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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Ezekiel 4:2 Then 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.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/4-2.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/13/26_Ezk_04_02.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Ezekiel 4:2 - A Sign of Jerusalem's Siege" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Then 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." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/ezekiel/4-2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/ezekiel/4-2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/ezekiel/">Ezekiel</a> > <a href="/ezekiel/4.htm">Chapter 4</a> > Verse 2</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad2.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/ezekiel/4-1.htm" title="Ezekiel 4:1">◄</a> Ezekiel 4:2 <a href="/ezekiel/4-3.htm" title="Ezekiel 4:3">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/4.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/ezekiel/4.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/ezekiel/4.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/ezekiel/4.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/4.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/ezekiel/4.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set <i>battering</i> rams against it round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/ezekiel/4.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/ezekiel/4.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, pile up an assault ramp, set up camps, and place battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/ezekiel/4.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/ezekiel/4.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps, and place battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/ezekiel/4.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Then set a siege against it, build a siege wall against it, raise up a ramp against it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/ezekiel/4.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise a ramp against it; set up [enemy] camps and place battering rams all around it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/ezekiel/4.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/ezekiel/4.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then lay siege against it: construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/ezekiel/4.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/ezekiel/4.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Then prepare to attack the brick as if it were a real city. Build a dirt mound and a ramp up to the top and surround the brick with enemy camps. On every side put large wooden poles as though you were going to break down the gate to the city. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/ezekiel/4.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mount against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/ezekiel/4.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Set up a blockade against it, build attack walls around it, put up dirt ramps around it, have troops ready to attack it, and place battering rams all around it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/ezekiel/4.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/ezekiel/4.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />You are to lay siege against it, build a rampart around it, set a bulwark against it, encircle it with a berm, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/ezekiel/4.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/ezekiel/4.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Lay siege to it! Build siege works against it. Erect a siege ramp against it! Post soldiers outside it and station battering rams around it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/ezekiel/4.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/ezekiel/4.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it on every side.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/ezekiel/4.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Lay siege against it, build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it. Also set camps against it and plant battering rams against it all around. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/ezekiel/4.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />and have placed a siege against it, and built a fortification against it, and poured out a mound against it, and placed camps against it, indeed, set battering-rams against it all around.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/ezekiel/4.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> and hast placed against it a siege, and builded against it a fortification, and poured out against it a mount, and placed against it camps, yea, set thou against it battering-rams round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/ezekiel/4.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And give siege against it, and build a watch tower against it, and cast a mound against it, and give the camp against it, and set battering-rams against it round about.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/ezekiel/4.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And lay siege against it, and build forts, and cast up a mount, and set a camp against it, and place battering rams round about it. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/ezekiel/4.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And you shall set up a blockade against it, and you shall build fortifications, and you shall put together a rampart, and you shall encamp opposite it, and you shall place battering rams around it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/ezekiel/4.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Lay siege to it: build up siege works, raise a ramp against it, pitch camps and set up battering rams all around it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/ezekiel/4.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />and put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a ramp against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/ezekiel/4.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast a mount against it; and set some camps also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/ezekiel/4.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And make a siege against it and build against it a mound and set ambush against it and make camps encamp against it, and make it battlements as a circle<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/ezekiel/4.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/ezekiel/4.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And thou shalt besiege it, and build works against it, and throw up a mound round about it, and pitch camps against it, and set up engines round about.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vET3Gmwku4s?start=700" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/4.htm">A Sign of Jerusalem's Siege</a></span><br><span class="reftext">1</span>“Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem. <span class="reftext">2</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/5414.htm" title="5414: wə·nā·ṯat·tāh (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjPerf-2ms) -- To give, put, set. A primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application.">Then lay</a> <a href="/hebrew/4692.htm" title="4692: mā·ṣō·wr (N-ms) -- Siege enclosure, siege, entrenchment. Or matsuwr; from tsuwr; something hemming in, i.e. a mound, a siege, distress; or a fastness.">siege</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">against it:</a> <a href="/hebrew/1129.htm" title="1129: ū·ḇā·nî·ṯā (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjPerf-2ms) -- To build. A primitive root; to build.">Construct</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications."></a> <a href="/hebrew/1785.htm" title="1785: dā·yêq (N-ms) -- Bulwark, siege wall. From a root corresp. To duwq; a battering-tower.">a siege wall,</a> <a href="/hebrew/8210.htm" title="8210: wə·šā·p̄aḵ·tā (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjPerf-2ms) -- To pour out, pour. A primitive root; to spill forth; also to expend; intensively, to sprawl out.">build</a> <a href="/hebrew/5550.htm" title="5550: sō·lə·lāh (N-fs) -- A mound. Or cowllah; active participle feminine of calal, but used passively; a military mound, i.e. Rampart of besiegers.">a ramp</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">to it,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5414.htm" title="5414: wə·nā·ṯat·tāh (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjPerf-2ms) -- To give, put, set. A primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application.">set up</a> <a href="/hebrew/4264.htm" title="4264: ma·ḥă·nō·wṯ (N-cp) -- An encampment, camp. From chanah; an encampment; hence, an army, whether literal or figurative.">camps</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">against it,</a> <a href="/hebrew/7760.htm" title="7760: wə·śîm- (Conj-w:: V-Qal-Imp-ms) -- To put, place, set. Or siym; a primitive root; to put.">and place</a> <a href="/hebrew/3733.htm" title="3733: kā·rîm (N-mp) -- From karar in the sense of plumpness; a ram, including a battering-ram; hence, a meadow; also a pad or camel's saddle.">battering rams</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">around it</a> <a href="/hebrew/5439.htm" title="5439: sā·ḇîḇ (Adv) -- Circuit, round about. Or cbiybah; from cabab; a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly around.">on all sides.</a> </span><span class="reftext">3</span>Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/25-1.htm">2 Kings 25:1</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/52-4.htm">Jeremiah 52:4</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/39-1.htm">Jeremiah 39:1</a></span><br />In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to the city.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/29-3.htm">Isaiah 29:3</a></span><br />I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with towers and set up siege works against you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/20-15.htm">2 Samuel 20:15</a></span><br />And Joab’s troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel-beth-maacah and built a siege ramp against the outer rampart of the city. As all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to topple it,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/6-6.htm">Jeremiah 6:6</a></span><br />For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/2-8.htm">Lamentations 2:8</a></span><br />The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/37-33.htm">Isaiah 37:33</a></span><br />So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/19-32.htm">2 Kings 19:32</a></span><br />So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/32-24.htm">Jeremiah 32:24</a></span><br />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!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/19-43.htm">Luke 19:43</a></span><br />For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/24-2.htm">Matthew 24:2</a></span><br />“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/13-2.htm">Mark 13:2</a></span><br />“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/21-20.htm">Luke 21:20</a></span><br />But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/20-9.htm">Revelation 20:9</a></span><br />And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.</p><p class="hdg">lay</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/39-1.htm">Jeremiah 39:1,2</a></b></br> In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/52-4.htm">Jeremiah 52:4</a></b></br> And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth <i>day</i> of the month, <i>that</i> Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/luke/19-42.htm">Luke 19:42-44</a></b></br> Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things <i>which belong</i> unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes… </p><p class="hdg">battering rams.