ezekiel 3 and 4

Read Ezekiel 3 and 4 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions:

Eze 3:1-3 {p} Eat this scroll + speak to the house of Israel/ I ate it + it was sweet like honey in my mouth
Eze 3:4-9 {p} Speak My words to the house of Israel/ they are hard so I have made you hard, do not fear them
Eze 3:10-16a {p} The Spirit lifted Ezekiel up to Tel Abib, he sat astonished among them 7 days
Eze 3:16b-21 {p} Ezekiel a watchman, to warn against iniquity, and be free from bloodguilt
Eze 3:22-27 {p} Ezekiel saw the glory of YHVH/they will bind him, he will be mute, unless he speaks a word from YHVH
Eze 4:1-3 {p} Ezekiel to make a model of the siege of Jerusalem as a sign to the house of Israel
Eze 4:4-12 {s} Lie on your sides, 390 days for Israel + 40 days for Judah for their iniquity/ bread + water by measure
Eze 4:13-14 {s} Israel shall eat defiled bread among the Gentiles/ Ezekiel’s lament: I have never eaten what is defiled
Eze 4:15 {s} YHVH: You may prepare your bread over cow dung instead of the dung of man
Eze 4:16-17 {p} The supply of bread + water will be cut off for Jerusalem, because of their iniquity

Eze 1:1-3:16a chiastic structure:

1a) Eze 1:1-28 {p} The vision of the four living creatures + wheels within wheels + God on the throne;

1b) Eze 2:1-7 {px3} Ezekiel heard/ Do not fear them but speak My words to them whether they hear or refuse;

1a) Eze 2:1-5a, Ezekiel heard Him who spoke/ Commissioned to speak to Israel whether they hear or refuse;

1a) Eze 2:1-2 {p} The Spirit entered Ezekiel so that he stood on his feet + heard Him who spoke to him;
1b) Eze 2:3a, He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel;
1c) Eze 2:3b, To a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me;
central axis) Eze 2:3c, They and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day;
2c) Eze 2:4a For they are impudent and stubborn children;
2b) Eze 2:4b, I am sending you to them;
2a) Eze 2:4c-5a, You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or whether they refuse;

1b) Eze 2:5b {p} For they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them;
central axis) Eze 2:6a, Do not be afraid of them nor their words nor dismayed by their looks;
2b) Eze 2:6b, Though they are a rebellious house;
2a) Eze 2:7 {p} You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or refuse Him who speaks to them;

1c) Eze 2:8-9, Son of man, open your mouth + eat what I give you/ I beheld a scroll of a book;

central axis) Eze 2:10 {s} He spread it before me; the writing on it was lamentations + mourning + woe;

2c) Eze 3:1-3 {p} Eat this scroll/ I opened my mouth + ate the scroll; it was sweet like honey in my mouth;

2b) Eze 3:4-11, Speak My words, do not fear them/ Hear My words + speak to them whether they hear or refuse;

1a) Eze 3:4-9 {p} Speak My words to the house of Israel/ they are hard so I have made you hard, do not fear them;
central axis) Eze 3:10, Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears;
2a) Eze 3:11, Speak to the captives of your people: ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse;

2a) Eze 3:12-16a {p} The Spirit lifted Ezekiel up to the captives on the River Chebar/ noise of the wings + wheels.