Calling of the Prophet for the Future - Ezekiel 33:1-20

The prophet's office of watchman. Ezekiel 33:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ezekiel 33:2. Son of man, speak to the sons of thy people, and say to them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their company and set him for a watchman, Ezekiel 33:3. And he seeth the sword come upon the land, and bloweth the trumpet, and warneth the people; Ezekiel 33:4. If, then, one should hear the blast of the trumpet and not take warning, so that the sword should come and take him away, his blood would come upon his own head. Ezekiel 33:5. He heard the blast of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood will come upon him: whereas, if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul. Ezekiel 33:6. But if the watchman seeth the sword come, and bloweth not the trumpet, and the people is not warned; and the sword should come and take away a soul from them, he is taken away through his guilt; but his blood will I demand from the watchman's hand. Ezekiel 33:7. Thou, then, son of man, I have set thee for the watchman to the house of Israel; thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and warn them for me. Ezekiel 33:8. If I say to the sinner, Sinner, thou wilt die the death; and thou speakest not to warn the sinner from his way, he, the sinner, will die for his iniquity, and his blood I will demand from thy hand. Ezekiel 33:9. But if thou hast warned the sinner from his way, to turn from it, and he does not turn from his way, he will die for his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. - Ezekiel 33:7-9, with the exception of slight deviations which have little influence upon the sense, are repeated verbatim from Ezekiel 3:17-19. The repetition of the duty binding upon the prophet, and of the responsibility connected therewith, is introduced, however, in Ezekiel 33:2-6, by an example taken from life, and made so plain that every one who heard the words must see that Ezekiel was obliged to call the attention of the people to the judgment awaiting them, and to warn them of the threatening danger, and that this obligation rested upon him still. In this respect the expansion, which is wanting in Ezekiel 3, serves to connect the following prophecies of Ezekiel with the threats of judgment contained in the first part. The meaning of it is the following: As it is the duty of the appointed watchman of a land to announce to the people the approach of the enemy, and if he fail to do this he is deserving of death; so Ezekiel also, as the watchman of Israel appointed by God, not only is bound to warn the people of the approaching judgment, in order to fulfil his duty, but has already warned them of it, so that whoever has not taken warning has been overtaken by the sword because of his sin. As, then, Ezekiel has only discharged his duty and obligation by so doing, so has he the same duty still further to perform. - In Ezekiel 33:2 ארץ is placed at the head in an absolute form; and 'כּי אביא וגו, "if I bring the sword upon a land," is to be understood with this restriction: "so that the enemy is on the way and an attack may be expected" (Hitzig). מקציהם, from the end of the people of the land, i.e., one taken from the whole body of the people, as in Genesis 47:2 (see the comm. on Genesis 19:4). Blowing the trumpet is a signal of alarm on the approach of an enemy (compare Amos 3:6; Jeremiah 4:5). נזהר in Ezekiel 33:5 is a participle; on the other hand, both before and afterwards it is a perfect, pointed with Kametz on account of the tone. For Ezekiel 33:7-9, see the exposition of Ezekiel 3:17-19.

Ezekiel 34:5 Parallel Commentaries

they were

Ezekiel 34:6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill: yes, my flock was scattered on all the face of the earth...

Ezekiel 33:21,28 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month...

1 Kings 22:17,17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master...

2 Chronicles 18:16 Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master...

Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore thus said the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; You have scattered my flock, and driven them away...

Jeremiah 50:6,17 My people has been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains...

Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, said the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd...

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad...

because there is no shepherd. or, without a shepherd, as so ver

Ezekiel 34:8 As I live, said the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field...

.

Zechariah 10:2,3 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain...

and they became

Ezekiel 34:8 As I live, said the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field...

Isaiah 56:9 All you beasts of the field, come to devour, yes, all you beasts in the forest.

Jeremiah 12:9-12 My heritage is to me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come you, assemble all the beasts of the field...

John 10:2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Acts 20:29-31 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock...