Ezekiel 24 15

Ezekiel 24:15 kjv

Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Ezekiel 24:15 nkjv

Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezekiel 24:15 niv

The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 24:15 esv

The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 24:15 nlt

Then this message came to me from the LORD:

Ezekiel 24 15 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Ezek 24:16"Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a sudden blow; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down."Divine Judgment, Sudden Loss
Jer 15:2"When they say to you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: Those marked for death, to death; and those marked for the sword, to the sword; those marked for famine, to famine, and those marked for captivity, to captivity.’"Future Calamities
Lam 4:17"Our eyes have failed while watching vainly for our help; from our watchtower we have watched for a nation that could not save."Hopelessness in Judgment
Zech 7:5-6"Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh months for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?...’"True vs. Ritual Mourning
John 11:35"Jesus wept."Compassion in Grief
Luke 7:13"And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’"Jesus' Empathy
Rev 18:9"And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality with her and lived voluptuously with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning."Mourning Over Fallen City
Ps 102:4"My heart is smitten and withered like grass; in fact, I forgot to eat my bread."Overwhelming Sorrow
Isa 51:19"These two things have happened to you—who can comfort you?—devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who can console you?"Unrecoverable Losses
Ezek 7:22"I will turn my face from them, and they will desecrate my hidden places; profilers will enter them and desecrate them."God's Withdrawal, Desecration
Ezek 33:11"Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live...."God's Desire for Repentance
Jer 31:16"Thus says the Lord: ‘Let Rachel weep for her children; she refuses to be comforted because they are no more.’"National Lamentation
Isa 14:4"You will chant this taunt against the king of Babylon: ‘How the oppressor has ceased, the Arrogant One has ended!’"Judgment on Oppressors
Amos 8:10"I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning of an only son, and its end like a bitter day."Feasts Turned to Mourning
Jer 16:5-6"For thus says the Lord: ‘Do not enter a house of mourning, or go to lament or console them, because I have withdrawn my steadfast love from this people, declares the Lord...’"God's Withholding of Comfort
Ezek 24:24"And you shall be a sign to them, and all that I do you shall do. And when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’"Ezekiel's Actions as a Sign
Ezek 24:17"And...you shall not raise your voice, nor shed tears. You shall be silent and not defile yourself with the dead flesh of men, nor should you go to comfort a husband about a dead wife."Symbolic Mourning Restriction
Ps 30:11"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness."Mourning to Gladness
Ezek 16:30"How you carry on so like a wanton harlot!"Israel's Apostasy
1 Cor 1:25"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."God's Ways Higher than Man's
Matt 24:7"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places."Signs of the End Times

Ezekiel 24 verses

Ezekiel 24 15 Meaning

This verse signifies a profound and personal grief that is inexplicable by normal means. The divine action of taking the wife of the prophet Ezekiel is a symbol of God's judgment and removal of the "delight of his eyes." This event is not a typical human loss but a divinely ordained one, marking the culmination of sin and the impending destruction of Jerusalem. The inability to mourn conventionally emphasizes the unprecedented nature of the calamity.

Ezekiel 24 15 Context

This verse is situated within the prophecy given to Ezekiel concerning the siege and fall of Jerusalem. Chapters 24-32 detail the impending judgment upon Judah and its capital. Specifically, chapter 24 describes the finality of the judgment through symbolic actions. The mention of "the desire of your eyes" refers to Ezekiel's wife, who was likely a source of comfort and joy to him. God instructs Ezekiel not to mourn her loss publicly or express typical signs of grief. This was not an act of cruelty but a powerful visual illustration for the exiles in Babylon, demonstrating that the coming destruction of Jerusalem would be so absolute that no one would be able to engage in normal mourning. The people's hearts would be so hardened by the desolation and their own impending fate that they would be stunned into silence.

