4:1-17​—Did Ezekiel really act out the scene depicting Jerusalem’s upcoming siege? Ezekiel’s appeal for the change of cooking fuel and Jehovah’s granting him his request indicate that the prophet actually acted out the scene. Lying on the left side was for the 390 years of error of the ten-tribe kingdom​—from its beginning in 997 B.C.E. to the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E.

Lying on the right side was for Judah’s 40 years of sin, spanning the period from Jeremiah’s appointment as a prophet in 647 B.C.E. to 607 B.C.E.