Ezekiel Chapter 17
1 The LORD's word came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, tell a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
3 and say, 'The Lord GOD says: "A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colours, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar.
4 He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs, and carried it to a land of traffic. He planted it in a city of merchants.
5 " ' "He also took some of the seed of the land, and planted it in fruitful soil. He placed it beside many waters. He set it as a willow tree.
6 It grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned towards him, and its roots were under him. So it became a vine, produced branches, and shot out sprigs.
7 " ' "There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. Behold, this vine bent its roots towards him, and shot out its branches towards him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.
8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might produce branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a good vine." '
9 "Say, 'The Lord GOD says: "Will it prosper? Won't he pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? It can't be raised from its roots by a strong arm or many people.
10 Yes, behold, being planted, will it prosper? Won't it utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it grew." ' "
11 Moreover the LORD's word came to me, saying,
12 "Say now to the rebellious house, 'Don't you know what these things mean?' Tell them, 'Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon.
13 He took some of the royal offspring, and made a covenant with him. He also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
14 that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the covenant, and still escape?
16 " 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the middle of Babylon he will die.
17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won't help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.
18 For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things. He won't escape.
19 "Therefore the Lord GOD says: 'As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken.
20 I will spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgement with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.
21 All his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered towards every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it.'
22 "The Lord GOD says: 'I will also take some of the lofty top of the cedar, and will plant it. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23 I will plant it in the mountain of the height of Israel; and it will produce boughs, and bear fruit, and be a good cedar. Birds of every kind will dwell in the shade of its branches.
24 All the trees of the field will know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree flourish. " 'I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.' "
Footnotes
- Verse 13 (offspring)
- or, seed
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Ezekiel Chapter 17 Guide
Commanded by Jehovah, the prophet then put forth a riddle. A great eagle came on Lebanon, and took off the top of the cedar, planting the young twigs in a land of traffic, a city of merchants. Moreover, he carried away the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil, where it became a spreading vine. There was also another great eagle toward which the vine bent its roots, that he might water it. For this act of treachery the vine was denounced by command of Jehovah. Its judgment was that it should be plucked up by the roots, and be withered by the east wind.
The riddle was then explained. The first eagle was the king of Babylon, who carried away the king of Jerusalem, and planted the seed royal in Babylon. The second eagle was the king of Egypt, whose help Zedekiah sought, who, in consequence, was punished by Jehovah. The riddle ended with the promise of Jehovah that ultimately He would plant again a cedar in the mountain height of Israel, as a result of which there would be universal recognition of the activity of Jehovah. The paragraph every remarkably sets forth that the government of God is established over all the nations and operates through all their operations.
From "An Exposition of the Whole Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan.
Ezekiel Chapter 17 Commentary
Chapter Outline
- A parable relative to the Jewish nation. -- (1-10)
- to which an explanation is added. -- (11-21)
- A direct promise of the Messiah. -- (22-24)
Verses 1-10
Mighty conquerors are aptly likened to birds or beasts of prey, but their destructive passions are overruled to forward God's designs. Those who depart from God, only vary their crimes by changing one carnal confidence for another, and never will prosper.
Verses 11-21
The parable is explained, and the particulars of the history of the Jewish nation at that time may be traced. Zedekiah had been ungrateful to his benefactor, which is a sin against God. In every solemn oath, God is appealed to as a witness of the sincerity of him that swears. Truth is a debt owing to all men. If the professors of the true religion deal treacherously with those of a false religion, their profession makes their sin the worse; and God will the more surely and severely punish it. The Lord will not hold those guiltless who take his name in vain; and no man shall escape the righteous judgment of God who dies under unrepented guilt.
Verses 22-24
The unbelief of man shall not make the promise of God of none effect. The parable of a tree, used in the threatening, is here presented in the promise. It appears only applicable to Jesus, the Son of David, the Messiah of God. The kingdom of Satan, which has borne so long, so large a sway, shall be broken, and the kingdom of Christ, which was looked upon with contempt, shall be established. Blessed be God, our Redeemer is seen even by the ends of the earth. We may find refuge from the wrath to come, and from every enemy and danger, under his shadow; and believers are fruitful in him.
From the "Concise Commentary on the Bible" by Matthew Henry.