Ezekiel 4:3

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

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.

Complete Jewish Bible:

Then take an iron griddle and put it in place as a wall of iron between yourself and the city, and fix your gaze on it - the city is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign for the house of Isra'el.

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.

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.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Moreover take^{H3947} thou unto thee an iron^{H1270} pan^{H4227}, and set^{H5414} it for a wall^{H7023} of iron^{H1270} between thee and the city^{H5892}: and set^{H3559} thy face^{H6440} against it, and it shall be besieged^{H4692}, and thou shalt lay siege^{H6696} against it. This shall be a sign^{H226} to the house^{H1004} of Israel^{H3478}.

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Commentary for Ezekiel 4:3

Ezekiel 4:3 is a part of the vision given to the prophet Ezekiel, who was among the Jewish exiles in Babylon during the 6th century BCE. The verse is set within the broader context of God's judgment against Jerusalem and Judah for their idolatry and disobedience. In this particular vision, Ezekiel is commanded to take an iron pan and use it as a symbolic wall between himself and a representation of the city of Jerusalem. By setting his face against the pan, Ezekiel enacts a prophetic sign of the siege that would soon come upon the city.

The iron pan represents the impenetrable strength of the Babylonian forces that would surround and besiege Jerusalem, cutting off all hope of escape or relief. Ezekiel's actions serve as a vivid, tangible portrayal of the city's coming encirclement and the suffering that would ensue. This act is not merely a prediction; it is a dramatic performance meant to convey the certainty and severity of the divine judgment. The verse emphasizes the role of Ezekiel as a prophet to the house of Israel, with his actions serving as a sign to his people, illustrating the consequences of their apostasy and the reality of God's judgment that was about to unfold in history.

The historical context of this verse is the period leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Ezekiel's contemporaries might have been hopeful for a quick end to the exile or even doubtful of the prophecies of doom. However, through this object lesson, Ezekiel communicates that the siege and its resulting devastation are inescapable and divinely ordained. This verse reflects the themes of divine justice, the reality of judgment for covenant unfaithfulness, and the role of the prophet as a visual and verbal spokesperson for God's messages to His people.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H3947
   There are 909 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: לָקַח
   Transliteration: lâqach
   Pronunciation: law-kakh'
   Description: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications); accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.
   
2. Strong's Number: H1270
   There are 70 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בַּרְזֶל
   Transliteration: barzel
   Pronunciation: bar-zel'
   Description: perhaps from the root of בִּרְזוֹת; iron (as cutting); by extension, an iron implement; (ax) head, iron.
   
3. Strong's Number: H4227
   There are 5 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מַחֲבַת
   Transliteration: machăbath
   Pronunciation: makh-ab-ath'
   Description: from the same as חָבֵת; a pan for baking in; pan.
   
4. Strong's Number: H5414
   There are 1816 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָתַן
   Transliteration: nâthan
   Pronunciation: naw-than'
   Description: a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.); add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] without fail, fasten, frame, [idiom] get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), [idiom] have, [idiom] indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), [phrase] lie, lift up, make, [phrase] O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, [idiom] pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), [phrase] sing, [phrase] slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, [idiom] surely, [idiom] take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, [phrase] weep, [phrase] willingly, [phrase] withdraw, [phrase] would (to) God, yield.
   
5. Strong's Number: H7023
   There are 64 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: קִיר
   Transliteration: qîyr
   Pronunciation: keer
   Description: or קִר; (Isaiah 22:5), or (feminine) קִירָה; from קוּר; a wall (as built in a trench); [phrase] mason, side, town, [idiom] very, wall.
   
6. Strong's Number: H5892
   There are 937 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עִיר
   Transliteration: ʻîyr
   Pronunciation: eer
   Description: or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from עוּר; a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post); Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.
   
7. Strong's Number: H3559
   There are 210 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: כּוּן
   Transliteration: kûwn
   Pronunciation: koon
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous); certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-) stablish, stand, tarry, [idiom] very deed.
   
8. Strong's Number: H6440
   There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: פָּנִים
   Transliteration: pânîym
   Pronunciation: paw-neem'
   Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you.
   
9. Strong's Number: H4692
   There are 25 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מָצוֹר
   Transliteration: mâtsôwr
   Pronunciation: maw-tsore'
   Description: or מָצוּר; from צוּר; something hemming in, i.e. (objectively) a mound (of besiegers), (abstractly) a siege, (figuratively) distress; or (subjectively) a fastness; besieged, bulwark, defence, fenced, fortress, siege, strong (hold), tower.
   
10. Strong's Number: H6696
    There are 38 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: צוּר
    Transliteration: tsûwr
    Pronunciation: tsoor
    Description: a primitive root; to cramp, i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile); adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags.
    
11. Strong's Number: H226
    There are 140 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אוֹת
    Transliteration: ʼôwth
    Pronunciation: oth
    Description: probably from אוּת (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as aflag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.; mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.
    
12. Strong's Number: H1004
    There are 1718 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בַּיִת
    Transliteration: bayith
    Pronunciation: bah'-yith
    Description: probably from בָּנָה abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.); court, daughter, door, [phrase] dungeon, family, [phrase] forth of, [idiom] great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, [phrase] prison, [phrase] steward, [phrase] tablet, temple, web, [phrase] within(-out).
    
13. Strong's Number: H3478
    There are 2229 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יִשְׂרָאֵל
    Transliteration: Yisrâʼêl
    Pronunciation: yis-raw-ale'
    Description: from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel.