Ezekiel 3 · Verse 5

Ezekiel 3:5

For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Ezekiel 3:5, King James Version

Ezekiel 3:5 in other translations

BSBFor you are not being sent to a people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel—
WEBFor you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel—
ASVFor thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
YLTFor, not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue art thou sent--unto the house of Israel;
DARBYFor thou art not sent to a people of strange language, and of difficult speech, but to the house of Israel;
BBEFor you are not sent to a people whose talk is strange and whose language is hard, but to the children of Israel;
WebsterFor thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;

What does Ezekiel 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. See Margin, Hebrew, "deep of lip, and heavy of tongue," that is, men speaking an obscure and unintelligible tongue. Even they would have listened to the prophet; but the Jews, though addressed in their own tongue, will not hear him.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech - I neither send thee to thy adversaries, the Chaldeans, nor to the Medes and Persians, their enemies. Even these would more likely have hearkened unto thee than thy own countrymen.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 3:1-11

The preparation of the prophet for his work. (Ezek 3:1-11) His office, as that of a watchman. (Ezek 3:12-2) The restraining and restoring his speech. (Ezek 3:22-27) Verses 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…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 3:1-11 →

Ezekiel 3:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּ֡יkiforH3588
לֹא֩lo'notH3808
אֶל\־'el-toH413
עַ֨ם'ama peopleH5971
עִמְקֵ֥י'im.Keideep ofH6012
שָׂפָ֛הsa.FahlipH8193
וְכִבְדֵ֥יve.khiv.Deiand heavy ofH3515
לָשׁ֖וֹןla.ShontongueH3956
אַתָּ֣ה'a.TahyouH859
שָׁל֑וּחַsha.Lu.ach[are] being sentH7971
אֶל\־'el-toH413
בֵּ֖יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל\׃Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 3:5

  • Jonah 1:2

    Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

  • Isaiah 33:19

    Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

  • Ezekiel 3:6

    Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

  • Jonah 3:2-4

    Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

  • Isaiah 28:11

    For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

  • Acts 26:17-18

    Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

  • Psalms 81:5

    This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
thou.
Jon 1:2; 3:2-4; Ac 26:17,18
of a strange speech and of an hard language. Heb. deep oflip and heavy of tongue: and so.
6; Ps 81:5; Isa 33:19

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 3:4

    And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

  • Ezekiel 3:5

    For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

  • Ezekiel 3:6

    Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

Read all of Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel 3:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque no eres enviado á pueblo de habla profunda ni de lengua difícil, sino á la casa de Israel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car ce n’est pas vers un peuple à langage obscur ou à langue incompréhensible que tu es envoyé: c’est vers la maison d’Israël;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn nicht zu einem Volke von unverständlicher Sprache und schwieriger Rede bist du gesandt, sondern zum Hause Israel;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Non enim ad populum profundi sermonis et ignotæ linguæ tu mitteris ad domum Israël: