THEOSISEphraem the Syrian
Son of man, direct your gaze to the south and prophesy against the great oak at noon. This midday oak symbolizes Jerusalem, which stands at noon in relation to Babylon.
Ezekiel 20:46Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
Son of man, set thy face against the way of the south, and drop towards the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field.
The Church Fathers on this verse
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Theodoret of Cyrus
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, direct your gaze toward Theban and observe Darom, and the prophets upon the oak tree of the elder Nagev. The term Feman in Greek denotes noon, Darom signifies Libya, and Nagev refers to the southern wind. Thus, Simmah can be interpreted as ‘Son of man, direct your gaze toward the southern path of Libya, and the prophets upon the oak tree of the sunlit land.’ Through these expressions, the Prophet is indicating Jerusalem; for in relation to Babylon, Jerusalem is positioned to the south—in the direction of noon and towards Libya. Since it does not align perfectly with noon but leans slightly to the west, it is necessary to add this detail regarding its location and its link to Libya.
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God referred to Jerusalem as an oak and an elder due to its barrenness—characteristic of the oak tree—and the hardness of its heart, reflecting the oak's nature. Furthermore, the oak grows in a disordered manner, with trees not planted in neat rows, and serves as a habitat for wildlife; all of which can be observed in Jerusalem.
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Amos 7:16And now hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop thy word upon the house of the idol.
- Ezek 21:2Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and let thy speech flow towards the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel:
- Jer 13:19The cities of the south are shut up, and there is none to open them: all Juda is carried away captive with an entire captivity.
- Zech 11:1Open thy gates, O Libanus, and let fire devour thy cedars.
- Zech 11:2Howl, thou fir tree, for the cedar is fallen, for the mighty are laid waste: howl, ye oaks of Basan, because the fenced forest is cut down.
- Isa 30:6The burden of the beasts of the south. In a land of trouble and distress, from whence come the lioness, and the lion, the viper and the flying basilisk, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of beasts, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels to a people that shall not be able to profit them.
- Job 29:22To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them.
- Deut 32:2Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew, as a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass.