The Meaning of Ezekiel 3:26 Explained

Ezekiel 3:26

KJV: And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

YLT: and thy tongue I cause to cleave unto thy palate, and thou hast been dumb, and art not to them for a reprover, for a rebellious house are they.

Darby: And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house.

ASV: and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will make thy tongue  cleave  to the roof of thy mouth,  that thou shalt be dumb,  and shalt not be to them a reprover:  for they [are] a rebellious  house. 

What does Ezekiel 3:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord would make Ezekiel unable to speak or to rebuke the people because they were rebellious against the Lord. The prophet"s silence would be their punishment; he would not be able to warn them of judgment that the Lord would bring on them. [1] Ezekiel could have given them many more warnings than he did.
Some of the more radical commentators believed that Ezekiel suffered from catalepsy or some other serious nervous disorder, but the text does not require this. Catalepsy is a condition in which consciousness and feeling are suddenly and temporarily lost, and the muscles become rigid. It may occur in epilepsy, schizophrenia, and some other diseases. The prophet"s unusual experiences were the result of spiritual factors, not because he was psychologically unbalanced.

Context Summary

Ezekiel 3:12-27 - The Watchman's Responsibility
He was bitter because of his message, but hot because God's fire was burning within him. It is a blessed thing for preacher, leader, or Christian worker, when the hand of God is strong upon the soul. But whatever your inward condition, you will never be able to do your best work, unless you can sit where the people sit. In other words you must take their attitude, know by experience their circumstances, and share their lot. We must live very near to God, or we shall never hear the word of His mouth. There is no other way of obtaining messages that will effect His purpose. Ponder again Ezekiel 3:17. In Ezekiel 3:20 God is said to lay a stumbling-block only in the sense that He has constituted the world in that way. When the prophet went forth into the plain God revealed Himself. Whether He bids us go to the plain, or shut ourselves in the house, the place of obedience and duty will ever be the right one for the manifestation of His glory and the communication of His message. The secret of a successful ministry is to be absolutely yielded in thought and in speech to God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 3

1  Ezekiel eats the scroll
4  God encourages him
15  God shows him the rule of prophecy
22  God shuts and opens the prophet's mouth

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 3:26 mean?

And your tongue I will make cling to the roof of your mouth so that you shall be mute and not be them man one to rebuke for a house rebellious they [are]
וּלְשֽׁוֹנְךָ֙ אַדְבִּ֣יק אֶל־ חִכֶּ֔ךָ וְנֶֽאֱלַ֔מְתָּ וְלֹא־ תִֽהְיֶ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לְאִ֣ישׁ מוֹכִ֑יחַ כִּ֛י בֵּ֥ית מְרִ֖י הֵֽמָּה

וּלְשֽׁוֹנְךָ֙  And  your  tongue 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
אַדְבִּ֣יק  I  will  make  cling 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּבַק  
Sense: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch.
חִכֶּ֔ךָ  the  roof  of  your  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֵךְ  
Sense: mouth, palate, taste, gums.
וְנֶֽאֱלַ֔מְתָּ  so  that  you  shall  be  mute 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָלַם 
Sense: to bind.
וְלֹא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לְאִ֣ישׁ  man 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מוֹכִ֑יחַ  one  to  rebuke 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָכַח  
Sense: to prove, decide, judge, rebuke, reprove, correct, be right.
בֵּ֥ית  a  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
מְרִ֖י  rebellious 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְרִי  
Sense: rebellion.
הֵֽמָּה  they  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.