But when I speak with thee
Either when I have made an end of speaking to thee, when I have told thee all my mind, and have given thee all the instructions and prophecies thou art to deliver out; or when I shall speak to thee again, and give thee orders to speak: I will open thy mouth;
loose thy tongue, cause thee to break silence, and thou shall speak freely and fully all that I command thee; fulness of matter, and freedom of speech, are both from the Lord; liberty and opportunity of speaking are at his pleasure; and when he speaks his servants must prophesy, ( Amos 3:8 ) ; and thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord God;
so and so, whatsoever he is pleased to order to be spoken; not that the following words are what were to be said to the people; but they are said to the prophet for his own use, that he might not be uneasy at the unfruitfulness and failure of his ministry: he that heareth, let him hear;
if any will hearken to what is sent to them, as few of them will, it is very well: and he that forbeareth, let him forbear;
or, "he that ceaseth, let him cease" F25; he that ceaseth from hearing, let him do so, do not mind it, or be discouraged at it: for they [are] a rebellious house; (See Gill on Ezekiel 2:5). The Targum is,
``he that receiveth, let him receive instruction; and he that ceaseth, let him cease from sinning, for it is a rebellious people.''