Ezekiel 24:3-5

Ezekiel 24:3-5

[3] And utter  a parable  unto the rebellious  house,  and say  the Lord  GOD;  Set on  a pot,  set it on,  and also pour  water  into it: [4] Gather  the pieces  thereof into it, even every good  piece,  the thigh,  and the shoulder;  fill  it with the choice  bones.  [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. 

What does Ezekiel 24:3-5 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

In this parable, the people were to put a bronze ( Ezekiel 24:11) cooking pot (caldron, Heb. sir) on the fire and pour water into it. This large pot had two handles, a round base, and a large mouth. Then the people were to put various pieces of choice meat into the pot and were to build a strong fire under it so the water would boil and the meaty bones would cook. We might call Ezekiel 24:3-13 "the cooking pot song" since it is a poem similar to "the sword song" ( Ezekiel 21:8-17) and "the cup song" ( Ezekiel 23:32-34).
There is no indication that this was another of Ezekiel"s acted parables. Rather it seems to have been a message that the prophet spoke without dramatizing it by really boiling meat in a caldron.