Chapter Seventeen
The Treachery of Zedekiah
If chapter XVI presented the cause of Jerusalem’s fall in all its past and the sins of the whole people, then chapter XVII sees this cause to the same degree in its present politics and in the treachery, connected with extreme shortsightedness, of the king (as chapter XXII does likewise with respect to chapter XXIII). In the face of growing Chaldean power the independence of Judea was an unthinkable thing, and the only possibility of existence, it is true a modest one but a faithful one, for Judea was now vassalage to Babylon; instead of this Zedekiah betrayed Nebuchadnezzar, to whom he owed his throne, and entered into an unreliable alliance with the pharaoh. How this should end, given Chaldean might, could not be doubted, especially if Jehovah regarded Zedekiah’s treachery as directed against Himself. The prophet develops this thought first allegorically in a parable (verses 2–10), then directly, in an explanation of the parable (verses 11–21), concluding with a prophecy of a better future (verses 22–24).
Ezekiel 17:2. Son of man, set forth a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. «Set forth a riddle and speak a parable,» that is, a parable especially enigmatic, in order to arouse the attention of the listeners.
Ezekiel 17:3. Say: Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. An eagle, considered the king of birds even among the Persians (Cyropaedia I, 7), is a good symbol of a king and in the Bible often serves as a symbol especially of a conquering king (the image was applied to the greed and swiftness of the eagle; Deut 28:49; Hos 8:1; Hab 1:8; Isa 46:11 – image of Cyrus), and specifically of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 48:40). Thus with Ezekiel the comparison of Nebuchadnezzar to an eagle would have suggested itself naturally. «Great.» Perhaps an allusion to the title of the Babylonian king: Isa 36:4; cf. Ezek 26:7. – «With great wings, with long pinions» (Slavonic: «long in span»), «full of feathers» (Slavonic «which has power»), «of many colors» (Slavonic: «who has dominion») – traits serving to represent the eagle in all its magnificence, and each of which may not have some separate allegorical meaning, for example: great wings indicate the extent of dominion, thick plumage the multitude of subject peoples, the varied colors – the varied garments of the noble. – «Came to Lebanon,» perhaps an indication of the mountainous character of Palestine, which the Lebanon mountains complete: and around them went the military road to Jerusalem from Babylon; others think that Lebanon is mentioned as the birthplace of the cedar, simply as its epithet. The cedar – the image of the Judean kingdom, perhaps with a hint at the cedar palaces of Jerusalem (verse 12). – «The top,» Slavonic: «the choice,» as is clear from verses 4 and 12, the leading men of the kingdom taken away with Jehoiachin. It has been noted that many large birds have the habit of tearing off the tops of trees (Smend).
Ezekiel 17:4. He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to the land of merchants and set it in a city of traders. «The topmost of its young twigs» – Slavonic «the crown of its tenderness.» By this is meant Jehoiachin, who for the contemporaries of Ezekiel appeared as the last king of their native kingdom. – «To the land of merchants.» Thus Babylonia is named because of its commerce, into which it took the place of Phoenicia (hardly because of wickedness; see explanation of Ezek 16:29). – «In a city of traders,» Slavonic: «in a walled city» – Babylon. «Already this name shows that commerce then only recently passed to others (from Phoenicia to Babylon) and remained there long. In the time of Isaiah the Hebrews were mostly farmers on their own land (Isa 36:16) and even here commerce is still represented as something alien to Israel, and in Ezekiel’s view it should remain so» (Bertholet).
Ezekiel 17:5. Then he took some of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fertile field; he placed it beside abundant waters, like a willow twig. «Then he took some of the seed of the land.» By this is meant Zedekiah (verse 13). The expression of the prophet sounds, compared with the preceding comparison, as though with some contempt. Indeed Zedekiah, the younger son of Josiah, was a creature of Nebuchadnezzar, who even gave him the name Zedekiah. But at the same time, the prophet’s expression contains an indication that Zedekiah was a native king, not a foreign satrap of Babylon. – «A fertile field» – a field prepared for sowing. – «Beside abundant waters.» In the East vegetation is possible only with abundant irrigation (cf. Ezek 31:4; Ps 1:3). And after submission to Nebuchadnezzar Judea had all the conditions for prosperity, even rare, thanks to the magnanimous and special care of the conqueror for it, which is also indicated by the comparison: «like a willow twig,» a tree that loves moisture.
Ezekiel 17:6. And it sprouted and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and brought forth branches and put forth shoots. «A vine,» which, although a noble tree, is not so kingly as a cedar (Jehoiachin and Zedekiah). «Spreading, of low stature.» The prophet has in mind the so-called creeping grape vine, now frequent in Syria. The meaning of the allegory is in verse 14. – «Whose branches turned toward him (Slavonic: «which appeared to lie upon him» – supplement to «small in size») and its roots remained where it stood.» The Hebrew text may have had this sense, also supported by verse 7: «whose branches and roots would bend toward him,» that is, toward the eagle – an indication of the vassalage of Zedekiah’s kingdom. «This section reveals in Ezekiel remarkably clear penetration into the deepest intentions of Nebuchadnezzar, who wished well for Zedekiah and only required from him recognition of Babylon’s supreme dominion» (Kraetzschmar). – «And brought forth branches and put forth shoots.» An indication of the normal development of the Judean kingdom under Zedekiah, despite vassalic relations with Babylon.
