1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
1 And he said H559 unto me, Son H1121 of man, H120 stand H5975 upon thy feet, H7272 and I will speak H1696 unto thee.
2 And the spirit H7307 entered H935 into me when he spake H1696 unto me, and set H5975 me upon my feet, H7272 that I heard H8085 him that spake H1696 unto me.
3 And he said H559 unto me, Son H1121 of man, H120 I send H7971 thee to the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 to a rebellious H4775 nation H1471 that hath rebelled H4775 against me: they and their fathers H1 have transgressed H6586 against me, even unto this very H6106 day. H3117
4 For they are impudent H7186 H6440 children H1121 and stiffhearted. H2389 H3820 I do send H7971 thee unto them; and thou shalt say H559 unto them, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
5 And they, whether they will hear, H8085 or whether they will forbear, H2308 (for they are a rebellious H4805 house,) H1004 yet shall know H3045 that there hath been a prophet H5030 among H8432 them.
6 And thou, son H1121 of man, H120 be not afraid H3372 of them, neither be afraid H3372 of their words, H1697 though briers H5621 and thorns H5544 be with thee, and thou dost dwell H3427 among scorpions: H6137 be not afraid H3372 of their words, H1697 nor be dismayed H2865 at their looks, H6440 though they be a rebellious H4805 house. H1004
7 And thou shalt speak H1696 my words H1697 unto them, whether they will hear, H8085 or whether they will forbear: H2308 for they are most rebellious. H4805
8 But thou, son H1121 of man, H120 hear H8085 what I say H1696 unto thee; Be not H1961 thou rebellious H4805 like that rebellious H4805 house: H1004 open H6475 thy mouth, H6310 and eat H398 that I give H5414 thee.
9 And when I looked, H7200 behold, an hand H3027 was sent H7971 unto me; and, lo, a roll H4039 of a book H5612 was therein;
10 And he spread H6566 it before H6440 me; and it was written H3789 within H6440 and without: H268 and there was written H3789 therein lamentations, H7015 and mourning, H1899 and woe. H1958
1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee.
2 And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard him that spake unto me.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day.
4 And the children are impudent and stiffhearted: I do sent thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah.
5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.
8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee.
9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
10 And he spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
1 It `is' the appearance of the likeness of the honour of Jehovah, and I see, and fall on my face, and I hear a voice speaking, and He saith unto me, `Son of man, stand on thy feet, and I speak with thee.'
2 And there doth come into me a spirit, when He hath spoken unto me, and it causeth me to stand on my feet, and I hear Him who is speaking unto me.
3 And He saith unto Me, `Son of man, I am sending thee unto the sons of Israel, unto nations who are rebels, who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, unto this self-same day.
4 And the sons `are' brazen-faced and hard-hearted to whom I am sending thee, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah:
5 and they -- whether they hear, or whether they forbear, for a rebellious house they `are' -- have known that a prophet hath been in their midst.
6 `And thou, son of man, thou art not afraid of them, yea, of their words thou art not afraid, for briers and thorns are with thee, and near scorpions thou art dwelling, of their words thou art not afraid, and of their faces thou art not affrighted, for they `are' a rebellious house,
7 And thou hast spoken My words unto them, whether they hear or whether they forbear, for they `are' rebellious.
8 `And thou, son of man, hear that which I am speaking unto thee: Thou art not rebellious like the rebellious house, open thy mouth, and eat that which I am giving unto thee.'
9 And I look, and lo, a hand `is' sent forth unto me, and lo, in it a roll of a book,
10 and He spreadeth it before me, and it is written in front and behind, and written on it `are' lamentations, and mourning, and wo!
1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee.
2 And the Spirit entered into me when he spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard him that spoke unto me.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me unto this very day;
4 and these children are impudent and hard-hearted: I am sending thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah.
5 And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear -- for they are a rebellious house -- yet shall they know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, and be not afraid of their words; for briars and thorns are with thee, and thou dwellest among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, and be not dismayed at their faces; for they are a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear; for they are rebellious.
8 And thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
9 And I looked, and behold, a hand was put forth toward me; and behold, a roll of a book therein.
10 And he spread it out before me; and it was written within and without; and there were written in it lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
1 He said to me, Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.
2 The Spirit entered into me when he spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard him who spoke to me.
3 He said to me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day.
4 The children are impudent and stiff-hearted: I do sent you to them; and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh.
5 They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them.
6 You, son of man, don't be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you do dwell among scorpions: don't be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
7 You shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.
8 But you, son of man, hear what I tell you; don't be you rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth, and eat that which I give you.
9 When I looked, behold, a hand was put forth to me; and, behold, a scroll of a book was therein;
10 He spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
1 And he said to me, Son of man, get up on your feet, so that I may say words to you.
2 And at his words the spirit came into me and put me on my feet; and his voice came to my ears.
3 And he said to me, Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to an uncontrolled nation which has gone against me: they and their fathers have been sinners against me even to this very day.
4 And the children are hard and stiff-hearted; I am sending you to them: and you are to say to them, These are the words of the Lord.
5 And they, if they give ear to you or if they do not give ear (for they are an uncontrolled people), will see that there has been a prophet among them.
6 And you, son of man, have no fear of them or of their words, even if sharp thorns are round you and you are living among scorpions: have no fear of their words and do not be overcome by their looks, for they are an uncontrolled people.
7 And you are to give them my words, if they give ear to you or if they do not: for they are uncontrolled.
8 But you, son of man, give ear to what I say to you, and do not be uncontrolled like that uncontrolled people: let your mouth be open and take what I give you.
9 And looking, I saw a hand stretched out to me, and I saw the roll of a book in it;
10 And he put it open before me, and it had writing on the front and on the back; words of grief and sorrow and trouble were recorded in it.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 2
Commentary on Ezekiel 2 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 2
This chapter contains me prophet's call, commission, and instruction to prophesy. The preparation to it is in Ezekiel 2:1; being fallen upon his face, he is bid to stand upon his feet, with a promise to speak to him; and the Spirit entering into him, he is set by him on his feet, and he hears what is spoken to him; then follows his mission to the children of Israel, who are described as rebellious, impudent, and stiff-hearted; and to whom he is sent, to render them inexcusable, Ezekiel 2:3; and he is exhorted not to be afraid of their words, nor dismayed at their looks, however fierce and furious they might be; but faithfully declare his message, and not be discouraged, should it be without success, Ezekiel 2:6; and he is instructed not to be rebellious, as they were; but open his mouth and eat what should be given him, Ezekiel 2:8; when, in a visionary way, a hand was seen, and a roll in it, and this spread before him, written within and without, full of lamentation, mourning, and woes, as a symbol of the substance of his prophecy, Ezekiel 2:9.
And he said unto me,.... The glorious Person who sat upon the throne, whose appearance is described in the latter part of the preceding chapter:
son of man; as he was to be that spake unto him; and so it may denote relation, affection, and familiarity; or otherwise it is expressive of humiliation; of the frail, mean, and low estate of man, through the fall, Psalm 8:4; wherefore some think Ezekiel is thus addressed, lest he should be lifted up, and think himself as one of the angels, because he had seen so great a vision; just as the Apostle Paul was humbled, lest he should be exalted above measure, through the visions and revelations he had, 2 Corinthians 12:7. Kimchi mentions this, but assigns another reason; that because he saw the face of a man in the above vision, he let him know that he was right and good in the eye of God; and was the son of man, and not the son of a lion, &c. which is exceeding weak and trifling. Abendana, besides these, mentions some other reasons given; as that because he saw the "mercavah" or chariot, and ascended to the dignity of the angels on high, it is as if it was said, there is none born of a woman, as this; or because he was carried out of the holy land, as Adam was drove out of Eden; and therefore called the son of the first Adam, being drove out of Jerusalem, and out of the temple, where he was a priest. It may be observed, that this is a name which our Lord frequently took to himself in his state of humiliation; and that none but Ezekiel, excepting once the Prophet Daniel, is called by this name; and no doubt the reason of it is, because he was an eminent type of Christ; and particularly in his mission and commission, as a prophet, to the rebellious house of Israel:
stand upon thy feet; for he was fallen upon his face, at the sight of the vision, Ezekiel 1:28; when a divine Person speaks, men ought to stand and hear, and be in a readiness to do his pleasure:
and I will speak unto thee; which is said for his encouragement, being spoken by him who has the words of truth and grace, and of eternal life.
