Ezekiel 24:20

¹⁹Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”²⁰So I answered them, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying:²¹Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’

Summary

In this verse, Ezekiel experiences a profound personal loss as his wife dies, but he is instructed by God not to mourn openly as a sign to the people of Judah. This event symbolizes the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, with Ezekiel's response serving as a visual representation of the grief and devastation that will come upon the nation. The prophet's obedience in this difficult situation demonstrates the necessity of prioritizing God's message and judgment over personal emotions, emphasizing the seriousness of the impending judgment on Judah for their sins.

Commentary

John Gill
Tyndale

John Gill Bible Commentary

Speak unto the house of Israel,.... By word of mouth, to those who were upon the spot with him in Chaldea: and by a messenger, or a letter, to them that were in Judea: thus saith the Lord of hosts, behold, I will profane my sanctuary; the temple, built for him, and where he dwelt, and was worshipped; where duties performed and holy sacrifices offered up formerly; this he now says he would profane, that is, would bring the Chaldeans against Jerusalem, who should take it, and enter into the temple, and so profane it, and make it common, yea, utterly destroy it: the excellency of your strength, desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; all which is said of the temple; it was the pride and glory of the Jews, what they boasted of, and put their confidence in, and reckoned their strength and security; it was as dear and as desirable to them as Ezekiel's wife was to him, the emblem of it; the destruction and desolation of which would be pitied by them, and would sensibly affect them upon hearing of it, even in prophecy: and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword; whom they had left behind them in Judea, when they were carried captive with Jehoiakim, and to whom they hoped to return, as their false prophets had assured them; but so it should not be, for these should die by the sword of the Chaldeans, when the city of Jerusalem should be taken, and the temple profaned; and this should be the case of the sons and daughters of those who then should be carried captive, that should be left in the land; as was the case of Gedaliah, and those that were with him.