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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Ezekiel 4:1

Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Drawing;   Instruction;   Pantomime;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Tile;   Scofield Reference Index - Ezekiel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Tile;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Graving;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Brick;   Pottery;   Tile;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Gestures;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Siege;   Sign;   Tablet;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Angel;   Brick;   Tile, Tiling;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Brick;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ezekiel;   Tablet;   Tile;   Writing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Brick;   Parable;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Now you, son of man, take a brick, set it in front of you, and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
Hebrew Names Version
You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, even Yerushalayim:
King James Version
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
English Standard Version
"And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem.
New American Standard Bible
"Now you, son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you, and inscribe a city on it—Jerusalem.
New Century Version
"Now, human, get yourself a brick, put it in front of you, and draw a map of Jerusalem on it.
Amplified Bible
"Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you and inscribe on it [a diagram of] the city of Jerusalem.
World English Bible
You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem:
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou also sonne of man, take thee a bricke, and lay it before thee, and pourtray vpon it the citie, euen Ierusalem,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Now as for you, son of man, get yourself a brick, set it before you, and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord said: Ezekiel, son of man, find a brick and sketch a picture of Jerusalem on it.
Complete Jewish Bible
"As for you, human being, take a clay slab, lay it down in front of you, and draw on it the city of Yerushalayim.
Darby Translation
And thou, son of man, take thee a brick, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it a city,—Jerusalem:
Easy-to-Read Version
"Son of man, take a brick and scratch a picture on it. Draw a picture of a city—the city of Jerusalem.
George Lamsa Translation
YOU also, O Son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and draw upon it the outline of the city of Jerusalem;
Good News Translation
God said, "Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem.
Lexham English Bible
"Now, son of man, take for yourself a brick, and you must put it before you, and you must portray on it a city, Jerusalem.
Literal Translation
And you, son of man, take a brick to yourself, and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, Jerusalem.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou sonne off man: take a tyle stone, and laye it before the, and descrybe vpon it the cite off Ierusalem:
American Standard Version
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it a city, even Jerusalem:
Bible in Basic English
And you, son of man, take a back and put it before you and on it make a picture of a town, even Jerusalem.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and trace upon it a city, even Jerusalem;
King James Version (1611)
Thou also sonne of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray vpon it the citie, euen Ierusalem,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou sonne of man, take thee a tyle stone and lay it before thee, and purtray vpon it the citie Hierusalem,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou, son of man, take thee a brick, and thou shalt set it before thy face, and shalt portray on it the city, even Jerusalem.
English Revised Version
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it a city, even Jerusalem:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou, sone of man, take to thee a tijl stoon; and thou schalt sette it bifore thee, and thou schalt discriue ther ynne the citee of Jerusalem.
Update Bible Version
You also, son of man, take for yourself a tile, and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem:
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, [even] Jerusalem;
New English Translation
"And you, son of man, take a brick and set it in front of you. Inscribe a city on it—Jerusalem.
New King James Version
"You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem.
New Living Translation
"And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it.
New Life Bible
"Now, son of man, get a hard clay block. Set it down in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
New Revised Standard
And you, O mortal, take a brick and set it before you. On it portray a city, Jerusalem;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou therefore O son of man Take thee a tablet, and lay it before thee, - and pourtray thereon a city, even Jerusalem.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou, O son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee: and draw upon it the plan of the city of Jerusalem.
Revised Standard Version
"And you, O son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and portray upon it a city, even Jerusalem;
Young's Literal Translation
`And thou, son of man, take to thee a brick, and thou hast put it before thee, and hast graven on it a city -- Jerusalem,
THE MESSAGE
"Now, son of man, take a brick and place it before you. Draw a picture of the city Jerusalem on it. Then make a model of a military siege against the brick: Build siege walls, construct a ramp, set up army camps, lay in battering rams around it. Then get an iron skillet and place it upright between you and the city—an iron wall. Face the model: The city shall be under siege and you shall be the besieger. This is a sign to the family of Israel.

