Ezekiel Chapter 5
Ezekiel 5
The Sword of God’s Judgment
Ezekiel 5:1-4, The Prophecy of the Thirds Illustrated by Cutting Ezekiel’s Hair
Ezekiel 5:1-4, “And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's rasor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 5 continues the acted prophecies that began in Ezekiel 4. God again calls Ezekiel “son of man,” reminding him that he is a human servant under divine command. The prophet is commanded to take a sharp knife, a barber’s razor, and shave his head and beard.
This was shocking. For a priest, the hair and beard were connected to dignity, consecration, and priestly identity. To shave the head and beard was an act of mourning, humiliation, and disgrace. But Ezekiel is not merely mourning personally. His body becomes a sign of Jerusalem’s coming disgrace.
The instrument matters. God tells him to use a sharp knife, described as a barber’s razor. A sword-like blade is being used for shaving because the message concerns military judgment. Jerusalem will be cut down by the sword of Babylon, under the judgment of God.
After shaving, Ezekiel must weigh and divide the hair. The scales show precision. God’s judgment is not careless, irrational, or random. It is measured. Every hair is weighed. The LORD’s justice is exact.
Then Ezekiel divides the hair into thirds. One third is burned in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are fulfilled. This represents those who will perish inside Jerusalem through fire, famine, pestilence, and the horrors of the siege.
Another third is struck with the knife round about the city. This represents those who will fall by the sword around Jerusalem.
Another third is scattered in the wind. This represents those driven into exile and dispersed among the nations. But even there they are not free from judgment, because God says, “I will draw out a sword after them.”
Then Ezekiel is to take a few hairs and bind them in his skirts. This represents a small remnant preserved by God. Even in severe judgment, the LORD does not utterly destroy all. A remnant remains.
Yet even some of those few hairs are cast into the fire. This shows that the remnant left in the land would also suffer. Judgment would not be limited to the initial fall of the city. Fire would go forth into all the house of Israel.
This sign is severe, visual, and unforgettable. Ezekiel’s shaved head and divided hair preach the coming destruction of Jerusalem by fire, sword, scattering, and continued judgment.
Ezekiel 5:5-10, Severe Judgment against Jerusalem
Ezekiel 5:5-10, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.”
The LORD now explains the sign. “This is Jerusalem.” The exiles may have expected Babylon to be the target of God’s judgment. Babylon was pagan, idolatrous, violent, and proud. But God points to His own city and says, “This is Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem had been set in the midst of the nations. This speaks of her privileged position. God placed Israel at the crossroads of nations, empires, and continents. More importantly, Jerusalem held a central place in redemptive history. The temple was there. The priesthood served there. The sacrifices were offered there. God had chosen to put His name there.
But privilege brings responsibility. Jerusalem had not been faithful to her calling. She changed God’s judgments into wickedness more than the nations. She refused His statutes and did not walk in them.
The sin is especially grievous because Jerusalem had more light than the nations. Pagan nations sinned in darkness, but Jerusalem sinned against revealed truth. They had the law, prophets, temple, priesthood, covenant, and warnings. Greater light brought greater accountability.
God says they had multiplied disobedience more than the nations around them. They did not walk in His statutes, keep His judgments, or even live according to the ordinary judgments of the surrounding nations. In other words, Jerusalem had become worse than the pagans she should have instructed.
Then comes the terrible declaration: “Behold, I, even I, am against thee.” There is nothing more dreadful than God saying He is against a people. If Babylon is against Jerusalem, there may still be hope. If Egypt fails Jerusalem, there may still be hope. But if the LORD Himself is against Jerusalem, no wall, temple, king, or alliance can save her.
God promises to execute judgments in the midst of Jerusalem in the sight of the nations. Israel was supposed to teach the nations through obedience and blessing. Now she will teach the nations through judgment.
The judgment will be unprecedented: “I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like.” The siege will bring horrors so severe that fathers will eat sons and sons will eat fathers. This is the fulfillment of covenant curses given through Moses.
Leviticus 26:29, “And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.”
Deuteronomy 28:53, “And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters... in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:”
The chapter shows that Jerusalem’s fall was not an accident of history. It was covenant judgment. God had warned them beforehand, and now His word would be fulfilled.
Ezekiel 5:11-12, Judgment on Jerusalem by Thirds
Ezekiel 5:11-12, “Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.”
The LORD swears by His own life: “as I live, saith the Lord GOD.” This contrasts the living God with lifeless idols. The judgment is declared by the One who lives eternally and rules absolutely.
The reason is direct: Jerusalem defiled God’s sanctuary with detestable things and abominations. This was one of the worst sins possible. The nations did not have the LORD’s sanctuary. Jerusalem did. Yet she brought abominations into the holy place.
To defile the sanctuary was to despise the holiness of God. The temple was not a magical protection against judgment. It increased Jerusalem’s accountability.
Because they defiled His sanctuary, God says, “therefore will I also diminish thee.” The people treated the holy things of God as common and corrupt, so God would reduce them under judgment.
“Neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.” This does not mean God is cruel. It means the time for delayed mercy has passed. The judgment long warned is now certain.
