Ezekiel 3:5

For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; THOU ART NOT SENT TO A PEOPLE OF A STRANGE SPEECH AND OF AN HARD LANGUAGE - (see margin, Hebrew, 'deep of lip and heavy of tongue'-i.e, men speaking an obscure and unintelligible tongue). Even they would have listened to the prophet; but the Jews, though addressed in their own tongue, will not hear him....

1-11 Ezekiel was to receive the truths of God as the food for his soul, and to feed upon them by faith, and he would be strengthened. Gracious souls can receive those truths of God with delight, which speak terror to the wicked. He must speak all that, and that only, which God spake to him. How can we better speak God's mind than with his words? If disappointed as to his people, he must not be offended. The Ninevites were wrought upon by Jonah's preaching, when Israel was unhumbled and unreformed. We must leave this unto the Divine sovereignty, and say, Lord, thy judgments are a great deep. They will not regard the word of the prophet, for they will not regard the rod of God. Christ promises to strengthen him. He must continue earnest in preaching, whatever the success might be....

Verse Ezekiel 3:5. _THOU ART NOT SENT TO A PEOPLE OF A STRANGE SPEECH_] I neither send thee to thy adversaries, the _Chaldeans_, nor to the _Medes_ and _Persians_, their enemies. Even these would more likely have hearkened unto thee than thy own countrymen....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 3:1 EAT THAT THOU FINDEST, etc. The iteration of the command of Ezekiel 2:8 seems to imply, like the words, "be not thou rebellious," in that verse, some reluctance on the prophet's part. In substance the command was equivalent to that of Revelation 22:18, Revelation 22:19. The true prophet does not choose his message (Acts 4:20); his "meat" is to do his Lord's will (John 4:34), and he takes what he "f

FOR THOU [ART] NOT SENT TO A PEOPLE OF A STRANGE SPEECH,.... "Deep of lip" g, or "speech"; difficult to be got at and understood: AND OF A HARD LANGUAGE: or "heavy of tongue" h of a barbarous and unknown language, whom he could not understand, nor they him; and so would have been barbarians to one another; and consequently it could not be thought his prophesying among them, could have been of any use. This may be considered, either by way of encouragement to the prophet to go on his errand to such a people; since as he could understand them, and they him he might hope to meet with success; or, however he could deliver his message so as to be understood: or as an aggravation of the impiety perverseness and stupidity of the Israelites; that though the prophet spoke to them in their own language, yet they would not hear nor receive his words: [BUT] TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; who were a peopl...

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. PREDICTIONS BEFORE THE FALL OF JERUSALEM A. judgment Predictions Concerning Jerusalem (1-24) Chapter S 1:1-3:14 The Vision of Glory and the Call of the Prophet _ 1. The introduction (Ezekiel 1:1) _ 2. The vision of glory (Ezekiel 1:4) 3. Ezekiel's call and commission (Ezekiel 2:1) 4. The roll eaten and the repeated commission (Ezekiel 2:9; Ezekiel 3:1) Ezekiel 1:1. The introductory words give

EZEKIEL 2:8 TO EZEKIEL 3:15. His inspiration is suggestively described by the symbolical swallowing of a book-roll. In Jer. (Jeremiah 1:9) it is more immediately conceived as due to the touch of the Divine Hand upon the prophet's lips: but by the publication of Dt. thirty years before (621 B.C.) the book had begun to hold a place in the religion of Israel which it had never held before (p. 90), and it is significant, not to say ominous, that Ezekiel is represented as owing his message and his inspiration to a book. The lamentations, mourning, and woe (Ezekiel 2:10) inscribed in the visionary book do, in point of fact, faithfully describe the gene

The prophet shall be strengthened to perform his hard task Having taken in the "words" of the Lord (Ezekiel 3:4) there opens up before the prophet a general view of the mission he is sent upon. It is an arduous one. The difficulties are not of a superficial kind. He is not sent to foreign nations, who would not understand his words, but to Israel. They can well understand, but they will not listen. Their refusal to listen unto him is but an example of their life-long refusal to listen unto God. They are resolute and obstinate in their disobedience, but the prophet shall be made more resolute than they....

B. Assurance of Divine Power 3:4-9 TRANSLATION (4) And He said unto me, Son of man, go unto the house of Israel and speak with My words unto them (5) For you have not been sent unto a people of obscure language and heavy tongue, but unto the house of Israel. (6) Not unto many people of obscure language and heavy tongue whose words YOU cannot comprehend. Surely if I had sent you unto them, they would hearken unto you. (7) But as for the house of Israel, they are not willing to hearken unto you, because they are not willing to hearken unto Me; for all the house of Israel are strong of forehead and hard of heart. (8) Behold I have made your face strong against their face and your forehead strong against their forehead. (9) Like a diamond[117] harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not fear them and do not be dismayed before them, for they are a rebellious house. [117] The Hebrew...

3:5 speech, (d-15) Lit. 'deep of lip, and heavy of tongue.'...