Ezekiel 33:3-7 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

The prophet had been, by express order from God, taken off from prophesying to the Jews, just then when the news came that Jerusalem was invested, and close siege laid to it, Ezek. 24:27. But now that Jerusalem is taken, two years after, he is appointed again to direct his speech to them; and there his commission is renewed. If God had abandoned them quite, he would not have sent prophets to them; nor, if he had not had mercy in store for them, would he have shown them such things as these. In... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:3

If what he seeth the sword come upon the land ,.... Or those that kill with the sword, as the Targum; as soon as he observes a body of armed men, more or less, marching towards the borders of the land with a manifest intention to enter and invade it: he blow the trumpet, and warn the people ; warn the people by blowing the trumpet, the signal agreed on; by which they would understand that an enemy was at hand, or danger near; or warn them by word of mouth, as well as by the trumpet,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:4

Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh no warning ,.... Does not mind the notice given him; is incredulous of the danger he is in, or negligent of providing for his safety; fancies it is an alarm, and nothing else; and imagines there is no real danger, or what is a mere trifle; or, that the enemy is at a great distance, and it is time enough to provide for his defence: if the sword come and take him away ; those that kill with the sword, as the Targum, come suddenly... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:5

He heard the sound of the trumpet ,.... The alarm of the enemy being at hand, and so was inexcusable: and took not warning ; which that gave him: his blood shall be upon him ; the fault shall be imputed to himself, and not another; and he must bear it himself, and answer for it, and not the watchman: but he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul ; who, hearing the sound of the trumpet, prepares for his own defence, and provides for his safety, he shall save his life, and not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:6

But if the watchman see the sword come ,.... Or those that kill with the sword, as the Targum is; so far doing the duty of his office as to be in the watchtower, and not asleep: and yet blow not the trumpet : to give the people notice of the enemy, and of their danger: and the people be not warned ; but in the utmost security, not apprehending themselves to be in any danger at all: if the sword come and take any person from among them ; even though but a single person: he is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:7

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 Ezekiel 3:17 ; see Gill on Ezekiel 3:17 . The Targum is, "I have appointed thee a teacher;' a spiritual watchman; so pastors, teachers, ministers of the Gospel, are watchmen, 2 Timothy 4:5 , therefore thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me . The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

The watchman. Ezekiel here returns to an idea which he has expressed earlier ( Ezekiel 3:17 ). He stands as a watchman for his people. Every Christian preacher and teacher is in a similar position. The same may be said of every Christian man and woman who knows the peril of sin and has an opportunity of warning the ignorant and. careless. I. THE DUTIES OF THE WATCHMAN . 1. To watch . In order to serve his people he must first of all see for himself. We can only... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

The watchman's office. All the resources of God's ingenuity are employed to find argument and appeal for man's slumbering conscience. The incidents of ordinary life are carved into channels for the conveyance of Divine messages. No man shall say that the message was above his comprehension. For even a child can understand if it is willing. Lessons concerning the heavenly life meet the eye of the observer all the day long. As prudent men act to conserve their bodily life, so God acts in our... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

Ministerial and individual responsibility. The supposition in the text is that it is a time of war and consequently of danger; that therefore the people choose one that lives near the boundary of the kingdom or the province, and appoint him as a watchman, to give the signal at the first approach of the enemy. It is not pressing the figurative very far to say that all the life of man below is a time of spiritual conflict; we are all engaged in a long, a lifelong campaign. The enemy whom we... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:6-9

But if the watchman : etc. The words imply what we might almost call the agony of self-accusation. The prophet asks himself whether he has acted on the warning which was borne in on his mind at the very beginning of his mission. Has he sounded the trumpet? Has he warned the people of the destruction that is coming on them? The outward imagery vanishes in Ezekiel 33:7 . It is of no Chaldean invader that the prophet had to give personal and direct warning, but of each man's own special sin... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 33:7

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 33:6-9

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