Bible Strands
Ezekiel 4:8
Now 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.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Ezekiel immediately after commanding him to face Jerusalem and prophesy against it. The declaration occurs during the prophet’s enactment of a prolonged siege.
The words — The Hebrew עֲבוֹתִים (a.vo.Tim) translates literally to "ropes," and תֵהָפֵךְ (te.ha.Fekh) means "you will turn yourself." These terms establish the physical constraint placed on the prophet.
The thread — The binding motif appears in Ezekiel 3:25, where God ties Ezekiel with ropes to prevent him from going out among the people. The same imagery of divine restraint frames prophetic obedience in Ezekiel’s earlier call.
Why it lands — The text commands literal compliance with a restrictive sign-act that permits no deviation. It requires the reader to treat physical obedience as the direct medium of divine warning.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 3:25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.