Ezekiel 33:7
in Ezekiel 33As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
KJV
So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
8 notes on this verseHowever, we can discuss this passage in three ways: as the land that appoints a watchman for itself, either according to the literal sense, that is, the land of Judea, or according to the spiritual interpretation, the Church, which often chooses a watchman for the last things of its people, namely the one whom the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, takes as a judge (1 Corinthians 15), or certainly the soul of the believer, which sets its mind and reason above the people and crowd of its thoughts, so that it does not accept all the incentives of thoughts, but judges and discerns what should be followed by itself and what should be avoided.
This site's exposition
I have made you a watchman
on Ezekiel 33:7-9
The general law becomes personal, “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel”, the charge first given at 3:17. If Ezekiel stays silent, “I will hold you accountable for his blood”. Keil marks the charge as repeated at the hinge of the book.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Chapter XXXIII, Verse 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of your people and say to them: When I bring a sword upon a land and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
In all this he thought of himself as a watchman set by the Lord over the house of Israel; he preached the word in season and out of season, convincing, exhorting, rebuking and teaching with unfailing patience and taking special care to teach in turn …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
So thou, O son of man,.... Here begins the application of the parable to the prophet himself, describing his office and his duty: I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; which is repeated from Eze 3:17; see Gill on Eze 3:17. The Targum is, "I have appointed thee a teacher;'' a spiritual watchman; so pastors, teachers, ministers of the Gospel, are watchmen, 2Ti 4:5, therefore thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me. The Targum is, "thou shalt receive the word from my Word, and warn them from sinning before me.''
The substance of this we had before, ch. iii. He must let them know upon what terms they stand with God, that they are upon their trial, upon their good behaviour, that if a wicked man repent he shall not perish, but that if a righteous man apostatize he shall perish,
He is a watchman to the house of Israel. He had occasionally given warning to the nations about, but to the house of Israel he was a watchman by office, for they were the children of the prophets and the covenant They did not set him for a watchman, as the people of the land,
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
I have set thee a watchman--application of the image. Ezekiel's appointment to be a watchman spiritually is far more solemn, as it is derived from God, not from the people.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֔ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| צֹפֶ֥ה | tzopeh | a watchman | H6822 → | 36 times |
| נְתַתִּ֖יךָ | netatikha | I have appointed you | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | for [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֤ | veshama'ta | and you will hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| מִפִּי֙ | mipi | from mouth my | H6310 → | 498 times |
| דָּבָ֔ר | davar | a word | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| וְהִזְהַרְתָּ֥ | vehizharta | and you will warn | H2094 → | 22 times |
| אֹתָ֖ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ | mimeni | from me | H4480 → | 1188 times |
וְאַתָּ֣הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
בֶן־O son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֔םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
צֹפֶ֥הa watchman
tzopehH6822 →36 times
נְתַתִּ֖יךָI have appointed you
netatikhaH5414 →2011 times
לְבֵ֣יתfor [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֤and you will hear
veshama'taH8085 →1159 times
מִפִּי֙from mouth my
mipiH6310 →498 times
דָּבָ֔רa word
davarH1697 →1440 times
וְהִזְהַרְתָּ֥and you will warn
vehizhartaH2094 →22 times
אֹתָ֖ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
מִמֶּֽנִּי׃from me
mimeniH4480 →1188 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
Hebrews 13:17Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for…
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13
But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction.
- 1 Timothy 5:17
Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
- Hebrews 13:7
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
- 1 Peter 5:5
Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13
Through
Acts 5:20“Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
it leads to
- John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
- John 6:68
Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
- 1 John 5:11–12
And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
- John 6:63
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel and Possidius, LIFE OF AUGUSTINE 19:5-6.