Ezekiel 24:27

In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. IN THAT DAY SHALL THY MOUTH BE OPENED TO HIM WHICH IS ESCAPED AND THOU SHALT SPEAK, AND BE NO MORE DUMB. "That day" here (in ) is the day on which the fugitive brings the sad news to Ezekiel, at the Chebar. In the interval the prophet suspended his prophecies as to the Jews, as was foretold. Afterward his mouth was "opened," and no more "dumb" (: cf. ; Ezekiel 33:21). Remarks: (1) The self-confident proverb of the Jews, "This...

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 afflictions; for should all comforts fail, and all sorrows be united, yet the broken heart and the mourner's prayer are always acceptable before God....

Verse Ezekiel 24:27. _IN THAT DAY SHALL THY MOUTH BE OPENED_] That is, When some one who shall have escaped from Jerusalem, having arrived among the captives, shall inform them of the destruction of the city, the temple, the royal family, and the people at large; till then he might suppress his tears and lamentations. And we find from Ezekiel 33:21, that one did actually escape from the city, and informed the prophet and his brethren in captivity that the _city_ _was smitten_. Thus he was not only a prophet to foretell such things, but he was also a _sign_ or _portent_, shadowing them out by circumstances in his own person and family; and thus the prediction, agreeing so perfectly with the event, proved that the previous information was from the Lord....

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 ff); but Ezekiel was to be an exception to the rule. The “tire” was the priest’s mitre. EAT NOT THE BREAD OF MEN - Food supplied for the comfort of the mourners. Eze

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 24:1 IN THE NINTH YEAR. We pass from the date of Ezekiel 20:1 to B.C. 590, and the very day is identified with that on which the army of Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:1; 2 Kings 25:1). To the prophet's vision all that was passing there was as plain as though he saw it with his own eyes. The siege lasted for about two years. The punishments threatened in Ezekiel 23:1, had at last come near. We may probably infer that a considerable interval of silence had follo

IN THAT DAY SHALL THY MOUTH BE OPENED TO HIM WHICH IS ESCAPED,.... And shall freely converse with him about the several facts and circumstances of taking and burning the city and temple, and of the usage of the inhabitants: AND THOU SHALT SPEAK, AND BE NO MORE DUMB; for from this time to the taking of Jerusalem, which was about eighteen months, the prophet had nothing to say to the people of the Jews, and so was dumb with respect to them; but was employed in prophesying against other nations, as the following Chapter s show, unto chapter thirty three, in which we have an account of the messenger that escaped to him; but after that his mouth was opened, and he prophesied to them again: AND THOU SHALT BE A SIGN UNTO THEM; as they will then own and acknowledge: AND THEY SHALL OWN THAT I AM THE LORD; who have foretold these things, and accomplished them....

Ezekiel 24:1. The exact date is given by the prophet. It was the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year. What happened also on that date we find recorded in 2 Kings 25:1: “And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came, he and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.” How did Ezekiel know about all this? It was the Lord who gave him this information and led him to record the date. This is the statement of the second verse: “Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this selfsame day, the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.” What does higher criticism have to say to this? We quote a recent commentator: “These verses

NO MORE DUMB: i.e. as regards his nation and his testimony to it. In the interval his prophecies are concerning other nations (Ezekiel Chapter s 25-32). THEY SHALL KNOW, &c. See note on Ezekiel 6:10....

When tidings come of the city's fall, verifying the prophet's predictions and giving confirmation to all the principles which he had long declared, his mouth will be opened, he will have confidence to speak and more willing listeners before him....

IN THAT DAY, &C.— "From this time, till the time the news arrives of the city's being taken, thou shalt not prophesy any more to thine own people. But then I will give thee a new commission, and thou shalt speak with freedom and plainness, not by signs and emblems, as thou dost at present; _and they shall know that I am the Lord._ Comparing the prediction with the event will convince the most obstinate, that the judgments inflicted come immediately from the Almighty." See Lowth. REFLECTIONS.—1st, The king of Babylon was now gone forth with his army, his designs a secret, probably, to all; but God knew whither his course was bent, and what he was doing; and, the very day that Jerusalem was invested, reveals it to the prophet, and bids him write it down, probably in some public register, that when the intelligence arrived, they might be confirmed in the divine authority by which he spake;...