Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Ezekiel 3:17

"Son of man, I am making you a watchman for Israel. I will tell you about bad things that will happen to them, and you must warn Israel.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Minister, Christian;   Prophets;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible, the;   Inspiration;   Leaders;   Ministers;   Prophets;   Religious;   Responsibility;   Speak the Word;   Watchmen;   Word;   Word of God;   Worldly;   The Topic Concordance - Warning;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ministers;   Prophets;   Punishment of the Wicked, the;   Reproof;   Watchfulness;   Watchmen;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Evangelist;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Life;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ezekiel;   Holy Spirit;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Roll;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Watchman;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me.
Hebrew Names Version
Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Yisra'el: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
King James Version
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
English Standard Version
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
New American Standard Bible
"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.
New Century Version
"Human, I now make you a watchman for Israel. Any time you hear a word from my mouth, warn them for me.
Amplified Bible
"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.
World English Bible
Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Sonne of man, I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel: therefore heare the worde at my mouth, and giue them warning from me.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Son of man, I have given you as a watchman to the house of Israel; so you will hear a word from My mouth, and you shall warn them from Me.
Berean Standard Bible
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Human being, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the house of Isra'el. When you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them for me.
Darby Translation
Son of man, I have appointed thee a watchman unto the house of Israel, and thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and give them warning from me.
George Lamsa Translation
Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the words of my mouth and give them warning from me.
Good News Translation
"Mortal man," he said, "I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you.
Lexham English Bible
"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me.
Literal Translation
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. And hear the Word of My mouth, and warn them from Me.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou sonne off man, I haue made the a watch man vnto the house of Israel: therfore take good hede to the wordes, and geue them warnynge at my commaundement.
American Standard Version
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Bible in Basic English
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the children of Israel: so give ear to the word of my mouth, and give them word from me of their danger.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Son of man, I have appointed thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; and when thou shalt hear a word at My mouth, thou shalt give them warning from Me.
King James Version (1611)
Sonne of man, I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel: therefore heare the word at my mouth, & giue them warning from me.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou sonne of man, I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt heare the worde at my mouth, and geue them warning from me.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel; and thou shalt hear a word of my mouth, and shalt threaten them from me.
English Revised Version
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y yaf thee `a spiere to the hous of Israel. And thou schalt here of my mouth a word, and thou schalt telle to hem of me.
Update Bible Version
Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Webster's Bible Translation
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
New English Translation
"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.
New King James Version
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
New Living Translation
"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.
New Life Bible
"Son of man, I have chosen you to be a watchman over the people of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, tell them of the danger.
New Revised Standard
Mortal, I have made you a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Son of man, A watchman, have I appointed thee to the house of Israel, - and thou shalt hear, at my mouth a message, and shalt warn them from me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me.
Revised Standard Version
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
Young's Literal Translation
that there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Son of man, a watchman I have given thee to the house of Israel, and thou hast heard from My mouth a word, and hast warned them from Me.
THE MESSAGE
"Son of man, I've made you a watchman for the family of Israel. Whenever you hear me say something, warn them for me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You are going to die,' and you don't sound the alarm warning them that it's a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I'll hold you responsible. But if you warn the wicked and they keep right on sinning anyway, they'll most certainly die for their sin, but you won't die. You'll have saved your life.

Contextual Overview

16 After seven days, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 17 "Son of man, I am making you a watchman for Israel. I will tell you about bad things that will happen to them, and you must warn Israel. 18 If I say, ‘These evil people will die!' Then you must warn them. You must tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil. If you don't warn them, they will die because they sinned. But I will also make you responsible for their death, because you did not go to them and save their lives. 19 "If you warn them and tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil, but they refuse to listen, they will die because they sinned. But since you warned them, you will have saved your own life. 20 "If good people stop being good and begin to do evil, and I send something that makes them stumble and sin, they will die because they sinned. But since you did not warn them and remind them of the good things they had done, I will make you responsible for their death. 21 "But if you warn good people and tell them to stop sinning, and they listen to your warning and stop sinning, they will not die. In that way you will have saved your own life."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I have: Ezekiel 33:2-9, 1 Corinthians 12:28

a watchman: Song of Solomon 3:3, Song of Solomon 5:7, Isaiah 21:6, Isaiah 21:8, Isaiah 21:11, Isaiah 21:12, Isaiah 52:8, Isaiah 56:10, Isaiah 62:6, Jeremiah 6:17, Jeremiah 31:6, Acts 20:28-31, Hebrews 13:17

