Here in America, grocery stores sell a bread called Ezekiel Bread. You may have bought it, or at least you're familiar with it. The package even quotes Ezek 4:9
Ezek 4:9 Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself.
"Ezekiel bread isn't your average loaf. This is a homemade Ezekiel bread recipe packed with life-literally-because it's made from sprouted grains and legumes. The idea comes straight from the Bible." .smartestrecipes [1], superfoodly [2]
Not really. Ezekiel does not give a recipe, just a list four grains and two legumes, but nothing about sprouting them, or proportions of ingredients. I find ambiguity about the type of beans and conflicting translations of the word spelt.
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Context
While Ezekiel Bread may be good for you, the marketing misses the point of what the bread was for. It was the bread Ezekiel was to eat during a mock siege of Jerusalem. Let's look at the context.
Ezek 4:1 "Now you, son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you, and inscribe a city on it-Jerusalem¹. 2 Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, pile up an assault ramp, set up camps, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city, and direct your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel².
¹ The brick was more like a clay tile 1ft x 2ft - esword [3] (Treasury of Scripture Knowledge), and Ezekiel probably drew a map or a picture of Jerusalem on it while it is still soft.
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| Mock Siege |
² Then he created a diorama of a besieged city around the tile, complete with walls, ramps and camps, battering rams, etc. It reminds me of boys playing soldiers with green plastic toy soldiers. As kids, we just called them army men.
Ezekiel himself takes the Lord's part in the drama, with an iron plate between him and the city, like an impenetrable barrier between Israel and God. crossway [4]
By commanding Ezekiel to live out the ration publicly, God turns the prophet into a living sermon-much like Hosea's marriage (Hosea 1:2) or Isaiah's children's names (Isaiah 8:18). The message is unavoidable: if the righteous prophet must live on (meager) bread and water, how much more will the unrepentant city? biblehub [5]
Continuing in verse 4.
Ezek 4:4 "Then you are to lie down on your left side and put the wrongdoing of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their wrongdoing for the number of days that you lie on it. 5 For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their wrongdoing, 390 days; so you shall bear the wrongdoing of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these days, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the wrongdoing of the house of Judah¹; I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year. 7 Then you shall direct your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it. 8 Now behold, I will put ropes around you so that you cannot turn from your one side to your other until you have completed the days of your siege.
¹ "bear their wrongdoing (or punishment)" - This may not necessarily require the prophet to adopt this position twenty-four hours a day; very likely he laid down daily for a period of time in a public spot and then returned home in the evening - [4].
So Ezekiel is to bear Israel's wrongdoing and then Judah's wrongdoing for the number of days that he lies on on his side, 390 days for Israel, 40 days for Judah.
Now returning to Ezekiel's bread in verse 9.
¹ bread - 20 shekels a day by weight, from time to time. This is about eight ounces per day, maybe four slices of modern bread. "From time to time" means don't eat it all at once, space it out on a schedule.
² water - a sixth of a hin by measure. This is about 2 1/2 cups per day, again space it out on a schedule. Toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush - that's 10 days water rations.
So Ezekiel is to bear Israel's wrongdoing and then Judah's wrongdoing for the number of days that he lies on on his side, 390 days for Israel, 40 days for Judah.
Back To Bread
Now returning to Ezekiel's bread in verse 9.
Ezek 4:9 "But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, 390 days. 10 Your food which you eat shall be twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time¹. 11 The water you drink shall be a sixth of a hin by measure; you shall drink it from time to time². 12 You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight³ over [human] dung." 13 Then the LORD said, "In this way the sons of Israel will eat their bread unclean among the nations where I will scatter them." 14 But I said, "Oh, Lord GOD! Behold, I have never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by animals, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth!" 15 Then He said to me, "See, I will give you cow's dung in place of human dung, so that you may prepare your bread over it." 16 Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man, behold, I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and drink water by measure and in horror, 17 because bread and water will be scarce; and they will tremble with one another and waste away in their guilt.
¹ bread - 20 shekels a day by weight, from time to time. This is about eight ounces per day, maybe four slices of modern bread. "From time to time" means don't eat it all at once, space it out on a schedule.
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| Four of these |
² water - a sixth of a hin by measure. This is about 2 1/2 cups per day, again space it out on a schedule. Toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush - that's 10 days water rations.
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Ezekiel'sDaily Ration |
³ barley cake - barley cakes were typically unleavened - barleycakes [6]. Remember the five barley loaves and two fishes (Jn 6:1-15)? Store bought Ezekiel bread is leavened, the ingredients include "fresh yeast". Only wheat has enough gluten to make a loaf that rises, which is why wheat was the preferred grain - it makes softer lighter bread. But barley and other grains grow in conditions that wheat cannot, and those grains have nutrients that wheat alone does not have. Barley is sometimes called the grain of the poor.
