King James Version
Ezekiel 24
27 verses with commentary
The Cooking Pot
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,
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<strong>In the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month</strong>—January 15, 588 BC (per modern calculations), the exact day Nebuchadnezzar's army laid siege to Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1). The precision is prophetically significant: Ezekiel, 700 miles away in Babylon, receives <strong>the word of the LORD</strong> (דְּבַר־יְהוָה, <em>debar-YHWH</em>) announcing Jerusalem's doom ...
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(1) **In the tenth day of the month.**—Jehoiachin’s captivity (by which all these prophecies are dated) coincided with Zedekiah’s reign. The date here given is therefore the same as in Jeremiah 39:1; Jeremiah 52:4; 2Kings 25:1, and was afterwards observed by the Jews as a fast (Zechariah 8:19). It was doubtless the day on which the investment of the city was completed.
Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
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<strong>"Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day."</strong> God commands Ezekiel to record the exact date—Babylon begins besieging Jerusalem. This prophetic dating miracle occurred while Ezekiel was in Babylon, hundreds of miles from Jerusalem, yet he knew the siege's start synchronously. When refugees later...
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(2) **Write thee the name.**—It is evident that especial attention was to be called to the exact date, and a note made of it at the time. The words “has set himself against” would be more accurately rendered *has fallen upon. *The supposition that the reference is to some point on his march from which Nebuchadnezzar advanced to the attack upon Jerusalem, and that tidings of this were brought to th...
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24. The detail of particulars (Jr 51:20-23) is in order to express the indiscriminate slaughters perpetrated by Babylon on Zion, which, in just retribution, are all to befall her in turn (Jr 50:15, 29).
**in your sight--**addressed to the Jews.
And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
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<strong>"And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:"</strong> God commands a parable (allegory) of a cooking pot representing Jerusalem. The "rebellious house" designation emphasizes persistent covenant violation. The pot will be filled, heated, and corroded—depicting siege's suffering. Parables c...
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(3) **Utter a parable.**—What follows (Ezekiel 24:3-14) was not a symbolical action, but was simply a parable spoken to the people, although the language is just that which would describe action.
**Set on a pot.**—Rather, *the cauldron, *the word being the same as in Ezekiel 11:3, and preceded by the definite article referring to that passage. Urgency is indicated by the repetition of the command ...
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**25. destroying mountain--**called so, not from its position, for it lay low (Jr 51:13; Ge 11:2, 9), but from its eminence above other nations, many of which it had "destroyed"; also, because of its lofty palaces, towers, hanging gardens resting on arches, and walls, fifty royal cubits broad and two hundred high.
**roll thee down from the rocks--**that is, from thy rock-like fortifications and ...
Read full commentary →Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
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Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones details the pot being loaded with choice meat—the best cuts. This represents Jerusalem's population, particularly the elite who remained after the 597 BC deportation. Fill it with the choice bones indicates the city full of valuable people. The imagery begins positively—a pot of goo...
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(4) **The pieces thereof.**—Literally, *its pieces, *the pieces which pertain to the cauldron, the Jews, whose centre and capital is Jerusalem. This was the natural effect of Nebuchadnezzar’s campaign; the people from every side sought refuge in the city. (Comp. Jeremiah 35:11.) The mention of the “good piece,” “the choice bones,” and “the choice of the flock” (Ezekiel 24:5), is not for the purpos...
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**26. corner ... stone ... foundations--**The corner-stone was the most important one in the building, the foundation-stones came next in importance (Ep 2:20). So the sense is, even as there shall be no stones useful for building left of thee, so no leading prince, or governors, shall come forth from thy inhabitants.
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. burn: or, heap
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Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it continues loading the pot imagery. Choice of the flock means the best animals, representing Jerusalem's finest citizens. And make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein describes intense cooking—the fire will be so hot that even bones dissolve. This speaks to the severity of siege conditions. The prolonged, intense h...
