Ezekiel 11:3

It is not near; let us build, etc.] or, as in RM, 'Is not the time near to build?' etc: an expression of security. This city is the caldron, etc.] The 'wicked counsel' of Ezekiel 11:2 is usually understood to mean proposals of revolt from Babylon, which would involve the prospect of war and siege. In that case the proverb about the caldron and the flesh would express the plotters' trust in the strong fortifications of Jerusalem, which they hoped would save them from the 'fire' of Nebuchadnezzar's armies. This would be a grimly humorous way of describing the desperate course they were meditating. They expected, as we might say, to be in the frying-pan, but thought that it would at least save them from the fire. Another explanation is that the saying is a boast over the exiles, who had been taken away from Jerusalem, as the useless 'broth' is poured out of a pot when the cooking is over, leaving the valuable 'flesh' behind. This is more in line with the latter part of the chapter.