Contextual Overview

1Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.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. 5For I have assigned you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days you lie down, 390 days; so you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned to you 40 days, a day for each year. 7You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it. 8Now behold, I will tie you up with ropes so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

take: Ezekiel 5:1-17, Ezekiel 12:3-16, 1 Samuel 15:27, 1 Samuel 15:28, 1 Kings 11:30, 1 Kings 11:31, Isaiah 20:2-4, Jeremiah 13:1-14, Jeremiah 18:2-12, Jeremiah 19:1-15, Jeremiah 25:15-38, Jeremiah 27:2-22, Hosea 1:2-9, Hosea 3:1-5, Hosea 12:10

a tile: לבנה [Strong's H3843], levainah generally denotes a brick, and Palladius informs us that the bricks in common use among the ancients were "two feet long, one foot broad, and four inches thick;" and on such a surface the whole siege might be easily pourtrayed. Perhaps, however, it may here denote a flat tile, like a Roman brick, which were commonly used for tablets, as we learn from Pliny, Hist. Nat. 1. vii. c. 57.

even: Jeremiah 6:6, Jeremiah 32:31, Amos 3:2

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:52 - General 2 Kings 13:18 - Smite 2 Kings 25:1 - pitched Jeremiah 43:9 - great Jeremiah 52:4 - pitched Ezekiel 2:1 - Son Ezekiel 3:24 - Go Ezekiel 5:2 - the city Ezekiel 5:5 - This Ezekiel 21:19 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Genesis 4:25
And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."
Genesis 5:29
And he named him Noah, saying, "May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed."
Numbers 31:17
So now, kill all the boys, and kill every woman who has had relations with a man,
1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile,.... Or "brick" z. The Targum renders it, a "stone"; but a tile or brick, especially one that is not dried and burned, but green, is more fit to cut in it the figure of a city. Some think that this was ordered because cities are built of brick; or to show the weakness of the city of Jerusalem, how easily it might be demolished; and Jerom thinks there was some design to lead the Jews to reflect upon their making bricks in Egypt, and their hard service there; though perhaps the truer reason may be, because the Babylonians had been used to write upon tiles. Epigenes a says they had celestial observations of a long course of years, written on tiles; hence the prophet is bid to describe Jerusalem on one, which was to be destroyed by the king of Babylon;

and lay it before thee: as persons do, who are about to draw a picture, make a portrait, or engrave the form of anything they intend:

and portray upon it the city; [even] Jerusalem; or engrave upon it, by making incisions on it, and so describing the form and figure of the city of Jerusalem.

z לבנה "laterem", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus. Piscator. a Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A tile - Rather, a brick. Sun-dried or kiln-burned bricks were from very early times used for building walls throughout the plain of Mesopotamia. The bricks of Nineveh and Babylon are sometimes stamped with what appears to be the device of the king in whose reign they were made, and often covered with a kind of enamel on which various scenes are portrayed. Among the subjects depicted on such bricks discovered at Nimroud are castles and forts.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER IV

Ezekiel delineates Jerusalem, and lays siege to it, as a type

of the manner in which the Chaldean army should surround that

city, 1-3.

The prophet commanded to lie on his left side three hundred and

ninety days, and on his right side forty days, with the

signification, 4-8.

The scanty and coarse provision allowed the prophet during his

symbolical siege, consisting chiefly of the worst kinds of

grain, and likewise ill-prepared, as he had only cow's dung for

fuel, tended all to denote the scarcity of proviswn, fuel, and

every necessary of life, which the Jews should experience during

the siege of Jerusalem. 9-17.

NOTES ON CHAP. IV

Verse Ezekiel 4:1. Take thee a tile — A tile, such as we use in covering houses, will give us but a very inadequate notion of those used anciently; and also appear very insufficient for the figures which the prophet was commanded to pourtray on it. A brick is most undoubtedly meant; yet, even the larger dimensions here, as to thickness, will not help us through the difficulty, unless we have recourse to the ancients, who have spoken of the dimensions of the bricks commonly used in building. Palladius, De Re Rustica, lib. vi. c. 12, is very particular on this subject:-Sint vero lateres longitudine pedum duorum, latitudine unius, altitudine quatuor unciarum. "Let the bricks be two feet long, one foot broad, and four inches thick." Edit. Gesner, vol. iii. p. 144. On such a surface as this the whole siege might be easily pourtrayed. There are some brick-bats before me which were brought from the ruins of ancient Babylon, which have been made of clay and straw kneaded together and baked in the sun; one has been more than four inches thick, and on one side it is deeply impressed with characters; others are smaller, well made, and finely impressed on one side with Persepolitan characters. These have been for inside or ornamental work; to such bricks the prophet most probably alludes.

But the tempered clay out of which the bricks were made might be meant here; of this substance he might spread out a sufficient quantity to receive all his figures. The figures were,

1. Jerusalem.

2. A fort.

3. A mount.

4. The camp of the enemy.

5. Battering rams, and such like engines, round about.

6. A wall round about the city, between it and the besieging army.


 
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