And the spirit entered into me,.... Not his own spirit or soul; for it does not appear that that went out of him upon the sight of the vision; nor any of the ministering spirits, the angels, who are never said to enter into the prophets or people of God; but the Holy Spirit of God; the same Spirit that was in the living creatures, and in the wheels; in the ministers, and in the churches; who entered with his gifts to qualify him for his office as a prophet; and who enters with his graces into the hearts of all the saints, to quicken, renew, comfort, and sanctify them:
when he spake unto me; at the same time the Spirit went along with the word; and when the word of Christ is attended with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, it is effectual:
and he set me upon my feet; not he that spake with him, and bid him stand on his feet; but the Spirit; for the word, though it is the word of God, and of Christ, yet is ineffectual without the Spirit; when he enters, he gives the word a place, and it works effectually; when he enters, as the Spirit of life from Christ, the soul is quickened and strengthened; and such that are fallen down stand up; yea, such as are dead arise and stand upon their feet:
that I heard him that spake unto me; so as to understand; for the Spirit, who searches the deep things of God, reveals them to his ministers, and causes them to understand the word of Christ, that they may be able to instruct others in it.
And he said unto me, son of man,.... Now follow his mission and commission, and an account of the persons to whom he was sent:
I send thee to the children of Israel; that were captives in Babylon, in Jehoiakim's captivity; so Christ was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Matthew 15:24;
to a rebellious nation, that hath rebelled against me; or, "rebellious Gentiles",F21אל גוים המורדים "ad gentes, rebelles", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus, Starckius. ; not the nations of the earth, though Ezekiel did prophesy many things concerning them; but the Jews, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; or the twelve tribes of Israel, called Gentiles, because they joined with them in their idolatries; and, as Kimchi says, were divided in their evil works; some worshipping the gods of the Ammonites; and some the gods of the Moabites; and all guilty of rebellion and treason in so doing against the God of heaven:
they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day; which is an aggravation of their rebellion; their fathers had sinned, and they had followed their ill examples, and had continued therein to that day; and as they, did to the times of Christ, when they were about to till up the measure of their iniquity, Matthew 23:31.
For they are impudent children,.... "Hard of face"F23קשי פנים "duri facie", Pagninus, Vatablus, Calvin, Cocceius, Starckius. ; as is commonly said of impudent persons, that they are brasen faced; they had a whore's forehead, and refused to be ashamed, and made their faces harder than a rock, Jeremiah 3:3; they declared their sin as Sodam, and hid it not; they sinned openly, and could not blush at it:
and stiffhearted; or, "strong of heart"F24חזקי לב "duri corde", Pagninus, Montanus; "fortes carde", Vatablus, Polanus. ; whose hearts were like an adamant stone, and harder than the nether millstone; impenitent, obdurate, and inflexible; they were not only stiff-necked, as Stephen says they were in his time, and always had been; but stiff-hearted; they were not subject to the law of God now, nor would they submit to the Gospel and ordinances of Christ in his time, and in the times of his apostles, nor to his righteousness, Romans 10:3;
I do send thee unto them; even to such as they are: this is a repetition, and a confirmation, of his mission; and suggests, that though they were such, he should not refuse to go to them, since he had sent him:
and thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord God: that what he said came from the Lord, and was spoken in his name.
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,.... Or "cease"F25יחדלו "cessaverint", Pagninas, Montanus, Starckius; "desistent", Calvin, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; that is, from hearing, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; or from sinning, as the Targum. The sense is, whether they would hear the word of the Lord, as spoken by the prophet, attend unto it, receive it, and obey it; or whether they would reject it, turn their backs on it, and discontinue hearing it; or whether they would so hear as to leave their sinful course of life, or not: this the prophet could not know beforehand, nor should he be concerned about it, or be discouraged if his ministry should be fruitless; since he could not expect much from them:
(for they are a rebellious house); or, "a house of rebellion"F26בית מרי "domus rebellionis", Montanus, Calvin, Piscator, Junius & Tremellius, Starckius. ; a most rebellious one; hard of heart, face, and neck:
yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them; so that they were left without excuse, which was the end of the prophet's being sent unto them; there was little or no hope of reclaiming them; but, however, by such a step taken, they could not say that they had no prophet sent to reprove them for their sins, and warn them of their danger; had they, they would have listened to him, and so have escaped the evils that came upon them,
And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them,.... Of any of them, the greatest among them, their princes and nobles; who, by their grandeur and authority, their stern looks, and big words, might awe and terrify him; wherefore it follows:
neither be afraid of their words; of their calumnies, revilings, and reproaches, their scoffs and jeers, their menaces and threatenings:
though briers and thorns be with thee; that is, men comparable to such; wicked men are like to briers and thorns, 2 Samuel 23:6; are grieving, pricking, and distressing to good men, and are of no worth and value; are useless and unprofitable, and fit fuel for everlasting burning. The Targum is,
"for they are rebellious, and hard against thee;'
so Jarchi and Kimchi explain the first word, סרבים, translated "briers", as signifying rebellious and disobedient; though the former observes, that R. Donesh interprets it of a kind of thorns, of which there are twenty names, and this is one:
and thou dost dwell among scorpions; that is, as the Targum paraphrases it,
"thou dwellest in the midst of a people whose works are like to scorpions.'
