Ezekiel 19

Ezekiel 19 BITTER DIRGESEze 19:1-14 In Ezekiel 11:19 God gives the new heart and spirit. Here they must make it for themselves. In ch 19 Ezekiel becomes a sympathetic mourner. God is grieved over the impending fate of Jerusalem. Ezekiel is told to give vent to his emotions as a means of illustrating the divine agony. The dirge falls into two sections: Ezekiel 19:1-9 lament the fate of Judah’ s last kings; vv 10-14 bewail the fall of Jerusalem.DIRGE OVER JUDAH’ S KINGS Ezekiel 19:1-9 As for you, take up a lamentation concerning the princes of Israel… Some may have trusted in the wisdom of their national leaders to extricate Judah from iron grip of Babylon. Ezekiel responded to such misplaced trust with a lament (qina), i.e., funeral dirge, for the princes (i.e., kings) of Israel (Ezekiel 19:1). The fates of the three sons of godly King Josiah— Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim (plus his son Jehoiachin) and Zedekiah— are mentioned. First Whelp (Ezekiel 19:1-4) The lioness (Ezekiel 19:2): and say, How your mother was a lioness! Among the lions she crouched: in the midst of the young lions she reared her whelps! The house of David is the mother of these princes. She is compared to a lioness because the tribe of Judah in general (cf. Genesis 49:9), and the family of David in particular, were symbolized by a lion. As long as Judah remained faithful to the Lord, she dwelt securely and fearlessly among the young lions, i.e., surrounding nations. The period of King Josiah is in view. Tiny Judah was independent and prosperous during the reign of this godly king. The reign of the young lion (Ezekiel 19:3): She brought up one of her whelps. He became a young lion. He learned to tear the prey. He devoured men. The royal lioness (house of David) reared up one of her whelps to become a young lion. The reference here is to Jehoahaz who became king of Judah at the age of twenty-three when his father was slain by Pharaoh Neco in the battle of Megiddo (cf. 2 Kings 23:31 ff.). As a young lion Jehoahaz learned to catch prey, i.e., to have hostile relations with other nations. He devoured men, i.e., he ventured to war. The implication is that Jehoahaz was hostile to Neco of Egypt. Capture of the young lion (Ezekiel 19:4): Then nations assembled against him. He was taken in their pit. They brought him by hooks into the land of Egypt. The nations, i.e., Egypt and her vassal states, listened unto him, i.e., took up the challenge that he hurled at them. The young lion was lured to the pit, and captured therein. He was bound in fetters and taken to Egypt (v 4). The allusion is to the capture of Jehoahaz by Pharaoh Neco in 609 B.C. (2 Kings 23:33). Second Whelp (Ezekiel 19:5-9)

Reign of the second young lion (Ezekiel 19:5-7) His power (Ezekiel 19:5-6): Now when she saw that, she was disappointed. Her hope was lost. Then she took one of her whelps, and made him a young lion. (Ezekiel 19:6) He went to andfro in the midst of the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to tear prey, he devoured men. When the lioness (Davidic dynasty) saw that Jehoahaz had been deported, she was disappointed. She took another of her whelps and trained him to be a young lion (Ezekiel 19:5). He took his place among the other lions (kings). He quickly learned the ruthless conduct that oriental kings manifested (Ezekiel 19:6). His ruthlessness (Ezekiel 19:7): He knew their widows. He laid waste their cities. The land and its fullness was desolate because of the noise of his roaring. Because of his misrule, he knew their widows, i.e., he caused many women to lose their husbands and sons. Because of his boisterousness (noise of his roaring), he brought destruction and desolation upon his land. Did Ezekiel have in mind Jehoiakim who ruled Judah from 605-598 B.C., or his son Jehoiachin who ruled but for three months early in 597 B.C.? Jewish commentators generally prefer the former, modern commentators the latter. Some details of the allegory seem to fit best the one, and some seem to point to the other. On the whole, however, the Jehoiachin interpretation is superior. Capture of the second young lion (Ezekiel 19:8-9): Then the nations cried out against him, round about from provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit. (Ezekiel 19:9) They put him in a cage with hooks. They brought him unto the king of Babylon. They brought him into strongholds so that his voice might not be heard again upon the mountains of Israel. The nations led by Nebuchadnezzar attacked the kingdom of Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. The young king was taken captive (Ezekiel 19:8). He was brought before the king of Babylon. Thus did his rule over Judah come to an end. The growl of this young lion was no longer heard in the land (Ezekiel 19:9). DIRGE OVER JUDAH’ S Ezekiel 19:10-14 The Vine in its Glory (Ezekiel 19:10-11): Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by waters. She was fruitful and full of branches because of much water. (Ezekiel 19:11) She had strong rods to be scepters for rulers. Her height was exalted among the branches. She was in her height, in the multitude of her tendrils. The figure changes in Ezekiel 19:10. The mother is now the state of Judah, and she is compared to a vine rather than a lioness.

The vine had its blood, i.e., sap, and was full of vigor. Because this vine was planted near abundant water, the vine was fruitful (Ezekiel 19:10). The allusion is to former days when the nation prospered under the rule of righteous kings. The vine put forth strong rods— strong and resolute kings who ruled over the nation. Among the other thick branches (prosperous nations), Judah had a position of honor (Ezekiel 19:11). The Vine Plucked up (Ezekiel 19:12): But she was plucked up in fury. She was cast down to the ground. The east wind dried up her fruit. Her strong rod was broken and withered. The fire consumed her. Judah the exalted vine was plucked up and cast down to the ground. The present lowly position of the nation could only be due to divine determination. The east wind (Nebuchadnezzar and his armies) dried up the fruit of that ignoble vine. Enormous tribute to Babylon over several years had drained the royal coffers of Judah. The strong rod of that branch— the last king of Judah— had been broken off and withered by that mighty king from the east. The fire of war and divine judgment had consumed Zedekiah. He lost his crown and his eyesight before being carried away in humiliation to Babylon. The Vine Transplanted(Ezekiel 19:13-14) Location of the transplantation (Ezekiel 19:13): Now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. The once luxuriant vine planted by many waters is now forcibly transplanted to the wilderness of exile in Babylon.

Reason for the transplantation (Ezekiel 19:14 a): Fire has gone out from the rod of her branches. It has consumed her fruit, so that she does not have a strong rod as a scepter to rule. The fire that will ultimately destroy the nation had gone out of the rod. Zedekiah’ s rebellion against Babylon was the cause of the ruin that engulfed the nation of Judah. With the deportation of Zedekiah, the royal house of David was reduced to insignificance so that there is in her no strong rod to assume the rule. Conclusion (Ezekiel 19:14 b): This is a lamentation, and it became a lamentation. Chapter 19 is a prophetic lamentation spoken before the final calamity took place. What is here recorded as prophecy became the general theme of the national lamentation after the disaster had transpired. Ezekiel Chapter NineteenVerse 1 FUNERAL FOR THE EARTHLY HOUSE OF DAVIDThis chapter is a dirge written by Ezekiel as a prophetic funeral for the earthly end of the House of David. As Cooke stated it: “Ezekiel could write fine poetry when he chose; and on this occasion the impulse came from a mixed emotion, his pride in the royal house of Judah, and his pity for the misfortunes of the young princes."[1]Evidently, Cooke overlooked the fact that it was upon the express commandment of the Lord himself that Ezekiel wrote this dirge; and although it may not be doubted that Ezekiel did himself experience deep emotions in the expression of this lament, the prior experience of God Himself participated in the sorrow at the earthly failure of the house of David. There are actually two laments here, the first under the allegory of a lioness and her whelps, and the second under the figure of a vine, a rod of which caused its total destruction. The first is in Ezekiel 19:1-9; the second is inEzekiel 19:10-14. Dummelow noted that these laments appear to be (1) for the nation as a whole, (2) for the royal house of David, or (3) for Hammutal, the mother of Zedekiah.[2] Actually, the lament is for all of Israel, about to suffer the irrevocable loss of their status as God’s Chosen People, the final end of their racial status in God’s sight, and their integrity as an independent nation, a true independence which they would never more attain. At this point in Israel’s history, there were no rulers of the kingdom that any man could trust. The wickedness of the ungodly men Ezekiel had just described in the preceding chapter was a true picture of Israel’s kings, best described as a den of wild animals! All of them were doomed to death; and, “A dirge, normally, was sung or chanted after the death of the deceased and during the funeral; but Ezekiel here expressed the Lord’s sadness over the failure of the Judean leadership by chanting this elegy over her terminal rulers before their deaths occurred."[3]In other words, Ezekiel publicly preached the funeral of Judah’s wicked kings while they were still alive! It must have been a very spectacular happening. There was a special meter reserved in Hebrew literature for the writing of dirges, and it featured a distinctive pattern of one line with three beats, followed by a second line with two beats. Taylor noted that, “Only rarely can an English translation catch that distinctive feature."[4] He illustrated the meter thus: In-the-midst of lions she-crouched Rearing her whelps. The skillful use of this meter by Ezekiel throughout both the laments of this chapter makes the unity and Ezekiel’s authorship of it impossible of any intelligent denial. “This lament, bewailing the overthrow of the royal house and the banishment of the whole nation into exile, forms a climax and finale to the preceding prophecies (Ezekiel 12-19) of the overthrow of Judah, and was well calculated to annihilate every hope that things might not really come to the worst after all."[5] God here preached Judah’s funeral! Ezekiel 19:1-6“Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of young lions she nourished her whelps. And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men. The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks into the land of Egypt. Now when she saw that she waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.““The princes of Israel …” (Ezekiel 19:1). “Israel here is the whole Jewish nation over which the king of Judah was the only rightful sovereign.” The kings of Northern Israel were usurpers; and besides that, the Northern Israel was already in captivity and were no longer a factor in the prophetic considerations. This paragraph outlines the disasters that befell the final kings of Judah, “in terms of the misfortunes of a brood of lion whelps."