Bible Strands
Ezekiel 4:7
You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God commands Ezekiel to perform a prophetic act immediately after assigning him forty days of lying on his right side to bear Judah's iniquity. The instruction occurs during a prolonged symbolic siege that precedes the binding of the prophet in Ezekiel 4:8.
The words — The Hebrew תָכִין (ta.Khin) means "you will direct" and חֲשׂוּפָה (cha.su.Fah) translates literally as "bared." These terms specify the exact physical posture Ezekiel must hold while delivering his message.
The thread — The command to face Jerusalem and prophesy recurs in Ezekiel 21:2, while the motif of a bared arm appears in Isaiah 52:10 to depict divine intervention. Ezekiel 4:3 previously establishes this same unyielding directional focus alongside the iron plate between the prophet and the city.
Why it lands — The text requires a fixed, unflinching posture of judgment and proclamation against a specific location. A reader must acknowledge that prophetic witness demands sustained physical and verbal alignment with a declared divine purpose.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 52:10 The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
- Ezekiel 21:2 “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
- Ezekiel 4:3 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.
- Ezekiel 6:2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.