Ezekiel 24 17

Ezekiel 24:17 kjv

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.

Ezekiel 24:17 nkjv

Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man's bread of sorrow."

Ezekiel 24:17 niv

Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners."

Ezekiel 24:17 esv

Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men."

Ezekiel 24:17 nlt

Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends."

Ezekiel 24 verses

Ezekiel 24 17 Meaning

Ezekiel 24:17 conveys God's command to the prophet Ezekiel to abstain from customary mourning rites following the sudden death of his wife. This deeply personal tragedy was intended as a sign for the exiles in Babylon, foreshadowing the impending, overwhelming, and non-conventional destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Israel would be so stunned and burdened by the divine judgment that traditional expressions of grief would be stifled and inappropriate, mirroring Ezekiel's constrained sorrow.

Ezekiel 24 17 Context

Ezekiel 24:17 is embedded within a profound symbolic act decreed by God to the prophet. Chapter 24 begins with the parable of the boiling pot (verses 1-14), illustrating Jerusalem's defilement, the judgment boiling within its walls, and the inevitability of its destruction. Immediately after this, God informs Ezekiel that He will "take away the delight of his eyes" (verse 16), referring to the sudden death of Ezekiel's beloved wife. God then explicitly commands Ezekiel not to mourn conventionally (verses 16-18). This unprecedented instruction serves as a prophetic sign to the Babylonian exiles (verse 19), signaling that Jerusalem's fall will be so devastating and divinely imposed that normal expressions of grief will be suppressed or deemed irrelevant. The judgment would be so overwhelming that the people, like Ezekiel, would groan internally without outward lamentation, their shock profound and their capacity for customary sorrow diminished by the sheer magnitude of the tragedy. Historically, this aligns with the imminent siege and destruction of Jerusalem (587/586 BC) by Nebuchadnezzar, culminating in the Temple's desecration.

Ezekiel 24 17 Word analysis

• Sigh (הֵאָנֵחַ - he'aneach): To groan deeply, to mourn, to lament. This active participle indicates continuous action, emphasizing sustained internal anguish. It denotes profound sorrow but suppressed externally, allowed only in quiet resignation rather than public display.
• in silence (דֹּם - dom): Be silent, keep quiet, hush. This adverb emphatically reinforces the manner of the sighing—without utterance or sound. It underscores the profound restraint required, emphasizing the suppression of audible lament that normally accompanies a sigh. This reflects a state of shock, awe, or despair so deep that words or outward cries fail.
• make no mourning (אֵבֶל מֵתִים - evel metim): "Mourning of the dead." Evel refers to the full cultural repertoire of public grieving practices—wailing, lamentation, tearing clothes, sackcloth, ritual bare feet, shaven heads. The command is a direct prohibition of all such established customs for the deceased. This stark instruction highlights the unconventional and unprecedented nature of the divine decree.
• Bind on your turban (פְאֵרְךָ חֲבוֹשׁ - pe'ercha chavosh): Pe'er (turban/head covering) signified dignity, honor, and readiness, especially for priests and high-ranking individuals. Chavosh means to bind, wrap. To wear the turban rather than letting hair hang loose or putting on ashes was a rejection of typical mourning behavior (2 Sam 15:30). It symbolizes maintaining an appearance of normalcy and God-given role, even in profound grief.
• and put your sandals on your feet (נַעֲלֶיךָ בְּרַגְלֶיךָ שִׂים - na'aleicha b'ragleicha sim): Putting on sandals instead of going barefoot. Going barefoot was a sign of distress, mourning, and shame (2 Sam 15:30, Isa 20:2). The command to wear sandals symbolizes continuing daily life, walking in God's appointed path despite the grief, and not exhibiting the traditional outward signs of sorrow.
• do not cover your mustache (שָׂפָם לֹא תַעֲטֶה - safam lo ta'ateh): Safam (mustache or upper lip). Ta'ateh means to cover. Covering the upper lip was a sign of mourning, shame, and defilement (Lev 13:45, Mic 3:7). This command prohibits yet another prominent mourning custom, forcing an appearance of indifference or restraint to the general populace.
• and do not eat the bread of sorrow (וְלֶחֶם אֲנָשִׁים לֹא תֹאכֵל - v'lechem anashim lo tokhel): Lit. "bread of men," often translated as "bread of sorrow," "bread of mourners," or "consolation bread." This refers to the communal meal prepared by friends and neighbors to console mourners, typically eaten at a funeral feast (Jer 16:7). Refusing it meant rejecting communal solace and isolating oneself in a divinely ordained silence.
• "Sigh in silence; make no mourning for the dead": This phrase group captures the core instruction: extreme, self-suppressed inner grief contrasted with an outward appearance of no formal mourning. It emphasizes that the judgment is so unique, so divine, and so overwhelming that human customary rituals are suspended.
• "Bind on your turban, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache": This tripartite command outlines active abstention from three distinct and culturally understood mourning practices related to appearance. It shows a deliberate counter-action to established ritual, serving as a powerful visual sign to onlookers.
• "and do not eat the bread of sorrow": This final instruction emphasizes the social isolation in grief. The customary communal support mechanism is forbidden, underscoring the deep and solitary nature of the prophet's (and soon Israel's) experience of divine judgment.

Ezekiel 24 17 Bonus section

The enforced silence and restrained grief in Ezekiel 24:17 can be understood in part as a polemic against the often theatrical and even performative elements of ancient Near Eastern mourning rituals, sometimes even associated with pagan cultic practices. God demands a unique, divinely appointed response to His judgment, one that is not necessarily dictated by cultural norms but by the gravity of the spiritual catastrophe. Furthermore, this internal grieving, without external release, reflects a particular kind of suffering that is not openly expressed, potentially deepening its impact and signifying a brokenness beyond ordinary tears. This theme of profound internal response to divine judgment also prepares the audience for the eventual promise of a "new spirit" (Ezek 36:26) where God's people would inwardly respond to Him, even in their grief.

Ezekiel 24 17 Commentary

Ezekiel 24:17 is a striking and emotionally potent command from God, forming the climax of the divine instruction to Ezekiel following his wife's death. It presents a paradox: immense inner anguish ("sigh in silence") coupled with a total prohibition of outward mourning customs ("make no mourning for the dead," wearing turban/sandals, not covering the mustache, refusing the bread of consolation). This severe restraint on the prophet's grief was not merely an exercise in self-control but a profoundly significant, albeit difficult, prophetic act. Ezekiel was to embody the future shock and stupefaction of the Israelites upon Jerusalem's destruction and the desecration of the Temple. Their loss would be so absolute and devastating—God taking "the delight of their eyes," meaning the Temple—that conventional, cathartic expressions of sorrow would seem inadequate, silenced by the overwhelming judgment itself. They would groan internally, like Ezekiel, too stunned or despairing to perform traditional laments. This unique mode of grief underscored the unprecedented nature of God's judgment and served as a powerful sign that God was solely orchestrating these events, demanding a non-human response to a uniquely divine intervention.