3 Utter a parable to the rebellious house, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says, “Put the cauldron on the fire. Put it on, and also pour water into it.
4 Gather its pieces into it, even every good piece: the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice bones.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and also a pile of wood for the bones under the cauldron. Make it boil well. Yes, let its bones be boiled within it.”
KJVKing James Version
3 And 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:
4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5 Take 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.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
3 And utter a parable concerning the rebellious house, and say unto them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Set on the pot, set it on, and also pour water into it;
4 Gather into it the pieces belonging to it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and pile also the bones under it; make it boil well, that the bones thereof may also be seethed in the midst of it.
Ezekiel 11:3(v3)who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’
Ezekiel 17:2(v3)“Son of man, tell a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
Ezekiel 20:49(v3)Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They say of me, ‘Isn’t he a speaker of parables?’ ”
Isaiah 1:2(v3)Hear, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me.
Jeremiah 52:10(v5)The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. He also killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
Show all 36 cross-references
Jeremiah 52:24-27(v5)The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold: and out of…
Ezekiel 2:3(v3)He said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their…
Ezekiel 2:6(v3)You, son of man, don’t be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you dwell among…
Micah 3:2-3(v4)You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones; who also eat the flesh of my…
Psalms 78:2(v3)I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,
Isaiah 30:1(v3)“Woe to the rebellious children”, says Yahweh, “who take counsel, but not from me; and who make an alliance, but not with my Spirit, that…
Isaiah 30:9(v3)For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear Yahweh’s law;
Jeremiah 39:6(v5)Then the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons in Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah.
Ezekiel 2:8(v3)But you, son of man, hear what I tell you. Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I give you.”
Ezekiel 24:6(v3)“ ‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the bloody city, to the cauldron whose rust is in it, and whose rust hasn’t gone out of it! Take…
Isaiah 63:10(v3)But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned and became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.
Jeremiah 1:13(v3)Yahweh’s word came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a boiling cauldron; and it is tipping away from the…
Jeremiah 50:13-14(v3)Because of Yahweh’s wrath she won’t be inhabited, but she will be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon will be astonished, and…
Ezekiel 3:9(v3)I have made your forehead as a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a…
Ezekiel 11:7(v3)“ ‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Your slain whom you have laid in the middle of it, they are the meat, and this is the cauldron; but you…
Ezekiel 11:11(v3)This will not be your cauldron, neither will you be the meat in the middle of it. I will judge you in the border of Israel.
Ezekiel 12:2(v3)“Son of man, you dwell in the middle of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and don’t see, who have ears to hear, and don’t hear;…
Ezekiel 12:25(v3)For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious…
Ezekiel 17:12(v3)“Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and…
Ezekiel 19:2-14(v3)and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs. She brought up…
Ezekiel 20:47(v5)Tell the forest of the South, ‘Hear Yahweh’s word: The Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it will devour every…
Ezekiel 22:18-22(v4)“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the middle of the furnace. They are…
Ezekiel 24:9-10(v5)“ ‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great. Heap on the wood. Make the fire hot. Boil the…
Ezekiel 34:16-17(v5)“I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will…
Ezekiel 34:20(v5)“Therefore the Lord Yahweh says to them: ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Micah 2:4(v3)In that day they will take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying, ‘We are utterly ruined! My people’s…
Matthew 7:2(v4)For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.
Mark 12:12(v3)They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him, and went…
Luke 8:10(v3)He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and…
Acts 7:51(v3)“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
Revelation 19:20(v5)The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv3–5Whereby was meant Jerusalem.
Whereby was meant Jerusalem.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv3–5Eze 24:3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious…
Eze 24:3 And 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:
Ver. 3. Set on a pot.] Deus cum propheta loquitur tanquam cum coquo: anything to make them sensible of their danger, and the destruction of their city now fully determined. This pot is Jerusalem, and a lively representation of hell, saith A Lapide; {a} the pouring of water into it, a long siege; the flesh, the citizens; the fat, the rich ones, lauti et lascivi; the bones, the stoutest and best warriors, &c. These scurrilous Jews had jeered at Jeremiah’s caldron or pot; {Jer 1:13 Eze 11:3} now they are cast into the pot, and their jeer driven back down their very throats.
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{a} Repraesentat Tartarum, et ollam Vulcaniam inferni.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv3–5Utter a parable; in somewhat a dark, yet apt…
Utter a parable; in somewhat a dark, yet apt similitude, or in an allegory, declare what they should know and consider.
Rebellious house: see Eze 2:3,6. Set on a pot; set upon the fire a pot, or caldron.
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Set it on; do it quickly, be sure to do it: this pot is Jerusalem.
