241 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day--the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day. 3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Put on a pot, set it on, And also pour water into it. 4 Gather pieces of meat in it, Every good piece, The thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with choice cuts; 5 Take the choice of the flock. Also pile fuel bones under it, Make it boil well, And let the cuts simmer in it." 6 'Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Woe to the bloody city, To the pot whose scum is in it, And whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, On which no lot has fallen. 7 For her blood is in her midst; She set it on top of a rock; She did not pour it on the ground, To cover it with dust. 8 That it may raise up fury and take vengeance, I have set her blood on top of a rock, That it may not be covered." 9 'Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Woe to the bloody city! I too will make the pyre great. 10 Heap on the wood, Kindle the fire; Cook the meat well, Mix in the spices, And let the cuts be burned up. 11 "Then set the pot empty on the coals, That it may become hot and its bronze may burn, That its filthiness may be melted in it, That its scum may be consumed. 12 She has grown weary with lies, And her great scum has not gone from her. Let her scum be in the fire! 13 In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed, You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore, Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you. 14 I, the Lord, have spoken it; It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, Nor will I spare, Nor will I relent; According to your ways And according to your deeds They will judge you," Says the Lord God.' "
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 24:1-14
Commentary on Ezekiel 24:1-14
(Read Ezekiel 24:1-14)
The pot on the fire represented Jerusalem besieged by the Chaldeans: all orders and ranks were within the walls, prepared as a prey for the enemy. They ought to have put away their transgressions, as the scum, which rises by the heat of the fire, is taken from the top of the pot. But they grew worse, and their miseries increased. Jerusalem was to be levelled with the ground. The time appointed for the punishment of wicked men may seem to come slowly, but it will come surely. It is sad to think how many there are, on whom ordinances and providences are all lost.