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/21-22.htm">Ezekiel 21:22</a></b></br> At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint <i>battering</i> rams against the gates, to cast a mount, <i>and</i> to build a fort.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/51-48.htm">Attack</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-5.htm">Battering</a> <a href="/jeremiah/42-10.htm">Build</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-13.htm">Building</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-24.htm">Camp</a> <a href="/songs/6-13.htm">Camps</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-53.htm">Cast</a> <a href="/jeremiah/6-6.htm">Earthwork</a> <a href="/ezra/5-9.htm">Erect</a> <a href="/isaiah/25-12.htm">Fort</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-4.htm">Forts</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-26.htm">High</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-1.htm">Lay</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-55.htm">Making</a> <a href="/jeremiah/49-2.htm">Mound</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-18.htm">Mount</a> <a href="/jeremiah/10-20.htm">Pitch</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-18.htm">Places</a> <a href="/jeremiah/42-10.htm">Plant</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-14.htm">Raise</a> <a href="/job/19-12.htm">Ramp</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-40.htm">Rams</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-28.htm">Round</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-5.htm">Shutting</a> <a href="/ezekiel/3-13.htm">Side</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-5.htm">Siege</a> <a href="/jeremiah/31-28.htm">Smashing</a> <a href="/ezekiel/3-14.htm">Strong</a> <a href="/jeremiah/49-29.htm">Tents</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-9.htm">Wall</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/24-2.htm">Attack</a> <a href="/ezekiel/21-22.htm">Battering</a> <a href="/ezekiel/11-3.htm">Build</a> <a href="/ezekiel/11-3.htm">Building</a> <a href="/joel/2-11.htm">Camp</a> <a href="/ezekiel/25-4.htm">Camps</a> <a href="/ezekiel/5-4.htm">Cast</a> <a href="/ezekiel/26-8.htm">Earthwork</a> <a href="/mark/14-58.htm">Erect</a> <a href="/ezekiel/21-22.htm">Fort</a> <a href="/ezekiel/17-17.htm">Forts</a> <a href="/ezekiel/6-3.htm">High</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-3.htm">Lay</a> <a href="/ezekiel/5-1.htm">Making</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-24.htm">Mound</a> <a href="/ezekiel/10-16.htm">Mount</a> <a href="/ezekiel/25-4.htm">Pitch</a> <a href="/ezekiel/6-3.htm">Places</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-7.htm">Plant</a> <a href="/ezekiel/8-5.htm">Raise</a> <a href="/ezekiel/26-8.htm">Ramp</a> <a href="/ezekiel/21-22.htm">Rams</a> <a href="/ezekiel/5-2.htm">Round</a> <a href="/daniel/1-1.htm">Shutting</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-4.htm">Side</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-3.htm">Siege</a> <a href="/daniel/7-23.htm">Smashing</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-24.htm">Strong</a> <a href="/daniel/11-45.htm">Tents</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-3.htm">Wall</a><div class="vheading2">Ezekiel 4</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/4-1.htm">Under type of a siege is shown the time from the defection of Jeroboam to captivity</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/4-9.htm">By the provision of the siege, is shown the hardness of the famine</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ezekiel/4.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ezekiel/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/ezekiel/4.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Then lay siege against it:</b><br>Ezekiel is instructed to perform a symbolic act representing the siege of Jerusalem. This act is a prophetic sign to the exiles in Babylon, illustrating the impending judgment on Jerusalem. The siege symbolizes God's wrath due to the people's persistent idolatry and disobedience. The use of a siege in prophecy underscores the severity of the coming destruction, as sieges were brutal and often led to famine and suffering.<p><b>Construct a siege wall:</b><br>A siege wall was a common military tactic in ancient warfare, used to encircle a city and cut off supplies. This imagery would have been familiar to Ezekiel's audience, as they had witnessed or heard of such tactics used by powerful empires like Assyria and Babylon. The construction of a siege wall signifies the inescapable nature of God's judgment, as the city would be completely surrounded with no means of escape.<p><b>Build a ramp to it:</b><br>Siege ramps were used to breach city walls, allowing attacking forces to overcome defenses. This detail emphasizes the inevitability of Jerusalem's fall. Historically, the Babylonians were known for their engineering prowess in constructing such ramps, as seen in the siege of Lachish. The ramp signifies the relentless advance of judgment, unstoppable by human means.<p><b>Set up camps against it:</b><br>The setting up of camps indicates a prolonged siege, with the besieging army establishing a base of operations. This reflects the historical reality of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, which lasted for several years. The camps symbolize the persistent and unyielding nature of divine judgment, as well as the complete encirclement and isolation of the city.<p><b>And place battering rams around it on all sides:</b><br>Battering rams were used to break through city gates and walls, a common practice in ancient warfare. The mention of battering rams on all sides highlights the totality of the assault and the futility of resistance. This imagery points to the comprehensive nature of God's judgment, leaving no part of the city untouched. It also foreshadows the complete destruction that would come upon Jerusalem, as prophesied by Ezekiel and fulfilled in 586 BC.