John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 17:2
Son of man, put forth a riddle ,.... A dark saying, but a smart one: "whet a whetting" F11 חוד חידה , Heb. "acue acumen", Piscator. , as in the Hebrew; something at first sight difficult to be understood, yet amusing and entertaining; and, when solved, very useful and instructive: and speak a parable unto the house of Israel ; or, "concerning the house of Israel" F12 אל בית ישראל "de domo Israelis", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus. ; as the Targum and Syriac... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 17:1-21
We must take all these verses together, that we may have the parable and the explanation of it at one view before us, because they will illustrate one another. 1. The prophet is appointed to put forth a riddle to the house of Israel (Ezek. 17:2), not to puzzle them, as Samson's riddle was put forth to the Philistines, not to hide the mind of God from them in obscurity, or to leave them in uncertainty about it, one advancing one conjecture and another another, as is usual in expounding riddles;... read more