Pour water into it; fill it with water; for as the pot full of water on the fire till the water be thoroughly heated, so shall Jerusalem be filled with the judgments of God.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv3–5And utter a parable to the rebellious house,.... The…
And utter a parable to the rebellious house,.... The people of the Jews so called, not so much on account of their rebellion against the king of Babylon, which caused him to come against them, as on account of their rebellion against God, and the breach of his laws; see Eze 2:3. The prophet is bid to represent to them, in a figurative and emblematic way, the miseries that were coming upon them for their wickedness, namely, under the parable of a boiling pot:
and say unto them, thus saith the Lord God; speaking in his name, and as coming from him, and clothed with his authority; that the following parable might not be thought to be a fancy and chimera of his own: "set on a pot, set it on"; set a pot on the fire, and do it quickly. This "pot" is the city of Jerusalem, which was to be brought into great distress and ruin; not a cauldron of brass, wherein the inhabitants should be as safe as if they had walls of brass about them, as they vainly boasted, Eze 11:3, but a seething pot, such an one as Jeremiah saw, to which, it may be, reference is here had, Jer 1:13, in which the people should be destroyed:
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and also pour water into it; which, as it is some time a boiling, may denote the length of the siege of the city, which held two years; and of the troubles and miseries attending it; and of the greatness of them, which were as intolerable as boiling water. The Targum is,
"prophesy that armies shall come against this city; and also there shall be given unto it length of time to receive the siege.''
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv4–5Every good piece - All the chief of the…
Every good piece - All the chief of the inhabitants of the land, the wealthiest, who will fly from their country-houses to live in safety in Jerusalem: the most war-like, who will betake themselves to Jerusalem for its defense. Fill it - With those pieces that are biggest, fullest of marrow, and which are divided according to the bones; these are the principal members of the state, the king, princes, priests, magistrates, and the most wealthy citizens.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv3, 5Verse 3. Set on a pot] The pot was…
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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn v3Eze 24:3-5. Utter a parable unto the rebellious house…
Eze 24:3-5. Utter a parable unto the rebellious house — Though the house of Judah has as yet paid no due regard to what thou and the rest of the prophets have uttered or done; nevertheless, still further represent to them the destruction coming upon them by a symbolical action. Set on a pot, &c. — By the pot was signified Jerusalem, (under which figure it is represented, both by this prophet, Eze 11:3, and by Jeremiah, Jer 1:13.) and by the pieces gathered into it, the different ranks of men gathered into that city, by taking refuge within its walls, when the Chaldean army approached to besiege it. By the water and fire were signified the calamities which they were to suffer. By every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, the wealthiest and chief of the inhabitants of the land seem to be meant, who would flee from their country houses to live in safety in Jerusalem; and by the choice bones, the bravest and strongest among the common people, or the most warlike, who would betake themselves to the city for its defence. Burn also the bones under it — Not the bones of the pieces to be boiled, but of the many innocent persons to be murdered in Jerusalem, whose blood cried for vengeance, and their bones, scattered on the face of the earth, will both make and maintain this fire. Bishop Newcome renders the clause, Pile also (in the margin we read heap) the bones under it: namely, as he explains it, “the useless bones (Eze 24:10) which the coals (Eze 24:11) would consume, to show what a general destruction of the meaner sort would be caused by the Chaldeans.” And make it boil well — To denote the heat or violence of the calamity, and perhaps also that the city would be set on fire and consumed.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv3–5A pot - Or, the caldron; with reference to…
A pot - Or, the caldron; with reference to Eze 11:3. The prophet indicates by the figure utter destruction. The caldron is the city, the fire is the surrounding army, the flesh and bones are the inhabitants shut in within the walls.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv4–5Choice. Hebrew, "the choice of the bones," or the…
Choice. Hebrew, "the choice of the bones," or the finest pieces separated from the bones, as the Septuagint and the sequel seem to require. (Calmet) --- The bones might serve to burn, ver. 5. (Haydock) See St. Jerome. (Vatable, &c.) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv3–5pot--caldron. Alluding to the self-confident proverb used among the…
pot--caldron. Alluding to the self-confident proverb used among the people, Eze 11:3 (see on Eze 11:3), "This city is the caldron and we be the flesh"; your proverb shall prove awfully true, but in a different sense from what you intend. So far from the city proving an iron, caldron-like defense from the fire, it shall be as a caldron set on the fire, and the people as so many pieces of meat subjected to boiling heat. See Jer 1:13.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv4–54. Every good piece… the choice bones — The…
4. Every good piece… the choice bones — The nobles and princes of the people. (See Eze_11:3.)
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv3–53. Set on a pot] the caldron.