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(5) **Burn also the bones under it.**—It is uncertain whether this is or is not the exact sense. The word for “burn” means, as is shown in the margin, *heap, *and is a noun. This is taken by many with a verb implied, in the sense of “make a heap of wood to burn the bones.” On the other hand, the sense of the text is that given in most of the ancient versions, and it is certain that bones, before t...
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27. (Jr 50:29). As in Jr 51:12 the Babylonians were told to "set up the standard," so here her foes are told to do so: the latter, to good purpose; the former, in vain.
**Ararat--**Upper or Major Armenia, the regions about Mount Ararat.
**Minni--**Lower or Lesser Armenia. Rawlinson says that Van was the capital of Minni. It was conquered by Tettarrassa, the general of Tetembar II, the Assyrian...
Read full commentary →Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
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<strong>"Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it."</strong> "Bloody city" (<em>ir ha-damim</em>, עִיר הַדָּמִים) indicts Jerusalem's violence. "Scum" (<em>chel'ah</em>, חֶלְאָה) represents corruption that won't depart despite heating (judgment). "Piece by ...
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(6-14) These verses contain the application of the parable in two distinct parts (Ezekiel 24:6-14), but in such wise that the literal and the figurative continually run together. A new feature, that of the rust on the cauldron, is also introduced. A somewhat similar figure may be found in Isaiah 4:4, but with the difference that Ezekiel, as usual, goes much more into minute details.
(6) **Scum.**—...
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**28. kings of ... Medes--**(Jr 51:11). The satraps and tributary kings under Darius, or Cyaxares.
**his dominion--**the king of Media's dominion.
For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
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<strong>Her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock</strong>—the metaphor shifts from the rusty pot (verses 3-6) to Jerusalem's brazen display of bloodguilt. Blood poured <strong>upon the top of a rock</strong> (עַל־צְחִיחַ סֶלַע, <em>al-tzechiach sela</em>) remains visible, unabsorbed, crying out. By contrast, <strong>she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dus...
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(7) **Upon the top of a rock.**—Crimes of violence are continually charged upon Jerusalem (Ezekiel 22:12-13; Ezekiel 23:37, &c.)*, *but here she is further reproached with such indifference to these crimes that she did not even care to cover them decently. It was required in the law that the blood even of the sacrifices (Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 16:15, &c.) and of animals slain for food (Deuterono...
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**29. land shall tremble ... every purpose of ... Lord shall be performed--**elegant antithesis between the trembling of the land or earth, and the stability of "every purpose of the Lord" (compare Psa 46:1-3).
That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
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That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance reveals that Jerusalem's unrepented bloodshed has accumulated to provoke divine vengeance. I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered indicates God ensured the blood cried out visibly, not hidden where it could be ignored (compare Genesis 4:10—Abel's blood crying from the ground). The exposed blood on bare rock d...
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(8) **I have set.**—Here God Himself is said to do that which has just been charged upon Jerusalem. There is no inconsistency between the statements; Jerusalem gloried in her crimes, and God made those crimes conspicuous as the cause of her punishment.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. forborne to fight--**for the city was not taken by force of arms, but by stratagem, according to the counsel given to Cyrus by two eunuchs of Belshazzar who deserted.
**remained in ... holds--**not daring to go forth to fight; many, with Nabonidus, withdrew to the fortified city Borsippa.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! repeats the charge with emphasis. I will even make the pile for fire great announces God's personal involvement in intensifying judgment. The pile for fire represents the siege works and fuel for destruction. God Himself will make the fire great—He isn't a distant observer but active participant in historical judgment. Divine sovereignty m...
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31. (See on Jr 50:24).
**One post--**One courier after another shall announce the capture of the city. The couriers despatched from the walls, where Cyrus enters, shall "meet" those sent by the king. Their confused running to and fro would result from the sudden panic at the entrance of Cyrus into the city, which he had so long besieged ineffectually; the Babylonians had laughed at his attempts ...
Read full commentary →Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
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Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned commands intensifying the fire. Spice it well is bitterly ironic—this isn't a meal to be enjoyed but complete destruction. Every element must be consumed. The repetition (wood, fire, flesh, bones) emphasizes thoroughness. Nothing will survive the fire of judgment. The bones being burned indicates even ...
