Ezekiel's Commission and the Eating of the Scroll
Ezekiel 2:1-3:15
Eze.2.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- רגליך: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss,2,f
- ואדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אתך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Acts 26:16 (verbal): Divine summons to Paul: “But rise, and stand upon thy feet...” — near-verbatim commissioning formula telling the recipient to stand and receive a mission, echoing Ezekiel’s command.
- Ezekiel 3:4 (verbal): Immediate parallel within Ezekiel — God again addresses “son of man” with imperatives to hear and speak/go, repeating the prophetic commissioning pattern and phrasing.
- Jeremiah 1:4-10 (thematic): Prophetic call narrative: the LORD appoints Jeremiah, tells him not to be afraid and puts words in his mouth — shares the theme of divine commissioning and speech-authority given to a prophet.
- Daniel 7:13 (allusion): Prominent use of the title “son of man.” Though Daniel’s figure is eschatological, the recurring address links Ezekiel’s prophetic vocation to the broader biblical motif of the ‘son of man.’
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to me, "Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you."
- And he said to me, Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you.
Eze.2.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ותעמדני: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg,OBJ,1,sg
- על: PREP
- רגלי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- ואשמע: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 3:24 (verbal): Very close verbal and structural parallel within Ezekiel: the Spirit enters the prophet and sets him on his feet — a repeated formula for Ezekiel's prophetic commissioning.
- Isaiah 61:1 (thematic): Shared theme of the Spirit empowering and commissioning a messenger to speak and act on God's behalf (prophetic mission and anointing).
- Luke 4:18 (quotation): Jesus cites Isaiah 61:1 to claim the Spirit's anointing for proclamation — echoes the motif of the Spirit enabling prophetic proclamation present in Ezekiel 2:2.
- 1 Samuel 10:6 (verbal): The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Saul and he prophesies; parallels the idea of the Spirit's coming as enabling prophetic speech and action.
- Acts 8:29 (structural): The Spirit directs Philip by speaking to him, illustrating the New Testament pattern of the Spirit's direct guidance and prompting of God's messengers, similar to Ezekiel hearing the Spirit speak.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Spirit entered into me as he spoke to me, and set me on my feet, that I might hear the one speaking to me.
- And the spirit entered into me as he spoke to me and set me upon my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me.
Eze.2.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שולח: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- המורדים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מרדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ואבותם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- פשעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- עד: PREP
- עצם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:2-4 (verbal): A direct indictment of Israel's rebellion — 'the people have rebelled' language and charge that children/fathers have transgressed against the LORD, echoing Ezekiel's description of a rebellious nation.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): Commission of a prophet sent to a people who will not heed or understand—parallels Ezekiel's sending to a resistant, rebellious Israel and the difficulty of prophetic mission.
- Jeremiah 1:10 (structural): Divine commissioning of a prophet 'to root up and to pull down... to build and to plant' — parallels the formal call and mission-authority given to Ezekiel to act toward Israel and the nations.
- Amos 7:15 (thematic): God's call to a prophet to 'go, prophesy to my people Israel' — a close thematic parallel to Ezekiel's explicit sending to the house of Israel.
- Jeremiah 7:27 (thematic): Instructions to prophesy despite anticipated refusal: 'So you shall speak all these words to them; but they will not obey you,' reflecting Ezekiel's mission to a rebellious, unresponsive people.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the rebellious house of Israel, to nations who have rebelled against me — they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day."
- And he said to me, Son of man, I send you to the rebellious house of Israel, to nations that have revolted against me — they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.
Eze.2.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והבנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- קשי: ADJ,m,pl,cons
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וחזקי: ADJ,m,pl,const
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- שולח: VERB,qal,part,1,m,sg
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 32:9 (verbal): God describes Israel as a 'stiff-necked' people—language of stubbornness parallels Ezekiel's 'קשי פנים' (stubborn of face) and hard-heartedness.
- Deuteronomy 9:6 (thematic): Moses calls Israel a 'stiff-necked people' and rebukes their rebellion despite God's acts—echoes Ezekiel's characterization and the need for a prophetic envoy.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): Isaiah's commission to speak to a people whose hearts and ears are hardened parallels Ezekiel's sending to an obstinate audience and the theme of prophetic speaking to unresponsive Israel.
- Jeremiah 7:25-26 (thematic): Jeremiah recounts God's repeated sending of prophets whom the people did not heed—parallels Ezekiel's sending to a people who are stubborn and unresponsive.
- Ezekiel 3:7 (structural): Within Ezekiel the theme recurs: Israel's stubbornness and hard heart are emphasized and tied to the prophet's difficult mission—continuation and intensification of 2:4's commission.
Alternative generated candidates
- The children are hard of face and hard of heart; I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Sovereign LORD.'
- The children are stubborn of face and hard of heart; I send you to them, and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD.
Eze.2.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והמה: PRON,3,m,pl
- אם: CONJ
- ישמעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,mp
- ואם: CONJ
- יחדלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- נביא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בתוכם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3 (verbal): Uses the same language of Israel as a 'rebellious house' and frames the prophet’s mission to a people in open revolt, echoing the characterization in 2:5.
- Ezekiel 3:7 (thematic): God tells Ezekiel that the house of Israel is 'impudent and hard of face' so they will not heed—paralleling 2:5’s verdict that they may hear or forbear because they are rebellious.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): Isaiah is commissioned to proclaim to a people who will hear yet not understand or be converted, connecting to Ezekiel’s theme of a prophet speaking to an unresponsive, rebellious people.
- Jeremiah 7:27-28 (thematic): Jeremiah is told to speak despite knowing the people will not listen—reflecting the same prophetic experience of addressing a stubborn, disobedient nation as in Ezekiel 2:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- And whether they listen or refuse — for they are a house of rebellion — they will know that there has been a prophet among them.
- And whether they hear, or refuse — for they are a house of rebellion — they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
Eze.2.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ומדבריהם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- סרבים: ADJ,m,pl
- וסלונים: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- עקרבים: NOUN,m,pl,const
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- יושב: VERB,qal,ptcp,1,m,sg
- מדבריהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ומפניהם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- תחת: PREP
- כי: CONJ
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:8 (verbal): God tells Jeremiah ‘Do not be afraid of them’—same formulaic encouragement to a prophet facing hostile people.
- Jeremiah 1:17 (verbal): God commands Jeremiah ‘do not be dismayed before them,’ echoing Ezekiel’s injunction not to fear their faces or words.
- Ezekiel 3:8-9 (structural): Immediate Ezekiel parallel: God hardens the prophet’s face and forehead so he will not be intimidated by the rebellious house—continuation of the ‘do not fear’ commissioning.
- Isaiah 50:4-5 (thematic): The servant/prophet receives strength to endure insult and not be dismayed by opposition—similar motif of prophetic perseverance despite hostile reaction.
- Acts 18:9-10 (allusion): The risen Lord tells Paul ‘Do not be afraid, but speak,’ reflecting the New Testament echo of divine encouragement to proclaim despite opposition.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their words; for they are rebellious, scoffing and insulting you. Do not be terrified by their faces, nor be dismayed at them, for they are a house of rebellion.
- And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though they be rebellious and scornful; and though briers and thorns are with you and you sit among scorpions, do not be afraid of their presence or be dismayed before them, for they are a house of rebellion.
Eze.2.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ודברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- אם: CONJ
- ישמעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,mp
- ואם: CONJ
- יחדלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 3:4 (verbal): Almost identical commissioning formula: the prophet must speak God's words to Israel 'whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear' (mirrors wording and mission).
- Ezekiel 3:7 (thematic): Explains why the message may be rejected: Israel is described as a 'rebellious house' and hard of hearing—same characterization as 2:7's reason for possible refusal.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): God commissions a prophet to speak though the people will not understand or repent—theme of prophetic speech addressed to a stubborn, unhearing people.
- Deuteronomy 18:18-19 (thematic): God promises to raise a prophet who must speak God's words to the people and warns that failure to heed brings responsibility—parallels the divine commissioning and the people's hearing or refusal.
- Jeremiah 7:25-28 (thematic): Like Ezekiel 2:7, Jeremiah recounts that prophets were sent repeatedly yet the people did not listen; Jeremiah's oracle highlights persistent prophetic rejection and rebellion.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall speak my words to them, whether they listen or refuse; for they are rebellious.
- But you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse; for they are rebellious.
Eze.2.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- מדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כבית: PREP+NOUN,ms,sg,abs
- המרי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- פצה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- פיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ואכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 3:1-3 (verbal): Direct continuation of the same command: God tells Ezekiel to 'eat this scroll'—the explicit fulfillment of 'open your mouth and eat what I give you.'
