Ezekiel 33:2

2 “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman.

Ezekiel 33:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 33:2

Son of man, speak to the children of thy people
The Jews, of whom the prophet was; and designs those who were with him in the captivity; and who, having behaved so ill, the Lord will not own them for his people, but calls them the prophet's people, and the children of them: and say unto them, when I bring the sword upon a land;
a foreign enemy with an army to invade it, or any other judgment; for there is no public calamity whatever that comes upon a people, but what is by the order, direction, or permission of the Lord. The Targum is,

``those that kill with the sword;''

an army of men that enter into a land sword in hand, with an intent to conquer and destroy: if the people of the land take a man of their coasts: that lives upon their borders, and so is acquainted with all the places where it is most likely an enemy should enter; or a man out of the midst of them, as the Targum; so this phrase sometimes signifies, ( Genesis 47:2 ) , one of their own people, who might be thought to have their good and safety at heart, and might be trusted: and set him for their watchman:
on some place of eminence; on the walls, or in a tower of a frontier town, from whence he might descry the enemy coming at a distance.

Ezekiel 33:2 In-Context

1 Once again a message came to me from the LORD :

2 “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman.

3 When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people.

4 Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die.

5 They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives.