Ezekiel 2:6

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.)

Ezekiel 2:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 2:6

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them
Of any of them, the greatest among them, their princes and nobles; who, by their grandeur and authority, their stern looks, and big words, might awe and terrify him; wherefore it follows: neither be afraid of their words;
of their calumnies, revilings, and reproaches, their scoffs and jeers, their menaces and threatenings: though briers and thorns [be] with thee;
that is, men comparable to such; wicked men are like to briers and thorns, ( 2 Samuel 23:6 ) ( Isaiah 27:4 ) ; are grieving, pricking, and distressing to good men, and are of no worth and value; are useless and unprofitable, and fit fuel for everlasting burning. The Targum is,

``for they are rebellious, and hard against thee;''

so Jarchi and Kimchi explain the first word, (Mybro) , translated "briers", as signifying rebellious and disobedient; though the former observes, that R. Donesh interprets it of a kind of thorns, of which there are twenty names, and this is one: and thou dost dwell among scorpions;
that is, as the Targum paraphrases it,

``thou dwellest in the midst of a people whose works are like to scorpions.''

Some interpret it, as Kimchi observes, of sharp thorns, of a thorny plant that grows in the form of a scorpion ^F1; but scorpions here are a kind of serpents, subtle, venomous, and mischievous, which have stings in their tails; which, as Pliny says, they are continually thrusting out, and striking with, that they may lose no opportunity of doing hurt ^F2; and fitly describe wicked men their subtlety and mischievous nature, be not afraid of their words;
as before; with which they are like briers, thorns, and scorpions, being very grievous, defamatory, and mischievous: nor be dismayed at their looks:
their frowning furious, and angry countenances; forbidding with which, as well as with their words, the prophet from prophesying unto them: though,
or "for", they [be] a rebellious house; (See Gill on Ezekiel 2:5).

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 21. c. 15. and l. 22. c. 16.
F2 Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 25.

Ezekiel 2:6 In-Context

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.)

7 Therefore thou shalt speak my words to them, if peradventure they hear, and rest, for they be stirrers to wrath. (And so thou shalt speak my words to them, whether they shall listen to you or not, for they be a house stirring me to anger/for they be stirrers to anger.)

8 But thou, son of man, hear whatever things I shall speak to thee; and do not thou be a stirrer to wrath, as the house of Israel is a stirrer to wrath. Open thy mouth, and eat whatever things I give to thee. (But thou, son of man, listen to whatever I say to thee; and do not thou be a stirrer, or a provoker, to anger, like the house of Israel is a stirrer to anger. Open thy mouth, and eat whatever things I give thee.)