Ezekiel 2:3
in Ezekiel 2“Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day.
KJV
And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
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This verse in Ezekiel 2
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Verse 3.) I send you to the children of Israel, to the apostate nations, who have turned away from me. They and their fathers have violated my covenant until this day. They are no longer called the people of God Israel, but rather the apostate nations, those who have turned away from the Lord, not only the fathers, but also the sons. It is not that the sons are guilty because of the sins of their fathers, but rather that the wickedness of both fathers and sons is equal.
This site's exposition
a rebellious nation that has rebelled
on Ezekiel 2:3-5
The Lord names the audience before the message: “a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me,” and “they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.” No hearing is promised, only this outcome: “whether they listen or refuse to listen,” “they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistHomilies on Ezekiel, Book 1, Homily 9 · Written before 604.
proposed
"I send you to the sons of Israel, to apostate nations, who have departed from me." It should be noted that it is said: "I send you to the sons of Israel, to apostate nations, who have departed from me." For just as one departs from God in two ways, so in two ways men become apostates from God. For everyone departs from his Creator either by faith or by works. Therefore, just as one who departs from the faith is an apostate, so one who returns to the perverse work which he had abandoned is without any doubt reckoned an apostate from Almighty God, even if he seems to hold the faith. For one without the other avails nothing, because neither does faith help without works, nor works without faith, unless perhaps they are done for the sake of receiving faith; just as Cornelius deserved to be heard for his good works before he became a believer. From this it is gathered that he was doing good works for the sake of receiving faith. For when the angel says to him: "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial in the sight of God," and immediately on account of that same ascent he is instructed to send for Simon, who should come and preach to him, it is clear that he sought that for which he deserved to be heard.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
15 ); they are pricking briers and grieving thorns. The best of them is as a brier, and the most upright sharper than a thorn-hedge, Mic. vii. Thorns and briers are the fruit of sin and the curse, and of equal date with the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
And he said unto me, son of man,....
He was now to be employed as a prophet, God's ambassador, and a ruler over the kingdoms ( Jer. i. 10 ), a post of great honour, but he must remember that he is a son of man, and, whatever good he did, it was not by any might of his own, for he was a son of man, but in the strength of divine grace, which must therefore have all the glory.
As the supports of life, so the means of grace, are continued to us after they have been a thousand times forfeited. The rebellion of the people to whom this ambassador is sent; he is sent to reduce them to their allegiance, to bring back the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Nation - literally, as in the margin - the word which usually distinguishes the pagan from God’s people. Here it expresses that Israel is cast off by God; and the plural is used to denote that the children of Israel are not even “one nation,” but scattered and disunited. Translate: “I send thee to the children of Israel, the rebellious nation that have rebelled against Me (they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even to this very day), and the children impudent and stiff-hearted: I do send thee unto them.”
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
nation--rather, "nations"; the word usually applied to the heathen or Gentiles; here to the Jews, as being altogether heathenized with idolatries. So in Isa 1:10, they are named "Sodom" and "Gomorrah." They were now become "Lo-ammi," not the people of God (Ho 1:9).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
Son of man - This appellative, so often mentioned in this book, seems to have been given first to this prophet; afterwards to Daniel; and after that to the Man Christ Jesus. Perhaps it was given to the two former to remind them of their frailty, and that they should not be exalted in their own minds by the extraordinary revelations granted to them; and that they should feel themselves of the same nature with those to whom they were sent; and, from the common principle of humanity, deeply interest themselves in the welfare of their unhappy countrymen. To the latter it might have been appropriated merely to show that though all his actions demonstrated him to be God, yet that he was also really Man; and that in the man Christ Jesus dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When the acts of Christ are considered, it is more easy to believe his eternal Godhead, than to be convinced that the person we hear speaking, and see working, is also a man like unto ourselves. I send thee to the children of Israel - To those who were now in captivity, in Chaldea particularly; and to the Jews in general, both far and near.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
what was being spoken to me Heb. מִדַבֵּר. What was being spoken with me.
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. 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
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלַ֗י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָם֙ | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| שׁוֹלֵ֨חַ | sholeach | [am] sending | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אֲנִ֤י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| אֽוֹתְךָ֙ | ʾotkha | <obj.> you | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| גּוֹיִ֥ם | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| הַמּוֹרְדִ֖ים | hamordim | <the> rebellious | H4775 → | 25 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מָרְדוּ־ | maredu- | they have rebelled | H4775 → | 25 times |
| בִ֑י | vi | against me | ||
| הֵ֤מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| וַאֲבוֹתָם֙ | vaavotam | and ancestors their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| פָּ֣שְׁעוּ | pasheu | they have transgressed | H6586 → | 41 times |
| בִ֔י | vi | against me | ||
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עֶ֖צֶם | ʾetzem | [the] substance of | H6106 → | 126 times |
| הַיּ֥וֹם | haiyom | the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֵלַ֗יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
בֶּן־O son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָם֙humankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
שׁוֹלֵ֨חַ[am] sending
sholeachH7971 →845 times
אֲנִ֤יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
אֽוֹתְךָ֙<obj.> you
ʾotkhaH853 →10935 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
גּוֹיִ֥םnations
goyimH1471 →561 times
הַמּוֹרְדִ֖ים<the> rebellious
hamordimH4775 →25 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מָרְדוּ־they have rebelled
maredu-H4775 →25 times
בִ֑יagainst me
vi
הֵ֤מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
וַאֲבוֹתָם֙and ancestors their
vaavotamH1 →1212 times
פָּ֣שְׁעוּthey have transgressed
pasheuH6586 →41 times
בִ֔יagainst me
vi
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
עֶ֖צֶם[the] substance of
ʾetzemH6106 →126 times
הַיּ֥וֹםthe day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 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
Deuteronomy 9:24You have been rebelling against the LORD since the day I came to know you.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:27
For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!
- Acts 7:51
You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
- Deuteronomy 9:6–7
Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
- Deuteronomy 31:27
Through
Jeremiah 3:25Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 22:21
I warned you when you were secure. You said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from youth, that you have not obeyed My voice.
- Proverbs 5:13
I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors.
- Jeremiah 2:26
As the thief is ashamed when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets
- Ezekiel 7:18
They will put on sackcloth, and terror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all their faces, and all their heads will be shaved.
- Lamentations 5:16
The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
- Jeremiah 22:21
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); Gregory the Dialogist, Homilies on Ezekiel, Book 1, Homily 9; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.