Ezekiel 19:3

3 And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Ezekiel 19:3 In-Context

1 Take up now a song of grief for the ruler of Israel, and say,

2 What was your mother? Like a she-lion among lions, stretched out among the young lions she gave food to her little ones.

3 And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

4 And the nations had news of him; he was taken in the hole they had made: and, pulling him with hooks, they took him into the land of Egypt.

5 Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion.