John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 5:12

"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 a third part I will scatter unto all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them." — Ezekiel 5:12 (ASV)

Now he explains plainly what he had previously proposed figuratively. For he had been commanded to shave the hair of his head and his beard with a razor, and to divide them so that pestilence would consume one part, the sword another, and famine a third.

Now he repeats the same thing, but in a different way. Therefore, God explains why he had given a vision of this kind to his servant.

But he shortens what we saw previously, because he omits the fourth part; for he was commanded to take some portion and hide it under his armpit, or in the hem of his garment. But here there is no mention of that part. Yet it was not spoken in vain, for God speaks in various ways, and that by his own right.

Meanwhile, both the figure and its application agree, because God was consuming the whole people by famine, pestilence, or the sword. What was said concerning the fourth part was not in vain, but it was not necessary to repeat it.

The Prophet's purpose, then, was this: since some were survivors, it might seem that they were exempt from the common slaughter. To take away that hope, he said that they also, or at least many of them, would perish by burning, so that they would ignite a fire among the whole people of Israel.

For it happened through the unyielding obstinacy of the people that the wretched exiles were more hated. Those who had previously spared them began anew to rage against them with cruelty, because the name of the people became detestable among all people.

Therefore, because the remnant of the citizens who remained at Jerusalem perished, it consequently happened that the burning spread to the ten tribes and to those wretched exiles who were captives in distant lands. But now our Prophet is silent on this point.

Meanwhile, he encompasses everything we saw before, although more briefly. Only that explanation was lacking, which, although previously useful, did not necessarily need to be repeated.

A third part, therefore, shall die by pestilence and shall perish by hunger in the midst of thee; then a third part shall perish by the sword around thee, and a third part shall be scattered towards every wind: although God claims this for himself, I will scatter, says he, the third part, and draw out the sword after them, so that they also will perish in their dispersion.

Now that dispersion is miserable in itself, but God pronounces that he would not be content with that moderate punishment until he utterly consumed them.