The word bake here means a round cake "baked" on a hearth or stone - lexiconcordance(H5746) [7], not in an oven.
(Skip 13 - 15. Finish reading 16 &17)
I got interested in Ezekiel Bread because I ran across YouTube videos about it, and they had recipes. But one of the videos (Grains and Grit) did caution why Ezekiel made this bread, so I began researching it - Brother Anselm [8], YT(Grains and Grit) [9] and Site(Grains and Grit) [10], Medieval Way [11].
Ezekiel Bread is bread of starvation. Verse 17 says that bread and water will be scarce. The combination of grains and legumes provide more nutrients than any single grain, meaning it will sustain you, but just barely, and only if you ration it. The blend also stretches the supplies while Jerusalem is under siege, which is over a year.
Sprouting the grains may improve the nutrition level, but when water is also being rationed, I doubt they would use it to sprout grains*. Also, thick soft (leavened) loaves require an oven, more time, and more firewood than a flat cake on a griddle, which can be cooked in a few minutes.
Sprouting the grains may improve the nutrition level, but when water is also being rationed, I doubt they would use it to sprout grains*. Also, thick soft (leavened) loaves require an oven, more time, and more firewood than a flat cake on a griddle, which can be cooked in a few minutes.
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| Sprouted Barley |
390 Days Plus 40 Days
One big aspect of chapter 4 is the repeated reference to Ezekiel lying on his left side for 390 days, then lying on his right side for forty days. Ezekiel is to bear their wrongdoing of Israel corresponding to 390 years of their wrongdoing, then bear the wrongdoing of the house of Judah 40 days; Ezek 4:6 actually says a day for a year.
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| Mock Siege 390 Days |
It seems like we could map these years to events in Bible history. The problem is knowing what events to start and stop counting. No Bible events seem to line up 390 years apart. One logical time period would be from the division of Israel after Solomon until the northern kingdom went into exile.
The House of Israel, their kingdom lasted for only 207 years. The House of Judah was in existence for 344 years, but which 40 years of iniquity was Ezekiel referring to? Randy Nettles [12]
How about working backwards from the fall of Jerusalem? And why would the fall of Jerusalem be the fault of the northern kingdom?
Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BC and Rehoboam's reign started in 931 BC -- 344 years, not 390. 2001translation [13]
One source says
The period of 390 years began in the time of Luther when he discovered a copy of the Holy Bible in 1500. bible-prophecies [14] (I'm not persuaded)
Another source says
The Septuagint gives 190 instead of 390, and that 190 years is in the future - Wulfstein [15].
The UCG Bible Commentary sums it up like this.
The meaning of the 390 and 40 years is not entirely clear. There are numerous difficulties here. For instance, we aren't told when the count of years begins or ends in either case. And it is not clear whether we should count backwards or forwards.
As for the 40 years for Judah, this too is uncertain. UCG-bible [16]
As for the 40 years for Judah, this too is uncertain. UCG-bible [16]
Final Remarks
I'm not saying don't buy grocery store Ezekiel Bread. Buy it if you like it. One point I want to make is that it is not a Biblical superfood, it is the bread of starvation. Looking at the context reveals a different picture than the marketing and advertising.
Another point is that since we don't know the events that begin the 390 years or the 40 years, we don't know if this prophecy was fulfilled in ancient times, or whether it lies in the future. We do know the prophecy that Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies (Lk 21:20), maybe the siege will occur then.
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| Ezekiel "Crackers" |
References
1. https://www.smartestrecipes.com/ezekiel-bread-recipe/
2. https://superfoodly.com/is-ezekiel-bread-gluten-free/
3. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/tsk/ezekiel-4.html
4. https://www.crossway.org/articles/did-a-prophet-really-lay-on-his-side-for-more-than-a-year-ezekiel-4/
5. https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/4-11.htm
6. https://biblehub.com/topical/b/barley-cake.htm
7. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/5746.html
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5vDLQeVecg Brother Anselm
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI9VqAj07Fg YT(Grains and Grit)
10. https://grainsandgrit.com/ezekial-bread-recipe Site(Grains and Grit)
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRG0vZNMKyg Medieval Way
12. https://www.raptureready.com/2024/07/13/the-390-and-40-years-of-ezekiel-44-6-by-randy-nettles
13. https://commentaries.2001translation.org/390-years
14. https://www.bible-prophecies.org/from-the-prophecy-of-ezekiel-chapter-4/
15. https://wulfstein.org/2025/01/26/ezekiel-timeline-190-40-years-2/
16. https://bible.ucg.org/bible-commentary/Ezekiel/Mock-siege-against-Jerusalem/
I looked at these two videos to get an idea of proportions of the six ingredients. They range from 45% to 60% wheat. I kept wheat as the largest proportion, but only about 30% by weight. Future experiments will use less wheat flour.
