The Meaning of Ezekiel 4:8 Explained

Ezekiel 4:8

KJV: And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

YLT: And lo, I have put on thee thick bands, and thou dost not turn from side to side till thy completing the days of thy siege.

Darby: And behold, I lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thyself from one side to the other, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

ASV: And, behold, I lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to the other, till thou hast accomplished the days of thy siege.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And, behold, I will lay  bands  upon thee, and thou shalt not turn  thee from one side  to another,  till thou hast ended  the days  of thy siege. 

What does Ezekiel 4:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord promised to help Ezekiel lie on his sides by restraining his movements, as though ropes bound him in his positions. Some interpreters believed that God had someone bind Ezekiel with ropes each day, but I do not think the text requires this. Again, it appears that the prophet acted out his drama for only a few hours each day, and it was during this time that God enabled him to lie quietly.
"God"s judgment of sin is inevitable. He is longsuffering ( Ezekiel 4:1-8) and may wait for years, but ultimately he will dispense judgment. This judgment will include his people." [1]
"God"s servants may have to undertake tasks involving a lot of tedium, patiently carrying out responsibilities less than entirely pleasant, regularly doing things they would much rather not have to be involved in. Preparing for a Sunday school class week after week, leading a Bible study year by year, visiting shut-ins steadily as time goes by, patiently shaping the behavior of and caring for children as the years come and go, laboring to bring about social change; these sorts of things are hardly always enjoyable. Faithfulness involves sticking to tasks where the reward cannot necessarily be experienced right away. Loyal Christian servants may not see in this life the rewards of their steady labors, but we carry on because God"s work is never done in vain, no matter how hard it may be ( 1 Corinthians 15:58)." [2]

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 4:8 mean?

And surely I will restrain you bands so that cannot you turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege
וְהִנֵּ֛ה נָתַ֥תִּי עָלֶ֖יךָ עֲבוֹתִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־ תֵהָפֵ֤ךְ מִֽצִּדְּךָ֙ אֶל־ צִדֶּ֔ךָ עַד־ כַּלּוֹתְךָ֖ יְמֵ֥י מְצוּרֶֽךָ

וְהִנֵּ֛ה  And  surely 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
נָתַ֥תִּי  I  will  restrain 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
עֲבוֹתִ֑ים  bands 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: עָבֹות 
Sense: cord, rope, cordage, foliage, interwoven foliage.
וְלֹֽא־  so  that  cannot 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תֵהָפֵ֤ךְ  you  turn 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
מִֽצִּדְּךָ֙  from  one  side 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: צַד 
Sense: side.
צִדֶּ֔ךָ  another 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: צַד 
Sense: side.
עַד־  till 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
כַּלּוֹתְךָ֖  you  have  ended 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, second person masculine singular
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent.
יְמֵ֥י  the  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מְצוּרֶֽךָ  of  your  siege 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מָצֹור 
Sense: siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment, siege works.

What are the major concepts related to Ezekiel 4:8?

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