THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And you shall publicly display your belongings as a traveler would, during daylight for all to see. You will leave in the evening, again visible to them, just as a traveler departs. You will breach the wall right in front of them and pass through it. You will carry your possessions on your back and flee into the night. Cover your face so that you do not see the ground, for I have appointed you as a sign for the house of Israel. In the Septuagint, it states: You shall bear your belongings by day in their presence. You shall exit in the evening before their eyes, like a captive. You will break through the wall and pass through it before their gaze. You shall be borne upon your shoulders and leave in secret.
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Conceal your face, so as not to see the ground; for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel. The prophet is instructed to perform a symbolic act that Zedekiah will experience in actuality. Thus, he is told to gather his possessions, symbolizing the belongings of a migratory journey, in their sight. When they witness your actions, you will depart in the evening as a migrant. We read that Zedekiah fled by night through a breach in the wall toward the wilderness of Jordan, where he was captured by the Babylonians, symbolizing the wall's collapse. The phrase 'On his shoulders shall he carry’ implies the burdens and items typically borne by those who are fleeing to ease their passage. You shall flee in darkness, so that no one observes you. You will cover your face, whether due to the blindness experienced when Nebuchadnezzar gouged out your eyes, or to prevent recognition of your royal status, thus avoiding the worries of those who guard you. The portion stating you shall not see the land indicates that he was taken to Babylon in a state of blindness and did not witness it. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel; both the words and deeds of prophets serve as symbols and representations. This is further evident in Zechariah, where they are referred to as sign-makers, symbolizing what is to come. In Hosea, God declares, 'In the hands of the prophets I shall be likened to them.' Some interpret that Ezekiel signifies Christ, viewing the items of captivity as representing the human body, while the breach of the wall symbolizes His triumph over hell's gates. When He resurrected, He was seen only by believers and ascended as a victor with angelic hosts into heaven. Yet He departs unobtrusively, concealing His visage, so that His divine grandeur remains hidden within His mortal frame, and He refrains from gazing upon the earth, allowing nothing unworthy to be illuminated by His sight. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, while He turns His face away from the wicked. All these events are narrated to draw the hardened hearts of the Israelites towards faith through the likeness of humanity. He is designated as a sign for the house of Israel, as it is written, ‘This man is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign for the people’ (Luke 2:34).