Bible Strands
Ezekiel 12:9
“Son of man, hasn’t the rebellious house of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Ezekiel as "Son of man" immediately after the prophet enacts a sign in the morning, directing his attention to the exiles' reaction. The divine speaker notes that the people have already directed a specific inquiry toward the prophet.
The words — The text highlights בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-adam) for "Son of man" and הֲלֹא אָמְרוּ (ha'lo amru) for "hasn't they said." These terms frame the divine address and the exiles' direct challenge to the prophet's actions.
The thread — This pattern of questioning divine actions appears in Ezekiel 17:12, Ezekiel 20:49, and Ezekiel 24:19, where the exiles or God address their confusion or accusation regarding prophetic signs.
Why it lands — The verse records the people's demand for explanation before God delivers His response, showing that divine action precedes human understanding. It requires the reader to confront the reality that prophetic signs will provoke doubt, and that God addresses that doubt directly rather than ignoring it.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 17:12 “Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.
- Ezekiel 24:19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”
- Ezekiel 20:49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”
- Ezekiel 2:5 And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
- Ezekiel 12:1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,