“You shall do
As I have done!
You shall not cover
Your upper lip!
You shall not eat
The bread
Of mourners!
Your turbans shall be
On your heads!
Your sandals shall be
On your feet!
You shall not mourn!
You shall not weep!
But you shall pine away
In your iniquities.
You shall groan
To one another.
‘Thus Ezekiel
Shall be a sign
To you.
You shall do
Just as he has done.
When this comes,
Then you will know
That I am Yahweh God.’”
When this catastrophe would hit them, they should do as Ezekiel had done. They were not to cover up their upper lip. They were not to eat the mourner’s bread. However, they should continue to wear their turban hats and their foot sandals. They were not to mourn or weep. They could pine away privately, because of their iniquities. They could also groan to one another privately. Thus Yahweh had placed Ezekiel and his behavior as a sign for them. They were to do just as Ezekiel had done when his wife died. Then they would all know that Yahweh, their God, was in charge. In other words, the death of their loved ones would be a numbing experience, without any outward grief.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 