Ezekiel 3:9 (DRB)

Passage

I have made thy face like an adamant and like flint: fear them not, neither be thou dismayed at their presence: for they are a provoking house.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee: because they will not hearken to me: for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and an obstinate heart.

Ezekiel 3:8 Behold I have made thy face stronger than their faces: and thy forehead harder than their foreheads.

Ezekiel 3:9 I have made thy face like an adamant and like flint: fear them not, neither be thou dismayed at their presence: for they are a provoking house.

Ezekiel 3:10 And he said to me: Son of man, receive in thy heart, and hear with thy ears, all the words that I speak to thee:

Ezekiel 3:11 And go get thee in to them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and thou shalt speak to them, and shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: If so be they will hear, and will forbear.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "face", "like", "adamant", "flint", "fear", "neither", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "face" and "like", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Behold I have made thy face stronger..." into verse 10's "And he said to me Son of...", so "face" and "like" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "face" and "like" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.