- Ezekiel 2:3 (structural): Immediate context in the chapter: Israel is called 'a rebellious house,' which is the phrase echoed in the warning 'do not be rebellious like the rebellious house.'
- Revelation 10:9-10 (allusion): John is told to take and eat the little book—an apocalyptic echo of the prophetic motif of 'eating' a divine message, with similar taste imagery and commissioning.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (verbal): Jeremiah speaks of finding and eating God's words—parallel imagery of internalizing the divine message as nourishment and vocation for the prophet.
- Deuteronomy 9:6 (thematic): Theme of Israel's stubbornness ('stiff-necked'/'rebellious' people) parallels Ezekiel's admonition not to mimic the nation's rebellious character.
Alternative generated candidates
- But you, son of man, hear what I say to you: do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.
- And you, son of man, hear what I say to you: do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.
Eze.2.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואראה: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,com,sg
- והנה: ADV
- יד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלוחה: PART,qal,ptcp,f,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- והנה: ADV
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מגלת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- ספר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 3:1 (structural): Immediate continuation: the hand with the scroll is followed by the command to 'eat this scroll'—the same prophetic commissioning episode and verbal motif.
- Revelation 10:8-11 (verbal): An angel gives John a 'little scroll' which he is told to eat—echoes Ezekiel’s receiving and consuming a prophetic scroll.
- Revelation 5:1 (thematic): Visionary scene of a book/scroll held in a heavenly hand; parallels the motif of a divine hand presenting a book in apocalyptic prophecy.
- Daniel 5:5 (thematic): A disembodied hand appears and writes on the wall—shares the striking motif of a hand in a visionary/ divine act of revelation or judgment.
- Isaiah 29:11-12 (allusion): A sealed book/vision is delivered to one who cannot read—relates to the image of a prophetic book being presented and the theme of revelation through a written scroll.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I looked, and behold — a hand was stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll was in it.
- And I looked, and behold — a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.
Eze.2.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויפרש: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אותה: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- לפני: PREP
- והיא: CONJ+PRON,3,f,sg
- כתובה: ADJ,ptcp,qal,f,sg
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואחור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכתוב: CONJ+ADJ,ptcp,pass,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- קנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והגה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והי: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Revelation 5:1 (verbal): Reveals a book/scroll “written within and on the back” (Greek: ἐν τῷ μέσῳ καὶ ὀπίσω γεγραμμένον), echoing Ezekiel’s description of a roll written inside and outside.
- Ezekiel 3:1-3 (structural): The prophet is commanded to open/eat a scroll (roll) containing God’s words — the same prophetic scroll motif and the idea of ingesting/receiving a written message to prophesy.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (thematic): Jeremiah speaks of finding and eating God’s words so that they become joy and inward counsel — parallels Ezekiel’s internalization of a written prophetic message.
- Lamentations 1:1 (and the book of Lamentations) (thematic): The roll’s contents—“lamentations, mourning, and woe”—reflect the language and mood of Lamentations, which catalogs grief and lament over Jerusalem’s calamity.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he spread it before me; and it was written on the inside and on the outside. And written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.
- And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without, and written upon it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.
Eze.3.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תמצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אכול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אכול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- המגלה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ולך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:9-10 (structural): Same narrative unit: a scroll/roll is presented to the prophet (written on both sides, containing 'lamentations, mourning, and woe'), preparing the command in 3:1 to 'eat' and speak its contents.
- Ezekiel 3:3 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the chapter—repeats and amplifies the command to 'eat' the roll and describes the effect (the scroll is in the prophet's mouth like honey), linking eating the message to internalizing God’s word.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (verbal): Jeremiah says he 'found' and 'ate' the words of God and that they were a joy to his heart—uses the same metaphor of consuming divine speech to describe internal reception of prophetic message.
- Revelation 10:9-10 (allusion): John is told to take and 'eat' a little book; it is sweet in his mouth but turns bitter in his stomach—an unmistakable New Testament echo of the Ezekiel motif of eating a scroll and the mixed taste/experience of prophetic revelation.
- Psalm 119:103 (thematic): Declares God's words 'sweet as honey' to the taste—the psalm echoes the theme of divine speech experienced sensorially (taste) and valued internally, paralleling Ezekiel’s metaphor of eating the scroll.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."
- And he said to me, Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.
Eze.3.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואפתח: VERB,qal,impf,1,x,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- ויאכלני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,obj,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- המגלה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:9-3:3 (structural): Immediate literary context: the command to 'eat the roll' and the opening of Ezekiel's mouth are part of the same prophetic commissioning scene; 3:2 continues and completes the action introduced in 2:9-10.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (verbal): Uses the same eating-of-words imagery ('I ate' the words): both prophets speak of internalizing God's message by consuming it, indicating acceptance and incorporation of the divine word.
- Revelation 10:9-10 (allusion): John's vision of eating a little scroll that is sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach deliberately echoes the Ezekiel motif of consuming a scroll; both portray reception of prophetic revelation with mixed emotional/experiential effects.
- Psalm 119:103 (thematic): Depicts God's words as sweet to the taste—the same sensory metaphor used in Ezekiel to convey delight in and the inward assimilation of divine revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
- So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Eze.3.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בטנך: NOUN,m,sg,sfx
- תאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ומעיך: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+2,m,sg
- תמלא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- המגלה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואכלה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- ותהי: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בפי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,construct
- כדבש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למתוק: PREP+ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Revelation 10:9-10 (verbal): John is told to take and eat a little scroll; it is sweet as honey in his mouth but becomes bitter in his stomach. Direct verbal and thematic echo of the prophet eating the roll and its sweetness.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (verbal): Jeremiah speaks of finding and eating the words of God, which became the joy of his heart—uses the image of consuming divine speech as internalized prophecy, paralleling Ezekiel’s eating of the scroll.
- Psalm 119:103 (thematic): The psalmist declares God’s words are sweeter than honey to the taste. The comparison of divine words to sweetness parallels Ezekiel’s experience of the roll being sweet in his mouth.
- Ezekiel 2:8-3:1 (structural): Immediate literary context in Ezekiel: the command to take and eat the scroll/roll occurs across these verses. They form the same prophetic commissioning scene and explain the purpose and content of the roll Ezekiel consumes.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly and fill your entrails with this scroll that I give you." So I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
- And he said to me, Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you. So I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
Eze.3.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בדברי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same commission—God sends Ezekiel to the children/house of Israel and prepares him to speak God's words.
- Ezekiel 3:17 (structural): Continues and expands the commissioning motif by appointing Ezekiel as a watchman over the house of Israel, explaining the responsibility to warn them.
- Isaiah 6:8-10 (thematic): Prophetic commissioning language—'Whom shall I send? ... Go, and tell this people'—and the theme of delivering God's message to an unresponsive Israel.
- Jeremiah 1:7-9 (verbal): God commissions Jeremiah to go and speak despite his objections and places words in his mouth—parallels the divine call to speak to Israel.
- Amos 7:15 (thematic): Amos recounts his call—'The LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel'—a concise parallel of being sent to prophesy to Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them."
- And he said to me, Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.
Eze.3.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אל: NEG
- עם: PREP
- עמקי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- שפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכבדי: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl,cons
- לשון: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- שלוח: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3-5 (verbal): Immediate context: God commissions Ezekiel 'to the children of Israel' and warns they are a rebellious house who will not listen—closely parallel language and the addressee of the mission.
- Ezekiel 3:1-4 (structural): Same commissioning scene: Ezekiel is told to 'eat the scroll' and speak God's words to the house of Israel, reinforcing that his mission is to Israel (not foreign peoples) and describing the act of speaking to them.
- Ezekiel 3:7 (thematic): God explains he made Ezekiel's forehead 'hard' because Israel are a stubborn/rebellious people—same theme of Israel as a difficult, unresponsive audience addressed in 3:5.
- Jeremiah 1:4-7 (thematic): Prophetic commissioning language: God calls and sends Jeremiah to speak for Him. Parallels in the divine sending, the prophet’s reluctance, and the specification of those to whom he is sent.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): Isaiah is commanded to speak to a people who will hear without understanding and see without perceiving—thematic parallel about a prophet sent to an unreceptive Israelite audience.
Alternative generated candidates
- For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel.
- For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and foreign tongue, but to the house of Israel.
Eze.3.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- אל: NEG
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- עמקי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- שפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכבדי: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl
- לשון: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשמע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- דבריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- שלחתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ישמעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,mp
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3-5 (structural): Immediate context/commission: God sends Ezekiel to the rebellious house of Israel rather than to foreign peoples, framing the same distinction about audience and expected reception.
