Ezekiel 19:3

3 'When she brought up one of her cubs, He became a lion, And he learned to tear his 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Ezekiel 19:3 In-Context

1 "As for you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel

2 and say, 'What was your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among young lions, She reared her cubs.

3 'When she brought up one of her cubs, He became a lion, And he learned to tear his prey; He devoured men.

4 'Then nations heard about him; He was captured in their pit, And they brought him with hooks To the land of Egypt.

5 'When she saw, as she waited, That her hope was lost, She took another of her cubs And made him a young lion.