Ezekiel 2:5 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 2:5
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
forbear
יֶחְדָּ֔לוּyech.Da.lu
H2308
properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
rebellious
מְרִ֖יme.Ri
H4805
bitterness · noun, common masculine singular absolute
house
בֵּ֥יתbeit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
know
וְיָ֣דְע֔וּve.Ya.de.'U
H3045
to know (properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
prophet
נָבִ֖יאna.Vi'
H5030
a prophet or (generally) inspired man · noun, common masculine singular absolute
among
בְתוֹכָֽםve.to.Kham
H8432
a bisection · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ezekiel 33:33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
Ezekiel 3:27 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…
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
Ezekiel 2:7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
Luke 10:10-12 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put i…
Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 2:1-5
The title here given to Ezekiel, as often afterwards, is very observable. God, when he speaks to him, calls him, Son of man (Eze 2:1, Eze 2:3), Son of Adam, Son of the earth. Daniel is once called so (Dan 8:17) and but once; the compellation is used to no other of the prophets but to Ezekiel all along. We may take it, 1. As a humble diminishing title. Lest Ezekiel should be lifted up with the abundance of the revelations, he is put in mind of this, that sill he is a son of man, a mean, weak, mortal creature. Among other things made known to him, it was necessary he should be made to know this, that he was a son of man, and therefore that it was wonderful condescension in God that he was plea…
forbear--namely, to hear.
yet shall know--Even if they will not hear, at least they will not have ignorance to plead as the cause of their perversity (Eze 33:33).
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 2:5
Yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them - By this they shall be assured of two things:
1. That God in his mercy had given them due warning.
2. That themselves were inexcusable, for not taking it.
John Gill on Ezekiel 2:5
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,.... Or "cease" (y); that is, from hearing, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; or from sinning, as the Targum. The sense is, whether they would hear the word of the Lord, as spoken by the prophet, attend unto it, receive it, and obey it; or whether they would reject it, turn their backs on it, and discontinue hearing it; or whether they would so hear as to leave their sinful course of life, or not: this the prophet could not know beforehand, nor should he be concerned about it, or be discouraged if his ministry should be fruitless; since he could not expect much from them:
(for they are a rebellious house); or, "a house of rebel…
"And they shall know that a prophet has been in their midst." The knowledge of good things tends to benefit the wicked either as an aid to salvation or as a testimony to their condemnation. Therefore let them know that a prophet has been among them, so that having heard the preaching they may either be helped to rise up, or be condemned in such a way that they lack any excuse.
Every soul, even after receiving faith, either persisting in or returning to its perversity, is called a rebellious house, because it repels by wicked conduct God as dweller, whom it had received through faith. For a house is inhabited by its lord. If therefore a house, why rebellious? But if rebellious, why a house, which certainly is no longer inhabited? But it is a house because God had begun to dwell in it through faith; yet it is rebellious because, repelled from it by wicked conduct, he departed, so that it remains empty which the heavenly inhabitant had previously filled. Hence also, as we have learned from the voice of Truth, the most wicked spirit returning with seven others finds the house swept clean, because he fills the mind alienated from virtues.
But what means, "It may be they will reverence?" It is not the language of one ignorant, away with the thought! but of one desiring to show the sin to be great; and without any excuse. Since Himself knowing that they would slay Him, He sent Him. But He saith, "They will reverence," declaring what ought to have been done, that it was their duty to have reverenced Him. Since elsewhere also He saith, "if perchance they will hear;" not in this case either being ignorant, but lest any of the obstinate should say, that His prediction was the thing that necessitated their disobedience, therefore He frames His expressions in this way, saying, "Whether they will," and, "It may be." For though they had been obstinate towards His servants, yet ought they to have reverenced the dignity of the Son.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Nation · Chastised — Chastised
Rebellion Against God · Ministers: Sent to those guilty of — Ministers: Sent to those guilty of
Reproof · Ministers should give: Fearlessly — Ministers should give: Fearlessly
Sins, National · Ministers should: Testify against — Ministers should: Testify against
Titles And Names Of The Wicked · Rebellious house — Rebellious house
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Ezekiel 2:4-5
Ezekiel 2:4-5
4. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
4. Et filii duri fade, et robusti corde: ergo mitto to ad eos. et dices illis, Sic dieit Dominator Iehovah.
5. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
5. Et ipsi sive audiant sive desistant quoniam domus rebellionis ipsi: et [60] scient quod propheta fuerit inter ipsos.
God proceeds in the same discourse, but expresses in other words the great rebellion of the people, for they were not only obstinate and unbending in heart, but…
The calling of the prophet begins with the Lord describing to Ezekiel the people to whom He is sending him, in order to make him acquainted with the difficulties of his vocation, and to encourage him for the discharge of the same. Eze 2:3. And He said to me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to the rebels who have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have fallen away from me, even until this very day. Eze 2:4. And the children are of hard face, and hardened heart. To them I send thee; and to them shalt thou speak: Thus says the Lord Jehovah. Eze 2:5. And they - they may hear thee or fail (to do so); for they are a stiff-necked race - they shall experience that a proph…
Israel was stubborn and hard-hearted—they would not heed Ezekiel, whose message would bear little immediate fruit. However, they would know that they had a prophet among them who was speaking God’s word.
Rashi on Ezekiel 2:5
And they whether they listen or whether they forbear from listening.
for they are a rebellious house They are remonstrative people, but I want them to know at the time of their retribution that a prophet had been in their midst who reproved them, and they did not heed.
