to open wide (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular
mouth
פִּ֑יPi
H6310
the mouth (as the means of blowing) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
eat
וַיַּ֣אֲכִלֵ֔נִיvai.Ya.'a.khi.Le.ni
H398
to eat (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix
roll
הַמְּגִלָּ֥הha.me.gi.Lah
H4039
a roll · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
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
Jeremiah 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Acts 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 3:1-15
These verses are fitly joined by some translators to the foregoing chapter, as being of a piece with it and a continuation of the same vision. The prophets received the word from God that they might deliver it to the people of God, furnished themselves that they might furnish them with the knowledge of the mind and will of God. Now here the prophet is taught,
I. How he must receive divine revelation himself, Eze 3:1. Christ (whom he saw upon the throne, Eze 1:26) said to him, "Son of man, eat this roll, admit this revelation into thy understanding, take it, take the meaning of it, understand it aright, admit it into thy heart, apply it, and be affected with it; imprint it in thy mind, rumina…
Eat this roll, and go speak - This must have passed in vision; but the meaning is plain. Receive my word - let it enter into thy Soul; digest it - let it be thy nourishment; and let it be thy meat and drink to do the will of thy Father who is in heaven.
John Gill on Ezekiel 3:2
So I opened my mouth,.... To take in the roll, and eat it; he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision; he did all that he could towards eating it, but was not sufficient of himself; and therefore it follows:
and he caused me to eat that roll; he, the Lord, put it into his mouth, caused him to eat it, and tilled him with it, according to his promise, Psalm 81:10. The efficacy and sufficiency to think of good things, to meditate upon them, receive and digest them, are of God; it is he that makes men prophets, and able ministers. The Targum is,
"and I inclined my soul, and he taught me (or made me wise "with") what was written in this roll.''
John Calvin on Ezekiel 3:1-2
Ezekiel 3:1-2
1. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
1. Et dixit mihi, Fili hominis, quod inveneris, comedendo comede, volumen hoc, et vade loquere ad domum Israel.
2. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
2. Et aperui os meum, et pavit me volumine isto.
When the Prophet is ordered to [6]eat whatever he receives, this ought not to be extended to everything which he meets with, but, whatever may be the taste of the book, he is forbidden to refuse it: for its bitterness might possibly cause him to reject the threats of God. Lastly, the quality of the book is noted, because it contained nothi…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 2.) And I opened my mouth, and he fed me with that scroll. And he said to me: Son of man. I, he said, opened my mouth, because I was told: Open your mouth, and eat. And, with my mouth open, the Lord bestowed food; so that the beginnings of the will are in us, and we attain the perfection of blessedness from the Lord. For it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of the merciful God (Rom. IX, 16). However, both to will and to run is of our own free will. For He opened, they translated it as 'opened,' so that God may be understood, because He Himself both opened the mouth of the prophet and fed him.
And it should be noted that the prophet adds, saying: "And I opened my mouth and he fed me with that scroll." Another Prophet testifies that the mouth is in the heart, saying: "Deceitful lips in the heart, and with the heart they have spoken evil." Therefore we open our mouth when we prepare our understanding for the comprehension of the sacred word. Thus at the voice of the Lord the prophet opens his mouth, because at the breath of the Lord's command the desires of our heart yearn eagerly, so that they may receive something from the food of life. But nevertheless this very receiving is not within our own powers, unless he himself feeds us who commanded that he be eaten. For he is fed who cannot eat by himself. And because our weakness is not sufficient for grasping heavenly words, he himself feeds us, who measures out for us the portion of grain in due time, so that in the sacred word, while today we understand what yesterday we did not know, tomorrow also we may comprehend what today we do not know, and may be nourished by daily sustenance through the grace of divine dispensation. For Almighty God extends his hand to the mouth of our heart, as it were, as many times as he opens our understanding and places the food of sacred speech into our senses. Therefore he feeds us with the scroll, when by dispensing he opens to us the meaning of Sacred Scripture, and fills our thoughts with its sweetness.
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
Book — This word has a comprehensive meaning in Scripture. In the Old Testament it is the rendering of the Hebrew word sepher, which properly means a “writing,” and then a “volume” (Ex. 17:14; Deut. 28:58;…
Roll — The common form of ancient books. The Hebrew word rendered “roll” or “volume” is meghillah, found in Ezra 6:2; Ps. 40:7; Jer. 36:2, 6, 23, 28, 29; Ezek. 2:9; 3:1-3; Zech. 5:1, 2. “Rolls” (Chald. pl.…
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).
After the Lord had pointed out to the prophet the difficulties of the call laid upon him, He prepared him for the performance of his office, by inspiring him with the divine word which he is to announce. - Eze 2:8. And thou, son of man, hear what I say to thee, Be not stiff-necked like the stiff-necked race; open thy mouth, and eat what I give unto thee. Eze 2:9. Then I saw, and, lo, a hand outstretched towards me; and, lo, in the same a roll of a book. Eze 2:10. And He spread it out before me; the same was written upon the front and back: and there were written upon it lamentations, and sighing, and woe. Eze 3:1. And He said to me: Son of man, what thou findest eat; eat the roll, and go and…
Although the scroll looked bitter, Ezekiel found it as sweet as honey when he ate it. Adam’s disobedience turned bitter, but Ezekiel’s obedience became pleasant and satisfying. Psalm 119:103 also describes God’s words as “sweeter than honey.”
