Charles Ellicott Commentary


Charles Ellicott Commentary
"In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulder, and carry it forth in the dark; thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the land: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel." — Ezekiel 12:6 (ASV)
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.