“Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her.
Parallel translations
- WEB Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against it,
- KJV Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,
- NKJV “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her,
- NASB “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, prophesy against her
- NLT “Son of man, turn and face the city of Sidon and prophesy against it.
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 tells Ezekiel to face Sidon and prophesy against it. The prophet is commissioned to deliver judgment on the city.
Overview
"Set your face toward" is a prophetic gesture of confrontation, marking Sidon as the target of God's word. Sidon, a Phoenician center of idolatry and a foe of Israel, now comes under divine scrutiny. The command shows the prophet as God's appointed mouthpiece against the nations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ezek 6:2“Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
- Gen 10:15And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
- Ezek 27:8The men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen. Your men of skill, O Tyre, were there as your captains.
- Jer 25:22all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;
- Ezek 25:2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
- Jer 27:3Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
- Isa 23:2–4Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the sea.
- Joel 3:4–8Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads.
- Ezek 32:30All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down in disgrace with the slain, despite the terror of their might. They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.
- Ezek 29:2“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
- Zech 9:2and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
- Isa 23:12He said, “You shall rejoice no more, O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus—even there you will find no rest.”
- Jer 47:4For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 28:21 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
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