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Ezekiel 24:23

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 24:23 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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 in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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 in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.
Ezekiel 24:23 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 24

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
20Then I said unto them, The word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
21Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword.
22And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.
24Thus shall Ezekiel be unto you a sign; according to all that he hath done shall ye do: when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
25And thou, son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their heart, their sons and their daughters,
26that in that day he that escapeth shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
← Ezekiel 24:22Ezekiel 24:24 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet. &c.] As will be necessary while travelling, and when carrying captive to a foreign country, as now will be their case: ye shall not mourn nor weep; shall not dare to do it, because of their enemies; and, moreover, so great should be their miseries and calamities, that they should be struck dumb, and quite astonished and stupefied with them; that they should not be able to vent their sorrow by an outward act of mourning: but ye shall pine away for your iniquities; without any true sense of them, or godly sorrow for them, but in wretched hardness of heart, and black despair: and mourn one towards another; not to God,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“ye shall not mourn . . . but . . . pine away for your iniquities--The Jews' not mourning was to be not the result of insensibility, any more than Ezekiel's not mourning for his wife was not from want of feeling. They could not in their exile manifest publicly their lamentation, but they would privately "mourn one to another." Their "iniquities" would then be their chief sorrow ("pining away"), as feeling that these were the cause of their sufferings (compare Lev 26:39; Lam 3:39). The fullest fulfilment is still future (Zac 12:10-14).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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. Ezekiel 24:23 Pine away - Compare Leviticus 26:39. The outward signs of grief were a…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Pine away - You shall languish with secret sorrow, when you shall not dare to shew it openly. Ezekiel 24:25”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“but: Eze 4:17, Eze 33:10; Lev 26:39 and mourn: Isa 59:11 Ezekiel 24:24”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 24 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification