13 And now she is planted H8362 in the wilderness, H4057 in a dry H6723 and thirsty H6772 ground. H776
Because thou servedst H5647 not the LORD H3068 thy God H430 with joyfulness, H8057 and with gladness H2898 of heart, H3824 for the abundance H7230 of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve H5647 thine enemies H341 which the LORD H3068 shall send H7971 against thee, in hunger, H7458 and in thirst, H6772 and in nakedness, H5903 and in want H2640 of all things: and he shall put H5414 a yoke H5923 of iron H1270 upon thy neck, H6677 until he have destroyed H8045 thee.
And Jehoiachin H3078 the king H4428 of Judah H3063 went out H3318 to the king H4428 of Babylon, H894 he, and his mother, H517 and his servants, H5650 and his princes, H8269 and his officers: H5631 and the king H4428 of Babylon H894 took H3947 him in the eighth H8083 year H8141 of his reign. H4427 And he carried out H3318 thence all the treasures H214 of the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 and the treasures H214 of the king's H4428 house, H1004 and cut in pieces H7112 all the vessels H3627 of gold H2091 which Solomon H8010 king H4428 of Israel H3478 had made H6213 in the temple H1964 of the LORD, H3068 as the LORD H3068 had said. H1696 And he carried away H1540 all Jerusalem, H3389 and all the princes, H8269 and all the mighty men H1368 of valour, H2428 even ten H6235 thousand H505 captives, H1540 and all the craftsmen H2796 and smiths: H4525 none remained, H7604 save H2108 the poorest sort H1803 of the people H5971 of the land. H776 And he carried away H1540 Jehoiachin H3078 to Babylon, H894 and the king's H4428 mother, H517 and the king's H4428 wives, H802 and his officers, H5631 and the mighty H352 H193 of the land, H776 those carried H3212 he into captivity H1473 from Jerusalem H3389 to Babylon. H894 And all the men H582 of might, H2428 even seven H7651 thousand, H505 and craftsmen H2796 and smiths H4525 a thousand, H505 all that were strong H1368 and apt H6213 for war, H4421 even them the king H4428 of Babylon H894 brought H935 captive H1473 to Babylon. H894
And the king H4428 of Babylon H894 smote H5221 them, and put them to death H4191 in Riblah H7247 in the land H127 of Hamath. H2574 Thus Judah H3063 was carried away captive H1540 out of his own land. H776 This is the people H5971 whom Nebuchadrezzar H5019 carried away captive: H1540 in the seventh H7651 year H8141 three H7969 thousand H505 Jews H3064 and three H7969 and twenty: H6242 In the eighteenth H8083 H6240 year H8141 of Nebuchadrezzar H5019 he carried away captive H1540 from Jerusalem H3389 eight H8083 hundred H3967 thirty H7970 and two H8147 persons: H5315 In the three H7969 and twentieth H6242 year H8141 of Nebuchadrezzar H5019 Nebuzaradan H5018 the captain H7227 of the guard H2876 carried away captive H1540 of the Jews H3064 seven H7651 hundred H3967 forty H705 and five H2568 persons: H5315 all the persons H5315 were four H702 thousand H505 and six H8337 hundred. H3967 And it came to pass in the seven H7651 and thirtieth H7970 year H8141 of the captivity H1546 of Jehoiachin H3078 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 in the twelfth H8147 H6240 month, H2320 in the five H2568 and twentieth H6242 day of the month, H2320 that Evilmerodach H192 king H4428 of Babylon H894 in the first year H8141 of his reign H4438 lifted up H5375 the head H7218 of Jehoiachin H3078 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 and brought him forth H3318 out of prison, H1004 H3628
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 19
Commentary on Ezekiel 19 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 19
Eze 19:1-14. Elegy over the Fall of David's House.
There is a tacit antithesis between this lamentation and that of the Jews for their own miseries, into the causes of which, however, they did not inquire.
1. princes of Israel—that is, Judah, whose "princes" alone were recognized by prophecy; those of the ten tribes were, in respect to the theocracy, usurpers.
2. thy mother—the mother of Jehoiachin, the representative of David's line in exile with Ezekiel. The "mother" is Judea: "a lioness," as being fierce in catching prey (Eze 19:3), referring to her heathenish practices. Jerusalem was called Ariel (the lion of God) in a good sense (Isa 29:1); and Judah "a lion's whelp … a lion … an old lion" (Ge 49:9), to which, as also to Nu 23:24; 24:9, this passage alludes.
nourished … among young lions—She herself had "lain" among lions, that is, had intercourse with the corruptions of the surrounding heathen and had brought up the royal young ones similarly: utterly degenerate from the stock of Abraham.
Lay down—or "couched," is appropriate to the lion, the Arab name of which means "the coucher."
