Limitless Word
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.
Ezekiel 24:18 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB So I spoke to the people in the morning; and at evening my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
  • KJV So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
  • BSB 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.
  • NASB So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded.
  • NLT So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Ezekiel obeys: he preaches in the morning, his wife dies that evening, and he refrains from mourning as commanded. His immediate obedience models faithful submission even in deep loss.

Overview

In one of Scripture's most poignant verses, Ezekiel loses his wife the very day he delivered God's word and obeys the hard command without protest. His prompt, costly obedience demonstrates wholehearted devotion to God's call above personal comfort. Such obedience foreshadows the greater Servant, who set His face to do the Father's will through suffering.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • 1 Cor 7:29–30But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 24:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.

How Ezekiel 24:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.