Translations
Modern
“Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.
Traditional
Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;
Literal
“Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with anxiety!
Latin
Fili hominis, panem tuum in conturbatione comede, sed et aquam tuam in festinatione et mœrore bibe.
Original
Hebrew
English
“Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.
Notes
Ezekiel trembled and shook while he ate and drank. This was a sign act, a symbolic action that showed God’s message.
His shaking showed the fear and anxiety of the people living in Jerusalem and Judah. They would see that destruction was coming and that they could not escape it.
Later, the exiles would hear that their homeland had been destroyed. Then they would understand something important. They were not rejected by God. Instead, they were the ones who had escaped his complete judgment (see Jeremiah 24:1–8).
Theme notes and profiles
Events
- Prophecies of Ezekielc. 593 BC
Glossary
Topics
Instruction by Object Lessons: Eating and Drinking Sparingly Pantomime by Ezekiel Symbols and Similitudes: Eating and Drinking in Fear Symbols and Similitudes: Eating Bread with Alertness