Ezekiel 24:19
New International Version
Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us? Why are you acting like this?”

New Living Translation
Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”

English Standard Version
And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?”

Berean Standard Bible
Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”

King James Bible
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

New King James Version
And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

New American Standard Bible
And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are doing?”

NASB 1995
The people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things that you are doing mean for us?”

NASB 1977
And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things that you are doing mean for us?”

Legacy Standard Bible
The people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things that you are doing mean for us?”

Amplified Bible
The people said to me, “These things that you are doing—tell us, what do they mean for us?”

Christian Standard Bible
Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

American Standard Version
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

Contemporary English Version
and when people saw me, they asked, "Why aren't you mourning for your wife?"

English Revised Version
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The people asked me, "Tell us, what do these things that you are doing mean to us?"

Good News Translation
The people asked me, "Why are you acting like this?"

International Standard Version
Then the people told me, "Are you going to explain what these things that you're doing should mean to us?"

Majority Standard Bible
Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”

NET Bible
Then the people said to me, "Will you not tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?"

New Heart English Bible
The people said to me, "Won't you tell us what these things are to us, that you do so?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And the people said to me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

World English Bible
The people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things mean to us, that you act like this?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the people say to me, “Do you not declare to us what these [are] to us, that you are doing?”

Young's Literal Translation
And the people say unto me, 'Dost thou not declare to us what these are to us, that thou art doing?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the people will say to me, Wilt thou not announce to us what these things to us that thou doest?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people said to me: Why dost thou not tell us what these things mean that thou doest?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the people said to me: “Why won’t you explain to us what these things signify, which you are doing?”

New American Bible
Then the people asked me, “Will you not tell us what all these things you are doing mean for us?”

New Revised Standard Version
Then the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting this way?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the people said to me, Will you not tell us the meaning of these strange things which you do?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the people said to me: “Are you not telling us what this is that you did?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the people said unto me: 'Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the people said to me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are that thou doest?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ezekiel's Wife Dies
18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded. 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:…

Cross References
Jeremiah 16:5-7
Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not go to mourn or show sympathy, for I have removed from this people My peace, My loving devotion, and My compassion,” declares the LORD. / “Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them. / No food will be offered to comfort those who mourn the dead; not even a cup of consolation will be given for the loss of a father or mother.

Leviticus 10:6-7
Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited. / You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.

2 Samuel 12:15-23
After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. / David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground. / The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them. ...

Hosea 9:4
They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him, but will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat will be defiled. For their bread will be for themselves; it will not enter the house of the LORD.

Isaiah 22:12-13
On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth. / But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

Jeremiah 7:29
Cut off your hair and throw it away. Raise up a lamentation on the barren heights, for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’

Amos 6:6
You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

Matthew 9:15
Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Luke 5:34-35
Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? / But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

John 16:20
Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

1 Thessalonians 4:13
Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

1 Corinthians 7:30
those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing;

Matthew 11:17
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

Luke 7:32
They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

Revelation 18:7-8
As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ / Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”


Treasury of Scripture

And the people said to me, Will you not tell us what these things are to us, that you do so?

Ezekiel 12:9
Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

Ezekiel 17:12
Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

Ezekiel 20:49
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

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Acting Clear Declare Mean Sense Wilt Won't
Ezekiel 24
1. Under the parable of a boiling pot
6. is shown the irrevocable destruction of Jerusalem
15. By the sign of Ezekiel not mourning for the death of his wife
19. is shown the calamity of the Jews to be beyond all sorrow














Then the people asked me
This phrase indicates a moment of inquiry and curiosity from the people towards the prophet Ezekiel. The Hebrew root for "asked" is "שָׁאַל" (sha'al), which implies a seeking or inquiring with earnestness. In the historical context, the people of Israel were often in a state of confusion and desperation due to the impending judgment and exile. This inquiry reflects their desire for understanding and clarity amidst the prophetic actions of Ezekiel, which were often symbolic and not immediately clear to the observers.

Won’t you tell us
Here, the phrase underscores a plea for revelation and insight. The people are not merely asking but are imploring Ezekiel to reveal the divine message behind his actions. This reflects a deeper spiritual hunger and a recognition of Ezekiel's role as a conduit of God's word. The Hebrew culture placed significant value on the spoken word of prophets, viewing them as direct communications from God.

what these things you are doing
Ezekiel's actions were often symbolic, serving as visual prophecies. The phrase "these things" refers to the enacted parables or symbolic acts that Ezekiel performed as directed by God. In the context of Ezekiel 24, he was commanded to perform a sign involving a cooking pot, symbolizing the siege of Jerusalem. The historical and archaeological context of this period was one of turmoil, with the Babylonian empire threatening the very existence of Jerusalem. The people were witnessing these acts and were aware that they held significant meaning.

mean for us?
This final phrase captures the personal and communal concern of the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "mean" is "דָּבַר" (dabar), which can also mean "speak" or "declare." The people are seeking to understand the implications of Ezekiel's actions for their own lives and future. This reflects a universal human concern: the desire to understand how divine messages and events impact one's personal and communal destiny. In a conservative Christian perspective, this highlights the importance of seeking God's will and understanding His messages through scripture and prophecy, recognizing that God's plans are ultimately for the good of His people, even when they involve judgment or hardship.

Verse 19. - We must read between the lines what had passed in that eventful night of sorrow. The rumor must have spread among the exiles of Tel-Abib that the prophet had lost the wife whom he loved so tenderly. They were ready, we may imagine, to offer their consolations and their sympathy. And, behold, he appears as one on whom no special sorrow had fallen. But that strange outward hardness had the effect which it was meant to have. It roused them to ask questions, and it was one of the cases in which the prudens interrogatio, which if not in itself the dimidium seientiae, at least prepared the way for it. The form of their question implies that they had a forecast that the strange conduct was, in some way, connected with the prophet's work. Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us?

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the people
הָעָ֑ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

asked me,
וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Won't
הֲלֹֽא־ (hă·lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

you tell
תַגִּ֥יד (ṯag·gîḏ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

us
לָ֙נוּ֙ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

what
מָה־ (māh-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

these [things]
אֵ֣לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

you
אַתָּ֖ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are doing
עֹשֶֽׂה׃ (‘ō·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

mean to us?”
לָּ֔נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 24:19 The people said to me Won't you (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 24:18
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