Ezekiel 24:17

Eze 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.

Ver. 17. Forbear to cry.] Heb., Be silent, and so suffocate thy sorrows; Ne plangas, ne plores. Not as if the dead were not to be lamented - tears are the dues of the dead, {a} Mors mea ne careat lachrymis - or that it were unbeseeming a prophet to bewail his dead comfort, but to set forth by this figure the greatness of their ensuing sorrow, bigger than any tears; for, Curae leves loquuntur ingentes stupent.

Bind the tire of thy head upon thee.] Mourners, it seems, used to go bare headed and bare footed, to cover their mustaches, to eat what their friends sent them in at such a sad time to cheer up their spirits. {Jer 16:5; Jer 16:7} The prophet must do none of all this, but keep his sorrows to himself. {b}

{a} Pατροκλον κλαιωμεν: ο γαρ γερας εστι θανοντων.

{b} Singultus devorat.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, which the neighbors sent to them that mourned.

For in mourning they went bareheaded and barefooted, and also covered their lips.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

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" (Jer 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 (Sa2 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 (Lev 21:2-3, Lev 21:10). They then put on inferior attire, sprinkling also on their heads dust and ashes (compare Lev 10:6-7).

shoes upon thy feet--whereas mourners went "barefoot" (Sa2 15:30).

cover not . . . lips--rather, the "upper lip," with the moustache (Lev 13:45; Mic 3:7).

bread of men--the bread usually brought to mourners by friends in token of sympathy. So the "cup of consolation" brought (Jer 16:7). "Of men" means such as is usually furnished by men. So Isa 8:1, "a man's pen"; Rev 21:17, "the measure of a man."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 17. Make no mourning] As a priest, he could make no public mourning, Le 21:1, c.

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's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(17) The tire of thine head.—This might be either the covering for the head usually worn by the people (see Eze_24:23), or the special “mitre of fine linen” (Exo_39:28) provided for the priests; but as the peculiar priestly garments were worn only when the priests were on duty within the tabernacle (Lev_6:10-11), it is not likely that Ezekiel used them in his captivity. The priests were expressly allowed to mourn for their nearest relations (Lev_21:2-3), and Ezekiel is therefore here made an exception. Among the ordinary signs of mourning was the covering of the head (2Sa_15:30; Jer_14:3), the sprinkling of dust upon it (Eze_27:30; 1Sa_4:12; 2Sa_15:32), going barefoot (1Sa_15:30; Isa_20:2), and covering the lips, or lower part of the face (Mic_3:7). All these things are now forbidden to the prophet in his sorrow.

Eat not the bread of men—i.e., the bread furnished by other men. It was customary for friends and neighbours to send food to the house of mourning, a custom which seems to be alluded to in Deu_26:14; Jer_16:7; Hos_9:4; and out of this custom the habit of funeral feasts appears to have grown in later times.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. Forbear to cry] sigh in silence; lit. sigh, be silent.

mourning for the dead] Another order was to be expected; two accus. must be assumed.

the tire of thine head] The “tire” is not necessarily the priestly tiara, but the ordinary headdress (Eze_24:23), which would probably be white. Putting off the shoes was a sign of calamity, 2Sa_15:31, and also covering the lower part of the face up to the upper lip. Mic_3:7; Lev_13:45.

the bread of men] Jer_16:7, “Neither shall men break bread for them to comfort them for the dead, neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So I spake unto the people in the morning,.... Did the duty of his office as a prophet; exhorted and instructed the people, particularly informed them of what had been said to him by the Lord, the evening or night before, concerning the death of his wife, and how he was to behave under such a providence; which he told them of before hand, that, when it came to pass, they might have a further proof of his being a true prophet of the Lord:

and at even my wife died; suddenly, as it was said she should; this shows who is meant by the desire of his eyes, and what by the taking it away;

and I did in the morning as I was commanded; neither moaned, nor sighed, nor wept, nor shed a tear, nor used any of the common ceremonies of mourning, but dressed and ate as at other times, as he was ordered to do; this was the next morning after his wife died. So the Syriac version,

"in the morning of the other day;''

and the Arabic version,

"in the morning of the following day.''

Thus whatever the Lord commands is to be done, though ever so contrary to the customs of men, or to natural inclinations and affections.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Silence, for such manifold calamities, if thou canst screen thyself from the enemy, who will otherwise take offence, as he has brought them on. (Haydock) --- Dead. Priests were allowed to mourn only for father or mother, and their unmarried brothers and sisters, Leviticus xxi. 1. Ezechiel (xliv. 25.) adds, Son and daughter. Many think the wife must also be understood, as she is nearer than a brother. The reasons for these prohibitions did not then subsist, as no sacrifice could be offered in Chaldea; and therefore God here specifies what the prophet was not to do, (Calmet) though lawful on other occasions. (Sanctius) --- Tire. Literally, "crown," bandage, (Calmet) or parchment, on which parts of the law were written. Septuagint, "Let (Roman edition adds, not) the hair of thy head be curled (or ruffed; Greek: sumpeplegmenon) upon thee." (Haydock) --- It was usually cut in mourning. (St. Jerome) --- Feet. They were bare, at funerals, and in times of sorrow, 2 Kings xv. 30. --- Face, like David. Hebrew, "the upper lip," which mourners and lepers covered, Leviticus xiii. 45. (Calmet) --- Mourners. Feasts were prepared by the relations, (Josephus, Jewish Wars ii. 1.) and friends sent some food, but no delicacies, to those who mourned, Leviticus v. 9.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Forbear to cry; restrain and curb thy sorrows, neither sigh nor lament.

Make no mourning for the dead; when thou carriest her out to burial, make no mourning for her.

Bind the tire of thine head; adorn and trim up thy head, as thou wast used to do; go not bare-headed, as Lev 10:6; 21:10, a mourner.

Put on thy shoes upon thy feet: in great mournings the Jews went bare-looted, 2Sa 15:30; Isa 47:2, but do not thou so, put on thy shoes.

Cover not thy lips: it was a custom among them to cover either the upper lip, or mustaches, as the leper did, Lev 13:45, and as Mic 3:7; and this also is forbidden the prophet.

Eat not the bread of men; either of mourners, or rather of thy neighbours and friends, who were wont to visit and feast their mourning friends, and sent in both choice and abundance of provision to their houses, Jer 16:7; and this was a custom with Scythians, Grecians, Athenians, and Romans. Eat thou thine own, as if no mourning occasion in thy family.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Forbear to cry — R.V., “sigh, but not aloud.” There could be no funeral dirge, as is so common in all oriental countries, nor were even the universal outward expressions of sorrow in dress permitted to him, nor the funeral feast, the “bread of men.” (See Jer_16:5; Jer_16:7.) He could only”groan and be still” (Targum). For funeral customs see note Eze_27:30-31.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Bind the tire - Adorn thy head, as thou wast used to do; go not bare-headed as a mourner. Thy shoes - ln great mournings the Jews went bare-footed. Cover not thy lips - It was a custom among them to cover the upper lip. Eat not - Of thy neighbours and friends, who were wont to visit their mourning friends, and send in choice provision to their houses.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Melt [Heb. הֵאָנֵק,] melt in silence, soliles demoniz in Old French, to melt.

your glory Tefillin. All these commandments are for mourners, but you shall do the opposite. A mourner is forbidden to wear tefillin or shoes, he is required to wrap his head, and they serve him the first meal from food belonging to others.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.