Ezekiel 17 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; Son of man, put forth a riddle - Riddle, Anglo-Saxon, from to divine; a thing that must be curiously investigated and sifted, to find out the meaning; and hence, riddle, a sort of coarse sieve to clean corn, to separate coarse chaff and straws from the pure grain. An instrument formerly used for divination. This is not far removed from the Hebrew חידה chidah, from חד chad, to penetrate; not that which penetrates the mind, but which we must penetrate to find out the sense.

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: A great eagle - Nebuchadnezzar. See Jeremiah 48:40; Jeremiah 49:22; Daniel 7:4. And see here, Daniel 7:12, where it is so applied.

Great wings - Extensive empire.

Long-winged - Rapid in his conquests.

Full of feathers - Having multitudes of subjects.

Divers colors - People of various nations.

Came unto Lebanon - Came against Judea.

The highest branch - King Jehoiachin he took captive to Babylon.

The cedar - The Jewish state and king.

He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. The top of his young twigs - The princes of Judah.

A land of traffic - Chaldea.

A city of merchants - Babylon; for which this city was the most celebrated of all the cities of the east. Its situation procured it innumerable advantages; its two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Persian Gulf, gave it communication with the richest and the most distant nations.

He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. The seed of the land - Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiachin.

Planted it in a fruitful field - Made him king of Judea in place of his brother.

Placed it by great waters - Put him under the protection of Babylon, situated on the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates.

And set it as a willow tree - Made him dependent on this city of great waters, as the willow is on humidity.

And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. A spreading vine of low stature - The Jewish state having then no height of dominion, it must abide under the wings or branches of the Chaldean king.

Those branches turned toward him, and the roots - under him - Zedekiah was wholly dependent on Nebuchadnezzar, both for his elevation to the throne, and his support on it.

There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. Another great eagle - Pharaoh-hophra, or Apries, king of Egypt.

With great wings - Extensive dominion.

And many feathers - Numerous subjects.

Did bend her roots - Looked to him for support in her intended rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar.

It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. It was planted in a good soil - Though he depended on Babylon, he lived and reigned as Nebuchadnezzar's vicegerent in the land of Judea.

Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. Shall it prosper? - Shall Zedekiah succeed in casting off the yoke of the king of Babylon, to whom he had sworn fealty?

Shall he not pull up the roots - Nebuchadnezzar will come and dethrone him.

And cut off the fruit - The children of Zedekiah.

The leaves - All the nobles; all shall perish with Zedekiah.

Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. Shall - utterly whither - The regal government shall be no more restored. Zedekiah shall be the last king, and the monarchy shall finally terminate with him.

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; Know ye not what these things mean? - They are explained in this and the following verses.

And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:

That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. That the kingdom might be base - Have no political consequence, and at last sink into a miserable government under Gedaliah.

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? Sending his ambassadors into Egypt - Zedekiah must have sent his ambassadors into Egypt, between the sixth month of his sixth year, and the fifth month of his seventh year. Compare Ezekiel 8:1, with Ezekiel 20:1. - See Newcome.

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. In the midst of Babylon he shall die - His eyes were put out; he was carried to Babylon, and never returned.

Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. Seeing he despised the oath - This God particularly resents. He had bound himself by oath, in the presence of Jehovah, to be faithful to the covenant that he made with Nebuchadnezzar, and he took the first opportunity to break it; therefore he shall not escape.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. I will spread my net upon him - See the note on Ezekiel 12:13.

And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it. All his fugitives - All who attempted to escape with him, and all that ran to Egypt, etc., shall fall by the sword.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar - I will raise up another monarchy, which shall come in the line of David, namely, the Messiah; who shall appear as a tender plant, as to his incarnation; but he shall be high and eminent; his Church, the royal city, the highest and purest ever seen on the face of the earth.

In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. In the mountain of the height of Israel - He shall make his appearance at the temple, and found his Church at Jerusalem.

Shalt bring forth boughs - Apostles, evangelists, and their successors in the Gospel ministry.

And bear fruit - Multitudes of souls shall be converted by their preaching.

And under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing - All the nations of the earth shall receive his Gospel.

In the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell - Trust in him alone for salvation, and be saved in their trusting.

And all the trees of the field shall 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 to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it. All the trees of the field shall know - All the people of Israel and of Chaldea.

I the Lord have brought down the high tree - Have dethroned Jehoiachin.

Have exalted the low tree - Put Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiachin, in his place.

Have dried up the green tree - Zedekiah, who had numerous children, but who were all slain before his eyes at Riblah.

And have made the dry tree to flourish - Have raised up a rod out of the stem of Jesse, the family of David being then apparently dried up and extinct. This was the promised Messiah, of the increase and government of whose kingdom and peace there shall be no end; upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth, even for ever. The Zeal of The Lord of Hosts Will Perform This.

The high and green tree, says Newcome, refers to Nebuchadnezzar; the low and the dry tree, to the Jews.

Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke [1831].