And take an iron plate …: This verse contains more instructions on how Ezekiel should “attack” the brick that represents Jerusalem. This time he uses a familiar household cooking utensil, an iron plate, that is, a “griddle” (Revised English Bible), frying pan, barbecue plate, or flat piece of iron used for cooking food.

And place it as an iron wall between you and the city: God tells Ezekiel to stand the iron plate on its edge so that it forms a solid barrier between Ezekiel and the brick. It is not certain what the iron wall signifies, but the fact that it is made of iron shows that no one can break through it.

And set your face toward it: Ezekiel’s strong “attack” against the brick (Jerusalem) continues here. Set your face toward it means he is to look at it fiercely, or glare at it. This clause has a hostile sense, which New Century Version captures well with “Turn your face toward the city as if to attack it.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar with “Look at the city in a hostile way.” Good News Translation says simply “Face the city,” which does not express the original meaning as well.

And let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it: Good News Translation provides a better model than Revised Standard Version for these two clauses, saying “It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it.” This rendering has a nice balance with the city being besieged and Ezekiel doing the besieging. Revised English Bible is similar with “it will be the besieged and you the besieger.” Languages without passive verbs may say “The city is under attack, and you are the attacker” or “Then surround it and attack it” (International Children’s Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch combines these two clauses, saying simply “and attack it.” Contemporary English Version omits them along with the previous clause, but it is better to keep the emphasis here by rendering all three clauses as “Look fiercely at the city [as if you are going to attack it]. Attack it and keep on fighting against it.”

This is a sign for the house of Israel: Many times in the book of Ezekiel, the prophet does things or predicts events that are signs for the Israelites or other people. Sometimes the word sign is used; more often he says something like “then they will know that….” Sometimes these signs are a “warning” (Contemporary English Version) or an “omen” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), but more often they show that God is acting in those events. Sometimes he acts to judge, but at other times he acts to save. Whichever expression is used, this is a very important theme in Ezekiel, and translators would do well to consider it early as part of their discussions on key terms. One problem in some languages with the word sign is that the translators have to say what the sign shows or points to. If so, “warning” is clearly a better translation here. For the house of Israel, that is, the Israelites, see the comments on 3.1. Possible models for this whole sentence are “The Israelites will see my message [or, warning] in this action” and “This action will show the people of Israel a message.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .