John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 3:6

"not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken unto thee." — Ezekiel 3:6 (ASV)

Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard
language
The prophet was sent, not to different nations, of different languages; but to one nation of the same language; indeed several of his prophecies concern other nations, as the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Tyrians, Philistines, Egyptians, and Assyrians; but then these had a relation to the people of Israel, and were chiefly on their account; and therefore he was not sent to those nations to deliver his prophecies to them, but to the people of Israel only; and so has no difficulty on his part concerning their language, which he would have had, had he been sent to the barbarous nations.

whose words, you cannot understand :
the prophet being only used to the language of the Jews and not having the gift of speaking with and understanding diverse tongues; as the apostles of Christ had, when they were sent to many people of different languages, and which is here tacitly intimated.

surely, had I sent you to them, they would have hearkened to you ;
which is an aggravation of the obstinacy and disobedience of the people of Israel; that had the barbarous nations been favoured with the same means of instruction they were they would have been obedient; see (Matthew 11:21Matthew 11:23) ; for though they could not understand the prophet's language, nor he theirs; yet, as Kimchi observes, they would have sought for an interpreter to have explained the prophecy to them.

The thing is very strongly affirmed, "surely", verily, (tmab) , "of a truth"; as the same Jewish writer interprets (al Ma) ; and both he and Jarchi take it to be the form of an oath. Some render the words, "if I had not sent you to them, they would have hearkened to you" ^F9 ; and the sense is, either that if the Lord had not sent him to the Israelites, but to the people of a strange speech, they, the people, would have hearkened to him: or, if the Lord had not sent the prophet, but he had gone of himself, as the false prophets in their own name, the Israelites would have hearkened to him; such was their perverseness and rebellion: others render the words, "if not", or had it not been for their strange speech and hard language, "I would have sent you to them" ^F11 , the barbarous nation, and "they would have hearkened to you"; but the first sense seems best; which is confirmed by the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental versions.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F9: (Kytxlv Mhyla al Ma) "si non ad eos misissem te", Vatablus; "si non misero te", Montanus; "si non mitterem", Pagninus.
• F11: "Si non misissem te ad eos", Calvin.