Ezekiel 4:14
in Ezekiel 4“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said I, Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, my soul hath not been polluted; for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
KJV
Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
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This verse in Ezekiel 4
Commentary
8 notes on this verseMy soul hath not been polluted - There is a remarkable similarity between this expostulation of the prophet and that of St. Peter, Act 10:14.
This site's exposition
I have never defiled myself
on Ezekiel 4:14-15
Ezekiel protests as a priest who has kept the food laws. From his youth he has eaten nothing “found dead or mauled by wild beasts,” food that Leviticus 22:8 forbids to priests. The Lord grants a change of fuel, “cow dung instead of human excrement,” and the sign itself stands.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 13 and following) And the Lord said: Thus will the sons of Israel eat their polluted bread among the nations to which I will drive them out. And I said, ah, ah, ah, O Lord God: Behold, my soul is not polluted, and I have not eaten carrion or torn flesh from beasts from my youth until now, and all unclean flesh has not entered into my mouth. And he said to me: Behold, I have given you cow dung instead of human dung, and you shall make your bread with it.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
14 ), Lord, I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. Note, it will be comfortable to us, when we are reduced to hardships, if our hearts can witness for us that we have always been careful to abstain from sin, even from little sins, and the appearances of evil.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
Then said I, ah, Lord God!....
The prophet is here ordered to represent to himself and others by signs which would be proper and powerful to strike the fancy and to affect the mind, the siege of Jerusalem; and this amounted to a prediction. He was ordered to engrave a draught of Jerusalem upon a tile,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Positive precepts, being dependent on a particular command can be set aside at the will of the divine ruler; but moral precepts are everlasting in their obligation because God cannot be inconsistent with His unchanging moral nature. abominable flesh--literally, "flesh that stank from putridity." Flesh of animals three days killed was prohibited (Le 7:17, 18;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Abominable flesh - Flesh that had become corrupt and foul by overkeeping. Compare Lev 19:7.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאֹמַ֗ר | vaomar | and I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲהָהּ֙ | ʾahah | alas! | H162 → | 15 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֣י | ʾadonai | O Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| יְהוִ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3069 → | 306 times |
| הִנֵּ֥ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| נַפְשִׁ֖י | nafshi | self my | H5315 → | 754 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| מְטֻמָּאָ֑ה | metumaah | [has been] made unclean | H2930 → | 162 times |
| וּנְבֵלָ֨ה | unevelah | and a carcass | H5038 → | |
| וּטְרֵפָ֤ה | uterefah | and a torn animal | H2966 → | |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אָכַ֙לְתִּי֙ | ʾakhalti | I have eaten | H398 → | 810 times |
| מִנְּעוּרַ֣י | mineurai | since youth<s> my | H5271 → | 47 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עַ֔תָּה | ʾatah | now | H6258 → | 433 times |
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| בָ֥א | va' | it has gone | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בְּפִ֖י | befi | in mouth my | H6310 → | 498 times |
| בְּשַׂ֥ר | besar | [the] flesh of | H1320 → | 270 times |
| פִּגּֽוּל׃ ס | pigul | unclean meat | H6292 → |
וָאֹמַ֗רand I said
vaomarH559 →5305 times
אֲהָהּ֙alas!
ʾahahH162 →15 times
אֲדֹנָ֣יO Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
יְהוִ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3069 →306 times
הִנֵּ֥הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
נַפְשִׁ֖יself my
nafshiH5315 →754 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
מְטֻמָּאָ֑ה[has been] made unclean
metumaahH2930 →162 times
וּנְבֵלָ֨הand a carcass
unevelahH5038 →
וּטְרֵפָ֤הand a torn animal
uterefahH2966 →
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
אָכַ֙לְתִּי֙I have eaten
ʾakhaltiH398 →810 times
מִנְּעוּרַ֣יsince youth<s> my
mineuraiH5271 →47 times
וְעַד־and until
vead-H5704 →1261 times
עַ֔תָּהnow
ʾatahH6258 →433 times
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
בָ֥אit has gone
va'H935 →2568 times
בְּפִ֖יin mouth my
befiH6310 →498 times
בְּשַׂ֥ר[the] flesh of
besarH1320 →270 times
פִּגּֽוּל׃ סunclean meat
pigulH6292 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 10:14“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
it leads to
- Leviticus 20:25
You are therefore to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground; I have set these apart…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 11:1–25
The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, telling them,
- Leviticus 20:25
Through
Ezekiel 9:8While they were killing, I was left alone. And I fell facedown and cried out, “Oh, Lord GOD, when You pour out Your wrath on Jerusalem, will You destroy the entire remnant of Israel?”
it leads to
- Ezekiel 11:13
Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete…
- Ezekiel 11:13
Through
Isaiah 65:4sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:17
“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.
- Leviticus 11:7
And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
- Deuteronomy 14:8
Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud.…
- Isaiah 66:3
Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s…
- Isaiah 66:17
Through
Ezekiel 20:49Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”
it leads to
- John 16:25
I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
- John 16:25
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.