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/e/ezekiel.htm">Ezekiel</a></b><br>A prophet of God, called to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/jerusalem.htm">Jerusalem</a></b><br>The city symbolically represented by the brick in Ezekiel's prophetic act, which is under siege as a sign of impending judgment.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/s/siege.htm">Siege</a></b><br>A military tactic used in ancient warfare, symbolizing the impending judgment and destruction that Jerusalem would face due to its disobedience to God.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/s/symbolic_actions_as_prophetic_messages.htm">Symbolic Actions as Prophetic Messages</a></b><br>Ezekiel's actions serve as a visual representation of God's message. Consider how God uses various means to communicate His truth to us today.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_disobedience.htm">The Consequences of Disobedience</a></b><br>The siege represents the severe consequences of Israel's persistent disobedience. Reflect on the importance of obedience to God's commands in our own lives.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_in_judgment.htm">God's Sovereignty in Judgment</a></b><br>The detailed instructions for the siege illustrate God's control over historical events. Trust in God's sovereignty, even in times of judgment or difficulty.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_the_prophet.htm">The Role of the Prophet</a></b><br>Ezekiel's role as a prophet was to warn and instruct. Consider how we can be messengers of God's truth in our own communities.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_beyond_judgment.htm">Hope Beyond Judgment</a></b><br>While the siege symbolizes judgment, it also points to the hope of restoration. Remember that God's discipline is often a precursor to renewal and redemption.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_ezekiel_4.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 4</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_history_confirm_ezekiel's_siege.htm">Ezekiel 4:1–3: Does archaeological or historical data confirm a siege of Jerusalem that matches the precise details of Ezekiel’s prophecy? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_is_zechariah_2_4's_'wall-less'_jerusalem_possible.htm">Zechariah 2:4 - How can the prophecy of a Jerusalem 'without walls' align with the city's continuous history of fortified walls?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_ezekiel_5_11-12's_punishment.htm">In Ezekiel 5:11-12, how can we reconcile the promised devastating punishment (famine, sword, and scattering) with accounts from other biblical or secular sources?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what's_tyre_and_sidon's_biblical_role.htm">What is Tyre and Sidon's biblical significance?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/ezekiel/4.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(2) <span class= "bld">Lay siege against it.</span>--It must have seemed at this time unlikely that Jerusalem would soon become the subject of another siege. The only power by whom such a siege could be undertaken was Babylon, Egypt having been so thoroughly defeated as to be for a long time out of the question; and Nebuchadnezzar had now, within a few years, thrice completely conquered Judaea, had carried two of its kings, one after the other, captive in chains, and had also taken into captivity 10,000 of the chief of the people, setting up as king over the remnant a creature of his own, who was yet of the royal house of Judah. A fresh siege could only be the result of a fresh rebellion, an act, under the circumstances, of simple infatuation. Yet of this infatuation Zedekiah, through the "anger of the LORD" (<a href="/2_kings/24-20.htm" title="For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.">2Kings 24:20</a>), was guilty, and thus the prophecy was fulfilled. The prophecy itself is undated, but must have been between the call of Ezekiel in the fifth month of the fifth year (<a href="/ezekiel/1-2.htm" title="In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,">Ezekiel 1:2</a>) and the next date given (<a href="/ezekiel/8-1.htm" title="And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there on me.">Ezekiel 8:1</a>), the sixth month of the sixth year. The siege began, according to <a href="/jeremiah/52-4.htm" title="And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.">Jeremiah 52:4</a>, in the tenth month of the ninth year, so that the prophecy preceded its fulfilment by only about four years.<p><span class= "bld">Build a fort against it.</span>--Rather, <span class= "ital">a tower. </span>The several acts of a siege are graphically described. First the city is invested; then a tower is built, as was customary, of sufficient height to overlook the walls and thus obtain information of the doings of the besieged. Instruments for throwing stones or darts were also sometimes placed in such towers; next is "cast a mound against it," a common operation of the ancient siege (comp. <a href="/isaiah/37-33.htm" title="Therefore thus said the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.">Isaiah 37:33</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/32-24.htm" title="Behold the mounts, they are come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what you have spoken is come to pass; and, behold, you see it.">Jeremiah 32:24</a>), in which a sort of artificial hill was built to give the besiegers an advantage; then the camps (not merely camp) are set round the city to prevent ingress and egress; and finally "the battering rams" are brought against the walls. These last were heavy beams, headed with iron, and slung in towers, so that they could be swung against the walls with great force. They are frequently to be noticed in the representations of sieges found in the ruins of Nineveh. The practice of forming the end of the beam like a ram's head belongs to the Greeks and Romans; but the instrument itself was much older. . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/ezekiel/4.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Lay siege against it,</span> etc. The wonder would increase as the spectators looked on what followed. Either tracing the scene on the tablet, or, more probably, as ver. 3 seems to indicate, constructing a model of the scene, the prophet brings before their eyes all the familiar details of a siege, such as we see on numerous Assyrian bas-reliefs: such also as the narratives of the Old Testament bring before us. There are <p><span class="note_emph">(1)</span> the forts (as in <a href="/2_kings/25-1.htm">2 Kings 25:1</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/52-4.htm">Jeremiah 52:4</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/17-17.htm">Ezekiel 17:17</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/21-22.htm">Ezekiel 21:22</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/26-8.htm">Ezekiel 26:8</a>), or, perhaps, the wall of circumvallation, which the besiegers erected that they might carry on their operations in safety; <p><span class="note_emph">(2)</span> then the mount, or mound (the English of the Authorized Version does not distinguish between the two) of earth from which they plied the bows or catapults (<a href="/jeremiah/6-6.htm">Jeremiah 6:6</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/32-24.htm">Jeremiah 32:24</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/33-4.htm">Jeremiah 33:4</a>; Ezekiel, <span class="accented">ut supra</span>); <p><span class="note_emph">(3)</span> the <span class="cmt_word">camps</span> (plural in the Hebrew and Revised Version), or encampments, in which they were stationed in various positions found the city; . . . <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Then lay</span><br /><span class="heb">וְנָתַתָּ֨ה</span> <span class="translit">(wə·nā·ṯat·tāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5414.htm">Strong's 5414: </a> </span><span class="str2">To give, put, set</span><br /><br /><span class="word">siege</span><br /><span class="heb">מָצ֗וֹר</span> <span class="translit">(mā·ṣō·wr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4692.htm">Strong's 4692: </a> </span><span class="str2">Something hemming in, a mound, a siege, distress, a fastness</span><br /><br /><span class="word">against it:</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֶ֜יהָ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·le·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Construct</span><br /><span class="heb">וּבָנִ֤יתָ</span> <span class="translit">(ū·ḇā·nî·ṯā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1129.htm">Strong's 1129: </a> </span><span class="str2">To build</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a siege wall,</span><br /><span class="heb">דָּיֵ֔ק</span> <span class="translit">(dā·yêq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1785.htm">Strong's 1785: </a> </span><span class="str2">Bulwark, siege wall</span><br /><br /><span class="word">build</span><br /><span class="heb">וְשָׁפַכְתָּ֥</span> <span class="translit">(wə·šā·p̄aḵ·tā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8210.htm">Strong's 8210: </a> </span><span class="str2">To spill forth, to expend, to sprawl out</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a ramp</span><br /><span class="heb">סֹֽלְלָ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(sō·lə·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5550.htm">Strong's 5550: </a> </span><span class="str2">A military mound, rampart of besiegers</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to it,</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֶ֖יהָ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·le·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">set up</span><br /><span class="heb">וְנָתַתָּ֨ה</span> <span class="translit">(wə·nā·ṯat·tāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5414.htm">Strong's 5414: </a> </span><span class="str2">To give, put, set</span><br /><br /><span class="word">camps</span><br /><span class="heb">מַחֲנ֛וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(ma·ḥă·nō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4264.htm">Strong's 4264: </a> </span><span class="str2">An encampment, an army</span><br /><br /><span class="word">against it,</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֶ֧יהָ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·le·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and place</span><br /><span class="heb">וְשִׂים־</span> <span class="translit">(wə·śîm-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7760.htm">Strong's 7760: </a> </span><span class="str2">Put -- to put, place, set</span><br /><br /><span class="word">battering rams</span><br /><span class="heb">כָּרִ֖ים</span> <span class="translit">(kā·rîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3733.htm">Strong's 3733: </a> </span><span class="str2">A ram, a, battering-ram, a meadow, a pad, camel's saddle</span><br /><br /><span class="word">around it</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֶ֙יהָ֙</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·le·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">on all sides.</span><br /><span class="heb">סָבִֽיב׃</span> <span class="translit">(sā·ḇîḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5439.htm">Strong's 5439: </a> </span><span class="str2">A circle, neighbour, environs, around</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/ezekiel/4-2.htm">Ezekiel 4:2 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/ezekiel/4-2.htm">OT Prophets: Ezekiel 4:2 And lay siege against it and build (Ezek. 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