Ezekiel 3:14So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; and the hand of Yahweh was strong on me.
The setting
Tel Abib, Babylon (modern-day Iraq), 593 BC. Ezekiel has just seen God's throne chariot and been commissioned as a prophet to rebellious Israel...
The emotion here: furious at being forced into an impossible mission
The original word
marah (מָרָה) — bitter anger, rebellion against circumstances
Why it matters
Tel Abib was a refugee settlement where Jewish exiles lived in mud-brick houses by irrigation canals
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ezekiel 3:14
The Spirit LIFTED and TOOK him — this wasn't voluntary travel but divine compulsion
Common misconceptionPeople think prophets were always willing vessels. Ezekiel was literally dragged by the Spirit, angry and bitter about his calling to preach to people who wouldn't listen.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ezekiel 3:14
Bible Genome reading
Ezekiel 3:14 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ezekiel 3:14 comes from the book of Ezekiel, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Ezekiel. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine calling, spiritual burden. Notable phrases: Spirit lifted me up; bitterness; heat of my spirit.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Ezekiel 3:14 mean to you, today?
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