Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 24:16
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.
15 27. The prophet’s abstention from mourning on the death of his wife a symbol of the stupefaction of the people at the news of the fall of the city
16. with a stroke ] The word need not be pressed to mean a sudden unexpected death, apart from all previous sickness.
thy tears run down ] wanting in LXX.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The death of Ezekiels 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.
Eze 24:17
The priest in general was to mourn for his dead (Lev 21:1 ff); but Ezekiel was to be an exception to the rule. The tire was the priests mitre.
Eat not the bread of men – Food supplied for the comfort of the mourners.
Eze 24:23
Pine away – Compare Lev 26:39. The outward signs of grief were a certain consolation. Their absence would indicate a heart-consuming sorrow.
Eze 24:27
Ezekiel had been employed four years in foretelling the calamities about to come to pass. He had been utterly disregarded by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and received with apparent respect but with real incredulity by those in exile. Now until the city had been actually taken, the voice of prophecy should cease, so far as Gods people were concerned. Hence the intervening series of predictions relating to neighboring and foreign nations Ezek. 2532. After which the prophets voice was again heard addressing his countrymen in their exile. This accounts for the apparently parenthetical character of the next eight chapters.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Behold, 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, &c., when the sufferer feels all the weight of wo.
Neither shall thy tears run down.] , – Achill. Tat. lib. 3. c. 11. For this is the case with the eyes in great calamities: in light misfortunes tears flow freely, but in heavy afflictions tears fly away, and betray the eyes.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Behold; consider what I tell, and will do.
I take away from thee; by death I take from thee, but it is I the Lord, and I take her to myself, though from thee.
The desire of thine eyes: whether it refer to the beauty of her person or no, it certainly refers to the amiableness of her disposition, and the agreeableness of her to the prophet.
With a stroke; a sudden stroke, whether pestilence or what else is not so much as hinted at; I think it was Gods own immediate hand.
Neither shalt thou mourn; make no solemn mourning for her, though it will look only in the sight of thy people.
Nor weep; let no lamenting voice be heard from thee, cry not out in bewailing thy loss.
Neither shall thy tears run down; neither let thy eyes pay any tribute to her, forbear even tears also, at least, let them not run down; if one chance to drop, check the rest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. desire of . . . eyeshiswife: representing the sanctuary (Eze24:21) in which the Jews so much gloried. The energy andsubordination of Ezekiel’s whole life to his prophetic office isstrikingly displayed in this narrative of his wife’s death. It is theonly memorable event of his personal history which he records, andthis only in reference to his soul-absorbing work. His naturaltenderness is shown by that graphic touch, “the desire of thineeyes.” What amazing subjection, then, of his individual feelingto his prophetic duty is manifested in the simple statement (Eze24:18), “So I spake . . . in the morning; and at even mywife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.”
strokea suddenvisitation. The suddenness of it enhances the self-control of Ezekielin so entirely merging individual feeling, which must have beenespecially acute under such trying circumstances, in the higherclaims of duty to God.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Son of man, behold,…. This is said to raise the attention of the prophet, something strange and unusual, interesting and affecting, being about to be delivered:
I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke; meaning his wife; who very probably was of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to; however, of an amiable disposition, and in her conjugal relation very agreeable to the prophet; and, no doubt, a truly religious woman, and upon all account’s desirable to him. This lovely object of his affection the Lord, who is the sovereign disposer of all persons, signifies he would take away from him by death unto himself; that is, suddenly and at once; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, “with a sudden stroke”; as sometimes persons are struck with death at once with an apoplexy or palsy. The Targum renders it, with the pestilence; it was what the Jews call death by the hand of heaven, by the immediate hand of God; and, it may be, without any intervening disease; or, however, without any train of disorders which lead on to death:
yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep; on account of the dead; neither privately nor publicly, inwardly or outwardly, though so near and dear a relation; and though it would seem strange, and be charged with want of natural affection, and with a brutish insensibility:
neither shall thy tears run down; his cheeks, by which vent would be given to his grief, and his mind somewhat eased; but all care was to be taken to prevent any gushing of them out of his eyes, and especially that they did not run down in any quantity on his cheeks, and to be seen; though they might seem to be but a proper tribute to the dead.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
16. The desire of thine eyes A recently discovered cuneiform text speaks of a loved one as “the darling of mine eye.” Father Scheil has published a love letter of Abraham’s day, in which the prayer twice occurs, “May Shamash and Marduk allow thee, for my sake, to live forever.” (See also author’s Ancient Egypt, p. 132.) The Hebrews, however, excelled all nations in their home love. The marriage poem of Joseph Ezobi (fourteenth century) well represents the ancient feeling, closing:
Rejoice with her, thy graceful tender dove.
God bless you twain, with love as angels love.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 24:16 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.
Ver. 16. Behold, I take from thee the desire of thine eyes, ] i.e., Thy wife, who is impendio dilecta et visu pergratiosa, thy dearly beloved and greatly delighted in.
With a stroke.
Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep.
“ Expletur lachrymis, egeriturque dolor. ”
As hinds by calving, so do men by weeping, cast out their sorrows. Job 39:3
a Est quaedam flere voluptas. – Ovid. Fletus aerumnas lennet. – Sen.
the desire of thine eyes. Put by the Figure of speech Periphrasis (App-6): for Ezekiel’s wife. A symbol of Jerusalem, See Eze 24:21.
stroke: or plague.
the desire: Eze 24:18, Eze 24:21, Eze 24:25, Pro 5:19, Son 7:10
with a: Job 36:18
yet: Eze 24:21-24, Lev 10:2, Lev 10:3, Jer 22:10, Jer 22:18, 1Th 4:13
thy tears: Jer 9:1, Jer 9:18, Jer 13:17, Lam 2:18
run: Heb. go
Reciprocal: Gen 3:6 – pleasant Gen 23:2 – mourn Lev 10:6 – Uncover Lev 21:4 – General Num 6:6 – he shall come 2Ki 4:20 – and then died 2Ch 13:20 – Lord Jer 16:5 – Enter Eze 7:11 – neither Eze 24:22 – General Dan 9:23 – greatly beloved Dan 11:37 – the desire Luk 8:42 – and she
Eze 24:16-18. Behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke Behold, I take away from thee thy wife, the object of thy love and thy affection, by a sudden stroke from my own immediate hand, that is, by a sudden death. Observe, reader, we know not how soon the desire of our eyes may be removed from us. Death is a stroke from which the most pious, the most useful, the most amiable, are not exempted. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep Thou shall not show any signs of grief. This command was given to the prophet, to signify that the public calamity should be so great, that private ones would not appear worthy of notice, nor would they be at leisure to lament them, so much would those of a public nature distract and oppress them. Bind the tire of thy head upon thee Use thy ordinary dress upon thy head; for in the time of mourning it was customary sometimes to shave the head, sometimes to cast dust upon it. Put on thy shoes upon thy feet Going barefoot was usual in great sorrow and affliction; and therefore the prophet, who was to show no sign of sorrow, was commanded to put on his shoes. Cover not thy lips Covering the lips, or face, was another token of mourning. And eat not the bread of men Partake not of the mourning-feast, that relations used to prepare for the funerals of their friends: see note on Jer 16:7. So I spake to the people, &c., and at even my wife died My wife accordingly died very suddenly in the evening of a day, on the morning of which I had been speaking to the people, concerning the intimations I had of her death; and the next morning I declared what commands God had laid upon me, not to make any outward show, or sign of mourning upon that occasion.
24:16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the {o} desire of thy eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
(o) Meaning his wife in whom he delighted, as in Eze 24:18 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes