Ezekiel 20:46
New International Version
“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland.

New Living Translation
“Son of man, turn and face the south and speak out against it; prophesy against the brushlands of the Negev.

English Standard Version
“Son of man, set your face toward the southland; preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb.

Berean Standard Bible
“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.

King James Bible
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;

New King James Version
“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,

New American Standard Bible
“Son of man, set your face toward the south, and speak prophetically against the south and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev,

NASB 1995
“Son of man, set your face toward Teman, and speak out against the south and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev,

NASB 1977
“Son of man, set your face toward Teman, and speak out against the south, and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev,

Legacy Standard Bible
“Son of man, set your face toward Teman and speak, dripping out words, against the south and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev

Amplified Bible
“Son of man, set your face toward Teman, and speak out against the south and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev (the South),

Christian Standard Bible
“Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev,

American Standard Version
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;

Contemporary English Version
"Ezekiel, son of man, turn toward the south and warn the forests

English Revised Version
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;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Son of man, turn to the south, preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest in the Negev.

Good News Translation
"Mortal man," he said, "look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south.

International Standard Version
"Son of Man, turn to the south and oppose it, talking toward the south.

Majority Standard Bible
?Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.

NET Bible
"Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south. Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev,

New Heart English Bible
"Son of man, set your face toward the south, and drop your word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;

Webster's Bible Translation
Son of man, set thy face towards the south, and drop thy word towards the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

World English Bible
“Son of man, set your face toward the south, and preach toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the south.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Son of man, set your face the way of Teman, and prophesy to the south, and prophesy to the forest of the field—the south;

Young's Literal Translation
Son of man, set thy face the way of Teman, and prophesy unto the south, and prophesy unto the forest of the field -- the south;

Smith's Literal Translation
Son of man, set thy face the way of the south, and drop to the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Son of man, set thy face against the way of the south, and drop towards the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Son of man, set your face against the way of the south, and pour in drops toward Africa, and prophesy against the forest of the field of the meridian.

New American Bible
Son of man, turn your face to the south: preach against the south, prophesy against the forest land in the south.

New Revised Standard Version
Mortal, set your face toward the south, preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Son of man, set your face toward the south, and look southward and prophesy against the forest which is in the south;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Son of man, set your face toward the road of the south, and gaze to the south, and prophesy over the forest that is in the south
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Son of man, set thy face toward the South, and preach toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Son of man, set thy face against Thaeman, and look toward Darom, and prophesy against the chief forest of Nageb,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prophecy Against the South
45Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 46“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev. 47Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.…

Cross References
Isaiah 10:33-34
Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled. / He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

Jeremiah 21:14
I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forest that will consume everything around you.’”

Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Jeremiah 22:7
I will appoint destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut down the choicest of your cedars and throw them into the fire.

Isaiah 37:24
Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest heights, the densest of its forests.

Jeremiah 46:22-23
Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent, for the enemy will advance in force; with axes they will come against her like woodsmen cutting down trees. / They will chop down her forest, declares the LORD, dense though it may be, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted.

Isaiah 2:13
against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,

Jeremiah 50:31-32
“Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, “for your day has come, the time when I will punish you. / The arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to pick him up. And I will kindle a fire in his cities to consume all those around him.”

Isaiah 30:33
For Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.

Jeremiah 51:58
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.”

Matthew 3:10
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 3:9
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Revelation 8:7
Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

Revelation 9:4
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


Treasury of Scripture

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;

set

Ezekiel 4:7
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

Ezekiel 6:2
Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

toward.

and drop

Ezekiel 21:2
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

Deuteronomy 32:2
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

Job 29:22
After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

Jeremiah 13:19
The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.

