Ezekiel 3:22

"And the hand of Jehovah was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. Then I arose and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of Jehovah stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and he spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thy house. But thou, son of man, behold, they shall lay hands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; he that heareth let him hear; and he that forbeareth let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house."

FINAL INSTRUCTION IN THE COMMISSION (Ezekiel 3:22-27)

The conclusive instruction for Ezekiel in his divine commission was thus described by Barnes: "Here he learns that there is a time to be silent as well as a time to speak, and that both are appointed by God."[22]

Some scholars interpret this final paragraph as a reference to some affliction suffered by Ezekiel, such as epilepsy, aphasia, or temporary madness, and that he had to be restrained by the people. We do not accept that. "All of the various expressions of restraint here are figurative and have the meaning that God restrained Ezekiel for a while with the instruction that he was to open his mouth only in his house to those who consulted him privately."[23]

"The glory of the Lord stood there ..." (Ezekiel 3:23) Taylor noted that, "This expression sums up the whole of the vision seen in chapter 1; and the abiding recollection was not of the accoutrements of the heavenly chariot-throne, but of the One who sat upon it." This accords with our own view that this is the conclusion of the commission.

Some have suggested that perhaps this paragraph might be misplaced; but Beasley-Murray defended the meaning of it as appropriate enough where it stands.[24]

Howie's conclusion regarding this final paragraph is that, "Ezekiel acted the part of a prisoner, his actions thus symbolizing the destruction of Jerusalem. It was only upon God's specific commandment that he spoke in public."[25]