(15) Also the word.—What follows is distinctly separated from the utterance of the foregoing parable and its interpretation, yet Ezekiel 24:18 shows that it took place upon the same day. Ezekiel is warned of the sudden death of his wife, who is described as deeply beloved, and yet he is forbidden to make any sign of mourning for her. read more
(17) The tire of thine head.—This might be either the covering for the head usually worn by the people (see Ezekiel 24:23), or the special “mitre of fine linen” (Exodus 39:28) provided for the priests; but as the peculiar priestly garments were worn only when the priests were on duty within the tabernacle (Leviticus 6:10-11), it is not likely that Ezekiel used them in his captivity. The priests were expressly allowed to mourn for their nearest relations (Leviticus 21:2-3), and Ezekiel is... read more
(18) In the morning: and at even.—What the prophet “spake unto the people in the morning” was what he has recorded (Ezekiel 24:3-14). Shortly after this the warning of Ezekiel 24:15-17 must have come to him, and then his Wife died in the evening of the same day. Accordingly, on the following morning the strange conduct which had been commanded him was observed by the people; their curiosity is awakened, and, rightly surmising that there must be some especial significance in the strange doings... read more
Ezekiel 24:15-16 The enunciation of laws or principles seems more especially to belong to Ezekiel, as the experience of personal evil and the sympathy with national sorrow belong more to the tender and womanly nature of Jeremiah. Nevertheless, Ezekiel was to be a priest in this sense also, as well as in that higher sense of beholding the glory of God and proclaiming His name. Suffering was not the destination of one prophet; it was the badge of all the tribe. F. D. Maurice. To love, is to know... read more
FINAL ORACLES AGAINST JERUSALEMEzekiel 22:1-31; Ezekiel 24:1-27THE close of the first period of Ezekiel’s work was marked by two dramatic incidents, which made the day memorable both in the private life of the prophet and in the history of the nation. In the first place it coincided exactly with the commencement of the siege of Jerusalem. The prophet’s mysterious knowledge of what was happening at a distance was duly recorded, in order that its subsequent confirmation through the ordinary... read more
Ezekiel 24:1-27 . The exact date is given by the prophet. It was the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year. What happened also on that date we find recorded in 2 Kings 25:1 : “And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came, he and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.” How did Ezekiel know about all this? It was the Lord who... read more
24:16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the {o} desire of thy eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.(o) Meaning his wife in whom he delighted, as in Ezekiel 24:18 . read more
24:17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind thy turban upon thee, {p} and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not [thy] lips, and eat {q} not the bread of men.(p) For in mourning they went bare headed and barefooted and also covered their lips.(q) That is, which the neighbours sent to them that mourned. read more
24:18 So I spoke to the people in the morning: and at evening my wife died; and I did {r} in the morning as I was commanded.(r) Meaning the morning following. read more
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John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 24:1-27
The Allegory of the Boiling Caldron. Ezekiel’s Bereavement and Significant SilenceThis prophecy is dated on the day on which the siege of Jerusalem began. Ezekiel is commanded by God to note the date, and to speak to the exiles a final parable of the city’s coming fate. Jerusalem is a rusty pot filled with water and meat and set upon a fire. The meat is well boiled, and brought out piece by piece at random. The empty pot is then set back on the fire that the rust may be burned away. The rust... read more