Literary Context
This verse sits inside Ezekiel’s call and commissioning narrative (Ezekiel 1–3). After the overwhelming vision of God’s glory and Ezekiel’s collapse, he is raised and sent to speak to Israel, who are described as stubborn and resistant (just before this, Ezekiel is told not to fear them). Verse 8 shifts from describing the audience’s resistance to warning the prophet himself: the same refusal that marks the people must not mark the messenger. The command to “eat” prepares for the next scene where a scroll is given and consumed, framing the prophet’s speech as dependent on what he first receives.