Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 3:11

"And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear." — Ezekiel 3:11 (ASV)

Get thee to them of the captivity. —Ezekiel’s mission is now made more definite. In Ezekiel 3:10, he has been told in plain terms what had already been symbolically conveyed by the figure of the scroll. Now he is further informed that his immediate mission to the house of Israel is limited to those who, like himself, were already in captivity. At this time, and for several years to come, this was a comparatively small part of the whole nation; but before Ezekiel’s ministry was finished, it embraced the majority of them. (See Introduction, III.)

It is noticeable that God directs him to go, not to My, but to your people; just as in Ezekiel 2:3 He speaks of them as heathen, so here He refuses to recognize them in their present state as really His people. (Ezekiel 33:2; Ezekiel 33:12; Ezekiel 33:17; Daniel 9:24; Daniel 10:14.) At the same time, this indirectly suggests to the prophet a reminder that he is himself one of the same people, and therefore needs to be on his guard against the sin and obstinacy that characterize them.