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But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
Ezekiel 3:25 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB But you, son of man, behold, they will put ropes on you, and will bind you with them, and you will not go out among them.
  • BSB And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.
  • NKJV And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.
  • NASB And as for you, son of man, they will put ropes around you and bind you with them so that you do not go out among them.
  • NLT There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people.

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 says ropes will bind Ezekiel so he cannot go out among the people. This pictures restriction and the resistance he will face.

Overview

The binding with ropes symbolizes the constraints upon Ezekiel's ministry and the people's hostility. It may also dramatize Israel's own bondage under judgment. Such symbolic actions powerfully convey God's message to a hardened audience. They display God's sovereignty over both prophet and people in the unfolding judgment.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Ezek 4:8And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.
  • Acts 20:23Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
  • Mark 3:21And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
  • John 21:18Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
  • Acts 9:16For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
  • Acts 21:11–13And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 3:25YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 3:25 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.