Ezekiel 3:21 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezekiel 3:21
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
to gleam · verb, hiphil perfect, 2nd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
righteous
צַדִּ֗יקtza.Dik
H6662
just · adjective, masculine singular absolute
righteous
צַדִּ֖יקtza.Dik
H6662
just · adjective, masculine singular absolute
sin
חֲטֹ֛אcha.To'
H2398
properly · verb, qal infinitive construct
sin
חָטָ֑אcha.Ta'
H2398
properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
surely
חָי֤וֹcha.Yo
H2421
to live · verb, qal infinitive absolute
live
יִֽחְיֶה֙yich.Yeh
H2421
to live · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
warned
נִזְהָ֔רniz.Har
H2094
to gleam · verb, niphal active participle, masculine singular absolute
delivered
הִצַּֽלְתָּhi.Tzal.ta
H5337
to snatch away · verb, hiphil perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
soul
נַפְשְׁךָ֥naf.she.Kha
H5315
properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 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
1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
1 Corinthians 4:14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
Titus 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins…
Psalms 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Ezekiel 3:19-20 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast deliv…
Acts 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
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…
righteous . . . turn from . . . righteousness--not one "righteous" as to the root and spirit of regeneration (Psa 89:33; Psa 138:8; Isa 26:12; Isa 27:3; Joh 10:28; Phi 1:6), but as to its outward appearance and performances. So the "righteous" (Pro 18:17; Mat 9:13). As in Eze 3:19 the minister is required to lead the wicked to good, so in Eze 3:20 he is to confirm the well-disposed in their duty.
commit iniquity--that is, give himself up wholly to it (Jo1 3:8-9), for even the best often fall, but not wilfully and habitually.
I lay a stumbling-block--not that God tempts to sin (Jam 1:13-14), but God gives men over to judicial blindness, and to their own corruptions (Psa 9:16-17; Psa 94:23…
When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness - Which these words plainly state he may do, and commit iniquity and die in his sin; and consequently die eternally, which is also here granted; if he have not been warned, though he die in his sin, the blood - the life and salvation, of this person also will God require at the watchman's hand. Pastor hunc occidit, quia eum tacendo morti tradidit. "This man the pastor kills; for in being silent, he delivers him over to death." - Gregory. From these passages we see that a righteous man may fall from grace, and perish everlastingly. Should it be said that it means the self-righteous, I reply, this is absurd; for self-righteousness is a fall…
The Church Fathers
If, therefore, the preacher freed his soul because he warned the just man not to sin, when the just man has fallen into sin while the preacher remained silent, the preacher is held guilty because he was silent. But who among us, I ask, is sufficient for these things, not only to zealously rebuke sinners, but also to watch over the just lest they fall? For we, conscious of our own weakness, when we behold just men, do not presume to admonish them to hold to the way of justice, which we see they already hold; and yet it is the duty of a preacher to admonish even the just. Hence the distinguished preacher said: I am a debtor both to the wise and to the unwise. But meanwhile, while I speak, I want to turn my eyes away from myself, and behold, again the divine word drives me back upon myself, that I may see my own negligence and fear that these things I hear are spoken to me. For as I said above, whose heart, scattered among innumerable cares, can gather itself back to itself? For when am I able both to attend carefully to all things around me and to behold myself with a unified mind? When am I able to correct the wickedness of the wicked by pursuing them, to guard the actions of the good by praising and admonishing them, to show terror to some and gentleness to others? When am I able both to think about what is necessary for the brothers and to bear anxiety for the watches of the city against hostile swords, to take care lest citizens perish from a sudden attack, and amid all these things to devote myself fully and effectively to the word of exhortation for the custody of souls? For to speak about God belongs to a mind that is very quiet and free. For then the tongue is rightly directed in speech when the mind has rested securely in tranquility, because agitated water does not return the image of one looking into it, but the face of one gazing is seen in it only when it is not moving. What exhortation, then, dearest brothers, can your watchman offer you, whom the confusion of so many things disturbs? Certainly the prophet of whom we speak, seeing the temple in his final revelation, narrates among other things what he beheld in that same temple, saying: "Earth up to the windows, and the windows were closed." The apostle Paul also says: "For the temple of God is holy, which you are." Now in this temple the windows are the priests and watchmen, who pour forth the…
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
Prophets · Were required: To be vigilant and faithful — Were required: To be vigilant and faithful
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).
Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man,.... Every righteous man, that is so in a judgment of charity, whether truly righteous or not, which the event shows; who should be warned not to trust in their own righteousness, but to depend on the righteousness of Christ; that they be careful to maintain good works, to avoid sin, and live holy lives and conversations, as follows:
that the righteous sin not; not that there is any just man that does good, and sins not; the best of men are often sinning in thought, word, or deed; but he is to be warned that he does not continue in sin, and lead a sinful coups of life; which is contrary to his character, and to his faith in Christ for righteousne…
Ezekiel 3:21
21. Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
21. Et tu si ipsum admonueris nempe justum ne peccet justus, et ipse non peccaverit, vivendo vivet, quia admonitus fuit: tu vero animam tuam liberasti.
We saw in our last lecture that the office of pastors is twofold, that they collect the dispersed sheep, and retain within the fold those whom they had gathered together. For as man's nature is inclined to many failures, it often happens that those who have been gathered into God's sheepfold are dispersed hither and thither, through their own infirmit…
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…
The prophet spoke to two classes of people, the righteous and the wicked. Ezekiel was to express his message indiscriminately, for both the righteous and the wicked would be judged on the basis of their response to his words (cp. Matt 13:3-9, 18-23). Those who heeded him would receive life; those who rejected his message would receive death, even if they had previously been righteous. Faith in the Lord’s word through his prophet was the sole criterion that divided those who would live from those who would die.
Rashi on Ezekiel 3:20
I shall place a stumbling block before him When he does his deeds in secret and displays himself as a righteous man, I place an overt sin before him in order to reveal his deeds, and when I bring evil upon him, they will not question Me.
and his righteous deeds...will not be remembered Our Rabbis explained this as referring to one who regrets his first oneshe regrets the first righteous deeds that he performed.
