Ezekiel 19:3

3 And she brought up one of her whelps; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men.

Ezekiel 19:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 19:3

And she brought up one of her whelps
Or sons, as the Targum: or, "made him to ascend" F20, as the word signifies; to mount the throne; this was Jehoahaz, whom the people of the land took and anointed him, and made him king in the stead of Josiah his father, ( 2 Kings 23:30 ) ; it become a young lion;
that is, a king, as the same Targum explains it, and a tyrannical and arbitrary one: and it learned to catch the prey;
being instructed by evil counsellors, he soon learned to oppress his subjects, to get their substance from them, and do many evil things, as he is said to do, ( 2 Kings 23:32 ) ; it devoured men;
or a man, Adam, the people of Israel, so called, ( Ezekiel 34:31 ) ; as the Jews frequently observe; it ate up and destroyed their liberties, privileges, and property.


FOOTNOTES:

F20 (letw) "et ascendere fecit", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version.

Ezekiel 19:3 In-Context

1 And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 and say: What a lioness was your mother among lions! She couched in the midst of young lions, rearing her whelps.
3 And she brought up one of her whelps; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men.
4 The nations sounded an alarm against him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 When she saw that she was baffled, that her hope was lost, she took another of her whelps and made him a young lion.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.