Yechezkel 4:1

1 Thou also, Ben Adam, take thee a levenah (tile, brick), and lay it before thee, and engrave upon it the Ir, even Yerushalayim;

Yechezkel 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.

Yechezkel 4:1 In-Context

1 Thou also, Ben Adam, take thee a levenah (tile, brick), and lay it before thee, and engrave upon it the Ir, even Yerushalayim;

2 And lay matzor (siege) against it, and erect against it siege works, and build a ramp against it; set the machanot also against it, and set battering rams against it all around.

3 Moreover take thou unto thee a machavat barzel (iron griddle), and set it for a kir barzel (wall of iron) between thee and the Ir; and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be an ot (sign) to Bais Yisroel.

4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the avon Bais Yisroel upon it; according to the mispar of the yamim that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their avon.

5 For I have laid upon thee the shanim of their avon (iniquity), according to the mispar (number) of the yamim, three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thou bear the avon Bais Yisroel.