Ezekiel 3:2 kjv
So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
Ezekiel 3:2 nkjv
So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
Ezekiel 3:2 niv
So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Ezekiel 3:2 esv
So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat.
Ezekiel 3:2 nlt
So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll.
Ezekiel 3 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 15:16 | Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy… | Jeremiah internalizing God's word. |
| Rev 10:9-10 | Take the little scroll and eat it… It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but… | Eating a scroll, initial sweetness, later bitterness. |
| Psa 119:103 | How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! | God's word as a sweet and nourishing delight. |
| Isa 50:4 | He awakens my ear… to open my mouth; and He gives me a disciplined tongue. | God opening the mouth and empowering to speak. |
| Psa 81:10 | Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. | Invitation to receive from God. |
| Deut 8:3 | …man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from… | Dependence on God's word for life. |
| Job 23:12 | I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured… | Treasuring and internalizing God's words. |
| Psa 1:2 | but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates… | Meditation and absorption of God's word. |
| Jer 1:9 | Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said… | God commissioning and enabling the prophet. |
| 1 Cor 9:9-10 | You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. For our sakes… | The worker's right to eat from his labor; prophet feeding on the message. |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching… | The divine origin and benefit of God's word. |
| Heb 5:12-14 | …for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled… But solid food is for… | Progression in consuming God's word from milk to solid food. |
| John 6:35 | Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me…” | Christ as the living Word to be consumed. |
| Matt 4:4 | …Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from… | Echoes Deut 8:3, emphasizing reliance on God's word. |
| Rom 10:8 | But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your… | The indwelling and accessible nature of God's word. |
| Ez 2:9-10 | Then I saw, and behold, a hand was stretched out to me… And there was… | Direct preceding context, describing the scroll's contents. |
| Jer 6:10 | To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears… | Prophets challenged to speak a message the people reject. |
| Heb 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged… | The powerful, transformative nature of God's word. |
| Col 3:16 | Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing… | The imperative for believers to internalize God's word. |
| Acts 10:10-16 | …and he became hungry and desired something to eat… There he saw all kinds of animals… | Peter's vision involving symbolic food and divine instruction. |
| Isa 6:7 | he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity…” | God cleansing and equipping the prophet's mouth for speech. |
| Jer 1:6 | Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I…” | The prophet's initial hesitancy overcome by divine enabling. |
| Acts 1:8 | But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and… | Empowerment by the Holy Spirit to be God's witnesses. |
Ezekiel 3 verses
Ezekiel 3 2 Meaning
Ezekiel 3:2 describes the prophet Ezekiel's direct, personal reception of the divine message from God. Following God's command in the previous verse, Ezekiel demonstrates his readiness and obedience by opening his mouth. God then actively gives him "the scroll"—a written document of divine revelation, particularly one filled with lamentations, mournful melodies, and woe, as described in the preceding verses—for him to "eat." This act of consumption symbolizes the profound internalizing and assimilation of God's word and message, making it an inherent part of the prophet's very being before he is commissioned to declare it.
Ezekiel 3 2 Context
Ezekiel 3:2 is situated within the narrative of Ezekiel's prophetic call and commission by the Lord. This vision takes place among the exiles by the Chebar Canal in Babylon, circa 593 BC. Having just seen the awesome glory of God (Ezekiel 1), and already received his charge to go and speak to the "house of Israel," whether they listen or not (Ezekiel 2:4-8), this specific verse focuses on the crucial moment of receiving the very content of that prophetic message. Chapter 2 concluded with the description of a scroll "written within and without; and there were written on it lamentations and mournful melodies and woe." Thus, the command to eat the scroll in Ezekiel 3:1-3, culminating in Ezekiel opening his mouth and receiving it, is a direct preparation for proclaiming this message of judgment and warning to a rebellious people.
Ezekiel 3 2 Word analysis
- Then (וָאֶפְתַּח - wa'ef•takh): Indicates a sequential action, an immediate response of Ezekiel to God's preceding command ("eat this scroll" - Ez 3:1). It highlights the prophet's ready obedience.
- I opened (וָאֶפְתַּח - wa'ef•takh): This Hebrew verb suggests an intentional and responsive act. Ezekiel's mouth was not forced open; he willingly opened it in submission to God's instruction. It implies an act of receptivity and availability for divine impartation.
- my mouth (פִּי - pi): The physical orifice through which one speaks and consumes. Symbolically, it signifies the organ through which God's word would later be proclaimed, and here, the point of intake. This action prepares Ezekiel to be a vessel for God's words.
- and He gave (וַיַּאֲכִילֵנִי - vay•a•'a•khi•le•ni): The divine agent, God, is the active subject. This underscores that the scroll, and thus the message, originates entirely from God. It's an act of divine impartation and empowerment. God is filling His prepared vessel.
- me (לִי - li/ suffixed in the verb): Denotes Ezekiel as the recipient. The personal pronoun emphasizes the direct and intimate nature of this commission. It's a specific, individual call and equipping.
- the scroll (אֶת־הַמְּגִלָּה - et-ha'me•gil•lah): The definite article "the" indicates a specific scroll—the one previously shown and described in Ezekiel 2:9-10, filled with "lamentations, mournful melodies, and woe." It represents the entirety of God's revealed message for Israel at that time. A written document signifies a fixed, authoritative word.
- to eat (לֶאֱכֹל - le'e•khol): This is a metaphorical action. It means more than physical ingestion. It signifies to internalize, digest, absorb, and fully assimilate the message. The prophet is to embody the word of God, making it an integral part of his being before he delivers it. This ensures the message comes from within, not merely as an external recitation. This action foreshadows the taste described in the following verse (sweet as honey) but also carries the implicit weight of the scroll's contents (lamentations).
Words-group analysis:
- "Then I opened my mouth, and He gave me...": This sequence illustrates divine initiative meeting human receptivity and obedience. Ezekiel's readiness allows for God's active impartation. It shows the synergistic dynamic in prophetic commissioning: the prophet submits, and God supplies.
- "the scroll to eat": This phrase emphasizes the depth of the prophetic internalization. It's not about merely reading or understanding intellectually, but making the divine message part of one's spiritual being. It signifies complete absorption, ensuring the prophet truly possesses the word before he publicly declares it. This complete intake implies that the prophet must genuinely grasp and internalize the burden and truth of the message, however bitter its ultimate proclamation might be.
Ezekiel 3 2 Bonus section
The symbolic act of "eating" a scroll (or book in Revelation 10) for internalizing God's word finds parallels in ancient Near Eastern traditions and even everyday human experience. Just as physical food nourishes the body, the word of God, when spiritually "eaten," nourishes the spirit and becomes an intrinsic part of one's identity. This concept establishes that God's truth is not merely for intellectual study but for complete personal appropriation. Furthermore, this intimate process served as God's method of ensuring Ezekiel was fully equipped for a unique ministry that would be exceptionally difficult, setting him apart as a mouthpiece wholly consumed by the divine word. The act itself carries significant weight, visually representing the sacred and unique nature of a prophet's calling—to become literally embodied by God's truth.
Ezekiel 3 2 Commentary
Ezekiel 3:2 vividly depicts the profound intimacy and total surrender required for prophetic ministry. The simple act of "opening the mouth" signifies Ezekiel's obedience and readiness to receive whatever God intended to give. God's immediate response of giving him "the scroll to eat" underscores the absolute necessity for a prophet to internalize the divine message. This wasn't merely a mental exercise of comprehending words; it was a spiritual act of assimilation, making God's challenging message of judgment and woe an integral part of Ezekiel's being. By eating the scroll, Ezekiel would personally experience its divine essence—initially sweet (as later revealed in verse 3, due to its divine origin and wisdom), but carrying the profound, perhaps bitter, burden of its content (lamentations and woe) for a rebellious nation. This act established a personal connection between the prophet and the Word he was to proclaim, ensuring his ministry flowed from deep conviction, born of personal spiritual consumption, rather than detached recitation. It prepared him for the difficult task of speaking God's word even to an unresponsive people.