The Meaning of Ezekiel 4:1 Explained

Ezekiel 4:1

KJV: Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:

YLT: And thou, son of man, take to thee a brick, and thou hast put it before thee, and hast graven on it a city -- Jerusalem,

Darby: And thou, son of man, take thee a brick, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it a city, Jerusalem:

ASV: Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it a city, even Jerusalem:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou also, son  of man,  take  thee a tile,  and lay  it before  thee, and pourtray  upon it the city,  [even] Jerusalem: 

What does Ezekiel 4:1 Mean?

Study Notes

take
The symbolic actions during the prophet's dumbness were testimonies to the past wickedness and chastisement of the house of Israel (the whole nation), and prophetic of a coming siege. They therefore intermediate between the siege of 2 Kings 24:10-16 at which time Ezekiel was carried to Babylon, and the siege of 2 Kings 25:1-11 eleven years later.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 4

1  Under type of a siege is shown the time from the defection of Jeroboam to captivity
9  By the provision of the siege, is shown the hardness of the famine

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 4:1 mean?

And You son of man take to you a clay tablet and lay it before you and portray on it a city - Jerusalem
וְאַתָּ֤ה בֶן־ אָדָם֙ קַח־ לְךָ֣ לְבֵנָ֔ה וְנָתַתָּ֥ה אוֹתָ֖הּ לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וְחַקּוֹתָ֥ עָלֶ֛יהָ עִ֖יר אֶת־ יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

וְאַתָּ֤ה  And  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָם֙  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
קַח־  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
לְךָ֣  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
לְבֵנָ֔ה  a  clay  tablet 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: לְבֵנָה  
Sense: tile, brick.
וְנָתַתָּ֥ה  and  lay 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לְפָנֶ֑יךָ  before  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וְחַקּוֹתָ֥  and  portray 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָקַק  
Sense: to cut out, decree, inscribe, set, engrave, portray, govern.
עָלֶ֛יהָ  on  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עִ֖יר  a  city 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.