God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 33:2
2“Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, ‘Suppose I bring war on this country, and the people of this country choose one of their men and make him their watchman.
Ezekiel 33:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
- New International Version (NIV)“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman,
Context of Ezekiel 33:2
1The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, “Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, ‘Suppose I bring war on this country, and the people of this country choose one of their men and make him their watchman. 3If he sees the enemy coming to attack the country, he will blow his horn to warn the people. 4If the people hear the horn and ignore the warning and the enemy comes and takes them, they will be responsible for their own deaths.
Read all of Ezekiel 33Ezekiel 33:2 word by word
בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם דַּבֵּ֤ר אֶל־בְּנֵֽי־עַמְּךָ֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם אֶ֕רֶץ כִּֽי־אָבִ֥יא עָלֶ֖יהָ חָ֑רֶב וְלָקְח֨וּ עַם־הָאָ֜רֶץ אִ֤ישׁ אֶחָד֙ מִקְצֵיהֶ֔ם וְנָתְנ֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ לָהֶ֖ם לְצֹפֶֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- to the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of thy peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto them, When I bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- upon a landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- aאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of their coastsקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
- and setנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
- him for their watchmanצָפָהtsâphâh · to watchH6822
Cross-references for Ezekiel 33:2
- Ezekiel 33:17“But your people say, ‘The Lord’s way is unfair.’ Yet, their ways are unfair.
- Ezekiel 3:11Go to the exiles, to your people. Whether they listen or not, tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says.’ ”
- Ezekiel 6:3Say this, ‘You mountains of Israel, listen to the Almighty Lord’s word! This is what the Almighty Lord says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am going to attack you with a sword and destroy your worship sites.
- Ezekiel 11:8You are afraid of swords, so I will bring swords to attack you, declares the Almighty Lord.
- Ezekiel 14:17“Suppose I bring a war against that country by saying, ‘I will let a war go throughout this country.’ Suppose I destroy the people and the animals in it.
- Ezekiel 21:9“Son of man, prophesy. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished,
- Leviticus 26:25I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise ⌞that you rejected⌟. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy.
- Jeremiah 12:12Looters swarm all over the bare hills in the desert. The Lord’s sword destroys them from one end of the land to the other. No one will be safe.
- Jeremiah 15:2When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Those who are destined to die will die. Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars. Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines. Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.’
- Jeremiah 25:31The sound is echoing to the ends of the earth because the Lord has brought charges against the nations. He will judge all humans. He will kill the wicked, declares the Lord.’
- Jeremiah 47:6You cry out, “Sword of the Lord, how long will you keep on fighting? Go back into your scabbard. Stay there and rest!”
- Jeremiah 47:7How can the sword of the Lord rest? The Lord has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast. He has put it there.
- Zechariah 13:7“Arise, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my friend,” declares the Lord of Armies. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. Then I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
- Ezekiel 33:7“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the people of Israel. Listen to what I say, and warn them for me.
- 2 Samuel 18:24David was sitting between the two gates while the watchman walked along the roof of the gate by the wall. As he looked, he saw a man running alone.
- 2 Kings 9:17The watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops coming. He said, “I see some troops.” So Joram said, “Take a chariot driver, send him to meet them, and ask, ‘Is everything alright?’ ”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 33:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Son of man - if the people of the land take a man - The first ten verses of this chapter are the same with Ezekiel 3:17-22; and to what is said there on this most important and awful subject I must refer the reader. Here the People choose the watchman; there, the Lord appoints him. When God chooses, the people should approve.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4watchman: See study note on Ezekiel 3:16219. The message about the watchman is part of Ezekiel’s public announcement, not a private task. It emphasizes that the listeners are responsible for acting on the watchman’s message. Before Jerusalem's destruction, people ignored the warning. After the exile, they struggled to believe the message of hope. In both situations, Ezekiel faced rejection and was tempted to stay silent. God warned him again that he could…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-33Heretofore his functions had been chiefly threatening; from this point, after the evil had got to its worst in the overthrow of Jerusalem, the consolatory element preponderates. 2. to the children of thy people--whom he had been forbidden to address from Eze 24:26, 27, till Jerusalem was overthrown, and the "escaped" came with tidings of the judgment being completed. So now, in Eze 33:21, the tidings of the fact having arrived, he opens his heretofore…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 33:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries