Ezekiel 2:6 - Exposition

Though briers and thorns be with thee. The two Hebrew nouns are not found elsewhere, and have consequently puzzled translators. The LXX . gives two verbs, παροιστρήσπυσιν καὶ ἐπισυστήσονται ἐπὶ σὲ ; the Vulgate, increduli et subversores. The words, however, are formed from roots that imply "pricking" or "burning," and the Authorized Version rendering, followed by the Revised Version, is tenable enough. A cognate form of the first is found in Ezekiel 28:24 , and there the LXX . gives σκόλοψ , and the Vulgate, spina. A like figurative use of "scorpions" is found in 1 Kings 12:11 and Ecclesiasticus 26:7 (compare also our Lord's words in Luke 10:19 ). Be not afraid Compare the like command in Jeremiah 1:17 . The words imply, probably, a past as well as a future experience. Ezekiel had already known what it was to dwell among those whose hearts were venomous as scorpions. The comparison was a sufficiently familiar one among both Eastern and Greek writers.