- Ezekiel 33:7-9 (structural): Parallel depiction of the prophet/watchman role and responsibility to warn Israel; emphasizes whether the people hear and the prophet’s duty regardless of their response.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): Isaiah is commissioned to speak to a people whose hearts and ears are hardened so they will not understand — a shared theme of prophetic speech met by incomprehension or refusal to listen.
- Jeremiah 1:7-10 (thematic): Jeremiah’s commissioning and appointment over nations/kingdoms parallels Ezekiel’s commissioning to speak despite resistance, highlighting the prophet’s mandate before a hostile or unresponsive audience.
- Acts 28:28 (thematic): Paul’s mission announcement that God’s salvation is sent to the Gentiles and that they will listen echoes Ezekiel’s remark that foreign peoples (if sent to them) would hear — a related reflection on which audiences receive prophetic/message proclamation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Not to many peoples of strange speech and hard language, whose words you cannot understand — if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
- Nor to many peoples of obscure speech and hard language, whose words you cannot understand — though I would send you to them, they would listen to you.
Eze.3.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יאבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לשמע: INF,qal,infc
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אינם: PART+PRON,3,m,pl
- אבים: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשמע: INF,qal,infc
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- כל: DET
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזקי: ADJ,m,pl,cons
- מצח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקשי: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl,cons
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3-4 (verbal): Same prophetic commission language—Israel described as impudent/hard of forehead and hard-hearted; God warns Ezekiel they will not heed, echoing 3:7's wording and theme.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): God commissions Isaiah to speak though the people will not understand or return—parallels the motif of a divinely sent prophet whose audience is spiritually unresponsive.
- Deuteronomy 9:6 (verbal): Uses the 'stiff-necked'/'hard-hearted' characterization of Israel; connects the theological idea of Israel's obstinacy and unwillingness to listen to God.
- Acts 28:26-27 (quotation): Paul quotes Isaiah to explain Israel's failure to hear the gospel—New Testament application of the prophetic motif that people are appointed not to hear, paralleling Ezekiel's declaration of Israel's refusal to listen.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me; for all the house of Israel are stubborn and hard of heart.
- But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me; for all the house of Israel are stubborn of forehead and hard of heart.
Eze.3.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- חזקים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לעמת: PREP
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- מצחך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- חזק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לעמת: PREP
- מצחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Ezekiel 3:7 (structural): Immediate context: God explains Israel's obstinacy and prepares Ezekiel for resistant listeners—3:8 follows by promising firmness of face/forehead.
- Ezekiel 2:6–7 (structural): Earlier commissioning of Ezekiel warns him not to be rebellious like the house of Israel and to persist in speaking God's words despite their stubbornness—same pastoral/prophetic theme of resolute endurance.
- Isaiah 50:7 (verbal): Isaiah's image 'I have set my face like a flint' (or 'my face is hard/firm') uses the same figurative language of a resolute face/forehead in the face of opposition.
- Jeremiah 1:8 (verbal): God tells Jeremiah 'Be not afraid of their faces,' a close verbal and thematic parallel assuring the prophet against fear of hostile audiences.
- Matthew 10:19–20 (thematic): Jesus promises that when disciples are brought before authorities they need not premeditate words because the Spirit will speak through them—a New Testament parallel to divine enablement and boldness in prophetic witness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.
- Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces and your forehead hard against their foreheads.
Eze.3.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כשמיר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מצר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מצחך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- ולא: CONJ
- תחת: PREP
- מפניהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezek.3.8 (verbal): Immediate context: repeated wording about God making Ezekiel's face/forehead hard like stone and commanding him not to fear the 'rebellious house.'
- Ezek.2.6-7 (structural): Earlier commission to the prophet: do not fear or be dismayed before the people because they are a rebellious house—same instruction and narrative function.
- Isaiah 50:7 (verbal): Uses the same flint/face imagery ('I have set my face like flint') to express resolute, divinely enabled steadfastness in the face of opposition.
- Jeremiah 1:17-19 (thematic): God strengthens and commissions Jeremiah for hostile opposition—promises presence and that enemies will not overcome him, paralleling divine empowerment and exhortation not to fear.
