Ezekiel 33:22

22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.

Ezekiel 33:22 in Other Translations

KJV
22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
ESV
22 Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came; and he had opened my mouth by the time the man came to me in the morning, so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.
NLT
22 The previous evening the LORD had taken hold of me and given me back my voice. So I was able to speak when this man arrived the next morning.
MSG
22 The evening before the survivor arrived, the hand of God had been on me and restored my speech. By the time he arrived in the morning I was able to speak. I could talk again.
CSB
22 Now the hand of the Lord had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.

Ezekiel 33:22 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 33:22

Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore he
that was escaped came
The prophet felt a divine impulse on his mind; he was under the influence of a spirit of prophecy, and knew before the messenger came to him what his message was, and was prepared to receive it, and to prophesy upon it; for this is to be understood of prophecy, as the Targum,

``prophecy from before the Lord was with me in the evening F11;''
see ( Isaiah 8:11 ) : and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning;
the hand of the Lord, or the power of the Lord, had done it, as he promised he would, ( Ezekiel 3:27 ) so that he spoke freely and boldly, and continued to do so from the evening, to the time the messenger came to him in the morning, to all those that were with him: and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb:
as he had been for three years past; for though he had been prophesying against several nations, yet these prophecies were not delivered, it is very likely, by word of mouth, but by writing, and sent into those countries by proper messengers; but now the prophet's mouth is opened by the Spirit of God, as it was said it should, when this messenger should come to him, ( Ezekiel 24:27 ) and from this time he was not silent, but prophesied to his people, the Jews, verbally, as he was bid to do by the Lord.
FOOTNOTES:

F11 So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 54. 2.

Ezekiel 33:22 In-Context

20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!”
22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.
23 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’

Cross References 3

  • 1. S Ezekiel 1:3
  • 2. Ezekiel 29:21; Luke 1:64
  • 3. Ezekiel 3:26-27; S Ezekiel 24:27
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