Ezekiel 3:25

Eze 3:25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

Ver. 25. Behold, they shall put bands upon thee.] Thy friends shall bind thee for a madman. See Mar 3:21. {See Trapp on "Mar 3:21"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Eze_3:25

They shall put bands upon thee.

Restraints in serving the Lord

I. They are often experienced. Every true life for Christ, at one step or another, verifies the expression of Paul, Without are fightings, within are fears.

1. The restraints may be in the servants. They may be ready to spread the Gospel, but are forbidden to enter the door which is apparently opened, or are afflicted with disease and unable to enter, or are prostrated in their energies by some domestic event and unfit to enter.

2. The restraints may be from those for whom the service is required.

(1) They may become violent against the persons who stand up for the rights of God.

(2) Or the people may be rebellious in heart.

II. The restraints are under the direction of the Lord. He concerns Himself with every matter relating to His kingdom amongst men. The enforced silence and disablement of the prophet and the gross heart of the people are controlled for His righteous and good ends.

1. Traces of His working are perceptible. Restraints are felt teaching His suffering servants to be patient, vigilant for Him, and so qualifing for future action and future reward. If we suffer with Him we are glorified together.

2. Hopes of His working may be entertained. When men make void His law, that is a time to ask God to do special work.

III. Restraints may be associated with communion between the Lord and His servants. This fact is brought to pass--

1. By a fresh consciousness of God in His service. He seems to come nearer to them, and they say, Thou holdest me by my right hand.

2. By a deepened conviction that He who has led them is the same forever.

3. By the power of the Holy Spirit. He takes the things that are Christs and shows them to us. He teaches to profit, and we receive power, love, and a sound mind. The efficacy of all true ministry depends on His energy. (D. G. Watt, M. A.)

Gods servants are told what to expect

1. Christ deals fairly, not fraudulently with His; He tells them at first what they must expect; not gold and silver, but bands and chains They shall bind thee. He told Jeremiah, they shall fight against him (Jer_1:19). So Paul no sooner is called to preaching, but he hears of suffering (Act_9:16). Christ tells all the apostles that they must be afflicted, hated, killed (Joh_16:2).

2. No excellency exempts a prophet from the malice of mens tongues and hands.

3. The generality of people are enemies to their own good, and active to their own ruin. The house of Israel, they are against the prophet; they fetter and chain him up, and think they have done well, to make him secure from coming amongst them. And alas, what have they done! thrust away the physician that should cure them; shut out mercy by shutting up a prophet; put out the light. Christ the great Prophet, the people, after all His precious sermons and glorious miracles, cry (Luk_23:18; Luk_23:21).

4. Wicked ones deal severely, cruelly with the prophets when they fall into their hands.

5. Afflictive conditions seldom better mens spirits. In the case of the Jews here, their wronging of the prophets was the cause of their suffering, and yet all their sufferings did not subdue their spirits, and work them to entertain the truth. The plough breaks the earth in many places, but doth not better it, but leaves it as it was; nothing is put in by the plough.

6. It is no new thing for prophets and ministers to be roughly entreated, and laid by as useless things (1Pe_5:9). (W. Greenhill, M. A.)

Liberty compatible with bodily restraint

When Bishop Hall was, with nine of his episcopal brethren, committed to the Tower on a charge of high treason, in the early days of the Long Parliament, besides preaching, as he had opportunity, on the Sundays, he wrote a treatise, under the title: Free Prisoner; or, The Comfort of the Saint, joyously contrasting the bondage which he endured with that of lust and sinful desires. Madame Guyon took the same happy view of her imprisonment in the Bastille, in which she reckoned herself one of Gods singing birds, whom He had caged there to have pleasure in her music.

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

put bands upon thee--not literally, but spiritually, the binding, depressing influence which their rebellious conduct would exert on his spirit. Their perversity, like bands, would repress his freedom in preaching; as in Co2 6:12, Paul calls himself "straitened" because his teaching did not find easy access to them. Or else, it is said to console the prophet for being shut up; if thou wert now at once to announce God's message, they would rush on thee and bind them with "bands" [CALVIN].

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 25. They shall put bands upon thee] Thy countrymen will rise up against thee; and, to prevent thy prophesying, will confine thee.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Now God explains the reason why he wishes the Prophet to cease for a time, and to remain at home as if dumb. They have placed, said he, ropes upon thee with which they may bind thee. The opinion of those who take the passage metaphorically is not unsuitable, as if it had been said, the perverseness of the people hinders Ezekiel in the discharge of his duty, just as if he had been bound with ropes.

To make this clearer, we may call to mind what Paul says to the Corinthians, (2 Corinthians 6:11,) namely, that he was held in bondage, because his teaching could not find access to them, nor penetrate to their souls. “Our mouth,” says he, “is open towards you, O Corinthians! Our heart is enlarged towards you:” that is, as far as lieth in me, I am prepared faithfully to spend my labors upon you: but your bowels are straitened. Since therefore men, by their own depravity, hinder the course of doctrine, by reducing the servants of God to straits, it is quite consistent to represent the malice of those who are not teachable to be like ropes by which faithful teachers are bound, so that they cannot proceed freely in the course of their duty. If any one, however, prefers taking what is here said strictly and literally, the sentence must thus be understood, that the Israelites were not as yet prepared for instruction, because if the Prophet shall utter God’s commands immediately, they would be like the furious who would lay hands upon him and bind him with ropes. This sense also is very appropriate, and hence we may choose freely between them. But as to the general purport, God’s intention is by no means obscure, namely, that the Prophet ought not to take it ill, if he be for a time apparently useless without obtaining either hearers or fit disciples. We see then that this is said for the Prophet’s comfort, that he should not murmur or take it ill that God wishes him ‘to remain shut up at home; because the fit time had not yet come, as if it had been said — “If you hasten now, you will approach furious men who will by and bye rush against you and bind you with ropes. Because, therefore, you see them not yet prepared for learning, wait a while until I prepare their ears for you, that they may attend to you; or at least, that they may be rendered the more excuseless, I will send thee; and meanwhile, although they are as yet perverse, yet they cannot rise violently against thee, but whether they will or not, they shall be compelled to hear the commands which proceed from my mouth.” And he afterwards confirms this at length, as we shall see.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(25) They shall put bands upon thee.—Ezekiel’s contemporary prophet, Jeremiah, was actually thrown into prison in Judæa, and even into a foul dungeon (Jer_37:21; Jer_38:6); but nothing of this kind is to be understood here. There is no trace of such treatment throughout the book, nor is it likely that it would have been suffered by Nebuchadnezzar among his captives, or possible under the administration of Daniel. Besides, a similar laying of bands upon him (although for a different purpose) is mentioned in Eze_4:8, which must necessarily be understood figuratively. The compulsion described in this and the following verse was a moral one. Ezekiel’s countrymen, especially during the period of his warnings until the destruction of Jerusalem, should so absolutely refuse to hear him, that it would become practically impossible for him to declare his prophecies; he would be as if he were bound.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. they shall put bands upon thee] that is, the exiles, as the words “thou shalt not go out among them” imply. The expression can hardly be merely equivalent to the pass., “cords shall be put upon thee” (Sep. Vulg.). The language is a figure for the restraint of opposition (ch. Eze_4:8).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee,.... Or, "bands shall be put upon thee"; either visionally, or really; not by angels, but by the Jews, who, taking the prophet for a madman by his motions and gestures; would bind him, and keep him within doors: or figuratively this may be understood of the sins of the people, their rebellion and obstinacy, which hindered the prophet from prophesying among them as yet; and so this is observed to conciliate his mind to the divine order, to shut up himself for a while in his own house, and be silent: or else by these bonds may be meant the divine order itself, which restrained him from doing his office as yet. So the Targum,

"behold, I have appointed the words of my mouth upon thee, as a band of ropes with which they bind;''

and shall bind thee with them; which some think is emblematical of the Jews being bound by the Chaldeans:

and thou shall not go out among them; to converse with them, or prophesy unto them. The Septuagint version renders it, "shall not go out from the midst of them"; as if he should be taken out of his own house by the Jews, and be bound by them, and kept among them, and not able to get away from them; but it is to be understood of his being bound in his own house, and not able to go out of that to them; and may signify, that in like manner the Jews should not be able to go out of Jerusalem when besieged by the Chaldeans.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Bands. It is uncertain whether by his order, or they supposed he was deranged, as our Saviour’s brethren meant to treat him, Mark iii. 21. The Chaldean explains it figuratively of God’s order, attaching the prophet to his service. (Calmet) --- But real chains would more forcibly shew the future captivity of Juda (Haydock) which the prophet declared both by words and actions. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Son of man: see Eze 2:1. It is not said who shall do this, therefore interpreters guess variously at it. Some say it is figurative, noting the malice of the Jews, who would not suffer him quietly to converse with them, their malice was like bonds. Others understand the words as they sound, and refer,

1. To angels, as if they bound him.

2. To his friends and domestics, who would take his intenseness and earnestness in continued, retired thoughtfulness to be madness; so prophets were mistaken and misreported, 2Ki 9; Mr 3:21. To the ruder and more violent of the Jews, who on all occasions were ready thus to confine their prophets, when they foretold unwelcome tidings, and to stir up their governors hereto, as 1Ki 22:27; Jer 32:2; 37:15; 38:6,7. It is not improbable that the rabble should incense the αιχμαλωτα χαι, presidents of the captivity, to do this.

Put bands upon thee; signifying the bonds and chains of their future captivity who were yet at Jerusalem.

Shall bind thee with them: this I suppose denotes the severity with which the conqueror would treat them, he would bind their bonds fast, close, and this will be pain and grief to the bounden.

Thou shalt not go out among them; a Hebraism, thou shalt be denied a free converse.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

25. They shall put bands upon thee — Or, bands shall be put upon thee, and thou shalt be bound with them. If this is to be taken literally, it is the first sermon which Ezekiel is to preach to his countrymen. It will contain the lesson of his own helplessness. It will be a public confession of his inability to move hand or foot except as Jehovah bids him. This same lesson, less easily understood, however, might have been learned if the “bands” were purely mental. His seclusion in his own house might have caused remark and been attributed to a divine command.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They shall put bands upon thee, etc. Did the warning mean that the prophet"s hearers would treat him as the men of Jerusalem treated Jeremiah? (Jer_32:3 Jer_33:1 Jer_38:6) Of this, at all events, we have no record, and so far we are led to the other alternative of taking the words (Eze_4:8) in a figurative sense. The prophet would feel, as he stood in the presence of the rebellious house, as tongue tied, bound hand and foot by their hardness of heart, teaching by strange and startling signs only, and, it may be, writing his prophecies. in Eze_24:27, four years later, and again in Eze_29:21, we have a distinct reference to a long period of such protracted silence. We may compare, as in some sense parallel, the silence of Zacharias. (Luk_1:22) That silence unbroken for nine months was a sign to those who "were looking for redemption in Jerusalem," more eloquent than speech.

A prophet stricken dumb.

This is something abnormal, almost monstrous. A prophet is a speaker by calling. His mission is to use his voice. Something is strangely amiss if he is to be driven to silence. The occurrence, the causes, and the consequences of such a phenomenon must be of exceptional importance.

I THE FACT. The prophet"s tongue is to cleave to the roof of his mouth. If he would speak, he shall not be able to do so. Then, as before the time of Samuel, the word of the Lord must be "rare". (1Sa_3:1) Divine messages cease.

1. No light. The sun is eclipsed. At noon it is night. Truth sinks into obscurity. Heaven ceases to have a meaning. Man is left to earth alone.

2. No guiding hand. Left in the dark, people may plunge into quagmires of error or fall into pits of destruction; there is no warning to keep them safe.

3. No commanding voice. Now the people feel free to choose their own course.

4. No consolation nor message of grace. The prophets were not all Cassandra, nor was every message a prediction of judgment. These men were the consolers of the sorrowful. They bore Messianic messages of hope. Now their words are hushed. If the black thundercloud is dispelled, so also is the rainbow that spanned it.

II THE CAUSE.

1. By the power of God. It is God who paralyzes the tongue of his servant. This is no matter of wilful reticence or sullen silence on the part of the prophet. If God sends a message, he can also withhold one. Revelation is not extorted from heaven by cunning sorcery. It is freely vouchsafed by the will of God, and if he chooses to hide it, no skill or might of man can extract it. The lips of the prophet from whom God has withheld a message are as surely sealed to all new Divine revelation as the lips of a corpse. The dead can tell no secrets, the uninspired prophet can make no revelation.

2. On account of mans sin. This is a judicial act. God does not work in caprice. But neither does he act with mechanical uniformity. He will not waste his gracious words forever. Christ warned his disciples not to cast their pearls before swine. How many have heard the gospel so often and heeded it not, that they may well feel they deserve to be shut out from hearing it any more! Why should the sower cast his seed by the wayside again, only to be trodden underfoot or stolen by the wild birds?

III THE PURPOSE. There must be an object in this cessation of prophecy, and that object must be more than the mere economy of effort. God has positive ends in view in all that he does, for he is ever advancing to larger good, and never simply withdrawing from fruitless fields as though frustrated and confined to a smaller area. At first the cessstion of prophecy may be accepted as a relief from inconvenient admonition. It used to remind men of ugly facts of sins committed and duties neglected. Now they are free from its annoying insistence. But presently other effects may be seen.

1. To show the value of what was neglected. Though we may not recognize the fact, the presence of a Divine voice is a great boon it is light and counsel and help. Men may learn to value it when they have lost it. We do not know how precious our friends were till they are taken from us. Perhaps we were sometimes irritated by what they said. Oh that we could have them back now that we have learnt their value! But it is too late.

2. To speak by silence. Many words have tailed. Silence itself may be eloquent. The very cessation of prophecy may provoke reflection on the old messages.

3. To spare the aggravation of guilt. The more words of warning are unheeded, the worse is the guilt of the rejection.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Not go - Thou shalt be straitly confined.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

behold they have placed ropes upon you Be imprisoned in your house as if you were bound with ropes. This is also how Jonathan paraphrases it: Behold the decree of My words upon you is like the binding of ropes, etc.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.