For Son of man, see Ezek 12.2.

Eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with fearfulness: God commands Ezekiel to act out another prophecy. This time he has to eat and drink, shaking in great fear. Bread renders a general Hebrew word for “food” (see 4.16). Eat your bread may be rendered “eat your food” or simply “eat.” Quaking translates a very strong Hebrew term that is usually used for earthquakes (see 3.12-13) or the rumbling of war chariots. Here it refers to Ezekiel shaking. The Hebrew word for trembling also carries this idea of shaking. He probably shook so hard that he spilled his water. The cause of the shaking and trembling is not a physical disease, but fear. For with fearfulness, see 4.16.

Good News Translation provides an excellent model for this verse. Another possible one is:

• “Human being, shake with fear when you eat your food and drink your water.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .