Bible Strands
Ezekiel 33:32
Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks through Ezekiel to the exiled Israelites who have gathered in Jerusalem to hear his prophecies. This occurs during the final phase of his ministry as he confronts the people’s impending judgment.
The words — The Hebrew כְּשִׁיר עֲגָבִים (ke-shir a-gavim) literally means "like a song of lustful desires." It is paired with יְפֵה קֹל (ye-feh kol), "beautiful voice," to describe the aesthetic quality of the prophet’s delivery.
The thread — The text describes people who hear Ezekiel’s words but refuse to obey, a pattern mirrored in Mark 4:16 where listeners receive the message with joy but lack enduring roots. It aligns with Mark 6:20 and John 5:35, where audiences are drawn to a messenger’s presence without embracing his message.
Why it lands — The passage states that hearing divine speech must produce obedience, not merely aesthetic appreciation. Readers are confronted with the reality that intellectual or emotional engagement with scripture is insufficient without practical application.
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
And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Cross-references
- Mark 6:20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.
- Mark 4:16 Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
- John 5:35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.