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(10) **Spice it well.**—With Ezekiel 24:9 the second part of the application of the parable begins, and is marked by great energy of description. In this verse the sense of the word translated “spice” is doubtful. If this be its true meaning, the idea must be, Go on thoroughly with the cooking; but the word is always used in connection with the preparation of compound incense or spices, and seems ...
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**32. passages are stopped--**The guarded fords of the Euphrates are occupied by the enemy (see on Jr 50:38).
**reeds ... burned--**literally, "the marsh." After draining off the river, Cyrus "burned" the stockade of dense tree-like "reeds" on its banks, forming the outworks of the city's fortifications. The burning of these would give the appearance of the marsh or river itself being on "fire."
Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
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Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn describes the next phase: after the contents are consumed, heat the empty pot until the metal itself glows red-hot. And that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed reveals the purpose: purging the pot's corruption. The pot (Jerusalem) itself needs purification, not just it...
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(11) **Set it empty upon the coals.**—Keeping up the strong figure of the parable, after all the inhabitants have passed under judgment the city itself is to be purged by fire. It is unnecessary here to think of heat as removing the rust (scum) from the cauldron; the prophet’s mind is not upon any physical effect, but upon the methods of purifying defiled metallic vessels under the law (see Number...
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**33. like a threshing-floor, it is time to thresh her--**rather, "like a threshing-floor at the time of threshing," or "at the time when it is trodden." The treading, or threshing, here put before the harvest, out of the natural order, because the prominent thought is the treading down or destruction of Babylon. In the East the treading out of the corn took place only at harvest-time. Babylon is ...
Read full commentary →She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
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She hath wearied herself with lies shifts from pot to personification—Jerusalem is an exhausted liar. And her great scum went not forth out of her, her scum shall be in the fire declares that despite exhaustive efforts, the corruption remains. Therefore it must be burned out rather than scrubbed out. Moral effort cannot remove what only grace and judgment can purge. The lies refer to false prophec...
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**34. me--**Zion speaks. Her groans are what bring down retribution in kind on Babylon (Jr 50:17; Psa 102:13, 17, 20).
**empty vessel--**He has drained me out.
**dragon--**The serpent often "swallows" its prey whole; or a sea monster [Grotius].
**filled his belly ... cast me out--**like a beast, which, having "filled" himself to satiety, "casts out" the rest [Calvin]. After filling all his s...
Read full commentary →In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
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<strong>"In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee."</strong> "Lewdness" (<em>zimmah</em>, זִמָּה) in filthiness indicates deliberate, planned wickedness. Despite God's purging attempts ("I have purged thee"), Israel resisted cleansing. Therefore, severe ju...
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**35. my flesh--**which Nebuchadnezzar hath "devoured" (Jr 51:34). Zion thus calls her kinsmen (Ro 11:14) slain throughout the country or carried captives to Babylon [Grotius]. Or, as "my blood" follows, it and "my flesh" constitute the whole man: Zion, in its totality, its citizens and all its substance, have been a prey to Babylon's violence (Psa 137:8).
I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
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<strong>"I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD."</strong> This verse piles up emphatic declarations—"I have spoken," "it shall come to pass," "I will do it"—guaranteeing fulfillment. "I will not go back, neither...
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**36. plead ... cause--**(Jr 50:34).
**sea--**the Euphrates (Jr 51:13; Jr 50:38). Compare Is 19:5, "sea," that is, the Nile (Is 21:1).
Ezekiel's Wife Dies
Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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Also the word of the LORD came unto me introduces a second oracle on the same day—the death of Ezekiel's wife as a sign. Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke announces coming personal tragedy. The desire of thine eyes refers to his wife. A stroke indicates sudden death. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down commands shoc...
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(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.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
37. (Jr 50:26, 39; Re 18:2).
