Ezekiel 3:3 kjv
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
Ezekiel 3:3 nkjv
And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
Ezekiel 3:3 niv
Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3:3 esv
And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it." Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
Ezekiel 3:3 nlt
"Fill your stomach with this," he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rev 10:9-10 | Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet… | Sweetness of divine word, bitterness of reception/content |
| Jer 15:16 | Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart… | Joy of internalizing God's word |
| Psa 119:103 | How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! | Sweetness of God's instruction |
| Eze 2:10 | …it was written on the front and on the back; and there were written on it lamentations and mourning and woe. | Content of the scroll (difficult message) |
| Deut 8:3 | …man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. | God's word as essential nourishment |
| Mt 4:4 | …Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. | Confirmation of God's word as spiritual food |
| Job 23:12 | I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. | Prioritizing God's word as essential |
| Isa 6:9-10 | And He said, "Go, and say to this people: 'Hear indeed, but do not understand…'" | Challenging prophetic commission |
| Jer 1:7-9 | …But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' for to all to whom I send you, you shall go…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." | Divine call and empowering the messenger |
| Psa 19:7-11 | The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul…More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. | God's law as perfect and delightful |
| Heb 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit… | The dynamic power of God's word |
| 1 Thes 2:13 | And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. | Receiving and acknowledging God's word |
| 2 Tim 3:16-17 | All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness… | Purpose and efficacy of Scripture |
| Jas 1:22 | But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | Acting upon the internalized word |
| Col 3:16 | Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another… | Abiding presence of Christ's word |
| Act 7:56 | …"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." | "Son of Man" as a significant title (later Messianic) |
| Eze 3:17 | "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me." | Ezekiel's watchman role; direct divine mandate |
| Eze 3:11 | "Go to the exiles, to the people of your own nation, and speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear or refuse to hear." | Command to deliver message regardless of reception |
| Jer 25:3-4 | "For twenty-three years…the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened." | Prophets persistently speaking God's word |
| Zec 1:1 | In the eighth month…the word of the LORD came to Zechariah… | The typical prophetic introduction |
| Num 11:4-9 | …the people wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat!"… But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all besides this manna to look at." | Manna as the bread from heaven, parallel to God's word |
| Lk 4:4 | And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" | Jesus emphasizing God's word's importance |
Ezekiel 3 verses
Ezekiel 3 3 Meaning
Ezekiel 3:3 reveals God's directive to Ezekiel to internalize the divine message thoroughly before proclaiming it to the people. The command "eat this scroll" symbolizes the complete assimilation of God's word into one's very being, making it part of one's essence. This act of consumption signifies accepting, absorbing, and personally experiencing the message, even if its content—full of lamentation, mourning, and woe (Eze 2:10)—is difficult. The subsequent instruction to "go, speak to the house of Israel" underscores that this profound internal assimilation is a prerequisite for faithful and effective prophetic declaration. It highlights the divine requirement for the messenger to be fully imbued with the message they are tasked to deliver.
Ezekiel 3 3 Context
Ezekiel chapter 3 continues the narrative of God's call and commissioning of Ezekiel, who is among the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Immediately preceding this verse, Ezekiel describes a scroll given to him by God, which was written on both sides with "lamentations and mourning and woe" (Eze 2:10). The immediate verses (Eze 3:1-2) describe God instructing Ezekiel to "eat this scroll" and fill his stomach with it, which Ezekiel promptly does. Ezekiel 3:3, therefore, confirms and clarifies the divine instruction, connecting the act of eating with the subsequent mandate to speak. The broader context of Ezekiel's prophecy is addressing a stubborn and rebellious house of Israel (Eze 2:3-8, 3:7), emphasizing their spiritual blindness and deafness in exile, necessitating a prophet who is wholly absorbed by God's message, even its harshness. This prophetic call establishes Ezekiel's role as God's messenger (the "watchman" described later in the chapter), commissioned to warn, confront, and potentially comfort his people.
Ezekiel 3 3 Word analysis
- Then He said to me: This phrase highlights divine initiative and direct communication. It is God Himself (Adonai YHVH, the Lord GOD) who issues the command, establishing the authority and necessity of Ezekiel's mission. This immediate, personal address underscores the weight of the instructions given to the prophet.
