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New King James Version

Ezekiel 4:2

Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Battering-Ram;   Fort;   Instruction;   Pantomime;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Thompson Chain Reference - Battering-Rams;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arms, Military;   Prophets;   Sieges;   Walls;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Battering-Ram;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Battering-Ram;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Engines;   War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Arms and Armor;   Ezekiel;   Gestures;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Sign;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fortification and Siegecraft;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Battering Ram;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Battering ram;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Battering-Ram,;   Engine,;   War;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fortification;   Hill;   Ram (2);   Siege;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Parable;   War;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides.
Hebrew Names Version
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.
King James Version
And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.
English Standard Version
And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.
New American Standard Bible
"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.
New Century Version
Then surround it with an army. Build battle works against the city and a dirt road to the top of the city walls. Set up camps around it, and put heavy logs in place to break down the walls.
Amplified Bible
"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.
World English Bible
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And lay siege against it, and builde a fort against it, and cast a mount against it: set the campe also against it, and lay engins of warre against it rounde about.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then set a siege against it, build a siege wall against it, raise up a ramp against it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams against it all around.
Berean Standard Bible
Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it on all sides.
Contemporary English Version
Then prepare to attack the brick as if it were a real city. Build a dirt mound and a ramp up to the top and surround the brick with enemy camps. On every side put large wooden poles as though you were going to break down the gate to the city.
Complete Jewish Bible
Show it under siege — build towers against it, raise earthworks against it, set up camps against it, and surround it with battering rams.
Darby Translation
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast a mound against it, and set camps against it, and place battering-rams against it round about.
Easy-to-Read Version
And then pretend you are an army surrounding the city. Build a dirt wall around the city to help you attack it. Build a dirt road leading up to the city wall. Bring battering rams and set up army camps around the city.
George Lamsa Translation
And lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast a mount against it; and set some camps also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.
Good News Translation
Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it.
Lexham English Bible
And you must build against it siege works, and you must build against it a bulwark, and you must heap against it a siege ramp, and you must set up against it camps and put against it a battering ram all around.
Literal Translation
And lay a siege on it, and build a fort on it, and pour out a ramp on it. And place a camp on it, and set battering rams all around on it.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
how it is beseged, how bulworkes and stroge diches are grauen on euery syde off it: descrybe also tentes, and an hoost off men rounde aboute it.
American Standard Version
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.
Bible in Basic English
And make an attack on it, shutting it in, building strong places against it, and making high an earthwork against it; and put up tents against it, placing engines all round it for smashing down its walls.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.
King James Version (1611)
And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it: set the campe also against it, and set battering rammes against it round about.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And lay siege against it, and builde a fort against it, and cast a mount against it: set the campe also against it, and lay engins of warre against it rounde about.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou shalt besiege it, and build works against it, and throw up a mound round about it, and pitch camps against it, and set up engines round about.
English Revised Version
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mount against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou schalt ordeyne bisegyng ayenus that Jerusalem; and thou schalt bilde strengthis, and thou schalt bere togidere erthe, and thou shalt yyue oostis of batel ayens it, and thou schalt sette engynes in cumpas.
Update Bible Version
and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.
Webster's Bible Translation
And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set [battering] rams against it on every side.
New English Translation
Lay siege to it! Build siege works against it. Erect a siege ramp against it! Post soldiers outside it and station battering rams around it.
New Living Translation
Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams.
New Life Bible
Then build a battle-wall around it to shut it in, and build a hill of dirt against the wall. Cut down trees and lay them on wheels all around the city, to use for breaking down the walls.
New Revised Standard
and put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a ramp against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then shalt thou lay siege against it And bud up against it a siege-wall And cast up against it, a mound, - And set against it camps, And place against it battering-rams, round about.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And lay siege against it, and build forts, and cast up a mount, and set a camp against it, and place battering rams round about it.
Revised Standard Version
and put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.
Young's Literal Translation
and hast placed against it a siege, and builded against it a fortification, and poured out against it a mount, and placed against it camps, yea, set thou against it battering-rams round about.

Contextual Overview

1 "You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. 2 Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 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. 4 "Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. 7 "Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lay: Jeremiah 39:1, Jeremiah 39:2, Jeremiah 52:4, Luke 19:42-44

battering rams: or, chief leaders, Ezekiel 21:22

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 33:4 - thrown Ezekiel 17:17 - by

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
Genesis 4:25
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed."
Genesis 4:26
26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. [fn] Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 9:20
And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.
Genesis 37:13
And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." So he said to him, "Here I am."
Genesis 47:3
Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers."
Exodus 3:1
Exodus 6:2-7:7; 11:1-4; 12:35,36">[xr] Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Psalms 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Amos 7:15
Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, And the LORD said to me, "Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'
Luke 11:51
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And lay siege against it,.... In his own person, as in Ezekiel 4:3; or draw the form of a siege, or figure of an army besieging a city; or rather of the instruments and means used in a siege, as follows:

and build a fort against it: Kimchi interprets it a wooden tower, built over against the city, to subdue it; Jarchi takes it to be an instrument by which stones were cast into the city; and so the Arabic version renders it, "machines to cast stones"; the Targum, a fortress; so Nebuchadnezzar in reality did what was here only done in type,

2 Kings 25:1; where the same word is used as here:

and cast a mount about it; a heap of earth cast up, in order to look into the city, cast in darts, and mount the walls; what the French call "bastion", as Jarchi observes:

set the camp also against it; place the army in their tents about it:

and set [battering] rams against it round about; a warlike instrument, that had an iron head, and horns like a ram, with which in a siege the walls of a city were battered and beaten down. Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret the word of princes and generals of the army, who watched at the several corners of the city, that none might go in and out; so the Targum seems to understand it b. The Arabic version is, "mounts to cast darts"; 2 Kings 25:1- :.

b So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 50. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lay siege against it - The prophet is represented as doing that which he portrays. The leading features of a siege are depicted. See the Jeremiah 6:6 note.

The camp - Encampments. The word denotes various hosts in various positions around the city.

Fort - It was customary in sieges to construct towers of vast height, sometimes of 20 stories, which were wheeled up to the walls to enable the besiegers to reach the battlements with their arrows; in the lower part of such a tower there was commonly a battering-ram. These towers are frequently represented in the Assyrian monuments.

Battering rams - Better than the translation in the margin. Assyrian monuments prove that these engines of war are of great antiquity. These engines seem to have been beams suspended by chains generally in moveable towers, and to have been applied against the walls in the way familiar to us from Greek and Roman history. The name “ram” was probably given to describe their mode of operation; no Assyrian monument yet discovered exhibits the ram’s head of later times.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 4:2. Battering rams — כרים carim. This is the earliest account we have of this military engine. It was a long beam with a head of brass, like the head and horns of a ram, whence its name. It was hung by chains or ropes, between two beams, or three legs, so that it could admit of being drawn backward and forward some yards. Several stout men, by means of ropes, pulled it as far back as it could go, and then, suddenly letting it loose, it struck with great force against the wall which it was intended to batter and bring down. This machine was not known in the time of Homer, as in the siege of Troy there is not the slightest mention of such. And the first notice we have of it is here, where we see that it was employed by Nebuchadnezzar in the siege of Jerusalem, A.M. 3416. It was afterwards used by the Carthaginians at the siege of Gades, as Vitruvius notes, lib. x. c. 19, in which he gives a circumstantial account of the invention, fabrication, use, and improvement of this machine. It was for the want of a machine of this kind, that the ancient sieges lasted so long; they had nothing with which to beat down or undermine the walls.


 
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