Ezekiel 17:13

13 And he taketh of the seed of the kingdom, And maketh with him a covenant, And bringeth him in to an oath, And the mighty of the land he hath taken,

Ezekiel 17:13 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 17:13

And hath taken of the king's seed
One of the royal family, signified by the seed of the land, ( Ezekiel 17:5 ) . Mattaniah, son of King Josiah, and uncle to King Jeconiah; whom Nebuchadnezzar took and made king of Judea, and called him Zedekiah, which signifies the "justice of the Lord": to put him in mind of doing justly, by observing the covenant and oath after mentioned, or that he must expect vengeance: and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him;
he gave him the throne and kingdom upon certain conditions to be performed, and for the perform once of which he made him swear by the God of Israel; see ( 2 Chronicles 36:13 ) ; he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
or, "the rams of the land" {x}; the principal men of it for wisdom, riches, and valour, the princes and nobles of it; which he did, as to weaken the nation, that it might not be so capable of rebelling against him, so to be hostages for the performance of the covenant entered into; and this is meant by planting the seed with circumspection, ( Ezekiel 17:5 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (Urah ylya) "arietes terrae", Montanus.

Ezekiel 17:13 In-Context

11 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:

12 `Say, I pray thee, to the rebellious house, Have ye not known what these [are]? Say, Lo, come hath the king of Babylon to Jerusalem, And he taketh its king, and its princes, And bringeth them to himself to Babylon.

13 And he taketh of the seed of the kingdom, And maketh with him a covenant, And bringeth him in to an oath, And the mighty of the land he hath taken,

14 That the kingdom may be humble, That it may not lift itself up, To keep his covenant -- that it may stand.

15 And he rebelleth against him, To send his messengers to Egypt, To give to him horses, and much people, Doth he prosper? doth he escape who is doing these things? And hath he broken covenant and escaped?