Ezekiel 33:30

As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God addresses Ezekiel ("son of man") while the exiled community gathers near city walls and house doorways to discuss his prophetic messages. This occurs immediately after the declaration of land desolation in Ezekiel 33:29 and directly precedes the rebuke of their hypocritical attendance in Ezekiel 33:31.

The words — הַנִּדְבָּרִים (ha-niddabbarim) denotes those "speaking together" or gathering voluntarily, while אֵצֶל הַקִּירוֹת ('etsel ha-qirōt) literally means "beside the walls." These terms frame the people's physical proximity to the prophet as a deliberate, communal pursuit of divine communication.

The thread — The motif of external religious pursuit without internal obedience appears in Isaiah 29:13 and Isaiah 58:2, where lip service replaces heartfelt devotion. Jeremiah 23:35 parallels the casual, peer-to-peer dissemination of prophetic messages among the people.

Why it lands — The text records a community actively seeking prophetic instruction while physically gathering at public thresholds. It demands recognition that proximity to divine words does not equate to submission to them.

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

וְאַתָּ֣הve./'a.Tahand/ you בֶן־ven-O son of אָדָ֔ם'a.Damhumankind בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] children of עַמְּךָ֗'a.me./Khapeople/ your הַנִּדְבָּרִ֤יםha./nid.ba.Rimwho/ are speaking togetherבְּךָ֙be./Khain/ youאֵ֣צֶל'E.tzelbeside הַקִּיר֔וֹתha./ki.Rotthe/ walls וּבְפִתְחֵ֖יu./ve./fit.Cheiand/ in/ [the] doorways of הַבָּתִּ֑יםha./ba.Timthe/ houses וְדִבֶּר־ve./di.ber-and/ he speaks חַ֣דchadone אֶת־'et-with אַחַ֗ד'a.Chadone אִ֤ישׁ'isheach אֶת־'et-with אָחִיו֙'a.Chi/vbrother/ his לֵאמֹ֔רle./Mor<to>/ saying בֹּֽאוּ־bo.'u-come נָ֣אna'please וְשִׁמְע֔וּve./shim.'Uand/ hear מָ֣הmahwhat?הַדָּבָ֔רha./da.Var[is] the/ word הַיּוֹצֵ֖אhai./yo.Tze'that/ is coming out מֵאֵ֥תme./'Etfrom/ with יְהוָֽה׃Yah.wehYahweh

King James Version

Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.

Cross-references

Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
Isaiah 58:2 For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”
Jeremiah 23:35 This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
Matthew 15:8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Matthew 22:16 They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.
Jeremiah 11:18 And the LORD informed me, so I knew. Then You showed me their deeds.
Jeremiah 18:18 Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”
Jeremiah 42:1 Then all the commanders of the forces, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached
Jeremiah 42:20 For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’