- 'Son of man,': (Hebrew:
Ben-Adam- בֶּן-אָדָם) This is God's characteristic address to Ezekiel throughout the book (93 times). It emphasizes Ezekiel's humanity and mortality in contrast to God's divine majesty. It reminds Ezekiel, and the reader, that a mere human is receiving and delivering this awesome, difficult, and authoritative word from the Almighty God, highlighting the divine power working through human frailty. - 'eat': (Hebrew:
Akal- אָכַל) The verb "eat" is literal but functions powerfully as a symbol. It means to fully consume, ingest, and absorb something. Here, it is not merely to read or understand intellectually, but to internalize the message so completely that it becomes a part of Ezekiel's very being, his inner substance, thoughts, and emotions. It implies a total assimilation. - 'this scroll,': (Hebrew:
Ha-Megillah Ha-Zot- הַמְּגִלָּה הַזֹּאת) Refers to the scroll previously described in Eze 2:9-10, filled with "lamentations, mourning, and woe." This signifies God's written revelation, the very words of prophecy regarding Israel's impending judgment and suffering. It is a concrete representation of the divine message Ezekiel is to assimilate. - 'and go,': (Hebrew:
Lek- לֵךְ) This imperative command denotes immediate action and a clear directive. It signifies the commencement of the mission, requiring obedience and a physical movement toward the assigned task. It bridges the internal assimilation with the external act of proclamation. - 'speak': (Hebrew:
Dabber- דַּבֵּר) This imperative means to declare, proclaim, or deliver a message verbally. It is the outward action that directly follows the internalizing process. It implies a clear, authoritative articulation of the divine message, not just private reflection. The ingested word must be spoken. - 'to the house of Israel.': (Hebrew:
Bet Yisrael- בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל) This refers to the entire nation of Israel, particularly the exiled community whom Ezekiel is commissioned to address. This specifies the exact audience for Ezekiel's prophetic ministry. Despite their rebellion, God's message is still directed to His covenant people.
Word-groups Analysis
- 'eat this scroll': This phrase embodies the core of a prophetic commission: the internalization of God's Word. The "eating" is not just mental understanding but an emotional and spiritual assimilation. While the scroll's content is described as grievous (lamentation, mourning, and woe), the act of eating it makes it "as sweet as honey" in Ezekiel's mouth (Eze 3:3, second half). This paradox is crucial: the message's divine origin and the honor of being God's messenger render it sweet, despite its painful content, indicating the joy and satisfaction found in receiving and submitting to God's revelation. This profound absorption ensures the prophet's fidelity to the message.
- 'and go, speak to the house of Israel.': This group of commands outlines the practical consequence and ultimate purpose of the internalization. Once the word has been fully received and absorbed (eaten), it must then be acted upon (go) and communicated (speak) to the intended audience (the house of Israel). It highlights the dual aspect of prophetic ministry: intimate communion with God through His word and courageous, obedient proclamation to His people, irrespective of their reception.
Ezekiel 3 3 Bonus section
The "sweetness" experienced upon consuming the scroll, despite its content of "lamentations, mourning, and woe," is a profound spiritual truth. It signifies that for the faithful servant of God, receiving God's Word—even difficult, convicting, or judgmental truths—is inherently delightful because it comes directly from the Divine, reflects His truth, and establishes His covenant with His messenger. The joy lies in communion with God and obedience to His will, more so than the inherent pleasantness of the message itself. This sweet taste for the divine word is paralleled by John's experience in Revelation 10:9-10, where the scroll is "sweet as honey" in the mouth but then turns "bitter" in the stomach. While Ezekiel 3:3 does not explicitly mention the bitterness, later verses in Ezekiel implicitly show the bitter realities of delivering such a message to a rebellious people (Eze 3:7, 3:26). The "sweetness" highlights the honor and privilege of carrying God's word; the "bitterness" points to the suffering, rejection, and personal anguish that often accompany faithful prophetic ministry when the message is unheeded by its audience. This dichotomy underscores the existential depth of the prophetic vocation, where personal experience of the Word prepares one for the arduous task of its proclamation.
Ezekiel 3 3 Commentary
Ezekiel 3:3 concisely articulates the indispensable two-fold nature of a divine messenger's calling: deep internalization followed by faithful proclamation. The command to "eat this scroll" vividly illustrates that God's word is not merely information to be intellectually processed, but a spiritual substance to be absorbed into one's very being. This total assimilation ensures the messenger's identity becomes intertwined with the message, empowering them to deliver it with integrity and conviction. The paradox of the scroll's content (woe) becoming "sweet as honey" to the mouth underscores that obedience to God and the privilege of being His instrument bring spiritual delight, transcending the difficulty or unpleasantness of the message itself. This personal transformation prepares Ezekiel to courageously "go" and "speak to the house of Israel," conveying God's solemn truths to a stubbornly rebellious people. The verse establishes that the effectiveness of outward ministry springs from a profound inner appropriation of divine revelation.