Ezekiel 17:19

19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: '{As I live}, {surely} my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke I will return upon his head.

Ezekiel 17:19 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 17:19

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, [as] I live
A repetition of the oath of God as before, expressing his indignation at the king of Judah, and the certainty of his ruin: surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath
broken;
the Lord calls it his oath, because it was made and taken in his name, ( 2 Chronicles 36:13 ) ; and his covenant, because it was agreeable to his will, and was made in his sight, and he was solemnly appealed to at the making of it; all which were an aggravation of Zedekiah's sin in violating them, and made his punishment the heavier: even it will I recompense upon his own head;
he shall personally bear the punishment due to such crimes. The Targum is,

``I will revenge his way upon his head.''

Jarchi thinks this refers to the putting out of his eyes; and Kimchi takes notice of the same sense.

Ezekiel 17:19 In-Context

17 And not with a great army and with a great crowd will Pharaoh work with him in the war, at the pouring out of a siege ramp and the building of siege works to destroy many lives.

18 And he despised [the] oath to break covenant. And, look, he gave his hand [in pledge], and [yet] he did all of these [things]. He will not escape.'

19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: '{As I live}, {surely} my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke I will return upon his head.

20 And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net, and I will bring him [to] Babylon, and I will enter into judgment with him there [about] his infidelity that he displayed against me.

21 And all of his choice troops, among all of his troops, they will fall by the sword, and [those who] [are] remaining, they will be scattered to all [the directions of the] wind, and you will know that I, Yahweh, I have spoken.'

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "live I"
• [b] Literally "if not"