Ezekiel 4:7
in Ezekiel 4You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.
KJV
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
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This verse in Ezekiel 4
Commentary
3 notes on this verse(Verse 7.) And you shall turn your face towards the siege of Jerusalem, and your arm shall be extended, and you shall prophesy against it. LXX: And you shall set your face towards the siege of Jerusalem, and you shall strengthen your arm, and you shall prophesy over it. Preparation of countenance is necessary, as well as strength, and the confirmation of the extended and exposed arm, so that not only by voice, but also by gesture and appearance of a prophet, the siege of the city may be demonstrated.
This site's exposition
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem
on Ezekiel 4:7-8
With his face fixed toward the drawn siege and his arm bared, the posture of a soldier ready to strike, Ezekiel is to prophesy against the city he is acting out. The Lord then binds him so that he cannot turn from side to side until the days of his siege are ended, removing even the choice of comfort from the sign. Clarke reads the bared arm as the standard gesture of a champion going to battle, fitting the picture of the Lord himself as the one laying siege. Fairbairn notes that the binding turns what might have been read as playacting into forced endurance, the prophet unable to relieve his own discomfort any more than Jerusalem could lift the siege closing around it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Nor were they less active and industrious, exerting themselves to the utmost in all the operations of the siege, which the prophet was to represent by the uncovering of his arm, or, as some read it, the stretching out of his arm, as it were to deal blows about without mercy. When God is about to do some great work he is said to make bare his arm, Isa. lii.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מְצ֤וֹר | metzor | [the] siege of | H4692 → | 25 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| תָּכִ֣ין | takhin | you will direct | H3559 → | 217 times |
| פָּנֶ֔יךָ | paneikha | face your | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וּֽזְרֹעֲךָ֖ | uzeroakha | and arm your | H2220 → | 91 times |
| חֲשׂוּפָ֑ה | chasufah | [will be ] bared | H2834 → | |
| וְנִבֵּאתָ֖ | venibeta | and you will prophesy | H5012 → | 115 times |
| עָלֶֽיהָ׃ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
וְאֶל־and to
veel-H413 →5510 times
מְצ֤וֹר[the] siege of
metzorH4692 →25 times
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
תָּכִ֣יןyou will direct
takhinH3559 →217 times
פָּנֶ֔יךָface your
paneikhaH6440 →2123 times
וּֽזְרֹעֲךָ֖and arm your
uzeroakhaH2220 →91 times
חֲשׂוּפָ֑ה[will be ] bared
chasufahH2834 →
וְנִבֵּאתָ֖and you will prophesy
venibetaH5012 →115 times
עָלֶֽיהָ׃on it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 21:2“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
it leads to
- Ezekiel 20:46
“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 20:46
Through
Isaiah 52:10The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
it leads to
- Luke 3:6
And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’”
- Revelation 14:6
Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.
- Revelation 15:4
Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the…
- Psalms 98:1–3
Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained Him the victory.
- Luke 3:6
Through
Ezekiel 4:3Then 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…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 12:6
And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to…
- Isaiah 8:18
Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
- Ezekiel 12:6
About Ezekiel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.