3. Set on a pot] the caldron.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv3–5(3) Utter a parable.—What follows (Eze_24:3-14) was not a…
(3) Utter a parable.—What follows (Eze_24:3-14) was not a symbolical action, but was simply a parable spoken to the people, although the language is just that which would describe action.
Set on a pot.—Rather, the cauldron, the word being the same as in Eze_11:3, and preceded by the definite article referring to that passage. Urgency is indicated by the repetition of the command “set on.” The people in Eze_11:3 had called their city the cauldron; so let it be, the Divine word now says, and set that city upon the fire of the armies of my judgment, and gather into it for destruction the people who have boasted of it as their security.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv3, 5Vers. 3, 4Set on a pot, etc. The words…
Vers. 3, 4Set on a pot, etc. The words contain an obvious reference to the imagery of Eze_11:3-7. The people had used that imagery either in the spirit of a false security or in the recklessness of despair. It is now the prophet"s work to remind them that the interpretation which he gave to their own comparison had proved to be the true one. The cauldron is the city, the fire is the invading army, the metal of the cauldron does not protect them. The pieces , the choice bones, were the princes and chief men of the people.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn v3EXEGETICAL NOTES.—The prophet illustrates the destruction of Jerusalem by…
(Eze_24:3-14.)
EXEGETICAL NOTES.—The prophet illustrates the destruction of Jerusalem by the allegory of a cauldron which he was to set on the fire, and having put water into it, to boil therein choice pieces of meat (Eze_24:3-5). Then he follows with an application of the allegory to Jerusalem, as describing her irrevocable doom.
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Eze_24:3. “Utter a parable.” “The contents of these verses are called a proverb or parable. It follows from this that the ensuing act which the prophet is commanded to perform is not to be regarded as a symbolical act which he really carried out, but that the act forms the substance of the parable—in other words, belongs to the parable itself; consequently the interpretation of the parable (Eze_24:10, etc.) is clothed in the form of a thing actually done” (Keil.) “Set on a pot … pour water into it.” The repeated demand expresses urgent haste. The pot is Jerusalem, which had become so foul as to poison all meats which were put into it.
Eze_24:4. “The pieces.” The pieces represent the inhabitants of Jerusalem. By the “thigh, the shoulder, choice bones,” we are to understand the wealthy, the nobles, and chiefs of the people.
Eze_24:5. “Burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well.” “The bones that had been stripped of their flesh were to be used for fuel: those to which it still adhered were to be thrown into the pot, that it might be boiled” (Henderson). “The fire with which they are boiled is the fire of war, and the setting of the pot upon the fire is the commencement of the siege, by which the population of the city is to be boiled away like the flesh and bones in a pot.”—Keil.
Eze_24:6. “Whose scum is therein.” “We are not to understand such scum as gathers on the surface of the contents of a pot, but the rust or verdigris contracted by copper. The moral impurity of the city is intended. The prophet begins here to give the explanation of the parable. The Jews, indeed, could be at little loss to know what was intended by it. They had already themselves bandied the metaphor about as a taunt, boasting that they should dwell securely in Jerusalem.”—(Henderson). “Piece by piece.” The pieces were the various members of the body corporate. They were all to be brought out, no favour was to be shown, but all without discrimination were to be put into the cauldron. “Let no lot fall upon it.” No lot was to be cast in order to decide what part should be taken, and what should be spared (Nah_3:10). All are doomed to be carried off, by death or by captivity.
Eze_24:7. “She set it upon the top of a rock.” “Here we have the cause of this judgment: deeds of murder are done in Jerusalem boldly and without abhorrence, by which we are to under stand the numerous judicial murders which were perpetrated by the party who had at that time seized the helm of the state, the party of the external alliances, against which all were indignant, who in the name of the God of Israel raised a protest against this adulterous movement. An example of such judicial murder is the prophet Urijah (Jer_26:20. &c.)” (Hengstenberg). “Poured it not upon the ground.” It was commanded in the Law, that the blood of animals slain for food should be poured on the earth and covered up with dust (Lev_17:13). Idolatrous Jerusalem recklessly poured out even human blood under the open sky, and covered it not up. She sinned shamelessly, and before the face of all. Therefore the Lord will not cover up her sin, but her blood shall be ruthlessly poured out in the sight of all nations.
Eze_24:8. “Upon the top of a rock.” “The Hebrew word signifies a sunny rock, the highest part of a bare rock exposed to the rays of the sun. In just retribution, Jehovah declares that He would expose them with equal publicity, that the blood might call for vengeance.”—(Henderson).
