The Meaning of Ezekiel 33:22 Explained

Ezekiel 33:22

KJV: Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

YLT: And the hand of Jehovah hath been unto me in the evening, before the coming in of the escaped one, and He openeth my mouth till the coming in unto me in the morning, and opened is my mouth, and I have not been silent again.

Darby: Now the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening, before he that had escaped came; and he had opened my mouth against his coming to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

ASV: Now the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening, before he that was escaped came; and he had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now the hand  of the LORD  was upon me in the evening,  afore  he that was escaped  came;  and had opened  my mouth,  until he came  to me in the morning;  and my mouth  was opened,  and I was no more dumb. 

What does Ezekiel 33:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord had spoken to Ezekiel the evening before the refugees arrived and gave him permission to speak to the people when they heard the announcement of Jerusalem"s fall. This broke the silence that God had imposed on him (cf. Ezekiel 3:26-27; Ezekiel 24:27).
"He was now able to converse with people and have a "pastoral" ministry among them apart from his prophetic preaching. For about seven and a half years, Ezekiel had been under this constraint, but now he was free to speak." [1]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 33

1  According to the duty of a watchman in warning the people
7  Ezekiel is admonished of his duty
10  God shows the justice of his ways toward the penitent and toward revolters
17  He maintains his justice
21  Upon the news of the taking of Jerusalem
25  he prophecies the desolation of the land
30  God's judgment upon the mockers of the prophets

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 33:22 mean?

And the hand of Yahweh had been upon me the evening before came the [man] who had escaped and He had opened - my mouth so when he came to me in the morning and was opened my mouth and no I was mute longer -
וְיַד־ יְהוָה֩ הָיְתָ֨ה אֵלַ֜י בָּעֶ֗רֶב לִפְנֵי֙ בּ֣וֹא הַפָּלִ֔יט וַיִּפְתַּ֣ח אֶת־ פִּ֔י עַד־ בּ֥וֹא אֵלַ֖י בַּבֹּ֑קֶר וַיִּפָּ֣תַח פִּ֔י וְלֹ֥א נֶאֱלַ֖מְתִּי עֽוֹד פ

וְיַד־  And  the  hand 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יְהוָה֩  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הָיְתָ֨ה  had  been 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אֵלַ֜י  upon  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בָּעֶ֗רֶב  the  evening 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֶרֶב  
Sense: evening, night, sunset.
לִפְנֵי֙  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בּ֣וֹא  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַפָּלִ֔יט  the  [man]  who  had  escaped 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פָּלִיט 
Sense: refugee, fugitive, escaped one.
וַיִּפְתַּ֣ח  and  He  had  opened 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פִּ֔י  my  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
עַד־  so  when 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
בּ֥וֹא  he  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלַ֖י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בַּבֹּ֑קֶר  in  the  morning 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
וַיִּפָּ֣תַח  and  was  opened 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
פִּ֔י  my  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
וְלֹ֥א  and  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
נֶאֱלַ֖מְתִּי  I  was  mute 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: אָלַם 
Sense: to bind.
עֽוֹד  longer 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation