Ezekiel 5:3

Pan] RM 'flat plate,' such as was used for baking (Leviticus 6:21; Leviticus 7:9). This may be taken as a symbol either of the stubbornness of the defence or of the rigour of the siege. Or it may represent the hopeless barrier which now separated God from His people. A sign to the house of Israel] The symbol was intended to teach those who witnessed or heard of it that the stern reality which it represented was close at hand.

(b) Symbols of the duration of Siege and Captivity (Ezekiel 4:4)

Ezekiel was directed to lie on his left side for a fixed number of days (390), and then on his right side for another fixed number (40). The whole time was supposed to represent the length of the siege of Jerusalem, and the two numbers of days were supposed to correspond to the years of the respective captivities of Israel and Judah. The constrained posture of the prophet was a symbol of the loss of freedom awaiting the people.