Eze_24:10. “Spice it well.” “There are differences of opinion as to the meaning of this word. The rendering sometimes given, namely ‘to spice,’ is at all events unsuitable, and cannot be sustained by the usage of language. It is true that in Exo_30:25, &c., the verb is used for the preparation of the anointing oil, but it is not the mixing of the different ingredients that is referred to, but in all probability the thorough boiling of the spices, for the purpose of extracting their essence, so that ‘thorough boiling’ is no doubt the true meaning of the word.”—(Keil).
Eze_24:11. “That the filthiness of it may be molten in it.” The uncleanness of the pot is the rust upon it. The impurity and rust of the pot itself must be consumed by the fire. Thus when the guilty inhabitants are slain, the city itself will be destroyed. In the Old Testament, impurity is considered as being attached to things as well is persons (Lev_18:25; Lev_27:28). Leprosy not only polluted men, but clothes also and houses.Thus God’s judgments fell not upon men only, but also upon cities and lands.
Eze_24:12. “She wearied herself with lies.” The idea is, that the pot wearied and exhausted men in their exertions to cleanse it. All the labours spent upon the devoted city were of no avail.
Eze_24:14. “I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent.” “The impurity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem was of the most atrocious character. It was crime, deliberate wickedness. Jehovah had used a variety of means, both physical and moral, to restore them to purity, but they had produced no effect. It remained now only for the Chaldeans to do their work. The decree was irrevocable, and the execution inevitable.”—(Henderson).
HOMILETICS
THE FINAL JUDGMENTS OF GOD UPON JERUSALEM
I. They would be severe. The judgments coming upon Jerusalem are set forth under the parable of a boiling pot, tilled with flesh and bones and set over a fierce file. Not only are the contents to be completely destroyed by fire, but also the rust of the pot itself. This declares that God’s purpose is to destroy Jerusalem itself as well as the guilty inhabitants (Eze_24:11). They are to be burned well until the whole is consumed (Eze_24:10). The blood Jerusalem had shed must now be avenged upon her before the eyes of all nations (Eze_24:8).
II. They would be a just retribution. For corruption had spread to all ranks and conditions of the people (Eze_24:4). Sin, like rust, had eaten into the very substance of the nation. The “scum” had cleaved to the vessel (Eze_24:6). So universal was the corruption that there was no need for the “lot” to be cast in order to decide what part should be taken for destruction, and what spared. All were doomed to be carried off, by death, or by captivity. Nor were these judgments a sudden thought, or expedient—a desperate remedy applied at the last moment. They had often been warned and corrected before. God by the ministry of His prophets had effected some reformations, but the effect of these soon wore off and the nation refused to be purged of her iniquity (Eze_24:13). Holy men were wearied with toil to cleanse the sinful city, but their labours were in vain (Eze_24:12). She had sinned in the most open and shamless manner, had done nothing to cover her sin, had shown no signs of repentance, and had resisted all the instruments which God had used to restore her. There was nothing arbitrary or vindictive in her punishment, which was but a just recompense for her sin. The city with her sinful population were left to share the inevitable consequences which arise from the persistent breach of moral laws. “According to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God” (Eze_24:14). The judgments were to fall upon the city itself as well as upon the inhabitants. The works of man are turned by his sin into the instruments of his punishment. The blood of Christ was shed at Jerusalem, and retribution came, at length, when Titus burned the city. Divine grace abused will bring sure vengeance. Sin must be put away out of God’s sight, either by cleansing it away, or by overwhelming it under His dire judgments. When God Himself has done all that could be done, consistent with man’s moral liberty, then judgment must take it course. “Thus also it was not cleansed by Christ, who had wearied Himself in labours for Jerusalem even to hot tears.”—(Jerome).
III. They would be irrevocable. The Lord had spoken, and He would not repent of His word (Eze_24:14). Their time of grace had run out.