Ezekiel 17:7. But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him, that he might water it from the furrows of its planting. The second eagle, serving as an image of Pharaoh Hophra (Jer 44:30), the ally of Zedekiah, is described although similarly to the first, but more briefly without the epithets: «with long pinions,» «of many colors,» perhaps because Egypt did not possess such variety of subject peoples and generally was not so great a monarchy as Babylon then. – «That he might water it,» in which, as is evident from verses 5 and 8, it had no need at all. In entering into alliance with Egypt, Zedekiah was changing one dependence for another. – «From the furrows of its planting» – an allusion to the irrigation systems of Egypt and the inundations of the Nile. Slavonic: «to water itself with all the beds of its garden» – to be irrigated with all the raised beds of its garden («bed» is a raised plot).
Ezekiel 17:8. It was planted in good soil by abundant waters, so that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine. In order to show more vividly the pointlessness of the behavior indicated in verse 7, again all the advantages of its location are described, and in somewhat different, stronger expressions, than in verse 5: instead of «fertile soil» – «good soil,» instead of «spreading» in verse 6 – «noble.»
Ezekiel 17:9. Say: Thus says the Lord God: Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers? All of its sprouting branches will wither. And it will not take a great army or many people to pull it up by the roots. «Will it thrive?» A question for emphasis of negation and to signify the complete certainty and obviousness of it. – «Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit.» A reversed order (a rhetorical figure of hysteron proteron). The cutting of fruit – the plundering of Jerusalem, the pulling up by the roots – the burning of it. «Sprouting branches» – other cities and regions of the kingdom. – «And it will not take a great army.» Nebuchadnezzar had no need to move all his army toward Jerusalem. Slavonic «and will they not with great strength»; «will» is not in the Greek.
Ezekiel 17:10. Behold, being planted, will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it? It will wither in the beds where it was sprouted. Perhaps to present the complete irresistibility of the coming destruction, the prophet repeats his prediction in similar expressions, but resorting to another comparison. Nebuchadnezzar, advancing on Judea from the east, he compares to the «east wind» (Hebrew «qaddim» according to description in the Bible corresponds to sirocco), whose heat and dryness brought from the deserts are destructive to plants (cf. Gen 41:6; Hos 13:15; Isa 27:8 and others). – «Behold, being planted,» that is, so well; Slavonic «and behold it is fattening,» piaineútai. – «Will it not utterly wither.» The question has the same meaning as in verse 9. – «In the beds where it was sprouted,» as skillfully as it is arranged. Zedekiah perished in his own kingdom, where war is easier.
Ezekiel 17:11. And the word of the Lord came to me: «And the word of the Lord came to me.» The explanation of the parable was given in a special revelation, when it became apparent that the people could not themselves find its meaning.
Ezekiel 17:12. Say to the rebellious house: Do you not 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 in Babylon. «Rebellious house.» Again for the first time since Ezek 12:25, after gentle forms of address. – «Do you not know.» The parable was itself clear, and in verse 9 its meaning is very transparent (for example: «it will not take a great army»). – «Its king» – Jehoiachin. – «Its princes» – nobles as hostages; Slavonic: «prince,» but in the Greek plural.
Ezekiel 17:13. He also took one of the royal seed and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. (He also took away the mighty of the land,) «He also took one of the royal seed» – Zedekiah. – «And putting him under oath.» Slavonic more precisely: «and introduced him into an oath» the form of expression is probably explained by the rite at the making of a sworn covenant – the passing between the severed parts of animals (Gen 15:17) as a sign that the violator would be dealt with in the same way as these animals or «and a sign that those who swear enter into such a mystical connection as exists between the parts of an animal’s body» (Smith, Lecture 314). – «The mighty of the land» – the ablest part of the population: craftsmen, artists (2 Sam 24:14) not as hostages, like «princes» in verse 12, but to weaken the kingdom, as explained in verse 14.
Ezekiel 17:14. That the kingdom might remain humble and not lift itself up, that by keeping his covenant it might stand. Explanation of verse 6 and basis of verse 13. «That it might not be able to rise» – Slavonic more clearly: «so it would be utterly unable to rise.»
Ezekiel 17:15. But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can the one who does such things escape? Can he break the covenant and yet escape? «That they might give him horses.» Cavalry has always been the weak point of Hebrew warfare; at the same time for the prophets it was a symbol of foreign culture and godless, carnal self-reliance (Hos 14:4; Mic 1:13 and others). Horses the Hebrew army obtained only from Egypt (1 Sam 10:28) and chiefly because of cavalry the Hebrew kings sought alliance with it (Isa 31:1). Egypt in antiquity was indeed famous for cavalry (Deut 17:16 and others); according to Diodorus (I, 45): the whole country from Thebes to Memphis was covered with stables and could provide for war 20,000 chariots with 2 horses each.
