Ezekiel 5:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When I unleash the sharp arrows of famine, which shall be lethal and intended to bring you destruction, I will bring upon you successive famines and will shatter the foundation of your nourishment. Clearly, famine, disease, wild beasts, and other trials we endure in this life arise as a result of our transgressions. Thus, the famine referred to in the book of Ruth and in the account of Elijah during the time of the drought in the heavens for three and a half years, as well as in the time of Elisha, where an astonishing famine gave way to unforeseen abundance, was decreed by God’s will. This occurrence was not limited to ancient Jerusalem; it also manifests in our own spiritual Jerusalem, where, due to grave iniquities, a famine of hearing God's word is initially sent.

He often reiterates the same message, aiming to instill a sense of fear in his audience, hoping that through the dread of disasters they might turn to righteousness rather than face intimidation. He referred to the merciless Chaldeans as predatory creatures, who, like ferocious animals, assaulted them, killed some, and captured others alive for slavery.