Ezekiel 3:10-11
Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse flips the usual order: you're told to "receive in your heart" before "hearing with your ears." This means God's message isn't just for your mind to process, but for your deepest self to absorb and internalize first. It's a call to let His words truly land within you before you ever speak them to another.
God is reiterating His commission to Ezekiel, emphasizing that the prophet must internalize every single word spoken to him. This charge to "receive in your heart" and "hear with your ears" follows the visionary command to eat a scroll, signifying the deep absorption and understanding required before Ezekiel is sent to the exiles in Babylon. It's a preparation for his difficult task of delivering God's message faithfully to those in captivity.
God's messages aren't always easy to hear. But prophets were called to deliver it all, even the hard parts.
The command to Ezekiel, "all my words that I shall speak to you," emphasizes the prophet's duty to faithfully communicate everything God revealed. This wasn't about picking and choosing messages that felt comfortable or popular.
The Prophet's Mandate
This principle still calls us to engage with all of Scripture, not just the verses that confirm our existing beliefs. God's Word, in its fullness, is what shapes us.
What does it mean to 'receive in your heart' before you 'hear with your ears'?
The verse presents an order that might seem unusual: 'receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.' Often, we think hearing comes first, then understanding. But here, the emphasis is on internalizing the message deep within your being before it's fully processed by your intellect and ready to be spoken or heard by others.
The Heart's Role
Understand the original words
ben-adam · Hebrew Noun phrase
A messianic title used frequently in Ezekiel to emphasize the prophet’s humanity in contrast to the majesty and holiness of the Almighty God.
golah · Hebrew Noun
Those forced to leave their homeland, specifically used here for the Jewish captives in Babylon. Theologically, it signifies the judgment of God upon disobedient Israel, resulting in separation from the Promised Land.
Adonai Yahweh · Hebrew Noun
The divine name Adonai Yahweh, emphasizing God's sovereign authority, majesty, and covenantal lordship over all creation and His people.
Ezekiel's call comes during a time of immense national crisis for his people, making his message of judgment and future hope incredibly relevant to their shattered lives in exile.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
The Babylonian Empire, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, deports a significant portion of Jerusalem's population, including royalty and skilled artisans, to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel is among them.
c. 593 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Call to Prophethood
Ezekiel, living among the exiles by the Chebar canal, receives his prophetic commission from God in a vision. This marks the beginning of his public ministry to the exiled community.
c. 589-587 BC
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar II lays siege to Jerusalem, leading to its eventual destruction and a second, larger deportation of Judeans. This event profoundly impacts the exiles' understanding of God's judgment.
c. 582 BC
Third Babylonian Deportation
A final deportation of Judeans occurs after the destruction of Jerusalem. This solidifies the Babylonian exile as the dominant reality for the people of Judah.
Just as God tells Ezekiel to receive His words in his heart, Jeremiah is charged to gird himself and speak all that God commands, emphasizing the prophet's role in delivering the full message.
Deuteronomy 6:6This passage echoes the command to 'receive in your heart,' as it instructs Israel to let God's words be constantly in their hearts and on their lips, highlighting the internal reception of God's commands.
Acts 20:27Paul's declaration to the Ephesian elders mirrors Ezekiel's commission to speak 'all' that God has spoken, underscoring the prophet's duty to faithfully deliver the complete divine counsel.
Psalm 119:11The psalmist's desire to hide God's word in his heart is a beautiful parallel to Ezekiel's instruction, showing the deep internal reception and treasuring of God's truth that prepares one to speak it.
henryEzekiel 3:1-11: "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel."
3:1-11 Ezekiel was to receive the truths of God as the food for his soul, and to feed upon them by faith, and he would be strengthened. Gracious souls can receive those truths of God with delight, which speak terror to the wicked. He must speak all that, and that only, which God spake to him. How can we better speak God's mind than with his words? If disappointed…
pooleEzekiel 3:10: "Moreover 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."
This verse is a repetition of the charge given to the prophet, to deal faithfully and undauntedly in the delivering his message, to deliver always what God should speak, to speak nothing else, and to speak all that. These repetitions in the abundance of the same words, are from the usage and custom of the people of those countries in which the Jews we…
This verse flips the usual order: you're told to "receive in your heart" before "hearing with your ears." This means God's message isn't just for your mind to process, but for your deepest self to absorb and internalize first. It's a call to let His words truly land within you before you ever speak them to another.
God is reiterating His commission to Ezekiel, emphasizing that the prophet must internalize every single word spoken to him. This charge to "receive in your heart" and "hear with your ears" follows the visionary command to eat a scroll, signifying the deep absorption and understanding required before Ezekiel is sent to the exiles in Babylon. It's a preparation for his difficult task of delivering God's message faithfully to those in captivity.
God is reiterating His commission to Ezekiel, emphasizing that the prophet must internalize every single word spoken to him. This charge to "receive in your heart" and "hear with your ears" follows the visionary command to eat a scroll, signifying the deep absorption and understanding required before Ezekiel is sent to the exiles in Babylon. It's a preparation for his difficult task of delivering God's message faithfully to those in captivity.
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This calls us to a more profound engagement with God's Word, seeking not just intellectual knowledge but heart transformation.
"Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they he…" — This verse flips the usual order: you're told to "receive in your heart" before "hearing with your ears." This means God's message isn't just for your mind to process, but for your deepest self to…
