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Commentary on Ezekiel 2 verses 6–10
The prophet, having received his commission, here receives a charge with it. It is a post of honour to which he is advanced, but withal it is a post of service and work, and it is here required of him,
I. That he be bold. He must act in the discharge of this trust with an undaunted courage and resolution, and not be either driven off from his work or made to drive on heavily, by the difficulties and oppositions that he would be likely to meet with in it: Son of man, be not afraid of them, Eze 2:6. Note, Those that will do any thing to purpose in the service of God must not be afraid of the face of man; for the fear of men will bring a snare, which will be very entangling to us in the work of God. 1. God tells the prophet what was the character of those to whom he sent him, as before, Eze 2:3, Eze 2:4. They are briers and thorns, scratching, and tearing, and vexing a man, which way soever he turns. They are continually teazing God's prophets and entangling them in their talk (Mat 22:15); 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 7:4. 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. Note, Wicked men, especially the persecutors of God's prophets and people, are as briers and thorns, which are hurtful to the ground, choke the good seed, hinder God's husbandry, are vexatious to his husbandmen; but they are nigh unto cursing and their end is to be burned. Yet God makes use of them sometimes for the correction and instruction of his people, as Gideon taught the men of Succoth with thorns and briers, Jdg 8:16. Yet this is not the worst of their character: they are scorpions, venomous and malignant. The sting of a scorpion is a thousand times more hurtful than the scratch of a brier. persecutors are a generation of vipers, are of the serpent's seed, and the poison of asps is under their tongue; and they are more subtle than any beast of the field. And, which makes the prophet's case the more grievous, he dwells among these scorpions; they are continually about him, so that he cannot be safe nor quiet in his own house; these bad men are his bad neighbours, who thereby have many opportunities, and will let slip none, to do him a mischief. God takes notice of this to the prophet, as Christ to the angel of one of the churches, Rev 2:13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is. Ezekiel had been, in vision, conversing with angels, but when he comes down from this mount he finds he dwells with scorpions. 2. He tells him what would be their conduct towards him, that they would do what they could to frighten him with their looks and their words; they would hector him and threaten him, would look scornfully and spitefully at him, and do their utmost to face him down and put him our of countenance, that they might drive him off from being a prophet, or at least from telling them of their faults and threatening them with the judgments of God; or, if they could not prevail in this, that they might vex and perplex him, and disturb the repose of his mind. They were now themselves in subjection, divested of all power, so that they had no other way of persecuting the prophet than with their looks and their words; and so they did persecute him. Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest, Jer 3:5. If they had had more power, they would have done more mischief. They were now in captivity, smarting for their rebellion, and particularly their misusing God's prophets; and yet they are as bad as ever. Though thou brag a fool in a mortar, yet will not his foolishness depart from him; no providences will of themselves humble and reform men, unless the grace of God work with them. But, how malicious soever they were, Ezekiel must not be afraid of them nor dismayed, he must not be deterred from his work, or any part of it, nor be disheartened or dispirited in it by all their menaces, but go on in it with resolution and cheerfulness, assuring himself of safety under the divine protection.
II. It is required that he be faithful, Eze 2:7. 1. he must be faithful to Christ who sent him: Thou shalt speak my words unto them. Note, As it is the honour of prophets that they are entrusted to speak God's words, so it is their duty to cleave closely to them and to speak nothing but what is agreeable to the words of God. Ministers must always speak according to that rule. 2. He must be faithful to the souls of those to whom he was sent: Whether they will hear of whether they will forbear, he must deliver his message to them as he received it. He must bring them to comply with the word, and not study to accommodate the word to their humours. "It is true they are most rebellious, they are rebellion itself; but, however, speak my words to them, whether they are pleasing or unpleasing." Note, The untractableness and unprofitableness of people under the word are no good reason why ministers should leave off preaching to them; nor must we decline an opportunity by which good may be done, though we have a great deal of reason to think no good will be done.