“As to the principle of dealing, there is no essential difference between what God did then with Israel, and what He still does with those who stand in a similar relation to Him, and pursue a similar course. Where there is the profession of a belief in God’s word, and a regard to God’s authority, though intermingled with much that is false in sentiment, or unrighteous in conduct, there must still be dealings of severity and rebuke, to bring the professor, if possible, to a sense of his sinfulness, and lead him to renounce it; but, failing this, to vindicate concerning him the righteousness of God, and leave him without excuse if iniquity should prove his ruin. In the case of sincere, God-fearing people, the severity exercised will always be attended with salutary results; for they have the root of the matter in them, and are sure to profit by the chastening of the Lord. But with those who have the profession only, without the principle of true godliness, the iniquity is clung to in spite of all the severity that is exercised, until the wrath falls on them to the uttermost. There may be signs of the Divine displeasure sufficient to startle the tender conscience, and call for deep humiliation of spirit, while nothing appears outwardly wrong, and all may even wear a smiling aspect as far as regards social and public relations. Should there be a restraining of Divine grace within, an absence of spiritual refreshment, a felt discomfort of mind, or an obvious withdrawal of spiritual privileges, there is beyond doubt the commencement of a work of judgment; and if such marks of God’s displeasure are slighted, others of a more severe and alarming kind may assuredly be looked for. But as men’s tempers and circumstances in life are infinitely varied, so there is a corresponding variety in the methods employed by God to check the risings of sin, and expel its poison from the heart. And it is the part of spiritual wisdom to seek for the wakeful ear and the discerning eye, which may enable one to catch even the earliest intimations of God’s displeasure, and so improve these as to render unnecessary the heavier visitations of wrath.”—(Fairbairn.)
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v3General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh speaks a parable to Ezekiel about a cooking pot that represents Jerusalem. This parable continues through Ezekiel 24:14. (See: Parables)
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this rebellious house
This is a metonym for the family that lives in the house, in this case the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob over many years. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 2:5. AT: "this rebellious people" (See: Metonymy)
Gather pieces of food
Here "food" refers specifically to meat. AT: "Place pieces of meat" (See: Synecdoche)
the best of the flock
Here the "flock" refers to sheep, not birds.
pile up the bones under it
Some cultures add bones to a fire because they burn longer than wood. This refers to the bones that remained after the best bones were placed in the pot. AT: "place the rest of the bones under the pot to fuel the fire" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Whereby was meant Jerusalem.
Whereby was meant Jerusalem.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Eze 24:3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious…
Eze 24:3 And 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:
Ver. 3. Set on a pot.] Deus cum propheta loquitur tanquam cum coquo: anything to make them sensible of their danger, and the destruction of their city now fully determined. This pot is Jerusalem, and a lively representation of hell, saith A Lapide; {a} the pouring of water into it, a long siege; the flesh, the citizens; the fat, the rich ones, lauti et lascivi; the bones, the stoutest and best warriors, &c. These scurrilous Jews had jeered at Jeremiah’s caldron or pot; {Jer 1:13 Eze 11:3} now they are cast into the pot, and their jeer driven back down their very throats.
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{a} Repraesentat Tartarum, et ollam Vulcaniam inferni.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Utter a parable; in somewhat a dark, yet apt…
Utter a parable; in somewhat a dark, yet apt similitude, or in an allegory, declare what they should know and consider.
Rebellious house: see Eze 2:3,6. Set on a pot; set upon the fire a pot, or caldron.
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Set it on; do it quickly, be sure to do it: this pot is Jerusalem.
Pour water into it; fill it with water; for as the pot full of water on the fire till the water be thoroughly heated, so shall Jerusalem be filled with the judgments of God.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv3–5 And utter a parable to the rebellious house,.... The…
And utter a parable to the rebellious house,.... The people of the Jews so called, not so much on account of their rebellion against the king of Babylon, which caused him to come against them, as on account of their rebellion against God, and the breach of his laws; see Eze 2:3. The prophet is bid to represent to them, in a figurative and emblematic way, the miseries that were coming upon them for their wickedness, namely, under the parable of a boiling pot:
and say unto them, thus saith the Lord God; speaking in his name, and as coming from him, and clothed with his authority; that the following parable might not be thought to be a fancy and chimera of his own: "set on a pot, set it on"; set a pot on the fire, and do it quickly. This "pot" is the city of Jerusalem, which was to be brought into great distress and ruin; not a cauldron of brass, wherein the inhabitants should be as safe as if they had walls of brass about them, as they vainly boasted, Eze 11:3, but a seething pot, such an one as Jeremiah saw, to which, it may be, reference is here had, Jer 1:13, in which the people should be destroyed:
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and also pour water into it; which, as it is some time a boiling, may denote the length of the siege of the city, which held two years; and of the troubles and miseries attending it; and of the greatness of them, which were as intolerable as boiling water. The Targum is,
"prophesy that armies shall come against this city; and also there shall be given unto it length of time to receive the siege.''
