Ezekiel 17

Ezekiel 1–24 collects prophecies of judgment against Judah delivered before the fall of Jerusalem, and chapter 17 belongs to this section. Following chapter 16, which likens Jerusalem to an unfaithful wife, chapter 17 uses a parable of eagles and trees to address the treachery of Judah's royal house.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 God commands Ezekiel, the son of man, to put forth a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.
• Verses 3–6 A great eagle breaks off the top of the highest branch of a cedar of Lebanon and carries it into a land of traffic. The eagle takes some of the seed of the land and plants it in a fruitful field, and the seed grows into a spreading vine of low stature.
• Verses 7–8 The vine bends its roots and shoots out its branches toward another great eagle so that it might be watered by it.
• Verses 9–10 The vine is declared to be doomed: it will be pulled up by the roots and will wither when the east wind strikes it.
• Verses 11–14 The interpretation of the parable follows. The king of Babylon carried away the king and princes of Jerusalem, then chose one of the royal family, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath.
• Verses 15–18 That king rebels by sending ambassadors to Egypt to obtain horses and troops, thereby breaking the covenant. He will die in Babylon, and Pharaoh's army will not help him.
• Verses 19–21 God declares that the king has despised "mine oath" and broken "my covenant," and that He will spread His net and snare to bring him to Babylon and plead with him there. His troops will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered.
• Verses 22–24 God Himself takes a tender twig from the top of a cedar and plants it on a high mountain of Israel, where it becomes a goodly cedar under which fowl of every wing dwell.

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 17:19 "Mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken." This verse reflects the view that even an oath sworn between human parties is made before God.
• Ezekiel 17:22 "I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it." Here the prophecy of judgment turns into a promise of restoration initiated by God.
• Ezekiel 17:24 "I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree." The chapter concludes by confessing God as the Lord of history.

People and Places

• Ezekiel: A prophet who ministered among the exiles in Babylon.
• The king of Babylon: Though unnamed in the text, he is understood to be Nebuchadnezzar. He corresponds to the first eagle.
• The king carried away: He corresponds to the topmost branch of the cedar and is understood to be Jehoiachin, who was taken to Babylon in 597 BC (2 Kings 24).
• Zedekiah: The last king of Judah, installed by the king of Babylon. He is regarded as "the seed of the land," that is, the vine.
• Pharaoh: The king of Egypt, understood to be the second eagle.
• Babylon: Interpreted as the place meant by the "land of traffic" in the text.
• Jerusalem: The capital of Judah.
• Egypt: The nation from which Zedekiah sought military aid.
• Lebanon: A mountainous region to the north, famous for its cedars. In this parable it is read as a figure for Jerusalem, the seat of the house of David.

Interpretive Considerations

• For verses 1–21, the text itself supplies an interpretation, so there is broad agreement about whom the eagles and the trees represent. Second Chronicles 36:13 likewise records that Nebuchadnezzar "had made him swear by God," referring to Zedekiah.
• Interpretations of the tender twig in verses 22–24 differ. Jewish tradition and Christian interpretation generally read it as a messianic prophecy pointing to a king who would come from David's line, that is, the Messiah. Christians connect it to Jesus Christ and treat it alongside the "Branch" prophecies of Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5. Some scholars hold that the passage refers more broadly to the restoration of the Davidic dynasty and of the people.
• The image of birds dwelling in the tree resembles the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:32), and the two passages are often discussed together.