Yǐsījiēshū 4:1

1 Rénzǐ a , nǐ yào ná yī kuaì zhuān , bǎi zaì nǐ miànqián , jiāng yī zuò Yēlùsǎlĕng chéng huà zaì qí shang ,

Yǐsījiēshū 4:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 4:1

Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile
Or "brick" ^F26. 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 ^F1 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (hnbl) "laterem", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus. Piscator.
F1 Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56.

Yǐsījiēshū 4:1 In-Context

1 Rénzǐ a , nǐ yào ná yī kuaì zhuān , bǎi zaì nǐ miànqián , jiāng yī zuò Yēlùsǎlĕng chéng huà zaì qí shang ,

2 Yòu wéi kùn zhè chéng , zào tái zhù lĕi , ān yíng gōngjī , zaì sìwéi ān shè zhuàng chuí gōng chéng ,

3 Yòu yào ná gè tiĕ ào , fàng zaì nǐ hé chéng de zhōngjiān , zuòwéi tiĕ qiáng . nǐ yào duìmiàn gōngjī zhè chéng , shǐ chéng beì kùn . zhèyàng , hǎo zuò Yǐsèliè jiā de yùzhào .

4 Nǐ yào xiàng zuǒ zè wò , chéngdāng Yǐsèliè jiā de zuìniè . yào àn nǐ xiàng zuǒ zè wò de rì shǔ , dāndāng tāmende zuìniè .

5 Yīnwei wǒ yǐ jiāng tāmen zuò niè de nián shǔ déng wèi nǐ xiàng zuǒ zè wò de rì shù , jiù shì sān bǎi jiǔ shí rì , nǐ yào zhèyàng dāndāng Yǐsèliè jiā de zuìniè .