Ezekiel 24:5
Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
Ezekiel 24:5 stands within a sorrowful episode in chapter 24 that follows directly upon the exposure of the grievous sins of Judah and Israel in chapter 23. In that setting the prophet himself is made a sign to the people, displaying through his own sufferings and deprivations some of the terrible sufferings that are to come upon Israel. Among those coming sufferings is famine, acted out by his living on a famine diet. They also include captivity and bondage, acted out by his lying as if bound. They further include the loss of the city and the temple that were cherished as the pride of life and the joy of the heart. They include as well bereavement endured without outward mourning, acted out in the death of his wife without sighing, weeping, or loud wailing.