Some interpret it, as Kimchi observes, of sharp thorns, of a thorny plant that grows in the form of a scorpionF1Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 21. c. 15. and l. 22. c. 16. ; but scorpions here are a kind of serpents, subtle, venomous, and mischievous, which have stings in their tails; which, as Pliny says, they are continually thrusting out, and striking with, that they may lose no opportunity of doing hurtF2Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 25. ; and fitly describe wicked men their subtlety and mischievous nature,
be not afraid of their words; as before; with which they are like briers, thorns, and scorpions, being very grievous, defamatory, and mischievous:
nor be dismayed at their looks: their frowning furious, and angry countenances; forbidding with which, as well as with their words, the prophet from prophesying unto them:
though, or "for",
they be a rebellious house; See Gill on Ezekiel 2:5.
And thou shall speak my words unto them,.... Not his own words, but those the Lord should put into his mouth. The Targum is,
"and thou shall prophesy the words of my prophecy unto them:'
whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; See Gill on Ezekiel 2:5;
for they are most rebellious; or "rebellion"F3מרי המה "rebellio ipsi", Montanus, Polanus, Starckius; "inobedientia sunt", Cocceius. itself; as the carnal mind is said to be "enmity" itself against God, Romans 8:7; which aggravates their character and state.
But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee,.... Which was necessary because he was to speak not his own words, but the Lord's, and therefore ought to hear before he spoke; and indeed those that speak in a public way, for the instruction of others, ought to hear and learn of Christ first:
be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious house; who would not hear what was said unto them; but they were not to be imitated no, not in a lesser degree: the prophet was to avoid everything that looked like rebellion; as in, attention to what was said to him hesitation about it, or backwardness to publish it;
open thy mouth; be ready to receive what should be given, as a symbol of the prophecy he was to deliver. The Targum is,
"incline thy soul, and receive what I give thee.'
Jarchi's note is incline thine ear and hear and let it be sweet to thee, as if thou didst eat food for hunger; and Kimchi observes, the intention of the figurative expression is to learn the words of the prophecy, and to remember them:
and eat that I give thee; which may be safely done; for Christ gives his ministers and people nothing but what is wholesome; his doctrines are wholesome words and may be eaten without fear, 1 Timothy 6:3.
And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me,.... Not of an angel, but of Christ himself, in a visionary way; for this was not a real hand, but the likeness of one, as in Ezekiel 8:3; and so the Targum here,
"and I saw, and behold, the likeness of a hand stretched out on the side to me.'
This symbol was to show that his prophecy, that he was sent to deliver, was from heaven and came from Christ; and that hand that delivered it to him would protect and defend him:
and, lo a roll of a book was therein; held in it, and held forth by it, to the prophet. Books were frequently written on parchment or vellum, and rolled about a stick, in form of a cylinder; and hence they were called volumes or rolls, Psalm 40:7. This roll was a symbol of the prophecy of this book.
And he spread it before me,.... Unrolled it, that what was written in it might he seen and read; that so, understanding it, he might deliver the contents of it to the people: thus the Gospel, and the mysteries of it, must be explained by Christ to his ministers; and their understandings must be opened before they will be capable of making them known to others: and
it was written within and without; on the back, of the vellum or parchment as well as inside; and such writings were called "opisthographa"; of this kind was the book John saw Revelation 5:1. It was usual only to write on the inside; but when they had a great deal to write, then they wrote on the backside alsoF4"----Aut summi plena tam margine libri Scriptus, et in tergo, nec dum finitus Orestes". Juvenal. Satyr. 1. ; so that this roll being thus written denotes the largeness and abundance of the prophecies contained in this book; some respecting the Jews, and others the nations of the world. The Targum is,
"it was written before and behind, what was from the beginning, and what shall be in the end:'
and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe; afflictions, chastisements, and punishments, that should be inflicted upon the Jews, and other nations of the world; which, when made known to them, and especially when inflicted on them, would occasion sorrow and distress among them. In the Talmud, "lamentations" are interpreted of the punishments of the righteous in this world; "mourning" of the gift of reward to the righteous in the world to come; and "woe" of the punishments of the wicked in the world to comeF5T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 21. 1. . The Targum is,
"if the house of Israel transgress the law, the people shall rule over them; but, if they keep the law, lamentation, and mourning, and sorrow, shall cease from them.'