What is the meaning of Ezekiel 23:1?

Again

• This small word reminds us Ezekiel had already received a steady stream of divine messages (Ezekiel 20:45; 21:1; 22:1).

• God does not speak once and walk away; He persists until His people pay attention, just as He did with Samuel (1 Samuel 3:6) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:13).

• The repetition underlines the patience and mercy of the Lord, offering chance after chance for repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

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the word of the LORD

• What Ezekiel hears is not human opinion but the inerrant, living Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12).

• The same formula appears again and again in Scripture to mark a clear, authoritative message (Jeremiah 1:2; Hosea 1:1).

• Because it is “the word of the LORD,” it carries absolute truth and demands obedience, just as the Thessalonians received Paul’s preaching “not as the word of men but as the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

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came to me

• God’s Word is personal. It “came” to a real man in a real place (Ezekiel 1:3), showing the Lord’s willingness to meet His servant where he is.

• Ezekiel did not seek out this revelation; the initiative was God’s, echoing Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:4) and Isaiah in the temple (Isaiah 6:1).

• The phrase underscores the prophet’s responsibility: once God’s Word arrives, the hearer must convey it faithfully (Ezekiel 3:4).

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saying

• The Word comes with specific content. God is about to speak a clear, direct message, not vague impressions (Numbers 12:6–8).

• What follows in chapter 23—a vivid indictment of Samaria and Jerusalem—is not Ezekiel’s creativity but God’s declaration (Ezekiel 23:2 ff.).

• The verb hints at dialogue: God speaks, expecting His people to listen and respond (James 1:22).

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summary

Ezekiel 23:1 introduces yet another moment in which the Lord personally delivers His authoritative, truthful Word to His prophet. The verse’s four simple phrases highlight God’s persistence, the reliability of divine revelation, the personal nature of prophetic calling, and the clarity of the message about to be uttered.