Ezekiel 2:7-8

2:7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious. 2:8 As for you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you: Do not rebel like that rebellious house! Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

Ezekiel 3:17

3:17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman ¹  for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.

Ezekiel 43:10

43:10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern.

Ezekiel 44:5

44:5 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, pay attention, ²  watch closely and listen carefully to ³  everything I tell you concerning all the statutes of the Lord’s house and all its laws. Pay attention to the entrances ⁴  to the temple with all the exits of the sanctuary.

Matthew 10:27

10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, ⁵  proclaim from the housetops. ⁶ 

Matthew 13:9

13:9 The one who has ears had better listen!” ⁷ 

Matthew 13:51-52

13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes.” 13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law ⁸  who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

¹ tn The literal role of a watchman is described in 2 Sam 18:24; 2 Kgs 9:17.

² tn Heb “set your heart” (so also in the latter part of the verse).

³ tn Heb “Set your mind, look with your eyes, and with your ears hear.”

⁴ tc The Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum read the plural. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:618.

⁵ tn Grk “what you hear in the ear,” an idiom.

⁶ tn The expression “proclaim from the housetops” is an idiom for proclaiming something publicly (L&N 7.51). Roofs of many first century Jewish houses in Judea and Galilee were flat and had access either from outside or from within the house. Something shouted from atop a house would be heard by everyone in the street below.

⁷ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

⁸ tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].