Ezekiel 19

Ezekiel 19 belongs to the book's opening section of prophecies, which warn of Judah's destruction during the early years of the Babylonian exile. Chapter 18 declares that each person is responsible for his own sin. This chapter follows by portraying the fate of Judah's royal house in the form of a funeral song.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 God commands the prophet to take up a lament for the princes of Israel. Their mother is likened to a lioness who raises her cubs among lions.
• Verses 3–4 The first cub grows into a young lion and devours men. The nations catch him in their pit, put hooks in him, and bring him to the land of Egypt.
• Verses 5–9 Seeing that her hope is lost, the lioness raises another cub. This one lays waste palaces and destroys cities. The nations catch him with net and pit, put him in a cage of iron, bring him to the king of Babylon, and shut him up in prison, so that his voice is no longer heard on the mountains of Israel.
• Verses 10–14 The mother is now likened to a vine planted by the waters. Its branches were strong enough to become the scepters of rulers. But the vine is plucked up in fury, withered by the east wind, and planted in the wilderness. Fire goes out from one of its branches and consumes its fruit, so that no branch remains to serve as a scepter. The chapter closes with the words "This is a lamentation."

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 19:1 "Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel" — This establishes that the entire chapter is both prophecy and funeral song.
• Ezekiel 19:9 "that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel" — This shows that royal power has been completely cut off.
• Ezekiel 19:14 "so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule" — This sums up the reality that the Davidic dynasty has no one left to rule.

People and Places

• The princes of Israel: The text does not name them, but the context indicates the last kings of Judah.
• Ezekiel: The prophet who delivered this lament among the exiles in Babylon.
• Egypt: The place to which the first young lion was taken.
• Babylon: The place to which the second young lion was taken. "The king of Babylon" is commonly identified as Nebuchadnezzar.

Interpretive Considerations

The text does not say who the lions and branches are. The identifications below reflect interpretive tradition.

• The first cub: Generally identified as Jehoahaz, who was seized by the king of Egypt and carried off to Egypt (2 Kings 23:31–34).
• The second cub: Opinions are divided between Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.
• The mother lioness and the vine: Some interpret these as the nation of Judah or the royal house. Others identify the mother as Hamutal, the mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah.
• The fire in verse 14: Commonly read as meaning that Zedekiah's rebellion brought about the kingdom's destruction.

The chapter is said to be written in the meter characteristic of Hebrew laments. The lion imagery recalls Genesis 49:9, which likens Judah to a lion. In the New Testament, Revelation 5:5 calls Christ "the Lion of the tribe of Juda." The vine imagery is sometimes read alongside the vine passages of chapter 17, Isaiah 5, and John 15.