The Meaning of Ezekiel 3:27 Explained

Ezekiel 3:27

KJV: But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

YLT: And in My speaking with thee, I do open thy mouth, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah; the hearer doth hear, and the forbearer doth forbear; for a rebellious house are they.

Darby: And when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

ASV: But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

Discover Ezekiel 3:27

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ezekiel 3:27?

MEANING: What does Ezekiel 3:27 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ezekiel 3:27 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ezekiel 3:27?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But when I speak  with  thee, I will open  thy mouth,  and thou shalt say  unto them, Thus saith  the Lord  GOD;  He that heareth,  let him hear;  and he that forbeareth,  let him forbear:  for they [are] a rebellious  house. 

What does Ezekiel 3:27 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Finally the Lord would enable Ezekiel to speak again. He would announce a message from the Lord. Some of his hearers would listen, but others of them would refuse to listen because they were rebels against the Lord. Nevertheless, regardless of their response, the hearers would be personally responsible for their response (cf. Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:10-17; Revelation 2:7; Revelation 13:9; Revelation 22:11; et al.).
Evidently Ezekiel"s muteness lasted for several years, until the fall of Jerusalem (cf. Ezekiel 1:1-3; Ezekiel 24:25-27; Ezekiel 33:21-22). [1] He was not entirely silent during this several-year period, from the present until Jerusalem fell, but he only spoke to the people when God gave him special messages to deliver (cf. Ezekiel 11:25; Ezekiel 14:1; Ezekiel 20:1). Rather than speaking publicly from time to time as he lived among the people, as other prophets normally did, Ezekiel remained at home except to deliver special messages from the Lord (cf. chs4-5). Thus Ezekiel spoke less publicly and led a more reclusive life than the Lord"s other prophetic spokesmen. Another view is that Ezekiel"s period of silence ended with the conclusion of his commissioning. [2]
"From that moment onwards, Ezekiel was to be known as nothing but the mouthpiece of Yahweh. When he spoke, it was because God had something to say; when he was silent, it was because God was silent." [3]
"His speech is to be intermittent and limited to judgment oracles." [4]
"Ezekiel ... has to experience the inability to speak ... as a forceful experiential reminder of the fact that he has no authority to make up on his own what he says to his fellow Israelites. Rather, only God can, as it were, loose his tongue. He must let God speak through him, and not invent anything himself or take his message from anyone else. Originality is usually prized among writers and speakers. Yet there was to be no originality in Ezekiel"s doctrine. In all five commissions [5] he is reminded that his job is to convey and not to create." [4]5
We have the same duty ( Matthew 28:19-20).

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 3:27 mean?

But when I speak with you I will open - your mouth and you shall say to them thus says the Lord GOD He who hears let him hear and he who refuses let him refuse for a house Rebellious they [are] -
וּֽבְדַבְּרִ֤י אֽוֹתְךָ֙ אֶפְתַּ֣ח אֶת־ פִּ֔יךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֑ה הַשֹּׁמֵ֤עַ ׀ יִשְׁמָע֙ וְהֶחָדֵ֣ל ׀ יֶחְדָּ֔ל כִּ֛י בֵּ֥ית מְרִ֖י הֵֽמָּה ס

וּֽבְדַבְּרִ֤י  But  when  I  speak 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אֽוֹתְךָ֙  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
אֶפְתַּ֣ח  I  will  open 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פִּ֔יךָ  your  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣  and  you  shall  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כֹּ֥ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֖ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהֹוִ֑ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הַשֹּׁמֵ֤עַ ׀  He  who  hears 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
יִשְׁמָע֙  let  him  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
וְהֶחָדֵ֣ל ׀  and  he  who  refuses 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חָדֵל  
Sense: rejected, forbearing, transient, fleeting, lacking.
יֶחְדָּ֔ל  let  him  refuse 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָדַל 
Sense: to stop, cease, desist, forego, cease to be, leave undone, forbear.
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.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation

What are the major concepts related to Ezekiel 3:27?

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