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Selected Verse: Ezekiel 2:8 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Eze 2:8	Strong Concordance	But thou, son [01121] of man [0120], hear [08085] what I say [01696] unto thee; Be not [01961] thou rebellious [04805] like that rebellious [04805] house [01004]: open [06475] thy mouth [06310], and eat [0398] that I give [05414] thee.
	King James	But 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.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
eat--(See on Jer 15:16; Rev 10:9-10). The idea is to possess himself fully of the message and digest it in the mind; not literal eating, but such an appropriation of its unsavory contents that they should become, as it were, part of himself, so as to impart them the more vividly to his hearers.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

eat--(See on Jer 15:16; Rev 10:9-10). The idea is to possess himself fully of the message and digest it in the mind; not literal eating, but such an appropriation of its unsavory contents that they should become, as it were, part of himself, so as to impart them the more vividly to his hearers.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
After the Lord had pointed out to the prophet the difficulties of the call laid upon him, He prepared him for the performance of his office, by inspiring him with the divine word which he is to announce. - Eze 2:8. And thou, son of man, hear what I say to thee, Be not stiff-necked like the stiff-necked race; open thy mouth, and eat what I give unto thee. Eze 2:9. Then I saw, and, lo, a hand outstretched towards me; and, lo, in the same a roll of a book. Eze 2:10. And He spread it out before me; the same was written upon the front and back: and there were written upon it lamentations, and sighing, and woe. Eze 3:1. And He said to me: Son of man, what thou findest eat; eat the roll, and go and speak to the house of Israel. Eze 3:2. Then opened I my mouth, and He gave me this roll to eat. Eze 3:3. And said to me: Son of man, feed thy belly, and fill thy body with this roll which I give thee. And I ate it, and it was in my mouth as honey and sweetness. - The prophet is to announce to the people of Israel only that which the Lord inspires him to announce. This thought is embodied in symbol, in such a way that an outstretched hand reaches to him a book, which he is to swallow, and which also, at God's command, he does swallow; cf. Rev 10:9. This roll was inscribed on both sides with lamentations, sighing, and woe (הי is either abbreviated from נהי, not = אי, or as Ewald, 101c, thinks, is only a more distinct form of הוי or הו). The meaning is not, that upon the roll was inscribed a multitude of mournful expressions of every kind, but that there was written upon it all that the prophet was to announce, and what we now read in his book. These contents were of a mournful nature, for they related to the destruction of the kingdom, the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple. That Ezekiel may look over the contents, the roll is spread out before his eyes, and then handed to him to be eaten, with the words, "Go and speak to the children of Israel," i.e., announce to the children of Israel what you have received into yourself, or as it is termed in Eze 3:4, דּברי, "my words." The words in Eze 3:3 were spoken by God while handing to the prophet the roll to be eaten. He is not merely to eat, i.e., take it into his mouth, but he is to fill his body and belly therewith, i.e., he is to receive into his innermost being the word of God presented to him, to change it, as it were, into sap and blood. Whilst eating it, it was sweet in his mouth. The sweet taste must not, with Kliefoth, be explained away into a sweet "after-taste," and made to bear this reference, that the destruction of Jerusalem would be followed by a more glorious restoration. The roll, inscribed with lamentation, sorrow, and woe, tasted to him sweetly, because its contents was God's word, which sufficed for the joy and gladness of his heart (Jer 15:16); for it is "infinitely sweet and lovely to be the organ and spokesman of the Omnipotent," and even the most painful of divine truths possess to a spiritually-minded man a joyful and quickening side (Hengstenberg on Rev 10:9). To this it is added, that the divine penal judgments reveal not only the holiness and righteousness of God, but also prepare the way for the revelation of salvation, and minister to the saving of the soul.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

