Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
- BSB “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
- NKJV Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
- NASB Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
- NLT The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message 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 commands Ezekiel to eat the scroll and then go speak to Israel. He must consume God's word before he proclaims it.
Overview
Eating the scroll symbolizes thoroughly receiving and internalizing God's message. Only after taking the word in is Ezekiel sent to speak it to the house of Israel. True proclamation flows from a heart filled with God's word. This models how every preacher must first be nourished by the word he delivers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Rev 10:9–10And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
- Ezek 3:17–21Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
- Ezek 2:8–9But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
- 1 Tim 4:15Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
- Ezek 3:15Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
- Jer 24:1–7The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
- Ezek 2:3And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
- Ezek 3:10–11Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 3:1 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.