Ezekiel 2:1-8

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.

Ezekiel 2:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 2

This chapter contains me prophet's call, commission, and instruction to prophesy. The preparation to it is in Eze 2:1,2; 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, Eze 2:3-5; 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, Eze 2:6,7; and he is instructed not to be rebellious, as they were; but open his mouth and eat what should be given him, Eze 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, Eze 2:9,10.

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Lit. 'stiff of face:' see ch. 3.7.
  • [b]. Adonai Jehovah, characteristic of this prophet, used about 200 times. Adonai, a plural form of Adon, 'lord,' 'master,' is a name of God, not merely a title.
  • [c]. Or 'at them,' as Jer. 1.17.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.