17 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 18 'Son of man, thy bread in haste thou dost eat, and thy water with trembling and with fear thou dost drink; 19 and thou hast said unto the people of the land, Thus said the Lord Jehovah concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, concerning the land of Israel: Their bread with fear they do eat, and their water with astonishment drink, because its land is desolate, because of its fulness, because of the violence of all who are dwelling in it. 20 And the cities that are inhabited are laid waste, and the land is a desolation, and ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah.'
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.