- Matthew 10:19-20 (thematic): Jesus promises that the Spirit will give words when his messengers face persecution—parallels the motif of divine enablement and fearlessness in prophetic witnessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Like the hardest stone — like flint — I have made your forehead; you shall not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed before them; for they are a house of rebellion.
- I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint; do not be terrified at them, nor be dismayed before them — for they are a rebellious house.
Eze.3.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- קח: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- בלבבך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ובאזניך: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+poss,2,m,sg
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 11:18 (verbal): Commands Israel to ‘lay up these my words in your heart’—uses the same idiom of internalizing God’s words as קח בלבבך in Ezekiel 3:10.
- Deuteronomy 6:6 (verbal): ‘And these words... shall be in thine heart’—a parallel exhortation to keep God’s words within the heart and to heed them.
- Psalm 119:11 (verbal): ‘Thy word have I hid in my heart’—expresses personal internalization of divine speech, akin to Ezekiel’s instruction to take God’s words into his heart and hear.
- Ezekiel 2:3-7 (structural): Immediate prophetic commission language (’son of man,’ speak my words to Israel) parallels the context and function of Ezekiel 3:10’s call to receive and hear God’s message.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (thematic): Jeremiah’s depiction of God’s word as burning in his heart echoes the inward appropriation and compulsion to hear and proclaim God’s words found in Ezekiel 3:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- Moreover, son of man, hear all my words that I speak to you; take them into your heart and hear them with your ears.
- Moreover, he said to me, Son of man, receive into your heart all the words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.
Eze.3.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- ודברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- ישמעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,mp
- ואם: CONJ
- יחדלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3-7 (verbal): Immediate commissioning context — God sends the prophet to Israel with similar wording about speaking to the house of Israel and the people's possible refusal to heed.
- Ezekiel 3:17 (thematic): Develops the same commission in terms of the prophet's role as a watchman responsible to warn the people, linking speaking/warning to corporate accountability.
- Ezekiel 33:7-9 (structural): Reiterates the watchman theme and the prophet's duty to warn the people; emphasizes consequences if the warned do not listen (echoing 'whether they hear or whether they refuse').
- Jeremiah 7:27 (verbal): Uses nearly identical commissioning language — 'speak to them... whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear' — reflecting a common prophetic formula about proclamation despite rejection.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (allusion): Parallel prophetic motif: God commissions a prophet to speak to a people whose hearts will be hardened and who will not truly hear or understand, framing proclamation in the face of unbelief.
Alternative generated candidates
- And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Sovereign LORD,' whether they listen or refuse.
- And go to the exiles, to the children of your people, and speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD; whether they hear or refuse.
Eze.3.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותשאני: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואשמע: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ברוך: ADJ,m,sg
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ממקומו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:24-28 (structural): Same visionary context: the movement of the Spirit, a loud sound/voice and the appearance/manifestation of the glory of Yahweh; language and imagery closely parallel the scene in Ezekiel 3:12.
- Revelation 1:15 (verbal): John describes Christ’s voice as 'like the sound of many waters,' a distinctive phrase that echoes Ezekiel’s 'voice like a great rushing' imagery.
- Revelation 14:2 (verbal): A heavenly voice 'like the sound of many waters' recurs in Revelation, reflecting the same auditory motif of overwhelming divine presence found in Ezekiel 3:12.
- Psalm 29:3-4 (thematic): Psalmist language—'The voice of the LORD is over the waters... the God of glory thundereth'—parallels Ezekiel’s linking of a mighty voice, watery/rumbling imagery, and the glory of God.
- Isaiah 6:3 (thematic): Isaiah’s vision emphasizes the holiness and glory of God filling the earth and elicits heavenly acclamation; thematically related to Ezekiel’s proclamation 'Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great commotion: 'Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.'
- Then the spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a voice like the sound of a great commotion: "Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place."
Eze.3.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וקול: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כנפי: NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- החיות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- משיקות: VERB,qal,ptc,-,f,pl
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחותה: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3fs
- וקול: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האופנים: DET+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לעמתם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וקול: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:11 (verbal): Describes the living creatures’ wings touching one another (two wings of each touching the wing of another), matching the motif of wings in contact.
- Ezekiel 1:24 (verbal): Earlier in Ezekiel’s vision the narrator hears the noise of the creatures’ wings together with the sound of the wheels and a great noise—very close language and imagery to 3:13.
