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Ezekiel 4:3

"Further, take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Iron;   Pantomime;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Prophets;   Walls;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Pan;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Tongues, Gift of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Gestures;   Griddle;   Pan;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Sign;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - House;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Pan;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Iron;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Sign;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bread;   Iron (1);   Pan;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Baking;   Cooking-Utensils;   Parable;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Face it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign for the house of Israel.
Hebrew Names Version
Take for yourself an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Yisra'el.
King James Version
Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
English Standard Version
And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
New American Standard Bible
"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 Israel.
New Century Version
Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up like an iron wall between you and the city. Turn your face toward the city as if to attack it and then attack. This is a sign to Israel.
World English Bible
Take for yourself an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Moreouer, take an yron pan, and set it for a wall of yron betweene thee and the citie, and direct thy face towarde it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: this shall be a signe vnto the house of Israel.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now as for you, get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and establish your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
Contemporary English Version
Set up an iron pan like a wall between you and the brick. All this will be a warning for the people of Israel.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then take an iron griddle and put it in place as a wall of iron between yourself and the city, and fix your gaze on it — the city is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign for the house of Isra'el.
Darby Translation
And take thou unto thee an iron plate, and put it [for] a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: this shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Easy-to-Read Version
And then take an iron pan and put it between you and the city. It will be like an iron wall separating you and the city. In this way you will show that you are against it. You will surround the city and attack it. This is an example for the family of Israel to show that I will destroy Jerusalem.
George Lamsa Translation
Moreover take an iron pan, and set it for an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.
Good News Translation
Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel.
Lexham English Bible
And take for yourself a plate of iron, and you must place it as a wall of iron between you and the city, and you must set your face against it, and it must be under siege, and you must lay the siege against it; it is a sign for the house of Israel.
Literal Translation
And you, take a griddle of iron to yourself, and place it as a wall of iron between you and the city. And place your face against it, and it shall be under siege, and thrust upon it. It is a sign to the house of Israel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Morouer, take an yron panne, and set it betwixte the & ye cite in steade off an yron wall, Then set thy face towarde it, besege it, and laye ordinaunce agaynst it, to wynne it. This shal be a token vnto the house off Israel.
American Standard Version
And take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Bible in Basic English
And take a flat iron plate, and put it for a wall of iron between you and the town: and let your face be turned to it, and it will be shut in and you will make an attack on it. This will be a sign to the children of Israel.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And take thou unto thee an iron griddle, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
King James Version (1611)
Moreouer take thou vnto thee an yron panne, and set it for a wall of yron betweene thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shalbe besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: this shalbe a signe to the house of Israel.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Moreouer, take an iron panne, and set it betwixt thee and the citie in steede of an iron wall, then set thy face towarde it to besiege it, and make an assault against it: this shalbe a token vnto the house of Israel.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And take thou to thyself an iron pan, and thou shalt set it for an iron wall between thee and the city: and thou shalt set thy face against it, and it shall be in a siege, and thou shalt besiege it. This is a sign to the children of Israel.
English Revised Version
And take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And take thou to thee an irone friynge panne; and thou schalt sette it in to an irone wal bitwixe thee and bitwixe the cite; and thou schalt sette stidfastli thi face to it, and it schal be in to bisegyng, and thou schalt cumpasse it; it is a signe to the hous of Israel.
Update Bible Version
And you take to yourself an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Webster's Bible Translation
Moreover take thou to thee an iron pan, and set it [for] a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This [shall be] a sign to the house of Israel.
New English Translation
Then for your part take an iron frying pan and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face toward it. It is to be under siege; you are to besiege it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
New King James Version
Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
New Living Translation
Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.
New Life Bible
Then get an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and turn your face toward it. It will be shut in, and you will fight a battle against it. This will be something special for the people of Israel to see.
New Revised Standard
Then take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou, therefore take time a pan of iron, and set it for a wall of iron, between thee and the city, - then shalt thou direct thy face against it and it shall come into siege and thou shalt lay siege to it, a sign, shall it be to the house of Israel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And take unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face resolutely against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: it is a sign to the house of Israel.
Revised Standard Version
And take an iron plate, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
Young's Literal Translation
And thou, take to thee an iron pan, and thou hast made it a wall of iron between thee and the city; and thou hast prepared thy face against it, and it hath been in a siege, yea, thou hast laid siege against it. A sign it [is] to the house of Israel.

