Ezekiel 3 6

Ezekiel 3:6 kjv

Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

Ezekiel 3:6 nkjv

not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

Ezekiel 3:6 niv

not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

Ezekiel 3:6 esv

not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.

Ezekiel 3:6 nlt

No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen!

Ezekiel 3 verses

Ezekiel 3 6 Meaning

Ezekiel 3:6 highlights a striking paradox in God's commissioning of the prophet Ezekiel. It states that Ezekiel was not sent to numerous foreign peoples speaking incomprehensible or "heavy" languages, whose words he could not understand. This verse emphatically declares that if God had sent Ezekiel to these culturally and linguistically diverse foreign nations, they would have likely listened to him. This statement underscores the profound and deeply ironic spiritual stubbornness of Israel, who, despite sharing a common language and covenant heritage with Ezekiel, were more resistant to God's message than potentially uncomprehending foreigners.

Ezekiel 3 6 Context

Ezekiel 3:6 is embedded within Ezekiel's profound call and commissioning by God. Having consumed the scroll of God's word (Ez 3:1-3), symbolizing his complete absorption of the divine message, Ezekiel is immediately informed about the nature of his arduous mission. The preceding verse (Ez 3:5) explicitly states that he is not being sent to distant foreign nations, those who inherently speak difficult, unintelligible languages. Verse 6 reinforces this by suggesting that, hypothetically, these very foreigners—who would be a legitimate communication challenge—would surprisingly be receptive if they received the message. This sets up a powerful contrast, emphasizing that Ezekiel's true mission is to his own people, the house of Israel. The Lord then directly clarifies this irony in Ez 3:7, stating that Israel would not listen because "they are not willing to listen to me." This prepares Ezekiel for the unparalleled difficulty and rejection he is destined to face, not due to a communication barrier, but due to deep-seated spiritual rebellion. This context of Israel's ingrained "stiff-necked" attitude (Ez 3:7-9) defines the core challenge of Ezekiel's prophetic ministry. Historically, this prophecy occurs during the Babylonian exile (early 6th century BCE), where the Jewish exiles by the Chebar River held to a strong but often misplaced belief in their unique status, leading to spiritual complacency despite persistent disobedience.

Ezekiel 3 6 Word Analysis

• לֹא (Loʼ): "Not." A strong negative particle, explicitly excluding a particular scenario for Ezekiel's mission.

• אֶל־עַמִּים רַבִּים (ʼel-ʻammîm rabbîm): "To many peoples/nations." Denotes a wide array of diverse gentile ethnic groups, highlighting their numerical abundance and foreign nature relative to Israel.

• עִמְקֵי שָׂפָה (ʻimqê śāp̄â): "Of obscure speech." Literally "deep of lip/language." Signifies speech that is profoundly unintelligible, convoluted, or foreign, presenting a genuine linguistic barrier. It conveys the fundamental difference and inaccessibility of their tongue.

• וְכִבְדֵי לָשׁוֹן (wəḵibəḏê lāšôwn): "And difficult/heavy language/tongue." Literally "heavy of tongue." Reinforces the prior phrase, denoting a cumbersome, difficult, or alien language that is hard to articulate or comprehend. It underscores the lack of shared linguistic ground.

• אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תִשְׁמַע אֶת־דִּבְרֵיהֶם (ʼašer lōʼ-tišmaʿ ʼet-diḇərêhem): "Whose words you cannot understand/hear." This phrase explicitly clarifies the practical consequence of their obscure and heavy language: communication would be impossible due to the sheer linguistic barrier.

• אִם־אֲשַׁלַּח אוֹתְךָ אֲלֵיהֶם (ʼim-ʼašallaḥ ʼōṯəḵā ʼalêhem): "If I had sent you to them." This introduces a counterfactual conditional statement. It presents a hypothetical scenario (sending Ezekiel to the aforementioned foreign nations) that is explicitly not the case, but which serves to set up a powerful contrast.

• הֵמָּה יִשְׁמְעוּ לָךְ (hēmmāh yišməʿû lāḵ): "They would listen to you." The culminating and most striking assertion. "Listen" (yishməû`) implies not merely hearing, but heeding, obeying, and being receptive to the message. It is a bold declaration of their potential receptivity despite linguistic hurdles.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Not to many peoples...whose words you cannot understand": This complete opening clause negates a traditional mission to Gentiles due to linguistic incompatibility. It sets up the premise that God is not asking Ezekiel to do the inherently difficult task of evangelizing across major language barriers, implicitly making his actual task seem simpler on the surface (he is going to his own people who speak his language).
  • "If I had sent you to them, they would listen to you": This powerful hypothetical highlights the profound spiritual deficiency within Israel. The statement posits that despite true linguistic and cultural barriers, these "outsiders" would exhibit greater spiritual receptivity to God's word than His chosen people, whose rejection is therefore entirely willful and without excuse. It underscores that the fundamental problem for Israel is not understanding the words, but having a heart unwilling to heed them.

Ezekiel 3 6 Bonus Section

• The phrasing "obscure speech and difficult language" underscores a physical, tangible communication barrier, contrasting it with Israel's spiritual barrier which has no such external limitation.
• This verse can be seen as a prelude to later prophetic themes where Gentile inclusion and their surprising receptivity (e.g., in Isa 2:2, Acts 13:46) stand in stark relief against Israel's widespread unbelief.
• The Lord's foresight expressed in this verse ("they would listen to you") acts as a divine validation for Ezekiel. It implies that God knows the full measure of Israel's spiritual obstinacy and anticipates the prophet's profound challenges, affirming that Ezekiel's impending frustrations would stem from the people's rebellion, not the inadequacy of his calling or the truth of his message.
• The use of a counterfactual hypothetical (what would have happened if he had been sent elsewhere) serves as a dramatic literary device to amplify the severity and moral culpability of Judah's unresponsiveness.
• The truth conveyed in Ez 3:6 has practical implications for spiritual life: true receptivity to God's word is a matter of the heart's willingness, not necessarily intellectual comprehension or shared cultural context. Knowing the truth brings greater accountability if it is rejected.

Ezekiel 3 6 Commentary

Ezekiel 3:6 is a potent theological statement concerning Israel's hardened heart and rebellion. By explicitly ruling out a mission to foreign nations due to language barriers, and then making the stunning assertion that such nations would paradoxically be more receptive, God profoundly indicts His chosen people. The irony is piercing: it is not the foreign tongues that impede God's word, but the closed hearts of His own people who should understand Him. This verse demolishes any notion of automatic spiritual superiority or inherent receptivity within the covenant community. Instead, it lays bare the fact that spiritual deafness, when born of privilege and persistent disobedience, can be far more impenetrable than a literal language barrier. God's message, through Ezekiel, makes clear that Israel's rejection of His word is not an issue of comprehension, but a willful defiance against the Divine voice, marking a greater culpability than those who never received His direct word. This serves as a vital preparation for Ezekiel, grounding him in the reality that the difficulty of his ministry is rooted in his audience's character, not his own shortcomings or the message itself.