“Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
Parallel translations
- WEB “Son of man, tell a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
- KJV Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;
- BSB “Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel
- NASB “Son of man, ask a riddle and present a parable to the house of Israel,
- NLT “Son of man, give this riddle, and tell this story to the people of Israel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God tells Ezekiel to pose a riddle and parable to rebellious Israel. Vivid imagery is used to pierce dull hearts with truth.
Overview
The 'riddle' and 'parable' engage the imagination so the hearers will wrestle with its meaning. Such figurative teaching both reveals and conceals, rewarding the attentive and humbling the proud. Jesus would later teach in parables for similar reasons (Matthew 13).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ezek 20:49Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! they say of me, ‘Isn’t he a speaker of parables?’”
- Matt 13:35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”
- 1 Cor 13:12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
- Matt 13:13–14Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand.
- Ezek 24:3Utter a parable to the rebellious house, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Set on the cauldron, set it on, and also pour water into it:
- Hos 12:10I have also spoken to the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the prophets I have used parables.
- Mark 4:33–34With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
- 2 Sam 12:1–4Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
- Judg 9:8–15The trees set out to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
- Judg 14:12–19Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 17:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.