Ezekiel 19

Lament for the Princes of Israel

1 "As for you, take up a ¹lamentation for the ²princes 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 ³brought 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.

6 'And he ⁴walked about among the lions; He became a young lion, He learned to tear his prey; He devoured men.

7 'He destroyed their fortified towers And laid waste their cities; And the land and its fullness were appalled Because of the sound of his roaring.

8 'Then ⁵nations set against him On every side from their provinces, And they spread their net over him; He was captured in their pit.

9 '⁶They put him in a cage with hooks And ⁷brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in hunting nets So that his voice would be heard no more On the mountains of Israel.

10 'Your mother was ⁸like a vine in your vineyard, Planted by the waters; It was fruitful and full of branches Because of abundant waters.

11 'And it had ⁹strong branches fit for scepters of rulers, And its ¹⁰height was raised above * the clouds So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.

12 'But it was ¹¹plucked up in fury; It was ¹²cast down to the ground; And the ¹³east wind dried up its fruit. Its ¹⁴strong branch was torn off So that it withered; The fire consumed it.

13 'And now it is planted in the ¹⁵wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land.

14 'And ¹⁶fire has gone out from its branch; It has consumed its shoots and fruit, So that there is not in it a strong branch, A scepter to rule.' " This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

Ezekiel 19 Commentary

Chapter 19

A parable lamenting the ruin of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim. (1-9) Another describing the desolation of the people. (10-14)

Verses 1-9 Ezekiel is to compare the kingdom of Judah to a lioness. He must compare the kings of Judah to a lion's whelps; they were cruel and oppressive to their own subjects. The righteousness of God is to be acknowledged, when those who have terrified and enslaved others, are themselves terrified and enslaved. When professors of religion form connexions with ungodly persons, their children usually grow up following after the maxims and fashions of a wicked world. Advancement to authority discovers the ambition and selfishness of men's hearts; and those who spend their lives in mischief, generally end them by violence.

Verses 10-14 Jerusalem was a vine, flourishing and fruitful. This vine is now destroyed, though not plucked up by the roots. She has by wickedness made herself like tinder to the sparks of God's wrath, so that her own branches serve as fuel to burn her. Blessed be God, one Branch of the vine here alluded to, is not only become a strong rod for the sceptre of those that rule, but is Himself the true and living Vine. This shall be for a rejoicing to all the chosen people of God throughout all generations.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 2:10; Ezekiel 19:14
• 2. 2 Kin 23:29, 30, 34; 2 Kings 24:6, 12; 2 Kings 25:5-7
• 3. 2 Kings 23:34; 2 Chronicles 36:4, 6
• 4. 2 Kings 24:9; 2 Chronicles 36:9
• 5. 2 Kings 24:11
• 6. 2 Chronicles 36:6
• 7. 2 Kings 24:15
• 8. Psalms 80:8-11
• 9. Psalms 80:15
• 10. Ezekiel 31:3
• 11. Jeremiah 31:28
• 12. Lamentations 2:1; Ezekiel 28:17
• 13. Ezekiel 17:10; Hosea 13:15
• 14. Isaiah 27:11; Ezekiel 19:11
• 15. 2 Kings 24:12-16; Ezekiel 19:10; Ezekiel 20:35; Hosea 2:3
• 16. Ezekiel 15:4; Ezekiel 20:47, 48

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "Why did your mother, a lioness, lie down among lions; among young lions rear her cubs?"
• [b]. Lit "one"
• [c]. So Targum; M.T. "knew"
• [d]. Or "widows"
• [e]. So with some ancient mss; M.T. "blood"
• [f]. Lit "rods of strength"
• [g]. Lit "rods of her strength"
• [h]. So Gr; M.T. "they were"
• [i]. So Gr; M.T. "they"
• [j]. Lit "rod of strength"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 19

The subject matter of this chapter is a lamentation for the princes and people of the Jews, on account of what had already befallen them, and what was yet to come, Eze 19:1. The mother of the princes is compared to a lioness, and they to lions; who, one after another, were taken and carried captive, Eze 19:2-9; again, their mother is compared to a vine, and they to branches and rods for sceptres, destroyed by an east wind, and consumed by fire, Eze 19:10-14.