Ezekiel 3:6

Briers.. thorns.. scorpions] figures for the opposition of the Israelites to Ezekiel and his divine message.

(b) A Symbol of Inspiration (Ezekiel 2:8 to Ezekiel 3:3)

In Jeremiah's commission God says to him, 'Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth' (Jeremiah 1:9), and Jeremiah himself says afterwards, 'Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of mine heart' (Jeremiah 15:16 RV). The experience thus described metaphorically came to Ezekiel in his trance in a concrete, material way. God's words seemed to be set before him in the form of a book, which he ate at God's command, and found to be as sweet as honey. The truth underlying this visionary symbol was that Ezekiel was divinely inspired, in other words, that God had communicated to him a message which he was called to proclaim to men. This passage is the basis of Revelation 10:9; Revelation 10:10.

People] RV 'peoples.' Israel will be less responsive to Ezekiel's words than a foreign nation to whom his speech would be unintelligible.