Question 1

What is the “forest of the south field” that Ezekiel speaks against?

Accepted Answer

The “forest of the south field” is a picture of Judah and especially Jerusalem. From where Ezekiel was in exile, the land of Judah lay to the south. God uses the picture of a forest because the city and land were crowded with people like trees in a wood, yet they were barren and not bringing the fruit God wanted. Instead of being like a fruitful garden for God, they had become like a wild forest full of briars and thorns, so God sends a warning against them.

Question 2

What does the fire in this passage represent?

Accepted Answer

The fire that God says he will kindle in the forest is a picture of the judgments coming on Judah and Jerusalem. It points to the Babylonian army, war, famine, disease, and finally the burning of the city. God himself says he will start this fire, so it is not random trouble but his response to long‑standing sin. The strong and weak alike will feel it, and no human effort will be able to put it out until God’s purpose is finished.

Question 3

What is meant by “every green tree and every dry tree”?

Accepted Answer

“Every green tree and every dry tree” is a way of saying that all kinds of people in the land will be touched by this judgment. Green trees are like those who seem strong and alive, and dry trees are like those who are weak and ready to burn. In this coming trouble, rank and status will not protect anyone. Even people who fear God may suffer in the outward calamity, while those who are spiritually dry are like ready fuel for the fire that sweeps through the nation.

Question 4

Why does God say the flaming flame shall not be quenched?

Accepted Answer

When God says the flaming flame will not be quenched, he is showing that this judgment will not be stopped by human plans, strength, or prayers that do not involve real repentance. Once he has set this process in motion against the unrepentant nation, no one can reverse it. The phrase underlines how serious their sin is and how fixed God’s decision now is. It reminds readers that when God finally moves in judgment on a hardened people, nothing can hold him back.

Question 5

What does it mean that all faces from the south to the north shall be burned?

Accepted Answer

The line about all faces from the south to the north being burned means that the whole land, from one end to the other, will feel this disaster. It is a way of saying that everyone in Judah, from the southern towns up to the northern border, will be affected. No region and no group will be spared simply because of where they live. This shows that sin and unfaithfulness were spread through the whole land, so the judgment would be just as wide.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about God’s character?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God is patient but also just. He had cared for Judah like a fruitful land, yet when people stayed barren in obedience and grew full of wickedness, he did not ignore it forever. By saying, “I the Lord have kindled it,” God claims the judgment as his own work, not just bad luck or strong enemies. He lets everyone see that he is holy, that he hates sin, and that when he finally judges, it is right and deserved, not random cruelty.

Question 7

Why do the people say Ezekiel is speaking in parables?

Accepted Answer

At the end of the passage, Ezekiel cries out that people are saying, “Does he not speak parables?” They hear his talk of a forest, trees, and fire and treat it as a riddle or odd story instead of a clear warning. This shows their hardness of heart. Instead of asking what God is saying and turning back to him, they dismiss the message as strange talk. Ezekiel feels their ridicule and brings it to God, who then gives a plainer explanation in the next message.

Question 8

Who is the main audience for this prophecy of fire toward the south?

Accepted Answer

The main audience is the people of Judah and especially those in Jerusalem. Even though Ezekiel is in exile, God tells him to turn his face toward the south and speak as if addressing the land and its people directly. The message is not for foreign nations here but for God’s own people who had turned away from him. They are warned that trouble is coming to their own land, and that this trouble is an act of God, not just the rise of another empire.

Question 9

How might this warning about fire speak to readers today?

Accepted Answer

While this passage speaks first about a specific judgment on Judah, it still gives a sober lesson for readers now. It shows that God notices when people who should bear good fruit instead fill their lives with what displeases him. It warns that taking God’s word lightly, calling it a “parable” instead of hearing it, has real consequences. Today it can stir us to listen carefully when God’s word exposes sin, to turn back to him before hardness grows and judgment falls.

Ezekiel 20:45

¶ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

A Prophecy against the South

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Ezekiel 20:45

¶ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

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A Prophecy against the South

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