Ezekiel 3

14. bitterness--sadness on account of the impending calamities of which I was required to be the unwelcome messenger. But the "hand," or powerful impulse of Jehovah, urged me forward.

15. Tel-Abib--Tel means an "elevation." It is identified by MICHAELIS with Thallaba on the Chabor. Perhaps the name expressed the Jew's hopes of restoration, or else the fertility of the region. Abib means the green ears of corn which appeared in the month Nisan, the pledge of the harvest.
I sat, &c.--This is the Hebrew Margin reading. The text is rather, "I beheld them sitting there" [GESENIUS]; or, "And those that were settled there," namely, the older settlers, as distinguished from the more recent ones alluded to in the previous clause. The ten tribes had been long since settled on the Chabor or Habor ( 2 Kings 17:6 ) [HAVERNICK].

17. watchman--Ezekiel alone, among the prophets, is called a "watchman," not merely to sympathize, but to give timely warning of danger to his people where none was suspected. Habakkuk ( Habakkuk 2:1 ) speaks of standing upon his "watch," but it was only in order to be on the lookout for the manifestation of God's power (so Isaiah 52:8 , 62:6 ); not as Ezekiel, to act as a watchman to others.

18. warning . . . speakest to warn--The repetition implies that it is not enough to warn once in passing, but that the warning is to be inculcated continually ( 2 Timothy 4:2 , "in season, out of season"; Acts 20:31 , "night and day with tears").
save-- Ezekiel 2:5 had seemingly taken away all hope of salvation; but the reference there was to the mass of the people whose case was hopeless; a few individuals, however, were reclaimable.
die in . . . iniquity--( John 8:21 John 8:24 ). Men are not to flatter themselves that their ignorance, owing to the negligence of their teachers, will save them ( Romans 2:12 , "As many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law").

19. wickedness . . . wicked way--internal wickedness of heart, and external of the life, respectively.
delivered thy soul--( Isaiah 49:4 Isaiah 49:5 , Acts 20:26 ).

20. righteous . . . turn from . . . righteousness--not one "righteous" as to the root and spirit of regeneration ( Psalms 89:33 , 138:8 , Isaiah 26:12 , 27:3 , John 10:28 , Philippians 1:6 ), but as to its outward appearance and performances. So the "righteous" ( Proverbs 18:17 , Matthew 9:13 ). As in Ezekiel 3:19 the minister is required to lead the wicked to good, so in Ezekiel 3:20 he is to confirm the well-disposed in their duty.
commit iniquity--that is, give himself up wholly to it ( 1 John 3:8 1 John 3:9 ), for even the best often fall, but not wilfully and habitually.
I lay a stumbling-block--not that God tempts to sin ( james 1:13 james 1:14 ), but God gives men over to judicial blindness, and to their own corruptions ( Psalms 9:16 Psalms 9:17 , 94:23 ) when they "like not to retain God in their knowledge" ( Romans 1:24 Romans 1:26 ); just as, on the contrary, God makes "the way of the righteous plain" ( Proverbs 4:11 Proverbs 4:12 , 15:19 ), so that they do "not stumble." CALVIN refers "stumbling-block" not to the guilt, but to its punishment; "I bring ruin on him." The former is best. Ahab, after a kind of righteousness ( 1 Kings 21:27-29 ), relapsed and consulted lying spirits in false prophets; so God permitted one of these to be his "stumbling-block," both to sin and its corresponding punishment ( 1 Kings 22:21-23 ).
his blood will I require--( Hebrews 13:17 ).

22. hand of the Lord--( Ezekiel 1:3 ).
go . . . into the plain--in order that he might there, in a place secluded from unbelieving men, receive a fresh manifestation of the divine glory, to inspirit him for his trying work.

23. glory of the Lord--( Ezekiel 1:28 ).

24. set me upon my feet--having been previously prostrate and unable to rise until raised by the divine power.
shut thyself within . . . house--implying that in the work he had to do, he must look for no sympathy from man but must be often alone with God and draw his strength from Him [FAIRBAIRN]. "Do not go out of thy house till I reveal the future to thee by signs and words," which God does in the following chapters, down to the eleventh. Thus a representation was given of the city shut up by siege [GROTIUS]. Thereby God proved the obedience of His servant, and Ezekiel showed the reality of His call by proceeding, not through rash impulse, but by the directions of God [CALVIN].

25. put bands upon thee--not literally, but spiritually, the binding, depressing influence which their rebellious conduct would exert on his spirit. Their perversity, like bands, would repress his freedom in preaching; as in 2 Corinthians 6:12 , Paul calls himself "straitened" because his teaching did not find easy access to them. Or else, it is said to console the prophet for being shut up; if thou wert now at once to announce God's message, they would rush on thee and bind them with "bands" [CALVIN].

26. I will make my tongue . . . dumb--Israel had rejected the prophets; therefore God deprives Israel of the prophets and of His word--God's sorest judgment ( 1 Samuel 7:2 , Amos 8:11 Amos 8:12 ).

27. when I speak . . . I will open thy mouth--opposed to the silence imposed on the prophet, to punish the people ( Ezekiel 3:26 ). After the interval of silence has awakened their attention to the cause of it, namely, their sins, they may then hearken to the prophecies which they would not do before.
He that heareth, let him hear . . . forbear--that is, thou hast done thy part, whether they hear or forbear. He who shall forbear to hear, it shall be at his own peril; he who hears, it shall be to his own eternal good (compare Revelation 22:11 ).