Ezekiel 3:17

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Son	בֶּן ben-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
man	אָדָ֕ם 'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · noun, common masculine singular absolute
made	נְתַתִּ֖יךָ ne.ta.Ti.kha	H5414	to give · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
watchman	צֹפֶ֥ה tzo.Peh	H6822	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
house	לְבֵ֣ית le.Veit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
hear	וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֤ ve.sha.ma'.Ta	H8085	to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
word	דָּבָ֔ר da.Var	H1697	a word · noun, common masculine singular absolute
mouth	מִפִּי֙ mi.Pi	H6310	the mouth (as the means of blowing) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
warning	וְהִזְהַרְתָּ֥ ve.hiz.har.Ta	H2094	to gleam · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular

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

2 Chronicles 19:10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, s…
Isaiah 52:8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring agai…
Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may d…
Isaiah 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep no…
Jeremiah 6:17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Isaiah 21:11-12 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 3:16-21

These further instructions God gave to the prophet at the end of seven days, that is, on the seventh day after the vision he had; and it is very probably that both that and this were on the sabbath day, which the house of Israel, even in their captivity, observed as well as they could in those circumstances. We do not find that their conquerors and oppressors tied them to any constant service, as their Egyptian task-masters had formerly done, but that they might observe the sabbath-rest for a sign to distinguish between them and their neighbours; but for the sabbath-work they had not the convenience of temple or synagogue, only it should seem they had a place by the river side where prayer w…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 3:17

watchman--Ezekiel alone, among the prophets, is called a "watchman," not merely to sympathize, but to give timely warning of danger to his people where none was suspected. Habakkuk (Hab 2:1) speaks of standing upon his "watch," but it was only in order to be on the lookout for the manifestation of God's power (so Isa 52:8; Isa 62:6); not as Ezekiel, to act as a watchman to others.

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 3:17

I have made thee a watchman - The care and welfare of all this people I have laid on thee. Thou must watch for their safety, preach for their edification, and pray for their eternal welfare. And that thou mayest be successful, receive the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. God is particularly jealous lest any words but his own be taught for Divine doctrines. He will not have human creeds, no more than Traditions, taught instead of his own word. No word can be successful in the salvation of sinners but that which comes from God. Every minister of the Gospel should be familiar with his Maker by faith and prayer; God will then hold communion with his spirit; otherwise, what he preaches wi…

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John Gill on Ezekiel 3:17

The Church Fathers

The office of bishop is the highest order in the church. Episcopos means overseer, because with the help of divine grace he guards the Lord's flock from his high seat like a most careful shepherd. As the prophet Ezekiel says, "I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel."
— Cassiodorus, EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 108:8

"You must be," he says, "like a watchman, who is placed on top of some hill, with orders to announce for himself beforehand any invasions by barbarians. And you must be set up as if on a watchtower, on the highest point of prophecy, and what you foresee, you must tell out to the people."
— Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON EZEKIEL 1:3

"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the members of the house of Israel, so that you may hear from my mouth and warn them." That means, "Look, I have made you a warning and a caution, so that you may say what I command to the just and to sinners, that the just may grow in discretion and the sinners in penitence."
— Hippolytus of Rome, FRAGMENT 8

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

Ministers · Should preach: With faithfulness — Should preach: With faithfulness
Prophets · The watchmen of Israel — The watchmen of Israel
Punishment Of The Wicked, The · On account of their: Iniquity — On account of their: Iniquity
Reproof · Ministers are sent to give — Ministers are sent to give
Watchfulness · God especially requires in ministers — God especially requires in ministers
Watchmen · Illustrative: Of ministers — Illustrative: Of ministers

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).

Ezekiel 3:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 3:16-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 3:17

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 3:17

John Gill on Ezekiel 3:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ezekiel 3:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 3:16-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 3:17

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 3:17

John Gill on Ezekiel 3:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ezekiel 3:16-17

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezekiel 3:1–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezekiel 3:16-19

Rashi on Ezekiel 3:17