Ezekiel 20:2 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 20:2 mean?

Ezekiel 20:2 marks the moment when Ezekiel receives a message from the LORD. The words that follow are presented as the LORD’s response to the situation, rather than as Ezekiel’s own answer.

The “me” is Ezekiel, who tells the account in the first person. After the elders of Israel come to inquire of the LORD in verse 1, Ezekiel becomes the person through whom the LORD addresses them.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 20:2

• “word” — דָּבָר (davar): This Hebrew word can mean a word or a message. Here, “the word of the LORD” introduces a communication that continues in the following verses.
• “LORD” — יהוה (YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, represented by “LORD” in the KJV. The name identifies the source of the message Ezekiel receives.

Why Ezekiel 20:2 matters

• The verse makes a distinction between the elders’ request and the answer they receive. They come to Ezekiel in verse 1, but the response begins with “the word of the LORD.”
• The word “saying” prepares the reader for speech that follows. In verse 3, the LORD tells Ezekiel what to say to the elders.