[[Ezek-05]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Ezek-04]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Ezek-06]] --- ### One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: The prophecy predicts a three-part destruction for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: death by disease and hunger within the city, death by combat outside the city, and the exile of the survivors who would still face pursuit. *Historical context*: Historians and theologians associate this with the 588-586 BCE siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II. Archaeological evidence from the City of David confirms a massive destruction layer, burned debris, and signs of starvation. The population was indeed divided between those who perished in the city, those slaughtered during the breach, and those taken into the Babylonian Captivity. *Related to*: ### Therefore the fathers will eat the sons within you, and the sons will eat their fathers. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prediction of extreme famine leading to cannibalism within the besieged city of Jerusalem. *Historical context*: This prophecy saw historical fulfillment during the Babylonian siege of 586 BCE, as recorded in [[Lam-04#v10|Lamentations 4:10]], which describes 'compassionate women' cooking their own children due to starvation. It also found a later parallel during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, as documented by the historian Flavius Josephus in 'The Jewish War'. *Related to*: ### Moreover I will make you a desolation and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all that pass by. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Jerusalem is predicted to become a ruined site and a target of mockery for neighboring nations. *Historical context*: Following the destruction of the First Temple and the city walls in 586 BCE, Jerusalem remained in ruins for decades. Its desolation was noted by neighboring groups such as the Edomites and Samaritans, and the site remained a 'reproach' until the walls were rebuilt under Nehemiah roughly a century later. *Related to*: ### You shall take of it a few in number, and bind them in the folds of your robe. Of these again you shall take, and cast them into the middle of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From it a fire will come out into all the house of Israel. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prophecy that even the small remnant spared from the initial destruction would face further trials and judgment. *Historical context*: This describes the fate of the small group of Jews left in the land under the governorship of Gedaliah. Following Gedaliah's assassination, many of this remnant fled to Egypt against prophetic counsel, where they faced further slaughter and hardship, effectively 'burning' the last remaining piece of the immediate Judean social structure. *Related to*: --- #ai_prophecy