Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
Parallel translations
- WEB “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel.
- BSB “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
- NKJV “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;
- NASB “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem, and speak prophetically against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel;
- NLT “Son of man, turn and face Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God directs Ezekiel to set his face toward Jerusalem and prophesy against its sanctuaries and the land of Israel. The judgment is now named plainly: Jerusalem itself.
Overview
What was symbolized as the 'south' and the 'forest' is now identified directly as Jerusalem, its temple, and the land. Even the sanctuaries are not exempt, for the people had defiled them with idolatry. The directness of this oracle leaves no room for the people to dismiss the warning as mere parable.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ezek 20:46Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
- Ezek 4:7Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
- Ezek 28:21Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,
- Ezek 25:2Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
- Jer 26:11–12Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
- Ezek 36:1Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:
- Mic 2:11If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
- Mic 2:6Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
- Ezek 6:2Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
- Amos 7:16Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
- Ezek 4:3Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
- Eph 6:19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
- Ezek 38:2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
- Acts 6:13–14And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
- Ezek 29:2Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
- Deut 32:2My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 21:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.