And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to focus on the "pleasant voice" and think people are just enjoying Ezekiel's eloquence. But the phrase translated as "lustful songs" or "songs of love" actually points to something more specific: they're hearing his words like a romantic ballad, not a divine summons. They're appreciating the sound and the emotion, but missing the urgent call to repentance and action within the message.
And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel has just been told that the people are talking against him and are gathering to hear his words, not to obey them. This verse reveals God's assessment of their response: they treat Ezekiel's urgent messages from God like pleasant entertainment, admiring his delivery and eloquence but having no intention of acting on his prophecies or warnings. They hear the prophet’s powerful words, but like listeners to a beautiful song, they let them wash over them without changing their hearts or lives.
You might be delivering God's powerful message, but are people truly listening, or just enjoying the show? This verse reveals a painful disconnect.
Ezekiel is compared to a musician with a beautiful voice and skilled instrument. The people flock to hear him, captivated by the performance – the eloquence, the pleasant sounds, the engaging delivery. However, their admiration stops at the surface. They are entertained, but not transformed. This highlights a common human tendency: to appreciate the messenger or the message's aesthetics without internalizing its call to action. It's like enjoying a song about bravery without ever acting courageously yourself. The power of God's Word is reduced to mere pleasant acoustics.
What if the very reason people are drawn to spiritual messages is not for God's truth, but for personal pleasure? This verse warns against that trap.
The phrase 'lustful songs' or 'song of loves' (as it can be translated) is striking. It suggests that the people weren't seeking God's challenging truth, but rather something akin to romantic or titillating entertainment. They were drawn to Ezekiel's words like one would be drawn to a captivating ballad at a feast, seeking a temporary emotional high or aesthetic pleasure. This points to a dangerous form of spiritual consumerism, where God's Word becomes just another form of entertainment, sought after for the 'tickling of the ears' rather than the conviction of the soul. It mirrors those who seek out eloquent preachers not to obey, but to admire their skill.
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The exiles listening to Ezekiel were deeply wounded by the destruction of Jerusalem and their homeland. While they appreciated Ezekiel's powerful words, which lamented their situation and painted a picture of future hope, they were emotionally numb and resistant to the challenging calls for repentance and obedience that accompanied his prophecies. They treated God's message like entertainment rather than a call to life-changing action.
597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, conquer Jerusalem and deport thousands of Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, the center of Israel's worship and national identity. This catastrophic event plunges the Judean exiles into despair and questions about God's promises.
c. 586-571 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry in Exile
Ezekiel delivers powerful prophecies to the exiles in Babylon, addressing their sin, offering a vision of future restoration, and calling them to repentance. This verse comes from a period where many listeners admire his eloquence but refuse to act on his message.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, leading to a significant shift in the geopolitical landscape for the Jewish exiles.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the return and restoration period.
This passage directly parallels Ezekiel's imagery, highlighting people who 'improvise to the sound of the harp' and 'drink wine in bowls,' showing a similar pattern of superficial enjoyment without genuine spiritual engagement.
Matthew 7:26-27Jesus uses a similar analogy of building a house to illustrate the danger of hearing God's words without putting them into practice, emphasizing that such a foundation leads to inevitable collapse.
James 1:22-24James strongly rebukes the idea of being a 'hearer of the word' only, stressing that true obedience involves actively 'doing' what the word says, otherwise, self-deception is the result.
Luke 8:14In Jesus' parable of the sower, the seed that falls among thorns represents those who hear the message but are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, preventing the word from bearing fruit—a spiritual parallel to Ezekiel's hearers.
clarkeEzekiel 33:32: "And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not."
As a very lovely song - They admired the fine voice and correct delivery of the prophet; this was their religion, and this is the whole of the religion of thousands to the present day; for never were itching ears so multiplied as now.
pooleEzekiel 33:32: "And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not."
These Jews esteem and regard thee and what thou sayest, as men regard a skilful musician, who to a well-tuned instrument hath sung the praises of virtue or of virtuous men; it pleaseth their ear, but it doth not frame their hearts and life to virtue. They loved him for his eloquent lamentation, and reproof of the…
It's easy to focus on the "pleasant voice" and think people are just enjoying Ezekiel's eloquence. But the phrase translated as "lustful songs" or "songs of love" actually points to something more specific: they're hearing his words like a romantic ballad, not a divine summons. They're appreciating the sound and the emotion, but missing the urgent call to repentance and action within the message.
Ezekiel has just been told that the people are talking against him and are gathering to hear his words, not to obey them. This verse reveals God's assessment of their response: they treat Ezekiel's urgent messages from God like pleasant entertainment, admiring his delivery and eloquence but having no intention of acting on his prophecies or warnings. They hear the prophet’s powerful words, but like listeners to a beautiful song, they let them wash over them without changing their hearts or lives.
Ezekiel has just been told that the people are talking against him and are gathering to hear his words, not to obey them. This verse reveals God's assessment of their response: they treat Ezekiel's urgent messages from God like pleasant entertainment, admiring his delivery and eloquence but having no intention of acting on his prophecies or warnings. They hear the prophet’s powerful words, but like listeners to a beautiful song, they let them wash over them without changing their hearts or lives.
"And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it." — It's easy to focus on the "pleasant voice" and think people are just enjoying Ezekiel's eloquence. But the phrase translated as "lustful songs" or "songs of love" actually points to something more sp…
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Last reviewed October 2026