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Lament for the Princes of Israel

19 “And you, sing[a] a lament for the princes of Israel, and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions!
She lay among young lions;[b] she reared her cubs.
She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion.
He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.[c]
The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit.
They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 19:1 tn Heb “lift up.”
  2. Ezekiel 19:2 sn Lions probably refer to Judahite royalty and/or nobility. The lioness appears to symbolize the Davidic dynasty, though some see the referent as Hamutal, the wife of Josiah and mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah. The background for Judah being compared to lions seems to be Gen 49:9.
  3. Ezekiel 19:3 tn Heb “a man.”
  4. Ezekiel 19:4 sn The description applies to King Jehoahaz (2 Kgs 23:31-34; Jer 22:10-12).

Dirge for the Princes of Israel

19 “As for you, take up a dirge (funeral poem to be sung) for the princes of Israel and say,

‘What was your mother [Jerusalem and Judah]?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
She reared her cubs.

‘When she [the royal mother-city] brought up [Jehoahaz] one of her cubs,
He became a [young] lion,
And he learned to catch and tear the prey;
He devoured men.(A)

‘The nations heard about him;
He was captured in their pit,
And they brought him with hooks
To the land of Egypt.(B)

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