Ezekiel 17:3-4

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 17:3

And say, thus saith the Lord God ,.... The riddle is not the prophet's, nor the parable his, but the Lord God's; and exceeding beautiful and apt it is, to signify the things designed by it; the wisdom of God is greatly displayed in it: a great eagle ; which is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, as it is explained, Ezekiel 17:12 ; who is compared to an eagle for his power and authority, that being the king of birds, and for his swiftness and voracity in conquering and subduing kingdoms;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 17:4

He cropped off the top of his young twigs ,.... By which are meant the princes of the land, or the several branches of the royal family; the top of which was King Jeconiah, who was but young and tender, being but eighteen years of age when he began his reign, and this was within three months after; and who was no more able to withstand the force of the king of Babylon, than a tender twig so ravenous a bird as an eagle, 2 Kings 24:8 ; whose superior power and strength is signified by the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 17:3

A great eagle - Nebuchadnezzar. See Jeremiah 48:40 ; Jeremiah 49:22 ; Daniel 7:4 . And see here, Daniel 7:12 , where it is so applied. Great wings - Extensive empire. Long-winged - Rapid in his conquests. Full of feathers - Having multitudes of subjects. Divers colors - People of various nations. Came unto Lebanon - Came against Judea. The highest branch - King Jehoiachin he took captive to Babylon. The cedar - The Jewish state and king. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 17:4

The top of his young twigs - The princes of Judah. A land of traffic - Chaldea. A city of merchants - Babylon; for which this city was the most celebrated of all the cities of the east. Its situation procured it innumerable advantages; its two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Persian Gulf, gave it communication with the richest and the most distant nations. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 17:3

Verse 3 Here the Prophet reasons from the greater to the less: for if Nebuchadnezzar was able to subdue the whole kingdom with ease, when as yet the Jews were untouched, how much more readily would he overthrow them when wretched and all but ruined: for nothing remained which was not threatened with ruin; and this is the meaning of the Prophet. But he compares King Nebuchadnezzar to an eagle, whom he says was great, and then with large or extended wings. There is no doubt that by wings,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 17:4

Verse 4 WE began yesterday to explain the saying of the Prophet, that an eagle came to mount Lebanon, and there cropped off the top of a cedar, that is, the highest bough. Some interpreters seem to me to labor in vain about the word Lebanon. They think it means Jerusalem, and cite the passage in Zechariah where it is said, Open thy gates, O Lebanon. (Zechariah 11:1.) But Zecharia does not speak of the city here, but of the temple, because it was built of a great mass of cedar. But here Ezekiel... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 17:1-21

The parable of the vine. Sin of every sort has a baneful power of blinding the mind of the transgressor. The thief does not perceive the criminality of his act. He complains only of the law which is so severe. The drunkard does not perceive the culpability of his course. May he not order his life as he pleases? So is it in every case—even in the case of secret sin. The moral sense is blinded, infatuated, indurated. In all such instances some ingenious method is required to convince the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 17:1-21

A parabolic setting forth of the relations of Judah to Babylon and Egypt. "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable," etc. Let us notice— I. THE PARABLE AND ITS INTERPRETATION . It would be unwise to attempt to fix a definite meaning to every minute feature of the parable; and its chief features are interpreted for us by Ezekiel. The great eagle is intended to represent the King of Babylon, and, being a royal bird. it... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 17:3

The eagle with great wings and long pinions (Revised Version) probably the golden eagle, the largest species of the genus—stands for Nebuchadnezzar, as it does in Jeremiah 48:40 ; Jeremiah 49:22 . In Isaiah 46:11 the "ravenous bird" represents Cyrus. Possibly the eagle head of the Assyrian god Nisroch ( 2 Kings 19:37 ; Isaiah 37:38 ) may have impressed the symbolism on Ezekiel's mind. A doubtful etymology gives "the great eagle" as the meaning of Nisroch . The divers colours ... read more

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