Ezekiel 2:7

The divine commissioning 'thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious' grounds prophetic calling in divine command rather than audience responsiveness — a fundamental principle of prophetic epistemology that decouples the message's validity from its reception. The phrase 'whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear' (im-yishme'u ve'im-yehdallu) is repeated throughout Ezekiel 2-3, establishing that the prophet's accountability is to God, not to outcomes. This principle is consistent with Isaiah's commission in 6:9-12 (preach even when the audience will not hear) and is applied by Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 ('we are unto God a sweet savour... unto the one the savour of death, unto the other of life'). The verse has been central in Christian preaching theology regarding faithfulness to the gospel message in resistant contexts.