Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 12

A rebellious house. —Compare Deuteronomy 1:26; Romans 10:21. The seeing not and hearing not is that perverse refusing to see and to hear so often spoken of in Scripture (Isaiah 6:9; Jeremiah 5:21; Matthew 13:14–15). It was because of this disposition that the prophet was to give them a sign to which they could not shut their eyes.

Prepare you stuff for removing. —The same words are translated in Jeremiah 46:19, Furnish thyself to go into captivity. Stuff includes all that an emigrant would require: clothes, utensils, etc., and “removing” is the same word as is translated captivity in Ezekiel 12:4.

The symbolical action was that of one preparing to leave his home to go into captivity. The prophet is to make his preparations during the day, and to carry forth his stuff (Ezekiel 12:7), but not himself to go forth until evening (Ezekiel 12:4). The action seems to be that of one who must abandon his home, using the whole day to carry out all he can with the purpose of saving it, and then himself leaving the house when the day is done.

Dig thou through the wall. —This is a subsequent action, as shown by Ezekiel 12:7. The wall was probably of adobe, sun-dried brick, the common building material of the country, and there was, therefore, no great difficulty in digging through it; but this way of entering the house indicates something of stealth and secrecy. He was to carry forth his goods openly through his door during the day, and then to re-enter at evening, and secretly to carry forth those things which he would not otherwise be allowed to take away.

Bear it ... carry it. —The pronouns are not in the original, and are better omitted. Otherwise, the “it” might seem to refer to the stuff already carried out during the day. Read, Thou shalt bear upon thy shoulders, and carry forth in the dark. The word rendered “twilight” is used only here and in Ezekiel 12:12, and in Genesis 15:17, and means dark.

That thou see not the ground. —This covering of the face might primarily be a token of grief; but as the whole action is distinctly prophetic (and is so interpreted), so especially was this sign. (See the account of the capture of Zedekiah in 2 Kings 25:4–7; Jeremiah 39:4–7; Jeremiah 52:7–11.) The king, with his men of war, escaped from the city secretly by night, was pursued and captured, and carried to Riblah, where his eyes were put out, and he was then taken in chains to Babylon.

In the morning. —This implies that the preceding symbolical action was actually performed, since the Divine message comes in answer to the inquiry of the people (Ezekiel 12:9), What doest thou?