---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Ezekiel 3"
description: "CHAPTER 3   :-. EZEKIEL EATS
THE ROLL. IS
COMMISSIONED TO GO
TO THEM OF THE
CAPTIVITY AND GOES
TO TEL-ABIB BY THE
CHEBAR: AGAIN
BEHOLDS THE SHEKINAH
GLORY"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/ezekiel/3"
---

CHAPTER 3

. EZEKIEL EATS
THE ROLL. IS
COMMISSIONED TO GO
TO THEM OF THE
CAPTIVITY AND GOES
TO TEL-ABIB BY THE
CHEBAR: AGAIN
BEHOLDS THE SHEKINAH
GLORY: IS
TOLD TO RETIRE
TO HIS HOUSE,
AND ONLY SPEAK
WHEN GOD OPENS
HIS MOUTH.

**1. eat . . . and . . . speak**—God's
messenger must first inwardly appropriate God's truth himself, before
he "speaks" it to others (see on ). Symbolic actions were, when possible and proper, performed
outwardly; otherwise, internally and in spiritual vision, the action
so narrated making the naked statement more intuitive and impressive
by presenting the subject in a concentrated, embodied form.

**3. honey for sweetness**—Compare
[Psalms 19:10](../../../kjv/psalms/19/10); [Psalms 119:103](../../../kjv/psalms/119/103);
[Revelation 10:9](../../../kjv/revelation/10/9), where, as here in [Revelation 10:9](../../../kjv/revelation/10/9), the "sweetness" is followed by "bitterness."
The former being due to the painful nature of the message; the latter
because it was the Lord's service which he was engaged in; and his
eating the roll and finding it sweet, implied that, divesting himself
of carnal feeling, he made God's will his will, however painful the
message that God might require him to announce. The fact that God
would be glorified was his greatest pleasure.

**5.** See *Margin, Hebrew,*
"deep of lip, and heavy of tongue," that is, 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.

**6. many people**—It would have
increased the difficulty had he been sent, not merely to one, but to
"many people" differing in tongues, so that the missionary
would have needed to acquire a new tongue for addressing each. The
after mission of the apostles to many peoples, and the gift of
tongues for that end, are foreshadowed (compare [1 Corinthians 14:21](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/14/21);
[Isaiah 28:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/28/11)).
**had I sent thee to them, they
would have hearkened**— ([Matthew 11:21](../../../kjv/matthew/11/21);
[Matthew 11:23](../../../kjv/matthew/11/23)).

**7. will not hearken unto thee: for .
. . not . . . me**— (). Take patiently their rejection of thee, for I thy Lord
bear it along with thee.

**8.** Ezekiel means one
"strengthened by God." Such he was in godly firmness, in
spite of his people's opposition, according to the divine command to
the priest tribe to which he belonged ().

**9. As . . . flint**—so Messiah
the antitype ([Isaiah 50:7](../../../kjv/isaiah/50/7); compare
[Jeremiah 1:8](../../../kjv/jeremiah/1/8); [Jeremiah 1:17](../../../kjv/jeremiah/1/17)).

**10. receive in . . . heart . . .
ears**—The transposition from the natural order, namely, first
receiving with the *ears,* then in the *heart,* is
designed. The preparation of the heart for God's message should
precede the reception of it with the ears (compare [Proverbs 16:1](../../../kjv/proverbs/16/1);
[Psalms 10:17](../../../kjv/psalms/10/17)).

**11. thy people**—who ought to be
better disposed to hearken to thee, their fellow countryman, than
hadst thou been a foreigner ([Ezekiel 3:5](../../../kjv/ezekiel/3/5);
[Ezekiel 3:6](../../../kjv/ezekiel/3/6)).

