Ezekiel 24

1 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, write the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon laid siege against Jerusalem this same day.

3 And speak unto the house of rebellion by parable and say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:

4 gather her pieces of meat into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

5 Take the choice of the flock and burn also the bones under it and make it boil well and let them seethe the bones of it therein.

6 For thus hath the Lord GOD said: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein and whose scum is not gone out of it! For her pieces, because of her pieces let it be removed; let no lot fall upon it.

7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she did not poured it upon the ground, to cover it with dust;

8 that wrath might rise up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the high place of the rock that it should not be covered.

9 Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: Woe to the bloody city! I will also make a great fire,

10 multiplying the wood, kindling the fire, to consume the flesh and to make the broth, and the bones shall be burned;

11 setting afterward the empty pot upon the coals thereof that it may become red hot and may burn and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.

12 In fraud she has become weary, and her great scum did not go forth out of her; her scum shall be in the fire.

13 In thy perverse filthiness thou shalt die because I have cleansed thee, and thou didst not cleanse thyself from thy uncleanness; thou shalt never cleanse thyself again, until I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.

14 I, the LORD, have spoken: I came and worked. I will not turn back, neither will I have mercy, neither will I repent; according to thy ways and according to thy doings, they shall judge thee, said the Lord GOD.

15 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes by death; yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind thy turban upon thy head, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet and do not cover thy lips and do not eat the bread of comfort.

18 So I spoke unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the glory of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and the gift of your soul; your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips nor eat the bread of men.

23 And your turbans shall be upon your heads and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities and cry out one with another.

24 Thus Ezekiel shall be unto you for a sign: according to all that he has done ye shall do: and when this comes, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

25 Also, thou son of man, in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and the care of their souls, their sons and their daughters,

26 that day one that escapes shall come unto thee, to bring the news.

27 In that day thy mouth shall be opened to speak unto him who is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and no longer be dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

The fate of Jerusalem. (1-14) The extent of the sufferings of the Jews. (15-27)

Verses 1-14 The pot on the fire represented Jerusalem besieged by the Chaldeans: all orders and ranks were within the walls, prepared as a prey for the enemy. They ought to have put away their transgressions, as the scum, which rises by the heat of the fire, is taken from the top of the pot. But they grew worse, and their miseries increased. Jerusalem was to be levelled with the ground. The time appointed for the punishment of wicked men may seem to come slowly, but it will come surely. It is sad to think how many there are, on whom ordinances and providences are all lost.

Verses 15-27 Though mourning for the dead is a duty, yet it must be kept under by religion and right reason: we must not sorrow as men that have no hope. Believers must not copy the language and expressions of those who know not God. The people asked the meaning of the sign. God takes from them all that was dearest to them. And as Ezekiel wept not for his affliction, so neither should they weep for theirs. Blessed be God, we need not pine away under our afflictions; for should all comforts fail, and all sorrows be united, yet the broken heart and the mourner's prayer are always acceptable before God.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 24

Is this chapter the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem is prophesied of; the former under the parable of a boiling pot; the latter is represented by the sudden death of Ezekiel's wife. The time of this prophecy was that very day the king of Babylon began the siege of Jerusalem, Eze 24:1,2, the parable of the boiling pot, Eze 24:3-5, the explanation and application of it to the city of Jerusalem, Eze 24:6-14, the prophet is told of the death of his wife, and bid not to mourn on that account, which accordingly came to pass, Eze 24:15-18, upon the people's inquiring what these things meant, he informs them that hereby was signified the profanation of the temple; and that their distress should be so great, that they should not use any set forms of mourning, but pine away and die, Eze 24:19-24, and the chapter is closed with assuring the prophet, that the day these things should come to pass, a messenger should be sent him, to whom he should open his mouth, and be no more dumb, Eze 24:25-27.