Contextual Overview

1"Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you and inscribe on it [a diagram of] the city of Jerusalem. 2"Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise a ramp against it; set up [enemy] camps and place battering rams all around it. 3"Further, take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.4"Then lie down on your left side (toward the north) to bear [symbolically] the wickedness and punishment of the house of Israel. You shall bear their wickedness and punishment for the number of days that you lie on your side. 5"For I have assigned you the years of their wickedness and punishment, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days [representing three hundred and ninety years]; in this way you shall bear [symbolically] the wickedness and punishment of the house of Israel. 6"When you have completed these [days for Israel], lie down again, but on your right side (toward the south), and you shall bear the wickedness and punishment of the house of Judah forty days. I have assigned you one day for each year. 7"Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it. 8"Now behold, I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an iron pan: or, a flat plate, or slice, Leviticus 2:5

This: Ezekiel 12:6, Ezekiel 12:11, Ezekiel 24:24-27, Isaiah 8:18, Isaiah 20:3, Luke 2:34, Hebrews 2:4

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 20:35 - Smite me Ezekiel 4:7 - set Ezekiel 13:17 - set thy Ezekiel 21:2 - set Daniel 11:17 - set

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
Now the man Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have obtained a man (baby boy, son) with the help of the LORD."
Genesis 4:11
"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand.
Numbers 18:12
"All the best of the fresh [olive] oil, and all the best of the new wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the LORD, I give them to you.
1 Kings 17:7
It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Nehemiah 13:6
But during all this time I was not at Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes [Persian] king of Babylon I went to the king. Then after some time I asked for a leave [of absence] from the king,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan,.... Which Kimchi thinks, for its metal, represented the hardness of the hearts of the people of Israel; and, for its colour, the blackness of their sins: though others are of opinion, this being a pan in which things are fried, it may signify the miseries of the Jews in captivity; the roasting of Ahab and Zedekiah in the fire, and particularly the burning of the city: others, the wrath of God against them, and his resolution to destroy them: but rather, since the use of it was as follows,

and set it [for] a wall of iron between thee and the city, it seems to represent all such things as are made use of by besiegers to screen them from the besieged; such as are now used are trenches, parapets, bastions, c. for the prophet in this type is the besieger, representing the Chaldean army secure from the annoyance of those within the walls of the city:

and set thy face against it with a firm resolution to besiege and take the city; which denotes both the settled wrath of God against this people, and the determined purpose of the king of Babylon not to move from it until he had taken it:

and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it; as an emblem of the army of the Chaldeans besieging it, which is confirmed by the next clause:

this [shall be] a sign to the house of Israel; of the city of Jerusalem being besieged by the Babylonians; this was a sign representing it, and giving them assurance of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

An iron pan - Another figure in the coming siege. On Assyrian sculptures from Nimroud and Kouyunjik there are sieges of cities with “forts, mounts, and rams;” and together with these we see a kind of shield set up on the ground, behind which archers are shooting. Such a shield would be represented by the “flat plate” (margin). Ezekiel was directed to take such a plate (part of his household furniture) and place it between him and the representation of the city.

A sign to the house of Israel - This “sign” was not necessarily acted before the people, but may simply have been described to them as a vivid representation of the event which it foretold. “Israel” stands here for the kingdom of Judah (compare Ezekiel 3:7, Ezekiel 3:17; Ezekiel 5:4; Ezekiel 8:6). After the captivity of the ten tribes the kingdom of Judah represented the whole nation. Hence, prophets writing after this event constantly address their countrymen as the house of Israel without distinction of tribes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 4:3. Take thou unto thee an iron pan — מחבת machabath, a flat plate or slice, as the margin properly renders it: such as are used in some countries to bake bread on, called a griddle or girdle, being suspended above the fire, and kept in a proper degree of heat for the purpose. A plate like this, stuck perpendicularly in the earth, would show the nature of a wall much better than any pan could do. The Chaldeans threw such a wall round Jerusalem, to prevent the besieged from receiving any succours, and from escaping from the city.

This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. — This shall be an emblematical representation of what shall actually take place.


 
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