III. It is required that he be observant of his instructions.
1.Here is a general intimation what the instructions were that were given him, in the contents of the book which was spread before him, Eze 2:10. (1.) His instructions were large; for the roll was written within and without, on the inside and on the outside of the roll. It was as a sheet of paper written on all the four sides. One side contained their sins; the other side contained the judgments of God coming upon them for those sins. Note, God has a great deal to say to his people when they have degenerated and become rebellious. (2.) His instructions were melancholy. He was sent on a sad errand; the matter contained in the book was, lamentations, and mourning, and woe. The idea of his message is taken from the impression it would make upon the minds of those that carefully attended to it; it would set them a weeping and crying out, Woe! and, Alas! Both the discoveries of sin and the denunciations of wrath would be matter of lamentation. What could be more lamentable, more mournful, more woeful, than to see a holy happy people sunk into such a state of sin and misery as it appears by the prophecy of this book the Jews were at this time? Ezekiel echoes to Jeremiah's lamentations. Note, Though God is rich in mercy, yet impenitent sinners will find there are even among his words lamentations and woe.
2.Here is an express charge given to the prophet to observe his instructions, both in receiving his message and delivering it. he is now to receive it and is here commanded, (1.) To attend diligently to it: son of man, hear what I say unto thee, Eze 2:8. Note, Those that speak from God to others must be sure to hear from God themselves and be obedient to his voice: "Be not thou rebellious; do not refuse to go on this errand, or to deliver it; do not fly off, as Jonah did, for fear of disobliging thy countrymen. They are a rebellious house, among whom thou livest; but be not thou like them, do not comply with them in any thing that is evil." If ministers, who are reprovers by office, connive at sin and indulge sinners, either show them not their wickedness or show them not the fatal consequences of it, for fear of displeasing them and getting their ill-will, they hereby make themselves partakers of their guilt and are rebellious like them. If people will not do their duty in reforming, yet let ministers do theirs in reproving, and they will have the comfort of it in the reflection, whatever the success be, as that prophet had, Isa 50:5. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious. Even the best of men, when their lot is cast in bad times and places, have need to be cautioned against the worst of crimes. (2.) To digest it in his own mind by an experience of the favour and power of it: "Do not only hear what I say unto thee, but open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee. Prepare to eat it and eat it willingly and with an appetite." All God's children are content to be at their heavenly father's finding, and to eat whatever he gives them. That which God's hand reached out to Ezekiel was a roll of a book, or the volume of a book, a book or scroll of paper or parchment fully written and rolled up. Divine revelation comes to us from the hand of Christ; he gave it to the prophets, Rev 1:1. When we look at the roll of thy book we must have an eye to the hand by which it is sent to us. He that brought it to the prophet spread it before him, that he might now swallow it with an implicit faith, but might fully understand the contents of it, and then receive it and make it his own. Be not rebellious, says Christ, but eat what I give thee. If we receive not what Christ in his ordinances and providences allots for us, if we submit not to his word and rod, and reconcile not ourselves to both, we shall be accounted rebellious.
I take it to be similar in the case of the book mentioned by Ezekiel, in which had been written lamentation, mourning and woe. The whole book contains the “woe” of those perishing, and the “mourning” of those being saved and the “lamentation” of those in between. John, too, who eats one roll on which there is writing on the back and the front, considered the whole Scripture as one book, which is thought to be sweet at the start, when one chews it, but bitter in the perception of each of those who come to know it.
But if you still cling in mind to the present age, if you still delight in earthly pleasures, you cannot love the eternal joys you hear about. Therefore learn the woe that is written in this volume, and drive from your soul through fear what you love, so that from the judgment you may be able to love the song you read. For there under the figure of one condemned the whole multitude of the reprobate is represented, when it is said by the voice of Truth: "Binding his feet and hands, cast him into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." For then the reprobate fall into outer darkness, because now they cast themselves down into inner darkness of their own will, so that they would follow the light of truth neither by believing nor by doing good. Bound in feet and hands they are commanded to be cast out, because now while it is the time for working and running, they refused to have free hands and feet for good action. There the woe of the reprobate is written: "Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched." There it is said to the damned and rejected: "Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels."
In this volume, therefore, all things that edify, all things that instruct, are contained in writing. For you have sinned, and now you repent of having committed unlawful deeds—that you may be taught to do penance, there you find lamentations. You desire to refresh your mind with hope of heavenly joys—there you find a song for your consolation. But if you have both committed evils and do not repent of having committed them, but raise the neck of your mind, bow down to no lamentations of penance, and are corrected by no expectation of heavenly joys, whether you will or not, you shall hear the woe written there, so that he whom neither fear humbles to repentance nor hope exalts to heavenly rewards may now foresee the punishment of his damnation and fall into eternal torment without excuse.
