Introduction
8. The riddle and parable of the two eagles ch. 17
This message addressed another objection to the destruction of Jerusalem that the exiles entertained. The preceding parable placed much emphasis on Jerusalem’s long history of unfaithfulness to the Lord’s marriage covenant with her. Was the Lord fair in destroying Jerusalem now since former generations of Judahites had been unfaithful? The present fable clarified that Judah’s recent leaders were also unfaithful and worthy of divine judgment. See 2 Kings 24:6-20; 2 Chronicles 36:8-16; and Jeremiah 37 and Jeremiah 52:1-7 for the historical background of the events described in this riddle.
". . . what Ezekiel’s pantomime [the sign of the departing deportee, Ezekiel 12:1-16] was to drama, this figure is to rhetoric. Both involve caricature-the first in the form of a dramatic presentation, the second as a literary cartoon-and both require interpretation." [Note: Block, The Book . . ., p. 523.]
"There is obvious logic in the movement of the theme through four distinct stages, each involving a new plane of action: (1) an imaginative fabulous image [Ezekiel 17:1-10]; (2) a historical interpretation of the fable (Ezekiel 17:11-18); (3) a theological interpretation of the historical events (Ezekiel 17:19-21); (4) a theological portrayal of the future (Ezekiel 17:22-24)." [Note: Ibid., p. 526.]
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