Ezekiel 24:4 kjv
Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
Ezekiel 24:4 nkjv
Gather pieces of meat in it, Every good piece, The thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with choice cuts;
Ezekiel 24:4 niv
Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces?the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones;
Ezekiel 24:4 esv
put in it the pieces of meat, all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones.
Ezekiel 24:4 nlt
Fill it with choice pieces of meat ?
the rump and the shoulder
and all the most tender cuts.
Ezekiel 24 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 24:3 | "Set on the coals, let them heat and boil, and let its copper be purified, and let its fat melt within it." | Ezekiel 24:3 (Context setting) |
| Ezekiel 24:5 | "And set it upon the hot coals, that it may be hot and burn, and that its copper may be molten and its impurity may dissolve." | Ezekiel 24:5 (Further imagery of purification) |
| Ezekiel 24:6 | "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody city! She is but refuse in it, her refuse has not been removed." | Ezekiel 24:6 (Judgment due to impurity) |
| Jeremiah 3:8 | "And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her her writ of divorce." | Jeremiah 3:8 (Divine rejection due to sin) |
| Isaiah 1:16 | "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil." | Isaiah 1:16 (Call to cleansing) |
| Isaiah 1:25 | "I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your tin." | Isaiah 1:25 (Divine refining process) |
| Nahum 3:1 | "Woe to her who is a city of bloodshed, utterly full of lies and plunder; she does not let go of her prey." | Nahum 3:1 (Woe to the bloody city) |
| Psalm 58:6 | "O God, break the teeth in their mouth; break the teeth of the young lions, O LORD." | Psalm 58:6 (Imagery of destruction and breaking) |
| Revelation 18:5 | "For her sins are heaped high and reach to the heavens, and God has remembered her iniquities." | Revelation 18:5 (Sins reaching God's remembrance) |
| Matthew 13:40-42 | "Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age." | Matthew 13:40-42 (Judgment and burning) |
| 1 Corinthians 3:13 | "each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done." | 1 Corinthians 3:13 (Fire testing works) |
| Romans 2:6 | "who will repay each according to what he has done." | Romans 2:6 (Accountability for actions) |
| Jeremiah 52:10 | "And the Chaldeans killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and Zedekiah also he killed." | Jeremiah 52:10 (Brutality of judgment) |
| Lamentations 4:3 | "Even the jackals give the breast to their young, but my people have become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness." | Lamentations 4:3 (Cruelty amidst suffering) |
| 2 Kings 25:27 | "And in the thirty-seventh year of the uplifting of Jeconiah king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jeconiah the king of Judah from prison." | 2 Kings 25:27 (Context of Babylonian exile) |
| 2 Kings 25:7 | "And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and Zedekiah also he blinded, and bound him in chains of bronze and took him to Babylon." | 2 Kings 25:7 (Brutalization of Zedekiah) |
| Jeremiah 22:24-26 | "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on my right hand, yet I would tear him off," | Jeremiah 22:24-26 (Divine deposition) |
| Deuteronomy 28:53 | "Then you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress into which your enemies shall press you." | Deuteronomy 28:53 (Cursing of cannibalism) |
| Micah 3:2-3 | "You who hate the good and love the evil, who flay them from their skin and break their bones into pieces," | Micah 3:2-3 (Savage treatment of people) |
| Zechariah 11:4, 16 | "Thus says the LORD my God: ‘Shepherd the flock doomed to slaughter. ... For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who does not seek the perishing ones, does not seek the scattered ones, does not heal the broken ones, does not sustain the healthy ones, but devours the fat of the vigorous ones, tearing off their hoofs.’" | Zechariah 11:4, 16 (Wolf-like shepherds) |
Ezekiel 24 verses
Ezekiel 24 4 Meaning
The verse speaks of a judgment falling upon Jerusalem, likened to boiling water in a pot. The impurity within Jerusalem (its sin and corruption) is what causes it to be heated and consumed by this judgment. The "bones" represent the core of the city, its foundations and inhabitants, which will be laid bare and exposed by the judgment, lacking any way to protect them.
