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Commentary on Ezekiel 24 verses 1–14
We have here,
I. The notice God gives to Ezekiel in Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar's laying siege to Jerusalem, just at the time when he was doing it (Eze 24:2): "Son of man, take notice, the king of Babylon, who is now abroad with his army, thou knowest not where, set himself against Jerusalem this same day." It was many miles, it was many days' journey, from Jerusalem to Babylon. Perhaps the last intelligence they had from the army was that the design was upon Rabbath of the children of Ammon and that the campaign was to be opened with the siege of that city. But God knew, and could tell the prophet, "This day, at this time, Jerusalem is invested, and the Chaldean army has sat down before it." Note, As all times, so all places, even the most remote, are present with God and under his view. He tells the prophet, that the prophet might tell the people, that so when it proved to be punctually true, as they would find by the public intelligence in a little time, it might be a confirmation of the prophet's mission, and they might infer that, since he was right in his news, he was so in his predictions, for he owed both to the same correspondence he had with Heaven.
II. The notice which he orders him to take of it. He must enter it in his book, memorandum, that in the ninth year of Jehoiachin's captivity (for thence Ezekiel dated, Eze 1:2, which was also the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, for he began to reign when Jehoiachin was carried off), in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem; and the date here agrees exactly with the date in the history, Kg2 25:1. See how God reveals things to his servants the prophets, especially those things which serve to confirm their word, and so to confirm their own faith. Note, It is good to keep an exact account of the date of remarkable occurrences, which may sometimes contribute to the manifesting of God's glory so much the more in them, and the explaining and confirming of scripture prophecies. Known unto God are all his works.
III. The notice which he orders him to give to the people thereupon, the purport of which is that this siege of Jerusalem, now begun, will infallibly end in the ruin of it. This he must say to the rebellious house, to those of them that were in Babylon, to be by them communicated to those that were yet in their own land. A rebellious house will soon be a ruinous house.
1.He must show them this by a sign; for that stupid people needed to be taught as children are. The comparison made use of is that of a boiling pot. This agrees with Jeremiah's vision many years before, when he first began to be a prophet, and probably was designed to put them in mind of that (Jer 1:13, I see a seething pot, with the face towards the north; and the explanation of it, Eze 24:15, makes it to signify the besieging of Jerusalem by the northern nations); and, as this comparison is intended to confirm Jeremiah's vision, so also to confront the vain confidence of the princes of Jerusalem, who had said (Jer 11:3), This city is the caldron and we are the flesh, meaning, "We are as safe here as if we were surrounded with walls of brass." "Well," says God, "it shall be so; you shall be boiled in Jerusalem, as the flesh in the caldron, boiled to pieces; let the pot be set on with water in it (Eze 24:4); let it be filled with the flesh of the choice of the flock (Eze 24:5), with the choice pieces (Eze 24:4), and the marrow-bones, and let the other bones serve for fuel, that, one way or other, either in the pot or under it, the whole beast may be made use of." A fire of bones, though it be a slow fire (for the siege was to be long), is yet a sure and lasting fire; such was God's wrath against them, and not like the crackling of thorns under a pot, which has noise and blaze, but no intense heat. Those that from all parts of the country fled into Jerusalem for safety would be sadly disappointed when the siege laid to it would soon make the place too hot for them; and yet there was not getting out of it, but they must be forced to abide by it, as the flesh in a boiling pot.
