Call and Vision

And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6

And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

3:5 a people of obscure speech and of a difficult language The Hebrew phrase used here translates literally as “deep of lip and heavy of tongue.” Since this phrase refers to languages that Ezekiel does not know, it emphasizes his commission as a prophet to Israel in exile, not to the people of Babylon.

3:6 they would have listened to you Yahweh tells Ezekiel that a mission to foreign people would have been easier and more fruitful than his mission to Israel. Compare the success of Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh in Jonah 3:4–5.

3:7 hard of heart Israel’s hardness of heart is a bigger obstacle to Yahweh’s message than the linguistic barrier faced with a foreign people.

3:8 I have made your face hard against their faces Compare Jer 1:18–19. Yahweh promises Ezekiel a divine strength in proclaiming the message that is equal to Israel’s stubborn resistance.

3:9 a diamond The word here, shamir, is a rare term occurring only three times (Ezek 3:9; Jer 17:1; Zech 7:12). Context indicates the substance is a very hard stone or mineral.

harder The Hebrew word chazaq is repeated three times in Ezek 3:8–9. Its use likely plays on Ezekiel’s name, yechezqel, which means “God toughens.”

flint This is a dark quartz known for its hardness. The word used here, tsor, often refers to flint knives (see Exod 4:25).

you must not fear them Compare Jeremiah’s commissioning in Jer 1:8, 17. Both prophets are encouraged to trust Yahweh in the face of the people’s opposition.

3:11 go to the exiles Ezekiel’s ministry is specifically intended for the Jews exiled in Babylon. His message addresses their crisis of faith after exile and helps explain Yahweh’s judgment of idolatry.

Thus says the Lord Yahweh See note on Ezek 2:4. Ezekiel consistently uses formulaic prophetic phrases. Again, the emphasis is on his role as a prophet of Yahweh, not on the prophecy.

Ezekiel’s name, yechezqel, which means “God toughens.”