hear: Ezekiel 33:6-8, 2 Chronicles 19:10, Isaiah 58:1, Jeremiah 6:10, Habakkuk 2:1, Matthew 3:7, 1 Corinthians 4:14, 2 Corinthians 5:11, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Colossians 1:28, 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Reciprocal: Exodus 6:29 - speak Exodus 7:2 - General Exodus 18:20 - work Numbers 9:8 - I will 1 Kings 22:14 - what the Lord 2 Chronicles 18:7 - me Psalms 19:11 - Moreover Psalms 40:10 - not hid Isaiah 21:10 - that which Jeremiah 1:7 - for thou shalt Jeremiah 7:27 - thou shalt speak Jeremiah 17:20 - General Jeremiah 23:22 - if Jeremiah 26:2 - all the words Jeremiah 38:21 - this is Jeremiah 42:21 - I have Ezekiel 2:1 - Son Ezekiel 2:7 - thou Ezekiel 3:1 - go Ezekiel 11:4 - General Ezekiel 11:25 - General Ezekiel 14:4 - speak Ezekiel 33:7 - I have Ezekiel 40:4 - behold Hosea 9:8 - watchman Jonah 3:2 - preach Haggai 1:13 - the Lord's Mark 13:34 - and commanded Acts 20:31 - warn Acts 27:11 - believed Romans 12:7 - ministry 1 Corinthians 15:3 - I delivered 2 Corinthians 6:5 - watchings 1 Thessalonians 4:2 - General 2 Timothy 4:5 - watch Hebrews 11:7 - warned James 3:1 - knowing

Cross-References

Genesis 3:2
The woman answered the snake, "No, we can eat fruit from the trees in the garden.
Genesis 3:3
But there is one tree we must not eat from. God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die.'"
Genesis 3:5
God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree you will learn about good and evil, and then you will be like God!"
Genesis 3:6
The woman could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked. So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes.
Genesis 3:9
The Lord God called to the man and said, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:11
God said to the man, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from that special tree? I told you not to eat from that tree!"
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What have you done?" She said, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Genesis 3:14
So the Lord God said to the snake, "You did this very bad thing, so bad things will happen to you. It will be worse for you than for any other animal. You must crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant. And when you give birth to children, you will have much pain. You will want your husband very much, but he will rule over you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel,.... Not in a civil sense, a watchman of a town or city, or of the whole country, but in an ecclesiastical sense. So the Targum renders it by מליף, "a teacher"; whose business it was to instruct the people in divine things, to warn them of their evil ways, and of the danger they exposed them to; such were the prophets of old, and such are the ministers of the New Testament: the office is the same with that of bishops or overseers; and lies in watching over the souls of men, as shepherds over their flocks, that they go into right pastures, and not astray, and so preserves them from beasts of prey; and as watchmen of cities, to give the time of night, and, notice of approaching danger; to the discharge of which office are necessary quick sight, diligence in looking out, sobriety and vigilance, courage, constancy, and faithfulness: and they are "sons of men" that are put into this office, and not angels; sons of fallen Adam, sinful men; men subject to infirmity, weak, frail, mortal men, and oftentimes of a mean and low extraction, and greatly unworthy of so high an honour; but Christ counts them faithful, and puts them into this office; they are not made and constituted watchmen or ministers by themselves or by others, but by him; and they are given by him as such to the church of God: "son of man, I have given thee a watchman" t, c. they become watchmen through gifts bestowed upon them, qualifying them for this office and they themselves are gifts to the churches over whom they are placed, signified by "the house of Israel"; for a church is a house of Christ's building, and where he dwells, and a family named of him, which he takes care of, and consists of Israelites indeed;

therefore hear the word at my mouth; for, as the prophets of old, so the ministers of the Gospel are first to hear what Christ says; and then deliver out his doctrine, called the doctrine of Christ, and the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus. So the Targum,

"and thou shalt receive the word from my Word;''

the word of prophecy, or the word of the Gospel, from Christ the essential Word;

and give them warning from me; in his name and stead, and as from his mouth, to take care of sinning against him, dishonouring his name, and wounding their own souls; that they live soberly, righteously, and godly, and adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour; that they avoid all appearances of evil, and shun the company of wicked men; the house of Israel, or church of God, are to be warned to be careful who they take into their communion, and to exclude such that are bad in principle and practice; to beware of innovations in worship, and of false teachers and false doctrines; and that they do not forsake the word, worship, and ordinances of God's house, but fill up their places, and perform all duties incumbent on them. The Targum is,

"and thou shalt warn them from sinning before me.''

t צפה נתתיך "speculatorem dedi", V. L. Polanus, Cocceius, Starckius. So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Watchman - The priests and ministers of the Lord were often so called. Ezekiel is especially distinguished by this title Ezekiel 33:7. The duties of a watchman are twofold,

(1) to wait and watch what God will order,

(2) to watch over and superintend the people.

Isaiah describes and censures unfaithful watchmen Isaiah 56:10.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 3:17. I have made thee a watchman — The care and welfare of all this people I have laid on thee. Thou must watch for their safety, preach for their edification, and pray for their eternal welfare. And that thou mayest be successful, receive the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

God is particularly jealous lest any words but his own be taught for Divine doctrines. He will not have human creeds, no more than TRADITIONS, taught instead of his own word. No word can be successful in the salvation of sinners but that which comes from God. Every minister of the Gospel should be familiar with his Maker by faith and prayer; God will then hold communion with his spirit; otherwise, what he preaches will be destitute of spirit and life, and his hackneyed texts and sermons, instead of being the bread from heaven, will be like the dry mouldy Gibeonitish crusts.


 
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