2.He must give them a comment upon this sign. It is to be construed as a woe to the bloody city, Eze 24:6. And again (Eze 24:9), being bloody, let it go to pot, to be boiled; that is the fittest place for it. Let us here see,
(1.)What is the course God takes with it. Jerusalem, during the siege, is like a pot boiling over the fire, all in a heat, all in a hurry. [1.] Care is taken to keep a good fire under the pot, which signifies the closeness of the siege, and the many vigorous attacks made upon the city by the besiegers, and especially the continued wrath of God burning against them (Eze 24:9): I will make the pile for fire great. Commission is given to the Chaldeans (Eze 24:10) to heap on wood, and kindle the fire, to make Jerusalem more and more hot to the inhabitants. Note, The fire which God kindles for the consuming of impenitent sinners shall never abate, much less go out, for want of fuel. Tophet has fire and much wood, Isa 30:33. [2.] The meat, as it is boiled, is taken out, and given to the Chaldeans for them to feast upon. "Consume the flesh; let it be thoroughly boiled, boiled to rags. Spice it well, and make it savoury, for those that will fees sweetly upon it. Let the bones be burnt." either the bones under the pot ("let them be consumed with the other fuel") or, as some think, the bones in the pot - "let it boil so furiously that not only the flesh may be sodden, but even the bones softened; let all the inhabitants of Jerusalem be by sickness, sword, and famine, reduced to the extremity of misery." And then (Eze 24:6), "Bring it out piece by piece; let every man be delivered into the enemy's hand, to be either put to the sword or made a prisoner. Let them be an easy prey to them, and let the Chaldeans fall upon them as eagerly as a hungry man does upon a good dish of meat when it is set before him. Let no lot fall upon it; every piece in the pot shall be fetched out and devoured, first or last, and therefore it is no matter for casting lots which shall be fetched out first." It was a very severe military execution when David measured Joab with two lines to put to death and one full line to keep alive, Sa2 8:2. But here is no line, no lot of mercy, made use of; all goes one way, and that is to destruction. [3.] When all the broth is boiled away the pot is set empty upon the coals, that it may burn too, which signifies the setting of the city on fire, Eze 24:11. The scum of the meat, or (as some translate it) the rust of the meat, has so got into the pot that there is no making it clean by washing or scouring it, and therefore it must be done by fire; so let the filthiness be burnt out of it, or, rather, melted in it and burnt with it. Let the vipers and their nest be consumed together.
(2.)What is the quarrel God has with it. He would not take these severe methods with Jerusalem but that he is provoked to it; she deserves to be thus dealt with, for, [1.] It is a bloody city (Eze 24:7, Eze 24:8): Her blood is in the midst of her. Many a barbarous murder has been committed in the very heart of the city; nay, and they have a disposition to cruelty in their hearts; they inwardly delight in blood-shed, and so it is in the midst of them. Nay, they commit their murders in the face of the sun, and openly and impudently avow them, in defiance of the justice both of God and man. She did not pour out the blood she shed upon the ground, to cover it with dust, as being ashamed of the sin or afraid of the punishment. She did not look upon it as a filthy thing, proper to be concealed (Deu 23:13), much less dangerous. Nay, she poured out the innocent blood she shed upon a rock, where it would not soak in, upon the top of a rock, in despite of divine views and vengeance. They shed innocent blood under colour of justice; so that they gloried in it, as if they had done God and the country good service, so put it, as it were, on the top of a rock. Or it may refer to the sacrificing of their children on their high places, perhaps on the top of rocks. Now thus they caused fury to come up and take vengeance, Eze 24:8. It could not be avoided but that God must in anger visit for these things; his soul must be avenged on such a nation as this. It is absolutely necessary that such a bloody city as this should have blood given her to drink, for she is worthy, for the vindicating of the honour of divine justice. And, the crime having been public and notorious, it is fit that the punishment should be so too: I have set her blood on the top of a rock. Jerusalem was to be made an example, and therefore was made a spectacle, to the world; God dealt with her according to the law of retaliation. It is fit that those who sin before all should be rebuked before all; and that the reputation of those should not be consulted by the concealment of their punishment who were so impudent as not to desire the concealment of their sin. [2.] It is a filthy city. Great notice is taken, in this explanation of the comparison, of the scum of this pot, which signifies the sin of Jerusalem, working up and appearing when the judgments of God were upon her. It is the pot whose scum is therein and has not gone out of it, Eze 24:6. The great scum that went not forth out of her (Eze 24:12), that stuck to the pot when all was boiled away, and was molten in it (Eze 24:11), some of this runs over into the fire (Eze 24:12), inflames that, and makes it burn the more furiously, but it shall all be consumed at last, Eze 24:11. When the hand of God had gone out against them, instead of humbling themselves under it, repenting and reforming, and accepting the punishment of their iniquity, they grew more impudent and outrageous in sin, quarrelled with God, persecuted his prophets, were fierce to one another, enraged to the last degree against the Chaldeans, snarled at the stone, gnawed their chain, and were like a wild bull in a net. This as their scum; in their distress they trespassed yet more against the Lord, like that king Ahaz, Ch2 28:22. There is little hope of those who are made worse by that which should make them better, whose corruptions are excited an exasperated by those rebukes both of the word and of the providence of God which were designed for the suppressing and subduing of them, or of those whose scum boiled up once in convictions, and confessions of sin, as if it would be taken off by reformation, but afterwards returned again, in a revolt from their good overtures; and the heart that seemed softened is hardened again. This was Jerusalem's case: She has wearied with lies, wearied her God with purposes and promises of amendment, which she never stood to, wearied herself with her carnal confidences, which have all deceived her, Eze 24:12. Note, Those that follow after lying vanities weary themselves with the pursuit. Now see her doom, Eze 24:13, Eze 24:14. Because she is incurably wicked she is abandoned to ruin, without remedy. First, Methods and means of reformation had been tried in vain (Eze 24:13): "In thy filthiness is lewdness; thou hast become obstinate and impudent in it; thou hast got a habit of it, which is confirmed by frequent acts. In thy filthiness thee is a rooted lewdness; as appears by this, I have purged thee and thou wast not purged. I have given thee medicine, but it has done thee no good. I have used the means of cleansing thee, but they have been ineffectual; the intention of them has not been answered." Note, It is sad to think how many there are on whom ordinances and providences are all lost. Secondly, It is therefore resolved that no more such methods shall be sued: Thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more. The fire shall no longer be a refining fire, but a consuming fire, and therefore shall not be mitigated and shortened, as it has been, but shall be continued in extremity, till it has done its destroying work. Note, Those that will not be healed are justly given up and their case adjudged desperate. There is a day coming when it will be said, He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. Thirdly, Nothing remains then but to bring them to utter ruin: I will cause my fury to rest upon thee. This is the same with what is said of the later Jews, that wrath has come upon them to the uttermost, Th1 2:16. They deserve it: According to thy doings they shall judge thee, Eze 24:14. And God will do it. The sentence is bound on with repeated ratifications, that they might be awakened to see how certain their ruin was: "I the Lord have spoken it, who am able to make good what I have spoken; it shall come to pass, nothing shall prevent it, for I will do it myself, I will not go back upon any entreaties; the decree has gone forth, and I will not spare in compassion to them, neither will I repent." He will neither change his mind nor his way. Hereby the prophet was forbidden to interceded for them, and they were forbidden to flatter themselves with hopes of an escape. God hath said it, and he will do it. Note, The declarations of God's wrath against sinners are as inviolable as the assurances he has given of favour to his people; and the case of such is sad indeed, who have brought it to this issue, that either God must be false or they must be damned.
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
(Chapter 24, Verse 1 onwards) Then in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. And speak a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Set on the pot, set it on and also pour water into it; put in it the pieces of meat, all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock; pile the logs under it, boil it well; let the bones be cooked in it.' Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, the pot whose rust is in it, and its rust has not gone out of it! Empty it part by part; pour out its blood upon the bare rock; no lot has fallen upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she put it upon the bare rock; she did not pour it out upon the ground, to cover it with dust. I have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered. Because of this, says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, whose pyramid I will make great. Gather the bones that I will set on fire, the flesh will be consumed, and the entire composition will be cooked, and the bones will decay. Also place it on empty coals, so that its bronze heats up and melts, and its pollution is melted in its midst, and its rust is consumed. It has been labored greatly, and its excessive rust has not gone out, nor through fire. Your filthiness is detestable, for I desired to cleanse you, but you are not cleansed from your impurities; nor will you be cleansed until I have made my indignation rest upon you. I, the Lord, have spoken: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not pass by, nor spare, nor have mercy. According to your ways and your doings I have judged you, says the Lord. LXX: And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying: Son of man, write down the name of this day, for on this day the king of Babylon has exerted his strength against Jerusalem from this very day, and speak a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Set the pot, set it on, and also pour water into it; gather the pieces into it, every good piece, thigh and shoulder; fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock, and pile up the bones underneath it; let it boil well, and let the bones be cooked in the midst of it. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: O city of blood, the pot in which rust is, and rust has not come out of it: by its parts it has brought it forth; the lot has not fallen upon it, because its blood is in the midst of it. On a bare rock I have set it; I have not poured it out on the ground, that it may be covered with dust. That it may rise up in fury for vengeance, I have set its blood on the bare rock, that it may not be covered. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I will also make the pile of wood great. I will kindle the fire, so that flesh may be consumed and bones may be burned. I will set the city on fire and burn it completely. Its copper will become hot to melt, and its impurity will be consumed in its midst, and its rust will be eliminated. Its rust will be humbled and there will be no more great rust. Its impurity and contamination have brought you low, because you have not been cleansed from your impurity. And what will happen if you are not cleansed beyond until I fulfill my fury in you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and it will come to pass; I will not delay, nor will I have pity, nor will I relent. According to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you, says the Lord God. Therefore I will judge you according to your blood and according to your thoughts; you are unclean and vile, and exceedingly provocative. ** Most of these additions are from Theodotion, and the Hebrew word Zemma (), for which we have interpreted as abominable uncleanness. And that which has been added by them, which is not contained in Hebrew, and should be noted with an obelus: Therefore I will judge you according to your blood, and I will judge you according to your thoughts, unclean and infamous, and excessive to provoke. Let us then speak about each one. In the ninth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin (for in the fifth year he began to prophesy) and in the tenth month of the same ninth year, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Ezekiel, who was in the region of Babylon, and He said to him: Son of man, write down this very day for yourself, and know that today the king of Babylon has begun to besiege Jerusalem in the region of Judah, and to fortify it with an army; and describe this siege by means of a parable and a proverb, which in this present place signifies a metaphor and a translation. He said, 'Put a bronze pot, that is, a cauldron, and fill it with water, and cut up the bodies of the fattest animals into pieces, both the thigh and the leg and the arm, and carefully separate the flesh from the bones, and after putting the meat in the cauldron, put the bones under or arrange them around the cauldron, and make layers, and piles of bones, so that the boiling of the cauldron may bubble up not once, but frequently, and the meat may be cooked thoroughly inside, and the bones may be solidified below by the fire.' But you, O prophet, wish to know who this pot is, or what kind of flesh or bone it may be? Speak these things, says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, that is Jerusalem, to the pot whose rust, that is excessive wickedness, is in it, and though fire is placed under it, its rust has not gone out from it. For they have persisted, even the captives and the crucified ones, in their former wickedness. Consume it in parts and individually, let no one remain safe. The fate did not fall upon her so that some would perish, and others would be saved, but a universal destruction came upon all. For her blood, that is, her murders, and the deaths of her sons, are in the midst of her. She poured out this blood upon the clearest rock, so that it would be evident to all, and the earth would not cover it with dust: for my indignation would not pass, but my vengeance would hasten upon the most exposed blood. For it is natural that if blood is poured onto the earth, the ground would absorb the moisture of the blood, or gradually be covered by the earth and dust. But when blood is spilled over a very clear rock with no cavity, it flows and occupies a wide seat. This indicates that it has committed not hidden, but public murders, according to what is said to Cain: The blood of your brother cries out to me (Gen. IV, 10): therefore say to the city, not of one blood, but of many bloods: Behold, I will make a great pyre in you, or I will raise a tower, which the common people call a bonfire, and I will burn not only soft and tender flesh in you, but also the hardest bones in such a way that nothing remains in you that is not consumed by fire. And when both the flesh and bones have been consumed and burned, place the empty cauldron on hot coals, so that the brass may also heat up and be consumed, and with the brass consumed, may its rust also perish, that is, may it be burned with the city's fire and may wickedness perish with the city. But what profit is there in having done what was commanded? Not even through fire could the rust and wickedness of the cauldron, and of the city, be removed; but it remains in that impure and abominable state: for this is what the token signifies. And he directed his anger against the city itself, that is, against the city itself. I wanted to cleanse you, but you have not cleansed yourself from your filth, and you will not be able to be cleansed until I have fully vented my anger upon you. I am the Lord, and my judgment cannot be ignored. The siege of the city is now upon you, and I will do what I have threatened: I will not pass by your crimes as I have often done in the past. I will not spare you any longer, and I will not be appeased even if you multiply your prayers. Instead, I will repay you for your ways and your inventions. Indeed, I will judge you according to your deeds and your thoughts, so that in this also I may show my mercy, like a physician who does not spare rotten flesh in order to save healthy limbs. He does not spare in order to spare; he is cruel in order to show pity; he does not consider the patient's pain, but the health of the wound, according to the Gospel saying that he would rather one member be lost than the whole body perish (Matthew 5). It should also be noted how from the beginning of the prophecy until the present day, when Jerusalem began to be besieged, the captivity comes in order. First the sword is drawn; then two paths are set, one leading to Jerusalem, for which the lot falls to Nebuchadnezzar; silver is melted in the city, as well as bronze, tin, lead, and iron; the land is not watered, but occupied by thorns: afterwards, under the name of the two sisters Oolla and Oolibah, the sins of Samaria and Jerusalem are told, how the former was captured, and the latter to be captured. At the end of the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Ezechiel and those with him were put into captivity, having surrendered themselves with king Jechoniah. It is shown on what day the city began to be besieged, and a representation of a pot is set up; just as the flesh and bones piled up in the pot are burned by fire, so the whole city will perish with its inhabitants, and none of those who are besieged will remain, but they will be consumed by hunger, sword, and pestilence, and the remaining part will be led captive to Babylon. Could this same prophecy also pertain to the time of the Lord's passion, for which Jerusalem was surrounded by an army and its children were killed, and Tito, the son of Vespasian, laid siege to it, and no one escaped for safety, and the temple was destroyed; and after fifty years, under Hadrian, the city was consumed by eternal fire? But when Ezekiel beheld this present captivity in Babylon, and Jeremiah sets forth in the beginning of his volume, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' And he answering, said, A boiling pot, and its face from the face of the north. (Jeremiah 1:13). There are those who, according to tropology, transfer the whole passage to the end of the world (or age), and the number nine, which signifies punishment and sufferings in holy scripture, and always follows justice, they temper with the mercy of the tenth month and the tenth day. For this reason, punishments are inflicted on the sick, so that health may follow pain. Therefore, the world which is situated in evil (1 John 5:19) will be set ablaze by the divine fire of judgment; and the city of blood will be placed upon the coals of fire, so that what is written in Isaiah may be fulfilled: 'You have coals of fire, sit upon them; they shall be a help to you' (Isaiah 47:14). And this is difficult to understand, how both the coals and the bones will be consumed, with which even the Pharisees are filled, about whom the Lord speaks in the Gospel: 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, who are like whitewashed sepulchers; which inside are full of uncleanness and dead men's bones' (Matthew 23:27), unless it be said that the rust and filth of the world will not be consumed, but evil will remain even after the severity of judgment. It is easily solved, if we understand the Apostle's statement: God has concluded all under sin, that he may have mercy upon all (Galatians 3:22). For the creature is subject to vanity (Romans 8:28). And the blood that was shed on the face of all creation is presented, that the crimes of all may be revealed. But we can receive the purest rock, and the Lord Savior, who followed the people of Israel in the wilderness, of whom it is written: They drank of the spiritual rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4): that in him all things may be revealed; and that which is written may be fulfilled: There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. And he says that the Lord does not have mercy, nor overlook the sins of the world; nor spare the wicked, nor be appeased, so that the ways of the wicked may perish, according to what is placed at the end of the first psalm: And the way of the wicked will perish.
(Ver. 23, 24 onwards) Again, I raised my hand against them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the lands, because they had not performed my judgments, and had rejected my commandments, and had violated my Sabbaths, and their eyes had been after the idols (or thoughts) of their fathers. Therefore, I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments in which they would not live, and I defiled them in their offerings (or transgressions), as they offered (or led astray) everything that opens the womb because of their sins (for which the Septuagint translated, to destroy them and what they had overlooked): and they will know that I am the Lord. Where in the Old Testament, against their children, who fell in the wilderness, the Lord lifted up His hand to scatter them among the nations, Scripture does not say; but it is to be believed that this was done in accordance with what is reported here. Or he signifies by this, that after they entered the promised land, they were given over at various times, for many sins, to different nations and kings, and at that time the commandments of the Lord, which were good according to their nature, and the judgments by which believers could live, were made not good for them, since they were in no way able to keep the precepts of the law in captivity, and to do what the divine word commanded. He did not say, 'I gave them evil commandments,' but, 'not good commandments.' For it does not immediately follow that what is not good is evil, as the Apostle teaches, it is good for a man not to touch a woman; but because of incontinence, let each possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor (I Cor. VII). And if he does not do this, it is neither good nor evil. Therefore, God gave them, dispersed among the nations, not good commandments, that is, he allowed them to follow their own thoughts and desires, to do what is not appropriate. And he defiled them in his gifts: just as a Priest separates lepers from the people, and shows that they are defiled; while they offer to idols what they should offer to God. And they pass everything that opens the womb through the fire of Baal, that is, the firstborn; so that after they have deserted God and been handed over to the worship of idols, then they may understand that He is the Lord whom they have provoked to anger by their own fault. Symmachus interpreted this passage more explicitly, treating the future as past. Therefore, I will also give them bad precepts and judgments for which they will not live, and I will defile them because of their gifts, as they consecrate and offer everything that opens the womb, so that I may destroy them, and they will know that I am the Lord. And the meaning is this: because I have seen the sons of the fathers equaling the wickedness of their ancestors and doing the same things for which they offended God, I wanted to divide them into nations and disperse them throughout the whole world, and give them bad precepts and judgments in which they would not live, so that I may defile them with their gifts, for they consecrated everything that opens the womb to idols, and I may destroy them forever, and they will know that I am the Lord. Through which he showed that he had not given them good commandments who dwelt in the wilderness, but to those whom he wanted to scatter among the nations, and to make foreigners in the whole world, he gave them a desire for things that he did not give: so that there they would do good commandments of God, not good because of their own fault, while they exhibited to idols what God had commanded to be exhibited. This can also be said, that before the offense, they received only the Ten Commandments; but after idolatry and blasphemy, they received multiple ceremonies of the law, so that they would offer victims to God rather than to demons, and by comparison with sacrilege, what was not good in itself became lighter, and by no means evil, because it was offered to God, and yet not good, because they offended the author of good.
(Verse 27, 29 onwards) Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them: Thus says the Lord God: Moreover, your fathers have blasphemed against me and have treated me with contempt, even as they spurned me. And I brought them into the land that I had lifted my hand to give them ((Vulgate adds: that land)): they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and presented there the irritation of their offerings, and they placed there the fragrance of their sweetness, and they poured out their ((Vulgate is silent on this)) libations there. And I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you are going?' And its name was called the High Place until this day. Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: As for your fathers, they have provoked Me to anger by their iniquities, by the fact that they have fallen away from Me. So I brought them into the land that I had lifted My hand in an oath to give them.' They saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices. They also presented there the provocation of their gifts, and they set there their pleasing aroma, and they poured out there their drink offerings. And I said to them: What is abbana, because you enter there? And they called its name abbana until this day. I wanted, he said, to scatter them in the wilderness, and to give them not good precepts, so that they would sacrifice to idols what they should have offered to me, and consecrate all their first-fruits to them by fire, so that I might kill them and destroy them. But when he says, I wanted, he shows that he did not do what he wanted. And that which follows: 'And they shall know that I am the Lord,' is not found in the Septuagint. For it did not seem fitting to them to know after their destruction that he himself is the Lord. But you, son of man, speak again to them, that is, to the elders of the house of Israel, who have come to inquire of you: Your fathers, from whom you have descended, have also blasphemed against me and held me in contempt; after I brought them into the land which I had given them to possess, they turned against me to provoke me. For when they saw every high hill and leafy tree, they would sacrifice on the mountains and in the groves and thickets, and offer victims to the idols, and pour out libations. And when I saw this, I said to them: What is this, Bama? for it is called high: or why do you enter into such a place which you have chosen for yourselves in all the hills, so that even today these places are called Bamoth, and the ancient error retains its original name? Regarding Bama, which we translate as excelsum, there is an error in the Septuagint edition, where it is written as ἀββανὰ, which does not resonate in the Hebrew language. Bama can mean 'in which' if the two syllables are divided into two words, but in the present context, that sense does not fit. However, wherever it is written in the Books of Kings and Chronicles: 'The people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places,' Bama in the singular and Bamoth in the plural mean 'high places.'
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 24:9 delivers a severe divine "woe" against Jerusalem, indicting it as a "bloody city" due to its pervasive moral corruption, idolatry, and the shedding of innocent blood. This pronouncement, coinciding with the very day the Babylonian siege began, underscores the certainty and imminence of God's righteous judgment. The vivid imagery of making "the pile for fire great" powerfully conveys the totality and consuming intensity of the impending destruction, signifying that Jerusalem's impurities and its very fabric would be purged or annihilated by the fiery wrath of God, executed through the Babylonian invaders.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 24:9 is rich with Symbolism and Metaphor. The "bloody city" is a powerful symbol of Jerusalem's profound moral corruption and guilt, where "blood" represents not only literal violence but also the spiritual defilement of idolatry and injustice. The phrase "make the pile for fire great" employs a vivid metaphor of a massive funeral pyre or bonfire. This imagery powerfully conveys the consuming nature of God's judgment, where the city, like fuel, is destined for complete incineration, signifying total destruction and purification by fire. The declaration "Woe to the bloody city!" functions as a Prophetic Oracle of judgment, a formal and authoritative pronouncement of divine wrath. The entire verse is an example of Anthropomorphism, attributing human-like action (making a pile great) to God, emphasizing His direct and active role in orchestrating the judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 24:9 powerfully articulates the biblical principle that God is a holy and just God who will not indefinitely tolerate sin, especially when it involves the shedding of innocent blood and covenant unfaithfulness. Jerusalem's designation as a "bloody city" highlights the profound defilement that human sin, particularly violence and injustice, brings upon a community and its land. This defilement necessitates a divine response, often in the form of judgment, which, while destructive, also serves a purifying purpose. The imagery of a "great pile for fire" speaks to the consuming nature of God's wrath, which ultimately purges what is corrupt. This judgment is not arbitrary but a righteous consequence of persistent rebellion against God's moral law and covenant.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 24:9 serves as a sober reminder that God's holiness demands justice, and persistent sin, particularly that involving injustice, oppression, and moral corruption, invites divine reckoning. While the immediate context is ancient Jerusalem, the principles resonate profoundly today. We are called to examine our own lives and societies for any form of "bloodguilt"—which extends beyond literal violence to include systemic injustices, spiritual apathy, and any actions that diminish human dignity or defile God's creation. The "great pile for fire" imagery compels us to consider the consuming nature of unaddressed sin and the ultimate consequences of turning away from God. This verse challenges us to pursue righteousness, advocate for justice, and live in a manner that honors God's holiness, recognizing that divine patience has limits and that accountability is inevitable. It calls for deep introspection: Are we contributing to the "bloodguilt" of our communities through our silence, complicity, or active participation in injustice? Or are we striving to be agents of healing and reconciliation, reflecting God's character in a world that often mirrors the "bloody city"?
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "bloody city" mean in this context, and how does it relate to Jerusalem's destruction?
Answer: The term "bloody city" (Hebrew: ʻîr dāmîm) is a severe indictment of Jerusalem's profound moral and spiritual corruption. It refers not only to literal acts of violence and the shedding of innocent blood (e.g., judicial murder, child sacrifice to idols as seen in Jeremiah 32:35) but also to the pervasive spiritual adultery of idolatry and the systemic injustice that permeated its society. In ancient Israelite thought, bloodshed defiled the land and cried out for divine retribution (Numbers 35:33-34). Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon was God's righteous judgment, a direct consequence of its accumulated "bloodguilt" and unrepentant rebellion against His covenant. The "great pile for fire" symbolizes the complete and consuming nature of this divine purging.
How does this prophecy of judgment align with God's character of love and mercy?
Answer: While Ezekiel 24:9 presents a stark picture of judgment, it aligns with God's character by demonstrating His unwavering holiness and justice. God's love is not sentimental; it is a holy love that demands righteousness and cannot tolerate persistent, unrepentant sin. His mercy was extended for centuries through prophets and warnings, but when His people continually rejected His covenant and engaged in pervasive evil, His justice demanded a response. The judgment, though severe, was a necessary act to uphold His righteous character, to purify a defiled people, and to ultimately pave the way for future restoration. It underscores that true love includes holding people accountable for their actions and that there are indeed consequences for rebellion against a holy God.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 24:9, with its pronouncement of "woe to the bloody city" and the imagery of a "great pile for fire," vividly portrays the consequences of sin and the necessity of divine judgment. In Christ, we see the ultimate fulfillment and transformation of these themes. Jesus Himself became the sacrificial Lamb, bearing the "bloodguilt" of humanity upon the cross, shedding His own innocent blood to atone for the sins of the world (John 1:29). He absorbed the fiery wrath of God's judgment, so that those who believe in Him might be spared the consuming fire of divine justice (Romans 5:9). The "bloody city" of Jerusalem, condemned for its defilement, foreshadows the universal human condition of sin and rebellion. Christ, through His blood, offers cleansing and purification, establishing a new covenant where sins are remembered no more (Hebrews 9:22). Ultimately, the judgment upon the "bloody city" points to the coming judgment of all unrighteousness, but also to the promise of a New Jerusalem, a holy city "coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband," where there will be no more sin or defilement (Revelation 21:2). Thus, Christ is both the one who fulfills the righteous judgment against sin and the one who provides the means of escape and purification for those who trust in Him.