Ezekiel 4:3

3 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.

Ezekiel 4:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 4:3

Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan
Which Kimchi thinks, for its metal, represented the hardness of the hearts of the people of Israel; and, for its colour, the blackness of their sins: though others are of opinion, this being a pan in which things are fried, it may signify the miseries of the Jews in captivity; the roasting of Ahab and Zedekiah in the fire, and particularly the burning of the city: others, the wrath of God against them, and his resolution to destroy them: but rather, since the use of it was as follows, and set it [for] a wall of iron between thee and the city,
it seems to represent all such things as are made use of by besiegers to screen them from the besieged; such as are now used are trenches, parapets, bastions for the prophet in this type is the besieger, representing the Chaldean army secure from the annoyance of those within the walls of the city: and set thy face against it;
with a firm resolution to besiege and take the city; which denotes both the settled wrath of God against this people, and the determined purpose of the king of Babylon not to move from it until he had taken it: and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it;
as an emblem of the army of the Chaldeans besieging it, which is confirmed by the next clause: this [shall be] a sign to the house of Israel;
of the city of Jerusalem being besieged by the Babylonians; this was a sign representing it, and giving them assurance of it.

Ezekiel 4:3 In-Context

1 "As for you, human being, take a clay slab, lay it down in front of you, and draw on it the city of Yerushalayim.
2 Show it under siege - build towers against it, raise earthworks against it, set up camps against it, and surround it with battering rams.
3 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.
4 "Next, you are to lie on your left side, and have it bear the guilt of the house of Isra'el - for as many days as you lie on your side, you will bear their guilt.
5 For I am assigning you one day for each year of their guilt; thus you are to bear the guilt of the house of Isra'el for 390 days.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.