¹第九 年 十 月 初十 日 ，耶和华 的话 又临到我说 ：

¹Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

¹ CHAPTER XXIV

The prophet now informs those of the captivity of the very day

on which Nebuchadnezzar was to lay siege to Jerusalem,

(compare Jer 52:4,)

and describes the fate of that city and its inhabitants by a

very apt similitude, 1-14.

As another sign of the greatness of those calamities the

prophet is forbidden to mourn for his wife, of whom he is to be

deprived; intimating thereby that the sufferings of the Jews

should be so astonishing as to surpass all expressions of

grief; and that private sorrow however affectionate and tender

the object, ought to be absorbed in the public calamities,

15-18.

The prophet, having farther expressed his prediction in plain

terms, intimates that he was to speak to them no more till they

should have the news of these prophecies having been fulfilled,

19-27.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV



Verse 1. The ninth year] This prophecy was given in the ninth

year of Zedekiah, about Thursday, the thirtieth of January, A.M.

3414; the very day in which the king of Babylon commenced the

siege of Jerusalem.

²人 子 啊，今日 正是巴比伦 王 就近 耶路撒冷 的日子 ，你要将这日 记下 ，

²Son 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.

³要向这悖逆 之家 设 比喻 说 ，主 耶和华 如此说 ：将锅 放在 火上，放好了 ，就倒 水 在其中；

³And 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:

³ Verse 3. Set on a pot] The pot was Jerusalem; the flesh, the

inhabitants in general; every good piece, the thigh and the

shoulder, King Zedekiah and his family; the bones, the soldiers;

and the setting on the pot, the commencement of the siege. The

prophet was then in Mesopotamia; and he was told particularly to

mark the day, &c., that it might be seen how precisely the spirit

of prophecy had shown the very day in which the siege took place.

Under the same image of a boiling pot, Jeremiah had represented

the siege of Jerusalem, Jer 1:13. Ezekiel was a priest; the

action of boiling pots was familiar to him, as these things were

much in use in the temple service.

⁴将肉块 ，就是一切肥美的 肉块 、腿 ，和肩 都聚在 其中，拿美好的 骨头 把锅装满 ；

⁴Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

⁵取 羊群 中最好的 ，将柴堆在 锅下，使锅开 滚 ，好把骨头 煮在 其中 。

⁵Take 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.^a

⁵ Verse 5. Make it boil well] Let it boil over, that its own scum

may augment the fire, that the bones-the soldiers, may be seethed

therein. Let its contentions, divided counsels, and disunion be

the means of increasing its miseries, rattach

rethacheyha, let it bubble its bubbling; something like that of

the poet:-

"Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble:

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."

Very like the noise made by ebullition, when a pot of thick

broth, "sleek and slab," is set over a fierce fire. Such was that

here represented, in which all the flesh, the fat and the bones

were to be boiled, and generally dissolved together.

⁶主 耶和华 如此说 ：祸哉 ！这流人血的 城 ，就是长锈的 锅 。其中的锈 未曾除掉 ，须要将肉块 从其中一一取出来 ，不必为它拈 阄 。

⁶ ¶ 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.

⁶ Verse 6. Let no lot fall upon it.] Pull out the flesh

indiscriminately; let no piece be chosen for king or priest;

thus showing that all should be involved in one indiscriminate

ruin.

⁷城中 所流的血 倒在 净光的磐石 上 ，不倒在 地 上，用土 掩盖 。

⁷For 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;

⁷ Verse 7. For her blood is in the midst of her] She gloried in

her idol sacrifices; she offered them upon a rock, where the blood

should remain evident; and she poured none upon the ground to

cover it with dust, in horror of that moral evil that required the

blood of an innocent creature to be shed, in order to the

atonement of the offender's guilt. To "cover the blood of the

victim," was a command of the law, Le 17:13; De 12:24.

⁸这城中所流的血 倒在 净光的磐石 上 ，不得掩盖 ，乃是出于我，为要发 忿怒 施行 报应 。

⁸That 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.

⁸ Verse 8. That it might cause fury] This very blood shall be

against them, as the blood of Abel was against Cain.

⁹所以主 耶和华 如此说 ：祸哉 ！这流人血的 城 ，我也必大堆 火柴 ，

⁹Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.

¹⁰添上 木柴 ，使火 着旺 ，将肉 煮烂 ，把汤熬 浓 ，使骨头 烤焦 ；

¹⁰Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.

¹⁰ Verse 10. Heap on wood] Let the siege be severe, the carnage

great, and the ruin and catastrophe complete.

¹¹把锅倒 空 坐在炭 火上，使锅烧热 ，使铜 烧红 ，鎔化 其中 的污秽 ，除净 其上的锈 。

¹¹Then 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.

¹²这锅劳碌 疲乏 ，所长的大 锈 仍未除掉 ；这锈 就是用火 也不能除掉。

¹²She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.

¹³在你污秽 中有淫行 ，我洁净 你，你却不洁净 。你的污秽 再不能洁净 ，直等我向你发的忿怒 止息 。

¹³In 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.

¹³ Verse 13. In thy filthiness is lewdness] zimmah, a

word that denominates the worst kinds of impurity; adultery,

incest, &c., and the purpose, wish, design, and ardent desire to

do these things. Hers were not accidental sins, they were

abominations by design, and they were the worse in her, because

God had cleansed her, had separated the Israelites from idolatry

and idolatrous nations, and by his institutions removed from them

all idolatrous incentives. But they formed alliances with the

heathen, and adopted all their abominations; therefore God would

not spare them. See Eze 24:14.

