THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And you shall take your belongings out, akin to the possessions of an exile, openly before their sight during the day. In the evening, you shall depart before their eyes, as one who is led away. You will breach the wall in their presence, exiting through it right before them. You shall carry it upon your shoulders and escape into the darkness, concealing your face so that you do not see the land, for I have set you as a sign for the house of Israel. Likewise, you will reveal your captives during the day in their view. You will emerge in the evening, as a captive does. You will pass through the wall and make your exit within their gaze, bearing your burden and escaping quietly. You will hide your face, unable to see the ground, for you are a sign to the house of Israel.
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The prophet is instructed to enact what Zedekiah will experience in truth. He is told to gather his belongings—symbolizing the essentials of departure—in their sight. When they witness your actions, you shall flee in the evening as if you are leaving. Zedekiah indeed fled by night through the collapsed wall into the wilderness, where he was captured by the Babylonians, symbolizing the destructive breach of the wall. The phrase "On his shoulders shall he carry" indicates: the things you carry, typical of those who flee, to ease their passage. You shall flee in darkness so that no one observes you. You shall hide your face, whether due to the blindness afflicted upon him when Nebuchadnezzar gouged out his eyes, or to make it unrecognizable that he was king, diminishing the concern of his captors. The phrase "and you shall not see the land" implies he was taken blind to Babylon and did not behold it. For I have appointed you as a sign for the house of Israel; the words and deeds of prophets act as signs and symbols. Thus, they are referred to as sign-bearers in Zechariah, forecasting what is to come. In Hosea, God states, 'I have spoken through the prophets' (Hosea 12:10). Those interpreting Ezekiel as referring to Christ consider the belongings of captivity as the human body, while the breach of the wall signifies His victory over the gates of hell. Resurrected, He was seen solely by believers, carried aloft when He ascended triumphantly into heaven with angelic might. He departs quietly, concealing His face so that His divine glory may not be perceived in His mortal form, and does not gaze upon the earth so that unworthy sights are not illuminated by His vision. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (Psalm 33:16), while He averts His gaze from the wicked. All of these events are recounted so that the hardened hearts of the Israelites may be drawn to faith through the likeness of man. He stands as a sign for the house of Israel as it is written, ‘This child is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed’ (Luke 2:34).