5 take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and burn
5 Take the choicest one of the flock; pile the logs
5 from the best of the sheep in the flock. Pile wood beneath the pot. Bring it to a boil and cook the soup.
5 Take the choice of the flock. Also pile fuel bones under it, Make it boil well, And let the cuts simmer in it."
5 Use only the best sheep from the flock, and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, and cook the bones along with the meat.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 24:5
Commentary on Ezekiel 24:1-14
(Read Ezekiel 24:1-14)
The pot on the fire represented Jerusalem besieged by the Chaldeans: all orders and ranks were within the walls, prepared as a prey for the enemy. They ought to have put away their transgressions, as the scum, which rises by the heat of the fire, is taken from the top of the pot. But they grew worse, and their miseries increased. Jerusalem was to be levelled with the ground. The time appointed for the punishment of wicked men may seem to come slowly, but it will come surely. It is sad to think how many there are, on whom ordinances and providences are all lost.