After the Lord had pointed out to the prophet the difficulties of the call laid upon him, He prepared him for the performance of his office, by inspiring him with the divine word which he is to announce. - Eze 2:8. And thou, son of man, hear what I say to thee, Be not stiff-necked like the stiff-necked race; open thy mouth, and eat what I give unto thee. Eze 2:9. Then I saw, and, lo, a hand outstretched towards me; and, lo, in the same a roll of a book. Eze 2:10. And He spread it out before me; the same was written upon the front and back: and there were written upon it lamentations, and sighing, and woe. Eze 3:1. And He said to me: Son of man, what thou findest eat; eat the roll, and go and speak to the house of Israel. Eze 3:2. Then opened I my mouth, and He gave me this roll to eat. Eze 3:3. And said to me: Son of man, feed thy belly, and fill thy body with this roll which I give thee. And I ate it, and it was in my mouth as honey and sweetness. - The prophet is to announce to the people of Israel only that which the Lord inspires him to announce. This thought is embodied in symbol, in such a way that an outstretched hand reaches to him a book, which he is to swallow, and which also, at God's command, he does swallow; cf. Rev 10:9. This roll was inscribed on both sides with lamentations, sighing, and woe (הי is either abbreviated from נהי, not = אי, or as Ewald, 101c, thinks, is only a more distinct form of הוי or הו). The meaning is not, that upon the roll was inscribed a multitude of mournful expressions of every kind, but that there was written upon it all that the prophet was to announce, and what we now read in his book. These contents were of a mournful nature, for they related to the destruction of the kingdom, the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple. That Ezekiel may look over the contents, the roll is spread out before his eyes, and then handed to him to be eaten, with the words, "Go and speak to the children of Israel," i.e., announce to the children of Israel what you have received into yourself, or as it is termed in Eze 3:4, דּברי, "my words." The words in Eze 3:3 were spoken by God while handing to the prophet the roll to be eaten. He is not merely to eat, i.e., take it into his mouth, but he is to fill his body and belly therewith, i.e., he is to receive into his innermost being the word of God presented to him, to change it, as it were, into sap and blood. Whilst eating it, it was sweet in his mouth. The sweet taste must not, with Kliefoth, be explained away into a sweet "after-taste," and made to bear this reference, that the destruction of Jerusalem would be followed by a more glorious restoration. The roll, inscribed with lamentation, sorrow, and woe, tasted to him sweetly, because its contents was God's word, which sufficed for the joy and gladness of his heart (Jer 15:16); for it is "infinitely sweet and lovely to be the organ and spokesman of the Omnipotent," and even the most painful of divine truths possess to a spiritually-minded man a joyful and quickening side (Hengstenberg on Rev 10:9). To this it is added, that the divine penal judgments reveal not only the holiness and righteousness of God, but also prepare the way for the revelation of salvation, and minister to the saving of the soul.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Hear - Obey. Open - This was done only in a vision.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Open thy mouth and eat that I give thee - Take my word as thou wouldst take thy proper food; receive it into thy heart; ponder it there, that it may be the means of strengthening and preserving thy soul, as proper nourishment will strengthen the body, and preserve from death. And the people to whom such messages of God may come should so hear it read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, that it may become efficient nourishment to their souls.

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⁹ And [2532] I went [565] unto [4314] the angel [32], and said [3004] unto him [846], Give [1325] me [3427] the little book [974]. And [2532] he said [3004] unto me [3427], Take [2983] it, and [2532] eat [2719] it [846] up [2719]; and it [2532] shall make [4087] thy [4675] belly [2836] bitter [4087], but [235] it shall be [2071] in [1722] thy [4675] mouth [4750] sweet [1099] as [5613] honey [3192].
¹⁰ And [2532] I took [2983] the little book [974] out of [1537] the angel's [32] hand [5495], and [2532] ate [2719] it [846] up [2719]; and [2532] it was [2258] in [1722] my [3450] mouth [4750] sweet [1099] as [5613] honey [3192]: and [2532] as soon as [3753] I had eaten [5315] it [846], my [3450] belly [2836] was bitter [4087].

¹⁶ Thy words [01697] were found [04672], and I did eat [0398] them; and thy word [01697] was unto me the joy [08342] and rejoicing [08057] of mine heart [03824]: for I am called [07121] by thy name [08034], O LORD [03068] God [0430] of hosts [06635].

³ And he said [0559] unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], cause thy belly [0990] to eat [0398], and fill [04390] thy bowels [04578] with this roll [04039] that I give [05414] thee. Then did I eat [0398] it; and it was in my mouth [06310] as honey [01706] for sweetness [04966].

⁴ And he said [0559] unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], go [03212], get [0935] thee unto the house [01004] of Israel [03478], and speak [01696] with my words [01697] unto them.

² So I opened [06605] my mouth [06310], and he caused me to eat [0398] that roll [04039].

¹ Moreover he said [0559] unto me, Son [01121] of man [0120], eat [0398] that thou findest [04672]; eat [0398] this roll [04039], and go [03212] speak [01696] unto the house [01004] of Israel [03478].

¹⁰ And he spread [06566] it before [06440] me; and it was written [03789] within [06440] and without [0268]: and there was written [03789] therein lamentations [07015], and mourning [01899], and woe [01958].

⁹ And when I looked [07200], behold, an hand [03027] was sent [07971] unto me; and, lo, a roll [04039] of a book [05612] was therein;

⁸ But thou, son [01121] of man [0120], hear [08085] what I say [01696] unto thee; Be not [01961] thou rebellious [04805] like that rebellious [04805] house [01004]: open [06475] thy mouth [06310], and eat [0398] that I give [05414] thee.