[6] Jeremiah discusses the descendants of Josiah in Jeremiah 22:10-30. The dramatic truth revealed by Ezekiel here is that, “Israel has put herself upon the level of the heathen nations around her, and has adopted the tyrannical and rapacious nature of the powers of the world. Israel has thus struck out upon a course opposed to her divine calling, and will now have to taste the bitter fruits of her heathen ways."[7]“One of her whelps …” (Ezekiel 19:3). The first whelp mentioned here is a reference to Jehoahaz II (Shallum). “He was carried into captivity in Egypt after a brief three-months reign, during the year 609 B.C., by Pharaoh-Necco.[8] Jehoiachim succeeded Jehoahaz II, but Ezekiel ignored him in this analogy, skipping over his rather long and bloody reign to the second whelp, which is Jehoiachin, (Jeconiah, or Coniah). It is the mention of the first whelp’s being carried to Egypt that gives us the clue to his identity. Also, in this identification with Jehoahaz II gives us the clue for recognizing Jehoiachin as the second whelp. Neither one of the real “princes of Israel” reigned any more than three months. Both Jehoiachim and Zedekiah were vassals of foreign lords, Jehoiachim of Egypt, and Zedekiah of Babylon. Thus the pitiful termination of the “house of David” is seen in the 90-day reigns of his terminal princes. We are aware that many very learned scholars suppose that Jehoiachim and/or Zedekiah to be one of the two whelps; but Zedekiah is eliminated from consideration because he received a special elegy of his own in Ezekiel 19:10-14, and does not particularly belong in the first one. There is one very strong objection to our identification of these two whelps, and that was stated by Bruce. “Some scholars see Jehoiachin as the second whelp, but the language of Eze 19:6-8 does not fit him at all."[9] This is true enough, but it does not fit Jehoahaz II either; and even Bruce admits him to be the first whelp. Although neither Jehoahaz II nor Jehoiachin reigned long enough for their true character to manifest itself, their character is set forth here under the figure of ravaging lions that “devoured men.” This is God’s estimate of what those kings actually were; and God’s judgment of them is confirmed by the enmity of Egypt against the first one, and of Babylon against the second one, leading to their capture and deportation. The mention of their being taken in a pit, and “by hooks” conforms to the imagery of trapping wild beasts, and is not a description of their capture. Plumptre agreed that Jehoiachim was not the second whelp;[10] and Cooke also recognized that in Ezekiel 19:9, “The allusion is to Jehoiachin, not to Zedekiah."[11]“Keil likewise identified the two whelps of this passage as Jehoahaz and Jehoachin, who were chosen here merely as examples, because they both fell into the hands of world powers. Moreover their fate showed very clearly what the end would inevitably be when the Jewish kings became ambitious to be “lions” like the kings of the nations around them."[12]Verse 7 “And he knew their palaces and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the ruiness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring. Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit. And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.““He knew their palaces …” (Ezekiel 19:7). The Revised Standard Version renders this, “He ravaged their strongholds,” which is in agreement with the parallel phrase that follows. Apparently, none of this had time to happen in his three months’ reign; but his character was such that such deeds of cruelty and tyranny would most surely have happened if he had been permitted to continue as king. In actuality, “the noise of his roaring” was all that came of it! “They put him in a cage …” (Ezekiel 19:9) This probably happened literally to Jehoiachin, as it was the custom of ancient kings to display their captive kings, princes, and mighty men as caged captives in their ostentatious victory parades. “After his three months’ reign, Jehoiachin was taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon in 597 B.C. (2 Kings 24:8-16)."[13]Verse 10 “Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches. but it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: the strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them. And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. And fire has gone out of the rods of the branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.“Here is the second dirge; the imagery is changed. In the first, the likeness of Israel was that of a den of ferocious lion cubs; here the comparison is with a vine that is ripped up from its favorable place, transferred to a dry and thirsty land, and burned up through the fire that comes out of her own branches (the princes), one of whom, namely, Zedekiah, following the advice of the others, rebelled against his suzerain lord and precipitated the ruin of the whole nation. “The mother in both lamentations is the same, that is, the nation of Israel."[14]“Strong rods (branches) for sceptres of them that bare rule …” (Ezekiel 19:11). “This is a reference to the successive kings of Judah."[15]“Plucked up in fury … cast down to the ground … east wind dried up its fruit …” (Ezekiel 19:12). All of these are references to the destruction of Jerusalem by the king of Babylon. “Mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters …” (Ezekiel 19:10). Commentators have complained that the phrase, “in thy blood is meaningless,"[16] or that, “This expression can hardly be right."[17] However, Cook seemed to have no trouble with it. He stated that, “the mother, living in the life of her children” was planted favorably by the waters.[18]The thought is correct, whether or not, this is an accurate rendition. “Ezekiel 19:12-14 describe the final destruction and captivity of Judah. Zedekiah’s rebellion was the cause of the total rain of the nation."[19]

Ezekiel 19:1

Ezekiel 19:1. The prophet was told to make a lamentation for the princes of Israel, which means Judah in this case since the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel had been in exile more than a century at the time of this writing.

Ezekiel 19:2

Ezekiel 19:2. The lamentation was to be in the form of a parable, using the lion species of animal for the comparison. Tiie mother was the nation of Judah that was considered a lion-ess among lions or other kingdoms. The princes or chief men of the nation of Judah would be referred to as whelps in the figurative language of the parable.

Ezekiel 19:3

Ezekiel 19:3. This verse singles out one of the whelps and the context indicates it means Jehoahaz. (See 2 Kings 23:30.) The figurative form of speech is continued, hence the evil conduct of this king is described as that of catching prey which really means that this Icing devoured men as is literally stated.

Ezekiel 19:4

Ezekiel 19:4. The conduct of this evil king (whelp) attracted the attention of other nations and the statement that he was taken in their pit is recorded in 2 Kings 23:33.

Ezekiel 19:5

Ezekiel 19:5. There is a space between this and the preceding verse that is not apparent in the language. After Jehoahaz was dethroned, his brother Jehoiakim was put in his place and reigned 11 years, and he was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin who reigned but 3 months. For some reason unknown to me, these two rulers are not considered distinctively in the parable. The things that will be said of the whelp of this verse were not all true of the mentioned kings, but they were true of the last, king in Jerusalem and his name was Zedekiah, Waited . , . hope was lost indicates that the return of Jehoahaz was looked for by some but it was in vain. It had been decreed (Jeremiah 22:30) that no descendant of Jehoiachin was to reign in Judah, hence the nation had to use another whelp who was Zedekiab,

Ezekiel 19:6

Ezekiel 19:6. The figures are still drawn from the life of a lion but the verse refers to the actual conduct of Zede- kiah who was then on the throne in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 19:7

Ezekiel 19:7. Zedekiah was not a very acceptable ruler in the eyes of his countrymen, and even some of the foreign nations began to look upon him with mistrust.

Ezekiel 19:8

Ezekiel 19:8. Finally the nations (meaning the units of the empire of Babylon) came against. Zedekiah and laid siege to his capital which fell as a prey of war.

Ezekiel 19:9

Ezekiel 19:9. Zedekiah tried to evade capture and fled his capital by night, but. he was taken by the army of Babylon who spread their net over him (2 Kings 25:4-5). In chains refers to the shackles which they placed upon the fallen king of Judah, after which they took him to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7). Much of this chapter so far is literal history and it may be read in 2 Kings 24, 25. But the last part about Zedekiah is prophecy for he had not yet been taken from his throne at this writing.

Ezekiel 19:10

Ezekiel 19:10. Thy mother means Judah as the producer of kings and princes such as have been considered. The verse is a figurative description of the prosperous state of Judah under the blessings of God. In thy blood refers to the early hours of her life when the special favor of God was bestowed upon her. (See Ezekiel 16:6; Ezekiel 16:22.)

Ezekiel 19:11

Ezekiel 19:11. Here are some more figures and they refer to the standing that Judah enjoyed as a nation among nations. This state of exaltation seems to have filled her with pride and a disregard for her obligation to the Lord.

Ezekiel 19:12

Ezekiel 19:12. The closing verses of the chapter pertain to the final overthrow of Jerusalem which was the capital of the kingdom of Judah, which event was to complete the 3rd stage of the great 70-year captivity. Plucked up in fury refers directly to the heat of the Babylonian attack. East wind suggests the blast of the Babylonian army since that force came from the east. Fire consumed is a literal prediction and its fulfillment is recorded in 2 Kings 25:9.

Ezekiel 19:13

Ezekiel 19:13. The wilderness was the land of Babylon which would be dry and thirsty as far as any national favors were concerned.

Ezekiel 19:14

Ezekiel 19:14. No strong rod to tie a sceptre to rule. When Zedekiah was taken from the throne of Judah, there never was a successor until the time of Christ, who was to have the right to reign, hut as a spiritual ruler. (See Ezekiel 21:24-27.) Christ was produced through the tribe of Judah and was to be the last king of that people.