Jeremiah 22:7
And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

Zechariah 11:1,2
Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars…

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Drop Dropped Face Field Forest Negeb Negev Preach Prophesy Prophet South Southland Speak Teman Towards Turned Way Word Words
Ezekiel 20
1. God refuses to be consulted by the elders of Israel
4. He shows the story of their rebellions in Egypt
19. in the desert
27. and in the land
33. He promises to gather them by the Gospel
45. Under the name of a forest he shows the destruction of Jerusalem














Son of man
This phrase is a frequent address to Ezekiel, emphasizing his humanity and role as a prophet. In Hebrew, "ben adam" underscores the prophet's connection to mankind, serving as a bridge between God and His people. It reminds us of the humility and responsibility inherent in being chosen to deliver God's message.

set your face
This command indicates a deliberate and determined focus. In Hebrew, "sim panim" suggests a resolute stance, often used in prophetic literature to convey the seriousness of the message. It implies that Ezekiel must prepare himself mentally and spiritually to deliver a difficult prophecy.

toward the south
The direction "south" in Hebrew is "teman," which can also mean "right hand" or "southward." This geographical reference is significant as it points to the land of Judah, which lies to the south of Babylon, where Ezekiel is in exile. It symbolizes the impending judgment on Judah and Jerusalem.

preach against the south
The instruction to "preach" or "prophesy" against the south indicates a forthcoming message of warning and judgment. The Hebrew word "naba" means to speak by divine inspiration. This highlights the role of the prophet as a mouthpiece for God, delivering a message that is not his own but from the Lord.

and prophesy against the forest land in the Negev
The "forest land" and "Negev" refer to the southern desert region of Judah. The Negev, a semi-arid region, is not typically associated with forests, suggesting a metaphorical use. This imagery may symbolize the people of Judah, who are about to face God's fiery judgment. The Hebrew "negev" means "dry" or "parched," reflecting the spiritual barrenness of the people and the severity of the coming judgment.

Verse 46. - Drop thy word. The verb is used specially of prophetic utterances (Ezekiel 21:2; Amos 7:6; Micah 2:6, 11), and stands, therefore, in the Hebrew without an object. Toward the south. Three distinct words are used in the Hebrew for the thrice-repeated "south" of the Authorized Version.

(1) One which primarily means "the region on the right hand," sc. as a man looks to the east. which Ezekiel also uses in Ezekiel 47:19; Ezekiel 48:28);

(2) the "shining land," used repeatedly in Ezekiel 40, 42. (Deuteronomy 33:23; Job 37:17; Ecclesiastes 1:6; Ecclesiastes 11:3); and

(3) the Negeb, the "dry" or "parched" land, the South (always in Revised Version with a capital letter), of Joshua 15:21, and the historical books generally, the region lying to the south of Judah. The use of the three words where one might have sacrificed is, perhaps, characteristic of Ezekiel's affluence of diction. The LXX. treats all three as proper names, and transliterates them as Thaiman, Darom, and N'ageb. Against this region and its inhabitants (they, of course, are the "trees") Ezekiel is directed to utter his words of judgment. The parenthesis in the last sentence gives the key to the prophet's cypher writing. From Ezekiel's standpoint on the Chebar, the whole of Judah is as the forest of the south. The "green tree," as in Psalm 1:1, 2, is the man who is relatively righteous; the "dry tree" is the sinner whose true life is withered; the "fire" the devastation wrought by the Chaldean invaders, as executing the Divine judgment. In our Lord's words in Luke 23:31 we may probably find an echo of Ezekiel's imagery.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of man,
אָדָ֗ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

set
שִׂ֤ים (śîm)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

your face
פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ (pā·ne·ḵā)
Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

toward the south,
תֵּימָ֔נָה (tê·mā·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8486: South, south wind

preach
וְהַטֵּ֖ף (wə·haṭ·ṭêp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5197: To ooze, distil gradually, to fall in drops, to speak by inspiration

against
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

it,
דָּר֑וֹם (dā·rō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1864: The south, poet, the south wind

and prophesy
וְהִנָּבֵ֛א (wə·hin·nā·ḇê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5012: To prophesy, speak, by inspiration

against
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the forest
יַ֥עַר (ya·‘ar)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3293: A copse of bushes, a forest, honey in the comb

of the Negev.
נֶֽגֶב׃ (ne·ḡeḇ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5045: South country, the Negeb, south


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 20:46 Son of man set your face toward (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 20:45
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