Ezekiel 12:2
in Ezekiel 12“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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of the rebellious house, that have eyes to see, and see not, that have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house.
KJV
Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
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This verse in Ezekiel 12
Commentary
9 notes on this verse(Chapter 12, Verses 1 et seq.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house: they have eyes to see, and do not see: and ears to hear, and do not hear: because they are a rebellious house. Because we translate it as: You dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, the LXX (Septuagint) has put: You dwell in the midst of their iniquities. But from what follows, Because they are a rebellious house, we understand that the preceding sentence also agrees with this verse.
This site's exposition
the word of the LORD came to me
on Ezekiel 12:1-2
The word of the Lord opens a new section. Ezekiel lives “in a rebellious house,” a people who “have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear.” Words have failed this house, so the Lord next gives an acted sign.
This site's exposition
They have eyes to see but do not see
The LORD calls the exiles a rebellious house with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear. Adam Clarke places the fault in their will: they have eyes and refuse to use them. So the signs that follow are acted out before their eyes.
The record, by era
The Reformation2 voices
When, therefore, unbelievers pretend that they have not been illuminated by the Lord, it may be conceded to them that they are blind and deaf: but we must often proceed beyond this, since their own obstinacy is the fountain of their blindness and deafness: and God blinds them, because they will not admit the light offered them, but stop their ears.
Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house,....
Note, Those are to be reckoned rebellious that shut their eyes against the divine light and stop their ears to the divine law. The ignorance of those that are wilfully ignorant, that have faculties and means and will not use them, is so far from being their excuse that it adds rebellion to their sin.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Which have eyes to see, and see not - It is not want of grace that brings them to destruction. They have eyes to see, but they will not use them. No man is lost because he had not sufficient grace to save him, but because he abused that grace.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Compare Deu 1:26; margin reference; Rom 10:21. The repetition of such words from age to age, shows that the prophet’s words are intended to reach beyond the generation in which he lived.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And the word of nevuah from before Hashem was with me, saying:
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. 3 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
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֶּן־ | ben- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֕ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| בְּת֥וֹךְ | betokh | in [the] midst of | H8432 → | 418 times |
| בֵּית־ | beit- | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הַמֶּ֖רִי | hameri | <the> rebellion | H4805 → | 23 times |
| אַתָּ֣ה | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| יֹשֵׁ֑ב | yoshev | [are] dwelling | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עֵינַיִם֩ | ʾeinayim | eyes | H5869 → | 887 times |
| לָהֶ֨ם | lahem | [belong] to them | ||
| לִרְא֜וֹת | lirot | to see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| רָא֗וּ | rau | they see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אָזְנַ֨יִם | ʾazenayim | ears | H241 → | 187 times |
| לָהֶ֤ם | lahem | [belong] to them | ||
| לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ | lishmoa' | to hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמֵ֔עוּ | shameu | they hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [are] a house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| מְרִ֖י | meri | rebellion | H4805 → | 23 times |
| הֵֽם׃ | hem | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
בֶּן־O son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֕םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
בְּת֥וֹךְin [the] midst of
betokhH8432 →418 times
בֵּית־[the] house of
beit-H1004 →2046 times
הַמֶּ֖רִי<the> rebellion
hameriH4805 →23 times
אַתָּ֣הyou
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
יֹשֵׁ֑ב[are] dwelling
yoshevH3427 →1079 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhom
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עֵינַיִם֩eyes
ʾeinayimH5869 →887 times
לָהֶ֨ם[belong] to them
lahem
לִרְא֜וֹתto see
lirotH7200 →1300 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
רָא֗וּthey see
rauH7200 →1300 times
אָזְנַ֨יִםears
ʾazenayimH241 →187 times
לָהֶ֤ם[belong] to them
lahem
לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙to hear
lishmoa'H8085 →1159 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמֵ֔עוּthey hear
shameuH8085 →1159 times
כִּ֛יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
בֵּ֥ית[are] a house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
מְרִ֖יrebellion
meriH4805 →23 times
הֵֽם׃they
hemH1992 →553 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
Mark 4:12so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
it leads to
- Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 44:18
They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.
- Matthew 13:14–15
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
- Jeremiah 5:21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
- Deuteronomy 29:4
Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
- Isaiah 6:9–10
Through
Jeremiah 5:21“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
it leads to
- Acts 28:26
‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
- Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
- John 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
- Acts 28:26
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 Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.