Ezekiel 17:18

18 because he despised the oath by breaking the covenant to which he had sworn allegiance; having done all these things, he will not escape unpunished.'

Ezekiel 17:18 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 17:18

Seeing he despised the oath, by breaking the covenant
This is repeated again, to show the heinousness of the sin Zedekiah had been guilty of, and what was the cause of his ruin: when, lo, he had given his hand;
to the king of Babylon, to testify his hearty agreement with him, and that he might depend upon the oath and covenant being sacredly observed by him. This was a rite for custom frequently and early used in different nations, when covenants and agreements were entered into; we find it used in the times of Homer {z}; and among the Romans. When Antoninus, Lepidus, and Octavius made peace, the historian says ^F1, they joined their hands together. Virgil

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 speaks of the same ceremony used by Anchises to Achaemenides, for confirmation of friendship. Though some understand this of his giving the hand to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and entering into an alliance with him, and broke the covenant and oath made to the king of Babylon; and so the Targum,

``and, lo, he stretched out his hand to Pharaoh:''

and hath done all these [things];
been guilty of such and so many crimes, as ingratitude, perjury, covenant breaking, and vain confidence: he shall not escape;
divine vengeance, just and proper punishment for his sins.
F26 (ceirav t' allhlwn labethn kai pistwsate) , Iliad. 6.
F1 Florus, Hist. Rom. Gest. l. 4. c. 5.
F2 "Ipse pater dextram Anchises, haud malta moratur, Dat juveni atque animum praesenti pignore firmat". Aeneid. l. 3. prope finem.

Ezekiel 17:18 In-Context

16 "'As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'in the place where the king who gave him his throne lives, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, there with him in Bavel I swear that he will die.

17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and numerous troops will give him no help in the war, when they raise siege-works and build fortified towers to destroy many people;

18 because he despised the oath by breaking the covenant to which he had sworn allegiance; having done all these things, he will not escape unpunished.'

19 Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says: 'As I live, I swear that it is my oath he has despised and my covenant he has broken, and I will bring this on his own head.

20 I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Bavel and bring him to judgment there for breaking faith with me.