Ezekiel 3:17

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 3:16-21

These further instructions God gave to the prophet at the end of seven days, that is, on the seventh day after the vision he had; and it is very probably that both that and this were on the sabbath day, which the house of Israel, even in their captivity, observed as well as they could in those circumstances. We do not find that their conquerors and oppressors tied them to any constant service, as their Egyptian task-masters had formerly done, but that they might observe the sabbath-rest for a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 3:17

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel ,.... Not in a civil sense, a watchman of a town or city, or of the whole country, but in an ecclesiastical sense. So the Targum renders it by מליף , "a teacher"; whose business it was to instruct the people in divine things, to warn them of their evil ways, and of the danger they exposed them to; such were the prophets of old, and such are the ministers of the New Testament: the office is the same with that of bishops or... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 3:17

I have made thee a watchman - The care and welfare of all this people I have laid on thee. Thou must watch for their safety, preach for their edification, and pray for their eternal welfare. And that thou mayest be successful, receive the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. God is particularly jealous lest any words but his own be taught for Divine doctrines. He will not have human creeds, no more than Traditions, taught instead of his own word. No word can be successful in the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 3:17

Verse 17 What Ezekiel heard belongs to all teachers of the Church, namely, that they are Divinely appointed and placed as on watch-towers, that they may keep watch for the common safety of all. It was the duty of those who have been appointed from the beginning ministers of the heavenly doctrine to be watchmen. And would that in the Papacy, as this name has been imposed on idols, dumb and blind and deaf, those who with swelling cheeks call themselves Bishops, had been admonished of their... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 3:15-21

Responsibility. It is a serious thing to be responsible for our own conduct; it is (if possible) yet more serious to have responsibility for others. The two things are inseparably intertwined. I. RESPONSIBILITY SPRINGS FROM NATURAL RELATIONSHIP . Relationships are of all kinds—near and remote. No man is completely detached from others. His life penetrates other lives. A father is responsible for his children. Brothers are responsible for sisters, and vice versa, it was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 3:16-21

The prophet a watchman. "And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel," etc. Let us notice— I. THE CHARACTER IN WHICH THE PROPHET OF THE LORD IS HERE REPRESENTED . "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel." 1 . The appointment of a watchman implies the peril of the Church. Watchmen in ancient times were posted on the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 3:17

A watchman unto the house of Israel . The seven days' session of amazement came to an end, but even then there was at first no utterance of a message. The word of the Lord came to his own soul, and told him what his special vocation as a prophet was to be. He was to be a "watchman unto the house of Israel." He was, like the watchman of a city on his tower, to be on the look out to warn men against coming dangers, not to slumber on his post. In 2 Samuel 18:24-27 and 2 Kings 9:17-20 we... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 3:17

The watchman. (See on Ezekiel 33:1-9 .) read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 3:17-19

The watchman's office. Every servant of God conceives his service in his own manner, under the special light of his own experience and character. Ezekiel evidently felt the peculiar solemnity of his position among the children of the Captivity, and evidently was consumed by a desire to discharge his difficult and painful duty with fidelity and efficiency. Hence his habit of regarding himself, as indeed the Divine Spirit prompted him to do, as a watchman set to admonish and protect the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 3:17-21

Varieties of judgment. The duties and responsibilities of the prophet as a watchman, which are here first described, receive more elaborate attention later in the book, where therefore they can be best studied. The other side of the subject—that which concerns the guilt and dangers of the people, which is also set forth in the passage before us—is worthy of grave consideration on its own account. Let us take that alone now. I. JUDGMENT IS DETERMINED BY PERSONAL GUILT . God... read more

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