God then explains the thirds from Ezekiel’s hair sign. A third will die with pestilence and famine in the city. A third will fall by the sword around the city. A third will be scattered into all the winds, and God will draw out a sword after them.
Fire, famine, pestilence, sword, and exile all become instruments of divine judgment. The city that defiled the sanctuary will be diminished before the nations.
Ezekiel 5:13-14, The Spending Out of God’s Anger
Ezekiel 5:13-14, “Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them. Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.”
God says His anger will be accomplished. His fury will rest upon them. The language is heavy because Judah’s sin had provoked the holy jealousy of God for generations.
“I will be comforted” does not mean God takes sinful pleasure in destruction. It means His holy justice will be satisfied. The long insult against His name, sanctuary, law, and covenant will be answered.
“They shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.” This is a major theme in Ezekiel. God acts so that His people and the nations know that He is the LORD. His word will be vindicated. His warnings will be proven true.
The judgment is spoken “in my zeal.” God’s zeal includes His holy passion for His name, His glory, His sanctuary, His covenant, and His righteousness. Judah treated holy things lightly, but God did not.
Jerusalem will become waste and a reproach among the surrounding nations. Those who pass by will see her ruin. The city that should have displayed God’s blessing will display the seriousness of God’s judgment.
This is a fearful principle. God’s people will witness either by obedience or by discipline. If they refuse to show the nations His holiness through faithfulness, they may show the nations His holiness through judgment.
Ezekiel 5:15-17, The Great Destruction of God’s Judgment
Ezekiel 5:15-17, “So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.”
Jerusalem will become a reproach, taunt, instruction, and astonishment to the nations. The nations will mock, but they will also learn. Jerusalem’s fall will instruct them that the LORD is holy and that covenant privilege does not excuse rebellion.
God says He will execute judgments in anger, fury, and furious rebukes. The repetition shows intensity. This is not mild correction. It is fierce covenant judgment after long patience.
Again the LORD seals it: “I the LORD have spoken it.” The certainty of judgment rests on the certainty of God’s word.
God will send “the evil arrows of famine.” Famine is pictured as a deadly arrow from God. Bread will be cut off. The staff of bread will be broken. Bread supports life, but when God breaks that staff, the people weaken, stagger, and fall.
He will also send famine and evil beasts. They will bereave the people, taking children, family, and strength. Pestilence and blood will pass through the city. The sword will come.
The chapter ends with the repeated declaration, “I the LORD have spoken it.” This is the final authority. Jerusalem’s fate is not ultimately determined by Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah, Egypt, or false prophets. It is determined by the word of the LORD.
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Ezekiel 5 teaches that God’s judgment is measured and exact. Ezekiel weighs the hair before dividing it.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that priestly privilege does not exempt a man from costly obedience. Ezekiel’s shaved head and beard were humiliating signs.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that Jerusalem’s judgment came because of covenant rebellion, not political misfortune.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that greater privilege brings greater accountability. Jerusalem sinned against more light than the nations.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that outward religion cannot protect a people who defile God’s sanctuary.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that the most dreadful judgment is for God Himself to say, “I, even I, am against thee.”
Ezekiel 5 teaches that the covenant curses of Moses were literally fulfilled in Jerusalem’s siege.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that God’s zeal is holy passion for His name, sanctuary, covenant, and righteousness.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that God’s people will instruct the nations either through obedience or through judgment.
Ezekiel 5 teaches that when the LORD has spoken, His word will stand.
Summary
Ezekiel 5 continues the acted prophecies of judgment. God commands Ezekiel to take a sharp knife like a barber’s razor and shave his head and beard. He must weigh the hair and divide it into thirds. One third is burned in the midst of the city when the days of siege are fulfilled. One third is struck with the knife. One third is scattered to the wind, and God draws out a sword after them. A few hairs are bound in Ezekiel’s skirts, showing a remnant, but some of those are also cast into the fire, showing further judgment among the remnant.
The LORD then explains that Jerusalem was set in the midst of the nations but rebelled against His judgments and statutes more wickedly than the nations around her. Because she refused His word and multiplied disobedience, God declares, “I, even I, am against thee.” He will execute judgments in Jerusalem before the nations and do something uniquely severe because of her abominations. Fathers will eat sons, sons will eat fathers, and the remnant will be scattered to all winds.
Because Jerusalem defiled God’s sanctuary with detestable things and abominations, God swears by His own life that He will diminish her, not spare, and not pity. A third will die by pestilence and famine in the city, a third will fall by the sword, and a third will be scattered, with the sword drawn after them.
God’s anger will be accomplished, His fury will rest upon them, and they will know that He has spoken in His zeal. Jerusalem will become waste and a reproach among the nations.
The chapter ends with the certainty of destruction. Jerusalem will become a reproach, taunt, instruction, and astonishment to the nations when God executes judgments in anger and furious rebukes. He will send the arrows of famine, increase famine, break the staff of bread, send evil beasts, pestilence, blood, and the sword. The final word is the authority of God Himself: “I the LORD have spoken it.”
