Ezekiel 2:8

“But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee, &c.] Which was necessary because he was to speak not his own words, but the Lord’s, and therefore ought to hear before he spoke; and indeed those that speak in a public way, for the instruction of others, ought to hear and learn of Christ first: be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious house; who would not hear what was said unto them; but they were not to be imitated no, not in a lesser degree: the prophet was to avoid everything that looked like rebellion; as in, attention to what was said to him hesitation about it, or backwardness to publish it; open thy mouth; be ready to receive what should be given, as a symbol of the prophecy he…”

“eat--(See on Jer 15:16; Rev 10:9-10). The idea is to possess himself fully of the message and digest it in the mind; not literal eating, but such an appropriation of its unsavory contents that they should become, as it were, part of himself, so as to impart them the more vividly to his hearers.”

“Hear - Obey. Open - This was done only in a vision. Ezekiel 2:9”

“2:8 Ezekiel must not resemble the disobedient and rebellious people around him. The first Adam disobeyed God’s command not to eat the apparently desirable fruit of knowledge (Gen 2:17); Ezekiel was to obey by eating the apparently undesirable words of God.”

“Be: Lev 10:3; Num 20:10-13, Num 20:24; Kg1 13:21, Kg1 13:22; Isa 50:5; Pe1 5:3 open: Eze 3:1-3, Eze 3:10; Jer 15:16; Ti1 4:14-16; Rev 10:9 Ezekiel 2:9”

“After the Lord had pointed out to the prophet the difficulties of the call laid upon him, He prepared him for the performance of his office, by inspiring him with the divine word which he is to announce. - Eze 2:8. And thou, son of man, hear what I say to thee, Be not stiff-necked like the stiff-necked race; open thy mouth, and eat what I give unto thee. Eze 2:9. Then I saw, and, lo, a hand outstretched towards me; and, lo, in the same a roll of a book. Eze 2:10. And He spread it out before me; the same was written upon the front and back: and there were written upon it lamentations, and sighing, and woe. Eze 3:1. And He said to me: Son of man, what thou findest eat; eat the roll, and go and…”