Ezekiel 24 4 Context
This verse is part of a prophecy in Ezekiel concerning the judgment of Jerusalem. Chapter 24 vividly portrays the destruction of the city and the suffering of its people. The imagery of the pot boiling signifies the intense wrath and judgment being poured out upon Jerusalem due to its pervasive sinfulness. The bones being laid bare represent the utter helplessness and exposure of the city's core to this divine judgment, with no means of protection. The specific context leading up to this verse is the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, a devastating historical event that fulfilled God's warnings to His people for their unfaithfulness.
Ezekiel 24 4 Word Analysis
- ‘And (וַ / wa): A conjunctive particle, connecting this verse to the previous one, emphasizing the progression of the judgment imagery.
- lay bare (הוֹפַקֵּם / hōpaqqēm): This verb, derived from the root פקק (paqōq), can mean to open wide or to leave exposed. Here, it conveys the sense of leaving the bones entirely uncovered and vulnerable. It’s an intensive form, suggesting a complete and thorough exposure.
- his (עַצְמוֹתָיו / ‘aṣmōtāw): The Hebrew word for "bones" (עצמות / ‘aṣmōt), possessive third person singular masculine. The "his" refers back to the pot, but by extension, the pot is symbolic of Jerusalem and its people.
- laid bare (הוּעַר / hū‘ar): A passive Niphal form of the root ערה (‘arah), meaning to pour out or to uncover. It reinforces the idea of exposure and being stripped bare. The structure suggests something being openly placed or spread out.
- and (וּ / ū): Another conjunction.
- put them (תְּשׂוּמֵם / təśūmēm): A Hiphil infinitive construct form of the verb שׂים (śūm), meaning to place, set, or put. The suffix "them" refers to the bones. This implies deliberate placement or arrangement of the bones in the heat.
- in its (בְּתוֹכָהּ / bəṯōkāh): A preposition meaning "in" or "within," coupled with the feminine singular suffix referring to the pot (which represents Jerusalem).
- bottom (מַצּוֹתָיו / maṣṣōtāw): Literally "its bottom," or more specifically, the hearth or the place where the fire burns directly against the pot. The root related to “base” or “foundation” could also be considered here.
Word Group Analysis:
- "lay bare his bones, and lay bare the coals under it": This phrase captures the intensification of the judgment. Not only are the bones of the city exposed to the fire, but the very foundation ("coals under it") is made visible and affected. It paints a picture of the entire structure being subjected to intense, destructive heat, with no part left untouched or hidden from the fiery ordeal.
- "put them in its bottom": This prepositional phrase emphasizes the thoroughness of the judgment. The bones are placed directly onto the hottest part, ensuring maximum exposure to the burning coals.
Ezekiel 24 4 Bonus Section
The metaphor of the pot is a consistent theme in Ezekiel, representing Jerusalem and its people. The impurities inside the pot are the sins that lead to its destruction. The breaking of the pot would signify the finality of the judgment and the dispersal of the people. The "bones" can be interpreted as the strong pillars of the city – its leadership, its fortified walls, and its most important citizens. Their exposure to the fire without any cover points to the complete loss of defense and security that had been promised by false prophets and misplaced trust. The thoroughness of the "laying bare" emphasizes that no aspect of the city's life would escape the divine reckoning.
Ezekiel 24 4 Commentary
This verse amplifies the severity of God's judgment on Jerusalem. The imagery moves beyond mere boiling; the bones, representing the very structure and people of the city, are not only heated but laid bare, exposed directly to the consuming fire. This suggests utter devastation, where even the innermost parts of the city are not spared. The act of placing the bones in its bottom indicates that the judgment will be comprehensive, targeting the very foundations of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, leaving nothing intact. It speaks of a complete stripping away of protection, leaving them vulnerable to the consuming wrath of God due to their accumulated sin. The imagery reflects the horrific events of the Babylonian conquest, where the city was utterly destroyed and its people taken captive or killed.