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
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 2
Commentary on Ezekiel 2 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 2
Eze 2:1-10. Ezekiel's Commission.
1. Son of man—often applied to Ezekiel; once only to Daniel (Da 8:17), and not to any other prophet. The phrase was no doubt taken from Chaldean usage during the sojourn of Daniel and Ezekiel in Chaldea. But the spirit who sanctioned the words of the prophet implied by it the lowliness and frailty of the prophet as man "lower than the angels," though now admitted to the vision of angels and of God Himself, "lest he should be exalted through the abundance of the revelations" (2Co 12:7). He is appropriately so called as being type of the divine "Son of man" here revealed as "man" (see on Eze 1:26). That title, as applied to Messiah, implies at once His lowliness and His exaltation, in His manifestations as the Representative man, at His first and second comings respectively (Ps 8:4-8; Mt 16:13; 20:18; and on the other hand, Da 7:13, 14; Mt 26:64; Joh 5:27).
2. spirit entered … when he spake—The divine word is ever accompanied by the Spirit (Ge 1:2, 3).
set … upon … feet—He had been "upon his face" (Eze 1:28). Humiliation on our part is followed by exaltation on God's part (Eze 3:23, 24; Job 22:29; Jas 4:6; 1Pe 5:5). "On the feet" was the fitting attitude when he was called on to walk and work for God (Eph 5:8; 6:15).
that I heard—rather, "then I heard."
3. nation—rather, "nations"; the word usually applied to the heathen or Gentiles; here to the Jews, as being altogether heathenized with idolatries. So in Isa 1:10, they are named "Sodom" and "Gomorrah." They were now become "Lo-ammi," not the people of God (Ho 1:9).
4. impudent—literally, "hard-faced" (Eze 3:7, 9).
children—resumptive of "they" (Eze 2:3); the "children" walk in their "fathers'" steps.
I … send thee—God opposes His command to all obstacles. Duties are ours; events are God's.
Thus saith the Lord God—God opposes His name to the obstinacy of the people.
5. forbear—namely, to hear.
yet shall know—Even if they will not hear, at least they will not have ignorance to plead as the cause of their perversity (Eze 33:33).
6. briers—not as the Margin and Gesenius, "rebels," which would not correspond so well to "thorns." The Hebrew is from a root meaning "to sting" as nettles do. The wicked are often so called (2Sa 23:6; So 2:2; Isa 9:18).
scorpions—a reptile about six inches long with a deadly sting at the end of the tail.
be not afraid—(Lu 12:4; 1Pe 3:14).
7. most rebellious—literally, "rebellion" itself: its very essence.
8. eat—(See on Jer 15:16; Re 10:9, 10). The idea is to possess himself fully of the message and digest it in the mind; not literal eating, but such an appropriation of its unsavory contents that they should become, as it were, part of himself, so as to impart them the more vividly to his hearers.
9. roll—the form in which ancient books were made.
10. within and without—on the face and the back. Usually the parchment was written only on its inside when rolled up; but so full was God's message of impending woes that it was written also on the back.