Ezekiel 24:20-27

20 And I said to them, The word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

21 Speak thou to the house of Israel, The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall defoul my saintuary, the pride of your empire, and the desirable thing of your eyes, and on which your soul dreadeth; and your sons and your daughters, which ye left, shall fall by sword. (Speak thou to the house of Israel, The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall defile my sanctuary, the pride of your empire, and the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul, or your heart, delighteth in; and your sons and your daughters, whom ye left behind, shall fall by the sword.)

22 And ye shall do, as I did; ye shall not cover (your) mouths with (a) cloth, and ye shall not eat the meat of wailers (and ye shall not eat the food of mourners).

23 Ye shall have crowns in your heads, and shoes in the feet; ye shall not wail, neither ye shall weep, but ye shall fail in wretchedness, for your wickednesses; and each man shall wail to his brother. (Ye shall have crowns, or coverings, upon your heads, and shoes upon your feet; and ye shall not wail, nor shall ye weep, but ye shall fail in wretchedness, for your wickednesses; and each person shall wail to another.)

24 And Ezekiel shall be to you into a sign of thing to coming; by all things which he did, ye shall do, when this thing shall come; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord God. (And Ezekiel shall be for you a sign of things to come; and when this thing shall come, ye shall do all that he hath done; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord God.)

25 And thou, son of man, lo! in the day in which I shall take away from them the strength of them, and the joy of dignity, and the desire of their eyes, on which the souls of them rest, cast away the sons and the daughters of them; (And thou, son of man, lo! on the day when I shall take away from them their strength, or their fortress, and their pride and joy, and the desire of their eyes, on which their souls, or their hearts, rest, I shall also take away their sons and their daughters;)

26 in that day when a man fleeing shall come to thee, to tell to thee; (on that day when those who flee, or those who escape, shall come to thee, and shall tell thee their news;)

27 in that day soothly thou shalt open thy mouth with him that fled; and thou shalt speak, and shalt no more be still; and thou shalt be to them into a sign of thing to coming, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. (on that day thou shalt open thy mouth with them who fled; and thou shalt speak, and shalt no more be silent; and thou shalt be to them a sign of what is to come, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.)

Ezekiel 24:20-27 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.