"And there were written in it lamentations, a song, and woe." There is no doubt that "song" (carmen) is sometimes used in a good sense and sometimes in a bad sense, because we can speak of both a joyful song and a mournful song. But following the usage of Sacred Scripture, which almost always uses "song" in connection with prosperity, we take "song" in this passage as said in a good sense. For when almighty God had delivered His people from the Red Sea, it is written: "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang a song to the Lord." And when David had achieved victory over his enemies, it is written: "David spoke to the Lord the words of this song." Solomon also says: "Like vinegar on soda is one who sings songs to a wicked heart." For if vinegar is poured on soda, the soda immediately fizzes and bubbles up. And when a perverse mind is rebuked through correction, or is urged toward good through the sweetness of preaching, it becomes worse from the correction; and it is inflamed thereby into the wickedness of murmuring, when it ought to have been restrained from wickedness. Through Elihu also it is said concerning the ungrateful man who despairs of himself: "And he did not say, 'Where is He who made me, who gives songs in the night?'" For a song in the night is joy in tribulation. We receive a song in the night when amid present afflictions we are consoled by future joys. The Apostle was showing us a song in the night when he said: "Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation." David indicates that he has a song in the night, saying: "You are my refuge from the distress that surrounds me; my exultation, deliver me from those surrounding me." For he who recounts that he is surrounded by distresses, and yet declares that God is his exultation, without doubt sings a song in the night. Therefore, since Sacred Scripture has almost always been accustomed to use "song" in a good sense, it ought to be understood by us in this passage in the same way.
Lamentations, that is, because repentance for sins is written in it. Song, because there the joys of the righteous are foretold. Woe, because there the damnation of the reprobate is expressed. Therefore, that you may punish your sins, read the lamentations written in this volume: "Rend your hearts, and not your garments." And again: "Be miserable and mourn; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to sorrow." But that you may rejoice in the promise of following joy, learn the songs of eternal praise written in this volume: "Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord, they shall praise you forever and ever." And as it is said by a certain wise man concerning the heavenly Jerusalem: "And all its streets shall be paved with precious and pure stone, and through all its lanes alleluia shall be sung." The citizens of the heavenly homeland had come to announce this song to us, who cried out in harmony: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."
But "woe" in Sacred Scripture is more often understood of eternal grief than of present grief. Whence it is written: "Woe to the wicked unto evil; for the retribution of his hands shall be made to him." And blessed Job speaks, saying: "If I be wicked, woe unto me; but if I be just, I shall not lift up my head, being filled with affliction and misery." For the affliction of the just is temporal. Therefore the woe which he spoke he distinguished from temporal affliction, since he declared that the just man has affliction, and the wicked man has woe. Truth also says through herself: "Woe to the world because of scandals," and, "Woe to you who laugh, for you shall weep." And, "Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days." Therefore we must consider how these three things are written in the sacred volume: lamentations, song, and woe.
What then, brothers, what must we wretched ones do, except that we awaken to the words of this book and punish with tears the evils we remember having committed, so that through the laments of repentance we may arrive at the song of life? Lest, if we are unwilling to be afflicted now by repenting, we feel woe afterward without end. Nor should the multitude of our wounds cast us down into despair, because the power of the physician is greater than the magnitude of our weakness. For what is there that he cannot restore to health, who was able to create all things from nothing? For he is the Only-begotten, coeternal with the almighty Father, who lives and reigns with him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God through all ages of ages. Amen.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 2:10 presents the prophet Ezekiel with a divinely commissioned scroll, inscribed on both sides with a message of profound sorrow and impending judgment. This scroll serves as a tangible representation of the comprehensive and unyielding nature of God's word to a persistently rebellious Israel, signaling that Ezekiel's prophetic ministry would primarily involve delivering pronouncements of inevitable disaster, deep lamentation, and divine woe in response to the nation's pervasive sin and unfaithfulness.