Ezekiel 17:16. As I live, says the Lord God, surely in the place of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke – with him in Babylon shall he die. By the strict law of retribution the punishment must correspond to the sin also in respect to place; cf. 1 Sam 21:19. For ancient man to die in a foreign land constituted something terrible in another respect than for us: a foreign land was unclean (cf. Ezek 4:13). Zedekiah died blinded in a Babylonian dungeon.
Ezekiel 17:17. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in the war, when siege ramps are cast up and siege walls are built to cut off many lives. «With a mighty army and a great company» – Slavonic more precisely: «not with great strength, nor with a large people will Pharaoh do war with him» – a reproach to Pharaoh for indifference to his allies, not conveyed by the Russian translation. – «To cut off many lives.» A sigh of the prophet over the forthcoming destruction of his countrymen.
Ezekiel 17:18. Because he despised the oath and broke the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and yet did all this, he shall not escape. After describing God’s punishment of Zedekiah the prophet again returns to his sin, about which before so much has been said. Among the ancients, in relation to enemies (as Nebuchadnezzar was for Judea) moral obligations generally were not so strict as toward friends. And if the prophet attaches such significance to Zedekiah’s faithlessness, it is for special reasons, which he speaks of in verse 19. Thus in verses 18–21 Zedekiah’s sin is examined from a new point of view, which increases its gravity: as a violation of an oath in God’s name. – «He gave his hand,» that is, to Pharaoh. Those making a covenant gave each other their hand: Jer 50:15; Ezra 10:19; Gal 2:9 and others.
Ezekiel 17:19. Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense upon his head. Zedekiah’s faithlessness to Nebuchadnezzar was heinous because it was accompanied by a violation of an oath sworn in God’s name; through this oath Zedekiah’s covenant with Nebuchadnezzar became a covenant (Slavonic «covenant») of God. For this affront to the holiness of God’s name Zedekiah will be severely punished. Consequently, «Ezekiel’s view of Zedekiah’s sin is more religious than ethical» (Bertholet).
Ezekiel 17:20. I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare; and I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for the treachery he has committed against Me. So long as Zedekiah’s sin was considered in its relation to Nebuchadnezzar, the latter was depicted as the avenger (verse 16). Now, when this sin is considered in relation to God, God Himself appears as the punisher. In verse 16 Zedekiah’s death in Babylon is foretold; the image used here – that of a hunter – allows the prophet to also depict the capture of Zedekiah into captivity. The second half of the verse (from: «and I will bring...») and the beginning of verse 21 are absent in many Greek codices.
Ezekiel 17:21. All the choice men from all his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken. The fate of Zedekiah’s army, on which he so relied. – «Choice men.» The Targum and Peshito, reading the Hebrew word with a transposition of letters (instead of «mivrachav» «mivcharav»), translate «warriors.» Slavonic translates the same word twice in both readings: «and all the chosen of him and all the fugitives» (a duplicate). About the fugitives further: «shall be scattered»; therefore the reading of the Targum and Peshito is justified by the context.
Ezekiel 17:22. Thus says the Lord God: I Myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out; I will pluck off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I Myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. Despite the blow that befell Zedekiah and with him the whole house of David, God has not forgotten His covenants with this house and renews them here, using the former allegory. To the unsuccessful planting on the part of Nebuchadnezzar of a low and insignificant vine, God opposes a planting to be produced by Himself in the future – a cedar on a high mountain, under which is clearly meant the Messiah (the Jews understood Zerubbabel). – «I will pluck off from the topmost.» The topmost twig of the cedar in verse 4 is called Jehoiachin. God promises in the person of the Messiah the restoration of the line of Jehoiachin: Christ indeed descended from the sons of Josiah according to the direct line from Jehoiachin. Cf. explanation under Ezek 1:4 «Jehoiachin.» – «A tender one.» A sapling can only be young. An indication of the debased state of the house of David (Slavonic: «their hearts I will strip») and the humiliation of Christ. – «On a high and lofty mountain» – Zion; cf. the prophecy Isa 2:2, which Ezekiel may have had in mind here. A cedar grows on mountains; the opposite of the vine of verses 5 and 6. – «Lofty,» literally «exalted,» that is, not naturally high, but exalted by circumstances. Blessed Theodoret: «I will nail Christ to the cross on the mountain of Golgotha.»
Ezekiel 17:23. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a noble cedar; and under it will dwell every kind of beast; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. «And bear fruit.» A poetic license: the cedar is a fruitless tree. – «Every kind of beast» – various nations. The universality of the Messiah’s kingdom; cf. Dan 2:35; Matt 13:32.
Ezekiel 17:24. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. «Trees of the field» – heathen nations. – «I bring low the high tree,» «I dry up the green tree» – the kingdom of Zedekiah. «The low tree,» «the dry tree» – Jehoiachin and the Messiah proceeding from him.