Ezekiel 24 · Verse 17

Ezekiel 24:17

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.
Ezekiel 24:17, King James Version

Ezekiel 24:17 in other translations

BSBGroan 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.”
WEBSigh, but not aloud. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind your headdress on you, and put your sandals on your feet. Don’t cover your lips, and don’t eat mourner’s bread.”
ASVSigh, 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.
YLTCease to groan, for the dead thou dost make no mourning, thy bonnet bind on thee, and thy shoes thou dost put on thy feet, and thou dost not cover over the upper lip, and bread of men thou dost not eat.'
DARBYSigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind thy turban upon thee, and put thy sandals upon thy feet, and cover not the beard, and eat not the bread of men.
BBELet there be no sound of sorrow; make no weeping for your dead, put on your head-dress and your shoes on your feet, let not your lips be covered, and do not take the food of those in grief.
WebsterForbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thy head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

What does Ezekiel 24:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. Forbear to cry--or, "Lament in silence"; not forbidding sorrow, but the loud expression of it [Grotius]. no mourning--typical of the universality of the ruin of Jerusalem, which would preclude mourning, such as is usual where calamity is but partial. "The dead" is purposely put in the plural, as referring ultimately to the dead who should perish at the taking of Jerusalem; though the singular might have been expected, as Ezekiel's wife was the immediate subject referred to: "make no mourning," such as is usual, "for the dead, and such as shall be hereafter in Jerusalem" (Jr 16:5-7). tire of thine head--thy headdress [Fairbairn]. Jerome explains, "Thou shalt retain the hair which is usually cut in mourning." The fillet, binding the hair about the temples like a chaplet, was laid aside at such times. Uncovering the head was an ordinary sign of mourning in priests; whereas others covered their heads in mourning (2Sa 15:30). The reason was, the priests had their headdress of fine twined linen given them for ornament, and as a badge of office. The high priest, as having on his head the holy anointing oil, was forbidden in any case to lay aside his headdress. But the priests might do so in the case of the death of the nearest relatives (Le 21:2, 3, 10). They then put on inferior attire, sprinkling also on their heads dust and ashes (compare Le 10:6, 7). shoes upon thy feet--whereas mourners went "barefoot" (2Sa 15:30). cover not ... lips--rather, the "upper lip," with the moustache (Le 13:45; Mi 3:7). bread of men--the bread usually brought to mourners by friends in token of sympathy. So the "cup of consolation" brought (Jr 16:7). "Of men" means such as is usually furnished by men. So Is 8:1, "a man's pen"; Re 21:17, "the measure of a man."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 Make no mourning - As a priest, he could make no public mourning, Lev 21:1, etc. Bind the tire of thine head - This seems to refer to the high priest's bonnet; or perhaps, one worn by the ordinary priests: it might have been a black veil to cover the head. Put on thy shoes upon thy feet - Walking barefoot was a sign of grief. Cover not thy lips - Mourners covered the under part of the face, from the nose to the bottom of the chin. Eat not the bread of men - לחם אנשים lechem anashim, "the bread of miserable men," i.e., mourners; probably, the funeral banquet.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 24:15-27

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…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 24:15-27 →

Ezekiel 24:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הֵאָנֵ֣ק\׀he.'a.NekgroaningH602
דֹּ֗םDombe silentH1826
מֵתִים֙me.Timdead [people]H4191
אֵ֣בֶל'E.velmourningH60
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תַֽעֲשֶׂ֔הta.'a.Sehyou must doH6213
פְאֵֽרְךָ֙fe.'e.re.Khaturban yourH6287
חֲב֣וֹשׁcha.Vo.oshbindH2280
עָלֶ֔יךָ'a.Lei.khaon youH5921
וּנְעָלֶ֖יךָu.ne.'a.Lei.khaand sandals yourH5275
תָּשִׂ֣יםta.Simyou will putH7760
בְּרַגְלֶ֑יךָbe.rag.Lei.khaon feet yourH7272
וְלֹ֤אve.Lo'and notH3808
תַעְטֶה֙ta'.Tehyou must coverH5844
עַל\־'al-overH5921
שָׂפָ֔םsa.Fama moustacheH8222
וְלֶ֥חֶםve.Le.chemand food ofH3899
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים'a.na.ShimpeopleH582
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
תֹאכֵֽל\׃to.Khelyou must eatH398

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 24:17

  • 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 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;

  • 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.

  • Jeremiah 16:4-7

    They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and mercies. Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them: Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

  • Amos 8:3

    And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

  • Psalms 39:9

    I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

  • Psalms 46:10

    Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

  • 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.

  • Ezekiel 24:22-23

    And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.

  • 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.

  • Habakkuk 2:20

    But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Forbear to cry. Heb. Be silent.
Ps 37:7; *marg:
Ps 39:9; 46:10; Am 8:3; Hab 2:20
make.
Jer 16:4-7
bind.
23; Le 10:6; 21:10
put.
2Sa 15:30
cover.
22; Le 13:45; Mic 3:7
lips. Heb. upper lip, and so ver.
22
eat.
Ho 9:4
the bread of men.{Lechem anoshim,} not "the bread of mourners," as some render, but "the bread of other men," i.e., such as was commonly sent to mourners on such occasions by their friends.
Jer 16:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 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.

  • Ezekiel 24:17

    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.

  • Ezekiel 24:18

    So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Read all of Ezekiel 24

Ezekiel 24:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Reprime el suspirar, no hagas luto de mortuorios: ata tu bonete sobre ti, y pon tus zapatos en tus pies, y no te cubras con rebozo, ni comas pan de hombres.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Gémis en silence: tu ne feras point le deuil des morts. Enroule ton turban sur toi, et mets tes sandales à tes pieds, et ne couvre pas ta barbe, et ne mange pas le pain des hommes. –
German
Elberfelder 1871		Seufze schweigend, Totenklage stelle nicht an; binde dir deinen Kopfbund um und ziehe deine Schuhe an deine Füße, und deinen Bart sollst du nicht verhüllen und Brot der Leute nicht essen
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ingemisce tacens: mortuorum luctum non facies: corona tua circumligata sit tibi, et calceamenta tua erunt in pedibus tuis: nec amictu ora velabis, nec cibos lugentium comedes.