Ezekiel 17 Study Notes: The Two Eagles and the Cedar
God gives Ezekiel a riddle of two great eagles, a cedar whose top is carried off, and a low vine that reaches toward the second eagle. He explains it as Babylon humbling Jerusalem’s rulers and a king breaking his sworn covenant by seeking help from Egypt, then promises to plant a shoot that becomes a great cedar.
General
In the LORD’s explanation, why did Babylon’s king make a covenant with a member of Judah’s royal family (17:13-14)?
Answer: So the kingdom stayed low and lasted only by keeping it
The LORD asks the rebellious people whether they understand the riddle and then explains it (17:12). Babylon’s king had come to Jerusalem and taken its ruler and his officials away to Babylon. He then made a covenant, a binding agreement, with one man of the royal line and put him under oath (17:13). He also removed the land’s leading men in order to keep the kingdom humble, unable to raise itself up, and able to survive only by keeping that covenant (17:14). This is the low, spreading vine of the riddle (17:5-6). Through Jeremiah, God gave the same counsel to submit to Babylon and live (Jeremiah 27:12).
- Ezekiel 17:12-14 (BSB)““Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon. He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land, so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.”The LORD explains the riddle: Babylon’s king deported Jerusalem’s king and made a sworn covenant with one of the royal family to keep the kingdom humbled.
- Jeremiah 27:12 (BSB)“And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!”Through Jeremiah the LORD likewise told Judah’s king to submit to Babylon’s yoke and live.
- Ezekiel 17:5-6 (BSB)“He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow. It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches and sent out shoots.”In the riddle this humbled kingdom is the vine that spread low with its branches turned toward the eagle.
Theological
According to the interpretation, what purpose did the treaty between Babylon’s king and the royal offspring serve (17:13-14)?
Answer: So the kingdom stayed low and lasted only by keeping it
God Himself interprets the parable for the rebellious house (17:12). Babylon’s king deported Jerusalem’s king and nobles, then took one of the royal line into a covenant ratified by oath (17:13), removing the leading men to keep the kingdom humbled and unable to exalt itself, its survival depending on keeping the covenant (17:14). This corresponds to the low vine of the riddle (17:5-6). Submission to Babylon was in fact the path God had laid before Judah, as Jeremiah’s parallel word to the king shows (Jeremiah 27:12).
- Ezekiel 17:12-14 (BSB)““Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon. He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land, so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.”The LORD explains the riddle: Babylon’s king deported Jerusalem’s king and made a sworn covenant with one of the royal family to keep the kingdom humbled.
- Jeremiah 27:12 (BSB)“And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!”Through Jeremiah the LORD likewise told Judah’s king to submit to Babylon’s yoke and live.
- Ezekiel 17:5-6 (BSB)“He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow. It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches and sent out shoots.”In the riddle this humbled kingdom is the vine that spread low with its branches turned toward the eagle.
General
In the riddle, what did the first great eagle do when it came to the cedar in Lebanon (17:3-4)?
Answer: Broke off its highest shoot and carried it to a merchant city
The LORD tells Ezekiel to give Israel a riddle, a picture story that stands for real events (17:2). A great, richly feathered eagle comes to Lebanon, snaps off the top shoot of a cedar, and carries it away to a land of traders, where it plants it in a merchant city (17:3-4). The eagle then plants some seed from the land in good, well-watered ground, and it grows into a vine that spreads out low, with its branches turned toward the eagle (17:5-6). The LORD later explains the picture Himself: the eagle stands for Babylon’s king, who took Jerusalem’s king and officials away to Babylon (17:12), an event the book of Kings also records (2 Kings 24:15).
- Ezekiel 17:2-4 (BSB)““Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders.”Ezekiel is told to pose a riddle about a great eagle that takes the top of a cedar in Lebanon to a land of merchants.
- Ezekiel 17:5-6 (BSB)“He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow. It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches and sent out shoots.”The eagle also plants seed from the land, which grows into a low, spreading vine turned toward him.
- Ezekiel 17:12 (BSB)““Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.”The LORD’s own interpretation identifies the eagle as the king of Babylon, who took Jerusalem’s king and officials to Babylon.
- 2 Kings 24:15 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”The account in Kings tells of the king, his mother, wives, court, and the land’s chief men being exiled to Babylon.
Theological
In the riddle (17:3-4), what did the first great eagle do to the cedar?
Answer: Broke off its highest shoot and carried it to a merchant city
The oracle is framed as a riddle and parable (17:2). A great eagle comes to Lebanon, breaks off the cedar’s top shoot, and transplants it to a land of traders, setting it in a merchant city (17:3-4). It also sows native seed in fertile, well-watered soil, producing a low, spreading vine whose branches turn toward the eagle (17:5-6), a picture of a dependent kingdom that can survive only under its overlord. The LORD’s own interpretation identifies the eagle as Babylon’s king, who deported Jerusalem’s king and officials (17:12), consistent with the deportation recorded in Kings (2 Kings 24:15).
- Ezekiel 17:2-4 (BSB)““Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders.”Ezekiel is told to pose a riddle about a great eagle that takes the top of a cedar in Lebanon to a land of merchants.
- Ezekiel 17:5-6 (BSB)“He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow. It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches and sent out shoots.”The eagle also plants seed from the land, which grows into a low, spreading vine turned toward him.
- Ezekiel 17:12 (BSB)““Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.”The LORD’s own interpretation identifies the eagle as the king of Babylon, who took Jerusalem’s king and officials to Babylon.
- 2 Kings 24:15 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”The account in Kings tells of the king, his mother, wives, court, and the land’s chief men being exiled to Babylon.
General
True or False: The LORD calls the oath the king despised and the covenant he broke His own, and says the king’s betrayal was against Him.
Answer: True
This is true. The agreement was made with Babylon’s king, yet the LORD speaks of it as His own oath and His own covenant, which He will bring down on the king’s head (17:19). He will throw His net over the king, carry him off to Babylon, and judge him in that place for the unfaithfulness he committed against God (17:20). The king’s best troops will fall in battle and the rest will be scattered, and then the people will know the LORD has spoken (17:21). Ezekiel had already been told of this net and of the prince’s death in Babylon (Ezekiel 12:13). God’s law treated an oath as a serious promise to be kept (Numbers 30:2; Psalm 15:4).
- Ezekiel 17:19-20 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke. I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.”The LORD calls the despised oath and broken covenant His own and promises to catch the king in His net and judge him in Babylon.
- Ezekiel 17:21 (BSB)“All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’”The king’s troops will fall or be scattered, and then they will know that the LORD has spoken.
- Ezekiel 12:13 (BSB)“But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.”The LORD had already said He would catch the prince in His net and take him to Babylon, where he would die.
- Numbers 30:2 (BSB)“If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”The law said that whoever vowed to the LORD or bound himself by an oath must keep his word.
- Psalm 15:4 (BSB)“who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,”The one who may dwell with the LORD keeps his oath even when it costs him.
Theological
True or False: The LORD regards the treaty oath the king despised as His own oath, so the breach is treachery against God Himself.
Answer: True
This is true. Though the covenant was made with Babylon’s king, the LORD calls it My oath and My covenant and vows to bring its penalty on the king’s head (17:19). He will spread His net, carry him off to Babylon, and enter into judgment with him for the treachery committed against God (17:20); his troops will fall or be scattered, and the outcome will vindicate the LORD’s word (17:21). The same net was announced in 12:13. An oath sworn before God binds the one who swears it (Numbers 30:2), and the godly keep their word even to their own hurt (Psalm 15:4); God’s sovereignty over the nations includes holding kings to their pledged word.
- Ezekiel 17:19-20 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke. I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.”The LORD calls the despised oath and broken covenant His own and promises to catch the king in His net and judge him in Babylon.
- Ezekiel 17:21 (BSB)“All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’”The king’s troops will fall or be scattered, and then they will know that the LORD has spoken.
- Ezekiel 12:13 (BSB)“But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.”The LORD had already said He would catch the prince in His net and take him to Babylon, where he would die.
- Numbers 30:2 (BSB)“If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”The law said that whoever vowed to the LORD or bound himself by an oath must keep his word.
- Psalm 15:4 (BSB)“who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,”The one who may dwell with the LORD keeps his oath even when it costs him.
General
According to the chapter’s closing verse, what will the other trees come to know about the LORD (17:24)?
Answer: That the LORD lowers the high and lifts up the lowly
The chapter ends by showing God’s rule over the nations, which are pictured as the surrounding trees. They will know that He is the LORD, the One who cuts down the high tree and raises the low one, who withers the green one and makes the dry one flourish (17:24). What He says, He carries out. Proud kings and kingdoms are brought low, and the humbled royal line rises again by God’s hand. Ezekiel later repeats this pattern (Ezekiel 21:26), and the same truth appears in Hannah’s song (1 Samuel 2:7) and Mary’s song (Luke 1:52).
- Ezekiel 17:24 (BSB)“Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’””The surrounding trees will know the LORD, who humbles the lofty and raises the lowly and does what He says.
- Ezekiel 21:26 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.”Later the LORD again declares that He will lift up the humble and humble the proud.
- 1 Samuel 2:7 (BSB)“The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.”Hannah praised the LORD as the One who humbles and exalts.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary praised God for bringing rulers down and lifting up the humble.
Theological
What does the closing verse say the surrounding trees will learn about the LORD (17:24)?
Answer: That the LORD lowers the high and lifts up the lowly
The conclusion asserts God’s sovereignty over the rise and fall of kingdoms. The other trees, that is, the nations, will know that the LORD abases the lofty and exalts the lowly, withers the green and makes the dry flourish (17:24), and that His word is as good as His deed. The proud powers of the chapter are brought down, while the humbled line of David is raised by divine initiative alone. This reversal recurs in Ezekiel 21:26 and is celebrated in Hannah’s song (1 Samuel 2:7) and Mary’s song (Luke 1:52), where God brings down rulers and lifts up the humble.
- Ezekiel 17:24 (BSB)“Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’””The surrounding trees will know the LORD, who humbles the lofty and raises the lowly and does what He says.
- Ezekiel 21:26 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.”Later the LORD again declares that He will lift up the humble and humble the proud.
- 1 Samuel 2:7 (BSB)“The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.”Hannah praised the LORD as the One who humbles and exalts.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary praised God for bringing rulers down and lifting up the humble.
General
How did the king who was put under oath rebel against Babylon (17:15)?
Answer: He sent envoys to Egypt asking for horses and an army
The king bound by the covenant broke it by sending messengers to Egypt with a request for horses and many troops (17:15). The LORD asks whether anyone who does this can prosper or escape (17:15), and He answers that the king will die in the country of the ruler who put him on the throne (17:16). Pharaoh’s great army will be of no help when the siege comes (17:17), because the king treated his oath with contempt and broke the covenant after pledging himself to it (17:18). Isaiah had warned against trusting Egypt’s horses rather than the LORD (Isaiah 31:1), and later in the book the LORD compares Egypt to a reed that snaps when leaned on (Ezekiel 29:6-7).
- Ezekiel 17:15 (BSB)“But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’”The king rebels against Babylon by seeking horses and troops from Egypt.
- Ezekiel 17:17-18 (BSB)“Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’”Egypt’s great forces will be no use to him in the siege, for he scorned his sworn pledge and broke the covenant.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Isaiah pronounced woe on those who went down to Egypt and trusted in horses instead of seeking the LORD.
- Ezekiel 29:6-7 (BSB)“Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel. When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.”Later the LORD likens Egypt to a flimsy reed that gave way and injured Israel when they relied on it, confirming that Egypt’s help would fail.
Theological
What act constituted the king’s rebellion against Babylon in the interpretation (17:15)?
Answer: He sent envoys to Egypt asking for horses and an army
The vassal king broke faith by sending envoys to Egypt seeking horses and a great force (17:15), and the LORD’s questions make clear that covenant-breaking will not go unpunished: death awaits him in the realm of the monarch who installed him (17:16). Pharaoh’s vast forces will not save him in the siege (17:17), for he pledged himself and then despised the oath (17:18). The sin was not only political folly but a failure of faith, the reliance on Egyptian horses that Isaiah condemned (Isaiah 31:1); Egypt would prove a reed that splinters under those who lean on it (Ezekiel 29:6-7).
- Ezekiel 17:15 (BSB)“But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’”The king rebels against Babylon by seeking horses and troops from Egypt.
- Ezekiel 17:17-18 (BSB)“Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’”Egypt’s great forces will be no use to him in the siege, for he scorned his sworn pledge and broke the covenant.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Isaiah pronounced woe on those who went down to Egypt and trusted in horses instead of seeking the LORD.
- Ezekiel 29:6-7 (BSB)“Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel. When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.”Later the LORD likens Egypt to a flimsy reed that gave way and injured Israel when they relied on it, confirming that Egypt’s help would fail.
General
What does the LORD Himself promise to do with a tender sprig taken from the cedar’s highest growth (17:22-23)?
Answer: Plant it on Israel’s high mountain to become a great cedar
After the judgment, the LORD gives a promise. This time God Himself, not a foreign king, takes a young shoot from the cedar’s crown, the royal line, and plants it on a lofty mountain in Israel (17:22). There it will grow branches and fruit until it is a splendid cedar, and all sorts of birds will find shelter under it (17:23). Other prophets also speak of a new shoot from David’s family (Isaiah 11:1) and a righteous Branch who will reign as King (Jeremiah 23:5). Many Christians have seen this promise fulfilled in Christ and His kingdom, and Jesus used a related picture of God’s kingdom growing from a tiny seed until birds shelter in it (Mark 4:30-32).
- Ezekiel 17:22-23 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set it out. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.”The LORD Himself will plant a tender sprig on Israel’s high mountain, where it will grow into a splendid cedar that shelters every kind of bird.
- Isaiah 11:1 (BSB)“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.”Isaiah also pictures a new shoot from the royal line of Jesse bearing fruit.
- Jeremiah 23:5 (BSB)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”Jeremiah promises a righteous Branch raised up for David who will reign as King.
- Mark 4:30-32 (BSB)“Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.””Jesus likens God’s kingdom to a tiny seed that grows into a great plant where birds find shelter, a related image of growth and refuge.
Theological
What future act does the LORD announce concerning a sprig from the cedar’s top (17:22-23)?
Answer: Plant it on Israel’s high mountain to become a great cedar
The oracle turns from judgment to promise. Where Babylon’s king had broken off the cedar’s top, the LORD Himself now takes a tender shoot from the royal line and plants it on the lofty mountain of Israel (17:22), where it grows into a majestic cedar sheltering all kinds of birds (17:23). The image belongs with the prophetic hope of a shoot from Jesse (Isaiah 11:1) and a righteous Branch for David (Jeremiah 23:5). Many Christians have seen here the messianic kingdom of Christ, and Jesus’ parable of God’s kingdom growing from a tiny seed until birds shelter in it offers a related image (Mark 4:30-32). The initiative is entirely God’s.
- Ezekiel 17:22-23 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set it out. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.”The LORD Himself will plant a tender sprig on Israel’s high mountain, where it will grow into a splendid cedar that shelters every kind of bird.
- Isaiah 11:1 (BSB)“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.”Isaiah also pictures a new shoot from the royal line of Jesse bearing fruit.
- Jeremiah 23:5 (BSB)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”Jeremiah promises a righteous Branch raised up for David who will reign as King.
- Mark 4:30-32 (BSB)“Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.””Jesus likens God’s kingdom to a tiny seed that grows into a great plant where birds find shelter, a related image of growth and refuge.
General
True or False: The vine turned its roots and branches toward a second great eagle, even though it was already planted where it could thrive.
Answer: True
This is true. A second great eagle appears, and the vine stretches its roots and branches toward it, hoping to be watered by it (17:7). Yet the vine had already been set in good ground beside plenty of water, where it could produce branches and fruit and grow into a fine vine (17:8). The LORD asks whether such a vine can prosper and answers that it will be pulled up, lose its fruit, and dry up once the east wind hits it (17:9-10). The explanation comes later: the vine’s turning pictures the king reaching out to Egypt for aid (17:15), the kind of trust in Egypt that Isaiah also warned would end in shame (Isaiah 30:2-3).
- Ezekiel 17:7-8 (BSB)“But there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him. It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed, so that he might water it. It had been planted in good soil by abundant waters in order to yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’”The vine reaches its roots and branches toward a second eagle, although it was already planted where it could thrive.
- Ezekiel 17:9-10 (BSB)“So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Will it flourish? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it shrivels? All its foliage will wither! It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by its roots. Even if it is transplanted, will it flourish? Will it not completely wither when the east wind strikes? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’””The LORD asks whether such a vine will flourish and answers that it will be uprooted and wither under the east wind.
- Ezekiel 17:15 (BSB)“But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’”The interpretation explains the vine’s turning as the king sending envoys to Egypt for help.
- Isaiah 30:2-3 (BSB)“They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.”Isaiah warned that seeking shelter under Pharaoh instead of asking the LORD would end in shame, the same folly pictured here.
Theological
True or False: The vine bent toward a second eagle although its first planting already gave it everything it needed to flourish.
Answer: True
This is true. The vine turns its roots and branches toward a second great eagle to be watered by it (17:7), even though it already stood in fertile, well-watered ground where it could have flourished (17:8). The LORD’s rhetorical questions announce its fate: uprooted, stripped of fruit, and withered by the east wind on the very bed where it grew (17:9-10). The interpretation identifies this turning as the king’s appeal to Egypt (17:15), the same misplaced reliance on Pharaoh that Isaiah condemned as a refuge that would become disgrace (Isaiah 30:2-3).
- Ezekiel 17:7-8 (BSB)“But there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him. It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed, so that he might water it. It had been planted in good soil by abundant waters in order to yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’”The vine reaches its roots and branches toward a second eagle, although it was already planted where it could thrive.
- Ezekiel 17:9-10 (BSB)“So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Will it flourish? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it shrivels? All its foliage will wither! It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by its roots. Even if it is transplanted, will it flourish? Will it not completely wither when the east wind strikes? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’””The LORD asks whether such a vine will flourish and answers that it will be uprooted and wither under the east wind.
- Ezekiel 17:15 (BSB)“But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’”The interpretation explains the vine’s turning as the king sending envoys to Egypt for help.
- Isaiah 30:2-3 (BSB)“They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.”Isaiah warned that seeking shelter under Pharaoh instead of asking the LORD would end in shame, the same folly pictured here.