John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 4:1

"Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it a city, even Jerusalem:" — Ezekiel 4:1 (ASV)

You also, son of man, take a tile^F26. Or "brick". The Targum renders it, a "stone"; but a tile or brick, especially one that is not dried and burned, but green, is more fit to cut in it the figure of a city. Some think that this was ordered because cities are built of brick; or to show the weakness of the city of Jerusalem, how easily it might be demolished; and Jerom thinks there was some design to lead the Jews to reflect upon their making bricks in Egypt, and their hard service there; though perhaps the truer reason may be, because the Babylonians has been used to write upon tiles. Epigenes^F1 says they had celestial observations of a long course of years, written on tiles; hence the prophet is told to describe Jerusalem on one, which was to be destroyed by the king of Babylon;

and lay it before you: as persons do, who are about to draw a picture, make a portrait, or engrave the form of anything they intend: and portray upon it the city; [even] Jerusalem; or engrave upon it, by making incisions on it, and so describing the form and figure of the city of Jerusalem.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F26: (hnbl) "laterem", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus. Piscator.
• F1: Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56.