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. run down: Heb. go
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"Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down." God announces Ezekiel's wife's death as a sign to Israel. The prohibition on mourning symbolizes shock so great that normal grief responses fail. This foreshadows Jerusalem's destruction producing numbness rather than catharsis. The prophet's ...
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38-39. The capture of Babylon was effected on the night of a festival in honor of its idols.
**roar ... yell--**The Babylonians were shouting in drunken revelry (compare Da 5:4).
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. Forbear: Heb. Be silent lips: Heb. upper lip
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So I spake unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died reports the sequence: Ezekiel prophesied, then that evening his wife died suddenly. And I did in the morning as I was commanded recounts his obedience. The next morning, he appeared publicly without mourning. The swiftness (evening death, morning appearance) allowed no time for processing grief privately. His immediate obedience d...
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(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 priest...
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38-39. The capture of Babylon was effected on the night of a festival in honor of its idols.
**roar ... yell--**The Babylonians were shouting in drunken revelry (compare Da 5:4).
So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
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And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? shows the exiles recognized the prophetic significance. Ezekiel's bizarre behavior was obviously a sign, prompting their inquiry. This demonstrates the effectiveness of prophetic theater—unusual actions create curiosity and teachable moments. God uses the unexpected to capture attention. Then I answ...
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(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...
Read full commentary →And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
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Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary begins explaining the sign. Profaning the sanctuary—allowing it to be destroyed and defiled—was unthinkable to Jewish theology. The temple was God's dwelling; how could He allow its defilement? The excellency of your strength (the temple was their pride and military confidence), the desire of your eyes (they loved the temp...
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**41. Sheshach--**Babylon (compare Note, see Jr 25:26); called so from the goddess Shach, to whom a five days' festival was kept, during which, as in the Roman Saturnalia, the most unbridled licentiousness was permitted; slaves ruled their masters, and in every house one called Zogan, arrayed in a royal garment, was chosen to rule all the rest. He calls Babylon "Sheshach," to imply that it was dur...
Read full commentary →Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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And ye shall do as I have done continues applying the sign. Ye shall not cover your lips (no verbal mourning), nor eat the bread of men (no comfort from others) predicts the exiles' response when news arrives. Ye shall pine away for your iniquities recognizes that grief will be mixed with guilt—they'll know judgment is deserved. And mourn one toward another indicates communal rather than individua...
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(20) **That which your soul pitieth.**—In the margin *the pity of your soul. *The word rather means in this connection *love, *in the sense of the object of love: “that which your soul loves.” The expression in the original is a difficult one, and is used by Ezekiel on account of the alliteration with the previous clause: “the *machmad *of your eyes, and the *machmal *of your souls.” (Comp. the pa...
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**42. The sea--**the host of Median invaders. The image (compare Jr 47:2; Is 8:7, 8) is appropriately taken from the Euphrates, which, overflowing in spring, is like a "sea" near Babylon (Jr 51:13, 32, 36).
Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. that: Heb. the pity of your soul
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<strong>"Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword."</strong> God announces He will profane His own sanctuary—shocking reversal showing temple's sanctity derived from divine presenc...
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(21) **Profane my sanctuary.**—Not merely by its destruction, but by the manner of its destruction, the Gentiles being allowed to enter its most sacred precincts, and carry off in triumph its sacred vessels and treasures. It was in the confidence that God would protect this that the last hope of the Jews lay; He tells them that He will Himself profane it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**43. Her cities--**the cities, her dependencies. So, "Jerusalem and the cities thereof" (Jr 34:1). Or, the "cities" are the inner and outer cities, the two parts into which Babylon was divided by the Euphrates [Grotius].
And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
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<strong>And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men</strong>—Ezekiel's strange behavior (not mourning his wife's death, vv. 15-18) becomes a prophetic sign for the exiles. לֹא תַעְטוּ (lōʾ taʿṭû, 'you shall not cover') refers to the customary mourning practice of covering the lower face. לֶחֶם אֲנָשִׁים (leḥem ănāshîm, 'bread of men') was food brought by ...
