Ezekiel 17 - Introduction
CHAPTER 17 THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT EAGLES AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE. God likens Babylon and Egypt to two great eagles having dealings with Israel and declares what their fate will be.... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER 17 THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT EAGLES AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE. God likens Babylon and Egypt to two great eagles having dealings with Israel and declares what their fate will be.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PARABLE OF THE TWO GREAT EAGLES. ‘And the word of Yahweh came to me saying.' Ezekiel was still under his vow of silence apart from when the word of Yahweh came to him. The people were slowly beginning to appreciate more and more that here was one who spoke from God.... [ Continue Reading ]
“Son of man, put forth a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.” What was to follow was a riddle to be solved and a parable, here a story with a hidden meaning (but which was to be explained), with an important message for the people of Israel.... [ Continue Reading ]
“And say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which was many-coloured, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it into a land of trading (cana‘an). He took it into a city of me... [ Continue Reading ]
“There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers, and behold this vine bent its roots towards him, and shot forth its branches towards him from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it. It was planted in a good field by many waters that it might bring forth branches,... [ Continue Reading ]
“You must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Will it prosper? Will he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit that it may wither, that all its fresh springing leaves may wither, even without great power and many people to pluck it up by its roots? Yes, behold, being planted will it prosper? Will... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PARABLE. ‘Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Say now to the rebellious house, Do you know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its princes and brought them to him in Babylon.” Once more the volunt... [ Continue Reading ]
“And he took of the royal seed and made a treaty (covenant) with him. He also brought him under an oath and took away the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his treaty (covenant) it might stand.”. Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jeho... [ Continue Reading ]
“But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people.” This verse hides a huge amount of intrigue between Jerusalem and Egypt. Who made the first contact we do not know, probably Egypt, seeking to foment trouble among the smaller states... [ Continue Reading ]
“Will he prosper? Will he escape who does such things? Will he break the covenant and yet escape? As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he will die.” The... [ Continue Reading ]
“Neither will Pharaoh and his mighty army and great company perform for him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build siege-walls to cut off many persons.” God's verdict on the Pharaoh and Egypt is that is that they will not be able to perform what they have promised when Jerusalem is besieged... [ Continue Reading ]
“For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he has given his hand, and yet has he done all these things. He will not escape.” The solemn nature of Zedekiah's vows is brought out, made ‘an oath' and ‘a treaty' and ‘gave his hand', all signs of fealty. There would seem to be i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, “As I live, surely my oath which he has despised, and my covenant which he has broken, will I even bring down on his own head.” Behind all that has been said, however, is the fact that Zedekiah and Judah had not only broken faith with Nebuchadnezzar, they had b... [ Continue Reading ]
“And I will spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.” Zedekiah's problem was that, because he had flagrantly disobeyed Yahweh, it was Yahweh who was against him. Thus as... [ Continue Reading ]
“And all his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered towards every wind, and you will know that I Yahweh have spoken it.” Those who followed Zedekiah would suffer similar fates. They would be hunted down, they would be slain with the sword, and the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it. I will crop off from the topmost of his young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and eminent mountain. In the mountain of the house of Israel will I plant it, and it will bring forth boughs,... [ Continue Reading ]
“And all the trees of the field will know that I Yahweh 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 Yahweh have spoken and have done it.” Some refer the high tree and the green tree to Assyria and Egypt, but in... [ Continue Reading ]