¹⁴我―耶和华 说过的 必定成就 ，必照话而行 ，必不返回 ，必不顾惜 ，也不后悔 。人必照你的举动 行为 审判 你。这是主 耶和华 说的 。

¹⁴I 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.

¹⁵耶和华 的话 又临到我说 ：

¹⁵ ¶ Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

¹⁶人 子 啊，我要将你眼目 所喜爱的 忽然 取去 ，你却不可悲哀 哭泣 ，也不可流 泪 ，

¹⁶Son 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.^b

¹⁶ Verse 16. Behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine

eyes] Here is an intimation that the stroke he was to suffer was

to be above all grief; that it would be so great as to prevent the

relief of tears.



Curae leves loquuntur, graviores silent,



is a well-accredited maxim in such cases. Superficial griefs

affect the more easily moved passions; great ones affect the soul

itself, in its powers of reasoning, reflecting, comparing,

recollecting, &c., when the sufferer feels all the weight of wo.



Neither shall thy tears run down.] τουτογαριδιοντωνοφθαλμων

εντοιςμεγαλοιςκακοιςενμενγαρταιςμετριαιςσυμφοραις

αφθονωςταδακρυακαταρρειενδετοιςυπερβαλλουσιδεινοις

φευγεικαιταδακρυακαιπροδιδωσικαιτουςαφθαλμους Achill.

Tat. lib. 3. c. 11. For this is the case with the eyes in great

calamities: in light misfortunes tears flow freely, but in heavy

afflictions tears fly away, and betray the eyes.

¹⁷只可歎息 ，不可出声 ，不可办理 丧 事 ；头 上仍勒裹 头巾，脚 上仍穿 鞋 ，不可蒙着 嘴唇 ，也不可吃 弔丧的 食物 。

¹⁷Forbear 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.^{c, d}

¹⁷ Verse 17. Make no mourning] As a priest, he could make no public

mourning, Le 21:1, &c.



Bind the tire of thine head] This seems to refer to the high

priest's bonnet; or perhaps, one worn by the ordinary priests: it

might have been a black veil to cover the head.



Put on thy shoes upon thy feet] Walking barefoot was a sign of

grief.



Cover not thy lips] Mourners covered the under part of the face,

from the nose to the bottom of the chin.



Eat not the bread of men.] lechem anashim, "the

bread of miserable men," i.e., mourners; probably, the funeral

banquet.

¹⁸于是我将这事早晨 告诉 百姓 ，晚上 我的妻 就死了 。次日早晨 我便遵命 而行 。

¹⁸So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

¹⁸ Verse 18. At even my wife died] The prophet's wife was a type of

the city, which was to him exceedingly dear. The death of his wife

represented the destruction of the city by the Chaldeans; see

Eze 24:21, where the

temple is represented to be the desire of his eyes, as his wife

was, Eze 24:16.

¹⁹百姓 问我说 ：你这样行 与我们有甚么关係，你不告诉 我们么？

¹⁹ ¶ And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

¹⁹ Verse 19. Wilt thou not tell us] In the following verses he

explains and applies the whole of what he had done and said.

²⁰我回答 他们：耶和华 的话 临到我说 ：

²⁰Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

²¹你告诉 以色列 家 ，主 耶和华 如此说 ：我必使我的圣所 ，就是你们势力 所夸耀 、眼里 所喜爱 、心中 所爱惜的 被亵渎 ，并且你们所遗留的 儿 女 必倒在 刀 下。

²¹Speak 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.^e

²²那时，你们必行 我仆人所行的 ，不蒙着 嘴唇 ，也不吃 弔丧的 食物 。

²²And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

²³你们仍要头 上勒裹头巾 ，脚 上穿鞋 ；不可悲哀 哭泣 。你们必因自己的罪孽 相对 歎息 ，渐渐消灭 。

²³And 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.

²⁴以西结 必这样为你们作预兆 ；凡他所行的 ，你们也必照样行 。那事来到 ，你们就知道 我是主 耶和华 。

²⁴Thus 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.

²⁵人 子 啊，我除掉 他们所倚靠 、所欢喜的 荣耀 ，并眼中 所喜爱 、心里 所重看的 儿 女 。

²⁵Also, 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,^f

²⁶那日 逃脱的人 岂不来到 你这里，使你耳 闻 这事么？

²⁶That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

²⁷你必向逃脱的人 开 口 说话 ，不再哑口 。你必这样为他们作预兆 ，他们就知道 我是耶和华 。

²⁷In 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.

²⁷ Verse 27. In that day shall thy mouth be opened] That is, When

some one who shall have escaped from Jerusalem, having arrived

among the captives, shall inform them of the destruction of the

city, the temple, the royal family, and the people at large; till

then he might suppress his tears and lamentations. And we find

from Eze 33:21, that one did actually escape from the city, and

informed the prophet and his brethren in captivity that the city

was smitten.



Thus he was not only a prophet to foretell such things, but he

was also a sign or portent, shadowing them out by circumstances in

his own person and family; and thus the prediction, agreeing so

perfectly with the event, proved that the previous information was

from the Lord.