# Ezekiel 17 đ: Two Eagles and a Cedar
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### A Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
[[#Verse 01.]] The Lordâs message came to me:Â
[[#Verse 02.]] âSon of man, offer a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel.Â
[[#Verse 03.]] Say to them: âThis is what the Sovereign Lord says:
ââA great eagle with broad wings, long feathers,
with full plumage that was multi-hued,
came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.
[[#Verse 04.]]Â He plucked off its topmost shoot;
he brought it to a land of merchants
and planted it in a city of traders.
[[#Verse 05.]] He took one of the seedlings of the land,
placed it in a cultivated plot;
a shoot by abundant water,
like a willow he planted it.
[[#Verse 06.]]Â It sprouted and became a vine,
spreading low to the ground;
its branches turning toward him, its roots were under itself.
So it became a vine; it produced shoots and sent out branches.
[[#Verse 07.]]Â ââThere was another great eagle
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.
[[#Verse 08.]]Â In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted
to grow branches, bear fruit, and become a beautiful vine.â
[[#Verse 09.]] âSay to them: âThis is what the Sovereign Lord says:
ââWill it prosper?
Will he not rip out its roots
and cause its fruit to rot and wither?
All its foliage will wither.
No strong arm or large army
will be needed to pull it out by its roots.
[[#Verse 10.]]Â 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?ââ
[[#Verse 11.]] Then the Lordâs message came to me:Â
[[#Verse 12.]] âSay to the rebellious house of Israel: âDonât you know what these things mean?â Say: âSee here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon.Â
[[#Verse 13.]] He took one from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and put him under oath. He then took the leaders of the landÂ
[[#Verse 14.]]Â so it would be a lowly kingdom that could not rise on its own but had to keep its treaty with him in order to stand.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] But this one from Israelâs royal family rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape?
[[#Verse 16.]] ââAs surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, surely in the city of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he brokeâin the middle of Babylon he will die!Â
[[#Verse 17.]] Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help him in battle, when siege ramps are erected and siege walls are built to kill many people.Â
[[#Verse 18.]] He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take noteâhe gave his promise and did all these things. He will not escape!
[[#Verse 19.]] ââTherefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant!
[[#Verse 20.]]Â I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed against me.
[[#Verse 21.]] All the choice men among his troops will die by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken!
[[#Verse 22.]] ââThis is what the Sovereign Lord says:
ââI will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it.
I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs;
I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
[[#Verse 23.]]Â I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel,
and it will raise branches and produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar.
Every bird will live under it;
Every winged creature will live in the shade of its branches.
[[#Verse 24.]] All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord.
I make the high tree low; I raise up the low tree.
I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry tree sprout.
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it!ââ
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The chapter is called both a riddle and a parable (17:2).
2. The first great eagle represents Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (17:3, 12).
3. The top of the cedar represents King Jehoiachin, taken to Babylon in 597 BC (17:4, 12).
4. Babylon is called "a land of merchants" and "a city of traders" (17:4).
5. The seed planted in fertile soil represents Zedekiah, the king Babylon put on the throne (17:5, 13).
6. The second eagle represents Pharaoh of Egypt (17:7, 15), likely Psammetichus II or Hophra.
7. Zedekiah broke the oath he had sworn to Nebuchadnezzar in God's name (2 Chronicles 36:13).
8. God calls Zedekiah's oath "My oath" and the covenant "My covenant" (17:19) because it was made in His name.
9. The cedars of Lebanon were prized across the ancient world for their size and strength.
10. "I bring down the high tree and make the low tree high" (17:24) echoes Mary's song in Luke 1:52.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the tender shoot God plants on a high mountain. God promised to take a sprig from the top of the cedar and plant it so every kind of bird would nest in its branches (17:22-23), and Jesus is the Branch of David whose kingdom grows to shelter the nations (Isaiah 11:1; Matthew 13:31-32).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Zedekiah broke an oath he had sworn in God's name (17:18-19). Why does God care so much about keeping our word?
2. Zedekiah looked to Egypt for help instead of trusting God (17:15). Where are you tempted to look for rescue in the wrong place?
3. God brings down the high tree and makes the low tree high (17:24). How have you seen God humble the proud and lift the humble?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 2: Ezekiel tells a riddle and a parable to Israel.
- đ verse 19: God will hold Zedekiah responsible for despising his oath.
- đ verses 22-23: God will plant a tender sprig on a high mountain, and it will become a majestic cedar.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Isaiah 11#Verse 01.|Isaiah 11:1]] - A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse.
- đ [[Jeremiah 23#Verse 05.|Jeremiah 23:5]] - God will raise up a righteous Branch for David.
- đ [[Matthew 13#Verse 31.|Matthew 13:31-32]] - The mustard seed becomes a tree.
- đ [[2 Chronicles 36#Verse 11.|2 Chronicles 36:11-13]] - Zedekiah rebels against Nebuchadnezzar.
- đ [[Luke 01#Verse 52.|Luke 1:52]] - He has brought down rulers and lifted up the humble.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Ezekiel 17 - SOAP|Seeing God in Destruction]]
## đ Internal Notes