Berean Standard Bible
Ezekiel 24:16
16“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
Ezekiel 24:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
- New International Version (NIV)“Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down.
Context of Ezekiel 24:16
14I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’ declares the Lord GOD.” 15Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow. 17Groan 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.” 18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Read all of Ezekiel 24Ezekiel 24:16 word by word
בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם הִנְנִ֨י לֹקֵ֧חַ מִמְּךָ֛ אֶת־מַחְמַ֥ד עֵינֶ֖יךָ בְּמַגֵּפָ֑ה וְלֹ֤א תִסְפֹּד֙ וְלֹ֣א תִבְכֶּ֔ה וְל֥וֹא תָב֖וֹא דִּמְעָתֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
- Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- beholdהֵןhên · look!H2005
- I am about to take awayלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the desireמַחְמָדmachmâd · desireH4261
- of your eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- of your eyesמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
- ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- with a fatal blowמַגֵּפָהmaggêphâh · plagueH4046
- But you must notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- mournסָפַדsâphad · to mournH5594
- or weepבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
- or let your tearsדִּמְעָהdim‛âh · tearsH1832
- flowבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
Cross-references for Ezekiel 24:16
- Ezekiel 24:18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
- Proverbs 5:19A loving doe, a graceful fawn— may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.
- Job 36:18Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
- Ezekiel 24:21Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’
- Leviticus 10:2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
- Jeremiah 22:10Do not weep for him who is dead; do not mourn his loss. Weep bitterly for him who is exiled, for he will never return to see his native land.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
- Jeremiah 9:1Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people.
- Jeremiah 13:17But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
- Lamentations 2:18The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 24:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes - Here is an intimation that the stroke he was to suffer was to be above all grief; that it would be so great as to prevent the relief of tears. Curae leves loquuntur, graviores silent, is a well-accredited maxim in such cases. Superficial griefs affect the more easily moved passions; great ones affect the soul itself, in its powers of reasoning, reflecting, comparing, recollecting, etc., when the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-27Verses 16-27 The death of Ezekiel‘s wife took place in the evening of the same day that he delivered the foregoing prophecy. This event was to signify to the people that the Lord would take from them all that was most dear to them; and - owing to the extraordinary nature of the times - quiet lamentation for the dead, according to the usual forms of mourning, would be impossible. Ezekiel 24:17 The priest in general was to mourn for his dead (Leviticus 21:1…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-27Verses 15-27 Though mourning for the dead is a duty, yet it must be kept under by religion and right reason: we must not sorrow as men that have no hope. Believers must not copy the language and expressions of those who know not God. The people asked the meaning of the sign. God takes from them all that was dearest to them. And as Ezekiel wept not for his affliction, so neither should they weep for theirs. Blessed be God, we need not pine away under our…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17Nowhere do we see a prophet so deeply involved in his message as in this event. God took the life of Ezekiel’s wife. Yet Ezekiel was not allowed to mourn her openly, even though she was very precious to him. Ezekiel was a priest (Ezekiel 1:3). Priests had strict rules about mourning. When people mourned, they often tore their clothes and left their hair uncombed. These public signs of grief made a person ceremonially unclean (not fit for worship). Priests…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. desire of ... eyes--his wife: representing the sanctuary (Eze 24:21) in which the Jews so much gloried. The energy and subordination of Ezekiel's whole life to his prophetic office is strikingly displayed in this narrative of his wife's death. It is the only memorable event of his personal history which he records, and this only in reference to his soul-absorbing work. His natural tenderness is shown by that graphic touch, "the desire of thine eyes."…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 24:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Berean Standard Bible — © Berean Bible — CC0 / Public Domain
Commentaries