Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people 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. 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. 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. Berean Literal Bible And you, take for yourself a plate of iron and set it up as a wall of iron between you and between the city, and set firm your face against it; and it shall come to be under siege, and you shall lay siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel. King James Bible 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. 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 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. NASB 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. NASB 1977 “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. Amplified Bible 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. Berean Annotated 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 (he wrestles with God). 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. Holman Christian Standard Bible 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 for the house of 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. 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. 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. GOD'S WORD® Translation Then take an iron pan, and set it up as a wall between you and the city. Turn your face toward the city as if you were going to attack it, and then attack it. This is a sign for the people 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. International Standard Version Then you are to take a flat, iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. "Next, you are to turn toward it, oppose it, and place it under siege, because you are to lay siege to it. All of this will serve as a sign to the house of Israel. NET Bible 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 Heart 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. 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. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThen 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. World English Bible Take for yourself an iron pan and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city. Then set your face toward it. It will be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd you, take an iron pan for yourself, and you have made it a wall of iron between you and the city; and you have prepared your face against it, and it has been in a siege, indeed, you have laid siege against it. It [is] a sign to the house of Israel. Berean Literal Bible And you, take for yourself a plate of iron and set it up as a wall of iron between you and between the city, and set firm your face against it; and it shall come to be under siege, and you shall lay 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. Smith's Literal Translation And thou, take to thee an iron pan and give it a wall of iron between thee and between the city: and prepare thy face against it, and she was in siege, and press upon her. This a sign to the house of Israel. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd 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. Catholic Public Domain Version And you shall take up for yourself an iron frying pan, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city. And harden your face against it, and it shall be under a siege, and you shall surround it. This is a sign to the house of Israel. New American Bible Then take an iron pan and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face toward it and put it under siege. So you must lay siege to it as a sign for the house of Israel. New Revised Standard Version 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. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleMoreover 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. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And take for yourself a grid of iron and set your face against it and it shall be in a siege, and you shall besiege it. This is a sign to those of the household of Israel OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And 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. Brenton Septuagint Translation 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. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context A Sign of Jerusalem's Siege…2Then 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. 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 be a sign to the house of Israel. 4Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side.… Cross References Then take an iron plate 1 Kings 8:51 For they are Your people and Your inheritance; You brought them out of Egypt, out of the furnace for iron. 2 Chronicles 6:37 and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ Deuteronomy 4:20 Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you are today. and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Jeremiah 1:18 Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. Jeremiah 15:20 Then I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, declares the LORD. Ezekiel 13:5 You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, Ezekiel 21:2 “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel Jeremiah 21:10 For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’ Ezekiel 6:2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. and besiege it. 2 Kings 24:10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 2 Kings 25:1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. Jeremiah 32:24 See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see! This will be a sign to the house of Israel. 