Ezekiel Chapter 5 — The Sign of the Shaven Hair
Ezekiel shaves his head and beard, dividing the hair into three parts to symbolize the different ways God will judge the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
1“You, son of man, take a sharp sword. You shall take it as a barber’s razor to yourself, and shall cause it to pass over your head and over your beard. Then take balances to weigh and divide the hair.
2A third part you shall burn in the fire in the middle of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled. You shall take a third part, and strike with the sword around it. A third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.
3You shall take a small number of these and bind them in the folds of your robe.
4Of 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.
5“The Lord GOD says: ‘This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the middle of the nations, and countries are around her.
6She has rebelled against my ordinances in doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries that are around her; for they have rejected my ordinances, and as for my statutes, they have not walked in them.’
7“Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are around you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my ordinances, neither have followed the ordinances of the nations that are around you;
8therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
9I will do in you that which I have not done, and which I will not do anything like it any more, because of all your abominations.
10Therefore the fathers will eat the sons within you, and the sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments on you; and I will scatter the whole remnant of you to all the winds.
11Therefore as I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you. My eye won’t spare, and I will have no pity.
12A third part of you will die with the pestilence, and they will be consumed with famine within you. A third part will fall by the sword around you. A third part I will scatter to all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them.
13“ ‘Thus my anger will be accomplished, and I will cause my wrath toward them to rest, and I will be comforted. They will know that I, the LORD, have spoken in my zeal, when I have accomplished my wrath on them.
14“ ‘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.
15So it will be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment, to the nations that are around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and in wrath, and in wrathful rebukes—I, the LORD, have spoken it—
16when I send on them the evil arrows of famine that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you. I will increase the famine on you and will break your staff of bread.
17I will send on you famine and evil animals, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood will pass through you. I will bring the sword on you. I, the LORD, have spoken it.’ ”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Ezekiel 5:5
“The Lord GOD says: ‘This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the middle of the nations, and countries are around her.’”
This verse establishes Jerusalem's central geographic and spiritual position, highlighting her role and her accountability before the world.
Ezekiel 5:12
“A third part of you will die with the pestilence, and they will be consumed with famine within you. A third part will fall by the sword around you. A third part I will scatter to all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them.”
This provides the direct interpretation of Ezekiel's symbolic hair-cutting action regarding the specific fates of the city's inhabitants.
Chapter Summary
In Ezekiel 5, the prophet is commanded to perform a dramatic symbolic act using a sharp sword as a razor to shave his head and beard. He is instructed to weigh and divide the hair into three equal parts. One third is burned in the middle of the city, one third is struck with the sword, and one third is scattered to the wind, representing the various fates awaiting the residents of Jerusalem: pestilence, famine, war, and exile. A tiny remnant of hair is tucked into the folds of his robe, symbolizing a small surviving group. God explains that Jerusalem has been more rebellious than the surrounding nations despite being placed in a central, honored position. Because they defiled the sanctuary and rejected His statutes, God declares He will execute judgment in the sight of all nations. The chapter emphasizes that these severe consequences, including famine and the sword, serve as a public witness to God's holiness and the reality of His spoken word.
Frequently Asked Questions
It represents the destruction and scattering of the people of Jerusalem. The three divisions of hair signify that the population will be split between those who die by famine and plague, those who die by the sword, and those who are scattered into exile.
The text states that Jerusalem rebelled against God's laws more than the surrounding nations and defiled the sanctuary with 'detestable things' and abominations, leading God to execute judgment in the sight of the world.
These hairs represent a small remnant of people who are initially preserved from the general destruction, though even some of these are later cast into the fire, indicating continued trials for the survivors.
Study Note
The use of a sword as a razor signifies that the coming judgment is both violent and humiliating, as shaving one's hair was a common sign of mourning or disgrace in the ancient Near East.
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