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 2:10 is exceptionally rich in Symbolism. The scroll itself serves as a potent symbol of God's authoritative word, His divine decree, and the specific mandate given to the prophet. Its unique physical property—being inscribed "within and without"—symbolizes the Completeness and Sufficiency of God's judgment, indicating that the divine message is exhaustive, leaving no aspect of Israel's sin unaddressed and no room for alternative outcomes. The explicit content of the scroll—"lamentations, and mourning, and woe"—functions as a powerful Metonymy or Synecdoche, where these expressions of intense grief stand in for the severe judgment and widespread suffering that will inevitably cause such lamentation. This also acts as potent Foreshadowing, immediately establishing the somber and challenging tone for Ezekiel's difficult ministry and the grim prophecies he is about to deliver concerning Jerusalem's imminent destruction and the exiles' prolonged suffering. Furthermore, the use of a Tricolon ("lamentations, and mourning, and woe") emphasizes the intensity, multifaceted nature, and comprehensive scope of the impending sorrow, creating a rhythmic and impactful declaration of divine judgment and doom.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 2:10 powerfully articulates the unwavering severity of God's righteous judgment against persistent sin and rebellion. It underscores that while God is indeed merciful, patient, and long-suffering, His justice is ultimately unyielding, and His declared word is certain to be fulfilled. The scroll's comprehensive message of "lamentations, mourning, and woe" reveals that God's assessment of human unfaithfulness is meticulously thorough and leaves no aspect unexamined, demanding full accountability from His covenant people. This passage profoundly reminds us that true prophecy, and indeed the entirety of God's word, is not always designed to be comforting; it frequently contains stern warnings, calls to repentance, and pronouncements of consequences, all designed to awaken a people to the profound gravity of their spiritual condition and the inevitable repercussions of defying their Creator. It serves as a stark and necessary reminder that the covenant relationship demands unwavering faithfulness, and persistent disobedience carries a heavy, inescapable price.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 2:10 serves as a profound and challenging reminder that God's word, while eternally a source of comfort, hope, and life, also carries the weighty truth of His righteous judgment and the stark reality of sin's inevitable consequences. For believers today, this verse compels us to confront the gravity of our own sin and the potential for divine discipline when we persist in rebellion or indifference towards God's holy commands. It calls us to adopt a posture of deep humility and earnest responsiveness, urging us to listen not only to the comforting promises of grace but also to the convicting and often uncomfortable truths found within Scripture. Just as Ezekiel was commissioned to deliver a difficult and unwelcome message to a rebellious people, we, as followers of Christ, are called to embody and articulate the fullness of God's truth, which encompasses both His boundless grace and His unwavering justice. This passage compels us to diligently examine our lives for any areas of unrepentance, to heed divine warnings with seriousness, and to grasp that God's thorough assessment of our lives leaves nothing unexamined or overlooked. Ultimately, it encourages us to live in faithful and obedient submission to God, recognizing the comprehensive and holy nature of His character and His word.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was the scroll written "within and without" (on both sides)?
Answer: The detail that the scroll was inscribed on both sides is highly unusual and deeply symbolic within the context of ancient Near Eastern writing practices. Traditionally, scrolls were written only on the inside surface. This unique feature signifies the overwhelming and comprehensive nature of the message it contained. It implies that the content—specifically "lamentations, and mourning, and woe"—was so vast, complete, and urgent that it filled every available space on the scroll, leaving no room for anything else. Theologically, this emphasizes the full extent of Israel's pervasive sin and the exhaustive, inescapable, and all-encompassing character of God's judgment against it. It suggests that every aspect of their rebellion and unfaithfulness had been meticulously accounted for, and God's righteous response would be thorough and unyielding, leaving no part of their disobedience unaddressed. It powerfully underscores the gravity, totality, and finality of the divine decree being delivered through Ezekiel.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Ezekiel's scroll was grimly filled with "lamentations, and mourning, and woe" for a rebellious Israel, foreshadowing the severe judgment they were to face, the ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment reveals how Jesus Himself bore the full weight of humanity's "woe." The curses and judgments pronounced against sin, symbolically represented by the scroll's grim contents, were perfectly absorbed and eternally satisfied in Christ's atoning work on the cross. He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, enduring the ultimate lamentation, suffering, and divine wrath on behalf of humanity, precisely as prophesied by the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. Through His perfect sacrifice, the "woe" that was justly due to us was laid upon Him, transforming the message of despair and condemnation into one of profound hope, reconciliation, and eternal life for all who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, while the scroll in Ezekiel spoke of impending doom and judgment, Christ's coming ushered in the glorious good news of salvation, offering freedom from the condemnation that sin inevitably brings (Romans 8:1). He is the living Word, who not only perfectly reveals God's truth but also perfectly fulfills the righteous demands of God's law and justice, thereby turning our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11) for all who embrace His redemptive work.