Ezekiel 3:6-7

3:6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand ¹  – surely if ²  I had sent you to them, they would listen to you! 3:7 But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you, ³  because they are not willing to listen to me, ⁴  for the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. ⁵ 

Ezekiel 3:27

3:27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tongue ⁶  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ Those who listen will listen, but the indifferent will refuse, ⁷  for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel 12:2

12:2 “Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house. ⁸  They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear, ⁹  because they are a rebellious house.

[3:6]  ¹ tn Heb “hear.”

[3:6]  ² tc The MT reads “if not” but most ancient versions translate only “if.” The expression occurs with this sense in Isa 5:9; 14:24. See also Ezek 34:8; 36:5; 38:19.

[3:7]  ³ sn Moses (Exod 3:19) and Isaiah (Isa 6:9-10) were also told that their messages would not be received.

[3:7]  ⁴ sn A similar description of Israel’s disobedience is given in 1 Sam 8:7.

[3:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “hard of forehead and stiff of heart.”

[3:27]  ⁵ tn Heb “open your mouth.”

[3:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “the listener will listen, the refuser will refuse.” Because the word for listening can also mean obeying, the nuance may be that the obedient will listen, or that the one who listens will obey. Also, although the verbs are not jussive as pointed in the MT, some translate them with a volitive sense: “the one who listens – let that one listen, the one who refuses – let that one refuse.”

[12:2]  ⁷ sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).

[12:2]  ⁸ sn This verse is very similar to Isa 6:9-10.