to send away · verb, qal passive participle, masculine singular absolute
people
עַ֨ם'am
H5971
a people (as a congregated unit) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
strange
עִמְקֵ֥י'im.Kei
H6012
deep (literally or figuratively) · adjective, masculine plural construct
speech
שָׂפָ֛הsa.Fah
H8193
the lip (as a natural boundary) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
hard
וְכִבְדֵ֥יve.khiv.Dei
H3515
heavy · conjunction + adjective, masculine plural construct
language
לָשׁ֖וֹןla.Shon
H3956
the tongue (of man or animals) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
house
בֵּ֖יתbeit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵֽלYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
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
Jonah 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Isaiah 33:19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not unders…
Psalms 81:5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
Isaiah 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Ezekiel 3:6 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…
Jonah 3:2-4 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Acts 26:17-18 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
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…
See Margin, Hebrew, "deep of lip, and heavy of tongue," that is, men speaking an obscure and unintelligible tongue. Even they would have listened to the prophet; but the Jews, though addressed in their own tongue, will not hear him.
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 3:5
Thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech - I neither send thee to thy adversaries, the Chaldeans, nor to the Medes and Persians, their enemies. Even these would more likely have hearkened unto thee than thy own countrymen.
John Gill on Ezekiel 3:5
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech,.... "Deep of lip" (g), or "speech"; difficult to be got at and understood:
and of a hard language: or "heavy of tongue" (h) of a barbarous and unknown language, whom he could not understand, nor they him; and so would have been barbarians to one another; and consequently it could not be thought his prophesying among them, could have been of any use. This may be considered, either by way of encouragement to the prophet to go on his errand to such a people; since as he could understand them, and they him he might hope to meet with success; or, however he could deliver his message so as to be understood: or as an aggravation of the impiety…
The Church Fathers
(V. 5) And he said to me: Son of man, go and enter (in Vulg. there is no 'and enter') the house of Israel, and speak my words to them. It is said to him: Go and enter the house of Israel, it is shown that he was not with the sinful people; although he seemed to dwell in the same place along the banks of the river Chebar. For it is written: And I was in the midst of the exile next to the river Chebar. Indeed, the prophet's conversation was separate, and he was offended by the sight of the wicked. Moses also did this (Exod. 33), setting up the tabernacle far away from the camp: and when he entered, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the entrance of the tabernacle.
"For you are not sent to a people of deep speech and unknown tongue, to the house of Israel; nor to many peoples of deep speech and unknown tongue whose words you cannot understand. And if you were sent to them, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to me." In the very beginning of the command by which the prophet is sent to preach, both the calling of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Israelites are clearly indicated. For when it is said: "You are not being sent to many peoples of deep speech and unknown tongue whose words you cannot understand," and immediately it is added: "And if you were sent to them, they would hear you," the obedience of the Gentiles is clearly declared, who would one day follow the voices of the preachers without delay.
(Verse 5, 6.) For you are not being sent to the people of deep and difficult (unknown in the Vulgate) language, to the house of Israel, nor to many people of unknown language, whose language you cannot understand. And if I were to send you to them, they would listen to you. Because they do not want to come to you, you go to them. For they do not have a need for a healthy doctor, but for ones who are sick (Luke 5:31 ). Nor can you say: I cannot speak to them, because they speak a different language, and we are barbarians to each other, and we cannot understand each other's speech. What shall I speak of one people? If I were to send you to different nations, nevertheless my authority and power would conquer all difficulty. And if only the time were approaching, when I am going to send my apostles to all nations, to give thanks for the languages, so that they may preach and bring the whole world under my yoke with one faith and that the diversity of languages may be subordinate to me; it would be easier for those who are deep and high in speech to hear, and they would have nothing of the levity of the Jews, but they enter with a slow and steady step, and although the languages are unknown, the faith is familiar. And it is followed by: And if I were to send you to them, they would listen to you. Finally, he sent and all believed at the same time. Hence Paul and Barnabas speak to the Jews: It was necessary for the word of God to be preached to you, but since you did not want to receive the message, behold, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). And concerning the centurion, it is said: I have not found such great faith in Israel (Matthew 8:10).
Dictionary and topics
Language · Of some nations difficult — Of some nations difficult
Rebellion Against God · Ministers: Sent to those guilty of — Ministers: Sent to those guilty of
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 3:4-7
4. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
4. Et dixit mihi, Fili hominis, vade (ingredere) ad domum Israel, et loquere ad eos in sermonibus reels.
5. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
5. Quia non ad populum profun-dos [67] labiis et gravem lingua, tu missus es ad domum (Israel scilicet.)
6. 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.
6. Non ad populos multos pro-fundos labio et graves lingua quos non intell…
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…
Ezekiel was sent to God’s people, the people of Israel, whom one would expect to be eager to listen to the Lord. However, it would have been easier for the prophet if he had been sent to people with strange and difficult speech who could not understand him. This hard-hearted community refused to obey the Lord.
Rashi on Ezekiel 3:5
of an unfathomable language Who have a deep language, which you do not understand.
to the house of Israel But to the house of Israel I send you, whose language is like your language.
