Ezekiel 17:2

2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.

Ezekiel 17:2 in Other Translations

2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

2 "Son of man, propound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;

2 “Son of man, give this riddle, and tell this story to the people of Israel.

2 "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story.

2 "Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 17:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 17:2

Son of man, put forth a riddle
A dark saying, but a smart one: "whet a whetting" ^F11, 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; as the Targum and Syriac version; something relating to them, and what would aptly describe and represent their case; for the prophet was bid to take such a method, not to hide things from them, but rather the more strongly to represent them to them; seeing hereby their attention would be excited, and things would be more fixed in their memories, and they would be put upon studying the meaning of them; and when explained to them, and understood, which was quickly done, they might be the more affected with them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (hdyx dwx) , Heb. "acue acumen", Piscator.
F12 (larvy tyb la) "de domo Israelis", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus.

Ezekiel 17:2 In-Context

1 The word of the LORD came to me:

2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.

3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,

4 he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

5 “ ‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,

Cross References

• 1. S Judges 14:12; S Ezekiel 20:49