So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
I have set thee a watchman - application of the image. The "I" is emphatic: "I have set thee," not as in the case of the earthly watchman, 'the people of the land" (Ezekiel 33:2). Ezekiel's appointment to be a watchman spiritually is far more solemn, as it is derived from God, not from the people.