Ezekiel 2:4

4 And the sons be of hard face, and of unchastiseable heart, to whom I send thee (And the people be stubborn, and with undisciplined hearts/and with willful hearts, to whom I send thee). And thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things;

Ezekiel 2:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 2:4

For [they are] impudent children
"Hard of face" ^F23; as is commonly said of impudent persons, that they are brasen faced; they had a whore's forehead, and refused to be ashamed, and made their faces harder than a rock, ( Jeremiah 3:3 ) ( 5:3 ) ; they declared their sin as Sodam, and hid it not; they sinned openly, and could not blush at it: and stiffhearted;
or, "strong of heart" ^F24; whose hearts were like an adamant stone, and harder than the nether millstone; impenitent, obdurate, and inflexible; they were not only stiff-necked, as Stephen says they were in his time, and always had been; but stiff-hearted; they were not subject to the law of God now, nor would they submit to the Gospel and ordinances of Christ in his time, and in the times of his apostles, nor to his righteousness, ( Romans 10:3 ) ; I do send thee unto them;
even to such as they are: this is a repetition, and a confirmation, of his mission; and suggests, that though they were such, he should not refuse to go to them, since he had sent him: and thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord God:
that what he said came from the Lord, and was spoken in his name.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 (Mynp yvq) "duri facie", Pagninus, Vatablus, Calvin, Cocceius, Starckius.
F24 (bl yqzx) "duri corde", Pagninus, Montanus; "fortes carde", Vatablus, Polanus.

Ezekiel 2:4 In-Context

2 And the spirit entered into me, after that he spake to me, and setted me on my feet. And I heard one speaking to me,

3 and saying, Son of man, I send thee to the sons of Israel, to folks apostates, either (those) going aback from faith, that went away from me; the fathers of them brake my covenant till to this day. (and saying, Son of man, I send thee to the Israelites, to an apostate nation, or those who went away from the faith, that went away from me; their forefathers broke my covenant, as they do unto this day.)

4 And the sons be of hard face, and of unchastiseable heart, to whom I send thee (And the people be stubborn, and with undisciplined hearts/and with willful hearts, to whom I send thee). And thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things;

5 if peradventure namely they hear, and if peradventure they rest, for it is an house stirring to wrath. And they shall know, that a prophet is in the midst of them. (whether they shall listen to you or not, for it is a house stirring me to anger. And they shall know, that a prophet is in their midst.)

6 Therefore thou, son of man, dread not them, neither dread thou the words of them; for unbelieveful men and destroyers be with thee, and thou dwellest with scorpions. Dread thou not the words of them, and dread thou not the faces of them, for it is an house stirring to wrath. (And so thou, son of man, do not thou fear them, nor fear thou their words; though unbelieving people and destroyers be with thee, and thou livest with scorpions. Fear thou not their words, and fear thou not their faces, though it is a house stirring me to anger.)