יחזקאל, פרק כ״א, פסוק כ״ד

A powerful imperial army marches south to crush a rebellion, but the campaign inevitably pauses at a critical intersection. The prophet is instructed to vividly capture this moment of strategic decision by setting up or envisioning a fork in the road. This act of creating a divided path can be understood as a purely mental exercise within his prophetic vision, or as a physical, symbolic action performed in reality [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These two routes represent the potential paths for the king of Babylon and his military forces, symbolized as a sweeping sword [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Though the roads diverge, they both originate from a single source, representing the unified domain of one king [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

At the head of the road leading toward a targeted city, the prophet is told to establish a marker. The primary approach among commentators is that this instruction refers to designating a specific place or monument. The exact method of preparing this spot, however, is viewed in different ways. One approach suggests a physical clearing of the land, where the prophet must cut away thorns and overgrowth to prepare the site [רש״י, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This act of cutting serves as a grim foreshadowing for the city at the end of the road, indicating that it too will eventually be cut down and destroyed [מלבי״ם].

Alternatively, the preparation is seen as an act of careful selection rather than clearing. In this view, the prophet is choosing the exact strategic location where the Babylonian king will eventually stand [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. It is at this very crossroad that the foreign ruler will pause, weigh his options, and make the final decision regarding which path to take and which city will face his war [רד״ק].