Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 17

Verses 1-24

Commanded by Jehovah, the prophet then put forth a riddle. A great eagle came on Lebanon, and took off the top of the cedar, planting the young twigs in a land of traffic, a city of merchants. Moreover, he carried away the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil, where it became a spreading vine. There was also another great eagle toward which the vine bent its roots, that he might water it. For this act of treachery the vine was denounced by command of Jehovah. Its judgment was that it should be plucked up by the roots, and be withered by the east wind.

The riddle was then explained. The first eagle was the king of Babylon, who carried away the king of Jerusalem, and planted the seed royal in Babylon. The second eagle was the king of Egypt, whose help Zedekiah sought, who, in consequence, was punished by Jehovah. The riddle ended with the promise of Jehovah that ultimately He would plant again a cedar in the mountain height of Israel, as a result of which there would be universal recognition of the activity of Jehovah. The paragraph every remarkably sets forth that the government of God is established over all the nations and operates through all their operations.