2. https://superfoodly.com/is-ezekiel-bread-gluten-free/
3. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/tsk/ezekiel-4.html
4. https://www.crossway.org/articles/did-a-prophet-really-lay-on-his-side-for-more-than-a-year-ezekiel-4/
5. https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/4-11.htm
6. https://biblehub.com/topical/b/barley-cake.htm
7. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/5746.html
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5vDLQeVecg Brother Anselm
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI9VqAj07Fg YT(Grains and Grit)
10. https://grainsandgrit.com/ezekial-bread-recipe Site(Grains and Grit)
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRG0vZNMKyg Medieval Way
12. https://www.raptureready.com/2024/07/13/the-390-and-40-years-of-ezekiel-44-6-by-randy-nettles
13. https://commentaries.2001translation.org/390-years
14. https://www.bible-prophecies.org/from-the-prophecy-of-ezekiel-chapter-4/
15. https://wulfstein.org/2025/01/26/ezekiel-timeline-190-40-years-2/
16. https://bible.ucg.org/bible-commentary/Ezekiel/Mock-siege-against-Jerusalem/
Ezekiel Bread Recipe
I looked at these two videos to get an idea of proportions of the six ingredients. They range from 45% to 60% wheat. I kept wheat as the largest proportion, but only about 30% by weight. Future experiments will use less wheat flour.
The Only Bread Recipe God Ever Gave -- Straight From the Bible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5vDLQeVecg Brother Anselm
Ezekial Fasting Bread Recipe | What the Bible ACTUALLY Says About Ezekial Bread (sic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI9VqAj07Fg Grains and Grit
https://grainsandgrit.com/ezekial-bread-recipe
This video gives flour to water ratio as 2 to 1, I found 3 to 1 was more workable. It also gives cooking instructions.
https://grainsandgrit.com/ezekial-bread-recipe
This video gives flour to water ratio as 2 to 1, I found 3 to 1 was more workable. It also gives cooking instructions.
The 2-Ingredient Medieval Flatbread You Cook in JUST 5 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRG0vZNMKyg&t=3s
Ingredients for 1 cup dough
28g - 4 Tbl wholewheat
16g - 2 Tbl barley
15g - 1.7 Tbl spelt
11g - 1 Tbl millet
11g - 1 Tbl lentil
7g - 1 Tbl Besan aka gram flour*
1+g - 1/4 tsp salt
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Total: 88g = 10.7 Tbl = 2/3 cup flours
60g - 80g (1/4 - 1/3 cup) water
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Ingredients for 3 cups dough
84g - 3/4 cup (12 Tbl) wholewheat
48g - 6 Tbl barley
45g - 5 Tbl spelt
33g - 3 Tbl millet
33g - 3 Tbl lentil
21g - 3 Tbl Besan aka gram flour*
5g - 3/4 tsp salt
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Total: 264g = 32 Tbl = 2 cups flours
158g - 237g (2/3 - 1 cup) water
*Besam or Gram flour (not Graham flour) is made from chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, aka channa. It is available in Indian grocery stores. Store bought Ezekiel bread uses soybean flour.
Method
Boil water.
Weigh or measure flours and salt.
Add water to flours, start with lower quantity, add as needed.
Mix till dough comes together with no dry spots.
Knead a little to ensure thorough mixing, at 3:1 flour:water dough should not be sticky.
Let dough rest 15 minutes while heating griddle to 375F.
For soft cakes, divide into 3 oz pieces, larger than a golf ball.
Roll out 1/8" thick, a 6" round.
Docking with a fork will prevent large bubbles.
Dry fry till brown spots appear on bottom (2-3 mins).
Flip and do the same.
Put cakes into a covered container like a tortilla warmer.
For crackers, divide into 2 oz pieces, smaller than a golf ball. Roll out as thin as you can, large rounds are hard to handle.
If you want triangular chips, cut before frying.
Dry fry till brown spots appear on bottom (1-2 mins).
Flip and do the same.
Store vertically or on a rack to dry completely.
You may have to bake them to dry completely, 8 mins @275F.
Dry crackers will keep a long time.
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