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**44. Bel ... swallowed--**in allusion to the many sacrifices to the idol which its priests pretended it swallowed at night; or rather, the precious gifts taken from other nations and offered to it (which it is said to have "swallowed"; compare "devoured," "swallowed," Jr 51:34; Jr 50:17), which it should have to disgorge (compare Jr 51:13; Jr 50:37). Of these gifts were the vessels of Jehovah's t...
Read full commentary →And your tires 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 mourn one toward another.
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<strong>And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet</strong>—They would not remove their headwear (פְּאֵרֵיכֶם, pĕʾērêkem, 'turbans/head-dresses') or shoes, customary mourning gestures. <strong>Ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another</strong>—Instead of outward mourning, they would נָמַקּוּ (nāmaqqû, 'waste aw...
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(23) **Ye shall pine away.**—In the tumult, distress, and captivity of the approaching judgment there would be no opportunity for the outward display of grief; but all the more should it press upon them inwardly, and, according to the terrible threatening of Leviticus 26:39, they should “pine away in their iniquity” in their enemies’ land. In the original the preposition is the same here as in Lev...
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45-46. (See on Jr 51:6).
Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
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<strong>Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign</strong>—אוֹת (ʾôt, 'sign/wonder') makes Ezekiel a prophetic omen, his actions prefiguring their experience. <strong>According to all that he hath done shall ye do</strong>—כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה תַּעֲשׂוּ (kĕkōl ăsher-ʿāsāh taʿăśû, 'like all that he has done, you will do'). His restrained grief would mirror theirs exactly.<br><br><strong>And when this cometh,...
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45-46. (See on Jr 51:6).
Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, that: Heb. the lifting up of their soul
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<strong>Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength</strong>—God addresses Ezekiel directly (בֶּן־אָדָם, ben-ʾādām, 'son of man'). <strong>The joy of their glory</strong> (מָעוֹז, māʿôz, 'stronghold/fortress'; מְשׂוֹשׂ תִּפְאַרְתָּם, mĕśôś tifʾartām, 'joy of their beauty')—metaphors for the Jerusalem temple, Israel's pride and God's earthly dwelling.<br><...
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47. Grotius translates, "Because then (namely, on the third year) the time shall have come that," &c.
**confounded--**at seeing their gods powerless to help them.
**her slain--**in retribution for "Israel's slain" (Jr 51:49) who fell by her hand. Grotius translates, "her dancers," as in Jud 21:21, 23; 1Sa 18:6, the same Hebrew word is translated, alluding to the dancing revelry of the fest...
Read full commentary →That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped</strong>—A fugitive (פָּלִיט, pālîṭ, 'survivor/refugee') would bring news of Jerusalem's fall to Babylon. God had struck Ezekiel mute except for prophetic utterances (3:26-27); <strong>and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb</strong>—his speech would be fully restored when the prophecy was fulfilled.<br><br><strong>And thou sh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**48. heaven ... earth ... sing for Babylon--**(Is 14:7-13; 44:23; Re 18:20).
In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate</strong>—The recognition formula concludes this sequence. וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה (wĕyādĕʿû kî-ănî YHWH, 'and they shall know that I am the LORD') comes through experiencing God's described judgment: Jerusalem destroyed, temple burned, people scattered.<br><br><strong>Because of all their abominations which...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Shall thy mouth be opened.**—The close of the chapter (Ezekiel 24:25-27) tells the prophet that he shall be informed of the fall of Jerusalem by an escaped fugitive. After that his mouth shall again be opened to utter his prophecies to the captives. Meantime, for almost two years (comp. Ezekiel 24:1 with Ezekiel 33:21), from the investment of the city until he heard of its fall, Ezekiel gav...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**49. caused ... to fall--**literally, "has been for the falling," that is, as Babylon made this its one aim to fill all places with the slain of Israel, so at Babylon shall all the slain of that whole land (not as English Version, "of all the earth") [Maurer]. Henderson translates, "Babylon also shall fall, ye slain of Israel. Those also of Babylon shall fall, O ye slain of all the earth." But, "...
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