Ezekiel 24:6

6 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, Woe to the city of bloods, to the pot whose rust is therein, and the rust thereof went not out of it; cast thou out it by parts, and by his parts; (and the) lot fell not on it. (And so the Lord God saith these things, Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot whose rust is in it, and its rust went not out of it; throw thou it out by its parts, and by its parts; and the lot did not fall on it.)

Ezekiel 24:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 24:6

Wherefore thus saith the Lord God, woe to the bloody city
Here the parable begins to be explained; and shows that by the pot is meant the city of Jerusalem, called the bloody city, because of the blood of the prophets, and of righteous persons, and of innocent babes, that was shed in it; and which was the cause of the judgments of God coming upon her, which would issue in her destruction, and therefore "woe unto her"; see ( Matthew 23:37 ) : to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it;
when a pot boils, a scum arises, and appears upon the top of the water, which the cook usually takes off: this denotes the filthiness and wickedness of the people of the Jews, which would work up and be seen by the judgments of God upon them; yet should not be removed, but continue on them, unrepented of, and unpardoned. It signifies that they would remain hardened in their sins; and that the judgments of God would have no effect upon them to bring them to repentance; and that God would have no mercy on them, or pardon their sins: bring it out piece by piece:
the people that were in Jerusalem, of every class and rank, of every age and sex; suggesting that they should not be all destroyed at once, but some at one time, and some at another; some in one way, and some in another; some by famine, others by the pestilence, and others by the sword; some by sallying out upon the enemy; others by endeavouring to make their escape privately, and fall into their hands: let no lot fall upon it;
to save some, and destroy others, as is often done in war; signifying that all were destined to destruction, some way or another; and none should be spared; they that escaped the pestilence should die by famine; and they that escaped them both should die by the sword; and they that escaped all three should be carried into captivity. The Targum is,

``captivity upon captivity shall go out with her, because repentance was not in her.''

Ezekiel 24:6 In-Context

4 Take thou a beast full fat (Take thou a very fat beast); gather thou together the gobbets thereof into it, each good part, and the hip, and the shoulder, chosen things and full of bones.
5 Also dress thou heaps of bones under it; and the seething thereof boiled out, and the bones thereof were sodden in the midst thereof (and its bones were boiled in its midst).
6 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, Woe to the city of bloods, to the pot whose rust is therein, and the rust thereof went not out of it; cast thou out it by parts, and by his parts; (and the) lot fell not on it. (And so the Lord God saith these things, Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot whose rust is in it, and its rust went not out of it; throw thou it out by its parts, and by its parts; and the lot did not fall on it.)
7 For why the blood thereof is in the midst thereof; he shed it out on a full clear stone, he shed not it out on (the) earth, that it may be covered with dust, (For its blood is in its midst; he poured it out on a very clean, or on a very bright, stone, he did not pour it out on the ground, so that it might be covered with dust,)
8 that I should bring in mine indignation, and avenge by vengeance; I gave the blood thereof on a full clear stone, that it should not be covered (I spilt its blood on a very clean, or on a very bright, stone, so that it would not be covered up, or hidden).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.