Ezekiel 17:1-10
New English Translation
A Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
17 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, offer a riddle,[a] and tell a parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:[b]
“‘A great eagle[c] with broad wings, long feathers,[d]
with full plumage that was multi-hued,[e]
came to Lebanon[f] and took the top of the cedar.
4 He plucked off its topmost shoot;
he brought it to a land of merchants
and planted it in a city of traders.
5 He took one of the seedlings[g] of the land,
placed it in a cultivated plot;[h]
a shoot by abundant water,
like a willow he planted it.
6 It sprouted and became a vine,
spreading low to the ground;[i]
its branches turning toward him,[j] its roots were under itself.[k]
So it became a vine; it produced shoots and sent out branches.
7 “‘There was another great eagle[l]
with broad wings and thick plumage.
Now this vine twisted its roots toward him
and sent its branches toward him
to be watered from the soil where it was planted.
8 In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted
to grow branches, bear fruit, and become a beautiful vine.’
9 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘Will it prosper?
Will he not rip out its roots
and cause its fruit to rot[m] and wither?
All its foliage[n] will wither.
No strong arm or large army
will be needed to pull it out by its roots.[o]
10 Consider! It is planted, but will it prosper?
Will it not wither completely when the east wind blows on it?
Will it not wither in the soil where it sprouted?’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 17:2 sn The verb occurs elsewhere in the OT only in Judg 14:12-19, where Samson supplies a riddle.
- Ezekiel 17:3 tn The parable assumes the defection of Zedekiah to Egypt and his rejection of Babylonian lordship.
- Ezekiel 17:3 sn The great eagle symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar (17:12).
- Ezekiel 17:3 tn Hebrew has two words for wings; it is unknown whether they are fully synonymous or whether one term distinguishes a particular part of the wing such as the wing coverts (nearest the shoulder), secondaries (mid-feathers of the wing), or primaries (last and longest section of the wing).
- Ezekiel 17:3 tn This term was used in 16:10, 13, and 18 of embroidered cloth.
- Ezekiel 17:3 sn In the parable Lebanon apparently refers to Jerusalem (17:12).
- Ezekiel 17:5 tn Heb “took of the seed of the land.” For the vine imagery, “seedling” is a better translation, though in its subsequent interpretation the “seed” refers to Zedekiah through its common application to offspring.
- Ezekiel 17:5 tn Heb “a field for seed.”
- Ezekiel 17:6 tn Heb “short of stature.”
- Ezekiel 17:6 tn That is, the eagle.
- Ezekiel 17:6 tn Or “him,” i.e., the eagle.
- Ezekiel 17:7 sn The phrase another great eagle refers to Pharaoh Hophra.
- Ezekiel 17:9 tn The Hebrew root occurs only here in the OT and appears to have the meaning of “strip off.” In application to fruit the meaning may be “cause to rot.”
- Ezekiel 17:9 tn Heb “all the טַרְפֵּי (tarpe) of branches.” The word טַרְפֵּי occurs only here in the Bible; its precise meaning is uncertain.
- Ezekiel 17:9 tn Or “there will be no strong arm or large army when it is pulled up by the roots.”
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