Ezekiel 24:1-6

The Boiling Pot and the Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

1 And the word of Yahweh {came} to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth [day] of the month, {saying},
2 "Son of man, write for yourself the name of the day, {this very day}. The king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem on exactly this day!
3 And {deliver a proverb} to {the rebellious house}, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Place the pot! Place [it] and also pour water into it.
4 Gather its pieces to it, every good piece, thigh and shoulder, fill it [with] choice bones;
5 take the choicest of the flock, and also pile the bones under it; {boil it vigorously}; indeed, its bones boiled in the midst of it." '"
6 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Woe [to] the city of bloodguilt! A pot that [has] its rust in it; {its rust did not go out from it}. Bring it out {piece by piece}; {one is as good as another}.

Ezekiel 24:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Footnotes 12

  • [a]. Literally "was"
  • [b]. Literally "to say"
  • [c]. Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
  • [d]. Literally "exactly the day the this"
  • [e]. Literally "quote a proverb"; "proverb a proverb"
  • [f]. Literally "the house of rebellion"
  • [g]. Or possibly "logs"; the difference is one letter in Hebrew
  • [h]. Literally "boil its boiling"
  • [i]. Or "also"
  • [j]. Literally "rust her not went forth from her"
  • [k]. Literally "according to its pieces"
  • [l]. Literally "no lot has fallen on it"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.