Bible Strands
Ezekiel 24:16
“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord addresses Ezekiel as "Son of man" during a period of impending national catastrophe, commanding him to publicly reject normal mourning rituals.
The words — מַחְמַד עֵינֶיךָ (machmad 'einecha) translates literally as "desire of your eyes," denoting the specific person or thing the listener holds most precious.
The thread — The pattern of God removing treasured blessings or people appears in Jeremiah 22:10 and Jeremiah 13:17, where loss and exile replace former stability.
Why it lands — The text demands silent endurance of personal bereavement as a prophetic sign of Jerusalem's fall, requiring the reader to accept divine judgment without consolation or ritual comfort.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 22:10 Do not weep for him who is dead; do not mourn his loss. Weep bitterly for him who is exiled, for he will never return to see his native land.
- Jeremiah 13:17 But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
- Song of Solomon 7:10 I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.
- Ezekiel 24:18 So 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.
- 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.
- Leviticus 10:2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
- Job 36:18 Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
- Proverbs 5:19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.
- Jeremiah 9:1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people.
- Jeremiah 9:18 Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.