Ezekiel 4:4 kjv
Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
Ezekiel 4:4 nkjv
"Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.
Ezekiel 4:4 niv
"Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side.
Ezekiel 4:4 esv
"Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment.
Ezekiel 4:4 nlt
"Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side.
Ezekiel 4 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 4:4 | Lie thou on thy left side, and lay thine iniquity of the house of Israel upon it... | Direct command, symbolic action |
| Ezekiel 4:5 | Forty days shall I lie upon it, even forty days for every day for each year of their iniquity. | Specific duration, linking to years of sin |
| Ezekiel 4:6 | And when thou hast accomplished that, thou shalt lie on thy right side again... | Completing the symbolic punishment |
| Jeremiah 32:12 | And I gave the deed of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah... | Historical parallel of symbolic acts |
| Lamentations 4:6 | For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of sin... | Emphasizes severity of punishment |
| Hosea 3:4 | For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince... | Parallel theme of prolonged separation |
| Amos 4:4 | Come to Beth-el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices... | Rebuke of religious hypocrisy |
| Leviticus 26:18 | And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. | Divine chastisement linked to sins |
| Leviticus 26:24 | Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. | Divine discipline escalating |
| Deuteronomy 28:36 | The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known... | Prophecy of exile and foreign oppression |
| Jeremiah 25:11 | And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. | Specific duration of Babylonian exile |
| Daniel 9:2 | I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came... | Interpretation of prophetic time periods |
| 2 Kings 20:17 | And the days in which they shall bring forth all that is in thine house, and all that thy fathers have laid up... | Foretelling of Babylonian plunder |
| Isaiah 39:6 | Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up... | Similar prophecy of exile and confiscation |
| Psalm 38:3 | There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest unto my bones because of my sin. | Personal reflection on God's discipline |
| Romans 3:23 | For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; | Universal sinfulness |
| Galatians 6:7 | Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. | Principle of sowing and reaping |
| Hebrews 12:6 | For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. | Divine discipline as a sign of love |
| 1 Corinthians 10:13 | There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful... | God provides a way of escape/endurance |
| 1 Peter 4:8 | And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. | Love's role in mitigating sin's consequences |
Ezekiel 4 verses
Ezekiel 4 4 Meaning
This verse depicts a symbolic act of judgment and suffering intended for the people of Israel. The prolonged, restricted diet is a physical representation of the siege and scarcity they would experience during their exile in Babylon. It signifies divine discipline for their iniquities.
Ezekiel 4 4 Context
Ezekiel chapter 4 is a prophetic vision detailing God's judgment on Jerusalem and Judah for their persistent idolatry and disobedience. God instructs Ezekiel to enact symbolic actions that represent the coming siege and exile. Verse 4 specifically commands Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 390 days, a period corresponding to the years of Israel's iniquity. This act vividly portrays the burden of sin and the ensuing divine punishment that the nation would face. The immediate context is the imminent destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and this vision serves as a powerful visual sermon to the people in exile.
Ezekiel 4 4 Word analysis
"And" (וְ - ve): Conjunction, connecting this action to the previous ones or indicating sequence.
"thou" (אַתָּה - 'attah): Second person masculine singular pronoun. Refers to Ezekiel.
"lie" (שְׁכַב - shakháv): Verb, to lie down, to rest. In this context, it signifies prolonged resting or dwelling in a specific posture.
"thou" (אַתָּה - 'attah): Second person masculine singular pronoun. Repetition emphasizes the direct command to Ezekiel.
"on" (עַל - 'al): Preposition, indicating position or upon.
"thy" (יְמִין - yemín): Possessive pronoun. "Yemín" can mean right or strength, but in relation to body parts, it signifies "right side". (Correction: The Hebrew here is not yemín, which means right. It's implied. The phrase is "on your left side". The text provided in the prompt "thou on thy left side" means "on your left side." There is no direct Hebrew word yemín used in "left side." The Hebrew for left is שְׂמֹאול (s'mol)). Let's assume the user intended for analysis of "left side".
- "left" (שְׂמֹאול - s'mol): Noun/Adjective, left side, sinister. Symbolically, it can be associated with weakness or the side of misfortune.
- "side" (צֵלַע - tsél'a): Noun, rib, side, flank. Refers to the physical side of the body.
"and" (וְ - ve): Conjunction, connecting the next action.
"lay" (נָתַן - natán): Verb, to give, to put, to place, to lay. Here it means to place or impose.
"thine" (אָשְׁמַת - 'ashmát): Noun, guilt, iniquity, sin, offense. The construct form linked to the following noun.
"iniquity" (אָשְׁמָה - 'ashmáh): Noun, guilt, iniquity, sin, trespass. Refers to the wrong-doing or sin.
"of" (בֵּית - bét): Noun, house, household, family. Refers to the "house of Israel".
"the" (הַ - ha): Definite article.
"house" (בַּיִת - bayit): Noun, house, dwelling. Specifically "House of Israel".
"of" (יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yisra'el): Proper noun, Israel.
"upon" (עָלֶיהָ - 'aláyha): Preposition ('al) + suffix ('áyha), upon it. "It" refers to the left side Ezekiel is lying on.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "lie thou on thy left side": This phrase sets up the physical posture for Ezekiel. The "left side" in ancient cultures and biblical symbolism could be associated with ill-omen or lesser significance, yet here it becomes the position to bear the "iniquity."
- "and lay thine iniquity of the house of Israel upon it": This is the core symbolic action. Ezekiel is to physically embody the weight of Israel's sins by bearing them on his body. The iniquity is not his personal sin, but the collective sin of the entire nation.
Ezekiel 4 4 Bonus section
The symbolic number 390 is significant. It is often interpreted to correspond to the period of Israel's prolonged disobedience from the division of the kingdom (after Solomon) until the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. Some scholars suggest a connection to the construction of the Tabernacle and its period of service. The reciprocal number, 40 days for Judah's 40 years of punishment (when Ezekiel was later instructed to lie on his right side), emphasizes a parallel but distinct judgment on the southern kingdom. The meticulous calculation of these days highlights the precision and foreordained nature of God's judgment. The laying of sin upon Ezekiel is a foreshadowing of later New Testament concepts like Christ bearing our sins (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:4-6) and believers bearing one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2).
Ezekiel 4 4 Commentary
Ezekiel's directive to lie on his left side for 390 days is a profound parabolic act. The 390 days are meticulously linked to the 390 years of Israel's prolonged sinfulness, particularly concerning their spiritual unfaithfulness and idolatry. The left side signifies the burden and suffering that sin incurs. By "laying their iniquity upon him," Ezekiel visually represents the concept of bearing guilt and experiencing the consequences of national sin. This symbolic punishment underscores God's justice and His righteous anger against persistent rebellion. It is a solemn preview of the Babylonian siege and exile, a tangible manifestation of the curse for breaking the covenant. The act teaches that sin has a real, tangible cost, both individually and corporately.