What Does Ezekiel 2:6 Mean?
And you, son of man, do not fear them, nor their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you settle among scorpions. Do not fear their words, nor be shattered before their faces, for they are a rebellious house.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.THE KEY
Threat can surround the speaker without becoming the voice that governs him.
THE MEANING
You are addressed while the threats are still present: hostile words, hostile looks, thorny ground, and scorpions are not minimized. Their danger does not become the authority over the voice sent among them.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that intimidation proves the threatened person must fall silent or that a hostile crowd has final authority over what they say.
THE ROOT
תִּירָא
tira
GROWS FROM
ירא
To fear or stand in awe.
The same root can carry awe when directed toward God; here, “of them” and “of their words” make the fear one of hostile people. The verse names that danger without giving it authority over the one who speaks.
ALSO GROWS
yir'ah: fear, awe
יִרְאָה
It shows the root can name a response of awe as well as fear, with its direction shaped by context.
mora: dread, fear
מוֹרָא
This branch makes clear that the fear in the verse is a real response to people who intimidate.
תֵּחָת
techat
GROWS FROM
חתת
To be shattered, broken down, or dismayed.
The Hebrew verb behind “dismayed” carries the sense of being shattered or broken down. The looks of the rebellious house are named as pressure, while the verse refuses to let their appearance dictate the speaker’s inner collapse.
ALSO GROWS
mechittah: ruin, destruction
מְחִתָּה
This branch shows the root’s force: the threat reaches toward breaking someone down.
chatat: terror, dismay
חֲתַת
It keeps the verse’s focus on the inward impact that hostile faces can produce.
THE PATTERN
Threats can surround a person without becoming the authority over their speech.
Do not fear before their faces, for I am with you to snatch you out, declares the LORD.And now, LORD, look upon their threats, and give your servants to speak your word with all boldness.THE THREAD
Do not fear before their faces, for I am with you to snatch you out, declares the LORD.Both verses use the Hebrew root ירא (yare, to fear) for fear directed toward hostile people. Ezekiel names both their words and their looks; Jeremiah brings the same fear into focus through their faces.
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