Major Prophets · Chapter 17 of 48

Ezekiel 17

God gives a riddle of two great eagles and a vine. The first eagle takes the cedar's top and plants a low vine; the vine bends toward a second eagle for water and so withers. It pictures Babylon, Zedekiah's broken oath, and futile trust in Egypt. Yet God promises to take a tender twig from the high cedar and plant it on Israel's mountain, a goodly tree sheltering every bird.

What happens in Ezekiel 17

God tells Ezekiel to pose a riddle and parable. A great eagle crops the cedar's highest branch and carries it to a city of merchants; it also plants a seed that grows into a low, spreading vine. But a second great eagle appears, and the vine bends its roots toward it, reaching for water. God asks whether it will prosper, then answers that it will be plucked up and wither by the east wind. He interprets: Babylon's king took Jerusalem's king, made a covenant with a puppet king, who then rebelled by seeking horses from Egypt.

Because he despised the oath and broke the covenant, he will die in Babylon; Pharaoh's army will not save him. Then God adds a promise of His own: He will take a tender twig from the highest cedar and plant it on a high mountain in Israel, where it will bear fruit and become a great tree sheltering all birds.

Ezekiel 17 in context

The riddle allegorizes recent history. The first eagle is Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who deported King Jehoiachin, the cedar's top, in 597 BC and installed Zedekiah as a vassal under oath. Zedekiah rebelled, appealing to Egypt, the second eagle, for military aid.

Ezekiel condemns this treaty-breaking as covenant treachery against God Himself. Verses 22 to 24 turn from judgment to a messianic promise: God will plant His own tender shoot to become a sheltering kingdom.

Main themes of Ezekiel 17

Ezekiel 17 (KJV)

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: 4He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. 5He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. 6And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 7There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. 8It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. 10Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; 13And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: 14That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? 16As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: 18Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. 19Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. 20And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 21And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it. 22Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: 23In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. 24And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD 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 the LORD have spoken and have done it.

Verses to carry from Ezekiel 17

“But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?”Ezekiel 17:15

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:”Ezekiel 17:22

“In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.”Ezekiel 17:23

Reflection

Where are you tempted to bend toward the world's powers for the security only God can give? The vine that reached for Egypt withered. Yet the chapter ends with God planting His own tender shoot, a kingdom that shelters all who come. Trust the King God raised where every human ruler failed.

A prayer from Ezekiel 17