Bible Commentaries

Introduction

1	Ezekiel eats the roll.
4	God encourages him.
15	God shews him the rule of prophecy.
22	God shuts and opens the prophet's mouth.

Verse 1
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

eat

This must have passed in a vision; but the meaning is plain: Receive ny word into thy mind, let it enter into they soul; digest it, let it be they nourishment, they meat and thy drink, to do the will of thy Father who is in heaven.

10; 2:8,9; 1 Timothy 4:15; Revelation 10:9,10

go

11,15,17-21; 2:3; Jeremiah 24:1-7

Verse 2
So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.

Jeremiah 25:17; Acts 26:19

Verse 3
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

and fill

2:10; Job 32:18,19; Jeremiah 6:11; 20:9; John 7:38; Colossians 3:16

Then

Psalms 119:11; Jeremiah 15:16; John 6:53-63

it was

Job 23:12; Psalms 19:10; 119:97,103; Proverbs 2:10,11; Revelation 10:9,10

Verse 4
And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

11; 2:3,7; Matthew 10:5,6; 15:24; Acts 1:8

Verse 5
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

thou

Jonah 1:2; 3:2-4; Acts 26:17,18

of a strange speech and of an hard language

Heb. deep of lip and heavy of tongue: and so.

6; Psalms 81:5; Isaiah 33:19

Verse 6
Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

of a strange speech and of an hard language

Heb. deep of lip and heavy of language. Surely, etc. or, If I had sent thee to them, would they not have hearkened? etc.

Jonah 3:5-10; Matthew 11:20-24; 12:41,42; Luke 11:30-32; Acts 27:28; Romans 9:30-33

Verse 7
But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

Israel will

1 Samuel 8:7; Jeremiah 25:3,4; 44:4,5,16; Luke 10:16; 13:34; 19:14; John 5:40-47; John 15:20-24

all the

2:4; 24:7; Isaiah 3:9; Jeremiah 3:3; 5:3

impudent and hard-hearted

Heb. stiff of forehead and hard of heart.

Verse 8
Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

Exodus 4:15,16; 11:4-8; 1 Kings 21:20; Isaiah 50:7; Jeremiah 1:18; 15:20; Micah 3:8; Acts 7:51-56; Hebrews 11:27,32-37

Verse 9
As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

adamant

Zechariah 7:12

fear

2:6; Isaiah 41:10,14; 50:7; Jeremiah 1:8,17; 17:18; Micah 3:8; 1 Timothy 2:3; 2 Timothy 2:6

Verse 10
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

receive

1-3; 2:8; Job 22:22; Psalms 119:11; Proverbs 8:10; 19:20; Luke 8:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:1

Verse 11
And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

get

15; 11:24,25; Daniel 6:13

the children

33:2,12,17,30; 37:18; Exodus 32:7; Deuteronomy 9:12; Daniel 12:1

speak

27; 2:5,7; Acts 20:26,27

Verse 12
Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.

spirit

14; 2:2; 8:3; 11:1,24; 40:1,2; 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; Acts 8:39

a voice

Acts 2:2; Revelation 1:10,15

Blessed

Psalms 72:18,19; 103:20,21; 148:2; Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 5:11-14; 19:6

glory

9:3; 10:4,18,19; 11:22,23; Exodus 40:34,35; 1 Samuel 4:21,22

Verse 13
I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.

the noise

1:24; 10:5; 2 Samuel 5:24

touched

Heb. kissed. and the noise.

10:16,17

Verse 14
So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

the spirit

12; 8:3; 37:1

in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit

Heb. bitter in hot anger.

Numbers 11:11-19; Jeremiah 6:11; 20:14-18; John 4:1,3,9

but

1:3; 8:1; 37:1; 1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 2:16; 3:15; Jeremiah 20:7-9

Verse 15
Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

that dwelt

23; 1:1; 10:15; 43:3

sat

Genesis 50:10; Job 2:13; Psalms 137:1; Jeremiah 23:9; Habakkuk 3:16

Verse 17
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

I have

33:2-9; 1 Corinthians 12:28

a watchman

Song of Solomon 3:3; 5:7; Isaiah 21:6,8,11,12; 52:8; 56:10; 62:6; Jeremiah 6:17; 31:6; Acts 20:28-31; Hebrews 13:17

hear

33:6-8; 2 Chronicles 19:10; Isaiah 58:1; Jeremiah 6:10; Habakkuk 2:1; Matthew 3:7; 1 Corinthians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 5:11,20; Colossians 1:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Verse 18
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

I say

18:4,13,20; 33:6,8; Genesis 2:17; 3:3,4; Numbers 26:65; 2 Kings 1:4; Isaiah 3:11; Luke 13:3,5; Ephesians 5:5,6

to save

18:30-32; Acts 2:40; 3:19; 1 Timothy 4:16; James 5:19,20

the same

33:6,9,10; Proverbs 14:32; John 8:21,24

but

34:10; Genesis 9:5,6; 42:22; 2 Samuel 4:11; Luke 11:50,51; Acts 20:26,27; 1 Timothy 5:22

Verse 19
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

if thou

2 Kings 17:13-23; 2 Chronicles 36:15,16; Proverbs 29:1; Jeremiah 42:19-22; 44:4,5; Luke 10:10,11; Acts 18:5,6; 1 Thessalonians 4:6; Hebrews 2:1-3; 12:25

he shall

18; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9; Hebrews 10:26,27

but thou

21; 14:14,20; 33:5,9; Isaiah 49:4,5; Acts 13:45,46; 20:26; 2 Corinthians 2:15-17

Verse 20
Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

When

18:24,26; 33:12,13; 2 Chronicles 24:2,17-22; Psalms 36:3; 125:5; Zephaniah 1:6; Matthew 13:20,21; Hebrews 10:38; 2 Peter 2:18-22; 1 John 2:19

righteousness

Heb. righteousnesses.

Isaiah 64:6; Daniel 9:18

and I lay

7:19; 14:3,7-9; Deuteronomy 13:3; Psalms 119:165; *marg:; Isaiah 8:14; Jeremiah 6:21; Luke 2:34; Romans 9:32,33; 11:9; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; 1 Peter 2:8

because

18; Leviticus 19:17; 2 Samuel 12:7-13; 2 Chronicles 19:2-4; 25:15; Proverbs 25:12; Matthew 18:15

and his

18:24,26; 33:12,13; Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 8:15; Romans 2:7,8; Hebrews 10:38; 2 Peter 2:21

but his

18; 33:6; Hebrews 13:17

Verse 21
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

if thou

Matthew 24:24,25; Acts 20:31; 1 Corinthians 4:14; 10:12; Galatians 1:6-10; 5:2-7; Ephesians 4:17-21; 5:5,6; Colossians 1:28; 3:5-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:6-8; 5:14; Titus 2:15; 1 John 3:6-9; Revelation 3:19

he shall

20; Psalms 19:11; Proverbs 9:9; 17:10; Galatians 2:11-13; James 5:20

also

19; 1 Timothy 4:16

Verse 22
And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.

the hand

14; 1:3; 37:1

Arise

8:4; Acts 9:6

Verse 23
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

the glory

1:4,28; 9:3; 10:18; Numbers 16:19,42; Acts 7:55

river

1:1-3

and I fell

1:28; Daniel 8:17; 10:8,9; Revelation 1:17; 4:10; 5:8,14

Verse 24
Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

the spirit

2:2; 37:10; Daniel 10:8-10,19

Go

4:1-4

Verse 25
But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

4:8; Mark 3:21; John 21:18; Acts 9:16; 20:23; 21:11-13

Verse 26
And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

I will

24:27; Psalms 51:15; 137:6; Jeremiah 1:17; Luke 1:20-22

and shalt

Psalms 36:11,12; Lamentations 2:9; Hosea 4:17; Amos 5:10; 8:11,12; Micah 3:6,7

a reprover

Heb. a man reproving. for.

2:3-8; Isaiah 1:2

Verse 27
But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

I will

11:25; 24:27; 29:21; 33:32; Exodus 4:11,12; Luke 21:15; Ephesians 6:19

Thus

11; 2:5; Matthew 11:15; 13:9; Revelation 22:10,11

for they

9,26; 12:2,3

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