Ezekiel 3:26 kjv
And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3:26 nkjv
I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3:26 niv
I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.
Ezekiel 3:26 esv
And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3:26 nlt
And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels.
Ezekiel 3 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 4:11-12 | Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth... have not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” | God controls speech and enables it. |
| Deut 18:18-19 | I will raise up for them a prophet... I will put My words in his mouth... whoever will not listen to My words that he speaks in My name, I Myself will require it of him. | Prophetic speech empowered by God, demand for obedience. |
| Isa 6:5-7 | “Woe is me! For I am lost... Then one of the seraphim flew to me... he touched my mouth with it and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.'” | Prophet's lips purged, then enabled for divine speech. |
| Jer 1:9 | Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth." | God directly places words into a prophet's mouth. |
| Lam 2:9 | Her kings and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the Lord. | A form of divine silence or restraint of prophetic word. |
| Amos 8:11-12 | “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread... but of hearing the words of the Lord." | Divine judgment involves withdrawal of God's word. |
| Ezek 24:27 | In that day your mouth will be opened to him who escapes, and you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord. | Ezekiel's muteness is temporary and has a defined end and purpose. |
| Ezek 33:22 | The hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came, and He had opened my mouth when he came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute. | God’s direct action to open Ezekiel's mouth, ending his muteness. |
| Ps 39:9 | I was mute, I did not open my mouth, for it was You who did it. | Recognition of God's sovereignty over a state of muteness/silence. |
| Ps 51:15 | O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. | Plea for divine enablement to speak for God. |
| Prov 26:4 | Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. | Wisdom in knowing when to refrain from speech. |
| Isa 53:7 | He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. | Prophecy of Christ's silence before accusers. |
| Dan 10:15 | When he spoke to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. | Daniel rendered speechless in divine encounter. |
| Luke 1:20-22 | Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place... He made signs to them and remained mute. | Zechariah made mute as a sign due to unbelief, temporary. |
| Mark 1:26 | And the unclean spirit... came out of him with a loud cry. | Demon cast out leaving person mute and convulsing, showing demonic power over speech. |
| Matt 9:32-33 | And behold, a mute demon-oppressed man was brought to Him... And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. | Christ restores speech, contrasting God's silence on Ezekiel with healing. |
| Rom 10:14-17 | How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?... So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. | Highlights the necessity of spoken word for conviction and faith. Ezekiel's muteness removes this possibility. |
| 2 Tim 4:3-4 | For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions... | Rebellious hearers leading to suppression of truth. |
| Isa 30:8-10 | Go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people... who say to the seers, “Do not see visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions." | People actively suppressing true prophetic speech. |
| Ps 78:40-42 | How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness... They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel... They did not remember His power or the day when He redeemed them... | Description of Israel's persistent rebellion, validating God's reason for the muteness. |
Ezekiel 3 verses
Ezekiel 3 26 Meaning
Ezekiel 3:26 conveys a direct divine command and action: God informs Ezekiel that He will cause his tongue to stick to the roof of his mouth, rendering him unable to speak or to rebuke the rebellious house of Israel. This state of muteness served as a symbolic sign to the people, reflecting their obstinate refusal to hear God's word and, at the same time, was a divine discipline on the prophet, restricting his message to only when God explicitly commanded.
Ezekiel 3 26 Context
Ezekiel 3:26 is situated early in Ezekiel's prophetic ministry, specifically within his commission by God (Ezek 1-3) while in Babylonian exile. Having been appointed a "watchman" to Israel (Ezek 3:17), Ezekiel is charged with warning them of judgment. However, the preceding verses (Ezek 3:22-25) describe God isolating Ezekiel and binding him as a symbolic act. Verse 26, immediately following these instructions, deepens the prophet's isolated state by rendering him mute. This muteness is temporary, linked to God's purpose, and a response to the unresponsiveness of the exiled people whom God refers to as "a rebellious house" (Ezek 2:3, 3:9). Historically, Judah had rejected many previous prophetic warnings, leading to the first waves of exile. Ezekiel's muteness is therefore a poignant sign of judgment against an impenitent nation that had refused to listen to countless divine messages, illustrating the futility of persistent warning when ears are wilfully deaf.
