Ezekiel 17

Eze 17:1-24.

PARABLE OF THE

TWO

GREAT

EAGLES, AND THE

CROPPING OF THE

CEDAR OF

LEBANON.

JUDAH

IS TO

BE

JUDGED FOR

REVOLTING FROM

BABYLON,

WHICH

HAD

SET

UP

ZEDEKIAH INSTEAD OF

JEHOIACHIN, TO

EGYPT;

GOD

HIMSELF, AS THE

RIVAL OF THE

BABYLONIAN

KING,

IS TO

PLANT THE

GOSPEL

CEDAR OF

MESSIAH.

The date of the prophecy is between the sixth month of Zedekiah's sixth

year of reign and the fifth month of the seventh year after the carrying

away of Jehoiachin, that is, five years before the destruction of

Jerusalem [HENDERSON].

2. riddle--a continued allegory, expressed enigmatically, requiring

more than common acumen and serious thought. The Hebrew is derived

from a root, "sharp," that is, calculated to stimulate attention and

whet the intellect. Distinct from "fable," in that it teaches not

fiction, but fact. Not like the ordinary riddle, designed to puzzle, but

to instruct. The "riddle" is here identical with the "parable," only

that the former refers to the obscurity, the latter to the likeness of

the figure to the thing compared.

3. eagle--the king of birds. The literal Hebrew is, "the great eagle." The symbol of the Assyrian supreme god, Nisroch; so

applied to "the great king" of Babylon, his vicegerent on earth

(Jer 48:40; 49:22).

His "wings" are his great forces. Such symbols were familiar to the

Jews, who saw them portrayed on the great buildings of Babylon; such as

are now seen in the Assyrian remains.

long-winged--implying the wide extent of his empire.

full of feathers--when they have been renewed after moulting; and so

in the full freshness of renovated youth

(Ps 103:5;

Isa 40:31).

Answering to the many peoples which, as tributaries, constituted the

strength of Babylon.

divers colours--the golden eagle, marked with star-like spots,

supposed to be the largest of eagles [BOCHART].

Answering to the variety of languages, habits, and costumes of the

peoples subject to Babylon.

came unto Lebanon--continuing the metaphor: as the eagle frequents

mountains, not cities. The temple at Jerusalem was called "Lebanon" by

the Jews [EUSEBIUS],

because its woodwork was wholly of cedars of

Lebanon. "The mountain of the Lord's house"

(Isa 2:2).

Jerusalem, however, is chiefly meant, the chief seat of civil

honor, as Lebanon was of external elevation.

took the highest branch--King Jeconiah, then but eighteen years old,

and many of the chiefs and people with him

(2Ki 24:8, 12-16).

The Hebrew for "highest branch" is, properly, the fleece-like

tuft at the top of the tree. (So in

Eze 31:3-14).

The cedar, as a tall tree, is the symbol of kingly elevation (compare

Da 4:10-12).

4. land of traffic . . . merchants--Babylon

(2Ki 24:15, 16),

famous for its transport traffic on the Tigris and Euphrates. Also, by

its connection with the Persian Gulf, it carried on much commerce with

India.

5. seed of the land--not a foreign production, but one native in the

region; a son of the soil, not a foreigner: Zedekiah, uncle of

Jehoiachin, of David's family.

in a fruitful field--literally, a "field of seed"; that is, fit for

propagating and continuing the seed of the royal family.

as a willow--derived from a Hebrew root, "to overflow," from its

fondness for water

(Isa 44:4).

Judea was "a land of brooks of water and fountains"

(De 8:7-9;

compare

Joh 3:23).

6. vine of low stature--not now, as before, a stately "cedar"; the

kingdom of Judah was to be prosperous, but not elevated.

branches turned toward him--expressing the fealty of Zedekiah as a

vassal looking up to Nebuchadnezzar, to whom Judah owed its peace and

very existence as a separate state. The "branches" mean his sons and the

other princes and nobles.

The roots . . . under him--The stability of Judah depended on Babylon.

The repetition "branches" and "springs" is in order to mark the

ingratitude of Zedekiah, who, not content with moderate prosperity,

revolted from him to whom he had sworn allegiance.

7. another . . . eagle--the king of Egypt

(Eze 17:15).

The "long-winged" of

Eze 17:3

is omitted, as Egypt had not such a wide empire and large armies as

Babylon.

vine . . . bend . . . roots towards him--literally, "thirsted after

him with its roots"; expressing the longings after Egypt in the Jewish

heart. Zedekiah sought the alliance of Egypt, as though by it he could

throw off his dependence on Babylon

(2Ki 24:7, 20;

2Ch 36:13;

Jer 37:5, 7).

water it by . . . furrows of . . . plantation--that is, in the

garden beds (Judea) wherein (the vine) it was planted. Rather, "by"

or "out of the furrows." It refers to the waters of Egypt, the Nile

being made to water the fields by means of small canals or "furrows";

these waters are the figure of the auxiliary forces wherewith Egypt

tried to help Judah. See the same figure,

Isa 8:7.

But see on

Eze 17:10,

"furrows where it grew."

8. It was planted in a good soil--It was not want of the necessaries

of life, nor oppression on the port of Nebuchadnezzar, which caused

Zedekiah to revolt: it was gratuitous ambition, pride, and ingratitude.

9. Shall it prosper?--Could it be that gratuitous treason should

prosper? God will not allow it. "It," that is, the vine.

he . . . pull up--that is, the first eagle, or Nebuchadnezzar.

in all . . . leaves of her spring--that is, all its springing

(sprouting) leaves.

without great power or many--It shall not need all the forces of

Babylon to destroy it; a small division of the army will suffice because

God will deliver it into Nebuchadnezzar's hand

(Jer 37:10).

10. being planted--that is, "though planted."

east wind--The east wind was noxious to vegetation in Palestine; a

fit emblem of Babylon, which came from the northeast.

wither in . . . furrows where it grew--Zedekiah was taken at Jericho,

on Jewish soil

(Jer 52:8).

"It shall wither, although it has furrows from which it expects

continual waterings" [CALVIN],

(Eze 19:12;

Ho 13:15).

12. Know ye not--He upbraided them with moral, leading to intellectual,

stupidity.

hath taken the king--Jeconiah or Jehoiachin

(2Ki 24:11, 12-16).

13. the king's seed--Zedekiah, Jeconiah's uncle.

taken . . . oath of him--swearing fealty as a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar

(2Ch 36:13).

also taken the mighty--as hostages for the fulfilment of the covenant;

whom, therefore, Zedekiah exposed to death by his treason.

14. That the kingdom might be base--that is, low as to national

elevation by being Nebuchadnezzar's dependent; but, at the same time,

safe and prosperous, if faithful to the "oath." Nebuchadnezzar dealt

sincerely and openly in proposing conditions, and these moderate ones;

therefore Zedekiah's treachery was the baser and was a counterpart to

their treachery towards God.

15. he rebelled--God permitted this because of His wrath against

Jerusalem

(2Ki 24:20).

horses--in which Egypt abounded and which were forbidden to Israel to

seek from Egypt, or indeed to "multiply" at all

(De 17:16;

Isa 31:1, 3;

compare

Isa 36:9).

DIODORUS SICULUS [1.45] says

that the whole region from Thebes to Memphis was filled with royal

stalls, so that twenty thousand chariots with two horses in each could

be furnished for war.

Shall he prosper?--The third time this question is asked, with an

indignant denial understood

(Eze 17:9, 10).

Even the heathen believed that breakers of an oath would not "escape"

punishment.

16. in the place where the king dwelleth--righteous retribution. He

brought on himself in the worst form the evil which, in a mild form, he

had sought to deliver himself from by perjured treachery, namely,

vassalage

(Eze 12:13;

Jer 32:5; 34:3; 52:11).

17. Pharaoh--Pharaoh-hophra

(Jer 37:7; 44:30),

the successor of Necho

(2Ki 23:29).

Neither . . . make for him--literally, "effect (anything)

with him," that is, be of any avail to Zedekiah. Pharaoh did not

act in concert with him, for he was himself compelled to retire to

Egypt.

this was what Nebuchadnezzar did against it

(Jer 52:4).

CALVIN MAURER, &c., refer it

to Nebuchadnezzar, "when Nebuchadnezzar shall cast up

mounts."

18. given his hand--in ratification of the oath

(2Ki 10:15;

Ezr 10:19),

and also in token of subjection to Nebuchadnezzar

(1Ch 29:24,

Margin;

2Ch 30:8,

Margin;

La 5:6).

19. mine oath--The "covenant" being sworn in God's name was really

His covenant; a new instance in relation to man of the treacherous

spirit which had been so often betrayed in relation to God. God Himself

must therefore avenge the violation of His covenant "on the head" of

the perjurer (compare

Ps 7:16).

20. my net--

(Eze 12:13; 32:3).

God entraps him as he had tried to entrap others

(Ps 7:15).

This was spoken at least upwards of three years before the fall of

Jerusalem (compare

Eze 8:1,

with Eze 20:1).

plead with him--by judgments on him

(Eze 20. 36).

21. all his fugitives--the soldiers that accompany him in his flight.

22. When the state of Israel shall seem past recovery, Messiah,

Jehovah Himself, will unexpectedly appear on the scene as Redeemer of

His people

(Isa 63:5).

I . . . also--God opposes Himself to Nebuchadnezzar:

"He took of the seed of the land and planted it

(Eze 17:3, 5),

so will I, but with better success than he had. The branch he

plucked (Zedekiah) and planted, flourished but for a time, to perish at

last; I will plant a scion of the same tree, the house of David,

to whom the kingdom belongs by an everlasting covenant, and it shall be

the shelter of the whole world, and shall be for ever."

branch--the peculiar title of Messiah

(Zec 3:8; 6:12;

Isa 11:1; 4:2;

Jer 23:5; 33:15).

a tender one--Zerubbabel never reigned as a universal

(Eze 17:23)

king, nor could the great things mentioned here be said of him, except

as a type of Messiah. Messiah alone can be meant: originally "a

tender plant and root out of a dry ground"

(Isa 53:2);

the beginning of His kingdom being humble, His reputed parents of lowly

rank, though King David's lineal representatives; yet, even then, God

here calls Him, in respect to His everlasting purpose, "the highest

. . . of the high"

(Ps 89:27).

I . . . will plant it upon an high mountain--Zion; destined to be the

moral center and eminence of grace and glory shining forth to the

world, out-topping all mundane elevation. The kingdom, typically begun

at the return from Babylon, and the rebuilding of the temple, fully

began with Christ's appearing, and shall have its highest manifestation

at His reappearing to reign on Zion, and thence over the whole earth

(Ps 2:6, 8;

Isa 2:2, 3;

Jer 3:17).

23. under it . . . all fowl--the Gospel "mustard

tree," small at first, but at length receiving all under its covert

(Mt 13:32);

the antithesis to Antichrist, symbolized by Assyria, of which the same

is said

(Eze 31:6),

and Babylon

(Da 4:12).

Antichrist assumes in mimicry the universal power really belonging to

Christ.

24. I . . . brought down the high--the very attribute given to God

high . . . low tree--that is, princes elevated

. . . depressed. All the empires of the world, represented by

Babylon, once flourishing ("green"), shall be brought low before the

once depressed ("dry"), but then exalted, kingdom of Messiah and His

people, the head of whom shall be Israel

(Da 2:44).