3. young lion—Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, carried captive from Riblah to Egypt by Pharaoh-necho (2Ki 23:33).
4. The nations—Egypt, in the case of Jehoahaz, who probably provoked Pharaoh by trying to avenge the death of his father by assailing the bordering cities of Egypt (2Ki 23:29, 30).
in their pit—image from the pitfalls used for catching wild beasts (Jer 22:11, 12).
chains—or hooks, which were fastened in the noses of wild beasts (see on Eze 19:9).
5. saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost—that is, that her long-waited-for hope was disappointed, Jehoahaz not being restored to her from Egypt.
she took another of her whelps—Jehoiakim, brother of Jehoahaz, who was placed on the throne by Pharaoh (2Ki 23:34), according to the wish of Judah.
6. went up and down among the lions—imitated the recklessness and tyranny of the surrounding kings (Jer 22:13-17).
catch … prey—to do evil, gratifying his lusts by oppression (2Ki 23:37).
7. knew … desolate palaces—that is, claimed as his own their palaces, which he then proceeded to "desolate." The Hebrew, literally "widows"; hence widowed palaces (Isa 13:22). Vatablus (whom Fairbairn follows) explains it, "He knew (carnally) the widows of those whom he devoured" (Eze 19:6). But thus the metaphor and the literal reality would be blended: the lion being represented as knowing widows. The reality, however, often elsewhere thus breaks through the veil.
fulness thereof—all that it contained; its inhabitants.
8. the nations—the Chaldeans, Syrians, Moab, and Ammon (2Ki 24:2).
9. in chains—(2Ch 36:6; Jer 22:18). Margin, "hooks"; perhaps referring to the hook often passed through the nose of beasts; so, too, through that of captives, as seen in the Assyrian sculptures (see on Eze 19:4).
voice—that is, his roaring.
no more be heard upon the mountains—carrying on the metaphor of the lion, whose roaring on the mountains frightens all the other beasts. The insolence of the prince, not at all abated though his kingdom was impaired, was now to cease.
10. A new metaphor taken from the vine, the chief of the fruit-bearing trees, as the lion is of the beasts of prey (see Eze 17:6).
in thy blood—"planted when thou wast in thy blood," that is, in thy very infancy; as in Eze 16:6, when thou hadst just come from the womb, and hadst not yet the blood washed from thee. The Jews from the first were planted in Canaan to take root there [Calvin]. Grotius translates as the Margin, "in thy quietness," that is, in the period when Judah had not yet fallen into her present troubles. English Version is better. Glassius explains it well, retaining the metaphor, which Calvin's explanation breaks, "in the blood of thy grapes," that is, in her full strength, as the red wine is the strength of the grape. Ge 49:11 is evidently alluded to.
many waters—the well-watered land of Canaan (De 8:7-9).
11. strong rods—princes of the royal house of David. The vine shot forth her branches like so many scepters, not creeping lowly on the ground like many vines, but trained aloft on a tree or wall. The mention of their former royal dignity, contrasting sadly with her present sunken state, would remind the Jews of their sins whereby they had incurred such judgments.
stature—(Da 4:11).
among the thick branches—that is, the central stock or trunk of the tree shot up highest "among its own branches" or offshoots, surrounding it. Emblematic of the numbers and resources of the people. Hengstenberg translates, "among the clouds." But Eze 31:3, 10, 14, supports English Version.
12. plucked up—not gradually withered. The sudden upturning of the state was designed to awaken the Jews out of their torpor to see the hand of God in the national judgment.
east wind—(See on Eze 17:10).
13. planted—that is, transplanted. Though already "dried up" in regard to the nation generally, the vine is said to be "transplanted" as regards God's mercy to the remnant in Babylon.
dry … ground—Chaldea was well-watered and fertile; but it is the condition of the captive people, not that of the land, which is referred to.
14. fire … out of a rod of her branches—The Jews' disaster was to be ascribed, not so much to the Chaldeans as to themselves; the "fire out of the rod" is God's wrath kindled by the perjury of Zedekiah (Eze 17:18). "The anger of the Lord" against Judah is specified as the cause why Zedekiah was permitted to rebel against Babylon (2Ki 24:20; compare Jud 9:15), thus bringing Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem.
no strong rod … sceptre to rule—No more kings of David's stock are now to rule the nation. Not at least until "the Lord shall send the rod of His strength ("Messiah," Ps 110:2; Isa 11:1) out of Zion," to reign first as a spiritual, then hereafter as a literal king.
is … and shall be for a lamentation—Part of the lamentation (that as to Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim) was matter of history as already accomplished; part (as to Zedekiah) was yet to be fulfilled; or, this prophecy both is a subject for lamentation, and shall be so to distant posterity.