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv4–5 Every good piece - All the chief of the…
Every good piece - All the chief of the inhabitants of the land, the wealthiest, who will fly from their country-houses to live in safety in Jerusalem: the most war-like, who will betake themselves to Jerusalem for its defense. Fill it - With those pieces that are biggest, fullest of marrow, and which are divided according to the bones; these are the principal members of the state, the king, princes, priests, magistrates, and the most wealthy citizens.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv3, 5 Verse 3. Set on a pot] The pot was…
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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v3 Eze 24:3-5. Utter a parable unto the rebellious house…
Eze 24:3-5. Utter a parable unto the rebellious house — Though the house of Judah has as yet paid no due regard to what thou and the rest of the prophets have uttered or done; nevertheless, still further represent to them the destruction coming upon them by a symbolical action. Set on a pot, &c. — By the pot was signified Jerusalem, (under which figure it is represented, both by this prophet, Eze 11:3, and by Jeremiah, Jer 1:13.) and by the pieces gathered into it, the different ranks of men gathered into that city, by taking refuge within its walls, when the Chaldean army approached to besiege it. By the water and fire were signified the calamities which they were to suffer. By every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, the wealthiest and chief of the inhabitants of the land seem to be meant, who would flee from their country houses to live in safety in Jerusalem; and by the choice bones, the bravest and strongest among the common people, or the most warlike, who would betake themselves to the city for its defence. Burn also the bones under it — Not the bones of the pieces to be boiled, but of the many innocent persons to be murdered in Jerusalem, whose blood cried for vengeance, and their bones, scattered on the face of the earth, will both make and maintain this fire. Bishop Newcome renders the clause, Pile also (in the margin we read heap) the bones under it: namely, as he explains it, “the useless bones (Eze 24:10) which the coals (Eze 24:11) would consume, to show what a general destruction of the meaner sort would be caused by the Chaldeans.” And make it boil well — To denote the heat or violence of the calamity, and perhaps also that the city would be set on fire and consumed.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv3–5 A pot - Or, the caldron; with reference to…
A pot - Or, the caldron; with reference to Eze 11:3. The prophet indicates by the figure utter destruction. The caldron is the city, the fire is the surrounding army, the flesh and bones are the inhabitants shut in within the walls.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv4–5 Choice. Hebrew, "the choice of the bones," or the…
Choice. Hebrew, "the choice of the bones," or the finest pieces separated from the bones, as the Septuagint and the sequel seem to require. (Calmet) --- The bones might serve to burn, ver. 5. (Haydock) See St. Jerome. (Vatable, &c.) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv3–5 pot--caldron. Alluding to the self-confident proverb used among the…
pot--caldron. Alluding to the self-confident proverb used among the people, Eze 11:3 (see on Eze 11:3), "This city is the caldron and we be the flesh"; your proverb shall prove awfully true, but in a different sense from what you intend. So far from the city proving an iron, caldron-like defense from the fire, it shall be as a caldron set on the fire, and the people as so many pieces of meat subjected to boiling heat. See Jer 1:13.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv4–5 4. Every good piece… the choice bones — The…
4. Every good piece… the choice bones — The nobles and princes of the people. (See Eze_11:3.)
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–5 3. Set on a pot] the caldron.
3. Set on a pot] the caldron.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–5 (3) Utter a parable.—What follows (Eze_24:3-14) was not a…
(3) Utter a parable.—What follows (Eze_24:3-14) was not a symbolical action, but was simply a parable spoken to the people, although the language is just that which would describe action.
Set on a pot.—Rather, the cauldron, the word being the same as in Eze_11:3, and preceded by the definite article referring to that passage. Urgency is indicated by the repetition of the command “set on.” The people in Eze_11:3 had called their city the cauldron; so let it be, the Divine word now says, and set that city upon the fire of the armies of my judgment, and gather into it for destruction the people who have boasted of it as their security.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv3, 5 Vers. 3, 4Set on a pot, etc. The words…
Vers. 3, 4Set on a pot, etc. The words contain an obvious reference to the imagery of Eze_11:3-7. The people had used that imagery either in the spirit of a false security or in the recklessness of despair. It is now the prophet"s work to remind them that the interpretation which he gave to their own comparison had proved to be the true one. The cauldron is the city, the fire is the invading army, the metal of the cauldron does not protect them. The pieces , the choice bones, were the princes and chief men of the people.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v3 EXEGETICAL NOTES.—The prophet illustrates the destruction of Jerusalem by…
(Eze_24:3-14.)
EXEGETICAL NOTES.—The prophet illustrates the destruction of Jerusalem by the allegory of a cauldron which he was to set on the fire, and having put water into it, to boil therein choice pieces of meat (Eze_24:3-5). Then he follows with an application of the allegory to Jerusalem, as describing her irrevocable doom.
