Ezekiel 3:7

7 "But it won't work that way with the family of Israel. They won't listen to you because they won't listen to me. They are, as I said, a hard case, hardened in their sin.

Ezekiel 3:7 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 3:7

But the house of Israel would not hearken unto thee
"They are not willing" ^F12; they have no desire, no inclination, to hear and hearken; but the reverse; they were capable of hearing and understanding his speech and language, and though he was sent unto them by the Lord: and indeed the reason why they did not hearken to him was not because they rejected him and his words, but because they rejected the Lord and his words; they were the words of the Lord, and his reproofs; and therefore they would not hearken to them as follows: for they will not hearken unto me;
and which is an argument why the prophet should bear with patience their disregard to him and his words, and their neglect and contempt of them; for, seeing they would not hear the Lord, how could he exact they should hear him? and therefore he should not be uneasy at it; see ( John 15:20 ) ; for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted;
or, "strong of front, and hard of heart" ^F13; they had a whore's forehead, an impudent face, that could not blush and be ashamed; and hearts of stone, like a rock, and harder than the nether millstone, on which no impressions, could be made by all the admonitions and reproofs given them; see ( Ezekiel 2:4 ) ; and this was the case of all of them in general, excepting some very few; which shows the sad degeneracy of this people.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (wbay al) "non cupient", Montanus; "non volunt", Cocceius; "non illi volentes", Starckius.
F13 (bl yvqw xum yqzx) "obfirmati fronte et duri corde", Polanus, Starckius; "obfirmati frontis et duri cordis", Piscator.

Ezekiel 3:7 In-Context

5 Look, I'm not sending you to a people who speak a hard-to-learn language with words you can hardly pronounce.

6 If I had sent you to such people, their ears would have perked up and they would have listened immediately.

7 "But it won't work that way with the family of Israel. They won't listen to you because they won't listen to me. They are, as I said, a hard case, hardened in their sin.

8 But I'll make you as hard in your way as they are in theirs.

9 I'll make your face as hard as rock, harder than granite. Don't let them intimidate you. Don't be afraid of them, even though they're a bunch of rebels."