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 the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 24:24 ‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’ Exodus 31:17 It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” Isaiah 8:14 And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare. Treasury of Scripture Moreover take you to you an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. an iron pan. Leviticus 2:5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. This Ezekiel 12:6,11 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel… Ezekiel 24:24-27 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD… Isaiah 8:18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. Jump to Previous Besieged City Face House Iron Israel Lay Moreover Pan Siege Sign State WallJump to Next Besieged City Face House Iron Israel Lay Moreover Pan Siege Sign State WallEzekiel 4 1. Under type of a siege is shown the time from the defection of Jeroboam to captivity9. By the provision of the siege, is shown the hardness of the famine Then take an iron plate The iron plate symbolizes a barrier, representing the separation between God and the people due to their sin. Iron, a strong and impenetrable material, signifies the strength of the judgment coming upon Jerusalem. In ancient times, iron was a symbol of strength and durability, often used in warfare and construction. 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. Persons / Places / Events 1. EzekielA prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. Known for his symbolic actions and visions. 2. Iron Plate A symbolic object used by Ezekiel to represent a barrier or separation between God and the city of Jerusalem, indicating divine judgment. 3. The City (Jerusalem) The focal point of God's judgment due to the people's persistent sin and rebellion against Him. 4. Siege A military tactic used to surround and cut off a city, symbolizing the impending judgment and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. 5. House of Israel The collective term for the people of Israel, who are the recipients of Ezekiel's prophetic messages and symbolic actions. Teaching Points Symbolism in ProphecyEzekiel's use of an iron plate as a symbol of separation highlights the seriousness of sin and the resulting barrier it creates between God and His people. Divine Judgment The siege represents God's righteous judgment on persistent disobedience, reminding us of the importance of repentance and obedience to God's commands. Intercessory Role of Prophets Ezekiel's actions serve as a visual and spiritual intercession, calling the people to recognize their sin and turn back to God. God's Faithfulness Despite the harsh message of judgment, God's use of prophets like Ezekiel demonstrates His desire for His people to return to Him and be restored. Personal Reflection Consider the "iron walls" in our own lives that may separate us from God, and seek His guidance to remove them through repentance and faith. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Ezekiel 4:3?2. How does Ezekiel 4:3 symbolize God's protection and judgment on Jerusalem? 3. What does the "iron plate" in Ezekiel 4:3 represent spiritually? 4. How can we apply Ezekiel's obedience to God's commands in our lives today? 5. How does Ezekiel 4:3 connect with other prophetic warnings in the Old Testament? 6. What lessons about faithfulness and perseverance can we learn from Ezekiel's actions? 7. What is the symbolic meaning of the iron pan in Ezekiel 4:3? 8. How does Ezekiel 4:3 reflect God's judgment on Jerusalem? 9. Why does God instruct Ezekiel to use a brick in Ezekiel 4:3? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 4? 11. In Deuteronomy 28, how can modern readers reconcile the promise of curses (verses 15-68) with our scientific understanding of disease, famine, and natural disasters? 12. Ezekiel 4:1-3: Does archaeological or historical data confirm a siege of Jerusalem that matches the precise details of Ezekiel's prophecy? 13. Ezekiel 4:4-5: How could someone realistically lie on one side for 390 days without serious health complications or interruptions? 14. Ezekiel 4:9-12: Is there any historical evidence that this specific type of 'siege bread' was actually made and consumed in ancient times? What Does Ezekiel 4:3 Mean Then take an iron plate• Ezekiel is told to grab a common cooking griddle—solid, flat, heavy. • The everyday object becomes a prophetic tool, showing how God can press even kitchenware into service for His message (Exodus 4:2; 1 Corinthians 1:27). • Iron speaks of strength that cannot be bent or pierced (Jeremiah 1:18). Here it foreshadows judgment that will not yield. and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. • Ezekiel represents the LORD; the clay model city he built earlier (4:1–2) stands for Jerusalem. • The iron plate sitting between them pictures an unbreakable barrier—God’s protective presence removed, replaced by a wall of severe discipline (Isaiah 59:2; Lamentations 3:44). • It also hints that Jerusalem’s real enemy, Babylon, will seem unstoppable, like iron (Daniel 2:40). Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, • “Face” signals determined attention (Leviticus 17:10; Ezekiel 15:7). God is no longer shielding the city; He is now staring it down. • The prophet’s fixed gaze mirrors the LORD’s settled resolve: the siege is certain, not hypothetical (2 Kings 25:1–2). • The visual act came about a decade before the final fall of Jerusalem, giving mercy‐time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). and besiege it. • Ezekiel’s posture and props act out the encircling armies that will choke off the city (Jeremiah 39:1–2). • The action declares: “What Babylon soon does in the physical, God has already decreed in the spiritual” (Ezekiel 4:7; Deuteronomy 28:52). • The siege motif underlines covenant consequences promised centuries earlier (Leviticus 26:25–26). This will be a sign to the house of Israel. • Symbolic dramas were a staple of prophetic ministry (Isaiah 20:3; Ezekiel 12:6). • The “house of Israel” includes the exiles in Babylon who hear Ezekiel preach as well as the remnant still in Jerusalem—no one is left without warning (Ezekiel 2:5). • The sign confronts hardened hearts: judgment will fall, yet the very act of foretelling is grace, urging return to the Lord before it is too late (Joel 2:12–13). summary Ezekiel’s iron plate drama preaches a simple, sobering message: the God of Israel is placing an unbreakable wall of judgment between Himself and a rebellious city. His unwavering gaze and enacted siege certify that Jerusalem’s downfall is near, fulfilling covenant warnings. Yet even in this stern sign, the LORD’s mercy shines—He broadcasts the verdict in advance so that any who will listen can still turn and live. (3) An iron pan.--The margin gives the sense more accurately, a flat plate. It was used for baking cakes (see Leviticus 2:5, marg.). This was to be set for a wall of iron between the prophet (representing the besiegers) and the city, doubtless as symbolical of the strength of the besiegers' lines, and of the impossibility there would be of an escape from the city by a sally. Their foes should be made too strong for them defensively as well as offensively.A sign to the house of Israel.--As already said, the tribe of Judah, with the associated remnants of the other tribes, is considered as representing the whole nation after the Assyrian captivity, and is spoken of as "the house of Israel" except when there is occasion to distinguish especially between the two parts of the nation. (See Ezekiel 3:7; Ezekiel 3:17; Ezekiel 5:4; Ezekiel 8:6; 2Chronicles 21:2; 2Chronicles 28:27, &c.) The prophecy would have been equally effective whether seen as a symbolic act or only related. . . . Verse 3. - An iron pan. The word is used in Leviticus 2:5; Leviticus 6:21, et al., for a flat or shallow vessel in which cakes were baked or fried. Such a pan, like the Scotch "girdle," or our "gridiron," may well have formed part of the furniture of the prophet's house when it was taken for this strange use. It was to represent the kind of shield or fence set up on the ground, from behind which the besiegers discharged their arrows. Such shields are seen, like the battering rams, in Assyrian bas-reliefs (Layard, 'Nineveh,' etc., 2:345). Other interpretations, which see in it the symbol of the circumvallation of the city, or of the impenetrable barrier which the sins of the people had set up between themselves and Jehovah, or of the prophet himself as strong and unyielding (Jeremiah 1:18), do not commend themselves. The flat plate did not go round the city, and the spiritual meaning is out of harmony with the context. This shall be a sign, etc. (comp. like forms in Ezekiel 12:6, 11; Ezekiel 24:25, 27). The exiles of Tel-Abib, who wore the only spectators of the prophet's acts, are taken as representatives of "the house of Israel," that phrase being commonly used by Ezekiel, unless, as in vers. 5, 6, and Ezekiel 37:16, there is a special reason for noting a distinction for Jonah as representing the whole nation.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Thenוְאַתָּ֤ה (wə·’at·tāh) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you take קַח־ (qaḥ-) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's 3947: To take an iron בַּרְזֶ֔ל (bar·zel) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement plate מַחֲבַ֣ת (ma·ḥă·ḇaṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 4227: A flat plate, pan, griddle and set it up וְנָתַתָּ֤ה (wə·nā·ṯat·tāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 5414: To give, put, set as an iron בַּרְזֶ֔ל (bar·zel) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement wall קִ֣יר (qîr) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 7023: A wall between yourself בֵּינְךָ֖ (bê·nə·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 996: An interval, space between and the city. הָעִ֑יר (hā·‘îr) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5892: Excitement Turn וַהֲכִינֹתָה֩ (wa·hă·ḵî·nō·ṯāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 3559: To be erect your face פָּנֶ֨יךָ (pā·ne·ḵā) Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 6440: The face toward it אֵלֶ֜יהָ (’ê·le·hā) Preposition | third person feminine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to so that it is וְהָיְתָ֤ה (wə·hā·yə·ṯāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be under siege, בַמָּצוֹר֙ (ḇam·mā·ṣō·wr) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4692: Something hemming in, a mound, a siege, distress, a fastness and besiege it. וְצַרְתָּ֣ (wə·ṣar·tā) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 6696: To confine, bind, besiege This הִ֖יא (hî) Pronoun - third person feminine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are will be a sign א֥וֹת (’ō·wṯ) Noun - common singular Strong's 226: A signal, as a, flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence to the house לְבֵ֥ית (lə·ḇêṯ) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 1004: A house of Israel. יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc Links Ezekiel 4:3 NIVEzekiel 4:3 NLT Ezekiel 4:3 ESV Ezekiel 4:3 NASB Ezekiel 4:3 KJV Ezekiel 4:3 BibleApps.com Ezekiel 4:3 Biblia Paralela Ezekiel 4:3 Chinese Bible Ezekiel 4:3 French Bible Ezekiel 4:3 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Ezekiel 4:3 Take for yourself an iron pan (Ezek. Eze Ezk) |
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