Ezekiel 17
17
Parable of the Eagles and the Vine
1Yahweh spoke to me again, saying, 2“Son of man, propose this riddle to Israel, and speak this parable # 17:2 There is a play on words in the Hebrew. The words for “speak” and “parable” come from the same Hebrew triliteral root word. to the people. 3Tell them to guess the meaning of what I, Yahweh, have to say to them:
“There once was this great eagle with huge wings,
whose wingspan was very wide,
with many beautiful colored feathers around its head.
One day he came to the Lebanon Mountains,
and taking a new branch of a cedar tree,
4he broke it off and carried it off to a land of traders.
He planted it there in a city of merchants.
5Next, he took a young seedling from the land
and planted it in a fertile field.
He placed it like a willow tree
by the side of a flowing stream.
6The young plant sprouted until it became a low spreading vine.
Its branches grew up toward the great eagle, # 17:6 The “great eagle,” the king of birds, represents King Nebuchadnezzar, whose power (wings) extended over a large area. He deported King Jehoiachin and put Zedekiah on the throne in 597 BC.
and its roots grew down deep into the soil.
So, it became a vine,
branching out and sprouting new shoots.
7But another great eagle # 17:7 This second great eagle is Egypt. King Zedekiah trusted in vain for Egypt’s help against the Babylonian invaders. appeared
with huge wings and many feathers around its head.
And soon the vine bent its roots toward him
and stretched its branches toward this eagle
from the place where it was planted,
expecting this eagle to nourish it.
8The vine was planted in good soil,
by the side of a generous stream # 17:8 See Jer. 51:13.
so that the vine could branch out,
bear fruit, and become a wonderful vine.
9So I, Lord Yahweh, ask you:
Will the vine thrive?
Will not the first eagle come and tear out its roots?
Will it not strip off its grapes
so that all its foliage withers?
Then, even weak ones could easily uproot it!
10Yes, it is planted—but will it thrive?
Will it not shrivel up when the east wind # 17:10 That is, the Babylonian armies. blows?
Will it not wither in the fertile soil where it had grown?”
Yahweh Unlocks His Riddle
11Then Yahweh spoke to me again, saying, 12“Ask that tribe of rebels if they know the meaning of my parable. Tell them: ‘Listen, the king of Babylon swooped into Jerusalem. Then he carried away the king and top officials and took them off to Babylon. # 17:12 See 2 Kings 24:10–17. Babylon and Egypt (see Ezek. 17:17) also represent spiritual forces that affect the growth and advance of the church today. We, too, are a vine, a low spreading vine that is meant to bear much fruit in our union with Christ (see v. 6; John 15). Babylon pictures the world system, and Egypt pictures leaning on the strength of man (the flesh). We need to be set free from our captivity to the world and our trust in man. 13He took one from the royal family # 17:13 That is, Zedekiah, who was the uncle of King Jehoiachin of Judah. and made a treaty with him, forcing him to swear an oath of allegiance to him. He also carried off to Babylon the leading men of Israel 14so that their kingdom would be humbled and not rise again and to ensure that the treaty would be kept. # 17:14 Or “surviving only by keeping his treaty.” 15But he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and sent envoys to Egypt to procure himself horses and a large army. Will he get away with that? Will a man who has done this go unpunished? Will he break the treaty and still escape? 16As surely as I, Lord Yahweh, live, this king will die in Babylon! He will die in the country of the king who put him on the throne, because he despised his oath and broke the treaty he had made. 17Despite Pharaoh’s mighty army and numerous troops, he will not be able to save him in war. When the Babylonians build siege ramps and wooden towers to kill many in the city, the Egyptians will not lift a finger to help! 18For he despised his oath by breaking the treaty to which he had pledged himself, and he will not go unpunished.
19“ ‘Therefore, I, Lord Yahweh, decree, as surely as I live, I swear it. It was my oath that he has despised and my treaty which he has broken. I will punish him for this! 20I will throw my net over him and trap him in it. I will take him to Babylon and render judgment against him there for all the wicked things he did against me. # 17:20 See Ezek. 12:13. 21All his elite troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. And then you will know that I, Yahweh, have decreed it.’ ”
Parable of the Cedar Tree
22Lord Yahweh says:
“I will take the highest branch from a cedar tree.
I will break off from the very top a tender shoot
and plant it myself on a high and lofty mountain.
23I will plant it on the highest mountain in Israel,
where it will put out branches and bear fruit # 17:23 See John 15:1–16; Gal. 5:22–23.
and grow into a stately cedar tree. # 17:23 This image is similar to the one in vv. 3–4, except here it is God, not an eagle, who takes the top cedar branch and plants it. This is a parable of God restoring the kingdom of Israel (cedar tree) and giving hope to his people once again.
Every kind of bird will find a home in it. # 17:23 Or “live beneath it.” See Ezek. 31:6; Matt. 13:32.
Yes, in the shade of its branches the birds will make their nests.
24And all the trees of the field # 17:24 That is, the nations of the earth. will know that I, Yahweh, am the one
who brings the tall tree low and raises the low tree high,
who withers the green tree and makes the withered tree sprout again. # 17:24 Both humiliation and exaltation are the work of the sovereign God. He will humble the proud and give grace to the humble. See also 1 Sam. 2:7; Pss. 18:27; 75:8; 147:6; Prov. 3:34; James 4:6.
I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it!”
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Ezekiel 17: TPT
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