The Meaning of Ezekiel 3:6 Explained

Ezekiel 3:6

KJV: Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

YLT: not unto many peoples, deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou dost not understand. If I had not sent thee unto them -- they, they do hearken unto thee,

Darby: not to many peoples of strange language and of difficult speech, whose words thou canst not understand: had I sent thee to them, would they not hearken unto thee?

ASV: not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken unto thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Not to many  people  of a strange  speech  and of an hard  language,  whose words  thou canst not understand.  Surely, had I sent  thee to them, they would have hearkened  unto thee. 

What does Ezekiel 3:6 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 3:6 mean?

not to people of many unfamiliar speech and hard of language whose cannot you understand Words surely not you to them had I sent you they would have listened to you
לֹ֣א ׀ אֶל־ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֗ים עִמְקֵ֤י שָׂפָה֙ וְכִבְדֵ֣י לָשׁ֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־ תִשְׁמַ֖ע דִּבְרֵיהֶ֑ם אִם־ לֹ֤א אֲלֵיהֶם֙ שְׁלַחְתִּ֔יךָ הֵ֖מָּה יִשְׁמְע֥וּ אֵלֶֽיךָ

עַמִּ֣ים  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
רַבִּ֗ים  of  many 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
עִמְקֵ֤י  unfamiliar 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: עָמֵק  
Sense: deep, unfathomable.
שָׂפָה֙  speech 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
וְכִבְדֵ֣י  and  hard 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: heavy, great.
לָשׁ֔וֹן  of  language 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  whose 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לֹֽא־  cannot 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִשְׁמַ֖ע  you  understand 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
דִּבְרֵיהֶ֑ם  Words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
אִם־  surely 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
לֹ֤א  not  you 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֲלֵיהֶם֙  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
שְׁלַחְתִּ֔יךָ  had  I  sent  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יִשְׁמְע֥וּ  would  have  listened 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֵלֶֽיךָ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).