The Meaning of Ezekiel 3:5 Explained

Ezekiel 3:5

KJV: For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

YLT: For, not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue art thou sent -- unto the house of Israel;

Darby: For thou art not sent to a people of strange language, and of difficult speech, but to the house of Israel;

ASV: For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For thou [art] not sent  to a people  of a strange  speech  and of an hard  language,  [but] to the house  of Israel; 

What does Ezekiel 3:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezekiel 3:1-11 - A Hard Commission
The people were impudent and stiff-hearted; their words as briars and thorns; their speech like the poison of scorpions; but the prophet was commissioned to go on with his divine mission, undeterred by their opposition. Under such circumstances we must be sure of a Thus saith the Lord. But no man can stand against the continual opposition of his fellows, unless his strength is renewed, as Ezekiel's was, by eating that which God gives. Open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee, Ezekiel 2:8. Let us specially consider the divine denunciations of sin, that our words may be sharper than any two-edged sword. Nothing makes us so strong as feeding perpetually upon the roll of the Book, and especially on the Word within the words. We must eat the flesh and drink in the life of the Son of man, if we can deal aright with the needs of the sons of men. [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 3:5 mean?

For not to a people of unfamiliar speech and hard of language you [are] sent [but] to the house of Israel
כִּ֡י לֹא֩ אֶל־ עַ֨ם עִמְקֵ֥י שָׂפָ֛ה וְכִבְדֵ֥י לָשׁ֖וֹן אַתָּ֣ה שָׁל֑וּחַ אֶל־ בֵּ֖ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

עַ֨ם  a  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
עִמְקֵ֥י  of  unfamiliar 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: עָמֵק  
Sense: deep, unfathomable.
שָׂפָ֛ה  speech 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
וְכִבְדֵ֥י  and  hard 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: heavy, great.
לָשׁ֖וֹן  of  language 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
שָׁל֑וּחַ  [are]  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֶל־  [but]  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בֵּ֖ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.