Ezekiel 12:6
In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.
Ezekiel himself with his actions was set as a sign to the house of Israel. The sign consisted in bearing belongings and baggage upon the shoulders and carrying them forth in the twilight, going out under cover of darkness, with the face covered so as not to see the ground. By acting out a hasty flight as if fleeing, it portrayed Jerusalem's coming removal and captivity and showed Israel what would happen to them. The acted scene made the warning vivid and emphatic, and carrying it out was not a pleasant task.
The word for sign in the verse illustrates the Hebrew word translated signs. It stands with chapters 10 and 11 after the repetition of the vision of the first chapter, showing that the great God has care over His work and over His people. It belongs among searching moral instruction continuing to chapter 27, many parts of which are predictions of the last days.