Ezekiel 5:2

2 Thou shalt burn the third part with fire in the midst of the city, by the [ful]filling of days of besieging. And thou shalt take the third part, and shalt cut (it) by sword in the compass thereof. But thou shalt scatter the tother third part into the wind; and I shall make naked a sword after them. (Thou shalt burn a third part of it with fire in the midst of the city, at the fulfilling, or at the end, of the days of the besieging. And thou shalt take another third part, and shalt cut it by the sword all around the city. And thou shalt scatter the other third part into the wind; and I shall make naked a sword to go after that hair.)

Ezekiel 5:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 5:2

Thou, shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the
city
Of Jerusalem, as portrayed upon the tile, ( Ezekiel 4:1 ) ; or the prophet was now in Chaldea. The burning of the third part of the hair with fire denotes such who were destroyed by the pestilence and famine during the siege; see ( Lamentations 5:10 ) ; or it denotes the burning of the city itself, when the siege was over; since it follows: when the days of the siege are fulfilled;
for, when it was taken, it was burnt with fire, ( Jeremiah 52:13 ) ; and thou shall take a third part, [and] smite about it with a knife;
which designs those that fled out of the city whim it was broken up, and were pursued after, and overtook by the Chaldean army, and cut off by the sword, ( Jeremiah 52:7 Jeremiah 52:8 ) ; and a third part thou shall scatter in the wind;
which intends those that fled, and were dispersed into several countries, as Moab, Ammon, and especially Egypt, whither many went along with Johanan the son of Kareah, ( Jeremiah 43:5-7 ) ; and I will draw out a sword after them;
and destroy them; which, as it was threatened, ( Jeremiah 42:16 ) ( 44:27 ) ; so it was accomplished when Egypt was subdued by Nebuchadnezzar. The Septuagint and Arabic versions, in every clause, read a "fourth part", instead of a "third"; but wrongly.

Ezekiel 5:2 In-Context

1 And thou, son of man, take to thee a sharp sword, [or (a) razor,] (for) shaving hairs; and thou shalt take it, and shalt lead it by thine head, and by thy beard. And thou shalt take to thee a balance of weight(s), and thou shalt part those. (And thou, son of man, get thee a sharp razor for shaving hair; and thou shalt take it, and shalt lead it over thy head, and over thy beard. And thou shalt get thee a balance of weights, and thou shalt separate, or divide, that hair.)

2 Thou shalt burn the third part with fire in the midst of the city, by the [ful]filling of days of besieging. And thou shalt take the third part, and shalt cut (it) by sword in the compass thereof. But thou shalt scatter the tother third part into the wind; and I shall make naked a sword after them. (Thou shalt burn a third part of it with fire in the midst of the city, at the fulfilling, or at the end, of the days of the besieging. And thou shalt take another third part, and shalt cut it by the sword all around the city. And thou shalt scatter the other third part into the wind; and I shall make naked a sword to go after that hair.)

3 And thou shalt take thereof a little number (of those hairs), and thou shalt bind those in the highness of thy mantle.

4 And again thou shalt take of them, and thou shalt cast forth them into the midst of the fire (and thou shalt throw them forth into the midst of the fire). And thou shalt burn them in (the) fire; and (the) fire shall go out of that into all the house of Israel.

5 The Lord God saith these things, This is Jerusalem; I have set it in the midst of heathen men, and lands in the compass thereof. (The Lord God saith these things, This is Jerusalem; I have set it in the midst of the heathen, and the other lands all around it.)