Ezekiel 3 26 Word analysis
- "As for you" (וְאַתָּה, v'attah): This opening emphasizes the direct, personal address to Ezekiel, distinguishing him and highlighting his specific experience among others. It signifies God's direct dealing with His chosen prophet.
- "O son of man" (בֶּן־אָדָם, ben-adam): This is God's characteristic way of addressing Ezekiel throughout the book, appearing over 90 times. It contrasts the prophet's human frailty and mortality with God's divine power and omnipotence, emphasizing Ezekiel's dependence and serving as a reminder that the messages he delivers are not his own.
- "behold" (הִנֵּה, hinneh): An interjection used to draw attention to what follows, indicating an immediate, important, and often sudden divine declaration or action. It signifies certainty and gravity in God's impending deed.
- "I will make" (אֶתֵּן, etten, from נָתַן, natan - to give, put, place): This verb clearly asserts divine agency and absolute control. It implies that God is the sole executor of this action; Ezekiel's muteness is a direct act of God's will.
- "your tongue" (לְשֹׁונְךָ, l'shon'cha): The tongue is the primary organ of speech and a symbol of verbal communication and prophetic utterance. God is striking at the very instrument of the prophet's function.
- "stick to" (נִדְבְּקָה, nidb'qah, from דָּבַק, dabaq - to cleave, cling): This vivid verb describes a physical and debilitating adherence, rendering speech impossible. It denotes an absolute and unyielding attachment, preventing the normal function of the tongue. The physical sensation implied underscores the concrete nature of this divine action.
- "the roof of your mouth" (אֶל־חִכְּךָ, el-ḥikkecha): This specifies the exact anatomical location where the tongue's adherence renders speech impossible. It indicates a precise and direct incapacitation of the means of verbal communication.
- "so that you shall be mute" (וְנֶאֱלַמְתָּ, v'ne'elamtā, from אָלַם, alam - to be dumb, speechless): This verb is in the passive voice, directly attributing the state of muteness to a divine action. It signifies not merely a choice to remain silent, but an imposed inability to speak.
- "and unable to rebuke them" (וְלֹא־תִהְיֶה לָהֶם לְאִישׁ מֹוכִיחַ, v'lo tihyeh lahem l'ish mochiach - literally, "and you shall not be to them a man of reproof"): This phrase explicitly states the purpose and effect of Ezekiel's muteness. The Hebrew term mochiach implies not just a simple rebuke, but a person who argues, admonishes, or convicts. The people had refused correction, and now God would temporarily remove the voice of conviction.
- "for they are a rebellious house" (כִּי בֵּית־מֶרִי הֵם, ki beit-meri hem): This clause provides the divine justification for God's action. "Rebellious house" is a frequent epithet for Israel in Ezekiel, signifying their persistent and ingrained defiance against God's commands and messengers. It indicates that the muteness is not random, but a judicial response to their ongoing sin and unresponsiveness.
Ezekiel 3 26 Bonus section
The imposed muteness upon Ezekiel, lasting for an extended period, profoundly altered his mode of prophetic ministry. While silent, Ezekiel likely delivered symbolic actions (like his lying on his side or shaving his hair, Ezek 4-5) as his primary means of conveying divine messages, demonstrating that God has diverse ways to communicate beyond spoken words. This muteness also served as a powerful reminder to Ezekiel himself regarding his full dependence on God's will for every aspect of his calling, including when he spoke and when he remained silent. This period of muteness likely instilled patience and intensified his anticipation for God's clear directive to speak, illustrating how even prophetic "silence" can be a powerful divine communication.
Ezekiel 3 26 Commentary
Ezekiel 3:26 encapsulates God's absolute sovereignty over human faculties and His profound response to human rebellion. By making Ezekiel mute, God was not merely imposing a disability; He was orchestrating a powerful, living parable for the exiles. The muteness dramatically mirrored the people's spiritual deafness and their deliberate closing of ears to God's warnings. It was a sign that God had temporarily ceased active verbal pleading and correction through His prophet because the people had proved themselves utterly resistant. This act underscored the gravity of Israel's "rebellious house" status. The temporary nature of Ezekiel's muteness, ending when God later opens his mouth (Ezek 24:27, 33:22), emphasizes that God's silence is not a final abandonment but a specific part of His unfolding plan for judgment and ultimate restoration, demonstrating that prophetic speech is fully dependent on God's initiative and timing.