**12.** (). Ezekiel's abode heretofore had not been the most suitable
for his work. He, therefore, is guided by the Spirit to Tel-Abib, the
chief town of the Jewish colony of captives: there he sat on the
ground, "the throne of the miserable" ([Ezra 9:3](../../../kjv/ezra/9/3);
[Lamentations 1:1-3](../../../kjv/lamentations/1/1-3)), seven days, the
usual period for manifesting deep grief ([Lamentations 1:1-25](../../../kjv/lamentations/1/1-25); see [Psalms 137:1](../../../kjv/psalms/137/1)), thus
winning their confidence by sympathy in their sorrow. He is
accompanied by the cherubim which had been manifested at Chebar
([Ezekiel 1:3](../../../kjv/ezekiel/1/3); [Ezekiel 1:4](../../../kjv/ezekiel/1/4)),
after their departure from Jerusalem. They now are heard moving with
the "*voice of a great rushing* (compare [Ezekiel 1:4](../../../kjv/ezekiel/1/4)), *saying,* Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His
place," that is, moving *from the place* in which it had
been at Chebar, to accompany Ezekiel to his new destination ([Ezekiel 1:4](../../../kjv/ezekiel/1/4)); or, "from His place" may rather mean, *in His
place and manifested "from" it.* Though God may seem to
have forsaken His temple, He is still in it and will restore His
people to it. His glory is "blessed," in opposition to
those Jews who spoke evil of Him, as if He had been unjustly rigorous
towards their nation [CALVIN].

**13. touched**—literally,
"kissed," that is, closely embraced.
**noise of a great
rushing**—typical of great disasters impending over the Jews.

**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
Jews' 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](../../../kjv/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 () 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](../../../kjv/isaiah/52/8); [Isaiah 62:6](../../../kjv/isaiah/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 (, "in season, out of season"; , "night and day with tears").
**save**— 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](../../../kjv/john/8/21); [John 8:24](../../../kjv/john/8/24)).
Men are not to flatter themselves that their ignorance, owing to the
negligence of their teachers, will save them ([John 8:24](../../../kjv/john/8/24), "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](../../../kjv/isaiah/49/4); [Isaiah 49:5](../../../kjv/isaiah/49/5);
[Acts 20:26](../../../kjv/acts/20/26)).

**20. righteous . . . turn from . . .
righteousness**—not one "righteous" as to the *root*
and *spirit of regeneration* ([Psalms 89:33](../../../kjv/psalms/89/33);
[Psalms 138:8](../../../kjv/psalms/138/8); [Isaiah 26:12](../../../kjv/isaiah/26/12);
[Isaiah 27:3](../../../kjv/isaiah/27/3); [John 10:28](../../../kjv/john/10/28);
[Philippians 1:6](../../../kjv/philippians/1/6)), but as to its *outward
appearance* and performances. So the "righteous"
([Proverbs 18:17](../../../kjv/proverbs/18/17); [Matthew 9:13](../../../kjv/matthew/9/13)).
As in [Ezekiel 3:19](../../../kjv/ezekiel/3/19) the minister is
required to lead the wicked to good, so in [Ezekiel 3:19](../../../kjv/ezekiel/3/19) he is to confirm the well-disposed in their duty.
**commit iniquity**—that
is, give himself up *wholly* to it ([1 John 3:8](../../../kjv/1-john/3/8);
[1 John 3:9](../../../kjv/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](../../../kjv/james/1/13);
[James 1:14](../../../kjv/james/1/14)), but God gives men over
to judicial blindness, and to *their own* corruptions ([Psalms 9:16](../../../kjv/psalms/9/16);
[Psalms 9:17](../../../kjv/psalms/9/17); [Psalms 94:23](../../../kjv/psalms/94/23))
when they "like not to retain God in their knowledge"
([Romans 1:24](../../../kjv/romans/1/24); [Romans 1:26](../../../kjv/romans/1/26));
just as, on the contrary, God makes "the way of the righteous
plain" ([Proverbs 4:11](../../../kjv/proverbs/4/11); [Proverbs 4:12](../../../kjv/proverbs/4/12);
[Proverbs 15:19](../../../kjv/proverbs/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 ([Proverbs 15:19](../../../kjv/proverbs/15/19)), 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 ([Proverbs 15:19](../../../kjv/proverbs/15/19)).
**his blood will I require**—
([Hebrews 13:17](../../../kjv/hebrews/13/17)).

**22. hand of the Lord**— ().
**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**— ().

**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 , 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](../../../kjv/1-samuel/7/2); [Amos 8:11](../../../kjv/amos/8/11);
[Amos 8:12](../../../kjv/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](../../../kjv/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 [Ezekiel 3:26](../../../kjv/ezekiel/3/26)).

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