The Coming Doom of Jerusalem (Chs. 4-7). 

        These acted prophecies date about four and a half years before the final siege of Jerusalem began, and indeed before Zedekiah’s fatal rebellion.

        The figure in 4:9 suggests that there were only 390 days in all for Ezekiel to lie on his side, the 40 for Judah being coalesced with the 390 for Israel. It seems impossible to find any ade­quate interpretation for the figures. To “bear their iniquity” means to bear the punishment for their iniquity. But in spite of 29:11-14, it cannot be maintained that Ezekiel placed the duration of the exile at forty years. Jer. 29:10, written earlier, would have prevented that. Perhaps the forty years are merely symbolic, reminiscent of the forty years in the wilderness. It has been pointed out that if we subtract the forty years from the 390, the remaining 350 are in round numbers the period from the disruption of the kingdom under Rehoboam to the time of Ezekiel. We do not, however, put these suggestions forward with any degree of confidence. The difficulty here should serve as a warning against any over-confidence in the interpretation of Ezekiel’s symbolism.

        Since it was forbidden to sow a field with more than one kind of grain (Lev. 19:19; Deut. 22:9) it may be that bread made from a mixture of grain was also unclean (4:9).

        The explanation of the symbolic actions follows in 5:5-17. Note at this stage the vagueness about the sins involved, and that they are summed-up in the defilement of the sanctuary (5:11). Ezekiel can wax indignant about social wrongs, but as a priest he sees the sins of the people particularly from the ritual angle.

        The thought is continued in ch. 6, a prophecy against the idolatrous high places (the mountains) of Israel, i.e. especially Judah. Note that here it is the mere fact of idolatry rather than its consequences that is being condemned.

        The section closes with a dirge (ch. 7) over the land of Israel, i.e. the kingdom of Judah.