Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

EZEKIEL 20:49KJV
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Ezekiel 20:49 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 20:49 mean?

Ezekiel 20:49 shows the prophet Ezekiel expressing concern to God that the people are dismissing his messages, saying he only speaks in parables or riddles. The verse highlights the people's confusion or unwillingness to take Ezekiel's warnings seriously because they find his words hard to understand.

In this verse, Ezekiel is speaking directly to God, voicing his frustration that his audience in exile does not grasp or accept the meaning of his prophetic messages. The people are questioning whether Ezekiel is really communicating clearly or just speaking in obscure sayings, which reflects their resistance to the warnings and lessons God is giving through him.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 20:49

  • "parables" — מָשָׁל (mashal): This word often means a proverb, riddle, or allegory. Here, it suggests that the people think Ezekiel's messages are too figurative or mysterious to apply directly to them, which shows their reluctance to face the plain meaning.
  • "speak" — דָּבַר (davar): While this word can mean to speak or declare, in this context it emphasizes the act of delivering a message, highlighting Ezekiel's role as a messenger whose words are being misunderstood or dismissed.

Why Ezekiel 20:49 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Ezekiel's audience was not simply ignorant but was actively resisting the message by claiming it was too cryptic, which shows a deeper problem of unwillingness to listen.
  • The verse sets up the tension for the following chapters, where God will make His warnings even clearer, showing that the people's confusion is not due to the message itself but their own hardness of heart.
  • Understanding this verse helps readers see the challenge prophets faced: even when faithfully delivering God's word, they were often misunderstood or ignored by those who most needed to hear.

Where else these words appear

“Ah” Hebrew H162 · used in 15 verses

  • Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
  • 2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
  • Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

“speak” Hebrew H4911 · used in 15 verses

  • Numbers 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
  • Psalms 49:20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
  • Ezekiel 16:44 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

“parables” Hebrew H4912 · used in 39 verses

  • Numbers 23:7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
  • 2 Chronicles 7:20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
  • Proverbs 26:9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.