1 Under the parable of two eagles and a vine, 11 is showed God’s judgment upon Jerusalem for revolting from Babylon to Egypt. 22 God promises to plant the cedar of the gospel.
Eze 17:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
Eze 17:2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.
Eze 17:3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,
Eze 17:4 he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
Eze 17:5 “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,
Eze 17:6 and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
Eze 17:7 “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.
Eze 17:8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
Eze 17:9 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.
Eze 17:10 It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?'”
Eze 17:11 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
Eze 17:12 “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
Eze 17:13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
Eze 17:14 so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.
Eze 17:15 But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?
Eze 17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.
Eze 17:17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.
Eze 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.
Eze 17:19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.
Eze 17:20 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me.
Eze 17:21 All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.
Eze 17:22 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
Eze 17:23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
Eze 17:24 All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'”
Eze 17:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
The word of the Lord. Another distinct communication, yet belonging to the same series of prophecies that began with the vision of chs. 8–11. Verses 12–24 enable us to determine the occasion and to fix the date of the prophecy as the time when Zedekiah was seeking Egyptian aid against Nebuchadnezzar.
Eze 17:2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.
These passages couple the words for “riddle” and “parable” as does Ezekiel’s passage.
Eze 17:3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,
According to v. 12 the symbol represents “the king of Babylon” (cf. Jer. 48:40; 49:22).
Lebanon. Here poetically representing Judah. Perhaps the fact that one of Solomon’s palaces was called the “house of the forest of Lebanon” (1 Kings 7:2; 10:17, 21) suggested the symbolism here.
The highest branch. Heb. ṣammereth, a word occurring in the Bible only here, in v. 22, and in ch. 31:3, 10, 14. Its etymology is uncertain, but it presumably means the top of the tree. The reference is to Jehoiachin, whom Nebuchadnezzar took captive to Babylon (2 Kings 24:12).
Eze 17:4 he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
Merchants. Heb. kena‘an, generally transliterated “Canaan,” but here used in its secondary sense of merchandise (see on ch. 16:29). The “city of traders” represents Babylon (ch. 17:12).
Eze 17:5 “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,
This was Zedekiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar made king in Jehoiachin’s place. Jehoiachin was removed, possibly because of his pro-Egyptian leanings. It was hoped that Zedekiah, a vassal of Babylon, would remain faithful to his overlord.
Eze 17:6 and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
6. A spreading vine. The Jewish state under Zedekiah was permitted to become a fruitful and prosperous though dependent kingdom. Zedekiah had sworn to acknowledge Nebuchadnezzar’s suzerainty (2 Chron. 36:13). Nebuchadnezzar doubtless hoped that Israel as a flourishing kingdom might serve as a sort of buffer state between him and the imperialistically-minded nation of Egypt.
Eze 17:7 “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.
Another great eagle. Hophra, of Egypt, also called Apries (v. 15; cf. Jer. 44:30).
Toward him. Although Zedekiah had sworn allegiance to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:13; cf. Eze. 17:14), he treacherously sought the aid of Egypt. Jeremiah endeavored to dissuade Zedekiah from this Egyptian alliance (Jer. 37:7).
Eze 17:8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
Eze 17:9 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.
9. will it thrive? A negative answer is implied. The overtures to Egypt would result in the total destruction of Judah.
Eze 17:10 It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?'”
10. East wind. An appropriate symbol of the Babylonians, who dwelt to the east of Palestine. The east wind is noted for its blasting and destructive effect on plants (Job 27:21; Eze. 19:12; Hosea 13:15; Jonah 4:8).
Eze 17:11 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
This form of expression suggests that there was probably an interval before the explanation of the parable was given. During this time the parable was to be a riddle to the people, arousing their curiosity and causing them to be more attentive when the prophet would expound its meaning to them. Truth always finds a more fruitful field in an inquiring mind.
Eze 17:12 “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
What these things mean. The prophet gives a formal interpretation of the parable (vs. 12–17). “The rebellious house” doubtless included those among the exiles at Tell-abib who hoped for the success of the Egyptian alliance and the resultant downfall of the power of Babylon.
Is come. Better, “came.” The verbs following (vs. 12, 13) should also be translated by the simple past. On the interpretation see on vs. 3–10.
Eze 17:13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
Eze 17:14 so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.
Eze 17:15 But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?
15. Horses. From the Eighteenth Dynasty onward chariots were standard military equipment of the Egyptian armies (see on Ex. 14:7; 1 Kings 10:28, 29; cf. 2 Chron. 12:2, 3; Isa. 31:1; 36:9).
Shall he escape? The perfidy of Zedekiah in violating the worn covenant of fealty, in addition to his other great wickedness, could not be overlooked. On the sanctity of an oath see Joshua 9; 2 Sam. 21:1, 2.
Eze 17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.
Eze 17:17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.
The erecting of mounts and the building of forts were done by Pharaoh.
Eze 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.
Eze 17:19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.
The Lord designates the oath and covenant to Nebuchadnezzar as His, doubtless because made in His name (2 Chron. 36:13). Furthermore, as the arbiter of history, the Lord planned that the Jews should at this time submit themselves to the yoke of Babylon (Jer. 27:12).
Eze 17:20 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me.
Eze 17:21 All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.
Eze 17:22 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
Eze 17:23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
Birds of every kind. Representing the earth’s varied inhabitants (cf. Matt. 13:32), men of “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Through a remnant God planned to accomplish His original design in the call of Israel. Religious instruction was to go out from Zion, and the spiritual kingdom to extend throughout the whole world. The failure of the remnant of Israel made necessary the call to the Christian church (see 1 Peter 2:9; cf. Deut. 10:15). Its members, gathered from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, were to constitute the new nation through which God would evangelize the world (Matt. 21:33–46).
Eze 17:24 All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'”
24. All the trees. That is, the surrounding nations. These would witness the restoration of the nation of Israel and would acknowledge that all power is of God, who is silently, patiently working out the purposes of His will. To every nation and individual God has assigned a task. All are permitted to occupy a place on earth to see whether they will fulfill the divine purpose (see Ed 178; PK 535, 536).