The Meaning of Ezekiel 3:17 Explained

Ezekiel 3:17

KJV: 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.

YLT: that there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 'Son of man, a watchman I have given thee to the house of Israel, and thou hast heard from My mouth a word, and hast warned them from Me.

Darby: Son of man, I have appointed thee a watchman unto the house of Israel, and thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and give them warning from me.

ASV: 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.

Discover Ezekiel 3:17

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ezekiel 3:17?

MEANING: What does Ezekiel 3:17 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ezekiel 3:17 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ezekiel 3:17?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 3:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh told Ezekiel that He had appointed him to a ministry that was similar to that of a watchman who stood sentry and watched for any threat to his city (cf. 2 Samuel 18:24-27; 2 Kings 9:17-20; Jeremiah 6:17). Whenever Ezekiel received a word from the Lord he was to pass it along to the Israelites (cf. Isaiah 56:10; Jeremiah 6:17; Hosea 9:8).

Context Summary

Ezekiel 3:12-27 - The Watchman's Responsibility
He was bitter because of his message, but hot because God's fire was burning within him. It is a blessed thing for preacher, leader, or Christian worker, when the hand of God is strong upon the soul. But whatever your inward condition, you will never be able to do your best work, unless you can sit where the people sit. In other words you must take their attitude, know by experience their circumstances, and share their lot. We must live very near to God, or we shall never hear the word of His mouth. There is no other way of obtaining messages that will effect His purpose. Ponder again Ezekiel 3:17. In Ezekiel 3:20 God is said to lay a stumbling-block only in the sense that He has constituted the world in that way. When the prophet went forth into the plain God revealed Himself. Whether He bids us go to the plain, or shut ourselves in the house, the place of obedience and duty will ever be the right one for the manifestation of His glory and the communication of His message. The secret of a successful ministry is to be absolutely yielded in thought and in speech to God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 3

1  Ezekiel eats the scroll
4  God encourages him
15  God shows him the rule of prophecy
22  God shuts and opens the prophet's mouth

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 3:17 mean?

Son of man a watchman I have made you for the house of Israel therefore hear from My mouth a word and give warning them from Me
בֶּן־ אָדָ֕ם צֹפֶ֥ה נְתַתִּ֖יךָ לְבֵ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֤ מִפִּי֙ דָּבָ֔ר וְהִזְהַרְתָּ֥ אוֹתָ֖ם מִמֶּֽנִּי

בֶּן־  Son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָ֕ם  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
צֹפֶ֥ה  a  watchman 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: צָפָה  
Sense: to look out or about, spy, keep watch, observe, watch.
נְתַתִּ֖יךָ  I  have  made  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לְבֵ֣ית  for  the  house 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֤  therefore  hear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
מִפִּי֙  from  My  mouth 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
דָּבָ֔ר  a  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
וְהִזְהַרְתָּ֥  and  give  warning 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: זָהַר 
Sense: to admonish, warn, teach, shine, send out light, be light, be shining.
מִמֶּֽנִּי  from  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.

What are the major concepts related to Ezekiel 3:17?

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