1
And you, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor; shave your head and your beard with it; then take scales and divide the hair.
2
A third you shall burn with fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are ended; a third you shall take and strike around it with the sword; and a third you shall scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.
3
You shall take a few of the hairs and bind them in the folds of your garment.
4
And again you shall take some of them, throw them into the fire, and burn them there; from there a fire will go out to consume all the house of Israel. And speak to them:
5
Thus says the Lord GOD: This is Jerusalem! In the midst of the nations I have set her, and around her are the lands.
6
But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against My statutes more wickedly than the lands around her; for they have rejected My ordinances, and their conduct has not been in accord with My statutes.
7
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are more wicked than the nations around you, and your conduct is not in accord with My statutes, and you do not keep My ordinances, but have even acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you,
8
therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
9
Because of all your abominations I will do among you what I have never done, and what I will never do again.
10
Therefore fathers shall eat their children in your midst, and children shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all who remain of you I will scatter to every wind.
11
Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, I Myself will tear you down; My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.
12
A third of you shall die by pestilence and be consumed by famine in your midst; a third shall fall by the sword around you; and a third I will scatter to every wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.
13
I will pour out My wrath upon them, and My fierce anger will be satisfied; and I will be comforted. Then they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My anger upon them.
14
I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
15
You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations that are around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and in wrath and with furious rebukes—I, the LORD, have spoken it—
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when I send upon you the grievous, destructive famine, and I send it to destroy you; when I make famine more severe upon you and cut off your supply of bread.
17
I will send famine upon you and wild beasts among you, and they shall bereave you of children; pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I, the LORD, have spoken it.”
⚖️🔥✂️ Summary of Ezekiel 5 – Hair Divided in Three: Judgment on Jerusalem
Ezekiel 5 continues the symbolic drama concerning judgment on Jerusalem. This time, God commands Ezekiel to shave his hair and beard, then divide it into three parts—each representing the ways the people of Jerusalem would be punished for their sins. In this chapter, God reveals His wrath directly and powerfully, because Jerusalem is more wicked than the pagan nations around it.
📌 1. Hair as a Symbol of Destruction (verses 1–4)
➡️ Ezekiel is told to shave his hair and beard with a sword:
- One-third is burned in the middle of the city (symbolizing those who die by fire)
- One-third is struck with the sword (symbolizing killing)
- One-third is scattered to the wind (symbolizing exile)
➡️ A small portion is kept in the hem of the garment—then burned as well, showing that none will wholly escape
🎯 The judgment will be complete—there is no safe place from God’s wrath.
📌 2. Jerusalem More Wicked than the Nations (verses 5–9)
“But she has rebelled against My law…”
➡️ Jerusalem, which should have been the center of truth and justice, instead surpassed the wickedness of the other nations.
➡️ Therefore, the Lord declares: “I Myself am against you!”
🎯 Closeness to God is not a guarantee — if righteousness is rejected, the judgment is heavier.
📌 3. The Lord’s Wrath Cannot Be Held Back (verses 10–13)
➡️ A picture of great terror appears:
- Parents eat their children, and vice versa
- The Lord will destroy, and not relent
- This punishment is purification through anger
🎯 The Lord’s wrath is just and intended to cleanse His people from uncleanness.
📌 4. Jerusalem Becomes a Sign for the Nations (verses 14–17)
➡️ Jerusalem will become a mockery and a warning to the nations
➡️ The Lord sends famine, wild beasts, and the sword — all as instruments of judgment
🎯 Even the chosen nation can become a bad example, if it does not live holy.
📖 Main Teaching
- The sins committed by God’s people are more serious because they know the truth
- Symbolic actions are used by God to warn in a visual and emotional way
- God is not only patient, but also truly just and hates evil
- God’s people must not feel secure in their status, but must live in obedience
- God’s punishment is His way of cleansing and purifying His people
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Luke 12:47–48
“The servant who knows his master’s will… but does not do it, will receive many blows.”
➡️ Just like Jerusalem — knowing the truth yet resisting it, so the judgment is heavier.
📖 1 Peter 4:17
“Judgment must begin with the house of God itself.”
➡️ Ezekiel 5 affirms that the Lord begins by judging His own people first.
📖 Hebrews 10:26–27
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the truth… what remains is the fire of judgment.”
➡️ The picture of God’s wrath in Ezekiel also becomes a serious warning for the new covenant people.
📖 Revelation 3:19
“Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline.”
➡️ The final purpose of God’s wrath is restoration and purity.
🕊️ “You must shave your head and your beard…” – Ezekiel 5:1
🕊️ “Jerusalem has rebelled against My laws more than the nations…” – Ezekiel 5:6
🕊️ “I Myself am against you, and I will bring judgment…” – Ezekiel 5:8
🕊️ “I will pour out My anger… and you will know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 5:13
