New Living Translation
Ezekiel 3:3
3“Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
- New International Version (NIV)Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it." Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
Context of Ezekiel 3:3
1The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. 5I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand.
Read all of Ezekiel 3Ezekiel 3:3 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ בִּטְנְךָ֤ תַֽאֲכֵל֙ וּמֵעֶ֣יךָ תְמַלֵּ֔א אֵ֚ת הַמְּגִלָּ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן אֵלֶ֑יךָ וָאֹ֣כְלָ֔ה וַתְּהִ֥י בְּפִ֖י כִּדְבַ֥שׁ לְמָתֽוֹק׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto me, Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- cause thy bellyבֶּ֫טֶןbeţen · belly: abdomenH990
- to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- and fillמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
- thy bowelsמֵעֶהmê‛eh · bellyH4578
- with this rollמְגִלָּהmegillâh · scrollH4039
- that I giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- and it was in my mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- as honeyדְּבַשׁdebash · honeyH1706
- for sweetnessמָתוֹקmâthôq mâthûq · sweetH4966
Cross-references for Ezekiel 3:3
- Ezekiel 2:10which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.
- Job 32:18For I am full of pent-up words, and the spirit within me urges me on.
- Jeremiah 6:11So now I am filled with the Lord’s fury. Yes, I am tired of holding it in! “I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets and on gatherings of young men, on husbands and wives and on those who are old and gray.
- Jeremiah 20:9But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!
- John 7:38Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
- Colossians 3:16Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
- Psalms 119:11I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
- Jeremiah 15:16When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
- John 6:53So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.
- Job 23:12I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.
- Psalms 19:10They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
- Psalms 119:97Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.
- Proverbs 2:10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
- Revelation 10:9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 3:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3It was in my mouth as honey - It was joyous to me to receive the Divine message, to be thus let into the secrets of the Divine counsel, and I promised myself much comfort in that intimate acquaintance with which I was favored by the Supreme Being. In Revelation 10:10; we find St. John receiving a little book, which he ate, and found it sweet as honey in his mouth, but after he had eaten it, it made his belly bitter, signifying that a deep consideration of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3Even though the scroll seemed bitter, Ezekiel found it as sweet as honey when he ate it. Adam’s disobedience turned bitter, but Ezekiel’s obedience became pleasant and satisfying. Psalm 119:103 also describes God's words as "sweet as honey."Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. honey for sweetness--Compare Psa 19:10; 119:103; Re 10:9, where, as here in Eze 3:14, the "sweetness" is followed by "bitterness." The former being due to the painful nature of the message; the latter because it was the Lord's service which he was engaged in; and his eating the roll and finding it sweet, implied that, divesting himself of carnal feeling, he made God's will his will, however painful the message that God might require him to announce…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 3:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- 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
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