Ezekiel 4:1
New International Version
“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.

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.

English Standard Version
“And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem.

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

King James Bible
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even 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 American Standard Bible
“Now you, son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you, and inscribe a city on it—Jerusalem.

NASB 1995
“Now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem.

NASB 1977
“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.

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.

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.

Holman 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.

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:

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, find a brick and sketch a picture of Jerusalem on it.

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:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
[The LORD said,] "Son of man, take clay, put it in front of you, and draw a map of Jerusalem on it.

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.

International Standard Version
"And now Son of Man, you are to take a brick, set it in front of you, and inscribe on it the outline of the city—that is, Jerusalem.

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

NET Bible
"And you, son of man, take a brick and set it in front of you. Inscribe a city on it--Jerusalem.

New Heart English Bible
"You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, 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;

World English Bible
“You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And you, son of man, take a brick for yourself, and you have put it before you, and have carved a city on it—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,

Smith's Literal Translation
And thou son of man take to thee a brick, and give thou it before thee, and delineate upon it the city Jerusalem;
Catholic Translations
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.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“And as for you, son of man, take up for yourself a tablet, and you shall set it before you. And you shall draw upon it the city of Jerusalem.

New American Bible
You, son of man, take a clay tablet; place it in front of you, and draw on it a city, Jerusalem.

New Revised Standard Version
And you, O mortal, take a brick and set it before you. On it portray a city, Jerusalem;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
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;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“But you, son of man, take for yourself a brick and set it in front of you and trace on it the city Jerusalem
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and trace upon it a city, even Jerusalem;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Sign of Jerusalem's Siege
1“Now 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.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 13:1-11
This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” / So I bought a loincloth in accordance with the word of the LORD, and I put it around my waist. / Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time: ...

Isaiah 20:2-4
the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot. / Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush, / so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.

Jeremiah 19:1-15
This is what the LORD says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the elders of the people and leaders of the priests, / and go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you, / saying, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on this place that the ears of all who hear of it will ring, ...

Jeremiah 27:2-3
This is what the LORD said to me: “Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your neck. / Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

Jeremiah 18:1-6
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: / “Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will give you My message.” / So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel. ...

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!

Jeremiah 52:4
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.

Daniel 5:25-28
Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. / And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. / TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. ...

Revelation 11:1-2
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. / But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

Revelation 21:10-12
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, / shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. / The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.

Matthew 24:15-16
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), / then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Luke 21:20-22
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. / Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. / For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

Acts 21:11
Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

Revelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.


Treasury of Scripture

You also, son of man, take you a tile, and lay it before you, and portray on it the city, even Jerusalem:

take

Ezekiel 5:1
And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's rasor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

Ezekiel 12:3
Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

1 Samuel 15:27,28
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent…

a tile.

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Brick City Clay Front Graven Inscribe Jerusalem Lay Picture Portray Tablet Trace
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Brick City Clay Front Graven Inscribe Jerusalem Lay Picture Portray Tablet Trace
Ezekiel 4
1. Under type of a siege is shown the time from the defection of Jeroboam to captivity
9. By the provision of the siege, is shown the hardness of the famine














Now you, son of man
The phrase "son of man" is a title used frequently in the book of Ezekiel, emphasizing the prophet's humanity and his role as a representative of the people. In Hebrew, "ben adam" underscores the connection between Ezekiel and the rest of humanity, highlighting his role as a mediator between God and Israel. This title also foreshadows the use of "Son of Man" in the New Testament, where it is applied to Jesus Christ, emphasizing His incarnation and identification with humanity.

take a brick
The instruction to "take a brick" is significant in its historical and cultural context. In ancient Mesopotamia, bricks were commonly used for construction and were often inscribed with important information. By using a brick, Ezekiel is engaging in a symbolic act that would have been easily understood by his contemporaries. The brick serves as a tangible representation of Jerusalem, allowing Ezekiel to convey God's message in a visual and impactful manner.

place it before you
The act of placing the brick before him signifies preparation and intention. Ezekiel is to set the stage for a prophetic demonstration, drawing attention to the seriousness and deliberateness of the message he is about to convey. This action invites the audience to focus on what is to come, emphasizing the importance of the prophetic sign.

and draw on it the city of Jerusalem
The command to "draw on it the city of Jerusalem" involves creating a depiction of the city on the brick. This act of drawing is not merely artistic but deeply symbolic, representing the impending siege and judgment upon Jerusalem. In the ancient Near East, such symbolic acts were a common method of prophecy, serving as visual parables to communicate divine messages. The city of Jerusalem, central to Jewish identity and faith, is depicted here to illustrate the gravity of the coming judgment due to the people's unfaithfulness. This prophetic act serves as a call to repentance and a reminder of God's sovereignty over the fate of nations.

IV.

(1) Take thee a tile.--The use of tiles for such purposes as that here indicated was common both in Babylonia and in Nineveh. When intended for preservation the writing or drawing was made upon the soft and plastic clay, which was afterwards baked. It is from the remains of great libraries prepared in this way that most of our modern knowledge of Nineveh and Babylon has been derived. It is, of course, quite possible that Ezekiel may have drawn in this way upon a soft clay tile; but from the whole account in this and the following chapters it is more likely that he simply described, rather than actually performed, these symbolical acts.

Verse 1. - The first sign in this method of unspoken prophecy was to indicate to the exiles of Tel-Abib that which they were unwilling to believe The day of uncertain hopes and fears, of delusive dreams and promises (Jeremiah 27:16; Jeremiah 28:1-3; Jeremiah 29:21), was nearly over. The siege of Jerusalem in spite of Zedekiab's Egyptian alliance, was a thing decreed. Four years before it came - we are now between the fourth month of the fifth year (Ezekiel 1:2) and the sixth month of the sixth year (Ezekiel 8:1) of Zedekiah. and the siege began in the ninth year (2 Kings 25:1) - Ezekiel, on the segnius irritant principle, brought it, as here narrated, before the eyes of the exiles. That he did so implies a certain artistic culture, in possessing which he stands alone, so far as we know, among the prophets of Israel, and to which his residence in the land of the Chaldees may have contributed. He takes a tile, or tablet of baked clay, such as were used in Babylon and Assyria for private contracts, historical inscriptions, astronomical observations (Pliny, 'Hist. Nat.,' 7:57), and the like, which were, in fact, the books of that place and time, and of which whole libraries have been brought to light in recent excavations (Layard, 'Nineveh and Babylon,' ch. 22) and engraves upon it the outlines of "a city" (Revised Version), in which the exiles would at once recognize the city of their fathers, the towers which they had once counted (Isaiah 33:18; Psalm 48:12), the temple which had been their glory and their joy. Bricks with such scenes on them were found among the ruins of Nimroud, now in the British Museum (Layard, ut supra, ch. 7, p. 167). It is not difficult to picture to ourselves the wondering curiosity with which Ezekiel's neighbours would watch the strange proceeding. In this case the sign would be more impressive than any spoken utterance.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now you,
וְאַתָּ֤ה (wə·’at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

son
בֶן־ (ḇen-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of man,
אָדָם֙ (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

take
קַח־ (qaḥ-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

a brick,
לְבֵנָ֔ה (lə·ḇê·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3843: Brick, tile

place
וְנָתַתָּ֥ה (wə·nā·ṯat·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

it
אוֹתָ֖הּ (’ō·w·ṯāh)
Direct object marker | third person feminine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

before you,
לְפָנֶ֑יךָ (lə·p̄ā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

and draw
וְחַקּוֹתָ֥ (wə·ḥaq·qō·w·ṯā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2710: To hack, engrave, to enact, prescribe

on it
עָלֶ֛יהָ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the city
עִ֖יר (‘îr)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

of Jerusalem.
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 4:1 You also son of man take (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 3:27
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