- Ezekiel 10:5 (verbal): A later reprise in the temple vision: the sound of the cherubim’s wings is heard to the outer court and is associated with the voice of the Almighty, echoing the same auditory motif.
- Revelation 4:8 (thematic): John’s throne-vision also features multi-winged living creatures whose continual activity and voices surround God’s throne—an apocalyptic echo of Ezekiel’s winged beings and cosmic sound.
Alternative generated candidates
- The sound of the wings of the living creatures touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and a great noise.
- And the sound of the wings of the living creatures touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the noise of a great tumult.
Eze.3.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ורוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נשאתני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ותקחני: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ואלך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחמת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- רוחי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ויד: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- חזקה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:2 (verbal): Uses the same prophetic-emphatic language about the Spirit coming upon/entering the prophet as the basis for his commissioning and prophetic utterance.
- Ezekiel 8:3 (verbal): Describes the Spirit 'lifting' or carrying Ezekiel up — nearly identical imagery of the Spirit transporting the prophet to receive a vision.
- Ezekiel 11:1 (verbal): Again records the Spirit lifting Ezekiel up and moving him, continuing the motif of Spirit-driven transport connected with visionary revelation.
- Acts 8:39 (thematic): Philip is 'carried away' by the Spirit after the conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian — parallels the motif of a prophet/minister being supernaturally transported by the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (thematic): Paul describes being 'caught up' into the third heaven (in visions), a New Testament counterpart to Old Testament accounts of prophets being taken up in spirit to receive revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; in the heat of my spirit I went away in bitterness, and the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
- And the spirit lifted me up and took me away; I went in bitterness and in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
Eze.3.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואבוא: VERB,qal,imperf,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- הגולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- תל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הישבים: PART,qal,ptc,3,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- נהר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- כבר: ADV
- ואשב: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- יושבים: VERB,qal,ptc,.,m,pl,abs
- שם: ADV
- ואשב: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- שבעת: NUM,card,construct
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- משמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בתוכם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:1-3 (structural): Same setting—Ezekiel among the exiles by the River Chebar/Tel Abib; establishes the geographical and visionary context repeated in 3:15.
- Psalm 137:1 (verbal): Both verses use the striking image of exiles 'sitting by the river' (Babylon/Chebar), expressing the condition of those deported and their communal lament/pausing.
- Jeremiah 29:4-7 (thematic): Addresses life among exiles—settling, living, and remaining in a foreign land—parallel to Ezekiel’s prolonged presence with the captives.
- Daniel 1:1-6 (thematic): Depicts Israelites taken to and living in Babylonian exile; parallels the broader situation of Judean captives residing under foreign rule.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then I came to the exiles at Tel Abib who lived by the Kebar River; and I sat where they sat. They sat there, and I sat among them seven days overcome.
- And I came to the exiles at Tel Abib who lived by the Kebar River; and I sat where they sat, and I remained there stunned among them seven days.
And he said to me, "Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you." And the Spirit entered into me as he spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard the one speaking to me. And he said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day."
"The children are obstinate of face and hard of heart; I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'"
"Whether they listen or refuse— for they are a house of rebellion— they will know that a prophet has been among them."
"And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or of their words; do not be afraid, though they are a rebellious and scornful house. You shall sit among scorpions— do not be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks."
"You shall speak my words to them; whether they listen or cease— for they are rebellious."
"And you, son of man, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you." And I looked, and behold, a hand was stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll was in it. And he unrolled it before me; and it was written on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe. And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the roll to eat. And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly and fill your inward parts with this roll that I give you." So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. And he said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.
For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel;
not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand— if I had sent you to them, they would have hearkened to you. But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me— for all the house of Israel are stubborn of forehead and hard of heart.
Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces and your forehead hard against their foreheads.
I have made your forehead like the hardest stone; do not be afraid of them or dismayed before them— they are a rebellious house." And he said to me, "Son of man, take all my words that I speak to you into your heart and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they listen or refuse."
Then the Spirit lifted me up and I heard behind me a sound like a great earthquake: "Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place!" And the sound of the wings of the living creatures touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and a great noise. And the Spirit lifted me up and took me away in the bitterness of my spirit; and the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. And I came to the exiles at Tel Abib, who dwell by the river Kebar; and I sat where they sat, and I remained there among them seven days, stunned.