And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
When people ask you, 'Why are you groaning like that?' you tell them: 'Because of the news that's coming. When it hits, everyone's heart will just break, their hands will shake, their spirit will give out, and their knees will go weak like water. It's really happening,' says the Lord God.
Sometimes the weight of what's coming is so heavy that your body feels it before your mind can even process it.
📚 Historical Context
During the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC, Ezekiel served as a prophet to the exiled Jews, using vivid symbolic acts to warn of God's impending judgment on Judah for their persistent idolatry and rebellion. In this verse, God commands Ezekiel to sigh dramatically when questioned, representing the overwhelming fear and weakness that would seize the people upon hearing news of the Babylonian invasion. This prophecy highlighted the certainty of divine discipline as a call for repentance among the exiles.
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