“Your arm bared” in Ezekiel 4:7

Question

In Ezekiel 4:7, among God’s instructions to the prophet to act out the punishment of Jerusalem by lying on his left side and then his right, he is told:

And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared (זְרֹעֲךָ֖ חֲשׂוּפָ֑ה), and you shall prophesy against the city. _(ESV)

I’m wondering about the meaning of this phrase - possibly idiomatic - or maybe just symbolic within the enactment prophecy? The only other place I’m finding these words collocated is in Isaiah 52:10 (conveniently cross-referenced in the ESV):

The LORD has bared his holy arm (חָשַׂ֤ף... אֶת־זְר֣וֹעַ)....and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. _(ESV)

The meaning in Isaiah is apparent (LXX: ἀποκαλύψει...τὸν βραχίονα), but it seems very different from Ezekiel. (The Greek there: τὸν βραχίονά σου στερεώσεις - you will strengthen your arm - but I’m not sure what that means either.)

What is the significance of this phrase in Ezekiel?

Answer 1

The general opinion of scholars seems to be that Ezekiel's bared arm signified the Lord's hostility toward his people and/or his readiness to act against them. Dr. Thomas Constable of Dallas Theological Seminary says Ezekiel's act of facing Jerusalem with his arm bared signified Yahweh's hostility toward his people [Constable's Notes]. Lamar Cooper suggests that Ezekiel's bared arm here may indicate the prophet was to shake his fist as a prophecy against Jerusalem [NAC, 94]. Albert Barnes says it signified the execution of vengeance here, as also in Isa 52:10 [Notes on the OT, 316]. Hengstenberg says, "The uncovered, outstretched arm, not resting in the bosom, belongs to the bold combatant. The prophecy is made by this very gesture, which announces the siege begun" [The Prophecies of the Prophet Ezekiel Elucidated, 48]. Keil & Delitzsch say the prophets bared arm signified the Lord's readiness for action against Jerusalem [Commentary on the OT, (vol. 9), 45].