Ezekiel 24 15 Word Analysis

  • "Son of man" (אֲדָנִ֣י לָנ֕וּא – adashay lanu): This is a consistent title used by God for Ezekiel, emphasizing his humanity in contrast to God's divinity. It also positions Ezekiel as God's messenger to the people of Israel.
  • "behold" (הִנֵּה – hinneh): An interjection calling for attention, signifying that what follows is important and divinely ordained.
  • "I am about to take" (לָקַחְתִּי – lakáḥti): First-person singular perfect form, indicating a definitive action being undertaken by God.
  • "from you" (מִמֶּ֫ךָּ – mimmekhā): Singular masculine pronoun, referring directly to Ezekiel.
  • "the desire of your eyes" (מַחְמַ֧ד עֵינַ֛יִךְ – maḥməḏ ʿênêḵā): This phrase poetically signifies something precious, cherished, and greatly desired – in this context, Ezekiel's wife. It speaks of deep personal affection.
  • "with a sudden blow" (בְּפִטֹּ֣ם – befiṭom or לְפֶתַ֪ע – lefetəa' - usage in some traditions): Indicates an abrupt and unexpected death, highlighting the suddenness of divine judgment. The exact word might vary slightly depending on textual tradition, but the meaning of suddenness is consistent.
  • "yet you shall not mourn" (וְלֹ֣א תִסְפֹּ֣ד – wəlō tisspōḏ): "Tisspod" comes from the root sapah, meaning to mourn publicly with outward displays of grief, often involving wailing and tearing garments.
  • "or weep" (וְתִבְכֶּה – wəṯibkeh): "Tibkeh" is from the root bakah, meaning to cry, shed tears. This further emphasizes the suppression of outward grief.
  • "nor shall your tears run down" (וְשֶׁ֧ם דִּמְעֵךְ – wəšēm dimʿēḵ): Refers to the tears that would naturally fall down the cheeks, a very visible sign of sorrow. This adds a further layer to the prohibition of mourning.

Word Group Analysis:

  • "the desire of your eyes": This idiom represents profound personal value and emotional attachment, establishing the wife as a significant individual in Ezekiel's life, making the divine instruction even more impactful.
  • "sudden blow": Connects to the swiftness and unexpected nature of the judgment that would soon strike Jerusalem.
  • "shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down": This series of prohibitions collectively conveys a state of stunned disbelief and suppression of all conventional expressions of sorrow. It's a picture of deep internal shock rather than outward lament.

Ezekiel 24 15 Bonus Section

The command for Ezekiel to suppress his grief is a parallel to what the survivors of Jerusalem would experience. They would be too stunned and broken by the overwhelming destruction and their own complicity to properly mourn. Their sin would leave them spiritually and emotionally hollowed out. The instruction also highlights the complete sovereignty of God; He controls life and death, joy and sorrow, and can even redirect a prophet's personal experience for a greater message. This act anticipates the theme that in times of extreme judgment, normal societal expressions of emotion and ritual are suspended because the experience itself transcends ordinary human coping mechanisms. It's a picture of the depth of God's justice and the severity of His displeasure with sin, leading to a consequence so profound that it silences even the most natural human reactions.

Ezekiel 24 15 Commentary

This is a poignant moment in Ezekiel's ministry, where God uses his personal life to communicate the severity of impending judgment. The death of Ezekiel's wife is not presented as a common tragedy but as a divine act symbolizing the comprehensive devastation awaiting Jerusalem and its people. God's command to Ezekiel to refrain from normal mourning illustrates a national stupor; the survivors of Jerusalem’s destruction would be so overwhelmed and hardened by suffering that they would be unable to properly grieve. Their focus would shift from personal loss to the profound catastrophe that has befallen their nation and their city, which they themselves had brought about through their unfaithfulness. The prohibition of tears and outward mourning points to a heart consumed by shock, guilt, or a complete disconnect from any sense of normalcy. Ezekiel's silence would serve as a stark warning, demonstrating that God had withdrawn his comfort and blessing, and that the exiles should expect a similar, albeit internal, numbness in the face of such overwhelming loss. This demonstrates the prophetic method of living out the message of judgment, making it tangible and deeply personal for both the prophet and his audience.