Ezekiel 2:5
in Ezekiel 2And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
KJV
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
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This verse in Ezekiel 2
Commentary
4 notes on this verse(Verse 5.) And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: If perhaps they will listen, and if perhaps they will be quiet, for the house is provoking, and they will know that there was a prophet among them. Something similar is written in Jeremiah: If perhaps they will listen and do penance. (Jer. XXVI, 3). And in the Gospel: Perhaps they will fear my son. (Matth. XXI, 37).
This site's exposition
a rebellious nation that hath rebelled
on Ezekiel 2:3-5
The commission names the audience before it names the message: a rebellious nation that has rebelled, whose fathers rebelled before them, so the prophet is sent into a pattern generations deep rather than a single generation's fault. Wesley notes the double naming of rebellion in one verse is deliberate emphasis, not repetition for its own sake. The Lord does not promise Ezekiel a hearing, only a hearing of the word; whether they hear or forbear, they will at least know that a prophet has been among them, success measured by faithful delivery rather than by response.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,.... Or "cease" (y); that is, from hearing, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; or from sinning, as the Targum.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
A rebellious house - A phrase employed continually by Ezekiel in bitter irony, in the place of house of Israel, as much as to say, “House no longer of Israel, but of rebellion.” Compare Isa 30:9.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And they whether they listen or whether they forbear from listening.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And the sons Since He says, “their fathers rebelled against Me,” and these sons of theirs are brazen- faced.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהֵ֙מָּה֙ | vehemah | and they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | whether | H518 → | 1069 times |
| יִשְׁמְע֣וּ | yishmeu | they will listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and or | H518 → | 1069 times |
| יֶחְדָּ֔לוּ | yechdalu | they will refrain | H2308 → | 58 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [are] a house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| מְרִ֖י | meri | rebellion | H4805 → | 23 times |
| הֵ֑מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| וְיָ֣דְע֔וּ | veyadeu | and they will know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָבִ֖יא | navi' | a prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| הָיָ֥ה | hayah | he has been | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְתוֹכָֽם׃ פ | vetokham | in midst of them | H8432 → | 418 times |
וְהֵ֙מָּה֙and they
vehemahH1992 →553 times
אִם־whether
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
יִשְׁמְע֣וּthey will listen
yishmeuH8085 →1159 times
וְאִם־and or
veim-H518 →1069 times
יֶחְדָּ֔לוּthey will refrain
yechdaluH2308 →58 times
כִּ֛יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
בֵּ֥ית[are] a house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
מְרִ֖יrebellion
meriH4805 →23 times
הֵ֑מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
וְיָ֣דְע֔וּand they will know
veyadeuH3045 →945 times
כִּ֥יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
נָבִ֖יאa prophet
navi'H5030 →314 times
הָיָ֥הhe has been
hayahH1961 →3559 times
בְתוֹכָֽם׃ פin midst of them
vetokhamH8432 →418 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 15:22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
it leads to
- John 9:41
“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
- James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
- Acts 17:30
Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
- Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
- John 12:48
There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
- John 9:41
Through
Ezekiel 3:27But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 12:2–3
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
- Ezekiel 24:27
On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that…
- Ezekiel 12:2–3
Through
Ezekiel 33:33So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 28:9
As for the prophet who prophesies peace, only if the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the LORD has truly sent.”
- Jeremiah 28:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.
