Ezekiel 12:17-19

Moreover, &c. As he was a sign to them in digging through the wall and carrying out his stuff, so he must now be a sign to them in another way. Eat thy bread with quaking, &c. Show all the signs of anxiety and consternation when thou takest thy common sustenance. This he was to do that he might express the calamitous condition of those that should be in Jerusalem during the siege. And say unto the people Thy fellow-captives; Thus saith the Lord of the inhabitants of Jerusalem This was designed to inform the captives that they were not in a worse condition than those that were left behind in Judea. They shall eat their bread with carefulness, &c. See note on Ezekiel 4:16. That her land may be desolate Rather, because her land shall be desolate, namely, the land of Jerusalem, or the country, of which it was the head city, which was shortly to be laid waste, emptied of its inhabitants, wealth, and plenty. Because of the violence, &c. The injustice, oppression, and tyranny of the Jews toward one another.