barley & cakes, and thou ſhalt |
bake ic with dung / that cometh out of man in »2 their A
yr Theſe were Delicacies with them when they could temper and make them righr, but now theſe pitiful things ſhould be to theſe half. ſtarved Bodies 2s Delicates: or, rather becauſe rhey were greedy, could nor ſtay till they were baked : or, leſt any ſhould rake it from them : or, becauſe they never had enough to make a Loaf with, they eat them as Barley Cakes. / There would be ro Wood left for ſuch neceſlary Uſes, nor yet Dung of other Creatures, they would be all con. ſumed by the length of rhe Siege too ; what loathſom Food was this ? yer if” this ſtrairneſs of the Siege they are brought to ir. m Openly that any might ſee it: From this Paſſage ſome conclude this was atu. ally done, and not only repreſented in a Viſion.
13 And the LORD faid, Even » thus * ſhall the chil. dren 0 of [Iſrael eat their defiled bread p among the Gen- ciles, whither I will drive them.
This Verſe is a Key to the former. » Scanty, mean, ill dreſy'd, and polluted in the very drefling, loathſom to any bur ſtarved Bellies o Not only the Houſe of Fuda-, but all the reſt of the Children of ljracl, not in the Siege only, bur this Miſery ſhould purſue them. p Who wou!d be ready enough ro upbraid them, and twit them as breaking the Rules of their Religion, ro fill their Bellies : Thus their Sins would bring them to extreameſt Want and Shame.
14 Then faid I, * Ah p Lord GOD, behold, my 4 ſoul
hath not been polluted: for from my » youth up even '5 till now, have I not eaten of * that which :t dieth of it
ſelf, or is torn « in pieces; neither came there abomina-
- ble fleſh into my mouth.
p He deprecaterh this, and intreats it may not be enjoined him. q 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 cried by enjoining to eat what is abo- minable. » He took early care of this. s Had perſevered to this Age, therefore prays Mitigation, and ſome Change in his Diet or drefling of it. # Forbidden as polluted, Exod. 2 2. 31. Lev. 17. 15. and Exzek. 44. 31- # Forbidden by the Law alſo, as Exod. 22.31.
15 2 Then he ſaid unto me, Lo, I have given thee cows dung for mans dung, and thou ſhalt prepare thy bread therewith.
z So ſoon as he prayed God anſwered, and condeſcends to Zzekie! that he ſhould uſe what was leſs abominable than Man's Dung, bur it was not granted to the Jews, who in the Siege at Jeruſalem did much worſe things, and more deteſtable, reduced to it by Straits as chap. 5; 10, Lam. 1.11. and 2. I1.. 12. 20»
16 Morzover, he ſaid unto me, Son of man, be-
I +26. hold, I will break the * Staff-of bread in y Jeruſalem,
and they ſhall eat bread by weight z, and with + care,
k and drink water by || meaſure, and with * aſtoniſh- 7 Fi 2 ** ment.
Here the Lord confirms his Threat of Famine by a ſolemn Proteſta. tion, that he would break the Staff of Bread ; either take their Har- veſts away, and deny them Bread, or withold this Blefling, the Strength of Bread, that it ſhouid not nouriſh and refreſh, as Lev. 26. 26. 5 That ſinful City. z See wer. 10. + Afraid anddoubtfull whether or where they ſhall have any more. || See wer. 11. * Amazed at the Strangeneſs of their Condition, and the Wounds and Death of many that fell by the Enemies Hand, attempting to fetch a little Water ; or Mtonied, their very Eyes failing for Thuft.
17 That they may want bread and water, and be a-
&, 2c, ſtonied one with another, and * conſume away for their
iniquity.
The Lord will take away their Proviſion that they may die with want, puniſhed for all their Sins, and diſappointed of all that their falſe Prophers promiſed them ; and under ſtrangeſt Diſappointments, be filled wich ſtrangeſt Amazements and Horrors, at the woful Miſe- ries of one another, and falling dead in each others helpleſs Sight.
CHAP. V.
The Prophet being commanded by Grd to ſhave his head, and divide the kair, repreſenteth thereby the many dreadful plagues of the Jews for their rebellion, 1-11. by famine, ſword and diſperſion, 12--=17,
1 2 A ND%5 thou ſon of Man, « take thee a d ſharp knife, take thee a e barbors raſor, and f *
_ - ©O paſs upon thy g head and upon thy 4 bea:d ; O1, IL,
EZSEKRTEL