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Eze_24:3. “Utter a parable.” “The contents of these verses are called a proverb or parable. It follows from this that the ensuing act which the prophet is commanded to perform is not to be regarded as a symbolical act which he really carried out, but that the act forms the substance of the parable—in other words, belongs to the parable itself; consequently the interpretation of the parable (Eze_24:10, etc.) is clothed in the form of a thing actually done” (Keil.) “Set on a pot … pour water into it.” The repeated demand expresses urgent haste. The pot is Jerusalem, which had become so foul as to poison all meats which were put into it.
Eze_24:4. “The pieces.” The pieces represent the inhabitants of Jerusalem. By the “thigh, the shoulder, choice bones,” we are to understand the wealthy, the nobles, and chiefs of the people.
Eze_24:5. “Burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well.” “The bones that had been stripped of their flesh were to be used for fuel: those to which it still adhered were to be thrown into the pot, that it might be boiled” (Henderson). “The fire with which they are boiled is the fire of war, and the setting of the pot upon the fire is the commencement of the siege, by which the population of the city is to be boiled away like the flesh and bones in a pot.”—Keil.
Eze_24:6. “Whose scum is therein.” “We are not to understand such scum as gathers on the surface of the contents of a pot, but the rust or verdigris contracted by copper. The moral impurity of the city is intended. The prophet begins here to give the explanation of the parable. The Jews, indeed, could be at little loss to know what was intended by it. They had already themselves bandied the metaphor about as a taunt, boasting that they should dwell securely in Jerusalem.”—(Henderson). “Piece by piece.” The pieces were the various members of the body corporate. They were all to be brought out, no favour was to be shown, but all without discrimination were to be put into the cauldron. “Let no lot fall upon it.” No lot was to be cast in order to decide what part should be taken, and what should be spared (Nah_3:10). All are doomed to be carried off, by death or by captivity.
Eze_24:7. “She set it upon the top of a rock.” “Here we have the cause of this judgment: deeds of murder are done in Jerusalem boldly and without abhorrence, by which we are to under stand the numerous judicial murders which were perpetrated by the party who had at that time seized the helm of the state, the party of the external alliances, against which all were indignant, who in the name of the God of Israel raised a protest against this adulterous movement. An example of such judicial murder is the prophet Urijah (Jer_26:20. &c.)” (Hengstenberg). “Poured it not upon the ground.” It was commanded in the Law, that the blood of animals slain for food should be poured on the earth and covered up with dust (Lev_17:13). Idolatrous Jerusalem recklessly poured out even human blood under the open sky, and covered it not up. She sinned shamelessly, and before the face of all. Therefore the Lord will not cover up her sin, but her blood shall be ruthlessly poured out in the sight of all nations.
Eze_24:8. “Upon the top of a rock.” “The Hebrew word signifies a sunny rock, the highest part of a bare rock exposed to the rays of the sun. In just retribution, Jehovah declares that He would expose them with equal publicity, that the blood might call for vengeance.”—(Henderson).
Eze_24:10. “Spice it well.” “There are differences of opinion as to the meaning of this word. The rendering sometimes given, namely ‘to spice,’ is at all events unsuitable, and cannot be sustained by the usage of language. It is true that in Exo_30:25, &c., the verb is used for the preparation of the anointing oil, but it is not the mixing of the different ingredients that is referred to, but in all probability the thorough boiling of the spices, for the purpose of extracting their essence, so that ‘thorough boiling’ is no doubt the true meaning of the word.”—(Keil).
Eze_24:11. “That the filthiness of it may be molten in it.” The uncleanness of the pot is the rust upon it. The impurity and rust of the pot itself must be consumed by the fire. Thus when the guilty inhabitants are slain, the city itself will be destroyed. In the Old Testament, impurity is considered as being attached to things as well is persons (Lev_18:25; Lev_27:28). Leprosy not only polluted men, but clothes also and houses.Thus God’s judgments fell not upon men only, but also upon cities and lands.
Eze_24:12. “She wearied herself with lies.” The idea is, that the pot wearied and exhausted men in their exertions to cleanse it. All the labours spent upon the devoted city were of no avail.
Eze_24:14. “I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent.” “The impurity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem was of the most atrocious character. It was crime, deliberate wickedness. Jehovah had used a variety of means, both physical and moral, to restore them to purity, but they had produced no effect. It remained now only for the Chaldeans to do their work. The decree was irrevocable, and the execution inevitable.”—(Henderson).
HOMILETICS
THE FINAL JUDGMENTS OF GOD UPON JERUSALEM
I. They would be severe. The judgments coming upon Jerusalem are set forth under the parable of a boiling pot, tilled with flesh and bones and set over a fierce file. Not only are the contents to be completely destroyed by fire, but also the rust of the pot itself. This declares that God’s purpose is to destroy Jerusalem itself as well as the guilty inhabitants (Eze_24:11). They are to be burned well until the whole is consumed (Eze_24:10). The blood Jerusalem had shed must now be avenged upon her before the eyes of all nations (Eze_24:8).
II. They would be a just retribution. For corruption had spread to all ranks and conditions of the people (Eze_24:4). Sin, like rust, had eaten into the very substance of the nation. The “scum” had cleaved to the vessel (Eze_24:6). So universal was the corruption that there was no need for the “lot” to be cast in order to decide what part should be taken for destruction, and what spared. All were doomed to be carried off, by death, or by captivity. Nor were these judgments a sudden thought, or expedient—a desperate remedy applied at the last moment. They had often been warned and corrected before. God by the ministry of His prophets had effected some reformations, but the effect of these soon wore off and the nation refused to be purged of her iniquity (Eze_24:13). Holy men were wearied with toil to cleanse the sinful city, but their labours were in vain (Eze_24:12). She had sinned in the most open and shamless manner, had done nothing to cover her sin, had shown no signs of repentance, and had resisted all the instruments which God had used to restore her. There was nothing arbitrary or vindictive in her punishment, which was but a just recompense for her sin. The city with her sinful population were left to share the inevitable consequences which arise from the persistent breach of moral laws. “According to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God” (Eze_24:14). The judgments were to fall upon the city itself as well as upon the inhabitants. The works of man are turned by his sin into the instruments of his punishment. The blood of Christ was shed at Jerusalem, and retribution came, at length, when Titus burned the city. Divine grace abused will bring sure vengeance. Sin must be put away out of God’s sight, either by cleansing it away, or by overwhelming it under His dire judgments. When God Himself has done all that could be done, consistent with man’s moral liberty, then judgment must take it course. “Thus also it was not cleansed by Christ, who had wearied Himself in labours for Jerusalem even to hot tears.”—(Jerome).
III. They would be irrevocable. The Lord had spoken, and He would not repent of His word (Eze_24:14). Their time of grace had run out.
“As to the principle of dealing, there is no essential difference between what God did then with Israel, and what He still does with those who stand in a similar relation to Him, and pursue a similar course. Where there is the profession of a belief in God’s word, and a regard to God’s authority, though intermingled with much that is false in sentiment, or unrighteous in conduct, there must still be dealings of severity and rebuke, to bring the professor, if possible, to a sense of his sinfulness, and lead him to renounce it; but, failing this, to vindicate concerning him the righteousness of God, and leave him without excuse if iniquity should prove his ruin. In the case of sincere, God-fearing people, the severity exercised will always be attended with salutary results; for they have the root of the matter in them, and are sure to profit by the chastening of the Lord. But with those who have the profession only, without the principle of true godliness, the iniquity is clung to in spite of all the severity that is exercised, until the wrath falls on them to the uttermost. There may be signs of the Divine displeasure sufficient to startle the tender conscience, and call for deep humiliation of spirit, while nothing appears outwardly wrong, and all may even wear a smiling aspect as far as regards social and public relations. Should there be a restraining of Divine grace within, an absence of spiritual refreshment, a felt discomfort of mind, or an obvious withdrawal of spiritual privileges, there is beyond doubt the commencement of a work of judgment; and if such marks of God’s displeasure are slighted, others of a more severe and alarming kind may assuredly be looked for. But as men’s tempers and circumstances in life are infinitely varied, so there is a corresponding variety in the methods employed by God to check the risings of sin, and expel its poison from the heart. And it is the part of spiritual wisdom to seek for the wakeful ear and the discerning eye, which may enable one to catch even the earliest intimations of God’s displeasure, and so improve these as to render unnecessary the heavier visitations of wrath.”—(Fairbairn.)
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v3 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh speaks a parable to Ezekiel about a cooking pot that represents Jerusalem. This parable continues through Ezekiel 24:14. (See: Parables)
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this rebellious house
This is a metonym for the family that lives in the house, in this case the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob over many years. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 2:5. AT: "this rebellious people" (See: Metonymy)
Gather pieces of food
Here "food" refers specifically to meat. AT: "Place pieces of meat" (See: Synecdoche)
the best of the flock
Here the "flock" refers to sheep, not birds.
pile up the bones under it
Some cultures add bones to a fire because they burn longer than wood. This refers to the bones that remained after the best bones were placed in the pot. AT: "place the rest of the bones under the pot to fuel the fire" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
proverb
rebel
house
parable
Lord Yahweh
flocks
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v3 24:3 The people of Jerusalem were rebels against their…
24:3 The people of Jerusalem were rebels against their treaty with Babylon and against their covenant with the Lord.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.