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.

KJV (with Strong's)

Forbear {H1826} to cry {H602}, make {H6213} no mourning {H60} for the dead {H4191}, bind {H2280} the tire of thine head {H6287} upon thee, and put on {H7760} thy shoes {H5275} upon thy feet {H7272}, and cover {H5844} not thy lips {H8222}, and eat {H398} not the bread {H3899} of men {H582}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Sigh silently, don't observe mourning for the dead, bind your turban on your head, put your sandals on your feet, don't cover your upper lip, and don't eat the food people prepare for mourners."

Berean Standard Bible

Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

American Standard Version

Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourning for the dead; bind thy headtire upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Ezekiel 24:17 issues a series of extraordinary divine commands to the prophet Ezekiel, instructing him to abstain from all customary mourning rituals upon the sudden death of his wife. This deeply personal tragedy, and Ezekiel's silent, counter-cultural obedience, served as a vivid prophetic sign-act, symbolizing the overwhelming and paralyzing grief that the exiled Israelites would experience when Jerusalem, their beloved "desire of their eyes," fell to Babylon, a calamity so profound that it would render traditional lamentation impossible.

### CONTEXT

* **Literary Context:** This verse is embedded within the climactic "Book of Consolation" (Ezekiel 20-24), which culminates in the definitive announcement of Jerusalem's destruction. Immediately preceding this passage, God reveals the precise day the siege of Jerusalem began (`/ezekiel/24-1 "Ezekiel 24:1 - The Siege Begins"`). The parable of the boiling pot (`/ezekiel/24-3 "Ezekiel 24:3 - The Parable of the Boiling Pot"`) vividly portrays the city's impending judgment and the purification by fire. In the verses directly preceding Ezekiel 24:17, God declares His intention to take away "the desire of thine eyes" – Ezekiel's wife – with a sudden stroke (`/ezekiel/24-16 "Ezekiel 24:16 - The Death of Ezekiel's Wife"`). The commands in verse 17 are the direct, shocking consequence of this divine act, setting the stage for the explanation of the sign-act's meaning to the exiles (`/ezekiel/24-18 "Ezekiel 24:18 - Ezekiel's Obedience"` and `/ezekiel/24-21 "Ezekiel 24:21 - The Explanation of the Sign"`).

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Ancient Near Eastern societies, including Israel, had elaborate and deeply ingrained mourning customs. These typically involved loud lamentations, wailing, tearing clothes, shaving heads, going barefoot, covering the face or head, sitting in ashes, and abstaining from normal food, often relying on "bread of men" (food brought by comforters). Professional mourners were often hired to lead the lament. The sudden, unannounced death of a spouse, especially "the desire of thine eyes," would normally elicit the most intense and public display of grief. Ezekiel, living among the exiles in Babylon, was commanded to defy every one of these deeply embedded cultural expectations, making his silent, stoic demeanor a stark and unsettling visual sermon.

* **Key Themes:** Ezekiel 24:17 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Ezekiel. It highlights **Prophetic Sign-Acts**, where the prophet's personal life becomes a living parable, a tangible message from God to His people. This particular act underscores **Divine Sovereignty in Suffering**, demonstrating God's absolute control, even over personal tragedy, to achieve His redemptive and judgmental purposes. The command to suppress outward mourning symbolizes a **Profound Grief and Shock** so overwhelming that it would paralyze the survivors of Jerusalem's fall, leaving them unable to engage in traditional expressions of sorrow. Their calamity would be too immense for conventional lament. Finally, it emphasizes the **Severity of God's Judgment and Irreparable Loss**, illustrating the devastating consequences of rejecting God's covenant and the profound, irreplaceable loss Jerusalem's destruction would entail for the entire nation (`/ezekiel/24-25 "Ezekiel 24:25 - The Prophet's Silence Broken"`).

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis

* **Forbear (Hebrew, _dâmam'_):** This primitive root signifies "to be dumb," "to be astonished," "to stop," or "to be silent." In this context, it is a command to cease all outward expressions of sorrow, to be utterly still and silent in the face of immense personal loss. It implies a forced, unnatural suppression of natural human reaction, underscoring the severity of the divine command and the shocking nature of the impending national catastrophe.
* **Mourning (Hebrew, _ʼêbel'_):** Derived from a root meaning "to lament," this word refers specifically to the customary, public expressions of grief for the dead. The command "make no mourning" is a direct prohibition against engaging in any of the expected rituals—wailing, lamenting, or any outward display of sorrow—that were integral to ancient Israelite funerary practices. This absence of mourning is precisely what makes Ezekiel's sign-act so jarring and impactful.
* **Bread (Hebrew, _lechem'_):** While generally meaning "food" or "bread," in this context, "the bread of men" (`lechem ʼĕnôwsh`) specifically refers to the food brought by friends and neighbors to comfort and sustain mourners. This "bread of consolation" was a vital part of the communal support system during bereavement. By forbidding Ezekiel from eating it, God emphasizes his isolation in grief, mirroring the utter lack of comfort and fellowship the exiles would experience when news of Jerusalem's fall reached them, as their calamity would be too great for human solace.

#### Verse Breakdown

* **"Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead":** This is the central, shocking command. Ezekiel is forbidden from expressing the natural, human response to death—crying out in grief and engaging in any of the customary rituals of mourning. This immediate suppression of sorrow is deeply counter-cultural and emotionally jarring, designed to highlight the unique nature of the impending national tragedy.
* **"bind the tire of thine head upon thee":** The "tire" (`pᵉʼêr`) refers to a turban or head-dress, often a symbol of dignity, adornment, or priestly office. Customarily, mourners would remove their head covering, dishevel their hair, or put dust on their heads as a sign of distress. Ezekiel is commanded to keep his head-dress on, maintaining an appearance of normalcy or even dignity, directly contradicting the visual signs of lament.
* **"and put on thy shoes upon thy feet":** Mourners typically went barefoot as a sign of humility, distress, or shame. This act symbolized their lowliness and sorrow. Ezekiel is commanded to wear his shoes, again defying the expected outward manifestation of grief and maintaining a posture of readiness or normalcy.
* **"and cover not [thy] lips":** Covering the lower face or lips was a common sign of mourning, shame, despair, or even a sign of being a leper or outcast (`/micah/3-7 "Micah 3:7 - Covering Lips in Shame"`). It signified a profound sense of isolation and inability to speak. Ezekiel is instructed to leave his lips uncovered, implying a readiness to speak or a lack of the usual signs of despair, further emphasizing the unnaturalness of his "mourning."
* **"and eat not the bread of men":** This refers to the "bread of consolation," the food brought by friends and neighbors to comfort and sustain mourners during their period of grief. By forbidding this, God isolates Ezekiel in his sorrow, preventing him from receiving communal comfort. This symbolizes the profound isolation and lack of comfort the exiles would feel when the news of Jerusalem's destruction arrived, as their grief would be too immense for human solace.

#### Literary Devices

Ezekiel 24:17 is a prime example of a **Prophetic Sign-Act**, a recurring literary device in the book of Ezekiel where the prophet's personal life and actions become a living, embodied message from God. Each specific command within the verse functions as **Symbolism**, with every forbidden mourning ritual representing a deeper theological truth about the nature of Jerusalem's impending fall. The collective commands create a profound sense of **Irony** and **Paradox**: the very *absence* of outward mourning is meant to convey a grief so overwhelming and shocking that it transcends conventional expression. This creates a stark **Contrast** between the expected cultural response to death and the divinely mandated, counter-intuitive behavior, thereby magnifying the impact of the message. The detailed, almost ritualistic list of prohibitions also employs **Parallelism** and **Repetition** to emphasize the comprehensive nature of the command.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 24:17 profoundly illustrates the sovereign hand of God, even in the midst of human suffering and tragedy. It reveals that God's purposes transcend individual comfort, using even the deepest personal loss as a powerful prophetic medium to communicate His truth to a rebellious people. The forced suppression of natural grief highlights the unparalleled magnitude of Jerusalem's impending destruction, a judgment so devastating that it would leave its survivors stunned into silent despair, beyond the solace of customary mourning. This passage underscores the seriousness of covenant disobedience and the inevitable, painful consequences of rejecting God's warnings, demonstrating that divine judgment can be so absolute that it strips away even the comfort of lament.

* [Isaiah 22:12-14](/isaiah/22-12 "Isaiah 22:12-14 - God's Call to Weep and Mourn")
* [Jeremiah 16:5-7](/jeremiah/16-5 "Jeremiah 16:5-7 - Prohibition of Mourning")
* [Luke 23:27-31](/luke/23-27 "Luke 23:27-31 - Weep for Yourselves")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 24:17 serves as a stark reminder that God's ways are often beyond our comprehension, and His purposes can intersect with our deepest personal pain. Ezekiel's silent obedience in the face of unimaginable grief is a powerful testament to radical submission to divine will, even when it is counter-intuitive, socially isolating, and emotionally agonizing. This passage challenges us to consider that sometimes, God uses our suffering, or the suffering of those around us, as a means to communicate profound spiritual truths or to bring about a greater awakening. It prompts us to reflect on the nature of true grief—not just its outward expression, but its internal, paralyzing reality—and to recognize that some losses are so immense they defy conventional lament. Ultimately, it calls us to trust in God's sovereignty, even when His methods are painful, knowing that He works all things for His ultimate glory and our good, even if that good is revealed through the crucible of suffering and judgment.

#### Questions for Reflection

* **How does Ezekiel's forced suppression of grief challenge our understanding of appropriate responses to loss, both personally and communally?**
* **In what ways might God use difficult or painful circumstances in our lives to communicate a message to us or to others?**
* **What does Ezekiel's immediate and silent obedience, despite immense personal cost, teach us about radical submission to God's will?**
* **How does this passage deepen our appreciation for the severity of God's judgment against sin and the profound consequences of rejecting His covenant?**

### FAQ

**Why was Ezekiel forbidden from mourning his wife?**

Answer: Ezekiel was forbidden from mourning his wife as a prophetic sign-act. His personal tragedy and his unusual, counter-cultural response to it were designed by God to be a living parable for the exiled Israelites. The message was that when news of Jerusalem's destruction reached them, their grief would be so overwhelming, so profound, and so shocking that they would be stunned into silent despair, unable to engage in the customary rituals of lamentation. Their calamity would be too immense for conventional expressions of sorrow or for human comfort, mirroring Ezekiel's own isolated grief. This demonstrated the absolute severity of God's judgment upon Jerusalem for its idolatry and rebellion.

**What were the specific mourning rituals Ezekiel was forbidden to perform?**

Answer: Ezekiel was commanded to abstain from several specific, common ancient Israelite mourning rituals:
1. **Crying and making outward mourning for the dead:** This prohibited any public lamentation or wailing.
2. **Removing his head-dress (tire of his head):** Mourners typically disheveled their hair or removed head coverings as a sign of distress; Ezekiel was to keep his on.
3. **Going barefoot:** Mourners often removed their shoes as a sign of humility and sorrow; Ezekiel was to keep his shoes on (`/ezekiel/24-17 "Ezekiel 24:17 - Put on thy shoes"`).
4. **Covering his lips:** Covering the lower face or lips was a sign of shame, despair, or mourning (`/micah/3-7 "Micah 3:7 - Covering the Lip"`); Ezekiel was to leave his lips uncovered.
5. **Eating the "bread of men":** This refers to the food brought by friends and neighbors to comfort mourners; Ezekiel was forbidden to accept or eat this communal comfort (`/jeremiah/16-7 "Jeremiah 16:7 - The Cup of Consolation"`).

**How did Ezekiel's actions relate to the fall of Jerusalem?**

Answer: Ezekiel's silent, unmourned grief for his wife directly foreshadowed the reaction of the exiles to the fall of Jerusalem. Just as Ezekiel was stripped of the comfort of customary mourning, the exiles would be so utterly devastated by the news of their beloved city's destruction and the loss of the Temple (`/ezekiel/24-21 "Ezekiel 24:21 - The Desire of Your Eyes"`), that they would be speechless and unable to perform traditional mourning rites. Their sorrow would be too deep for tears, and there would be no "bread of men" or human comfort sufficient for such a catastrophic loss. Ezekiel's sign-act was a profound visual and emotional prophecy, preparing the people for the unprecedented nature of the impending judgment.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Ezekiel 24:17 primarily speaks to the severity of God's judgment and the nature of overwhelming grief, it finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in several ways. First, Ezekiel's obedience in suffering, though painful and counter-cultural, foreshadows the ultimate obedience of Christ, who, "though he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered" (`/hebrews/5-8 "Hebrews 5:8 - Christ's Obedience through Suffering"`). Jesus, too, experienced profound human grief, yet always submitted to the Father's will, even unto death on the cross (`/luke/22-42 "Luke 22:42 - Jesus' Prayer in Gethsemane"`). Second, the "desire of thine eyes" being taken away in judgment points to the ultimate sacrifice of God's own "desire of His eyes," His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Though not a judgment upon Christ Himself, His death was the ultimate consequence of humanity's sin, bearing the judgment we deserved (`/romans/5-8 "Romans 5:8 - God Demonstrates His Love"`). Finally, the command to "eat not the bread of men" in mourning highlights a profound isolation in grief. Christ, on the cross, experienced the ultimate isolation, forsaken by God and man, as He bore the sin of the world (`/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"`). Yet, through His solitary suffering and death, He became the true "bread of life" (`/john/6-35 "John 6:35 - Jesus, the Bread of Life"`) and the ultimate source of comfort and consolation, offering a hope that transcends all earthly sorrow and judgment, transforming our mourning into joy (`/john/16-20 "John 16:20 - Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy"`).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Hosea 9:4

They shall not offer wine [offerings] to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices [shall be] unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.

2 Samuel 15:30

And David went up by the ascent of [mount] Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that [was] with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

Leviticus 10:6

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

Leviticus 21:10

¶ And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

Micah 3:7

Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for [there is] no answer of God.

Psalms 37:7

¶ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Leviticus 13:45

And the leper in whom the plague [is], his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.