Ezekiel 20 49

Ezekiel 20:49 kjv

Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

Ezekiel 20:49 nkjv

Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, 'Does he not speak parables?' "

Ezekiel 20:49 niv

Then I said, "Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, 'Isn't he just telling parables?'?"

Ezekiel 20:49 esv

Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! They are saying of me, 'Is he not a maker of parables?'"

Ezekiel 20:49 nlt

Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, 'He only talks in riddles!'"

Ezekiel 20 verses

Ezekiel 20 49 Meaning

Ezekiel 20:49 records the prophet Ezekiel's distressed complaint to the Lord regarding the dismissive reaction of the people to his prophetic message. Instead of heeding his words as divine warning, they scornfully brand him as merely a "teller of parables," implying that his prophecies are nothing more than complex riddles, obscure stories, or clever allegories that lack immediate, literal significance or urgent application to their lives. This spiritual deafness and resistance prevented them from recognizing God's imminent judgment and call to repentance.

Ezekiel 20 49 Context

Ezekiel 20:49 immediately follows a pronouncement of judgment against the "Forest of the Field" (Eze 20:45-48), an allegory representing Judah. In this passage, God declares that He will set fire to the forest, and "every green tree and every dry tree" will be consumed, signifying total destruction from the Negev (south). This cryptic, symbolic language of a fiery judgment upon trees (people) naturally elicits confusion or dismissal from the hearers. The verse is part of Ezekiel chapter 20, which is a lengthy historical indictment of Israel's persistent idolatry and rebellion from their time in Egypt through the wilderness, into the promised land, and leading up to their current Babylonian exile. Despite God's unwavering faithfulness and numerous warnings through His prophets, Israel repeatedly rejected His statutes. The people, hoping for immediate return and a softer message, are presented with a severe account of their sin and impending divine wrath. Their accusation that Ezekiel is a "teller of parables" demonstrates their hardened hearts and refusal to acknowledge the grave reality of God's word spoken through His prophet, seeking to reduce profound spiritual truths to mere entertaining fables.

Ezekiel 20 49 Word analysis

• Then I said: Indicates Ezekiel's direct, personal response, reflecting his immediate anguish or burden after delivering the prophetic message.
• Ah (Hebrew: ’ahah): An interjection expressing lament, sorrow, complaint, or desperate appeal. It conveys Ezekiel's deep distress over the people's reaction, a feeling often shared by prophets whose divine messages are rejected.
• Lord GOD (Hebrew: Adonai Yahweh): This specific combination of titles is an emphatic appeal to God's supreme authority and covenant faithfulness. Adonai (Master/Sovereign) highlights divine ownership and rule, while Yahweh (the LORD, God's personal covenant name) emphasizes His unchanging character and relationship with Israel. Ezekiel addresses God with ultimate respect and trust in his lament.
• They are saying of me: Directly points to the active, dismissive speech of the surrounding Israelites, highlighting their collective rejection and mockery of the prophet.
• 'Is he not a teller of parables?' (Hebrew: hǎ-lo’ mǒšēl məšālîm):
  • 'Is he not...?' (hǎ-lo’): This interrogative particle, when combined with a negative, expects an affirmative answer. Thus, it essentially means, "He is indeed..." or "Of course he is...". It’s a sarcastic rhetorical question.
  • teller of parables (mǒšēl məšālîm):
    • mǒšēl: Participle from the verb mashal (מָשַׁל), meaning "to rule, to liken, to speak a proverb." Here, it means "one who speaks proverbs/parables."
    • məšālîm: Plural noun, mashal (מָשָׁל), refers to a proverb, riddle, parable, allegory, dark saying, taunt, or figure of speech. It suggests words that are indirect, illustrative, or difficult to understand on the surface.
    • Words-group by words-group analysis: The phrase "teller of parables" reflects the people's attempt to delegitimize Ezekiel's divine communication. They imply his words are human wisdom or clever rhetoric, meant for entertainment or intellectual exercise, not for urgent moral challenge or divine instruction. This attitude is born from a desire to avoid the demanding and often unpleasant truth of God's judgment and call to repentance, reducing profound divine revelation to mere enigmatic stories, which removes the personal obligation to respond.

Ezekiel 20 49 Bonus section

• The people's response highlights the recurring theme in Scripture where God's prophets are often ridiculed, ignored, or even persecuted (e.g., Jer 20:7-8). This rejection signifies their rejection of God Himself (1 Sam 8:7).
• The "fire from the south" (Negev) imagery likely evoked the Babylonian invasion, which primarily came from the north-east but encompassed regions that would lead to destruction across the entire land, including the southern parts. The image of the "forest" (the nation of Judah) being consumed suggests a comprehensive judgment affecting all its inhabitants, whether "green" (seemingly righteous) or "dry" (clearly sinful).
• This verse provides a crucial insight into the nature of prophecy. While some prophetic words were clear, others, like parables, required spiritual discernment and a receptive heart to grasp their full impact and divine authority (Matt 13:10-15). The people of Judah clearly lacked this receptivity.

Ezekiel 20 49 Commentary

Ezekiel's cry in 20:49 encapsulates the profound burden and frustration of a prophet whose divine message is actively resisted and dismissed by his audience. The people's accusation of him being a "teller of parables" is not an innocent misunderstanding but a cynical rejection. They understood enough of his "Forest of the Field" allegory (Eze 20:45-48) to find it unpalatable, and rather than grapple with its severe implications, they reduced it to mere abstract story-telling. This indicates a deeply ingrained spiritual dullness and unwillingness to submit to God's word, seeking comfort over truth. For Ezekiel, it means his efforts to convey God's direct, life-or-death warnings are rendered ineffective by their spiritual deafess, pushing him to cry out to the Lord himself in despair. It's a timeless human tendency to rationalize away divine commands or warnings that threaten one's comfort zone, preferring to view them as figures of speech or irrelevant abstractions rather than a direct, transformative call from God.