Ezekiel 20:46
in Ezekiel 20“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;
KJV
Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
⋯
This verse in Ezekiel 20
Commentary
6 notes on this verseSon of man, set thy force toward the south,.... The land of Judea, which lay south of Babylon, where the prophet now was, as Babylon lay north of that, Jer 1:14 to set his face was to speak freely and boldly, with courage and constancy, and without fear and dread, to the inhabitants of it; and as a token of the Lord's face being set against them for their sins.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 45 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face toward the south, and drop your word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field. And say to the forest of the south: Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The occasion of the message which we have in this chapter. That sermon which we had ch. xviii. was occasioned by their presumptuous reflections upon God; this was occasioned by their hypocritical enquiries after him. This prophecy is exactly dated, in the seventh year of the captivity, about two years after Ezekiel began to prophesy.
The south - Look toward Jerusalem, and the land of Canaan. Drop thy word - Let thy word distil, begin with softer words, before thou shower down with the vehemency of a storm. The forest - Jerusalem, which was become like a forest.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Set thy face toward the south - Towards Judea, which lay south from Babylon, or Mesopotamia, where the prophet then dwelt. The forest of the south field - The city of Jerusalem, as full of inhabitants as the forest is of trees.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
south . . . south . . . south--three different Hebrew words, to express the certainty of the divine displeasure resting on the region specified. The third term is from a root meaning "dry," referring to the sun's heat in the south; representing the burning judgments of God on the southern parts of Judea, of which Jerusalem was the capital. set thy face--determinately.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֶּן־ | ben- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֗ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| שִׂ֤ים | sim | set | H7760 → | 584 times |
| פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ | paneikha | face your | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| דֶּ֣רֶךְ | derekh | [the] direction | H1870 → | 707 times |
| תֵּימָ֔נָה | teimanah | south -ward | H8486 → | 23 times |
| וְהַטֵּ֖ף | vehatef | and prophesy | H5197 → | |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דָּר֑וֹם | darom | [the] south | H1864 → | 17 times |
| וְהִנָּבֵ֛א | vehinave' | and prophesy | H5012 → | 115 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יַ֥עַר | yaar | [the] forest of | H3293 → | 59 times |
| הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה | hasadeh | the field | H7704 → | 334 times |
| נֶֽגֶב׃ | negev | [the] south | H5045 → | 112 times |
בֶּן־O son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֗םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
שִׂ֤יםset
simH7760 →584 times
פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙face your
paneikhaH6440 →2123 times
דֶּ֣רֶךְ[the] direction
derekhH1870 →707 times
תֵּימָ֔נָהsouth -ward
teimanahH8486 →23 times
וְהַטֵּ֖ףand prophesy
vehatefH5197 →
אֶל־against
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דָּר֑וֹם[the] south
daromH1864 →17 times
וְהִנָּבֵ֛אand prophesy
vehinave'H5012 →115 times
אֶל־against
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יַ֥עַר[the] forest of
yaarH3293 →59 times
הַשָּׂדֶ֖הthe field
hasadehH7704 →334 times
נֶֽגֶב׃[the] south
negevH5045 →112 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
Amos 7:16Now, therefore, hear the word of the LORD. You say: ‘Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
it leads to
- Micah 2:6
“Do not preach,” they preach. “Do not preach these things; disgrace will not overtake us.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 32:2
Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 21:2
“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
- Micah 2:6
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 25:2
“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 4:7
You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
- Ezekiel 28:21
“Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her.
- Ezekiel 25:2
Through
Jeremiah 13:19The cities of the Negev have been shut tight, and no one can open them. All Judah has been carried into exile, wholly taken captive.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 52:27
There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
- Jeremiah 52:27
Through
Ezekiel 6:2“Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 19:9
With hooks they caged him and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.
- Ezekiel 19:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.