17 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying , 18 "Son of man , eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with quivering and anxiety . 19 "Then say to the people of the land , 'Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel , "They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror , because their land will be stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it. 20 "The inhabited cities will be laid waste and the land will be a desolation . So you will know that I am the Lord .""'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 12:17-20
Commentary on Ezekiel 12:17-20
(Read Ezekiel 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.