Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 3:25

"But thou, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:" — Ezekiel 3:25 (ASV)

They shall put bands upon thee. —Ezekiel’s contemporary prophet, Jeremiah, was actually thrown into prison in Judea, and even into a foul dungeon (Jeremiah 37:21; Jeremiah 38:6); but nothing of this kind is to be understood here. There is no trace of such treatment throughout the book, nor is it likely that it would have been permitted by Nebuchadnezzar among his captives, or possible under the administration of Daniel.

Besides, a similar laying of bands upon him (although for a different purpose) is mentioned in Ezekiel 4:8, which must necessarily be understood figuratively. The compulsion described in this and the following verse was a moral one. Ezekiel’s countrymen, especially during the period of his warnings until the destruction of Jerusalem, should so absolutely refuse to hear him, that it would become practically impossible for him to declare his prophecies; he would be as if he were bound.