Ezekiel 24 – “God Vows to Cleanse Jerusalem; The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife”

12 - Ezekiel

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
God vows to purge Jerusalem of its sins and commands Ezekiel not to mourn the death of his wife.

II. Photo
Jerusalem is likened to a dirty pot: “Woe to the city of blood — A cauldron whose scum is in it, whose scum has not been cleaned out!” (v. 6)

III. Important Verses
2: O mortal, record this date, this exact day; for this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.
9-13: Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: Woe to the city of blood! I in turn will make a great blaze. Pile on the logs, Kindle the fire, Cook the meat through And stew it completely, And let the bones be charred. Let it stand empty on the coals, Until it becomes so hot That the copper glows. Then its uncleanness shall melt away in it, And its rust be consumed. It has frustrated all effort, Its thick scum will not leave it — Into the fire with its scum! For your vile impurity — because I sought to cleanse you of your impurity, but you would not be cleansed — you shall never be clean again until I have satisfied My fury upon you.
16-17: O mortal, I am about to take away the delight of your eyes from you through pestilence; but you shall not lament or weep or let your tears flow. Moan softly; observe no mourning for the dead: Put on your turban and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover over your upper lip, and do not eat the bread of comforters.”

IV. Outline

1-14. Oracle #1
    1. Introduction
    2. The king of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem
    3-8. Metaphor: Israel is like a grimy pot with choice meats
    9-13. God will burn the grime off the pot with fire
    14. God has made up his mind and will not relent
15-27. Oracle #2
    15. Introduction
    16-17. God tells Ezekiel not to mourn when his wife dies
    18a. Ezekiel does not mourn when his wife dies
    18b-19. The people ask about Ezekiel’s behavior
    20-23. God will destroy the temple and the people will not mourn their dead
    24-27. A fugitive will come to Ezekiel on the day of destruction

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Allen, Leslie C. “Ezekiel 1-19” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 28 (Waco, Texas: Wordbook, 1994).
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Hals, Ronald M. “Ezekiel” The forms of the Old Testament Literature vol. 19 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1989)
Photo taken from http://www.laurelleaffarm.com/photos/h8737.jpg

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